now to know
that in the end I managed to upset their plans."

Fred suddenly remembered something that Buck had let fall when speaking
about the conditions existing at his home.

"I guess someone must have been sending word to Mr. Lemington about
your getting away," he remarked.

"What makes you say that?" asked Hiram, looking uneasy.

Fred, in as few words as possible related what had happened up in the
deserted limestone quarry, when Buck and his little brother Billy found
him caught in a trap.

"He said his father was already in a bad humor," Fred went on, "and that
he must have had news that upset him; because there was an open letter
that had a foreign stamp on it, on the library table. Perhaps that
letter was from Hong Kong or somewhere else, and told the delayed story
of your escape."

"Now that sounds reasonable, Hiram," remarked the farmer; "and if Sparks
Lemington knows you're on your way home, to upset all his nice
calculations, p'raps he might even have this house watched so as to get
you again before you did any damage, by swearing to your story before
Judge Colon and witnesses."

"And I believe Buck is leading his little brother right here now," Fred
went on to remark. "He wants to give his father a scare by having Billy
gone, and expects in that way he may escape punishment for his tricks.
You know they think a heap of little Billy over there."

"And only for you he might have been drowned," said Sarah. "Seems to me
you do nothing else but go around, helping get unlucky people out of
trouble. I was telling Uncle what you did for me."

"And he'll never have cause to regret it, mark my words," said Hiram,
resolutely. "I've come back to let light in on them rascally land
pirates' doings. Soon's they learn that I've sworn to my story before
the judge, you'll see how quick they'll open up communications with your
dad, and be offerin' him a tremendous sum to sell out; because they just
need that property the worst you ever saw."

"But if Buck comes here he might smell a rat, and let his father know,"
remarked Arnold Masterson, nervously. "It's bad enough to be worrying
about tramps, without expecting to have your house raided by spies in
the pay of a combine of shrewd business men. I've got a good notion to
make out nobody's at home, if the boys get here. Then they'd just have
to move on, and find another place to stay."

"I rather think they'd camp out in your barn then, Mr. Masterson,"
remarked F