"
He rose to his tall, languid height and sauntered in his laziest fashion
across the floor.
"Say, stranger," he began, resting his elbow on the back of a chair next
Hanson, and leaning his head on his hand, "haven't we met before. It
seemed to me a few moments ago when I caught your eye that your face was
more or less familiar."
"Well, now ain't that strange!" exclaimed Hanson in affected surprise.
"But I just had a sort of an idea that you'd recognize me to-night in
spite of my disguise. Yes, now you ask me, let me tell you, since your
memory is so poor, that we have met once or twice before, but it ain't
likely that we ever will again. Sad," he shook his head and sighed
heavily, "I hate to disappoint you by telling you so, but, someway, I
got that idea firmly fixed in my head."
"Is that so?" said Flick politely. "Well, maybe you're right. It does
kind of look so from the layout you've got here. How are you going to
play it, anyway? Both ends to the middle, I suppose."
"Correct," returned Hanson blithely. "We lined up outside to watch you
when you got out of the wagon. If you hadn't brought him with you we
wouldn't have disturbed you during the entertainment; just gone up the
hill and got him and then rounded the rest of you up afterward. But you
were kind enough to save us that trouble."
"Don't mention it," drawled Flick; "but I don't just sabe why you didn't
take us when we drove up. You had the whole bunch of us then."
"We're taking no chances," Hanson winked knowingly.
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