"Have you seen anything of Frank this afternoon?" he inquired of
Matthew, after we had passed a few words.

"Nothing," was the bar-keeper's answer.

"I saw him with Tom Wilkins as I came over," said one of the men
who was sitting in the porch.

"What was he doing with Tom Wilkins?" said Slade, in a fretted
tone of voice. "He doesn't seem very choice in his company."

"They were gunning."

"Gunning!"

"Yes. They both had fowling-pieces. I wasn't near enough to ask
where they were going."

This information disturbed Slade a good deal. After muttering to
himself a little while, he started up and went into the house.

"And I could have told him a little more, had I been so inclined,"
said the individual who mentioned the fact that Frank was with Tom
Wilkins.

"What more?" inquired Matthew.

"There was a buggy in the case; and a champagne basket. What the
latter contained you can easily guess."