“Gerald!” yelled Alf.
“Pennimore!” shouted Roeder.
They leaped to the rescue of the sandwiches and wrested them away. Dan confronted the culprit sternly.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“I’m going along with you,” replied Gerald, unruffledly. “I’m an S. P. M. just as much as you are. I’ve been following you all the way.”
“I didn’t want you to come,” said Dan. “If I had, I’d have let you know. This isn’t any place for you, Gerald.”
“Guess I can’t go back now,” was the cheerful response.
“You can wait here, then, until we return.”
“Oh, don’t be a granny, Dan,” broke in Alf. “Let him come along if he wants to. What’s the difference, any way?” The sentiment was indorsed by the others, and Dan found himself in the minority.