“I guess you boys are pretty hot and tired, eh?” said Uncle Bill. “Of course, you never have any hot weather in the East.”
“It’s about like this Christmas time at home,” Bennie answered. “I was just wishing I had an overcoat.”
“You’ll wish you had a couple before I get through with you,” said Uncle Bill. “I heard to-day there are seven feet of snow yet on the rim of Crater Lake. We’ve got to camp up there. It’ll be pretty slippery, too, getting down to the water. Guess we’ll have to fry a couple of ropes.”
“Boil mine—about four minutes,” said Bennie.
His uncle laughed as he put the car up a steep grade out of the business section to the heights overlooking the city. The residences look right out over the town, and now they could see the checkerboard squares of the streets, marked out with electric lights. They stopped at the doctor’s house, and he showed them in, his housekeeper meeting them.
“Now beat it and get a bath,” he said, “and then grub! Hurry up, for I’m all ready to eat, and if you keep me waiting, I’ll have to begin on one of those ropes.”
“Say, he’s a regular scout,” said Spider, as they were cleaning up.
“Boy, I got a hunch we’re going to have some good time!” answered Bennie from the tub.
CHAPTER V
All Aboard for Crater Lake!—and Dumpling in the Other Car
When the boys came downstairs, Uncle Billy, who was a bachelor, led the way at once into the dining-room, and they began to eat.