“Certainly not till after we’ve had a good hot breakfast, for one thing,” asserted the other; “and if it keeps on falling like it does now nothing would tempt me to start out for a snow-shoe tramp.”
“But it looks to me like the clouds were ready to break over there in the northwest,” urged the eager one.
“Let her break, then,” Phil told him; “time enough to talk about going when we see the sun peeping out. I understand it’s no soft snap to get twisted up in this same Canadian bush, with a blizzard blowing the snow down, and the cold getting away below zero point.”
“Whoo! excuse me if you please,” spoke up Lub; “I’ll take mine out alongside this cheery blaze. Somebody has got to eat the drumsticks, my mother always says; and even in camp there must be a cook.”
“And a jolly good one we happen to have along with us!” remarked X-Ray, generously.
“No taffy, please,” warned Lub. “I may take a notion to strike, one of these days, and then the rest of you would have to throw up heads or tails to see who takes my place.”
“We hope that day will be a long way off,” declared the wily Ethan, “because the chances are we’d have to come to eating that erbswurst just as it is, because no one could do justice to the culinary department after being spoiled the way we have.”
Of course Lub was not so green as to think they meant all they said; yet at the same time it must have been pleasant for him to know his valiant efforts over the fire were appreciated by his chums. He worked harder than ever, and the satisfied smile that spread over his rosy face told that his thoughts were happy.
After all X-Ray was right about those clouds, although he did not claim to be a weather prophet, as he had once done. Even as they sat there and made away with the fine breakfast that had been prepared a bright ray of sunlight fell aslant the party; and looking out they could see that the snow had a dazzling appearance.
“Bully for that!” cried X-Ray; “if I didn’t have my breakfast in my lap I’d feel like jumping up and dancing a hornpipe for joy. That means we’ll soon be starting forth on our snow-shoes, eh, Phil?”