"Oh," said Joe carelessly, "give me what you give the rest of the boys," and here Joe winked at the proprietor.
"And I'll have the same," laughed Mrs. Dustin, and again Joe winked at the proprietor.
But the children had grown strangely quiet, especially the boys. And slim Mollie once more grew frightened as she watched the proprietor setting out glass after glass of foaming beer.
Mrs. Dustin was busy talking to the children and didn't seem to see the foaming glasses until Joe called,
"Come on, everybody—line up."
Then the lovely mother face was raised and at the look that came into the blue eyes every child there grew sick and miserable.
"Ah, gee—whad he give her that for?" muttered Sammy Berwick.
But Mrs. Dustin, after looking once into Peter's tortured eyes, stood up and laughed.
"Well, children," she confessed, "I've never tasted beer in my life, but it's your party and I invited myself so it would be rude to refuse."
And with that she picked up her glass.