"Italian," answered Tom.
"Humph! You are the first Italian I have seen in Oreville."
"Si, signor," answered Tom, and this comprised all the Italian he knew.
"Well, I don"t think you will find any inducement to stay."
"Si, signor," replied Burns, meekly.
Without another word Luke entered the store.
"Ernest," he said, "I am out of tobacco and must have a smoke. Give me half a pound."
"All right, Luke."
"I ran across an Italian just outside. He seemed to be leaving the store."
"An Italian?" queried Ernest, his tone betraying surprise.
"Yes. Wasn"t he in here?"
"There was a man in here--a stranger, but I don"t think he was an Italian."
"This man answered me in some Italian gibberish. He said he couldn"t understand English."
"What was his appearance?"
Luke described him.
"It"s the same man that was in here just now, but he could speak English as well as you or I."
"Did you have some conversation with him?"
"Yes. He looked familiar to me and I asked him who he was. He said he had come from Missouri. He was in search of work."
"You say he understood and spoke English?"
"Yes."
"Then I wonder what could be his game."
"Don"t he look familiar to you?"
"Yes; there was something familiar about his appearance, but I couldn"t place him."
"He asked me if I couldn"t employ him in the store. I told him Mr.
Ames might give him a chance at mining."
"Well?"
"He said he would look round a little before deciding."
"Did he buy anything?"
"Yes, tobacco."
"Did you mention my name?"
"Yes, and he looked uneasy."
"Ernest," said Luke Robbins, with a sudden inspiration, "I know the man."
"Who is it?"
"Don"t you recall any man at Oak Forks with whom you had trouble?"
"Tom Burns?"
"Yes. That"s the man."
"Why didn"t we recognize him then?"
"Because he has grown a full beard."
"That"s so, Luke. I understand now why he looked so familiar. I am sorry to see him here."
"He"d better not undertake any of his rascalities or he will find himself in hot water."
CHAPTER XXIX.
TOM BURNS MAKES A CALL.
When Burns left the store he walked to the outskirts of the mining settlement, not wishing to attract attention. He wished especially to avoid encountering Luke Robbins, with the strength of whose arm he was disagreeably familiar.
He proposed to keep out of sight until night, and then make a visit to the store. It would go hard with him if he did not make a raise there either in the shape of money or articles of value.
He came to a cabin standing by itself, at a considerable distance from the homes of the other miners. Sitting in front of it was a man with grizzled beard whose appearance indicated advanced age. There were lines upon his face that betrayed ill health.
"I wonder if anything can be got out of him," thought Tom Burns. "I"ll see."
"Good day, sir," he said affably.
The old man looked up.
"Good day," he replied. "Who are you?"