During the night Jeff must have thought the matter over and come to the conclusion that he was in wrong, for he was up early in the morning and had an excellent breakfast awaiting the boys when they arose. He suggested in a roundabout way to Gif that he remain at the camp as originally intended.
“No, Jeff, I’ve made up my mind we’re going to do without you,” said Gif. “You’re too lazy and shiftless. You get your things together and Jack and I will row you over to Rocky Run where you can get the train and go home.”
The boys were ready at the appointed time, and much against his will Jeff proceeded to get his baggage into shape and then came down and got into the rowboat. In silence Gif and Jack rowed him to Rocky Run, arriving there some ten minutes before train time.
“Now there’s your ticket, Jeff,” said Gif, after he had procured it. “And that’s all.” And thereupon he and Jack left the colored man at the railroad station waiting for the train.
“It ain’t right,” said Jeff sullenly. “It ain’t right nohow. I came up here to have a job for the rest of the summer. It ain’t right to send me off. You’ll be sorry for it some day.”
To this neither of the boys made answer. They wished a few things from Mose Mumbleton’s store and they also wanted to know if any mail matter had come in the day before.
There were half a dozen letters, one from home, two from Valley Brook Farm, and several from their school chums.
“Hello, here’s news!” cried Gif, as he read one of the communications. “This is from Dan Soppinger, and he says he and Fatty Hendry and Ned Lowe and Walt Baxter are on an auto tour and expect to pass through Beldane in a couple of days, and if we’ll come there and show ’em the way they might visit our bungalow.”
“Good!” returned Jack. “I’d like first rate to see those lads. It will brighten things up a bit to have them at the camp.”