“Well, I couldn’t do much worse,” Toby answered ruefully. “Let’s go in.”
CHAPTER XV
PHEBE CHRISTENS THE KNOCKABOUT
Mr. Whitney was prompt the next morning, and the trip across was made in record time, the little Urnove doing a good twelve miles an hour. On the way Toby told about the ferry line, and Mr. Whitney was interested and sympathetic. “Better give it a fair trial before you decide that you’re beaten,” he advised. “Holding on is a wonderful thing, my boy. I know, for I’ve tried it. If I’d given up every time I seemed to have been beaten I’d be—well, I guess I’d be back at the bench where I started. Lots of times I wanted to let go, but didn’t, and won through just holding on. Remember the story of the two flies—or was it frogs?—that fell in the pan of milk? One gave up and drowned—couldn’t have been a frog, I guess!—and the other kept on swimming and churned the milk into butter and climbed out! You’d better keep on swimming a bit longer, T. Tucker!”
Mr. Whitney refused to compromise on the price of the fare. Toby, conferring with Arnold, had decided that a dollar would be about right for passage one way and a dollar and a half for the round trip. But the passenger insisted on sticking to the agreement. “If I go over with you on a regularly scheduled sailing,” he said, smiling, “I’ll pay the regular ferry price, but if it’s a special trip you’ll have to take a dollar and a half each way. Sorry to have to refuse you, son!”
Toby grinned. “It doesn’t seem quite fair, though. When will you be coming back, sir?”
“Let me see, now. When’s the last regular sailing?”
“Four-thirty, sir, from this side.”
“Too early. How about five-fifteen or five-thirty? Can you come over for me then?”