he whimsical McCorquodale that in
his presence it was difficult to entertain thought of impending
trouble. But as Phil toasted the bread on the end of a stick his mind
was busy beneath the surface of his camaraderie. He was trying to
recall everything Ben Wade had told him that morning they had ridden on
the back platform of the president's private car and the exact way he
had said it; but there was little which could have any possible bearing
upon the need of posting a man at Sparrow Lake.

"Wade's got you workin' on that Nickleby dope, aint he?" enquired
McCorquodale after the fire was going beneath the kettle to his
satisfaction. "He had me moochin' around on it fer a while, but
they're a pretty smooth bunch, them fellers, an' I had to quit final."

"How was that?" asked Kendrick with interest. "Did they catch you at
it?"

"Catch me?" repeated McCorquodale with an injured air. "Not me, kid!
Y'see, I hires out to that Brady Detective Agency that Nickleby does
business with, thinkin' to get right into the middle o' things--walk
right in through the front door an' pick up whatever I wanted. But the
very first job they puts me on gets me in bad with Brady. They ast me
to trail a kid with a tan satchel from the Alderson Construction
Company's office over to a lawyer's office an' I did; then they turns
around an' says somebody's gone an' swiped what was in the satchel an'
blames me for not lookin' after it. But there wasn't nothin' taken out
o' that there satchel for I was right behind it all the way. Somethin'
damn funny 'bout that."

"What was in it?--in the satchel?"

"Oh, just some legal papers o' some kind. Say, d'you like y'r tea
pretty black, Mr. Kendrick?" He got out the dishes and took another
look at the kitchen fire. "Wasn't my fault I had to get off that job.
I'd 'a' hooked them fellers up with this here whisky-runnin' gang up
north as sure as shootin' if I'd had a chanst. They're in it
somewheres. But I didn't get a look-in."

"What makes you think they're in it? Who do you mean? Nickleby?"

"Nick don't work straight from the shoulder, Mr. Kendrick; but he's got
a long arm with a lot o' elbows in it." McCorquodale shook his head.
thoughtfully and looked serious. "There was a guy named Weiler hangin'
around--I dunno. It's just one o' them hunches a feller gets now 'n'
then."

"But a financier with the standing Nickleby has----"

"Excuse me, but y're startin' off with the wrong foot