Do either of you know him?"
Frank asked this because he was comparatively a newcomer in Centerville,
while the other boys had been raised there.
"Seems to me I've seen him before," exclaimed Bluff. "Why, yes, it's Mr.
Smithson. He lives in Centerville--that is, his family does, because he
isn't home much. You see he's one of the wardens over at the State insane
asylum at Merrick."
"What?" cried Frank, startled; "then perhaps he may not be hunting wild
animals after all. Suppose one of the mad inmates of that institution
escaped, and is up here roaming through the woods?"
"Jewhittaker!" exclaimed Will, turning a trifle pale, and hugging
his camera closer to his breast, as though his first fear concerned
its safety.
"If that's so, I hope Jerry didn't run across him, that's all,"
remarked Bluff.
"Come on, hurry. You've given me a little shock now, and we must learn
the truth immediately. Call out to him, Bluff--there, he sees us, and is
coming this way."
As Frank said, the keeper was hurrying toward them now, an anxious look
on his face. He nodded to Bluff as he came up.
"Camping up here, are you, boys? That's fine. Used to like to do it
myself when I was younger. Say, you didn't happen to see anything of a
wild-looking chap anywhere around, did you?" he asked, glancing at
each in turn.
Pages:
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144