Part 11 (1/2)
”Oh, say!” burst out the former story-teller of Oak Hall. ”That puts me in mind of another. Two Irishmen went to a funeral and----”
”Shut him off!”
”Put a popcorn ball in his mouth!”
”Make him apologize on the spot!”
At once the four others surrounded the would-be story-teller and pushed him from the gravel path to the green lawn. Then followed something of a wrestling match, all the lads taking part.
”Let up, will you!” panted Shadow, breaking away at last. ”I won't tell any stories if you don't want to listen to 'em. But just the same, that story about the Irishmen was a good one. And that about the fellow who went to see the girl at five o'clock is a corker. You see his watch had stopped and he----”
”Jump him!”
”He can't stop, no matter how hard he tries!”
”Let's stand him on his head and make him tell it backwards!”
Again there was a rush, but this time poor Shadow took to his heels and rushed up on the piazza, just as the door opened and Mrs. Morr came out to greet the boys.
”Roger!” exclaimed the lady of the mansion, turning to her son, ”what in the world----”
”Only a little horse-play, Mom,” replied the son, with a smile. ”We are so glad to see the fellows that we have to let off a little steam.”
”It looked like a fight to me.”
”Oh, nothing like that, Mrs. Morr,” said Dave, quickly. ”Only fun; isn't that so, fellows?”
”Of course!” was the quick reply.
”Have you met Luke and Shadow, Mom?” asked Roger.
”Yes, about an hour ago. I told them that you had telephoned that you were on the way home, so they said they'd remain out here, watching for you. I showed them what room they were to occupy,” added the lady of the mansion.
”Fine!” cried Roger. ”I'll put the car away for the present, and then we'll fix up for dinner and listen to those stories Shadow had to tell.”
”Somebody said Buster Beggs was coming,” said Luke.
”Yes, he'll be here the night before the Fourth.”
Quarter of an hour later found the whole crowd of boys upstairs in the house. In antic.i.p.ation of the Fourth of July party, as she called it, Mrs. Morr had turned over one wing of the second floor of the big house to the youths. There they could ”cut up” to their hearts' content.
”Say, this is something like old times at Oak Hall!” cried Phil, as the youths gathered in one of the bedrooms and proceeded to distribute themselves in various att.i.tudes on the chairs and the bed. ”Somehow, I think we are going to miss that school!”
”Miss it! Well I guess yes!” answered Dave. ”And that puts me in mind of something. I was thinking----”
”Whoop! Is he going to tell stories, too?”
”Say, Dave, that act belongs to Shadow.”
”No, I wasn't going to tell a story,” answered Dave. ”I've got an idea for a club.”
”A club? What do you mean?” asked Roger. ”Do you mean for us to get up a club?”