Part 26 (1/2)

Every one shook hands with him then, even Mrs. Jones, who, now the hotel was in sight again, was as cheerful as a cricket.

”I just love roughing it--now it's all over,” she laughed.

But Bob was not to be seen. Joe looked around for him, and wondered where he could be. He shook hands with Lucy last of all. She was sweeter and prettier than ever as she smiled at him.

”Not good-bye--au revoir,” said she. ”You're going to swap snap shots with us, and write me how you are, and what you see in the Park after we're gone, and some day you'll come to Was.h.i.+ngton, won't you?”

”You bet I'd like to,” he answered. ”Gee, you--you--you've been awful nice to me--kind of makes me homesick----”

He couldn't finish, and Lucy gave his fingers a friendly little pressure, and turned away.

Joe got on Popgun again, still wondering where Bob was, and turned to depart, when with a ”Hi, there--don't go yet!” Bob burst from the hotel door.

He was bearing in one hand a jointed bamboo fish-pole, in the other a full box of tackle and flies.

”This is for you,” he said. ”'Course, you can't get a good, big fish without me to catch it for you, but you can cook what you do get O.K.

And don't let any more bears kiss you, and send a feller some snap shots when you have 'em developed, and here's my address.”

Joe took the rod and tackle. ”Gee, Bob, that's white of you,” he said.

”Guess I'll never forget this trip.”

”Me, neither. Old Pennsylvania's goin' to look like a prairie when I get back. So long, Joe.”

”So long, Bob.”

He waved his hand to Alice and Lucy, who watched him from the doorway, and rode off behind Mills, dropped his dunnage bag at the camp, and took Popgun to the Ranger's cabin.

”If you boys will let me, I'll grub with you this noon. Not a thing in my shack,” the Ranger said.

”Fine--come on. Well, Mr. Mills, did I make good?”

Mills gave him a funny look out of his pale, keen blue eyes.

”I never pick a man that doesn't,” he said. ”By the way, here's your money--seven days at three dollars a day. Cooks are coming high this year.”

He handed the astonished Joe twenty-one dollars--six of it in cart wheels, which you almost never see in the East.

”Say, I didn't expect so much. Is that on the level?” Joe demanded.

”Regular price this season--labor's awful scarce. I don't see why you shouldn't have all the work you want for the rest of the season.”

”Gee, and it isn't work--it's fun!”

”Glad you think so,” the Ranger laughed. ”Yesterday struck me as work.”

”Sure, but it was fun, too.”

The two boys and the Ranger ate their lunch at the tepee camp, where Tom had been experimenting on the stove. Poor Tom! He wasn't much of a cook--not compared to Joe, at any rate, and he got rather sore for a minute when Mills suggested that Joe remake the coffee.

”Don't get peeved,” Mills laughed. ”Just take one drink of Joe's coffee, and you'll feel better.”