Part 25 (2/2)
”I think he is telling the truth about the river thieves,” Alex.
replied.
”I was wondering if that wasn't just a bait to help them get on board.”
”It may be, but there are river robbers in this section. They told us that where we bought the gasoline. These may be the robbers, for all I know, but we ought to make sure of that before turning them down.
They'll starve here, if they have lost their boat and provisions. Of course they can get wild game, but I don't see how they are going to cook it. We ought to give them a chance, anyway.”
Clay went back to the deck and listened to the conversation between Case and the visitor, who seemed a little annoyed at the doubting of his word.
”Where did you live in Chicago?” he heard Case ask.
”In furnished rooms on Elizabeth street, near Was.h.i.+ngton boulevard,”
was the reply.
”Where did you work?” was the next question, impertinent and personal, but seemingly necessary at that time.
”At a machine shop on Clinton street, not far from West Madison.
”Then you are machinists?”
”Yes, all of us. Business is dull in our line just now, and we thought we'd make a hit with ourselves by spending a winter in the south.”
”When did you leave Chicago?”
”We left Chicago last September,” answered the man, turning toward the rail. ”We expect to get back sometime during the next century, if all Chicago boys are as hospitable as you are! Now, with your permission, I'll go back to my friends.”
”How do you know we are from Chicago?” asked Clay, stepping forward.
The other laughed lightly and pointed to the boat's name on articles scattered about.
”But, aside from that,” he said, ”we'd know you anywhere. The Chicago newspapers carried a lot of feature stuff about your boat and your trips.”
”All right, stranger,” one of the three answered, in rather a pleasant tone of voice. ”Just as you say!”
”What do you want?” asked Alex., still s.h.i.+vering from his cold bath.
”We want a ride out of this consarned swamp,” was the reply.
”How did you get in here?” asked Clay. ”Get out the way you got in!”
he added.
”Our shanty boat is smashed to flinders and our grub is gone,”
complained the other. ”It don't look as if we could walk out of here, does it?”
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