He said, “Remember, you must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
I said, “Believe me, they’ll get the biggest dose of the truth they ever had.”
Then he said he was going to bed and that he wasn’t going to worry about it at all, and he wasn’t going to think about it, because I was a scout and maybe I knew what was best, and anyway he knew I’d tell the truth, so he should worry about that.
But just the same he stayed downstairs there in the dark for a couple of hours. Because a long time after, I could hear him winding the big grandfather’s clock down in the hall. Then I could hear his footsteps on the stairs. He came up awful slow like.
CHAPTER XXVII—ON OUR WAY
If all the lessons in algebra were like that hearing, or whatever you call it, I’d be satisfied, because there wasn’t any. That was the day that Westy and I got sentenced to three hundred dollars’ reward. So if you were looking forward to seeing us get sent to prison for four or five years, you get left. I bet you’re sorry.
Anyway I’ll tell you about it. Good and early Westy and I went down to the submarine to get the inventor. He was the one that invented sleep all right, that kid. He was sprawled all over the floor under one of the seats, dead to the wicked world.
Westy said, “He’s sleeping even sounder than when we left him last night.”
“Why shouldn’t he?” I said. “Look at the practice he’s had all night. Look where his feet are; all over the plush seat of our slightly used twin six Packard touring car.”
Westy said, “You mean slightly abused. What shall we do? Wake him up? Get hold of his neck, will you, and haul him out?”