“And I thought maybe, if I came along anyhow, and you didn’t find me until you had a good start, you’d let me stay rather than take me home,” finished Andy.
“Take you home!” cried Ned. “Well, you sure have got nerve! Take you home? Well, you’ll go home the best way you can. We’re not going to turn around and take you back to your mother; you can make up your mind to that!”
“You—you won’t leave me here; will you?” faltered Andy, looking around apprehensively, for they were in a rather lonely neighborhood.
“It’s as good a place as any,” grumbled Ned. “Stowaways can’t be choosers.”
Andy looked more frightened than ever. He was only a small chap, and not very robust. His usual vivacious manner, and his rapid style of talking seemed to have deserted him.
“Go on home!” exclaimed Ned. “We don’t want you!”
“Oh, don’t be mean,” urged Bob in a low tone to his chum.
“No, we can’t desert him this way, even if he did sneak in on us,” added Jerry.
Andy took heart from this.