FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   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   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>  
fair, Mr. Cooler. In no case do I propose to carry passengers." "I am not passengers. I am simply a passenger. I won't bother you a bit. Even if you are not going to the island, I'll pay you to land me there." "You seem very anxious to reach the place." "I am. I am in a bigger hurry than a dog with a package of firecrackers tied to his tail. It's a matter of business. No time is to be lost." "You will have to seek another mode of conveyance." "What? Now, you are not in earnest! Ha! ha! He! he! I see that you are something of a joker. It's all right, all right. I tumble to your game." "And I think I tumble to your game, Mr. Cooler," said Merry, sternly. "You can have the information you want." "The information?" repeated the queer old man, in apparent consternation. "Why, it can't be that you are connected with the Eastern Bay Land Syndicate?" "I do not know anything about the Eastern Bay Land Syndicate." "What a relief!" sighed Mr. Cooler. "Really, you gave me quite a start. But I am ahead of them. If the island is as represented, I will secure it. This part of the Bay is bound to become famous with summer people." "I do not know what you are trying to give me, but I tell you I am onto your little game. Go back to Mr. Dave Hicks and tell him I am going to Devil Island. I have met him there once; tell him I shall be pleased to meet him there again." "But I do not want to go back to Mr. Hicks," protested the little man. "I want to go to Devil Island with you." "You can't go." "I must. Young man, I will pay you any----" "I do not want your pay. You came aboard by that boat. Get into it and return ashore. If you are so anxious to get to Devil Island, you will find plenty of fishermen who will set you on there if you pay them for it." "You are wrong. All the fishermen seem afraid to go near it. I tried several of them this morning, and then the man with the broken nose and the bent eye told me you were going down that way. That is why I am here." The little man in gray seemed very much in earnest now, but Frank had made up his mind and was not to be turned. "Get into that boat, sir," he commanded. "We can't take you to Devil Island." "You'll have to," said Mr. Cooler, stubbornly. "I am here, and I am going with you." "I rather think not," drawled Bruce Browning, who had been brought to the deck at last by the sound of talk. The big fellow picked the little man up by the collar, c
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   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   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>  



Top keywords:
Cooler
 

Island

 

Eastern

 
fishermen
 

earnest

 

information

 

Syndicate

 

tumble

 

island

 

anxious


passengers

 
protested
 

afraid

 
ashore
 
return
 

plenty

 

aboard

 

drawled

 

Browning

 

stubbornly


commanded

 

brought

 

fellow

 

picked

 

collar

 
turned
 

broken

 

morning

 

pleased

 

Really


business

 

matter

 
package
 

firecrackers

 

conveyance

 

simply

 

passenger

 

propose

 

bother

 

bigger


famous
 
represented
 

secure

 

summer

 

people

 
apparent
 

consternation

 
repeated
 
sternly
 

connected