Part 42 (2/2)

He glanced quickly at the envelope. It bore no address on its plain, white surface, and under pretence of turning, so as to take advantage of the last golden glow in the west, the colonel quickly read the letter. As he did so a look, almost of fright, came over his face.

”I wonder if she'll keep her word,” he murmured. ”I wonder--”

He slipped the letter quickly into another plain envelope, one of a miscellaneous collection of papers in his pocket, and returned it to the boy, retaining the covering he had been obliged to tear open, for it had been sealed.

”There you are,” he said. ”And you needn't say anything to my friend about the fis.h.i.+ng. I want to surprise him. Just don't say anything about me.

”And here's half a dollar, Sonny. Could I hire you to take me to that brook you spoke of, where you say there are such big fish?”

”Sure you could,” the boy answered eagerly, as he pocketed the money.

”I know a lot about fis.h.i.+ng.”

”All right. I may call on you. Trot along now, and remember--don't say anything. This is to be a surprise!”

”Sure, I know,” and with a precocious wink the lad pa.s.sed on into the ever lengthening shadows.

”I think,” observed the colonel to himself, as he watched the boy making his way back toward the station, ”that I'll make a little change in the old saying, and _follow_ the woman instead of _looking_ for her, since I know where she is already.”

Back then to the peaceful little village went the fisherman, and, reaching the house where the boy had left the note, taking therefrom its answer, Colonel Ashley waited with all the patience that might characterize a waiting beside some fis.h.i.+ng stream.

But his patience was not tried long, for presently a veiled woman emerged from the house. She walked away rapidly the detective following unseen.

”She is going to meet him, just as she promised in the note, though it must be galling to her pride,” murmured the old detective. ”I wonder if she really believes he'll keep his word--or can keep it? Well, I'll be there at the finish, and I think this _will_ be the finish,” he went on grimly, as he thrust his hand into his side pocket, where the ”hooks” jingled with grim music.

As the woman walked on, she turned now and then and looked back along the fast-darkening streets.

For a moment the colonel was suspicious.

”I wonder if she has seen me?” he murmured.

He gave a quick, backward glance, and started as he saw another figure not far behind him.

”Can it be?” exclaimed the colonel. ”No, it's Aaron Grafton,” he proceeded with an air of relief. ”He must have been at her house, and she has asked him to follow her, to make sure no harm is done. A bit foolish of him, under the circ.u.mstances. But when a man's in love--”

The colonel shrugged his shoulders and chuckled grimly.

”However, I must take care that he does not see me.”

Slipping behind a tree, the colonel effected a change in hats, for he always wore a soft one and carried several collapsible ones. Then, b.u.t.toning his coat rather askew about him, to give a careless air to his attire (the colonel, normally was one of the neatest men living) he crossed to the other side of the street and then became the shadower of two instead of one, for Aaron Grafton had pa.s.sed on without, apparently, noticing him.

The woman was still in sight, and before she reached the station the man who had sent the note came out and met her on the driveway. The colonel looked back and saw Mr. Grafton dodging behind a tree.

”He doesn't want to be seen, either,” he mused.

Relying on his simple but effective disguise, the colonel made bold to walk within hearing distance of the man and woman, the latter having come to a stiff halt when she saw the man advancing to meet her.

”We can't talk here,” said the dispatcher of the note. ”Will you walk a little way with me?”

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