The Gun Club Boys of Lakeport

“I’m going to see how the lodge looks,” said Joe, and started off.

Equally curious, the others followed him.

They found Snow Lodge true to its name. It was snowed in completely, only a small portion of the roof, an upper corner of one window, and the rough chimney being visible.

“Skeetles and Marcy are prisoners of the storm,” said Harry, with a grin. “Let’s give ’em a salute.”

He made a snowball and threw it at the corner of the window, which was open to admit the air. His aim was true, and the snow went through the opening, followed by balls thrown by Joe and Fred.

An instant later Hiram Skeetles’ face appeared, full of alarm, which quickly changed to rage.

“Hi, you, stop that!” he roared. “Stop it, I say!”

“How are you feeling to-day?” questioned Joe, coolly. “We thought we’d come over and give you a call.”

“Don’t throw any more snowballs. One hit me right in the chin.”

“And one hit me on the top of the head,” put in Marcy, who stood behind the real estate dealer.

“What do you mean by staying around this island after I ordered you away?” went on Hiram Skeetles, after a pause.

“Did you expect us to do any traveling in this storm?” asked Joel Runnell, in return.

“How far do you think you could travel, Mr. Skeetles?” asked Fred. “The snow in some places is ten and twelve feet deep.”

“Say, is it really as deep as that?” came from Dan Marcy, in deep concern.

“Yes, every bit of it.”

“Then we are booked to stay here for several days longer,” said the bully to the real estate dealer. “And I must say I am dog-tired of nothing but deer meat to eat.”

Marcy said this because all of the stores taken from the other party were gone, even to the coffee and salt pork. As Harry had surmised, they now had nothing but the deer meat, and the best of this was gone.

“Where are you stopping?” questioned Hiram Skeetles, after another pause.

“That’s our business,” answered Joe, before anybody else could speak.

“Have you – er – have you any stores you – er – want to sell?”

“Don’t be a fool!” whispered Marcy. “They won’t let us have a thing. If we want anything we’ll have to take it by force.”

“Thanks, but we are not in business here,” came from Fred.

“You – er – might let us have a few things. I’ll pay you a fair price for them,” went on the real estate dealer. It galled him to ask the favor, but he wanted the goods very much.

“Haven’t you got anything?” asked Runnell.

“We have – er – some deer meat, but that is all.”

“And that is meat you stole from us,” put in Harry.

“Don’t say ‘stole,’ my boy. We – ”

“Don’t call me your boy, Mr. Skeetles. I wouldn’t be your boy for a million dollars.”

“Don’t grow abusive, Westmore. I took the deer because I found it on my property. If I had wished to be mean I could have kept all of your stores and traps also.”

“Not without a hot fight,” came from Joe.

“Then you – er – won’t sell me anything?” said Hiram Skeetles, disappointedly.

“Wait, I’ve got a scheme,” whispered Fred to his two chums.

“What is it?” both questioned, in return.

He told them, and both grinned and then laughed outright.

“Just the thing!” cried Harry. “That will make him either eat humble pie or starve.”

“What are you going to do?” questioned Joel Runnell.

“I’ll show you,” answered Fred, and advanced a little closer to the lodge window.

“Well, what do you say?” demanded Hiram Skeetles.

“We’ll let you have some stores on one condition, Mr. Skeetles.”

“And what is that?”

“That you will start for home as soon as it is safe to do so, and will leave us in undisputed possession of this lodge until our hunting tour comes to an end.”

CHAPTER XV

A MIDNIGHT VISITOR

Hiram Skeetles’ surprise was great when Fred made his declaration, and for several seconds he felt unable to reply.

“You – er – want me to let you use this lodge after all?” he said, slowly.

“That is what I said, Mr. Skeetles. And let me add that it will be a good bargain for you to make with us.”

“I don’t see it. I came here a-purpose to make ye leave.”

“Well, ‘circumstances alter cases,’ you know. You didn’t expect to be caught in a blizzard, did you?”

“No, if I had known it was going to snow like this I’d stayed home.”

“We will do the lodge no harm,” put in Joe.