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strong coffee, and urged on by a healthy appetite, which his morning in the frosty country air had made keener, he enjoyed his lunch. To these people eating was just a part of their day's work, and beyond the satisfying of a natural appetite, evidently produced no special feeling of enjoyment. Contrary to his expectations, therefore, Marsh did not find an opportunity to open a conversation. One or two remarks were greeted merely with grunts, so he decided to wait until the business of eating had been completed. The man's food disappeared rapidly, including a second helping, and Marsh was pleased to see him at last take out an old cob pipe and fill it with an evil-looking, strong-smelling tobacco from a dirty paper package. Marsh lit a cigarette, chiefly as a matter of protection. "Have you lived here long?" inquired Marsh, addressing the man. "Tree year," answered the woman. The man rolled his eyes in her direction. "I'm thinking of buying a place around here," continued Marsh. "This house next door seems to be a nice place." He nodded his head in the direction of the Merton home. The man and his wife exchanged glances. She laughed, but the man's face looked as solemn as its expressionless lines would permit. "Et bane bad place," he muttered. "Nels--he bane crazy!" snapped the woman. "Crazy widt de moonshane!" "Moonshine!" repeated Marsh. "Hootch," she explained. "Ole's hootch." Marsh laughed, and Nels grinned, his features for the first time showing an awakened interest. Marsh thought quickly. The woman was evidently the "boss," but she would not talk about something in which she had no faith. On the other hand, the man undoubtedly had some knowledge of things which Marsh desired to know. He decided to side with the man. "You don't approve of hootch?" Marsh asked her. "No--no!" she exclaimed vehemently. "But it makes a strong man work harder--keeps up his health." Marsh glanced at Nels, who showed appreciation of this defense of home-made strong drink by grinning at Marsh. The Secret Service man decided they would soon be friends, and quietly slipping his hand into his pocket, began to detach a bill. The woman snorted in protest. "Et make Nels see t'ings. No goodt for him," she said, sharply. Then she rose and began clearing the table. While her back was turned, Marsh quickly slipped a bill over to Nels, winked hard at him, and nodded toward the door. Dull as the man seemed, he app
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