The two boys found Nell and Ethel showing Belle some new flowers that had lately come up. As Teddy and Roy approached the girls turned.
“Want soma nice, fresh hunyons?” Ethel called out.
“Nope,” Teddy returned, grinning. “Taka some strumberries, you got. What’s this, a garden party?”
“Tour of investigation,” Nell answered. “Oh, Roy, I want to show you these sunflowers! Aren’t they beautiful?”
“I’ll tell a maverick!” Roy answered, and, as Nell looked up, she saw that he was staring at her instead of at the sunflowers. She blushed, and bent quickly over to examine closely some wild roses.
The time passed pleasantly, and dinner was soon announced. Roy lingered at the door watching the sunset, which was especially brilliant to-night, until Teddy and Belle each took an arm and pulled him in.
“But just look at those colors!” he persisted. “Why, no artist could paint them! They look like—like flames from a forest fire.”
“Sure,” Teddy said, grinning at Ethel. “Or maybe like a ripe tomato smashed against a white wall. Come on in and eat, you old dreamer. I’m hungry. Then you can tell Nell how much the landslide looked like the volcano scene in the ‘Fall of Pompeii.’ ”
Roy made a friendly pass at his brother, who ducked, and the two entered and seated themselves at the table, which was decorated with flowers in honor of their visit, and it was not long before the beauty of sunsets was forgotten in the enjoyment of rare roast beef, carrots, and mashed potatoes.