“No, you’re not!” declared Cora, as the boys went clattering down the stairs. “It’s a perfectly gorgeous day, girls, and it’s simply a crime to waste it in bed. The view from these windows is enough to make you gasp. Besides, we don’t want to keep breakfast waiting.”
Bess still protested, but yielded to the laughing threat of being dragged from bed if she did not get up of her own accord, and the girls hurried with their dressing.
They found the boys already at the table, making huge inroads on the food.
“You see we’re waiting for you,” remarked Jack, as he passed his plate for another helping of bacon and eggs.
“Yes,” replied Cora, “I see you are.”
“You’re a gallant lot!” reproached Belle.
“We didn’t think you’d get up till noon,” defended Walter.
“Besides,” added Paul, “we’ve heard of something that makes us want to hustle.”
“What is that?” asked Bess with lively interest, as the girls took their seats.
“Aunt Betty tells us that there is an old motor boat down on the lake,” replied Jack. “It hasn’t been used much for the last two or three years, and it’s probably a good deal out of repair. We thought we might be able to tinker it up and take you girls out for a sail on the lake.”