“I guess so,” replied Hope. “I don’t believe I know what an-an-anto—what that is, though.”
They returned to the float, and while Jeffrey and Gil went on to the office to see about having the name put on the canoe, Jim and Poke launched the craft and made ready for the return trip. Then, as the others had not come back, Poke excused himself with the vague explanation that he thought he’d just look around a minute, and disappeared up the hill. Jeffrey and Gil returned presently and after they had waited several minutes for Poke that young gentleman sauntered into sight with a huge bag of peanuts from which he was industriously eating.
“Pig!” shouted Gil scathingly.
“For that,” remarked Poke tranquilly, “you get none, my friend. Who wants some peanuts?”
It seemed that they all did, for Gil and Jim captured the bag by main force and made an equal distribution of its contents. As Jim remarked a few minutes later, it was a lucky thing that they did not have to paddle going back, for paddling would have interfered seriously with eating the peanuts. As it was, they left a floating trail of shells all the way from Riverbend to the boat-house at Crofton.
Jeffrey and Hope returned to Sunnywood, but the others remained at school to await the time for the game with St. Luke’s Academy. Poke declared that Jeffrey was going home to get more dinner, and showed a strong disposition to accompany him. Gil and Jim, however, restrained him by force of arms.
“Oh, I don’t want anything myself,” he said, “but some one ought to go along and see that those two don’t get any more. My—my motive, Gil, was quite disinterested.”
“You’re coming back to see the game, aren’t you, Jeff?” called Jim.
“Yes, indeed. So is Hope. And we’re going to bring Lady if she will come,” answered Jeffrey.
The three seated themselves on the steps of the gymnasium and watched Jeffrey go swinging along with the aid of his crutches, Hope beside him suiting her steps to his.