Piggy, holding Danny and surrounded by Mr. Gribbins, Duck, Mouse, and Spider, looked up at Robin with an ear-to-ear grin. “Wot kep’ you,” he said. “Come look. Yer baby brother’s done sprung a tooth!”
“Piggy said as how he’s been fussin’ a bit all day,” said Spider.
“I should o’ brung ’im a teethin’ ring,” said Mr. Gribbins. “Hannah done said as how I should. Ain’t nothin’ she don’t know ’bout babbies. I’ll be bringin’ one t’morrow.”
“An’ yer Uncle Mouse is goin’ ter bring you a rattle,” said Mouse.
“Wot d’you mean ’yer Uncle Mouse’?” said Duck. “His Uncle Duck done said it firstest.”
It was clear that it was going to be a while before Robin could announce his news. But, in truth, he did not mind a bit. For was Danny’s big brother not just as proud of his new tooth as his Uncle Duck, his Uncle Mouse, his Uncle Spider, and his Uncle Piggy?
But when Robin did finally tell them all the events of his day, there was yet more excitement all around. So much so, that Mr. Gribbins found it difficult to tear himself away to go home to his Hannah.
Why then, Robin wondered as the evening wore on, was he not feeling as happy as he should? He had proved that when put to the test, he could be a good shoe-shine boy. He knew now that he really could make money to take care of himself and Piggy, and to buy all the milk in the world Danny needed. Further, the boys were just as happy with the pencil stubs and paper and learning their letters, as they had been with learning to tell time from his watch.
So what was bothering him? Why did he have such a feeling of dread? And then, quite suddenly, he saw again the dark, cruel eyes of the man whose shoes he had shined. The leaden feeling he had turned to an icy chill. He almost would have given back the ten cents not to have seen those eyes. Why?
What had the man done but give him ten cents for a five-cent shoe shine? There was really no reason for Robin to feel as he did. No explanation for it. But explanation or not, all he knew was that he did not like the owner of those eyes having anything to do with St. Something. Or anyplace near where he was. And most especially not near his baby brother Danny.
And yet the frightening question remained. Why?
Chapter XII
A Puzzling Report
“Wot’s ailin’ you, Robin?” Duck asked. “You been pickin’ at yer supper. You ain’t been payin’ no ’tendon ter wot any o’ us is sayin’. Can’t be yer biz. You got two customers terday. You got two day ’fore that, an’ one day ’fore that. An’ there’s the ten cents you got off’n that gent outside o’ the church. Ain’t bad pickin’s fer one wot’s jist got goin’. Better’n any o’ us done when we begun.”
“It’s not that,” said Robin. “It’s not anything, Duck. Really.”
“Yer lyin’,” said Duck, stuffing another bite of bread into his mouth. “C’mon. Say wot’s up.”
Robin had not wanted to tell them. He had never told them how he felt about that man’s frightening eyes, so why tell them about this? Still, that was all in his imagination. This was something else entirely. This was not only frightening. It was very, very real.
“C’mon, Robin. We’re waitin’,” said Mouse.
“Well,” said Robin, hesitating, “it’s just that today I saw a friend of my step-papa’s. His name is Quill. I met him just before I ran away with Danny.”
“So you seed this Quill,” Duck said. “That don’t mean nothin’. Wot might mean somethin’ is if he seed you.”
“He did see me,” said Robin. “I know he did, because after I left to come home, he was following me.”
At this, all four faces around Robin suddenly froze.
“Did he actual foller you all the way here?” asked Mouse.
“Oh no! No!” cried Robin. “I guessed right away I was being followed, so I turned at the next block and went right on in another direction. I kept on walking and walking. I knew he was behind me, because every time I turned around to look, there he’d be ducking into something. He’s thin as a stick. He can hide just about anywhere.”
“So how did you git’ ’way from ’im?” Spider asked, his eyes ready to pop out of his head.
“I just went on walking,” said Robin. “I think he ended up so tired he gave up, because the last time I turned to look, he was gone. But I kept on walking anyway, just to be sure.”
“We knowed as how you got home later’n all o’ us,” said Duck. “But none o’ us thought ter arsk why.”
“Wot I don’t git,” said Mouse, “is why he never jist nabbed you on yer corner, if nabbin’ was wot he had in mind.”
“Maybe he never had nothin’ in mind,” said Piggy. “Maybe he never ’spected ter see Robin, an’ when he did, he jist wanted to see where Robin landed so some other party could go nab him, some other party like maybe his step-pa.”
“But even if he don’t know where Robin landed,” said Spider, “he’s seed where Robin does shoe shinin’, an’ he c’n tell the other party where. That ain’t so good neither.”
Duck looked around at them, and shrugged. “Seems ter me as how all Robin got ter do is get hisself ’nother corner nowheres near the other one.”
“Too bad, seein’s how he got this one goin’ so good,” said Mouse. “We best help find ’im another spot where that boy with the pig eyes an’ pie-pan face wot Robin telled us ’bout don’t come hornin’ in.”
Going back out into the streets was frightening, but Robin had to agree to what was suggested. After all, he could not stay and hide in the cellar of St.
