As he spoke, Ollie Weiser eyed Doris meditatively. When she did not respond, he went on more enthusiastically:
“You know, you put on a pretty keen act last night. You’ve got a voice!”
“I am glad you like it,” Doris returned politely. “I’ve been thinking we ought to team up together. You know, develop a first-class act—singing and dancing. Inside of a year we should make big money.”
“You want me to go on the stage with you?” Doris demanded, scarcely believing her ears.
“Sure. ’Course you haven’t had much experience, but I think you could make a go of it. You sing and I’ll dance.”
For her further enlightenment the magician executed a few steps of tap dancing, humming his own accompaniment. Doris scarcely knew whether to be amused or offended. Such conceit] Ollie Weiser actually believed he was conferring an honor upon her by requesting her to become his stage partner!
“Don’t you think you could use me, too?” Kitty broke in, before Doris could frame an answer, “Perhaps I could be nurse-maid to the snakes.”
“Oh, the snakes are out of the picture now,” the magician assured her, failing to recognize the sarcasm. “Maybe we could work you in somewhere, though. What do you do? Dance?”
“Really, it seems to me you are most presumptuous,” Doris said, speaking a trifle coldly. “Neither Kitty nor I would think of joining your act.”
“Then you don’t know a real opportunity when it’s offered you. Come on, say you’ll do it.”
He moved over to Doris and laid his hand on her arm. She backed away.
“I’ll have nothing whatever to do with your performance,” she announced coldly. “Kitty and I have some work to do now, so if you’ll please leave—”
“Come, now, don’t get on your high horse,” Ollie pleaded, edging nearer. “You’re turning down a good offer. What do you say?”
“I say ‘no’!” Doris snapped, becoming angry at the man’s persistence. “Will you go now?”
“Oh, I think I may as well stick around for dinner,” the magician said easily, grinning in an irritating fashion. “Haven’t had anything to eat today.”
For an instant Doris was smitten with remorse, but the sympathy passed as quickly as it came, for she saw that the man was deliberately endeavoring to play upon her feelings.
“Lost part of my baggage in the fire, too,” he went on sadly.
“We’re sorry about that, of course,” Doris returned gravely, “but there’s nothing we can do. We can’t even give you anything to eat, for there won’t be a scrap of food until Mrs. Mallow gets back from the store.”
“I’m nearly broke,” the magician confessed in a melodramatic voice, which failed to impress his listeners. “I don’t know what I’ll do, Miss Force, if you don’t go in with me on the act. Oh, say you’ll do it!”
“You could get work here in Cloudy Cove!” Doris suggested tartly.
“Would it mean anything to you, if I did find a good job?”
Doris gazed helplessly at Kitty. What could one do with such a man?
She was not forced to reply to the bold question, for just at that moment she heard the sound of an automobile coming down the private road to the camp.
“It must be Dave and Marshmallow!” she cried hopefully, hurrying to the window.
As the car came into sight and halted not far away, she saw to her disappointment that it was not the familiar car. Two men alighted. Doris recognized the owner of The Mayfair hotel and Mr. McDermott, the lawyer whom Mr. Baker had apologetically presented to her on the train.
“Why, they’re coming this way!” she observed in surprise.
Ollie Weiser nervously picked up his hat and went toward the door.
“I think I’d better be moving along.”
Doris and Kitty were so delighted to have him go, that they failed to observe his haste.
However, if the, magician had hoped to depart before the arrival of the two newcomers, he was doomed to disappointment. He swung open the door to face the hotel-keeper and his companion. Slightly taken aback, he mumbled something and made a move as though to pass them.
The hotel-keeper caught him firmly by the arm. “Not so fast there!” he said gruffly. “We’ll have a word with you.”
“Sorry, but I’m in a hurry to get back to town. What is it you want?”
“You know well enough what we want,” the hotel-keeper returned grimly. “Before you leave here you’ll answer a few questions!”
CHAPTER XIII
An Embarrassing Situation
“Well, what do you want to know?” Ollie Weiser demanded uncomfortably.
“We have a few questions to ask you regarding the fire last night,” Edgar Morehouse told him. “Perhaps we had better speak privately.”
“I don’t know anything about the fire,” the magician mumbled, but Doris and Kitty observed that he was ill-at-ease.
“We’ll soon find out about that,” said McDermott.
“Somebody’s going to pay for the damage, and you were right there in—”
“Better let me handle this, Morehouse,” the lawyer interrupted. “You really better not talk.” The two girls felt very uncomfortable and wished Mrs. Mallow or the boys would come. Ollie Weiser seemed to sense this, and said: “Gentlemen, these two young ladies should be considered. They had nothing to do with the fire, any more than I did, and I can’t see why they should be included in this unpleasant conversation.” Doris and Kitty in their relief almost forgave Ollie Weiser for all the annoyance he had caused them. At once, though, they both realized that it was on his account, and not on theirs, that these unpleasant men had come to the cottage.
The hotel-keeper seemed inclined to ignore the snake-man’s remarks, but the lawyer raised his hand to warn his companion not to speak, and turned to Ollie Weiser.
“Kindly step outside!” Frank McDermott said in a tone that made it a command. “Your friends will excuse you, I am sure.”
The three men left the cabin, closing the door behind them. Kitty and Doris looked at each other in chagrin. It was a relief to be rid of the magician, but at the same time they felt that if he were in trouble their apparent association with him would not be in their favor’.
“Did you hear what the hotel-keeper said?” Kitty questioned when they were alone. “He intimated that Ollie knows something about the fire.” Doris nodded!
“I imagine they’re trying to find out what caused it.”
“But why should they question Ollie Weiser?”
“I’m sure I don’t know, unless it was because he had a room over the kitchen.”
“You don’t suppose he set the place on fire?”
“Not on purpose, certainly. He did act strangely when those men came to the door.” The girls had no intention of trying to overhear the conversation which was in progress just outside the cabin, but as the three men unthinkingly paused near the window, it was impossible not to hear what they were saying.
“Look here!” the lawyer began in a blustering voice, “you know something about this affair and you’d better tell! Morehouse has given me the case and I intend to sift