“At my expense, naturally,” Mr. Walz said sarcastically.
The Scout leader shot him a quizzical look. “It was your proposition—”
“Yes, it was! Well, I’m not kicking. Not if you keep your end of the bargain. If we fail to find Craig Warner, you turn the map over to me.”
“Yes, if we’re convinced he can’t possibly be found.”
“It’s too late tonight to try to find Red Cliffs Ranch,” Walz went on. “We’ll register at this dump of a hotel. While you’re getting some supper, I’ll make a few inquiries.”
The Scouts took rooms, cleaned themselves up a bit, and joined Mr. Livingston in the dining room. A silent, shy waitress served them an excellent meal consisting of steak, potatoes, and fresh peas. For dessert came large cuts of juicy apple pie with big wedges of cheese.
“Say, this is real food!” Willie said with relish. “A mighty welcome change from that eternal stew Jack is always feeding us.”
“Just for that, you’ll get beans next time!” Jack retorted good-naturedly. “Such gratitude!”
“The best part of this meal is that it’s free,” War chortled.
“I hope so,” responded Mr. Livingston as he signed the check with Walz’ name. “But sometimes things don’t work out as we expect.”