“Only way to find out is to try ’em, I reckon,” Jack replied.
“How does this plan strike you? After dinner we’ll show Edna how to use it, and then we’ll leave one set with her and we’ll take the other and run up to the cabin at Moosehead. That’ll give it a test of fifty miles. We’ll stay all night and come down in the morning.”
“Fine. That’ll be just the thing. We haven’t been up there since Spring and perhaps I can get a mess of trout although it’s rather late,” Jack agreed.
They made a complete circuit of the lake and it was close to eleven o’clock when they returned to the boat house.
“Our last two summers have been pretty strenuous,” Bob remarked as they were walking up to the cottage, “and I for one will be pretty fairly content to spend a quiet time here.”
“Same here,” Jack laughed. “But I’ll bet something’ll turn up before the summer is over to make it exciting.”
As it turned out Jack was correct but even he had little idea at the time just how exciting that summer was destined to be. It is indeed fortunate that the future is hidden from us. Had the two boys known what was in store for them it is doubtful if they would have returned to their home in the village in as high spirits.
Edna Golden, two years younger than Jack, readily agreed to help her big brothers. Indeed she was always interested in whatever they were doing and, as Jack often remarked, “she was a splendid pal.”
“If nothing happens we’ll call you at five o’clock,” Bob said as he stood by the side of his motor cycle in front of the house. “I’m allowing plenty of time for a puncture,” he added as he mounted the wheel and started off down the street closely followed by Jack.
Moosehead Lake lies about fifty miles to the north of Skowhegan and the log cabin, owned by Mr. Golden, was situated about half way up the lake, which is all of forty miles long.