“Well, what have you got to say for yourself, Dad?” inquired Alec. “What’s the good word?”
His father looked at him and laughed.
“I suppose you mean you’re waiting to know what I intend to do with three lively lads who are making themselves too numerous to mention? Am I right?”
“Yes, since you put it that way. If you want to get rid of us, how are you going to do it?”
“Oh, there are plenty of ways. For instance, I might hustle you back to school before this quite unnecessary vacation is over,” said Mr. Sands, who was fond of teazing and joking.
“Not much! Not if we know it!” protested Alec, glancing at Billy and Chester, whose faces were twisted into broad grins. “Besides, Hugh is coming to-day, and it wouldn’t be decent of you, Dad, to punish us all like that. What have we done, anyway? We’ve been good and——”
Here Chester gave way to laughter.
“You see!” cried Alec’s father. “That was too much for Chester! He knows some secret which I’ll have to worm out of him before I’ll commit myself to any program.”
“No, sir, not guilty!” declared Chester.
“On the level?”