“I’m agreeable, Rob. Notice how the wind has commenced to rise. It was quiet when we left home, and now you can hear it rustling through the trees at a great rate. Do you think it’s going to storm?”
“I don’t happen to be the weather sharp of the troop,” laughed Rob, “so you mustn’t depend too much on my prediction.”
He looked up at the sky, and then around him, after which he ventured to say:
“I think there will be quite a blow during the night, for those clouds are passing over in a hurry; but it isn’t likely we’ll have to go home in a rainstorm.”
Apparently, the other trio must have also been paying attention to the rising wind, for just then Tubby called out:
“Hope you’ve got a gilt-edged fire department in your town, Ralph. If a fire did happen to break out tonight, with this breeze going, it would likely eat up a few of your buildings. How about it?”
“Why, we’ve got a pretty good fire department, such as you are apt to find in towns of this size,” replied the other, seriously. “It’s partly a volunteer one, of course, and they’ve got quite a few medals won in State rivalries, competing with other companies. Fact is, we’re a bit proud of the Wyoming Fire Department. They can smash windows faster, and get a hose up to a burning house five seconds quicker than the best of them.”
All of the boys laughed at hearing Ralph say this.
“Whee!” exclaimed Tubby, “I wouldn’t like to be under that old circus tent if a big storm did come swooping along. I guess it’d go flying over the mountain-tops like a kite.”
“I was in a circus once when we had a terrific storm,” admitted Ralph. “I’ll never forget the way the frightened people behaved. The canvas flapped wildly, and made the most terrifying noises going. We expected to have the whole business come down about our ears any minute, but fortunately the wind passed over, and the animals quit howling so that the people could quiet the youngsters. It was something awful while it lasted.”