"Do stop your nonsense," said Constance; "it's a very serious question--a life and death matter. We're a company of Crusoes."
But the boys couldn't stop their nonsense immediately. Dick remarked that if the cow had not licked out the jelly-bowl and then kicked it to pieces it might have been utilized. Then some one remembered a tin water-pail at the wagon. This was brought, and Bob soon had it two-thirds filled with milk. Then the question arose as to how they were all to be served with just that quart-cup and two spoons. They were to take turns, two eating at a time.
"I don't want to eat with Jule," Dick said. "He eats too fast."
The young people paired off, leaving out Bob. Then they all looked at him in a shame-faced, apologetic way.
"You needn't mind me," said Bob, interpreting their glances. "I don't want to heat with none of you. I've got some wittals down to the wagon."
"Why, what have you got?" said Sarah Ketchum. She felt cheap, and so did the others.
"Some boiled heggs and some happles and some raw turnups," said Bob.
Eight mouths watered at this catalogue. Sarah Ketchum whispered:
"For a generous slice of turnip, I'd lay me down and die."
"I don't keer for nothing but a hegg and a happle, myself," said Bob. "May be you folks would heat the hother things. There's a good lot of happles."
The eight protested that they could do with the milk and bread, but urged the milk on Bob.
"Look here," said Sarah Ketchum to Bob, "if you don't eat some of this milk, none of us will. We'll give it to the cow."
"No, we won't do that," Julius said: "we'll hold you and make you drink it. If you have more apples than you wish, we'll be glad of some; but we aren't going to take them unless you'll take your share of the milk."
"And we'll get mad at you again," said Clara.
"I'll drink hall the milk necessary to a make-hup," said Bob.
When the lunch was eaten, Mat said she didn't think they ought to have milked the cow. The folks would be so disappointed when they came to milk her at night. May be a lot of poor children were depending on the milking for their supper. Val, too, showed that his conscience was disturbed.
"You needn't worry," said Dick. "They'll get this milk back from the lunch she stole."
