CHAPTER XXIV.
HAL IN A NEW ROLE.
Instead of continuing toward the East River, Dick Ferris soon turnednorthward and presently reached Grand Street.
This neighborhood was entirely new to Hal, and he was at once satisfiedthat the tall boy was not going to pay a visit to Tommy Macklin.
Passing down Grand Street, Ferris presently came to a tall, whitebuilding, with a large open hall-way, the entrance to which was coveredon either side with signs.
Entering the hall-way, Ferris mounted the stairs to the third floor, andthen passed to a small office in the rear.
Hal was not far behind, and he had no difficulty in locating theapartment Ferris entered.
The upper part of the office door contained a ground-glass panel, uponwhich was painted in black letters:
ROBERT E. HAMILTON, FINE LAW AND BLANK PRINTING.
For a second Hal studied how to get into the place, but soon an ideastruck him, and he lost no time in entering.
He saw Ferris in earnest conversation at a small counter, which ranacross the office, which was narrow but quite deep. Hal edged up andlistened to what passed between the tall youth and a man in charge.
Ferris had a number of slips in his hand, and these the proprietor wasexamining with great care.
"You wish all of them duplicated?" he asked.
"Yes," replied Dick Ferris.
"It's a nice piece of work."
"I suppose it is, but the firm is willing to pay for it."
"Who are the blanks for?"
"Mr. Albert Schwartz. But I am to call for them."
"I do not know the gentleman."
"I will leave a deposit on the work," replied Ferris, promptly.
"Oh, all right! And how many of each of these blanks do you want?"
"Twenty of each."
"What! No more?"
"No. Next year we are going to have an entirely new set. If you do theseright, Mr. Schwartz says he may give you the new work."
"I'll do them in the best style. How soon do you want them?"
"As soon as possible. We are in a great hurry for them."
"In two days do?"
"Oh, yes!"
"Very well. They will cost thirty-six dollars."
"As much as that?"
"Yes. I will have to take my workmen from another job, and we alwayscharge a little more for a rush."
"How much of a deposit shall I leave?"
"Five dollars will do."
"Then here you are."
Dick Ferris pulled a five-dollar bill from his pocket, and, afterreceiving his receipt, walked out of the office.
He glanced at Hal as he passed, but our hero's back was turned to him,and Hal seemed to be interested in some prints which hung upon the wall.
"Now, sir, what can I do for you?" questioned the proprietor, turning toHal.
He left the slips Ferris had brought lying upon the counter.
"I would like to know how much you charge for printing weddinginvitations," replied Hal, approaching the counter where the slips lay.
"Wedding invitations, eh?" The proprietor smiled. "Here is a young manabout to get married," he thought. "By his looks, I think, he wantssomething rather nice."
"Yes, sir," said Hal.
"With an engraved plate, I suppose?"
"Of course."
"I'll show you our book of specimens."
The man turned away to where a number of books were lying upon a sidedesk. As he did so, Hal carelessly picked up the slips Ferris had leftand examined them.
He could make nothing of them, excepting that one had the words: "Bondsof the Second Class, receivable," printed across its face, and another,"Sumner, Allen & Co. Transfer Slip of Limited Calls, December."
"Here you are," said the man, coming up with one of the books, and hegathered up the slips and put them away with a memorandum.
Hal looked over the book, and noted down the prices of several styles ofinvitations.
"I do not want to order," he said. "I merely wanted the prices."
"Very well. Glad to see you at any time," returned the man.
Once down in the street again, Hal looked up and down, but could seenothing of Ferris.
But when the youth reached Grand Street he beheld Ferris making fordowntown as rapidly as his long legs would carry him.
"I suppose he is going to stand outside and meet Mr. Allen when he comesout," thought Hal. "I will follow him, and see what turns up next."
Dick Ferris walked up Grand Street until he came to Broadway. Here hestood upon the corner, and presently waved his hand toward a passinghorse-car.
Immediately a man descended from the car, and came toward the tallyouth. It was Hardwick.
"Hullo! This can't be a chance meeting," said Hal to himself. "No wonderFerris hurried to the corner. He almost missed his man."
As Hardwick stepped from the street to the sidewalk, he glanced towardwhere Hal was standing, gazing into a shop window. Then he turned toFerris, and the two began an earnest conversation.
Hal passed the pair, but did not catch a word of what was said. Nor didthe young watcher notice Dick Ferris' quick, nervous look in hisdirection.
A few minutes later, Hardwick and Ferris walked back down Grand Street.Reaching Chrystie, they turned into it, and walked along several blocksuntil they came to a narrow alley leading to a lumber-yard.
Both passed into the lumber-yard and out of Hal's sight. Wondering whathad become of them, the boy passed the place.
No one was in sight.
"That's queer. I wonder if they entered that building in the rear?"
For fully ten minutes Hal hung around, but neither Hardwick nor Ferrisput in an appearance.
A wagon was leading up on one side of the yard, but presently this droveoff, and then all became quiet.
Watching his chance, when he thought no one was observing him, Halentered the gate of the lumber-yard and hurried down to the building inthe rear.
There was a window beside the door to the place, and Hal gazed inside.
An elderly man was present. He was seated beside a hot stove, toastinghis shins and reading a morning paper.
"They didn't enter the office, that's certain," said Hal to himself."Now, where did they go?"
Suddenly he stopped short. Was it possible that Hardwick and Ferris haddiscovered that they were being followed, and had slipped through thelumber-yard merely to throw him off the scent?
"It certainly looks like it," thought Hal. "I'll sneak around the backway, and see what I can discover."
Back of the office were great piles of lumber, all thickly covered withsnow. Among them could plainly be seen the footsteps of two people. Themarks were fresh, and led along the back fence and then to the right.
Hal followed the marks among the piles of lumber until he came to a spotwhere all became mixed, as if some one had retraced his steps.
As he paused, examining the tracks, he heard a noise behind him, and,turning, he found himself confronted by Hardwick.
"I want to know what you are following me about for?" demanded the man,savagely.