For ten or fifteen minutes nothing occurred to disturb Sam, and he
was just beginning to think that watching was all nonsense when he
saw a dark figure creeping along the wall at the extreme lower end
of the hallway, where it made a turn toward the back stairs.
"Hullo, who's that?" he muttered. "It doesn't look much like Mr.
Strong."
He continued to watch the figure, and now saw that it was dressed
in a black suit and had what looked like a shawl over its head.
"That's queer," went on the boy. "What can that man or boy be up
to?"
Presently the figure turned and entered one of the lower
dormitories, closing the door gently behind it. Then it came out
again and made swiftly for the rear of the upper hallway. By
this time Sam was more curious than ever, and as the figure
disappeared around the bend by the back stairs he followed on
tiptoes.
But as what light there was came from the front, the rear was very
dark, and the youth could see little or nothing. He heard a door
close and the lock click, but whether or not it was upstairs or
down he could not tell.
For several minutes he remained in the rear hallway, and then he
went back to his post. Soon Tom came out to relieve him, and Sam
re-entered the dormitory and told his story to the others.
"That's certainly odd," was Dick's comment
"Was it a man or a boy, Sam?"
"I can't say exactly. If it wasn't a man it was a pretty big
boy."
"Perhaps we ought to report the matter to Captain Putnam,"
suggested Frank.
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