ed, don't you suppose he sees us hanging about here all the time?
He'd be a goose to try anything right in front of our eyes. No doubt he's
seen one or the other of us at the window all night, too. And if it's
Eileen or any one else, it's the same thing. Let's go off somewhere and
give them a chance. Not too far though, for we want to be where we can
get back with reasonable speed ourselves."

So they went for a stroll along the beach, accompanied by Rags, who was
only too delighted at the prospect of an expedition that promised some
change. It was a mild, hazy October afternoon. An opalescent mist lay
along the horizon and the waves rolled in lazily, too lazily to break
with their accustomed crash. Every little while there would be a flight
of wild geese, in V-shaped flying line, far overhead, and their honking
would float down faintly as they pushed on in their southward course. It
was a golden afternoon, and Leslie almost resented the fact that they had
any worries or problems on their minds.

"Why, who in the world is that?" exclaimed Phyllis, suddenly, as they
rounded a slight curve in the beach and came in sight of a figure
standing at the water's edge, a rod and long line in his hand, and a
camp-stool and fishing-kit beside him. "There hasn't been a stranger
fishing in this region in an age! People generally go down by the big
bungalow colony three miles farther along for that. We almost never see
any one here. I wonder what it means!"

As they came nearer, they could see more plainly what sort of person he
appeared to be. He was tall and stalwart and gray-haired. A slouch hat
was pulled down to shade his eyes, but still they could see that his face
was alert and kindly and placid, with twinkling gray eyes and a whimsical
mouth. He was obviously an adept fisherman, as Phyllis remarked, when
they had witnessed the clever way in which he managed a catch. They were
very near him by that time, and watching breathlessly. Once his prey
almost eluded him, but with a skilful manipulation of his tackle, he
presently brought the big fellow, lashing wildly, to land, well out of
reach of the water.

"Great Scott!" he exclaimed, winding up his line, "but that fellow gave
me a warm ten minutes!"

The girls had by this time reached the spot and were admiring the catch.

"Congratulations!" laughed Phyllis, with the informal interest of the
born fisherman. "I couldn't have done it myself, not after he had almost
escaped. He