"It's awful good of you to ask us to come," said Sammy.
"You aren't half as glad to come as we are to have you," said Mrs. Claxton. "We haven't any chick or child of our own, and we get fairly hungry for the sight of young faces. But come right along now and I'll show you your rooms and you can get washed and freshened up after your journey. By the time you do that, I guess supper will be just about ready."
She hurried into the house, followed by the boys to whom the word supper had a magical sound, and led the way to two big rooms on the second floor. One of them was for Frank and George and the other for Bob and Sammy. They were very comfortably furnished and the windows gave a splendid view of the surrounding country.
There was plenty of water and fresh towels and for the next few minutes there was a vigorous splashing and rubbing as the Fairview boys removed the dust of travel.
"Don't they seem nice, kind people?" said Sammy, between rubs. "They make you feel right away as though you'd known them for a long time."
"Mother said we'd feel at home the minute we got here," answered George.
"She thinks there's nobody like Mr. and Mrs. Claxton," put in Frank.
"It certainly looks as if we were going to have a dandy time here," prophesied Bob.
They had scarcely finished their dressing when the call came to supper, and they trooped down without needing a second summons. The long ride over the prairie had sharpened appetites that never needed sharpening anyway.
There was a royal abundance of deliciously cooked meats and vegetables together with hot biscuits and honey on the table, and the boys fairly gasped with pleasure as they saw what awaited them.