“Jack! You are rude!” reprimanded Mr. Dalken, frowning.
“I’ll say he’s gone queer in the head,” added Mr. Alexander, knocking the ashes from his pet pipe, and getting up to leave the room. “If he figgers any one’s goin’ to watch me romancin’ again, after the experence I had fer nigh thirty years, it shows he’s gone luny. Rather than live up to his idee, I’ll quit the works—so I will!”
As the little man rushed away, Mr. Dalken jumped up and ran after him. It must have taken a deal of explanation and assurance from the leader of the party to Mr. Alexander, to calm his fears and make him feel that he was not in any immediate danger of having his wife daily make love to him.
CHAPTER VIII
MR. ALEXANDER’S RUSE
The following morning Algy failed to appear in time to join the tourists. Mr. Dalken and Mr. Alexander wished them all a good time, and then hurried away to the business meeting. Mrs. Alexander had ordered her breakfast served in her room, but she sent word to Jack that she would be down in time to start with the others on the auto trip.
Finally, having waited half an hour longer than the time appointed for starting, Jack sent a bell-boy up to the room occupied by Algy, and Dodo went to telephone her mother to hurry, if she wished to accompany them.
Dodo came back to her friends with an impatient expression upon her face.
“Ma says she will be down in just one little moment. That means another half-hour to wait! May as well sit down and take life easy, Jack,” remarked she.
“It does seem a shame that we have to lose a whole hour of this wonderful day, and then have to rush over the sight-seeing after we are there,” declared Eleanor, angrily.
At this moment the bell-hop returned to the waiting group with his astounding information. Word was brought Jack that Mr. A. A. Alveston had checked out that morning, leaving no word of explanation. Then he turned and went away again.