“Oh, you and your ‘good enough’!” burst out Jerry. “Why don’t you have some progressive spirit in you?”
“I have, only I don’t want to spoil a good thing and——”
“Hello! Here comes Ned, now!” interrupted Jerry, looking out on the porch, the steps of which a youth was at that moment ascending.
“Well, we’ll see what he says,” remarked Bob. “I’ll wager that he’ll agree with me.”
“No, he’ll say that I’m right,” came from Jerry. “I’ll let him in.”
Jerry was so eager to hear what the new-comer would say, and Bob, because of his fleshy build, was so slow in getting up that the tall lad was at the front door before the young host had reached the portal, and had admitted Ned Slade.
“Just in time, Ned!” greeted Jerry. “You have the deciding vote.”
“What about?” asked Ned, and his chums were at once aware of a change in his manner. He spoke listlessly, and as if he was little interested. He seemed tired out, too, as if he had been working too hard, and yet it was only the beginning of the summer vacation.
“It’s about our motor-ship,” began Jerry.
“He wants to cut her all up, put on racing skates, or water shoes, or something like that, and add a lot of improvements,” broke in Bob, with a grin at his tall chum.