New Britain herald., 1916-12-20

Madge.
 At the sight of the bearded face 1 looking wildly out at me through the underbrush bordering the tumbling
 stream near the Cosgrove farmhouse in the Catskill mountains, I gave , little involuntary scream, which 1 smothered almost as I uttered it. What was that?" Dicky turned
 quickly, startled not only by my ex-
 clamation, but by the crashing of the
 underbrush as the man fled madly up the bank of the stream to the level ground at the top.
 II don't know,' I returned faintly. T heard some twigs breaking as if some one had stumbled, then face, a brown bearded face, looked out at me. Then I saw man running wild up up the hilI.''
 ''Strange!" Dicky drowned as if puzzled. Don't know why anybody should be frightened at seeing two harmless fisher people. Unless'-he turned to me with a quizzical air, in which, however, there was a hint of seriousness" unless he is another of the gang headed by your charming ac- quaintancc, Mrs A1lis." 4No, oOH Lulllk l0 lS oHS oL them," I returned. "He didn't look Dicky smiled in a superior way that
 rritated me.
 "Of course, you could tell the characteristics of person from one hasty glimpse" he said. But I don't care who he is, so long as he didn't hear us talking. If he were only one of that gang, and found out that had discovered their plan to steal those Savarin paintings at the CoSgroves, we'd lose the chance to round them up And I for one would pay d good deal rather than miss the sight of Mrs. Allis when she finds her sweet little plan has fallen through. DO you think he had been following uS?"
 I'Il Be Right Back.' No, l do not" I returned, suppress ing a sulky inclination to tell Dicl1y to judge for himself. His sheer at my remark concerning the looks of the man we had seen still ranked. From the way he stumbled, I think he had come down the bank without knowing we were here, and that he was moro frightened even than I when he caught sight of us."
 Probably that's it, Dicky said in a relieved tone, and turned to his own rod and reel, which he had waited to adjust until he had placed mine all ready for use in my hands. He evil dently had made up his mind to wait courteously for any attempts at cast ing before going about his own sport, but the sight of big trout which lCaped out of the water few yards away put everything out of bis mind except his passion for fishing.
 You never have cast for trout be- fore, have you, Madge?" he asked, and there was an uneasiness in his manner which I understood a moment later.
 Never"
 Then, this elaborately nonchalant air made me smile to myself-"I think you would better watch me a bit before you try 1t. Just sit on this rock here and don't make a noise. I think there is a big one or two along here I'd like to try for.
 From that moment Dicky promptly forgot all about the necessity of any courtesy to me. I knew from things he had told me, and from bantering remarks directed toward him by the Underwoods, that he was a most en- thusiastic angler so I was not as much surprised and hurt as I might have been to see him, after casting num- Der of times without results, start up the stream. throwing over his shoulder a nasty:
 Think I'll walk up the bank bit and whip the stream down. I'll be right back"
 Left alone I smiled grim1y to my self at this new exhibition of Dicky's l selfshness. He knew that l had never cast for trout, that I was wild to try
 it, and here at my first opportunity he