She was turning to the door, but Sam stopped her. As head of the Safety First Club, he had learned some valuable lessons in thoughtfulness for others.
“Just a minute, please, Mrs. Grant!” he begged. “Our folks in town—do they know we’re all right, or have they heard anything about—about our being out all night?”
Mrs. Grant shook her head vigorously. “Not a syllable have they had, good or bad, welcome or worrying! The telephone broke down about eight o’clock last night, and I tell you, boys, I never was so glad of such an accident before. If any of your mothers had called me up—mercy, but I don’t know what I could have said or done! There, there! Let me count you again. Let’s see! Five, six, seven, eight—yes, you’re all here, thank the stars!”
Lon heaved a burlesque sigh. “Oh, my, my! And I ain’t even figgered in the census no more!”
Mrs. Grant laughed very cheerfully. “Oh, you’ll figure, Lon Gates, but I sort of put you in the ought-to-have-known-better class.”
Lon bowed deeply. “Thanky for the compliment, ma’am. I don’t get so many of ’em that I recognize ’em any easier than old man Plympton uster recognize his fust wife’s third cousins when they came fishin’ for an invitation to dinner, for old times’ sake, his fourth bein’ a mighty fine cook, if I say it as shouldn’t, she bein’ kin o’ mine.”
“Well, if that’s what you call a compliment, I guess you have got out of practice entertaining ’em,” chuckled Mrs. Grant. “But now get into dry clothes, every man Jack of you!” And out she bustled, closing the door behind her.
For ten minutes the living-room resembled nothing so much as the locker room of an athletic field. Crowding before the fire, the boys ripped off their wet garments, plied the big towels vigorously, and then, warm and glowing, slipped into the emergency costumes awaiting them. The results surely were picturesque, but nobody minded trifles like a shirt three sizes too big or trousers that came only a little below knees.
“Ready?” called Mrs. Grant from the dining-room.
Sam ran an eye over his company. Poke wagged his head solemnly.