“All right, Arn, I’ll put my giant intellect at work tonight. I always think better after I’m in bed, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. When I get to bed I go to sleep.”
“So do I after a while, but I always think things over first.”
“Now don’t forget that we ought to be back at the landing at a quarter to eleven. The trouble with you is that when you get in there looking at that knockabout you forget everything.”
“There’s one thing I don’t forget,” chuckled Arnold, “and that’s dinner!”
They were back on the float at a little past the half-hour and Toby seized a rag and performed a lot of quite unnecessary polishing during the ensuing wait. Perhaps it relieved his nervousness. At a quarter to eleven Chuck Morgan and Snub Mooney descended the gangplank. Chuck had thirty-five cents and Snub twenty-two, and they tried to engineer a deal whereby they were to be taken across to Johnstown and back for fifty-seven cents in cash and a promise of eighteen cents more at some future date. Snub said he thought Toby ought to make a special rate to his friends.
“I will,” said Toby. “I’ll take one of you over and back for fifty-seven or I’ll take you both one way for it. Which do you choose?”
“Oh, go on, Toby! Have a heart! Honest, we’ll pay you the other eighteen, won’t we, Chuck? I’ll give it to you tomorrow, or maybe next day.”
“This is business, Snub,” answered Toby emphatically. “If you fellows want to make the trip over and back I’ll take you this once for nothing. But the next time you’ll have to pay full fare, friends or no friends.”
“All right,” agreed Snub cheerfully. “I guess we won’t ever want to go again! Anybody else coming?”