“You young fellows leave that to me,” answered the construction company manager smilingly. “I’ll take care of that. I can remember when I was a young fellow and had my friends come to see me. You go on and show your chums all the sights, and have the best time possible, and then, when they are gone, I’ll expect you to work so much the harder to make up for it. I think you see what I mean.”
“And we’ll do it—take my word on it!” answered Dave heartily.
“Indeed we will!” echoed Roger.
During the next two days the chums were so anxious awaiting the coming of the others that they could hardly attend to their work. They saw to it that quarters were made in readiness for the three who were expected and that Jeff, the cook, would have room for them at one of the dining-tables.
Then, on the morning of the third day, when a telegram came in from the railroad station stating that Phil and the others would arrive by noon, Dave and Roger, taking a lunch along, set off on horseback, leading three other horses behind them, to meet the expected visitors.
The ride to the railroad station occurred without mishap, though it was no easy matter to make the three riderless horses follow them at certain points where the trail was rough. But the two chums reached the station with almost an hour to spare.
“And it wasn’t no use for you fellers to hurry,” announced the station master, when he found out what had brought them. “That train is generally from one hour to three hours late.”
“Great Scott! have we got to wait around here three hours?” groaned the senator’s son.
“We might have known the train would be late,” observed Dave. “They usually are on this line.”
Presently the station master went in to receive a telegram. When he came out he announced that the train would be there in less than two hours unless something occurred in the meanwhile to cause a further delay.