“Oh, come off! I’m not a fool. It’s just the place for them, too.”
“Let’s go up and have supper,” suggested Ted. “I’m right hungry and we can talk just as well there. Come on, Andy!”
“But 18 might come in.”
“It’ll be the first time she ever got here before midnight, if she does,” commented Jim. “Call up and find out where she is.”
Jumping to his telegraph instrument, Andy beat a veritable tattoo on the key as he asked for 18’s whereabouts, finally announcing:
“She’ll be here in an hour.”
“Then we shall have plenty of time. Come on!” cried Phil, springing to the ground.
“Hold on!” called Andy. “When we’re at the store, ‘mum is the word.’”
“That’s mean, especially to Jennie,” protested Ted. “She and Peleg are almost wild with curiosity, and it can’t do any harm to tell them about things.”
“It can’t, eh? You don’t know Peleg,” retorted the agent. “If he knew where you are going to settle, he’d beat you to it.”