Gayly the four boys started off in the two cars, eager to pick up
the poor shut-ins of their acquaintance and give them the time of
their lives.
Their first stop was at the lonely little cottage of Joel Banks, Civil
War veteran. His housekeeper let them in, a quaint little woman with
pink cheeks and white hair and a spotless white apron tied around her
comfortable waist.
When the boys made known their errand to her she departed in a flutter
of pleased surprise to prepare "the colonel" for his treat. In a few
moments more the old gentleman appeared, leaning heavily upon the
housekeeper, a stout cane grasped stiffly in his knotted fingers.
He gazed at the boys for a moment with dim eyes, then suddenly a gleam
shot into them and he smiled.
"Reckoning on giving me a treat, are you, boys?" he asked. Something
must have caught in his throat, for he cleared it hastily. "Well,
that's mighty fine of you. Been a long time since anybody took that
much interest in old Joel Banks."
Joe introduced his friends in hurried, boy fashion, and a moment later
they were helping the old gentleman out of the house and into the
automobile, at the same time pouring into his interested ears such
tales of the marvels of radio telephony that it was a wonder they did
not talk the veteran deaf.
In the confusion Bob managed to whisper instructions to Joe.
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