Clearly the men were not going to take advantage of the shelter of
the shed.

"That's mighty strange," murmured Tom. "They certainly saw me, and
as soon as they did they turned away. Can they be afraid of me?"

He went to the edge of the shelter and peered out. The auto had
disappeared down the road behind a veil of rain, and, shaking his
head over the strange occurrence, Tom went back to where he had left
his motor-cycle.

"Things are getting more and more muddled," he said. "I'm sure those
were the same men, and yet--"

He shrugged his shoulders. The puzzle was getting beyond him.

CHAPTER XIV.

ATTACKED FROM BEHIND

Steadily the rain came down, the wind driving it under the shed
until Tom was hard put to find a place where the drops would not
reach him. He withdrew into a far corner, taking his motor-cycle with
him, and then, sitting on a block of wood, under the rough mangers
where the horses were fed while the farmers attended church, the lad
thought over the situation. He could make little of it, and the more
he tried the worse it seemed to become. He looked out across the wet
landscape.

"I wonder if this is ever going to stop?" he mused. "It looks as if
it was in for an all-day pour, yet we ought only to have a summer
shower by rights."

"But then I guess what I think about it won't influence the weather
man a bit. I might as well make myself comfortable, for I can't do
anything. Let's see. If I get to Fordham by six o'clock I ought to
be able to make Albany by nine, as it's only forty miles. I'll get
supper in Fordham, and push on. That is, I will if the rain stops."

That was the most necessary matter to have happen first, and Tom
arising from his seat strolled over to the front of the shed to look
out.

"I believe it is getting lighter in the west," he told himself.
"Yes, the clouds are lifting. It's going to clear. It's only a
summer shower, after all."

But just as he said that there came a sudden squall of wind and
rain, fiercer than any which had preceded. Tom was driven back to
his seat on the log. It was quite chilly now, and he noticed that
near where he sat there was a big opening in the rear of the shed,
where a couple of boards were off.

"This must be a draughty place in winter," he observed. "If I could
find a drier spot I'd sit there, but this seems to be the best," and
he remained there, musing on many things. Suddenly in the midst of
his thoughts he imagined he heard