"Yes, I suppose so," Douglas assented. "But don't you fail to come when you're called. We have all these witnesses to what you have said to-night. You may go now."
CHAPTER XXII
COMPELLED TO SERVE
Douglas and his companions stayed for some time after Tom and Pete left. There was much to talk about, and Nell had to go upstairs to explain everything to her father who was greatly agitated over the unusual disturbance. Then, there was the door to be fixed, and it took Jake a full half hour to get it mended.
"There, I guess that will stand for a while," he commented, as he stood back and viewed his work.
"I thought Pete was going to do it," Douglas remarked.
"Mebbe he would an' mebbe he wouldn't. But most likely he wouldn't. Pete would have promised almost anything jist then. Anyway, the door's fixed, an' I guess it's about time we were gittin' home."
Nell looked tired as they bade her good-night. Douglas knew what a trying day it had been for her, and he admired her courage as she smilingly held out her hand to each one of them.
"I can never thank you for your kindness," she told them. "It is hard to tell what might have happened if you had not arrived when you did."
Douglas cherished the idea that Nell looked at him differently than she did at his companions, and that the clasp of her hand was firmer, and that she let it rest in his a second longer. He felt sure that he was not mistaken, and it brought a thrill to his heart.