The dining room was almost severe in its plainness, but a long table was tastefully spread and decorated, being lighted by lamps and candles. They began to find seats around it before they discovered there were only eleven chairs.
“It’s all right,” said Merry, in a low tone. “It’s plain we’re not to enjoy the society of our hostess during this meal.”
When they were seated two women in black, with white aprons, appeared and served soup.
At first the boys were somewhat oppressed by the situation, but Merry soon started things up with a jest and they began to enjoy themselves.
“Although we met a warm reception in this town,” said Frank, “it was not much worse than the reception given Ready the first time he visited Niagara Falls. When Jack stepped off the trolley he found several carriages waiting for passengers. He capered over to one of them and asked the man to drive him to the falls. The man said he would be pleased to drive him there, but he didn’t have a harness that would fit him.”
“That man was a trifle nearsighted,” declared Jack, good-naturedly taking the laugh this had aroused. “He failed to note my marvelous beauty, and he thought he could get gay with me. He lost as much as fifty small coins of the realm by that joke.”
“You should remember, Jack,” said Rattleton, “that beauty is only din skeep—er, that is skin deep.”
“But I’m very thick-skinned,” retorted Ready promptly. “Tra-la-la!”
“Vale, in Puffalo,” said Dunnerwurst, “I vos consulted.”
“Insulted, Hans,” corrected Morgan.