“You will come back to the house, of course, Bob?” asked Ben.
“I should say I would—if I am invited.”
“You don’t have to be,” declared Ben. “It’s welcome home to you whenever you strike Woodville. Father and I will be home some time within an hour, I think.”
“All right, Ben.”
Bob proceeded towards the business portion of the town. Ben struck off in the direction of the Saxton shops.
He whistled cheerily as he went along, for he felt pretty exuberant. The stirring events of the day, winding up with the remarkable arrival of his favorite chum, made him happy. The airship feature kept him dreaming, and Ben was overexcited and buoyant.
As he turned a corner he came upon two boys near a street lamp. One was sitting in the shadow of a tree on a fence post. The other Ben recognized as the son of the engineer of the automobile works discharged that day.
“Good evening,” hailed Ben pleasantly.
The lad addressed bestowed a fearful scowl on him.
“I didn’t speak to you,” he muttered.