And, followed meekly by Hal and Ned, he returned to the boat.
Oh, how Sam jeered!
He and Joe never forgot. And thereafter, whenever they chanced upon Hal or Ned they would be sure to ask, slyly:
“Seen any ghosts lately?”
As if to atone for his past ill-nature, as they pulled in at the shanty landing, Sam—who really had a very kind heart—said, gruffly:
“You kids had better stop for a snack with us. Steak an’ taters is all we got, but that grape-arbor camp o’ yourn must be nigh drowned.”
The boys, with some misgivings lest Bob should find out, and feel hurt, accepted the invitation; and Hal frankly yielded the palm to Sam as a cook.
This seemed to tickle Sam more than anything else.
“Wa-al, I do know how to cook, a bit,” he granted, “seein’ as I’ve cooked for Joe an’ me for twenty odd year.”
Carrying a bone which Sam sent, with his compliments, to “the dog,” finally they arrived at their camp. Bob wanted to know where on earth they had been so long—but was hushed, in the midst of his noisy remarks, by the bone.