Richard had said he wouldn't "stick it out" for two weeks. Perhaps he ought not to quit with the time so nearly gone. Mr. Hildreth would, of course, uphold Warren. He would hate to be left short-handed in such beautiful picking weather, but he would not condone a fishing trip. And there was his record—Jack was secretly rather proud of that; he and Richard were keeping count of the number of crates each picked daily and Jack had high hopes of outdistancing Richard before the end of the week. Maybe he might stay his week out—just to show Richard!
Doctor Hugh waited twenty minutes for Jack the next morning, then rightly concluded that he had changed his mind. Warren, meeting Jack in the barn at the usual hour, said "good morning" pleasantly, but Jack merely gave a curt nod. He might be working, but there was no reason why he should pretend to like it, he said to himself childishly.
He went about his chores jerkily, still "sore" as Richard described it and, as industrial statistics demonstrate, ill temper lowers our guard; another time Jack might have been more careful, but this morning he caught his finger on a nail in the harness room and tore an ugly gash down its brown length.
He said nothing about the accident, washed the cut as well as he could and went doggedly to work after breakfast at the interminable rows of tomatoes.
Doctor Hugh and his car returned with a most respectable "catch" about four o'clock that afternoon and the lucky fisherman suggested that company be asked to dinner to enjoy the fish.
"I never saw such acting boys—never!" scolded Rosemary, who had volunteered to be the messenger. "They won't any of them come! Warren said he was too tired to talk to anyone and Jack said 'No'—just like that—he is too cross for words! And then Richard said if they were going to act like ninnies he wasn't going to come and make excuses for them, so he said 'No thank you,' too."
"Jack has a sore finger," said Sarah wisely. "I heard Richard tell him he ought to take care of it and Jack told him to mind his own affairs."
"Well, it's been a warm day and perhaps they're entitled to be cross," said Doctor Hugh pacifically. "We'll send Mrs. Hildreth three of the fish and if she fries them as well as Winnie does, there may be a peace treaty signed."