"I did."
"Then go find the fire. We've heard cries of fire all the night, but devil a fire can we find."
Jack and Ike had had fun enough in that one direction and they started off toward Ike's home. They had not gone far, however, when they struck another little adventure—a very peculiar one. Indeed, possessing their singular talents they were continually running into adventures, as their gifts gave them great powers in every direction. A little girl had stopped a crabbed, sleek-looking old gentleman and had asked him for alms. The man had said:
"Go to the station house," and he spoke in cruel, hard tones. The girl with a sigh turned away, and Ike said:
"Let's give that old skinflint a dose."
"Agreed," came the response.
Ike ran forward and dropped a silver dollar in the girl's hand and then slid along and joined Jack. The two secured advantage ground, for the old gentleman had stopped to gaze in the windows of one of the great hotel restaurants. Suddenly there sounded in his ears:
"Cruel, cruel old man!"
The old gentleman looked around in every direction and saw no one near him, yet the words had sounded, as stated, close beside his ear. While he was still gazing again there came a voice, saying: