In the mean time the good wife, with the help of a rosy-cheeked girl, was stirring up flour and grinding coffee in the pantry; and almost before they could realize it, the boys in the kitchen saw the biscuits browning in the sloping pan of the Dutch oven, and caught the fragrant fumes of the boiling beverage.
As soon as each boy had finished washing his face and hands in the basin at the sink, a thick slice of bread and a piece of cold sausage were given to him, and later on, when appetites were well sharpened, hot biscuits and coffee were added to the repast. Every one was satisfied at last; every one declared it the best meal he had ever eaten, and every one blessed Glück and praised Glück’s uncle and aunt without stint.
But no sooner had the food been disposed of and the plates and crumbs cleared away, than many of the boys, especially the younger ones, began to grow sleepy, and wide yawns were visible in almost every direction.
The good farmer and his wife had been consulting together on the practical question of what was to be done with the party for the night. There were but five beds in the house. Quarters on the floor were proposed, but young Glück interposed with another suggestion.
“There’s the barn, Uncle Carl. We could all sleep there on the haymow.”
“Yes,” replied Brightly, “that would do very nicely. We should be glad to sleep there, shouldn’t we, boys?”
“Yes! yes!” was the hearty response. “Indeed we should!” added Drake.
In spite of their weariness, there was something in the thought of sleeping on a haymow in a country barn that appealed to the love of the romantic in these boys, and they caught at the suggestion with great eagerness. Glück’s uncle left the room with a puzzled expression on his face; but returning in a few moments with a lighted lantern, he beckoned to the boys to follow him out into the yard.
Glück arose to go with the rest; but his aunt went up to him, put her hand on his arm, and asked him if he would not sleep in the house.
“No, auntie,” he replied, “I will go with the boys. We must all fare alike to-night.”