“Hold on! We use a lot of water, my boy, nowadays. We have sixteen vessels in our fleet. Don’t lose sight of that. It will keep you pretty busy attending to us at times. No, a year is enough. After that we’ll make a new dicker with you, and I guess I can trust you to give us fair terms. Now, what do you say? Yes or no?”
“I say yes, of course, sir, and I—I can’t begin to tell you how much I—how grateful—”
“I understand. And I’m grateful to you for what you did last night, and what you did the other day when you rescued my boy and Bee off the Head. And now there’s one more thing. Have you ever thought of putting that water up in bottles and selling it that way?”
“No, sir.”
“Think it over. In this town I suppose more than half of us buy spring water in bottles or carboys for drinking purposes. And I guess most of us would as lief drink Crystal Spring water as any other kind. You could sell it cheaper, too, for you wouldn’t have to ship it. Better think that over, Jack.”
“Say, that’s a dandy scheme, dad!” exclaimed Hal. “How did you happen to think of it?”
“That doesn’t sound flattering, Harry,” laughed Mr. Folsom. “As a matter of fact, however, I hadn’t thought of it until I began to talk. Then it occurred to me that if Jack here could deliver that water to me I’d just as lief have it as the kind the grocer sells me. Jack, you stop at the office some day and we’ll talk it over. You’ll need a little money, probably, to get the thing started. Perhaps I can help you there. Coffee ready, Lucy?”
Later a date was agreed on when the Crystal Spring was to be at the marine railway and Mr. Folsom promised to see that the gasoline engine was delivered in time. The boys were greatly excited about it and Bee expressed regret that he could not remain in Greenhaven and help Jack run the boat. “And between times,” he said, “I could buzz around town in an auto truck and deliver bottles of spring water, Jack. Honest, you’d better make me an offer. I’m a dandy chauffeur—marine or—or terrestrial!”
“That’s a fine old word!” applauded Hal. “But if you can’t chauffeur an auto truck any better than you can a launch—Say, Jack, I wonder if the Corsair’s gone yet! Dad, who is this Bill Glass?”