“Why, Micky!” he cried, struggling to a sitting posture. “When did you blow in?”
“This minute. I’ve just come from the hospital.” He caught the man’s thin, white fingers and squeezed them tightly. “Gee! but I’m glad to see you out, Jack!” he exclaimed. “It’s been perfect ages.”
Farren smiled wrily. “It has that,” he agreed. “I began to think they were going to keep me there forever.”
“How are you feeling?” asked McBride, sitting down on the side of the cot. “A little rocky yet?”
“Sort of,” nodded Farren. “I’ll pick up, though, in a day or so. It—it just seems a little queer getting back and finding—”
A roar of laughter came from the far corner of the room and he broke off, wincing unconsciously. The boy, following the direction of his glance, nodded comprehendingly.
“I know,” he said in a low tone. “It’s beastly! But maybe they’ll send you after them. We—we saw them off at the station. It was great, but it made me feel—sort of queer. They gave us all sorts of messages for you—Dick and Mac and Bruce, and all the others. They said—”
He paused. Farren had turned abruptly and was staring out at the driving snow. For a moment the boy hesitated. Then one hand reached out and gently touched the other’s sleeve. A moment later, his voice, elaborately casual, broke the silence.
“Can you get leave this afternoon, Jack?”
“Leave? What for? What would I do with it?”
Farren’s tone was dull and listless, but his face softened a little as he looked into Micky’s eager, smiling eyes.
“Don’t you worry about that,” the boy answered. “We’ll see you have enough to do. I’ll bet the old man would let you off now if you asked him. You’ve been sick and all that, and I don’t believe you’re fit to do any work yet. Come ahead and try. We want you for all day. Cavvy’s waiting outside with a sleigh. I don’t believe you ever had a sleigh ride before. They don’t have any snow in Seattle, do they?”
“Not often,” admitted Farren. He hesitated a moment longer and then stood up slowly. His curiosity was roused, and unconsciously his load of depression was lightening. “What the deuce have you boys got up your sleeves?” he asked doubtfully.
Micky’s eyes danced. “That’s a secret,” he grinned. “You just go and get off for all day and leave the rest to us.”