And still Townsend Ripley lay prone and laughed and laughed and laughed.
"Your money will be refunded, of course," he managed to say to the
several occupants of the grandstand. "You see we had a heavy rain all
night and----"
"Oh, don't _speak_ of returning our money," one of the girls laughed.
"We really ought to pay you _more_."
"We can't take any more," Pee-wee shouted. "You--you get the ride for
nothing--it's thrown in--because I said free transportation and a scout
has to keep his word. Even if we float miles and miles we can't take
another cent----"
"We may be rovers but we're not profiteers," moaned Townsend.
"If--if we don't drift to shore by supper time," said Pee-wee, "you get
your dinner too just like when an ocean steamer is delayed in a fog;
they give you your dinner, so don't you worry because you're with
scouts and when it gets to be six o'clock I'll make a hunter's stew."
At this there was a sudden noise as of horror and anguish and before
our voyagers realized what was happening, Townsend Ripley had rolled
off the island into the water.
CHAPTER XXX
ABSENCE MAKES THE ISLAND QUIET
"It's all right," Townsend sputtered as he crawled ashore. "I was just
thinking of something sad; I feel better now. It was one of the finest
races that I never saw."
"It would have been a good race," said Pee-wee with a frown indicative
of withering scorn, "only they had to go and break it up. _Just
because we moved_--do you call that an argument? _We_ ought to get the
silver cup, that's what _I_ think.
Pages:
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133