“Yes, he’s pretty good,” chimed in Palmer. “Who built him?”
“We all did,” said Bobby proudly. “For goodness’ sake, what’s that, Dot?”
Dot was out of breath from running and in her hand she held an odd-shaped soft felt hat and a corncob pipe.
“Put ’em on Mr. White, Bobby,” she urged. “The way Daddy said.”
“Isn’t that Uncle Dave’s pipe?” asked Bobby.
“Yes, but he’s asleep; he doesn’t need it when he’s asleep,” said Dot.
So Bobby ran and borrowed a chair from Norah and stood on it to put the hat on Mr. White and place the pipe in his mouth. To be sure he stuck the pipe in upside down, but no one thought that made any difference.
“That’s great!” said Palmer Davis. But he looked at Bobby as though he were trying to tell him something.
“You go over to the garage and I’ll be there in a minute,” directed Bobby. “I have to take this chair back to the kitchen.”
The three boys went off to the garage whistling and Bobby climbed back on the chair to fix Mr. White’s hat more firmly, wondering what in the world they wanted to say to him.