“Is that so? We know him, too,” retorted Randy,—“to our loss. He’s a bad character. Ran movies against us at Riverside Grove and nearly put us out of business. He’s the head and front of this new show—the New Idea. Humph! it will be ‘new,’ all right, if he runs it.”
“Well,” said Vic, “I’ve heard you speak his name and all that, but I didn’t guess it was the man who was with the fellow who stole that satchel from the train. He is the man I saw near Home Farm who was rating the other fellow for getting the wrong grip. Say,” and a new idea seemed to strike Vic, “is he up to any new mischief with you people?”
“No; but he likely will be,” replied Randy. “He’s a dangerous customer. We have tried to keep the public, Slavin included, from knowing our plans. He has probably had somebody spying on us, though.”
“It would be a good thing to watch such a fellow, I should think,” observed Vic, thoughtfully. “It would be a shame if anything happened to your beautiful show here, after all your hard work. A rascal like this fellow Slavin ought to be headed off.”
“Yes, we’re going to keep a sharp eye out for him,” said Randy.
He took Vic to the hotel, and gave him to understand that he was to take up his residence with them until Frank decided what could be done to recover the stolen camels. Then Randy went out to attend to an errand for the Standard. When he returned he was surprised and puzzled to find that Vic had disappeared. A scrawled note lay on a table in the room, reading:
“Got some business to attend to. Will be back this evening.”
Frank, Pep, Mr. Strapp and Ben Jolly showed up at supper time. Frank’s first inquiry concerned Vic. He was only half satisfied with the report Randy made. Frank had read deeper into the odd farm boy than the others. He knew that Vic, when he got an idea in his head, was anxious to work it out. Frank felt sure that some such situation was responsible for Vic’s unexplained absence.
However, about eight o’clock Vic came quietly into the main room of the suite. He did not appear at all excited; but that was rarely his wont. The moment Frank scanned his face, however, he guessed that their original young friend had something on his mind.
Vic responded to the casual questions of those about him. Then he sidled up to Frank in an uneasy sort of way with the words: