"

"That's right," spoke up another. "I'm hungry, too. Seems to me I would
like one o' them grape fruits."

"Grape fruits? You don't know what they be," retorted Jim.

"You tell us what they be," responded the man, unabashed by the rebuke
of the leader.

"Don't you know?" retorted Jim scornfully. "Why grape fruit's the stuff
that grows on grape vines."

"Get out!" said the other one. "I guess I know enough about the country
to know that grapes grow on grape vines."

"In course they do," acknowledged Jim, "but this isn't grapes, this is
grape FRUIT. It takes a special vine to grow it."

"Does it grow right on the vine?"

"In course it does. What do you think, it grows under the ground like
tomatoes?"

"Tomatoes don't grow under the ground," spoke up another of the party.
"It's potatoes that grow under the ground."

"It's all one," retorted Jim glibly. "Potatoes and tomatoes. I knew one
grew in the air and the other grew in the ground."

"What about the grape fruits, Jim?" demanded the first speaker.

"Well, they grow on the vines. They are just like big yeller grapes.
Many 's a time out on my country estate I have climbed the ladder and
picked 'em from the vines that grow so high they hid the sight of the
street from the piazzy of my bungaloo."

"I'm wondering where you got this yacht, Jim," inquired another.

"Never mind how I got it as long as we have got it. That's the main
thing," interrupted another one. "What I want to know, is about those
grape fruits we're talking about. How does it taste?"

"Fine. Fine," answered Jim promptly. Then turning to the boys he
inquired, "Have you got anything on board to eat?"

"You see that monemint up yonder," interrupted another pointing to a
tall granite shaft that could be seen in the distance. The entire party
including the boys at once looked in the direction indicated and saw a
beautiful memorial stone, although few of them were aware of what it
commemorated.

"Yes, that's my granddad's tombstone," said one of the tramps.

"I guess he must have been some man," exclaimed one of his companions.
"It's a pity the rest of the family didn't take after him."

"We did, but we didn't want to hog the whole thing. We had to let some
one else have a chance too."

Meanwhile the Black Growler was speeding swiftly over the waters of the
Erie Canal. Fred was driving at high speed and as the boat sped forward
he was keenly watching for the coming of a boat that might p