I'm not up to that point of saying anything--yet. But all the same
it's what I call interesting, you know," the other replied; and from
this Andy could easily guess that while Frank might have notions about
the matter, he did not care to commit himself so early in the game.

"Yes, that's so," Andy replied, still having his eyes glued to the
binoculars.

"What's doing now?" continued Frank.

"Nothing that I c'n see," replied the other.

"No more white handkerchiefs waving around the point, eh, Andy?"

"Not a blessed thing; and Todd's quit too. Guess they've come to some
sort of an understanding. Wish I knew what seven, three, five meant;
something pretty interesting, I'll be bound." Andy went on to mutter,
half to himself.

"Well, we can only guess, and that's the extent of it," Frank was
saying, in a rather serious tone, as though he believed there might be
more in connection with the little affair than a mere exchange of
civilities.

"How about Todd Pemberton, Frank?" asked the boy with the glasses.

"Well, you know him as well as I do, perhaps better," returned his
cousin.

"I mean, wasn't there once something against him? I know, Frank, that my
guardian signed a paper about getting Todd his position with the
steamboat company this last spring; they always get him to sign
everything going, he's so good-natured and what you call an Easy Mark."

"Yes, they came to my father too, and he put his name down, I remember.
As near as I can say, it was a petition to ask the company to give Todd
the position of pilot; and stated the belief of all those who signed
that he would make good. He used to be a pilot on Lake Sunrise, and
before that on one of the Great Lakes."

"But, Frank, why the petition, if he was able to fill the place you'd
think all he had to do was to make application, and then jump in?"

"Well, it seemed to be pretty generally known about Bloomsbury that Todd
had not always been as straight as he is today; and lots of people
believed he would never hold his place a week; but he's had it all
summer now, and seems to be giving satisfaction, all right," Frank went
on to say.

"But there was a past, you mean; Todd had gone the pace, and used to
drink and gamble, I suppose. Perhaps, now, he even used to herd with a
tough set. How about that, Frank?"

"It's so all right. Todd got down pretty low, and was even a hobo, I
heard, before he took a brace, and came back to Bloomsbury to make a man
of himse