more favorable course enabled his sled to shoot
ahead, just at the finish, and he won the race.

And then a curious thing happened. The sled kept on going, and slid into
a little clump of bushes, from which, a moment later, a man with a gun
sprang.

This man seemed as surprised at being thus driven from his shelter as
were the coasters at seeing him.

"Ha! Vot does dis mean?" demanded Mr. Switzer. "Vos you vaiting for us
mit dot gun?"

Really the man did look a little menacing as he stood there with poised
weapon, looking at the coasters.

"I beg your pardon," he managed to stammer, at length. "I did not see
you coming."

"I guess it's our part to beg your pardon," said Mr. Sneed, who, though
he did not steer the bob, had been obliged to ride on it. "We did not
mean to run into you."

"No harm done; none at all," the man said. "I was hiding here, waiting
for a chance to shoot at a fox that has a particularly fine pelt, but I
guess I may as well give up. I heard the shouts of you folks, but I had
no idea you would coast away down here."

"I didn't haf no idea like dot myself," confessed Mr. Switzer. "But if
dere iss no hart feelings ve vill let comeons be bygones."

"That suits me," laughed the stranger, as he turned aside.

And, as he went away Ruth had a queer feeling that she had seen him
before and under odd circumstances.

The coasting incident was over, the race had been successfully filmed,
and the coasters were turning back up the hill, while Russ was
demounting his camera, for there would be no more scenes taken at
present.

"Did you notice that man, Alice?" asked Ruth, as she went up the hill
beside her sister.

"You mean the hunter who looked as though he wanted to shoot some of
us?"

"Oh, what a way to talk! But that's the one I had reference to. Did you
notice him particularly?"

"Not very. Why?"

"Do you think you ever saw him before?"

Ruth put the question in such a peculiar way that Alice looked at her
sharply.

"You don't mean he was one of the men who tried to get Russ's patent; do
you?"

"No. I can't, for the life of me, though, think where I have seen that
man before, but I'm sure I have. I thought you might remember."

Alice tried to recall the face, but could not.

"I don't believe I ever saw him before," she said, shaking her head. "He
might be one of the many actors we have met on our travels, or in going
around with daddy."

"No, I'm sure he never was an actor,"