m, do
you?" continued Smithy, taking an unexpected interest in the matter; for
he had observed the party in question closely, as Thad knew, and formed
rather a good opinion of him, somehow.

"No, I don't," replied the scout-master, decisively. "If you asked me
point-blank what my opinion was, I'd say that he might be a game warden
playing a part, or else an officer of the law, looking for yeggmen who
have done something that they knew would send them to prison if caught!"

"Whew! just keep right along talking that way, Thad," muttered Davy. "It
sure does give me the nicest feeling ever to hear you. Yeggmen now is
it, and not just poor game poachers? That's going some, I take it. Say,
perhaps they've been and broke into a rich man's place over in
Faversham. I happen to know that quite a few city people own cottages
there for summer use."

"Have you ever been in Faversham, Davy?" asked Thad, suddenly.

"Well, no, I must say I haven't; but I've heard some about it from a boy
who visited Sim Eckles, and who used to live there. It's a big place,
Thad."

"Oh! size has nothing to do with this matter," remarked the other. "I
was just wondering whether you might not have heard that name before."

"You mean Malcolm Hotchkiss, don't you?" asked the other, eagerly.

"Yes, the name he mentioned to you, when he spoke about the marked
shoe?" the patrol leader went on to say.

"Hold on!" Davy exclaimed, hoarsely; "now, that's queer; I never once
bothered my head to think about it till you asked. Sure I've heard the
name before. The boy over at Sim Eckles' mentioned it more'n once."

"Who is he, then, Davy?"

"Why, Malcolm Hotchkiss, he's just the Chief of Police over at
Faversham, that's what, Thad," replied the other scout, almost
breathless in his renewed excitement.

"Oh; is that so?" remarked Thad. "Well, how does it strike you now,
Davy?"

"Looks bad for these here men, that's what," came the reply.

"You mean they must be worse than game poachers; is that it?" continued
Thad.

"I just reckon they are, Thad. Game wardens are hired by the State; and
seems to me it don't interest the common police if a man chooses to take
a few deer out of season, or net black bass against the law."

"Sounds like good logic, Davy," Thad continued; "and anybody could see
that you're all fixed to follow in the footsteps of your father, when
you get through law school. That settles it, in my mind. After this I
don't expect to run acr