"But Uncle Dick! he wanted to go to the front just as well as you did, didn't he?" questioned Randy eagerly.
"Of course he wanted to go," was the ready response. "But we couldn't all go, you know. Somebody had to stay behind to look after our business interests in Wall Street."
"But--but couldn't you hire somebody else to run the business for you?" questioned Andy. Now that he and his brother were face to face with the fact that their Uncle Dick and their Uncle Sam were going into the army, it did not look right at all to them to have their father left behind.
"We thought something of that, but we really couldn't see how it could be done. You see, we have a great many important deals under way, and if those transactions are not looked after carefully, we might stand to lose a great deal of money."
"I don't care--if dad wanted to go to the front, he should have had the chance to go!" burst out Randy.
"I declare, Randy, you'll be as hard to manage in this affair as your father was," said Dick Rover, with a faint smile.
"Was he really hard to manage?" queried Andy eagerly.
"He sure was! We had to talk to him for several days before he would agree to remain behind. He told us once that the whole business could go to pot."
"Hurrah for dad! That's the way I knew he'd act!" burst out the boy.
"If I was him I'd let the business go to pot!" declared Randy. "What good will your old business be if those Germans win this war and start in to rule everything? For all you know, they'll come right over to New York and take your whole business away from you."
"Well, that might possibly happen," put in Sam Rover seriously. "Although I don't think it is very probable."
Knowing that the young folks were usually very hungry when they got home and that they always enjoyed home cooking, their mothers had prepared quite a spread for them. Mrs. Tom Rover had gone downtown to meet her husband, and now she came back in a flutter of excitement.
"Hello, Ma! Where is Dad?" questioned Randy, as he ran up and gave her a hug and a kiss, followed by his twin.
"He's downtown, up to his ears in that Liberty Loan business," answered Mrs. Tom Rover. "Oh, dear! I never saw such a busy man! Half a dozen men are coming in and going out all the time, wanting to know what to do next and asking him if he won't make another speech here, there, or somewhere else. They want him to talk at two Liberty Loan meetings to-night and one Liberty Loan meeting and a Red Cross meeting to-morrow afternoon."