The old man became quite solicitous concerning the safety of the splendid motorcycles. He even led the boys to where they might store them for the night. This receptacle turned out to be a sort of dry cave dug into the side of a mound. It was evidently a frost-proof receptacle for the potatoes and other vegetables raised for winter use, and had a good stout door, secured with a hasp.
“There doesn’t seem to be any sign of a lock here, boys,” announced Josh, after they had carefully deposited their machines inside and closed the door.
“Well,” replied Rod, “these people around here are so honest themselves that they never dream of anybody ever stealing a single thing. Chances are you’ll not find a lock or even a chain or a bar in all the house.”
“Sounds all very nice,” grumbled the suspicious Josh, “but I’d sleep better, I’m thinking, if I knew the machines were under lock and key.”
“We could manage to make you a shake-down here in the potato bin if so be you felt disposed that way,” suggested Hanky Panky blandly; but somehow the idea did not appear to appeal strongly to the other, for he snickered.
“If the rest can stand it I oughtn’t to worry,” he grunted, and thus dismissed the subject apparently from his mind.
Later on they sat down to a pretty fine supper, which the good woman prepared for them. The hungry boys were ready to declare that while they had sampled all sorts of cookery since landing on European soil, from English and German to Flemish, they really believed that the French excelled all others when it came to getting up tasteful dishes out of next to nothing.
“No wonder they save so much money, and could pay off that billion dollars the Germans exacted after the war of Seventy-one,” said Josh confidentially.
“They always say that a French family can live comfortably on what an American family would waste,” added Hanky Panky; “and for one I believe it.”
Rod, of course, started in to do the talking, but it was soon discovered that the woman could speak pretty fair English. Great was the surprise of Josh and Hanky Panky when she told them she had lived in the French Quarter of New York as long as three years, some time back, before she was married.