Mark winked at me, and it was a minnit before I understood what he wanted. Then I knew it must be something about uncle, and there was only one thing about him right then, which was that he was gone away. I guessed Mark wanted me to tell it.
“It was my uncle Hieronymous,” I says, and Mark nodded his head, satisfied.
“Going to town?” asked Mr. Jiggins.
“Dun’no’,” says Mark. “He d-d-didn’t say.”
“Be gone long?”
“Won’t be b-b-back to-night,” Mark stuttered.
Mr. Collins looked at Mr. Jiggins, and Mr. Jiggins looked at Mr. Collins.
“We thought we’d drop in and call on him,” says Collins.
“Too bad he’s gone,” I says. “Come again.”
“We’ll do that,” says Jiggins; but he looked pretty disappointed, and I noticed him eying the road back to Larsen’s. So did Mark. His little eyes twinkled kind of mean.