“Been alookin’ for you all over town, Rob,” he started in to say, as they joined him. “Took me an awful long time to get track of where you’d gone. Then just by accident I ran across Walter Lonsdale, who told me he believed from what Sim Jeffords said, that Joe Digby had seen you and Andy here hitting it up for the dock, and so he reckoned you must have gone off on your little Tramp. And say, Walter was right that time, wasn’t he?”
“He certainly was,” replied Rob, while Andy Bowles chuckled at the roundabout way the other admitted he had received his information.
“Well, Rob,” continued Hiram mysteriously, “’course you remember my telling you that sooner or later I might have somethin’ of vast importance to tell you, something that would give you one of the greatest thrills ever?”
“Sure, I remember that,” asserted the other, “what about it, Hi?”
The other leaned closer to the scout leader, and in a hoarse whisper exclaimed:
“The time has come now, Rob!”
“Good enough,” said Rob. “Fire away then, Hiram!”
Hiram cast a rather dubious glance in the direction of Andy.
“Oh, don’t mind me one little bit, Hi!” sang out that worthy cheerfully. “I’ll promise to seal my lips if you give the word, and even being burned at the stake couldn’t force me to squeal a syllable. Say on, Hiram; you’ve got Rob and me worked up to top-notch with curiosity, and I know I’ll burst pretty soon if you don’t take pity on me.”
“Oh! well, I guess it’s all right,” the other observed slowly. “Everybody’ll be knowing it sooner or later. You just can’t hide a light under a bushel, anyhow. So I might as well take you at your word, Andy.”