and herself ready in such a short space of time.

But Larry and Tom showed no signs of enthusiasm.

Noticing their silence, their father exclaimed:

"Don't you boys want to go? I never knew you so quiet before when
a trip was mentioned."

"But the ball game with Husted is on Saturday," said Larry, giving
voice to the thought uppermost in his mind. Then, as though he
realized that it was foolish to compare a trip to Scotland with a
game of baseball, he added: "Besides, Tom and I were planning--that
is, we were going to ask you if we couldn't go out to Tolopah and
spend the summer with Horace and Bill Wilder on their ranch."

With this announcement of a plan which the brothers had discussed
over and over, wondering how they could bring it about, the boys
anxiously watched their father's face.

"So that's how the wind blows, eh?" he commented. "Well, ma, what
do you say? Shall we take the boys with us or let them go to the
ranch?"

With her quiet mother's eye Mrs. Alden caught the appeal on her
sons' faces and after a short deliberation replied:

"I think they'd be better off with the Wilders--that is, if they'd
like to have the boys visit them."