"He does. He looks like a tramp, but I guess there's little doubt, but that he's a got a good sized roll laid up against a rainy day. We'll go and see him right after supper tonight."
As the three friends walked up the main street of the town that night the boys were much surprised to find that it differed but little from towns with which they were familiar in the northern part of Maine. Except for an occasional Esquimo the people also seemed much the same being largely French Canadians with a liberal sprinkling of Americans.
"Gee, I expected to see polar bears running about the streets," Jack laughed.
"And reindeer pulling the pungs I suppose," the captain added.
"Sure thing," Jack assured him whereat they all laughed.
"Well, here we are," the captain said as they stopped in front of one of the largest buildings on the street. "This is Pete's place."
There were several men and two or three women in the store as they entered, but no sooner did the proprietor catch sight of the captain than he dropped a sugar scoop back in the barrel and, pushing his customers right and left, came rushing up.
"Faith an' yer a sight fer sore eyes so yer be," he cried as he grasped the captain's hands in both of his.
"And, believe me, I'm glad to see you again," the captain laughed. "But I want you to meet my two friends, Bob and Jack Lakewood."
The Irishman, a small man standing not over five feet two or three inches and weighing less than a hundred and twenty pounds, looked at the two boys for a full minute before speaking.