"Prime!"

"Good-night, old chap!"

"Same here!"

Then silence, unbroken. By and by Mother Eddy stole upstairs to her
boys.

"Good boys, every one of them. God bless them!" she murmured. "Home
isn't home without them. But young things must have their holidaying.
And I guess from what they tell, they've made good use of theirs. And
it isn't everyone does that; some of them just waste it. But this one's
held something in it. I don't know just what. But every one of them
seems--well, sort o' more manly-like. I'm glad their pa let them go.
But home ain't home without boys in it. That's sure."

And she turned and went softly down the stairs.