Part 10 (1/2)

”Very well,” answered Jack. ”How about you Mr. Dugan, are you chilly?”

”Not in the least,” Dugan answered.

”Then you and Mr. Stevens may occupy my bed. I am sorry I have such limited quarters that to provide you with separate apartments is impossible.”

”But how about yourself, where are you to sleep?” asked Dugan.

”Never mind about me, I am provided for,” laughed Jack, and reaching under his bed drew out his roll of harvest blankets.

”These,” he said, ”have been my only resting place for many long weeks during the harvest season just pa.s.sed, and I rather enjoy the prospect of another night tucked comfortably away in their folds.”

Earl Stevens, who during this time had been busily unlacing and removing his leather leggins and removing his outer garments, was now ready to retire, and with the remark, ”Any port in a storm,” he rolled over to the side next to the wall and crawled beneath the cover.

Dugan, after asking Norton if he could be of any a.s.sistance to him, in preparing his bed, and upon Jacks a.s.surance that he could manage it alone, soon joined Stevens.

Jack Norton, after putting out the light and bidding his guests good-night, was soon snoring contentedly. If they were not comfortable, restless or his snoring disturbed them, Jack was unaware of the fact, for he did not awake the following morning until the sun was well up.

When he arose and went to the one small window with which his house was provided, and drawing back the piece of calico that Miss Anderson had neatly hemmed and with which she had presented him as a part of his furnis.h.i.+ngs, the room was filled with sunlight. His guests were sleeping soundly and were not awakened until the noise made by filling the stove with sagebrush aroused them.

Jack lighted the fire and asked them if they were ready to get up. Dugan immediately arose and after dressing, followed Norton out to the bench, where he was provided with a br.i.m.m.i.n.g basin of ice cold water with which to bathe his face. Jack laughingly told him ”The ice water was another reminder of his trip to Alaska.”

Stevens, who soon followed, was also provided with this primitive means of performing his morning ablution, and seemed much refreshed after its completion. Upon being asked as to how they had rested, both he and Dugan replied, ”Splendidly.”

Norton realized that breakfast was probably awaiting their arrival at the Gully home and not wis.h.i.+ng to cause any additional delay, pointed out Gully's house, and asked his guests if they would mind going there alone as he had some ch.o.r.es to do, before he could come, but would follow as quickly as possible.

There being no objections to this, Dugan and Stevens left in the direction of Gully's. Jack Norton watched their departure for a few moments. He had made up his mind from the first that he did not like young Stevens but had decided that Dugan was a good sort, and was anxious to have an opportunity to know him better, and to hear of his experience while in Alaska. Going into the house, he straightened out the interior and supplying himself with pencils and paper for his use during the day, followed his guests to Gully's.

Mrs. Gully was just serving breakfast when Norton arrived, and he noting that the places at the table were all filled, insisted upon her not arising to prepare a place for him, that he ”Had much rather wait and eat with the children.” As the girls and Joe clamored with their mother, that Jack's wishes in this respect be granted, she smilingly answered, ”Very well then, just as you and Jack say, but run along now, and let us eat in peace.”

Jack was out near where the equipment of the strangers had been unloaded, preparatory to raising the tents, when a few minutes after, Ida came to where he was standing and asked if he had eaten breakfast so soon, she not having been in the room when Jack arrived, Norton answered that he had not, and that he proposed to wait and eat with the homefolks as he had gained her mother's consent to such an arrangement.

Ida expressed herself as pleased and said she had avoided meeting the strangers and seeing him outside had taken this opportunity to ask him how he had managed to care for the two men as she knew his house was small.

Jack told her that they got along nicely, and he supposed that they had rested well, as he had heard no complaint and he related how he had led them across the sagebrush in the dark and expressed the opinion that if anything would induce sleep, such a trip as he had given them surely would.

Ida laughed merrily at Jack's description of the manner in which the two surveyors had stumbled along in the dark, but asked if it was not equally hard on him.

a.s.suring her that he was familiar with the route over which they had gone they chatted on until Joe came running from the house calling to them, ”Mamma said come to breakfast.” As they went to the house in response to this summons, they pa.s.sed Gully and the strangers, who were on their way out to where the equipment lay.

Travis Gully, calling to Jack to wait a moment, came back and told him when he had finished eating, to send Joe out and let him know, as he wanted to arrange some plans for the day with him privately. Norton promised to do so, and as he turned to rejoin Ida, who was waiting, found her embarra.s.sed and annoyed by the constant staring of Stevens, who had stopped to await Gully's coming, but as she did not mention the matter, Jack did not let her know that he had noticed it.

After his breakfast was eaten, Jack sent Joe to tell his father, and when Gully, after excusing himself for a few moments, left the strangers, and came to the house, where Jack was awaiting him in the kitchen. He told him that he had been thinking the matter of the contract over, and thought it a good idea to have a talk with some of their neighbors and make sure of their help before binding themselves to an agreement.

”How do you propose to manage it?” asked Jack.

”I thought you might take one of the teams and go see such of those as you could, while I get the tents up, and upon your return we could drive over and see the land,” answered Gully.

Jack thought for a moment before he replied to this proposition. ”I'll tell you,” he finally said, ”tomorrow night the literary society meets.