Part 17 (1/2)
”Is that all?”
”Yes, that's all--No, by Jimminy! It can't be possible! They're playing leap-frog!”
”Playing leap-frog!” exclaimed Ned.
”Yes! Jumping about like boys! Here, you come up and take a look, Frank! You've got the best eyesight of any of us.”
Bart descended and Frank took his place. He gazed through the telescope for several seconds.
”The men are certainly jumping about,” he said, ”but they're not playing leap-frog.”
”What are they doing?” asked Bart.
”They're hurrying from one place to another, looking at something through big magnifying gla.s.ses, just like that man in the boat. That's who they are. I can see the King of Paprica!”
”Let me have a look!” cried Ned.
”Is Sandy there?” asked Bart.
”I don't see him. Yes, there he is. He's helping them, from the look of things!”
In turn Ned and Fenn were allowed to gaze through the telescope. They confirmed what Frank had said, that the men were certainly at some peculiar operations.
”There are some more tents back of Sandy's,” said Stumpy. ”And I can see a log hut, too. There's something red over the door!”
CHAPTER XV
NED STOPS A PANIC
”Can you read it?” asked Ned.
”It begins with a 'K.' 'King of Paprica,' that's what it is. I can see it plainly, now that the sun is out from behind the cloud.”
”This is where they moved the hut to,” Ned went on. ”Well, this thing is getting more and more mysterious.”
Bart again ascended the tree and took a long observation. He reported that the men seemed to be measuring the land with long chains, while one was using an instrument such as surveyors carry.
”Maybe they're planning to put a new trolley line through,” suggested Fenn.
”That's so,” agreed Bart. ”I didn't think of that.”
”Probably don't want folks to know which way it's going, as if they did, they might put up the price of land.”
”But that doesn't explain the queer actions of the crazy men,” objected Ned. ”I bet there's something more than that in all this.”
”Well, I don't see as we can do anything,” spoke Frank cautiously. ”We haven't any right to go on private land. Guess we'll have to let it drop.”
”Wonder how they came to hire Sandy?” said Bart.