Dr. Dryer and his trustees did not care to remain for any great length of time after the opening of what, in their eyes, were little better than scientific toys and curiosities, so that before the close of the day George Brayton and the boys were left in sole possession.
“You’re not going to leave all these things out here on the tables over night?” said Zeb Fuller, inquiringly.
“We won’t have time to put them away in proper order,” said Brayton. “We must have some new cupboards made expressly for them.”
“But they might get injured,” said Zeb.
“Is there any danger of that?” asked Brayton. “Who’d want to hurt them?”
“I don’t know, exactly,” replied Zeb, “only it seems a risk.”
“Are any of the smaller boys mischievous?” asked Brayton. “If they are, I’ll tell you how to fix it. Just let it be understood that this lot of apparatus is the special property of the older boys of Ogleport, and that you mean to take care of it. None of it’ll run away. It can’t even fly as well as Dr. Dryer’s cows.”
Zeb blushed to his ears, but Hy Allen responded:
“Tell you what, Mr. Brayton, that’s just the thing. We’ll whale the skin off any boy that meddles with our appyrattus. Boys, let’s take a good look at the windows before we go.”
“There ain’t a boy in Ogleport that’d touch one of them things,” exclaimed Bill Jones. “Zeb and Hy and me can answer for that, but——”