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Page 34
Tom glanced quickly at Madge. He was quite ready to help the young
man, but wished to be sure that his young woman guest had no objection
to the stranger coming aboard their boat.
It took five minutes to bring the sailboat close enough to pick up the
man. Tom threw him a rope and the stranger climbed aboard, making fast
his rowboat to the stern of the sailing vessel. He was a peculiar,
wild-looking fellow, with dark, shifting eyes and thick, curly hair
that partly covered his ears. As be stepped into the sailboat his lips
parted in a smile that showed his teeth, which Madge noted were long,
very white and pointed at the ends. He was deeply tanned, yet, in
spite of his rough appearance, seemed to be a gentleman.
"You are very kind," he said in a low, purring voice which caused Madge
to eye him sharply. "I would not have troubled you, but there is a
heavy squall coming up. I shall be greatly obliged to you if you will
put me ashore."
"All right," assented Tom. "We are in a hurry to get to shore
ourselves, as my mother will be anxious if the storm catches us."
Madge had continued to gaze at the new-comer. "Where have I seen him
before? He is like a wolf. His teeth look almost like fangs, and I
don't like his strange, shifting eyes," she mentally criticised.
Aloud she said to Tom: "Miss Jenny Ann will be worried. She has been
very nervous about us since we were locked in that old cabin in the
woods overnight."
The stranger regarded Madge quizzically. She could have sworn that a
mocking light lay in his dark eyes. "Did you say you were locked in an
old cabin in the woods overnight? How unfortunate."
"It will be more unfortunate for the fellow who locked the girls in,
provided we find him," threatened Tom shortly. The stranger's suave
tones aroused in him a peculiar feeling of antagonism.
The young man regarded Tom through half-shut eyes. "I must ask you to
land me on the beach above here," he drawled.
"Sorry," answered Tom firmly. "I don't know any other pier along here
except ours. I told you I was in a hurry to go ashore. I don't like
to be disobliging, but you will have to go to our landing with us."
The black clouds were now chasing one another across the sky, and the
wind made a curious whistling noise. Nevertheless the boat was sailing
gloriously, and in spite of the oncoming squall Tom and Madge were
enjoying themselves immensely, though neither of them was much pleased
with their fellow traveler.
The stranger turned to Madge. "You must tell your friend that he'll
have to land me somewhere else than in that picnic party," he muttered
hoarsely. "I tell you I have a reason. I do not want to meet any
society folks."
"I am sorry," answered Madge distantly, her eyes growing stormy at the
young man's peremptory tone. "Mr. Curtis explained to you why we are
in a hurry to land. As long as he took you aboard our boat with us as
a favor, you have no right to ask us to change our course."
The stranger clenched his fists and glanced angrily at Tom.
"Ain't you going to land me somewhere else first?" he demanded in a
snarling voice.
Tom quietly shook his head. The sailboat was now only a little more
than half a mile from the pier. The wind was fair, blowing them almost
straight to the pier.
Tom Curtis was not looking. Suddenly the fellow sprang up and threw
the tiller over. The boat jibed sharply. Madge cried out in quick
alarm. Her cry saved Tom Curtis from being knocked overboard by the
boom as it swung over to the other side of the boat.
"Keep away from this tiller," Tom called out angrily, seeing that their
boat had now entirely changed its course. "I am sailing this boat."
"You are not sailing her, if you don't take her in where I say," the
intruder declared fiercely. His eyes were bloodshot and his teeth
closed together with a snap. He stood by as if he were going to spring
at Tom Curtis.
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