CHAPTER XXXII.

THE NEWS THAT REACHED HOME.

"A friend, old man. Stand aside and let me pass," said Austin Goings, quickly.

"Does he speak the truth, boy?" demanded Old Solitaire, catching hold of the rein of the stranger's horse.

"Indeed, uncle, I do not know," admitted Little Snap, frankly, surprised nearly as much as his companion at this interference. "He asked my company this morning, and we rode to Salt Works together. He has appeared friendly."

"You do wrong to trust any man at this time. Stranger, you will tarry with me while the boy rides on."

An exclamation of displeasure left Austin Goings' lips, and he struck his horse smartly, intending to break the animal from the old man's grasp.

But the hermit's hold proved stronger than might have been expected, for the struggling horse failed to clear itself from the hand laid on its bit.

"Let go that rein, old man!" cried the aroused rider, "or I shall forget your years and lay violent hands on you."

"Ride on, Dix!" ordered Old Solitaire. "I will look after this man."

Fearing that the opposition might end in more serious trouble, the postboy hesitated. If the two men should come to blows, he felt certain this Austin Goings would handle the old hermit roughly.

"I do not think he means me any harm, uncle. I will look out for myself."

"He has no business here with you," said the hermit. "Man, if you are honest, go back the way whence you have come."

"Who are you who dares to interfere with my conduct?" demanded the other, sharply.

"Were I to tell you, you would still be as ignorant as I am concerning your identity. Let the boy go on in peace. When he has been gone ten minutes you shall follow if you wish."

Austin Goings looked from the speaker to the astonished postboy, and then back to the old hermit, the squirrels all the while keeping up a continuous chattering, as they ran excitedly to and fro.

Finally he said:

"It may be best to humor the old man, Dix Lewis; so ride on, and I will abide his pleasure. I will not harm him, neither shall he me."

Little Snap was impatient to go on, and though not without some misgivings, he resumed his tedious journey toward Kanawha Narrows.

Looking back as he turned an angle in the road, the last that he saw of the singular twain they had not moved.

Old Solitaire was still holding the stranger's horse by the bit, while the horseman was gazing intently at him.

"It all beats me!" thought Little Snap. "I don't see as I can do any better than to keep on. I think Old Solitaire is able to take care of himself. At any rate, Tom, you and I have evidently all we can look after."

The postboy found that the account of the flood in Tripping Waters Valley had preceded him to Greenbrier, and the postmistress asked him for the full particulars.

What a ride that must have been, Dix! I don't see how you escaped. But have you heard," she continued, lowering her voice to a whisper, "that any one was concerned in the affair. I mean that any one had tampered with the dam?"

"No, Miss Grass. I hope no one has that fearful work to answer for."

"And you neither saw nor heard of any one at the time or after?" she asked, unheeding his words.

"I saw no one, Budd. Neither did I hear any one. Have you heard that any one was concerned in it?"

"Oh, no. That was one of my foolish questions."

Little Snap had made up his mind not to mention the finding of Pewee Burrnock's coat until he had met Mr. Rimmon, so he said nothing of it, but took the mail pouch and left the office.

As might have been expected, knowing the man as he did, he found the Hollow Tree office closed, and for a wonder, no one was around its door.

In this case the postboy could do no better than to carry the mail belonging here on to the next place.

"I suppose Mr. Shag will try and make me trouble because I am late. But in this case I have a reasonable excuse, I think."

Of course it was now an hour after dark, and though he was urging Tom on at more than his usual pace, he could not manage to get in at Six Roads until after the hour of closing the post office.

Riding at the gait he was following it was not likely that Mr. Goings would overtake him, supposing the latter should follow him.

But Little Snap was within half a mile of Daring's Diamond, when he heard the sound of a horseman, who, he fancied at first, was pursuing him.

In a moment the rider came into view from ahead, however, and he was not long in recognizing Sammy mounted on Fairy!

At sight of him his brother stopped, when our hero exclaimed:

"Why, Sam Lewis! What has brought you here?"

The little fellow was so excited and out of breath that it was some time before he could speak.

Then he gasped in an almost inaudible tone:

"Where—where have you been, Dix?"

"Why, on my way home, of course. What has happened?"

"Everything bad! We heard that you had been killed. Mother—father!"

Then, overcome by the ordeal through which he had passed, Sammy fell forward on Fairy's neck in a faint, and he would have fallen to the ground had not Little Snap caught hold of him.

"What can have happened?" exclaimed the postboy, as he took the limp figure in his arms.