When they had made all arrangements the meeting was adjourned to the time when they expected to start from the boathouse just after noon on the following day.
“How about the weather—do we go, regardless?” asked Will, again.
“True canoeists laugh at the weather. Come rain, come storm, they buck up against whatever the day brings forth. At one, then, every fellow be on hand. I’ll have the supplies there before that. I’ve got a surprise in store for you boys, too,” remarked Frank.
“Tell me about that, will you; he’s going to let us lie awake all night trying to guess the great conundrum. Say, it hasn’t anything to do with the girls coming over some day to take dinner with us, has it?” asked Jerry.
“Oh! say, that would be immense, only too good to be true,” cried Bluff, who, be it known, was rather inclined to be sweet on Frank’s only sister, Nellie.
“They’ve promised to come, all right; but this has nothing to do with that. You just wait and see, that’s all I’ll say. Now come into the front room, fellows. Nellie has had several friends over, and we’re going to make a delightful evening of it.”
Frank would not listen to any protest, but ushered his three chums into the parlor where they found four lively girls enjoying themselves with music, and waiting for the meeting of the club to come to an end.
For the next hour they romped as only a lot of young people may, for whom the morrow has no terrors. Will’s twin sister, Violet, was, of course, there, as were Mame Crosby and Susie Prescott, the former of whom was never so happy as when teasing Jerry, and getting him to “spout” after the fashion of his learned father when pleading for a prisoner before the bar.
It was about half-past ten that they separated, after enjoying some simple refreshments in the way of cake and lemonade.
The boys saw the girls home, Will taking his sister; while Bluff, secretly informing Nellie Langdon that he only did it out of pure courtesy, saw that Susie was properly escorted through the quiet streets of Centerville, and reached her father’s house in safety.