How it did
end was in an unexpected manner. From the rear of the trio, from
the top of the sandy ridge separating the beach from the meadow, a
new voice made itself heard.
"Well, Rayburn, what's the trouble?" it asked.
The lieutenant turned briskly, so, too, did Mr. Winslow and his
vis-a-vis. Standing at the top of the ridge was another officer.
He was standing there looking down upon them and, although he was
not smiling, Jed somehow conceived the idea that he was much amused
about something. Now he descended the ridge and walked toward the
group by the fire.
"Well, Rayburn, what is it?" he asked again.
The lieutenant saluted.
"Why--why, Major Grover," he stammered, "we--that is I found this
man here on the Government property and--and he won't explain what
he's doing here. I--I asked him if he had seen anything of the
plan and he won't answer. I was just going to put him under arrest
as--as a suspicious person when you came."
Major Grover turned and inspected Jed, and Jed, for his part,
inspected the major. He saw a well set-up man of perhaps thirty-
five, dark-haired, brown-eyed and with a closely clipped mustache
above a pleasant mouth and a firm chin. The inspection lasted a
minute or more. Then the major said:
"So you're a suspicious character, are you?"
Jed's hand moved across his chin in the gesture habitual with him.
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