"I'll be around at the house at nine-thirty to-morrow morning, and I'll pick Charlie up before I get here. We will stay at Hartford on Monday night, and Tuesday I will leave you folks to enjoy yourselves for a short time while I attend the conference."
"There isn't anything to do in Hartford," I said.
"Nothing to do! Say, Dawson, wake up! You—a retail merchant—saying 'nothing to do' when there's a bunch of good retail stores there, every one of which should give you a number of good ideas. Don't you want to see the Charter Oak? Why, there's a whole lot of interesting things in Hartford, and it certainly would do you and Martin good to visit there and get an assortment of good wrinkles. Besides, I want to tell you boys something about automobiles."
"That's awfully good of you, Fred," I said, "but honest Injun, I'm not interested in automobiles."
"Autos be blowed!" he said.
"Blown," corrected Betty, smiling.
"Have it your own way," said Fred. "Now," said he, turning to me, "you and Charlie are coming with me to-morrow as my guests, and I'm going to give you a real good time. I'll be through at the meeting at four or five o'clock Tuesday night, and then we'll have a good dinner and a nice midnight ride back home."
"I will go," I said.
"I knew you would," he replied, "and now, Betty, what about that bread-breaking stunt you spoke of?"