“I’ll take it all,” broke in Andy, highly elated.
By five o’clock, the Valkaria was considerably lower in the water. With a fine burst of generosity, Andy conducted his mother and Mrs. Anderson back to the store, regaled them with some not over cold pop and a box of chocolates, bought a can of smoking tobacco and some new magazines for the captain, and with a couple of two-for-a-nickel cigars for Ba, assisted the ladies aboard the boat.
Ba was all smiles over the cigars. He appeared all smiles over something else, too.
“What’s doin’, Ba?” joked Andy.
“Ain’t nothin’ doin’,” replied Ba, licking his cigar preliminary to lighting it. “Leastways, ain’t no wind. She’s a dead cam.”
“Why, so it is,” exclaimed Mrs. Anderson, “and here it is five o’clock. Do you think it’ll freshen up later, Ba?” she went on, with some concern.
“Ain’t gwine be no win’ dis eben, Miss Anderson,” was Ba’s verdict, as he rolled out an odorous volume of smoke.
“What in the world shall we do?” cried Mrs. Leighton.
Mrs. Anderson laughed.