“All right, sir, we’ll telegraph you at Oak Park as soon as we get to Barrington. I hope he’ll suit, sir, for Jerry is a fine chap, and we all want him to get on. You see, we—we’ve adopted him in a sort of way, sir!”
“I see you have,” laughed Mr. Cozzens. “And very good of you it is,” he added seriously. “I hope your plans for him will turn out splendidly, and if he comes to me you may trust me to do all I can for him.”
“Yes, sir, we do,” answered Tom earnestly.
“Well, I guess I’d better go up and have a look at the invalid,” said Mr. Cozzens. “Don’t hurry off,” he added as the others rose. “It isn’t late; sit up just as long as you want to.”
“I guess we’re all about ready for bed,” said Bob. “I know I am.”
So they followed their host upstairs. Will was sleeping as soundly as though he had not been at it four hours already. Mr. Cozzens said good night, and the Four prepared for bed. But, in spite of their proclaimed sleepiness, they were too highly elated and excited over Jerry’s prospects to drop off immediately, and it was all of an hour later when they finished discussing them. Tom had a way of getting in the last word, and to-night was no exception.
“Isn’t it funny how things happen?” said Nelson. “Who’d have thought when we got shipwrecked out there on the point that it was going to turn out like this?”
“That’s so,” Dan replied sleepily. “Talk about luck!”
There was silence for a minute. Then Tom’s voice came solemnly across the dark from his cot in the comer.