"Say, boys, this is the best ever! We've got a chance to go out on a ranch and play cowboys!"
It was Frank Haven who spoke, and if he had hoped that his words would make a sensation he was not disappointed.
Sammy Brown jumped as though he had been shot, and Bob Bouncer almost choked on a sandwich he was eating. Part of it went down the wrong way, and his chums had to give him a good thumping on the back before he was himself again.
Then he and Sammy backed Frank up into a corner.
"Now, say that again and say it slow," commanded Sammy.
"And no fooling, mind," added Bob. "Give it to us straight."
"Who's fooling?" asked Frank indignantly. "You're a nice one to say that, Bob Bouncer, when you're playing tricks on everybody around you all the time!"
"That's right," agreed Sammy. "Who was it that slipped that crab between the sheets the other night?"
Bob tried to look innocent but it was not a great success.
"He could have climbed there himself, couldn't he?" he ventured weakly. "But never mind about the crab," he went on hurriedly, as he saw the look on his companions' faces. "Go ahead, Frank, and tell us what you meant when you were talking about cowboys."