younger than he pretended to be--that is he walked with his head
down although his shoulders were straight and broad as those of any
well trained athlete. The three girls instantly decided that this
man had some strange motive in his manner. He was shamming, they
thought.

"Hello there, Ben," he called to the dock hand jokingly. "How's the
tide?"

"Not much tide on this here lake," replied Ben sharply. "Never
knowed much about them tides, as I've lived at this hole most all my
born days. But how was business to-day? That was quite a fleet.
How'd you make out?"

"Oh, same as usual," and Jim Peters looked from under his big hat at
the girls. "Got company?"

"Yes, a couple friends of the old lady's. They're camping here."

"Oh," half-growled the man understandingly as he made his way to the
water's edge.

"Where're you goin' now?" asked Ben.

"Up the lake," replied the man.

"Oh, say," spoke Ben as if the thought had just occurred to him,
"where did you say them young fellers went? The ones who started
out in a canoe?"