"Oh, I'm not disappointed at all; I'm simply brimming over with joy; the place is so good I don't think I can stand it. If I stay too long I'll get lazy doing nothing, and living on the fat of the land."
After this both burst into a low, merry laugh. Each felt the disappointment keenly, but both were resolved to make the best of it, and to make a new move at the first opportunity.
John Hoover and his wife, retiring in an adjacent room, heard the laugh and listened with much satisfaction.
"They must like the place," said the master of the camp. "I'm glad on it. I was afraid they'd be stuck up, after being in Bangor, Boston, and other big towns."
"Oh, they know a good thing when they see it," answered his wife. "Perhaps they didn't have no mattress in them other camps, and no light to go to bed by. By and by I'm a-goin' to save on them candles. Wade raised a cent a pound on the cost of 'em."
"Yes, we can't afford to spend extra money on 'em, even if one of 'em is my nephew," responded John Hoover.
The young lumbermen were worn out with their journey, and soon fell asleep. At five o'clock the master of the camp pounded on their door and aroused them.
"Come, get up!" he called. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. You'll find a wash basin and towel outside of the kitchen door."
They dressed and came out, to find Mrs. Hoover hard at work in the kitchen, preparing a morning meal of salt mackerel, bread and butter, and coffee. They washed up outside as directed, and then sat down.
Now Dale and Owen had had many poor meals at one place and another, but nothing which was worse than this. The fish was old and tough, the bread stale, the butter strong, and the coffee of the rank sort, worth twelve or fourteen cents a pound. As a dainty, there were several slices of gingerbread, but they looked so old and dried-up that neither of the young lumbermen cared to touch them.