“No; I can get along very well. Put it on.”
“Thank you, Wolf; you are very kind.”
Those were amazing words to be uttered by him to me! But his father had been even more gentle, and had apparently forgotten all about me in a few days. He put on my coat, which fitted him very well, and I buttoned it up to the throat for him. He declared that it “felt good”; and I have no doubt it did, for the driving wind upon his bare shoulders must have been anything but comfortable.
“Do you know any of those fellows?” asked Waddie.
“I do not. I heard the big fellow call one of the others Martin, but I haven’t the least idea who any of them are. I suppose they belong on your side of the lake, and I haven’t seen much of the fellows there lately,” I replied.
“Do you think they belong to our institute?”
“I don’t believe they do. They are coarser, rougher fellows than the students on either side.”
“I should like to know who they are,” added Waddie, compressing his lips and shaking his head. “But whoever they are, if they don’t have to suffer for this, you may set me down for a ninny.”
“I think we had better get out of the scrape before we say much about punishing them. I am inclined to believe that big fellow will suffer from a sore head for a few weeks to come. I cracked him hard with this boat-hook.”
“Perhaps this sore head will enable us to find out who he is.”