“But, say, it may not be so bad after all,” Wee Willie hastened to remark, when it had been told. “If the amount taken has been made good then there can be no charge against Mr. Codling, and he could walk down the street of the city where they used to live without being bothered anyway. But then, to be sure he doesn’t know about this, and still believes the Law is looking for him.”
“It cuts Amos to the quick to fancy his father as a common vagrant,” continued Elmer. “Never mention that part of it to him if you happen to be speaking about these things.”
“Huh!” mused Perk, pursing up his mouth thoughtfully, “I reckon the world has kept on treating Mr. Codling rough all these years. The prosperity he went off to find never came his way, and by degrees he’s given up all hope, as these hoboes nearly always do, trying to forget the past, so I’ve understood. Do you think he could be rounded up, Elmer?”
“I’m going to try to make it come out that way,” was the quick reply, “although I don’t know yet just what plan I’ll adopt. Once we got in touch with him it would be easy, I guess. He might try to hold out, ashamed to have the wrong wiped out through his wife, and not by his own efforts; but he couldn’t fight long against being towed into a safe harbor, after seven years of roving and up against hard times.”
“I hear Amos whistling as he comes along,” said Wee Willie just then; “and it’s really the first time he’s done such a thing since we started on this camping trip. Shows he must be feeling a heap better already.”
“He is,” said Elmer, as he broke away from the two who were cleaning their string of fish, with the intention of having some of them for the midday meal.
“Because,” explained Perk, sagaciously, “fish ought to almost jump from the water into the frying-pan; you can’t get them too fresh to please me. And, say, I do just love ’em to beat the band!”
During the balance of the day they found numerous things to claim their attention, as is always the case when fellows who know the game are in camp. For instance, Wee Willie claimed that he was tired of eating off the ground, and proposed making some sort of rude but serviceable table that would be much more homelike.
“And while you’re doing that job,” Amos told him, “perhaps Perk and myself could hatch up some kind of seats to use when we have to stay indoors, and can’t squat on these two logs.”
This idea pleased Perk very much, for if there was one thing he liked, and felt bound to have whenever possible, it was solid comfort.