“Hello, friends,” he greeted, seating himself and wiping the perspiration from his brow. “I suppose,” he said to Mr. Holton, “you’ve been telling the boys about our coming expedition to South America. Right?”
“Right!” echoed Bob. “And not only that, but Joe and I are going with you.”
“What’s that!” Mr. Lewis cried in surprise.
“Yes,” Bob’s father returned, “they’ve put in their request to be a part of the expedition. What do you think of it?”
“Well—a—I hardly know. How do you think their mothers will look at it?”
Mr. Holton shook his head.
“Impossible to say,” he answered. “But we can all guess. Still, if we see fit to take the boys along, we can put the matter before them. They may consent after considerable pleading.”
“Hurrah!” cried Joe, in tones of gratitude. “And I’m sure——”
He stopped suddenly and sniffed the air sharply.
“There’s something burning,” he said quietly, and then moved around the house.