“Same thing at our place,” quoth Step and drew a long face. “If a fellow’s late for a meal they act as if they thought he ought to be in jail.”
“Well, it’s up to us to make tracks,” said Sam, then cast a half dubious glance at Varley; a hurried march back to town would be no joke for the novice on snow-shoes.
Varley noted the glance, and read it aright. “Wait a minute, fellows,” he said. “I’ll own up. I’m almost all in. No, I don’t mean I’m leg-weary exactly; it’s more wear and tear on nerves, I guess. If I could have a bite to eat and a chance to sit down by a fire for a while, I’d be all right.”
“Huh! I guess that’s what Jonah said when he found himself inside the whale!” jeered Step.
Sam spoke quickly. “Varley’s hit it! I feel the same way, only I didn’t know enough to say so. I don’t hanker for that tramp home, but what else is there to do?”
“Nothing,” agreed Poke gloomily. “We might as well start.”
But again Varley delayed them. “Hold on! Parker, you told me about a hotel at the foot of Rainbow Mountain, didn’t you? Unless I’m all wrong in my geography, we must have been traveling toward it, and it can’t be very far away.”
“Not more than a mile,” said Sam.
The other’s face brightened. “Then I’ve a scheme. Let’s go there and get something to eat.”
“Oh!” said Sam doubtfully.