“What is a triple play?” inquired Mrs. Borden.
“It’s when you get three out right together,” explained Walter.
“Of course. I ought to have known that,” said Mrs. Borden. “How far ‘out’ do they have to go? I could hear the boys this afternoon. They were not very far out from the village.”
“Not very far, mother,” said Walter.
“I must come over and see your potatoes, Dan,” said Mr. Borden. “Are they doing well this season?”
“Yes, sir,” Dan replied, “though we’ve had a hard fight with the bugs. I never saw them worse than they are this summer.”
For an hour or more the party remained on the piazza, Mr. Borden taking only an occasional part in the conversation, which Walter did not suffer to lag. Dan, absolutely unaware that Mr. Borden was listening and watching with a purpose, was quiet in his manner, speaking less frequently than his friend and then in fewer words. It was plain that he enjoyed the evening, for Walter’s mother, as well as the other members of the family, by their manifest friendliness and interest, made him less conscious of himself, and the quiet boy entered after his own manner into the spirit of the group.
After Dan’s departure Mrs. Borden said to her husband, “Well, what do you think of Dan? To me he seems to be an unusually fine boy.”
“Yes,” agreed Mr. Borden.