Part 24 (1/2)
The Swede looked blankly at the Irishazed dreah Ain't it, Dan?”
”Shure!” seconded Dan
”It can't be done, boys,” I said ”Sorry,--but I have my instructions and they must be followed out”
I handed back the list
The Swede stared at it and then over at oin' to fill this?”
”No!”
”Well, I'll be gosh-dinged! Say! sonny,--there'll be a hearse here for you to-morrow The boss wrote this”
”How am I to know that?” I retorted
”da his forelock ”But it'll be o back without this bunch of dope”
”And it oods without a proper order,” I followed up
”Sorubstake,” put in the Swede, ”and most of the hardware's wanted for a job first crack out of the box in the e you, fellows,” I said sincerely, ”but your boss should not have run so close to the wind Further, I ainning”
”And you're not goin' to fill the boss's own caligeography, or whatever you call it?” reiterated the Irishman
”No!”
”Wouldn't that rattle ye?” exclaimed Dan to his friend
”It do,” conceded the Swede, who put his hand into his pocket and tossed fifteen cents on to the counter
”Well,--give us ten cents chewing tobacco, and a packet of gum”
I filled this cash order and immediately thereafter the talked out of the store and sailed aithout another word or even a look behind them
I orried over the incident, for I did not like to thinkthe ht require for their supper, and it was farthest from my desires to stop or even hamper the work at Camp No 2 But I had been warned that there was only one way to operate a business and that was on business lines, according to plan, so my conscience would not permit of any other course than the one I had taken
Had the store been ht have acted differently, but it was merely held by me in trust, which was quite anotherblew her whistle and put into the Bay, co-to on the far side of Rita's Isle A little later, as I stood behind the counter writing up so stock, a dinghy, with onein the stern, appeared round the Island and pointed straight for the wharf
The oarsman ran the nose of the boat on the beach and re in the stern sprang out and ca in the direction of the store
He stopped at the door and looked around hinificent specimen of a man he was! Never inI have done since, I have never met such another