“I don’t see any bass. Not a bass. Huh! Well, it makes a heap of difference who goes fishin’. Some day Mark and I’ll take you along and show you how it’s done. It’s easy.”
Plunk was mad in a minute. “There ain’t a better fish in the world than a perch,” says he. “I’d rather eat one perch than a ton of bass.”
“Maybe,” says I, “but would you rather catch ’em?” I had him there, all right, and he didn’t have another word to say.
“I s’pose you’re goin’ to set a watch to-night,” says Binney.
“Yes,” says Mark, “and we’ll watch in c-c-couples. Tallow and I will sit up till midnight, and you can come on till mornin’.”
“All right,” says Plunk. “I’m ready to turn in now. Come on, Binney.”
We all went into the hotel and Binney and Plunk went to bed. Mark and I sneaked up to the top story, where there was a sort of balcony we could get out on and see as well as it was possible to see in the dark. There wasn’t much chance for anybody to see us.
Up there we sat and sat, and it got cold. Whee! but it got cold. I had enough of it.
“I’m willin’ to watch,” I whispered, “but I want to watch warm. Beginnin’ now,” says I, “I watch inside. You can stay here and freeze if you want to.”
“Maybe it’ll b-b-be a good idea to patrol the hotel,” says Mark.