FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53  
54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   >>   >|  
a model to experiment with, I s'pose," reflected Willie. "Oh, we could fix that easily enough," Bob cried with rising enthusiasm. "_We_?" "Sure! I'll help you." The announcement did not altogether reassure the inventor, and Bob laughed at the dubious expression of his face. "Of course I'm only a dry-land sailor," he went on to explain good-humoredly, "and I do not begin to have had the experience with boats that you have. I did, however, study about them some at Tech and perhaps--" "Study about 'em!" repeated Willie, unable wholly to conceal his scepticism and scorn. Again the younger man laughed. "I realize that is not like getting knowledge first-hand," he continued with modesty, "but it seemed the best I could do. As to this plan of yours, two heads are sometimes better than one, and between us I believe we can evolve an answer to the puzzle." "That'll be prime!" Willie ejaculated, now quite comfortable in his mind. "An' when we get the answer to the riddle, Jan Eldridge will help us. You ain't met Jan yet, have you? He's the salt of the earth, Janoah Eldridge is. Him an' me are the greatest chums you ever saw. He mebbe has his peculiarities, like the rest of us. Who ain't? You'll likely find him kinder sharp-tongued at first, but he don't mean nothin' by it; and' he's quick, too--goes up like a rocket at a minute's notice. Folks down in town insist in addition that he's jealous as a girl, but I've yet to see signs of it. Fur all his little crochets you'll like Jan Eldridge. You can't help it. We're none of us angels--when it comes to that. Hush!" broke off Willie warningly. "I believe that's him now. Didn't you see a head go past the winder?" "I thought I did." "Then that's Jan. Nobody else would be comin' across the dingle. Now not a word of this motor-boat business to him," cautioned Willie, dropping his voice. "I never tell Jan 'bout my idees 'till I get 'em well worked out, for he's no great shakes at inventin'." There was an instant of guilty silence, and then the two conspirators beheld a freckled face, crowned by a mass of rampant sandy hair, protrude itself through the doorway. "Hi, Willie!" called the newcomer, unmindful of the presence of a stranger. "Well, how do you find yourself to-day? Ready to tackle another pump?" With simulated indignation Willie bristled. "Pump!" he repeated. "Don't you dare so much as to mention pumps in my hearin' fur six m
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53  
54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Willie

 
Eldridge
 

repeated

 

answer

 

laughed

 

dingle

 
Nobody
 

thought

 

business

 

cautioned


dropping

 

experiment

 

insist

 
addition
 
jealous
 

crochets

 

warningly

 

angels

 

winder

 

tackle


presence
 

unmindful

 
stranger
 

simulated

 
indignation
 
mention
 

hearin

 

bristled

 

newcomer

 
called

instant
 
guilty
 
silence
 
inventin
 

shakes

 

conspirators

 

beheld

 

protrude

 

doorway

 
freckled

crowned

 

rampant

 

worked

 
modesty
 

continued

 

knowledge

 

dubious

 
inventor
 

evolve

 

expression