“Oh, it wouldn’t cost you anything much,” said Burley. “It’s all on me. You’d better say you’ll come.”
Hal’s eyes opened wider than before.
“You mean you’d pay our fares—all our fares—out to Colorado and back?” he asked.
“Sure. We’d only have about a week out there, but we could do a lot of damage in a week.”
Hal was silent from amazement. Allan stammered his thanks. Tommy merely sat and stared at Burley, as though fascinated. The latter translated silence into assent.
“Well, we’ll call it fixed, eh?” he asked, heartily.
“Thunder, no!” exploded Hal. “We couldn’t do that, Burley. We’re awfully much obliged, but, of course, if we went out there to visit you, we’d pay our own way. And I don’t believe any of us could do that—this Christmas, at least.”
“Oh, be good!” said Burley. “Now, look here; I’d let you do that much for me.”
“But we couldn’t,” said Allan.
“Well, you would if you could, of course; wouldn’t you, now?”