Every one laughed, but Fred had an idea which he mentioned. “Bill, you ought to rig up some strings that connect with the inside so that you can wiggle the ears and stumpy tail.”
“That’s what I will! Won’t it be fun?” laughed Billy.
After that conversation, the time was given to the making of costumes for the masque, Fred still jealously guarding his secret work going on in the pump-house while every one expressed the wildest conjectures as to what he could be making!
The first time the two bears tried on their costumes, Mose was heard singing his favourite revival hymn, “Swing low, sweet chariot, goin’ fo’ t’carry me home,” while he worked in the adjoining room.
Mischief uppermost in his thought, Billy whispered to Dudley: “Say, let’s hide in Mose’s tent to-night and when he goes to bed we’ll growl like bears and jump out on him!”
“Great! But don’t let any one know or they’ll stop us,” replied Dudley.
The tooting of the Orion’s whistle just then, interrupted any further planning and every one rushed out to meet the visitors. Mr. and Mrs. Charlton had a plan to propose to Mrs. Remington, so the eldest went into a secret conference from which the children were excluded, but now and then a word sounded from unwary speakers. Words like “Boston,” “Manage if they will all co-operate” and “See Uncle Bill about it,” made the boys curious.
When the conclave ended, the children besieged Miss Travis to tell them what every one was going to wear to the ball.
“Indeed we won’t tell!” said she, emphatically.
“Not much!” added Uncle Tom.