“Suits me,” said Jack. “How about you fellows?”
“Same here,” said Freeman, falling in with the rest.
“But won’t any one be suspicious if they see us leaving the harbor in a boat?” asked Bill Bender cautiously.
“Why should they be?” demanded Stonington Hunt, his crafty eyes glittering with greedy anticipation. “There are several launches in the water already. We’ll hire one and say we are going outside on a fishing trip. We’ll take squids and bait and lines as a blind. No one will suspect, and the wreck lies away up the beach off that old house in the hemlocks where those army idiots are experimenting.”
“I heard they are going to take up bomb-dropping practice,” said Jack, in a careless voice.
“Hope they don’t drop one on us,” laughed Bill Bender.
* * * * * * * *
“Rob,” said his father that evening after supper, “I had a letter this afternoon from Job Trevor, that garage man at Willitson. He incloses a bill for one hundred and fifty dollars. I thought I had paid it, but evidently I had not. Wonder if you’d go over there, provided you have nothing better to do.”
“Of course, I’ll go, dad,” said Rob willingly. “We had a drill on for to-night, but Merritt can take it for me. Anyway, I guess I can get over there and back in time to be present at it.”
“Thank you, my boy,” said his father. “I don’t care to let bills run up, and, as you say, you ought to get there and back in time for your drill if you hurry.”