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 one could doubt this, but to-night he was one of the fighting type,—and they are everywhere,—if we judged by his actions. Instead of a hat, broad-brimmed and high-crowned, he wore a closely-fitting fur cap, and his outer coat was so closely buttoned that his general appearance was much altered. An intimate friend might meet him in the dim light and be in doubt as to his identity.

The path that John had taken was well known to him, and he made rapid progress, and, as the distance between the shop and Bordentown was but five miles, he was by no means fatigued when he reached the outskirts of the village. Then he sat down to rest and to wait, for he was ahead of time and had abundant leisure for the supper he had brought with him.

"This is a strange affair, and not till now have I realized what Friend Pearson's cunning scheming means," John said to himself as he sat in the retired woods, shielded from every observer who might pass near by; but people were not likely to be abroad at such a time, and there were no roving