Tim turned from the window and took off his hat and coat. “The first thing we had better do is to get our things off,” he recommended. “It is getting mighty warm in here now. Then we had better get supper ready. They might come in yet, Mac. Maybe we’re only borrowing trouble.”
“It may be,” his brother agreed, brightening up. “They may have waited at Fox Point until it blew over and will be here later. But if this keeps up, they’ll have to come here on snowshoes.”
“Yes, it is getting deep. Well, what shall we do about supper? We aren’t going to build a kitchen fire, and we won’t eat in that big dining room.”
“No, we can make this room our headquarters for about everything,” Mac nodded. “Let’s bring in that table from the kitchen and set it right here by the fire. It will just fit our needs.”
Willing to occupy their minds with something besides worry, the two boys went to the kitchen and carried out the small table that Mac had spoken about. It was just large enough for the four of them, and they found clean knives and forks in the drawer, but Tim washed them for the sake of safety. After this was done he put them around the table.
“I’ll set four places,” he said.
Mac glanced at the clock and noted that it was close to six. “Sure, set four places, they’ll be along soon,” he said, but his voice lacked conviction, and both of them were more alarmed than they would care to admit.
“What shall we have for supper?” Tim inquired, beginning to dig among the stores that they had brought over from the cabin.
“I was hoping to have sausage,” Mac smiled. “But I guess we had better not count on it. Open a can of pork and beans. I’ll fix the coffee.”
For a while they worked silently. The fire was a mass of glowing red coals, and the room was lighted by one lamp. They could see well enough by this light and did not intend to light another one, because they thought it best to save for an emergency. Tim put the beans on to warm, and Mac made coffee. While these things were coming along, the brothers sat on the wicker couch and stared into the fire.