ar. Do you wish to run away?"

"No," he growled.

"I'm glad of that. I like the excitement of facing danger boldly. But
there's ample time to talk over details. I see you've had your supper,
so I'll just fry myself a beefsteak."

She opened her basket and began to prepare a meal. Old Swallowtail sat
and watched her. Presently he smiled grimly and Nan never noticed the
expression. Perhaps, had she done so, she would have demanded an
explanation. He rarely smiled, and certainly his daughter's disclosures
were not calculated to excite mirth, or even to amuse.

CHAPTER XXI
A CASE OF NERVES

The "hotel" at the Crossing was not an imposing affair. Indeed, had
there not been an "office" in the front room, with a wooden desk in one
corner, six chairs and two boxes of sawdust to serve as cuspidors, the
building might easily have been mistaken for a private residence. But
it stood on the corner opposite the store and had a worn and scarcely
legible sign over the front door, calling it a hotel in capital
letters.

The Hoppers, who operated the establishment, did an excellent business.
On week days the farmers who came to town to trade made it a point to
eat one of Silas Hopper's twenty-five cent dinners, famous for at least
five miles around for profusion and good cookery. On Sundays--and
sometimes on other days--an automobile party, touring the country,
would stop at the hotel for a meal, and Mrs. Hopper was accustomed to
have a chicken dinner prepared every Sunday in the hope of attracting a
stray tourist. There were two guest rooms upstairs that were
religiously reserved in case some patron wished to stay overnight, but
these instances were rare unless a drummer missed his train and
couldn't get away from the Crossing until the next day.

The Sunday following the arrival of Ingua's mother in town proved a
dull day with the Hoppers, who had been compelled to eat their chicken
dinner themselves in default of customers. The dishes had been washed
and Mary Ann, the daughter of the house, was sitting on the front porch
in her Sunday gown and a rocking-chair, when an automobile drove up to
the door and a dapper little man alighted. He was very elaborately
dressed, with silk hat, patent-leather shoes and a cane setting off his
Prince Albert coat and lavender striped trousers. Across his white
waistcoat was a heavy gold watch-guard with an enormous locket dangling
from it; he had a sparkling pin in his checkered neck-scarf