“Who? Me?” asked Ray absently.
“Yes, you. Who did you think I meant? The bed post? Say, you’re worried, aren’t you? What’s sticking in your crop now? I’ll bet you’ve been sitting there half of the night. Hang it, Ray, what is the matter, anyway?” demanded Jack.
“Oh, nothing, I was just thinking, that’s all.”
“Thinking? About what? I’ll bet it was that blamed old model lifeboat of yours, wasn’t it?”
“Well, something like that,” said Ray with a sheepish grin.
“Now, I know you’re lying to me,” said Jack. “You weren’t thinking about the model at all or you wouldn’t have confessed so quickly. You were worrying about something else.”
“No, no, Jack, the model was in my mind—a little, anyway. Come on, let’s get up. I’ve been awake a long time, waiting for you to turn out. Mr. Williams has been up nearly an hour. I heard his wife call him for breakfast. Come on, get a wiggle on, for I think I smell some good old fried clams. Um-m-m, ah—just think how they’ll taste,” said Ray, smacking his lips as he hopped out of bed and began to pull on his trousers.
Jack tried to be equally agile, but when he bounded to the floor he let out a whoop of distress, for it seemed as if every muscle in his body had been stretched out of shape. He was sore from his violent exercise of the night before, and there were bumps and bruises all over him, not to mention a puffed-up lip which felt about thrice its natural size.
“Jiminy, but I’m stiff,” he grunted as he sat down on the edge of the bed and began to pull on his stockings.
“I’m a little stiff myself,” confessed Ray, stretching his strong arms above his head. “I had a fracas last night with one of those Frenchmen too, only I didn’t have to use a piano stool. I just lammed him good with my right hand. Say, but you did lay old Salmon Jack out for fair. Did you notice how wobbly he was when they took him into the lockup last night? And did you see that long lanky fellow? Some one treated him mighty rough. He had two dandy shiners. I suppose they’ll all be brought before the Justice of the Peace to-day. If it wasn’t that Mr. Warner and the rest might be worrying over us, I’d like to stay.”