"Hello, Steve," greeted Bob. "I can't grin without hurting myself, but I'm grinning on the inside of me."
"Oh, Bob, I'm so glad you are safe! I thought you had been killed when I found you were missing. What happened to you? Tell me all about it. I haven't heard the truth about it yet."
"There isn't much to tell, except that I was a bird. I flew without wings, and that is more than any one else can do. Did you see me go?"
"No, I did not, but some other persons did."
"Say, that's what that fellow meant when he warned me. Why didn't he say what he was warning me about? Look here, he knew I was going to get into trouble, didn't he?"
"I have more than a suspicion that he did," nodded Rush.
"Wait till I get out of this harness," growled Bob. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing much. I was nearly buried under the cinders, but Brodsky ran for some men, who dug me out. If it hadn't been for Ignatz I believe I should have perished in number seven pit."
"He's a good fellow!" muttered Bob, nodding his head faintly. "He doesn't know much, and he wouldn't take a blue ribbon at a beauty show, but he's got the real stuff in him. I hear one man is going to die."
"Yes; so I understand. Too bad, poor fellow."
"Don't blame yourself. You were not to blame for what happened. You were led directly into the mistake of putting too much water on the cinders. When is the doctor going to let you go home?"
"He said perhaps I could go in the morning, but I'm all right. I could go home now, just as well as not. I want to go back to the mill and go to work in the morning."
"No need of that. I don't think either of us will start in to-morrow."
"Never mind now. We will talk about it when you get home."
"Look here, Steve Rush, something has been going on that I don't know anything about. What is it?"
"Don't bother about asking questions. I shouldn't have excited your curiosity," answered Steve, laughing to cover his chagrin at having let the words slip out. "I'll tell you what we'll do; we will take our lunches and go down the river to-morrow for a picnic, if you are able. After you have rested up for a day perhaps you will feel able to go to work."
"You did, and I want to know why. Come on now; I'm no tenderfoot, and you know it. Why don't we go to work?"