“I don’t like to interrupt the meeting of old friends,” said the cook good-naturedly, “but they’ll be in for breakfast in about ten minutes, Jerry, and if you ain’t ready for ’em they’ll scalp you alive.”
“I better be goin’,” said Jerry. “Glad I seen you again.”
“All right,” answered Nelson. “When can I see you? Are you busy all day?”
“No; ’long about ten o’clock I generally don’t have much to do.”
“Good! I’ll look you up then,” said Nelson. “The other fellows will want to see you too; I’ll bring them along.”
“Will you?” asked Jerry eagerly from the door of the tent. “That’s mighty kind of you. Good-by. I—I’ll look for you.”
“Know Jerry, do you?” asked the cook as he pulled a box of tin cups toward him and began setting them on a trestle. Nelson told of their former meeting, sipping the boiling hot coffee the while.
“Well, Jerry’s a pretty good boy,” said the cook. “Tends to his work and ain’t got no highfalutin’ nonsense about bein’ too good for it. Come around and see us again.”
“Thanks,” said Nelson. “I will. And I’m awfully much obliged for that coffee; it went right to the spot.”
“Knew it would. Have some more? No? Well, so long.”