Jim was considerably short of twenty at that, so it could not have been more than a year or two since he used to play ball, and train with the other boys of Scranton High.
Thad got busy, and began to tell how they had first ran across the strange hobo in his camp, cooking a meal.

He continued the story with a description of how the long wandering Brother Lu had been so warmly welcomed by Matilda and her sick husband, and thereupon deliberately settled down to enjoying himself at their expense.
Thad was a pretty good hand at narrating a yarn, and he worked the interest up by degrees until he had Jim's eyes as round as saucers, while he hung upon every word that was spoken.

Hugh only broke in once in a while to add a few sentences to something his chum said.
Finally the climax was reached when Thad explained the scheme he and Hugh had concocted between them, and how much they would appreciate the assistance of Jim in this dilemma.
The temporary editor pursed up his lips and looked serious.

He was thinking, and gradually a grin began to creep across his thin little face.
"Why, I guess it could be worked out, fellows," he finally remarked, greatly to the satisfaction of the eager Thad.

"Course I can do the writeup part as easy as falling off a fence, because it comes natural for me to be able to put any old thing down on paper and hash it up in a most interesting way.