ing back for a moment, "I met
an old friend the other day; or rather an old enemy."

"Hum! When you spoke first, I thought you might mean Professor
Swyington Bumper, that delightful scientist," remarked Ned. "But he
surely was no enemy."

"No; but I meant some one I met about the same time. I met Blakeson,
one of the rival contractors when I helped dig the big tunnel."

"Is that so? Where'd you meet him?"

"Right around here. It was certainly a surprise, and at first I
couldn't place him. Then the memory of his face came back to me," and
Tom related the incident which had taken place the day he and Mr. Damon
were out in the Hawk.

"What's he doing around here?" asked Ned.

"That's more than I can say," Tom answered.

"Up to no good, I'll wager!"

"I agree with you," came from Tom. "But I'm on the watch."

"That's wise, Tom. Well, I'll see you later."

During the week which followed this talk Ned was very busy on Liberty
Bond work, and, he made no doubt, his chum was engaged also. This
prevented them from meeting, but finally Ned, one evening, decided to
walk over to the Swift home.

"I'll pay Tom a bit of a call," he mused. "Maybe he'll feel more like
talking now. Some of the boys are asking why he doesn't enlist, and
maybe if I tell him that he'll make some explanation that will quiet
things down a bit. It's a shame that Tom should be talked about."

With this intention in view, Ned kept on toward his chum's house, and
he was about to turn in through a small grove of trees, which would
lead to a path across the fields, when the young bond salesman was
surprised to hear some one running toward him. He could see no one, for
the path wound in and out among the trees, but the noise was plain.

"Some one in a hurry," mused Ned.

A moment later he caught sight of a small lad named Harry Telford
running toward him. The boy had his hat in his hand, and was speeding
through the fast-gathering darkness as though some one were after him.

"What's the rush?" asked Ned. "Playing cops and robbers?" That was a
game Tom and Ned had enjoyed in their younger days.

"I--I'm runnin' away!" panted Harry. "I--I seen something!"

"You saw something?" repeated Ned. "What was it--a ghost?" and he
laughed, thinking the boy would do the same.

"No, it wasn't no ghost!" declared Harry, casting a look over his
shoulder. "It was a wild elephant that I saw, and it's down in a big
yard with a fence around it."

"Where's that?"