"Is that so? Where'd you meet him?"

"Right around here. It was certainly a surprise, and at
first I couldn't place him. Then the memory of his face came
back to me," and Tom related the incident which had taken
place the day he and Mr. Damon were out in the Hawk.

"What's he doing around here?" asked Ned.

"That's more than I can say," Tom answered.

"Up to no good, I'll wager!"

"I agree with you," came from Tom. "But I'm on the watch."

"That's wise, Tom. Well, I'll see you later."

During the week which followed this talk Ned was very busy
on Liberty Bond work, and, he made no doubt, his chum was
engaged also. This prevented them from meeting, but finally
Ned, one evening, decided to walk over to the Swift home.

"I'll pay Tom a bit of a call," he mused. "Maybe he'll
feel more like talking now. Some of the boys are asking why
he doesn't enlist, and maybe if I tell him that he'll make
some explanation that will quiet things down a bit. It's a
shame that Tom should be talked about."

With this intention in view, Ned kept on toward his chum's