“Hey, let up! I’m not the India-rubber man with the circus.”
At this moment a door opened and a gray-haired man stepped out. It was Mr. Chester.
“Why, how do you do, Billy Barnes,” he exclaimed heartily, “glad to see you; but I hope you haven’t come to take my boys off again on some wonderful trip or other. You know their mother and I like to see them at home sometimes.”
“Well, sir,” began Billy somewhat abashed, “the fact is I—you see—I mean—well, the long and short of it is, sir, that I have an adventurous proposal to make to them.”
“Hurray!” shouted Harry. “Good for you, Billy!”
Mr. Chester, however, assumed his—what Frank called—“official face.”
“Really, I——” he began.
“Now, father,” interjected Frank, “don’t you think it would be a good idea if we heard what Billy’s proposal, or whatever you like to call it, is before we say anything more?”
“Perhaps you are right, my boy,” said his father, “but I am busy now, and——”
“We’ll take Billy out to the workshop and make him tell us all about it, and then we’ll submit it to you,” suggested Harry.