“In another year or two this old lodge will fall down,” remarked Ned, as he gazed around him.
“It must have been a nice place in its day,” returned Joe. “What a pity to let it run down in this fashion.”
“The rain is coming around on this side now, Joe; let us shift to the other.”
The hermit's boy was willing, and watching their chance, between the downpours, they ran around to another portion of the old lodge.
“It certainly is a little better here,” observed Joe, as he dashed the water from his cap.
A minute later the rumbling4 of the thunder ceased for the time being, and they heard a murmur5 of voices coming from one of the rooms of the lodge.
“Why, somebody must be here!” ejaculated Ned. “Who can it be?”
“Two men, by their voices,” answered the hermit's boy. “Wait till I take a look at them?”
“Why not go in?” questioned the rich youth, carelessly.
“They may not be persons that we would care to meet, Ned. You know there are some undesirable6 characters about the lake.”
“That's true.”
Not far off was a narrow window, the panes7 of glass of which had long since been broken out. Moving toward this, Joe peered into the apartment beyond.
Close to an old fireplace, in which a few sticks of half-green timber were burning, sat two men. Both were well dressed, and Joe rightfully surmised9 that they were from the city. Each wore a hunting outfit10 and had a gun, but neither had any game.
“We came on a wild-goose chase,” grumbled11 one, as he stirred the fire. “Got nothing but a soaking for our pains.”
“Never mind, Malone,” returned the other, who was evidently the better educated of the two. “As we had to make ourselves scarce in the city this was as good a place to come to as any.”
“Don't you think they'll look for us here?”
“Why should they? We were sharp enough not to leave any trail behind—at least, I was.”
“Reckon I was just as sharp, Caven.”
“You had to be—otherwise you would have been nabbed.” Gaff Caven chuckled12 to himself. “We outwitted them nicely, I must say. We deserve credit.”
“I've spent more than half of what I got out of the deal,” went on Pat Malone, for such was the full name of one of the speakers.
“I've spent more than that. But never mind, my boy, fortune will favor us again in the near future.”
A crash of thunder drowned out the conversation following, and Joe hurried back to where he had left Ned.
“Well, have you found out who they are?” demanded the rich youth, impatiently.
“No, Ned, but I am sure of one thing.”
“What is that?”
“They are two bad men.”
“What makes you think that?”
“They said something about having to get out of the city, and one spoke13 about being nabbed. Evidently they went away to avoid arrest.”
At this announcement Ned Talmadge whistled softly to himself.
“Phew! What shall we do about it?” he asked, with a look of concern on his usually passive face.
“I don't know what to do.”
“Let us listen to what they have to say. Maybe we'll strike some clew to what they have been doing.”
“Would that be fair—to play the eaves-dropper?”
“Certainly—if they are evildoers. Anybody who has done wrong ought to be locked up for it,” went on Ned boldly.
With caution the two boys made their way to the narrow window, and Ned looked in as Joe had done. The backs of the two men were still towards the opening, so the lads were not discovered.
“What is this new game?” they heard the man called Malone ask, after a peal15 of thunder had rolled away among the mountains.
“It's the old game of a sick miner with some valuable stocks to sell,” answered Gaff Caven.
“Have you got the stocks?”
“To be sure—one thousand shares of the Blue Bell Mine, of Montana, said to be worth exactly fifty thousand dollars.”
“Phew! You're flying high, Gaff!” laughed Pat Malone.
“And why not, so long as I sell the stocks?”
“What did they cost you?”
“Well, they didn't cost me fifty thousand dollars,” and Gaff Caven closed one eye suggestively.
“You bet they didn't! More than likely they didn't cost you fifty dollars.”
“Pooh! I can buy a bushel-basket full of worthless stocks for a dollar,” came from Pat Malone. “But that isn't here nor there. I go into the deal if you give me my fair share of the earnings17.”
“I'll give you one-third, Pat, and that's a fair share, I think.”
“Why not make it half?”
“Because I'll do the most of the work. It's no easy matter to find a victim.” And Gaff Caven laughed broadly. He had a good-appearing face, but his eyes were small and not to be trusted.
“All right, I'll go in for a third then. But how soon is the excitement to begin?”
“Oh, in a week or so. I've got the advertisements in the papers already.”
“Not in New York?”
“No, it's Philadelphia this time. Perhaps I'll land one of our Quaker friends.”
“Don't be so sure. The Quakers may be slow but they generally know what they are doing.”
More thunder interrupted the conversation at this point, and when it was resumed the two men talked in such low tones that only an occasional word could be caught by the two boys.
“They surely must be rascals,” remarked Ned, in a whisper. “I'm half of a mind to have them locked up.”
“That's easier said than done,” answered Joe. “Besides, we haven't any positive proofs against them.”
The wind was now rising, and it soon blew so furiously that the two boys were forced to seek the shelter of the woodshed, since they did not deem it wise to enter the lodge so long as the two men were inside. They waited in the shed for fully8 half an hour, when, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm let up and the sun began to peep forth18 from between the scattering19 clouds.
“Now we can go home if we wish,” said Joe. “But for my part, I'd like to stay and see what those men do, and where they go to.”
“Yes, let us stay by all means,” answered the rich youth.
They waited a few minutes longer and then Ned suggested that they look into the window of the lodge once more. The hermit's boy was willing, and they approached the larger building with caution.
Much to their astonishment20 the two strangers had disappeared.
“Perhaps they are in one of the other rooms,” suggested Joe.
At the risk of being caught, they entered the lodge and looked into one room after another. Every apartment was vacant, and they now saw that the fire in the fireplace had been stamped out.
“They must have left while we were in the woodshed,” said Ned.
“Maybe they are out on the lake,” answered the hermit's boy, and he ran down to the water's edge, followed by his companion. But though they looked in every direction, not a craft of any kind was to be seen.
“Joe, they didn't take to the water, consequently they must have left by one of the mountain paths.”
“That is true, and if they did they'll have no nice time in getting through. All the bushes are sopping22 wet, and the mud is very slippery in places.”
They walked to the rear of the lodge and soon found the footprints of the two strangers. They led through the bushes and were lost at a small brook23 that ran into the lake.
“There is no use of our trying to follow this any further,” said Joe. “You'll get your clothing covered with water and mud.”
“I don't intend to follow,” answered Ned. “Just the same, I should like to know more about those fellows.”
“I wish I had seen their faces.”
“Yes, it's a pity we didn't get a better look at them. But I'd know their voices.”
By the time they gave up the hunt the sun was shining brightly. Both walked to where the boat had been left, and Joe turned the craft over so that the water might run out. Then he mopped off the seats as best he could.
Ned wanted to go directly home, and he and Joe rowed the craft in the direction of Riverside. As they passed along the lake shore the hermit's boy noted24 that several trees had been struck by lightning.
“I'm glad the lightning didn't strike the lodge while we were there,” said he.
“It was certainly a severe storm while it lasted, Joe. By the way, shall I say anything about those two men?”
“Perhaps it won't do any harm to tell your father, Ned.”
“Very well, I'll do it.”
Soon Riverside was reached, and having paid for the fish and the outing, Ned Talmadge walked in the direction of his residence. Joe shoved off from the tiny dock and struck out for his home. He did not dream of the calamity25 that awaited him there.
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1
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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2
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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3
piazzas
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| n.广场，市场( piazza的名词复数 ) | |
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4
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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5
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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6
undesirable
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| adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子 | |
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panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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9
surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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10
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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11
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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12
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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14
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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15
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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16
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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17
earnings
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| n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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19
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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20
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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21
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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22
sopping
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| adj. 浑身湿透的 动词sop的现在分词形式 | |
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23
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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24
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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25
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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