"Well, I don't consider that it is our fault," returned Jack. "It is no more our fault than it was dad's fault to make an enemy of Dan Baxter and his father, Arnold Baxter."

"Well, if only your enemies reform, as Dan Baxter reformed, that will be something worth while," said his mother.

All of the mothers had made great preparations for the return of the young people. Their rooms had been placed in order, and there were a number of pretty and useful gifts for all of them. Then came a grand reunion in the Tom Rover home, where an elaborate dinner was served that evening.

"Gee! if only our dads were here to enjoy this with us," murmured Andy, as he gazed upon the many good things spread before him.

"I'll bet they won't find any fault with home cooking after they get back from the trenches in France," commented Randy, with a grin. "I'll bet they've had to put up with all kinds of cooking."

"Yes, and sometimes they had to put up with cooking that wasn't," added Andy.

"Cooking that wasn't?" repeated Mary, puzzled. "Oh! I know what you mean--when they couldn't get anything."

A number of their friends came in during the evening to see them, and the young folks had an enjoyable time dancing and in singing in a group around the piano, which the girls took turns in playing.

"We'll have to have another and a larger gathering when our fathers get home," declared Mary.

"Oh, won't we have the bully good time then!" cried her brother.

"Maybe they won't have some stories to tell!" piped in Andy.

"I want to hear all about how Uncle d.i.c.k won that medal," came from Randy.

It was not until after eleven o'clock that the little gathering broke up, and then Mrs. d.i.c.k Rover called her children to her.

"Now you must tell me about your eyes, Jack, and you, Martha, must tell me about Ruth Stevenson's," she said.

Thereupon the young captain and his sister related the particulars of what had occurred during the outing on Bluebell Island and what had been done by Doctor Borden to relieve the sufferers.

"It was a vile thing to do!" exclaimed Mrs. Rover, her eyes showing her displeasure. "Why, that Gabe Werner is nothing but a criminal! You can be thankful, Jack, that you escaped as you did. But are you sure poor Ruth's eyes are not permanently injured?"

"Her eyes looked a great deal better when we came away than they had,"

answered Martha. "Just the same, I'm greatly worried, and I know Jack is too."

"Ruth is to write to us and let us know how she is getting along," went on the oldest Rover boy.

"Ruth is such a splendid girl, and so fine looking, it would be a shame if her eyes were hurt," continued Mrs. Rover. And this remark about Ruth caused Jack to think more of his mother than ever.

Two days pa.s.sed quickly, the boys and girls spending their time in getting settled and renewing old acquaintances. The girls went shopping with their mothers, while the lads visited the offices of The Rover Company in Wall Street to see with their own eyes how matters were going.

"Everything seems to be moving along swimmingly," remarked Jack, when he and his cousins came away.

"I'll bet it will seem strange to our dads to settle down to the grind once more after seeing so much fighting," remarked Fred.

"It will be hard for all of the soldiers and sailors to settle down, I'm thinking," added Randy. "A fellow can't knock around here, there, and everywhere for months and then come down to a regular routine all in a minute."

That night the young folks retired rather early. Andy and Randy were indulging in some horseplay in their bedroom when they heard the door-bell ring.

"I'll bet it's a telegram from dad!" burst out Andy.

"Maybe it's dad himself!" answered his twin. "Come on down and see."

As they hurried down the stairs they heard their mother's room door open and heard one of the servants going to the front door. The next instant there was a cry from below.

"Mr. Rover! Is it really you!"

"It's dad! It's dad!" yelled the twins simultaneously, and fairly leaped to the bottom of the stairs and ran to greet their father.

"h.e.l.lo, boys! So you got home ahead of me, did you?" came from Tom Rover, as he hugged and kissed each in turn. "My, how big you are getting!"

"Tom! Tom!" cried his wife Nellie. And then she rushed down the stairs as he rushed up to meet her. He caught her up in his strong arms as he had been wont to do so many times in the past and fairly swung her above him. Then he kissed her on each cheek and on the mouth and set her down with his hands on her shoulders.

"This is what I've been waiting for, Nellie," he declared. "Just waiting to see you again!"

"And I've been waiting too, Tom--waiting every day," she murmured, with tears in her beautiful eyes.

In the meantime similar scenes were taking place in the adjoining houses. d.i.c.k Rover, having a key, had let himself in un.o.bserved, and gave his wife quite a shock when he met her at the door to her room. But she was overjoyed to see him, as were also Jack and Martha, and all cl.u.s.tered around to listen to what he might have to say.

"Why, Dad, you are as brown as a berry!" declared the young captain.

"And look how tall and strong he seems to be!" put in Martha.

It was Mrs. Sam Rover herself who answered her husband's ring, and her shout of joy quickly brought Fred downstairs. Mary had already retired, but, leaping up, she threw a kimona around her and came flying down in bare feet.

And then what a reunion there was among the members of all three families! The doors which connected the three residences were thrown wide open, and all gathered in the middle house. All seemed to be talking at once, and boys, fathers and uncles shook hands over and over again, while the girls and their mothers came in for innumerable hugs and kisses.

"We are not yet mustered out," said d.i.c.k Rover. "But we expect to be before a great while."

"You ought to be very proud of having done your bit for Uncle Sam," said Mary to her father and her uncles.

"Well, I think our boys did their bit, too, if I am any judge," was Sam Rover's fond comment. "First they helped to catch those chaps who blew up the Hasley ammunition factory, then they aided in rounding up the crowd who had the hidden German submarine, and lastly they prevented those Huns from establishing that wireless station in the woods. I certainly think they did remarkably well."

"But they've made some terrible enemies," broke in Mrs. d.i.c.k Rover.

"Just look at Jack's eyes. One fellow tried to throw pepper into them."

"Oh, let's not talk about that now, Ma!" cried the young captain. "I want to hear all about what dad and Uncle Tom and Uncle Sam have been doing in France."

"If we started to give you all the details we wouldn't get to bed to-night," said his Uncle Tom, with a grin. They had already been talking for quite a while, and the clock hands pointed to nearly one in the morning.

"Oh, well, this is a red-letter night, Dad," broke out Randy.

"Such a coming together may not happen again in a lifetime," added his twin.

Then the older Rovers told of many of their adventures, both while in camp in France and during the time they had been on the firing line.

"We were in some pretty hot fights," admitted Tom Rover. "One in particular--when we forced the Huns out of a stretch of woods they were holding--none of us is liable to forget. That's the fight in which Sam and I were wounded."

"Yes, and the day after they were wounded I was caught in a gas attack,"

said d.i.c.k Rover. "My! but that was something pretty nasty! I felt as if somebody had me by the throat and at the same time was trying to twist my stomach inside out. I never felt such a sensation in my life," and he shook his head and sighed deeply over the recollection of what he had pa.s.sed through.