"
"I reckon that's right. I fixed it for a boy friend of mine to
jump out of a dark place one night when I was walkin' home from a
church sociable with my girl. He had false whiskers on. I helped
him glue them on,--and he had an awful time getting 'em off. Course
when he jumped out and growled 'hands up,' I just sailed into him
and the fur flew for a few seconds. Then he run like a whitehead.
It didn't work out very well, however. That kid's sister got onto
the trick and told my girl about it, and--well, I almost had to
leave town. But it ain't a game for a grown-up man to play, and
that's what I think this feller Thane has been pulling."
"What you want to find out, before it's too late, is whether Thane
is all that he professes to be," said the other. "Well, I'm simply
sitting tight on the job, stalling along until I hear from our
people in New York. They have cabled England to find out whether
he was connected with the British air forces. Now, what I want to
do is to get into that fellow's room for ten or fifteen minutes.
Can you fix it?"
"It--it wouldn't be legal," protested Charlie. "You've got to get
out a search warrant."
"My dear fellow, I'm not planning to steal anything," exclaimed
Gilfillan. "I merely want to get into his room by mistake. That
happens frequently,--you know."
Charlie was finally persuaded. He cast an apprehensive glance
down the road leading to the ferry, searched the Main Street for
observers, and then led the way over to the practically deserted
Tavern.
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