CHAPTER VIII

CHRISTMAS AT HOME

"Well, here we are at last. I wonder if anybody will be at the station to meet us," said Martha Rover.

"Oh, I'm sure somebody will come down," answered Mary.

The six Rovers had had a long and uneventful train ride from Haven Point to the Grand Central Terminal, Forty-second Street, New York City. They had had to change cars at the Junction, where some months before they had had such fun with Mr. Asa Lemm, the discharged teacher of the Hall, as related in detail in the volume previous to this. The train had been crowded with pa.s.sengers, but the Rovers had managed to get seats together, much to their satisfaction; and they had also managed to get pretty fair accommodations when it came time to go into the diner.

They had telegraphed ahead concerning their coming, and found two chauffeurs employed by d.i.c.k Rover and Tom Rover on hand to receive them and take charge of their baggage. Then they went out to the street, where they found two automobiles awaiting them, one containing Jack's mother and the other the mothers of Fred and the twins.

"h.e.l.lo, Ma!" cried the young captain, as he rushed forward to embrace his parent. "How are you? You are looking pretty good."

"Oh, I am feeling quite fair," answered Mrs. d.i.c.k Rover with a smile.

"Home again, and glad of it!" exclaimed Fred, as he embraced his mother.

"My, my, but I'm glad that that term at the school is at an end!" cried Andy, as he gave Mrs. Tom Rover the hug he knew she would be expecting, a hug which was speedily duplicated by his twin. "Hope you've got a good big dinner waiting for us. Traveling has made me hungry."

"Not but what we had a pretty good meal on the train," added his twin.

"You'll get all you want to-night," answered Mrs. Tom Rover affectionately.

In the meantime Mary and Martha had come up and joined their parents.

There was a good deal of kissing and questioning, and while this was going on the chauffeurs a.s.sisted the young people to their seats and stowed away their handbaggage. There were no trunks to come, for all the young folks had left a large part of the belongings at the schools.

There was only one thing which saddened the home-coming of the young people, and that was the absence of their fathers. Although Jack had said that his mother was looking well, still he had not failed to notice that her face showed a certain paleness and some lines of care.

"Don't worry, Mother. I'm sure dad will come back all right," he said later on, in an endeavor to comfort her.

"I am hoping so, Jack. But, oh! how I wish this awful war would come to an end," and Mrs. d.i.c.k Rover sighed deeply.

All too quickly the next few days pa.s.sed. Young folks and old folks were busy doing their shopping for Christmas, and in addition to this, the boys went out to purchase a number of things they thought they might need while at the camp.

"I'm afraid we're in for it," said Randy dismally, on the afternoon before Christmas. "This looks like a regular blizzard."

It certainly did look like a blizzard, with the snow coming down thickly and the wind blowing it first in one direction then in another. By nightfall the streets were almost impa.s.sable, and in the morning traffic along Riverside Drive was practically suspended.

"Merry Christmas!" shouted Randy, who was the first to get up.

"Merry Christmas!" replied Andy. "And how do you like to live at the North Pole?" he added, as he glanced out of the window at the storm-bound street and the river and the Palisades beyond.

There was a grand reunion of the three families in the d.i.c.k Rover residence, and presents were exchanged all around. The boys had purchased a number of small but appropriate gifts for their mothers and the two girls, and also for the various servants of the families. In return they received a number of gifts, both useful and ornamental, including gold-mounted stylographic pens, which each one had desired, and also some new hockey skates and story books.

Martha had knit a bright sweater for her brother, and Mary had done the same for Fred, and the girls between them had likewise knit sweaters for the twins.

"We sure are the lucky kids," remarked Andy, when all of them were looking over their gifts. "This sweater suits me to a T. And, my! just wait until I get on those hockey skates. There won't be a thing in New York or on Clearwater Lake that will beat me."

"I see you doing some tall skating to-day," replied his twin, with a grin. "What you will need is a snow shovel if you want to get anywhere."

The storm kept up until noon of Christmas, and then cleared away almost as rapidly as it had come, the night being clear and cold, with a beautiful moon and twinkling stars shining from above.

"I hope it stays clear so that May and Ruth will have a chance to come down," remarked Fred during the course of the afternoon.

"I guess we all hope that," answered Jack.

With so much to think of in connection with their proposed trip to Cedar Lodge, the Rover boys put in a busy time all of that day and part of the next. Then they went down to the Grand Central Terminal with the girls to meet the expected visitors.

"There they are!" cried Martha, after the long train had rolled into the station. And a moment later she and Ruth were in each other's arms, while Mary was embracing May. Then the boys shook hands, and all drove away to the Rover residences.

"Did you get that picture for me, Ruth?" questioned Jack, as soon as he could get a chance to speak to the girl in private.

"Oh, you don't want any picture," she declared mischievously.

"Aw, come now," he pleaded, "don't try to put me off that way. You know what you promised."

"Well, can't you wait until we get to the house?"

"Oh, sure! But I wanted to make certain that you had brought the picture along."

"You'll be scared when you see it," declared Ruth. "I look a perfect fright. The man snapped the picture before I was half ready."

But later on, when Jack received the gift, he declared that the picture was a very good one indeed, although it did not look half as pretty as Ruth did herself. The two had quite a little fun over the picture, and then Jack placed it in his pocket.

"Now you've got it, what are you going to do with it?" questioned Ruth curiously.

"I'm going to carry it right here," he declared, for he had it in an inside pocket over his heart.

"Oh, you big goose!" cried Ruth, but then she blushed and looked pleased nevertheless.

It was announced that part of the lake in Central Park had been sc.r.a.ped clear of the snow, and the following day the young folks went skating and had a most glorious time. Then in the evening all attended a theatrical performance at one of the leading theaters.

"Oh, my! but I am having a splendid time," said Ruth to Martha.

"It's too bad the boys are going away," was the answer. "But I don't blame them for wanting to go on a hunt. If I were a boy I'd like to go on a hunt myself."

On the following morning came a letter from d.i.c.k Rover, stating that matters were still somewhat quiet in the sector in France where they were located, but that word was being pa.s.sed around that they were to make an advance in the near future.

"Hurrah! I guess they'll show those Huns what Americans can do," cried Jack.

"Oh, I dread to think of their going into battle!" said his mother.

"Ma, while we are away don't forget to send us any news that may come in," said Jack quickly. "You can telegraph to Timminsport, and we will leave word there at the telegraph office so that any important message will be delivered to us."