CHAPTER VI.
A STRANGE CONVERSATION
What the boys saw made them stop short in amazement, and they had hard work not to burst into laughter at the sight of the professor, but they knew he would be offended if they made fun of him.
Professor Uriah Snodgrass had dropped his valise on the doorstep, and the impact had caused it to open, thereby liberating a number of toads and lizards which were crawling about the steps. In his hand the scientist held a large magnifying glass, through which he was staring at something on the arm of the servant. She had her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, for she had been busy sweeping when she answered the door bell.
“Let me go!” cried the young woman. “You are crazy! I’ll call the police!”
“One moment! One moment!” pleaded the professor eagerly. “I must have that spider. There!” and with a sudden motion he captured the small insect and transferred it to a tiny glass box. “I have it! Oh, this is a most fortunate day for me. The museum will be very glad to get this. It is a perfect specimen,” and he peered at it through his magnifying glass, as it crawled around, a captive in the box.
“Hello, Professor!” greeted Ned. “Glad to see you.”
“Oh, Ned, how are you?” asked the scientist, without glancing up from his inspection of the spider. “Luck seems to be with me as soon as I arrive at your house. I have a spider—”
“Yes, but you’ll not have any of those other specimens long, if you don’t get busy,” put in Bob. “They’re all hopping or crawling away!”
“Oh, my goodness!” cried Professor Snodgrass, as he glanced down at the liberated toads and lizards. “Oh, my goodness! That is too bad. I brought them with me to compare with the horned toads and web-footed lizards I hope to secure. Now they are getting away. Please, my dear young lady, help me to save them!”
But the servant maid had fled into the house as soon as the scientist released her arm. She was convinced that she had just escaped the clutches of a madman.
“Come on, boys!” called Ned. “Help the professor!”
“Here are some small butterfly nets,” the scientist said, producing them from his pocket. “Don’t injure the toads or lizards.”
The boys were glad enough of these aids in catching the professor’s specimens, that were rapidly seeking hiding places about the stoop and sidewalk. Though they had acquired a certain familiarity with strange insects and reptiles, from seeing the museum collector handle them, they did not fancy picking up a toad or lizard bare-handed. With the nets, however, they managed, with the assistance of the scientist, to capture most of the specimens, returning them to their cases in the valise.
“There!” exclaimed Mr. Snodgrass, when, after a close scrutiny of the porch he could see no more of the creatures, “I think we have them all. Now boys, permit me to ask how you are. I am sorry my visit was attended with such excitement, but I could not miss the chance of getting that spider. That young woman may consider herself in the light of having advanced science several degrees. There are very few persons a red spider of that variety will get on.”
“For which we ought all to be very thankful,” announced Jerry. “I beg to be excused from helping the cause of science in that way. But, Professor, we’re glad to see you. Are you all ready for your trip to California?”
“I could start to-night,” was the answer. “I suppose you have matters all arranged?”
“Nearly so,” returned Ned. “We thought of starting at the end of this week,” and he explained how they hoped the destination of the scientist would be such that they might visit the Seaburys.
“That locality suits me all right,” declared Mr. Snodgrass. “I am not particular where I go, as long as I can get a specimen of a horned toad, and some web-footed lizards. I understand there are some to be had in the southern part of California, and so I will go there. I see no reason why you boys can not go with me, and also visit your friends. Only I should like to start as soon as possible. The toads may disappear.”
“Hope not,” said Bob, “for your sake. I haven’t any use for them, myself.”
“Oh, my dear young friend!” exclaimed the professor. “Some day you will see the real beauty of a horned toad. It is a most wonderful creature!”
“I’ll take your word for it,” murmured Bob. “But now come in and let’s see about our arrangements.”
The professor, who had been invited to be a guest at Ned’s house, pending the start for the west, entered, placing his valise of specimens in a safe place in the hall. Then he and the boys discussed matters. Mr. Slade came in, soon after the arrival of the scientist, and announced that he had, in accordance with a previous arrangement, purchased the boys’ tickets.
“All you’ve got to do is to pack up and start,” said Mr. Slade. “I’m not going to give you any advice, for you ought to be able to take care of yourselves by this time. I know you will be safe as long as you are with the professor.”
“Thank you,” said the scientist with a bow.
The professor’s arrangements for the western trip were complete and it did not take the boys long to get ready. By the end of the week the last valise had been packed, trunks were checked on ahead and, one morning, the boys started.
They were to proceed to Los Angeles, and from there were to go down the coast by land to the small town of San Felicity, where Mr. Seabury and his daughters had rented a bungalow.
“Now for a good time!” exclaimed Ned, as the train pulled out of the Cresville depot. “I’ve always wanted to visit California, and now I’m going to.”
“We certainly ought to enjoy ourselves,” agreed Jerry.
The travelers made good time to Chicago, little of incident occurring on the trip. When they got to the Windy City, they found they would have to wait several hours for a connecting train, and they put in the time seeing the sights.
When they returned to the depot they found the professor busy over some scientific book, sitting as undisturbed in the station, filled as it was with shifting crowds, as if he was in his quiet study at the museum.
“The train will be here in about fifteen minutes,” he informed the boys. “Better sit down and wait.”
The three chums were rather tired, and were glad enough to take their places on the comfortable benches.
“Chicago is a great place,” announced Bob. “That restaurant, where we had dinner—”
“Can’t you say something that hasn’t got any eating in it?” asked Ned. “You’re the limit, you are.”
“Well,” said Bob, “they certainly had fine pie in that place. I wish—”
He stopped suddenly, as Jerry help up his hand to indicate silence.
“What’s the matter?” asked Ned in a whisper, as he leaned forward. “See some new kind of a bug for the professor?”
“I overheard that man back of us speaking,” replied Jerry in a low tone, nodding his head to indicate where he meant. The benches were arranged so that travelers occupying them sat back to back. “His voice sounded like one I’ve heard before, but I can’t place it. I thought maybe you’d remember. We may have met him on our travels. I can’t see his face until he turns around.”
As he finished speaking, the man to whom he referred said something to his companion beside him. There came a momentary lull in the noises of the depot, and the boys heard him remark in low, but clear tones:
“We can make everything look regular. Derelicts are not uncommon, and I think we’ll be able to fool him so that the cargo—”
“Hush!” cautioned the other man. “Not so loud!”
The noise in the station again drowned what the two men were saying, but the boys had heard enough. All three of them knew at once that the man who had spoken was the stranger who had acted so queerly in the Cresville freight office. If they had any doubts of it they were dispelled a moment later when the doorman called out:
“All aboard for the western express!”
As the man and his companion arose, the boys saw he was the same individual who had been so particular about the boxes of stuff he shipped to San Francisco.
Before the three chums could make any comment the man and his companion were lost in the crowd that thronged to the door.
“Come, boys,” said the professor, closing his book. “That’s our train.”