“Try it,” dared Peg, “and see what happens to you.” 

We went back to the show boat. 

“Now that they know what we’re doing,” Peg said, wiping his sweaty face on his shirt sleeve, “they won’t rest easy until they’ve smashed up something. For you know Bid Stricker! And you heard what he said. If he gets half a chance he’ll put us out of business, just as sure as shootin’. We’ve got to be prepared, fellows.” 

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” growled Scoop, “to bore a hole in the bottom of our boat and sink it. He’d think it was smart to do a stunt like that.” 

“It’ll pay us,” waggled Peg, “to keep a close eye on our truck after this.” 

“Aw!…” rebelled Red, scowling, when it [16]was suggested that we guard the show boat day and night. “I don’t want to stay here all the time. I’ve got to eat.” 

[16]

“We’ll work in pairs,” planned Peg, disregarding the smaller one’s objection. “Jerry and I will stand guard to-night and you two fellows can stand guard to-morrow night.” 

Scoop laughed. 

“What’s the matter, Red? You look sort of white under your freckles. Are you scared?” 

“I have a hunch,” worried Red, looking ahead, “that I’m going to end up with a black eye or a punch in the jaw. For what chance has two fellows got against five?” 

I had thought of that. 

“Maybe we better stick together,” I suggested, getting Peg’s eyes. 

But he wasn’t worried like me. 

“Five o’clock,” he told us, looking at his watch. 

“We’ll have to snap into it,” Scoop said, “if we expect to finish the ticket stand to-day.” 

“You fellows can work on it,” Peg directed, “while Jerry and I go home for our bedding. For, if we’re going to stay here to-night, we’ve got to have something to sleep on. Come on, Jerry.” 

Peg is big and strong and awfully gritty. He [17]isn’t afraid of anybody or anything. I’m pretty gritty myself. I don’t run when a bigger 

 Prev. P 21/153 next