Hardman with a smile, when Bart had explained his errand. "I hope you
will not fail me. You see I am a stranger in this locality, and I'm
thinking of buying land for a house, if I like the place. But I'm fond of
solitude, and I have heard that the woods, through which the corduroy
road runs, are just about what I want. I don't wish to get lost, so I
thought I would hire one of the town boys to show me around. Do you know
your way through the forest?"
"Quite well," Bart replied. "I have camped there. The road is easy to
find, but it winds in and out, and you might get lost, as there are
several branches to it. What time do you want to start to-morrow?"
"About nine o'clock. You might bring a couple of friends, if you like.
I'm fond of company. Is it worth while to take lunch?"
"Well, we could hardly go there and back before dinner."
"Then we'll take something to eat," Mr. Hardman went on. "Here are two
dollars. Get some sandwiches and things, and we'll have a little picnic
in the woods."
In spite of the man's apparently hearty manner Bart felt an indescribable
aversion to him.
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