At this the brothers sighed with relief.
"I guess he ain't changed so much," said Harry.

"But it was queer, eh?
Kind of like a bear waking up after he'd been sleeping all winter!" They jarred Bull out of his dream with a shout and set him to work again; then they started the preparations for the evening meal.

The simple preparations were soon completed, but after the potatoes were boiled, they delayed frying the bacon, for their father, old Bill Campbell, had not yet returned from his hunting trip and he disliked long-cooked food.

Things had to be freshly served to suit Bill, and his sons dared the wrath of heaven rather than the biting reproaches of the old man.
It was strange that Bill delayed his coming so long.

As a rule he was always back before the coming of evening.