CHAPTER IV
MR. JOB HASKERS’S DOINGS
“And now for Oak Hall!”
It was Dave who uttered the words, the next morning, after a good night’s rest and an early breakfast. The big touring car had been brought around by Dunston Porter, and the young folks had climbed in and stowed away the limited baggage they carried. All felt in excellent spirits, and Dave was particularly gay. What Jessie had said the evening before, and the way she had said it, still hung in his mind. She was a splendid girl, and if it was in him to do it, he was going to make himself worthy of her. He was still young, so he did not dwell long over these things, but his regard for her was entirely proper, and likely to make him do his best in his endeavors.
Phil had asked for permission to run the car for a while and took the wheel as soon as Ryeport was left behind. The shipowner’s son knew how to handle an automobile almost as well as any of them, but he had one fault, which was, that he did not steer out of the way of sharp stones 32 and like things calculated to bring on punctures and blow-outs.
“My, what a glorious morning!” exclaimed Laura, as they bowled along over the smooth roads.
“Couldn’t be better,” answered Roger. “Wish we were going on all day!” he added.
“So do I,” added Dave. They expected to reach Oakdale by noon, get dinner there, and then run up to the school.
“Not too fast, Phil,” warned Mr. Porter, as the shipowner’s son “let her out a bit,” as he expressed it. “You don’t know what sort of a road you’ve got beyond the turn.”
“We’ll soon be coming to some roads we know,” answered Phil. “Those we used to travel on our bicycles.”