on, his
curiosity climbing toward the fever stage. "I'd give a fit now to know
what Frank's got in that wise old noddle of his. He ain't the one to
do things for nothing, take it from me, Elephant."

"Hi! step out of the way, Larry, if you don't want to get run over!"
exclaimed the other, suddenly gripping his companion's sleeve. "Here
comes a car, and the driver's tooting his old bazoo to beat the band."

"They're slowing up, don't you see," observed Larry, who had been
startled by the other's abrupt warning. "No need to scare a feller
like that, Elephant."

"Well, that machine don't belong around here, anyway; and I guess
they're tourists doing the lake road course. Lots of 'em come this way
just for the view, which they say can't be beat," the other went on, in
a low tone; for the touring car had drawn very close by now.

Two men sat in it, one apparently the chauffeur, and the other
occupying the commodious seat in the tonneau. The latter was a
keen-faced man, with a peculiar eye, that seemed to sparkle and glow;
and Larry immediately became aware that he was experiencing a queer
sensation akin to a chill, when he returned the gaze of this individual.

Still, the other could look very pleasant when he chose to smile, as
was the case immediately after the car came to a halt within five feet
of where the two Bloomsbury high school boys stood.

"Looks like you had had pretty good luck, boys," he remarked, smoothly.

"Pretty middlin'," Elephant said, indifferently, as though this were an
everyday occurrence with him; when to tell the truth, he and Larry had
not done so well all season as on this particular day.

"Guess you know where the old fishing hole lies," laughed the stranger,
pleasantly. "Quite a collection too--black bass, perch, 'slickers,' as
we used to call the pickerel, and even some big fat sunfish. Many a
happy hour have I spent just as you've been doing. And I'll never
forget how fine those same fish tasted after I'd cleaned them myself
for the frying-pan."

"That's what we do, sir," replied Larry, now beginning to think the
stranger rather a nice spoken man.

"My friend and myself were just wondering what aviator you've got up
here," continued the gentleman, as he cast a quick glance out over the
lake. "You see, our attention was attracted toward that circling
biplane as we came along. I happen to know some of the most famous
fliers myself; but I never heard that any one of them was