and Bob proceeded to outline the plan that they had worked out the previous evening. As he proceeded, a light came into the sick boy"s eyes that had not been there since the accident, and a touch of color crept into his cheeks.
"Say!" he broke out, when Bob had finished, "you fellows are about the best friends that anybody ever had."
"Oh, nonsense!" exclaimed Bob. "Why, you know well enough that you"d do anything in the world for one of us if our positions were reversed."
"Well, it will be simply wonderful for me," said Larry. "Of course, though, I may be counting the chickens before they are hatched. The manager of the station may not like my act, you know."
"It"s more a question of whether the public will like it or not," said Joe. "Mr. Brandon seems to be sure that the manager will give you a try-out, and I guess they"ll soon find out whether your act is popular or not. Judging from the applause you got in the theater that night, I should certainly say it was."
"I only wish I were strong enough to go right away," said Larry. "But I guess I won"t be able to go this week, anyway."
"We didn"t suppose you would," said Bob. "But Mr. Brandon is going to make his headquarters in Clintonia for several weeks, so you don"t have to worry about that. As soon as the doctor says you can make the trip, we"ll see if we can"t borrow or beg an automobile somewhere, and make the trip to the sending station in style."
"Now that I"ve got something to look forward to, I"ll get well in a hurry," Larry a.s.sured him.
"Let"s see if you can still make the little birdies jealous by singing their songs better than they can," suggested Jimmy.
"You certainly flatter me, but I"ll do the best I can," laughed Larry.
"What shall it be first?"
"How about the mocking bird?" suggested Herb. "I think that"s one of the prettiest ones, Larry. I never heard a southern mocking bird, but if it sounds like that, I"m going to take a trip to Dixieland some day just to hear one."
"I never heard one, either," confessed Larry, with a grin.
"You didn"t!" they all exclaimed. "Where did you learn it, then?"
"A professional bird imitator taught me most of the notes," said Larry.
"Of course, I didn"t need any lessons to imitate the cute little canary bird, and the robin"s notes and a few others I learned by listening to the birds themselves. I suppose it would be best to learn them all that way, if you could, but I never had the time or the money to go traveling all over the country."
"Well, we"re still waiting for the mocking bird," Herb reminded him. "I"ll sing "Listen to the Mocking Bird," and you come in at the proper places with the bird effects."
"n.o.body asked you to sing, did they?" asked Jimmy.
"No, they didn"t; but I"m going to sing, anyway," answered Herb, and he started the first bars of the well known song.
"We might as well all sing, then," said Bob. "We can"t make it any worse than Herb"s singing, anyway," so they all joined in the song. At the end of each line they paused, and Larry gave the proper bird notes and trills. The result was not half bad, and before they had finished other convalescent patients had come into the room and were listening appreciatively. The boys all had their backs to the door, and did not know they had an audience until they came to the end of the song and there was a round of applause for their effort.
They all whirled around in some surprise.
"I didn"t know we were making anybody suffer but ourselves," laughed Bob.
"It must be pretty hard on you folks."
"It sounded fine," said one. "We enjoyed it. Why don"t you try something else?"
"Couldn"t think of it," said Bob. "Besides, I guess that"s about the only song we all know except the "Star Spangled Banner," and there aren"t any bird songs in that. You give them some more imitations, though, Larry. You will be all the better for the practice, anyway."
"Anything to oblige," grinned Larry, and went through his whole repertoire, while the little audience applauded freely.
"There! that"s all I know," said Larry at last, when he had imitated every kind of bird he could think of. "I"ll have to get busy and learn some more, I guess."
"We didn"t know we had such a talented young man in the place," said one elderly gentleman. "You"ll have to entertain us every day while you"re here, young man."
"Well, if you folks can stand it, I can," laughed Larry. "I"ll always be glad to oblige, I"m sure."
His appreciative listeners thanked him, and gradually drifted out of the room.
"You made a hit, Larry," said Bob. "It"s just as I tell you. Your art is a novelty, and people are tickled to death with it. You won"t have to worry about making good when you get your try-out at the broadcasting station."
"I hope you"re right," said Larry. "I can"t wait until I"m strong enough, to take the trip. Anyway, I"ll have something to look forward to now."
The time had pa.s.sed so quickly that the boys could hardly believe it when Bob looked at his watch and told them it was nearly six o"clock.
"Good-night!" exclaimed Joe. "We"ll all be late for supper now. Guess we"ll have to say good-bye and beat it, Larry."
"I suppose so," said Larry, regretfully. "I want to thank you all again for what you"ve done for me, and believe me, I appreciate it."
They all shook hands with him, and then started for home at a brisk pace.
"Seems to me we"re always in a hurry," complained Jimmy. "You pretty near run my legs off getting here, and now I"ve got to repeat the performance going home, or else get a cold supper when I get there. I wonder why I"m always out of luck that way."
"You"d better save your breath, instead of wasting it in kicking," Joe admonished him. "You"ll need it all before you get home, I"ll tell you.
Let"s. .h.i.t it up a little faster, fellows. Jimmy wants to get home before his supper gets cold, so we"ll have to see that he gets there."
"Come on, Doughnuts, step on the throttle," cried Herb. "Show us what you really can do."
"Nothing doing," panted Jimmy. "My throttle"s wide open now. You fellows go ahead if you"re in such a hurry."
"I guess there"s no such rush as that," said Bob, slowing down to a pace more suited to Jimmy"s limited speed. "Take it easy, old man. We"re not going to a fire, after all."
CHAPTER XIV
AN IMPROMPTU FEAST
"Anybody would think we were, to look at us," puffed Jimmy. "Whew, I"m all in!" and he slowed down to a walk.
"Well, we"re almost home, anyway," said Bob. "Take your time, Jimmy. We"d hate to have you die of apoplexy."
"You wouldn"t hate it nearly as much as I would," said Jimmy, beginning to get his breath again. "Just think of what the world would lose if anything were to happen to me."
"It"s too terrible to think about," said Bob, with mock gravity. "I suppose the old world would stop spinning if you should kick the bucket, Jimmy."
"Maybe not as bad as that," interposed Herb. "But a lot of doughnut manufacturers would have to go out of business, I know that."
"Aw, you know too much!" exclaimed Jimmy, scornfully. "At least, you think you do, which is worse. I don"t see what you have to go to high school for, anyway. You know all there is to know, already."