“Good evening,” said Bob. “Could you let us have something to eat, sir? We would be glad to pay for it.”
“Oh, then you aren’t Mr. William Hooper?”
“Yes, that’s me. Some one send you here?”
“Yes, sir. We met a man down at Locust Park who said he was sure you’d----”
The name exerted a remarkable effect on Mr. William Hooper. His face flushed darkly and his hands clinched. Bob fell back from the doorway in alarm.
“Abner Wade, eh?” growled Mr. Hooper. “Abner Wade sent ye, did he? I might have known it was him! Now you make tracks, the whole parcel of ye! If you ain’t outside my grounds in two minutes I’ll set the dog on ye! Here, Brutus! Here, Brutus!”
“_Et tu, Brute!_” muttered Dan as he fled down the path.
At the gate they brought up, laughing, and looked warily back for the dog. Much to their relief he wasn’t in sight.
“Don’t believe he’s got any dog,” said Tommy.
“Don’t see why he should have,” said Dan. “He’s ugly enough himself to scare anyone away.”
“I’d like to see that Abner Wade just about two minutes,” said Nelson. “Nice game he put up on us!”
“Yes. Old Bill hates him like poison, evidently,” answered Bob. “He’s an awful joker, Abe is!”
“Foot it to Jericho, I guess,” said Bob. “It’s only about a mile.”
“When I get back,” said Dan darkly, “I’ll bet I’ll tell that doctor of mine what I think of his old walking!”
“Here’s some one coming,” whispered Nelson. “Let’s light out.”
“It’s a woman,” said Bob. “Guess it’s the old codger’s wife. Let’s wait.”
She was a stout, kind-faced woman, and her hurried walk from the house had left her somewhat out of breath.
“Boys,” she gasped, “I’m real sorry about this. And I guess you didn’t mean any harm.”
“Harm?” echoed Bob. “No’m, we just wanted some supper and were willing to pay for it. A man down at Locust Park----”
“Yes, I know. That was the trouble. You see, Abner Wade and my husband ain’t been on speaking terms for ten years and more. Abner sold William a horse that wasn’t just what he made it out to be; it died less’n a week afterwards; and William went to law about it, and Abner kept appealing or something, and it ain’t never come to a settlement, and I guess it never will. If you hadn’t mentioned Abner Wade I guess it would have been all right. I’m real sorry.”