Patty thought luncheon in the dining car was great fun. Only four could sit at a table, but as Mrs. Hartley had a slight headache and did not care to talk, she and Grandma Cromarty sat at another table, and left the four young people to chatter by themselves.
Everything interested Patty, from the unusual things she found on the menu to the strange sights she saw from the window.
This was her first trip in this direction, for they were travelling toward Leicester, and the scenes were all new to her.
The boys were full of fun and nonsense, and Mabel was so gay and jolly that Patty began to think she had imagined the girl was of a sad nature. They all told funny stories, and made absurd jokes, and poked fun at each other, and Patty concluded she was likely to have a very jolly summer with the Hartleys. Back they went after luncheon to their funny parlour car, which had double seats facing each other, with a small table between.
“Just the place for a game,” said Sinclair, as the four took their seats, two on either side of the table.
“What sort of a game?” asked Patty.
“Oh, I don’t know; I’ll make one up.” The boy took a bit of chalk from his pocket, and marked off the table into various sections, with a circle in each corner, and crosses here and there.
“Now,” he explained, as he offered each player a coin, “this isn’t money, you know. They’re merely counters, for the time being. But when the game is over you must all give them back to me, because they’ll be money again then.”
“But what do we do with them?” asked Patty, who was greatly interested in any game.
“I’ll show you. These places are homes, and these are wilderness. If you’re in the wilderness you may be captured, but if you’re at home, you can’t be.”