Well, here goes!"

As Ned started to work his way up among the thick, green branches, he
became aware, suddenly and somewhat to his surprise, that he was not
the only person who knew about the observation spot. For Ned saw, a
yard above his head, as he started to climb, two feet, encased in
well-made boots, standing on a limb near the trunk of the tree.

"Oh, ho!" mused Ned. "Some one here before me! Where there are feet
there must be legs, and where there are legs, most likely a body. And
it isn't Harry, either! The feet are too big for that. I wonder--"

But Ned's musings were suddenly cut short, for the person up the tree
ahead of him moved quickly and stepped on Ned's fingers, with no light
tread.

"Ouch!" exclaimed the young bank clerk involuntarily, and, letting go
his hold of the limb, he dropped to the ground, while there came a
startled exclamation from the screen of pine branches above him.

Chapter VIII

Detective Rad

"Who's there?" came the demand from the unseen person in the tree.

"I might ask you the same thing," was Ned's sharp retort, as he nursed
his skinned and bruised fingers. "What are you doing up there?"

There was no answer, but a sound among the branches indicated that the
person up the tree was coming down. In another moment a man leaped to
the ground lightly and stood beside Ned. The lad observed that the
stranger was clean shaven, except for a small moustache which curled up
at the ends slightly.

"For all the world like a small edition of the Kaiser's," Ned described
it afterward.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the man, and his voice had in it
the ring of authority. It was this very quality that made Ned bristle
up and "get on his ear," as he said later. The young clerk did not
object to being spoken to authoritatively by those who had the right,
but from a stranger it was different.

"I might ask you the same thing," retorted Ned. "I have as much right
here as you, I fancy, and I can climb trees, too, but I don't care to
have my fingers stepped on," and he looked at the scarified members of
his left hand.

"I beg your pardon. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I didn't mean to. And of
course this is a public place, in a way, and you have a right here. I
was just climbing the tree to--er--to get a fishing pole!"

Ned had all he could do to keep from laughing. The idea of getting a
fishing pole from a gnarled and stunted pine struck him as being
altogether novel and