time ago. I was just born then.â
âThis will be fine,â Frank said. âShould we pay you now or before we leave?â
âOh, donât worry about it,â Mrs. Hibley said. âYou boys can settle up with me tomorrow. Just come in and have supper with me in half an hour. Then you can have a nice sleep.â She left the room with a smile, closing the door behind her.
Before the boys followed her out to the dining room, they washed up. âLooks like weâre stuck in Morganâs Quarry for the night,â Joe said, lathering his hands.
âAnd maybe longer than that,â Frank added. âSheriff Brickfield didnât look happy to let anybody go on that trail.â
âIf itâs just a storm,â Phil said, âit should clear up by tomorrow.â
âMaybe,â Frank said.
âSomething got you suspicious?â Joe asked.
âIâm not sure,â Frank said. âThereâs just something about this whole town.â
âYeah, Iâm sensing somethingâs wrong big time,â Joe said. âBut maybe weâre just hungry. Letâs go eat.â
âIâm in favor of that,â Chet said, and led the way to the dining room. It had been a long day.
â¢Â  â¢Â  â¢
The first to wake up the next morning was Chet. The aroma of pancakes and sausages filled the air.
âSmells like an old-fashioned country breakfast!â Chet declared.
Joe peered out wearily from underneath his pillow. âI feel like Iâve just walked a hundred and fifty miles.â
âYou have,â Frank said. âWe all have.â
Chet leaped out of bed. âI donât know about you guys, but Iâm ready to eat.â
âHas there ever been a time when you werenât ready to eat?â Joe asked.
âI hope that shower has lots of hot water,â Frank said. âEven after a shower last night, Iâve stilll got enough dirt on me to grow tomatoes.â
âTomatoes sound good,â Chet declared.
After showering Chet followed his nose out into the hallway and into the dining room, just one door down from where they had been sleeping. Mrs. Hibley was busy setting plates on a large table.
âOh, you boys are just in time,â she said cheerfully. âIâve made a big breakfast for you. Are you hungry?â
âYouâve got that right,â Chet said, planting himself at the table and looking up expectantly.
âWatch out for Chet,â Frank said, walking in with a groggy look on his face. âHeâll eat you out of house and home.â
âI donât think thatâs likely,â Mrs. Hibley said. âIâve got plenty of food.â
âYou havenât met Chet,â Joe said, entering with Phil.
Mrs. Hibley began serving breakfast, bringing in platters filled with scrambled eggs, home fries, pancakes, and sausages. Chet piled large amounts of each item on his plate.
âThank you very much, maâam,â Chet told Mrs. Hibley. âI think Iâd like to live here.â
âItâs a pleasure to feed someone with such a healthy appetite,â Mrs. Hibley responded.
The other teens joined Chet in digging in. Mrs. Hibleyâs breakfast was delicious. Joe and Frank missed their aunt Gertrudeâs cooking, but Mrs. Hibleyâs was almost as good.
Chet held out his plate. âCan I have seconds on those pancakes?â
Mrs. Hibley beamed. âWhy, of course you can.â
âWe just love your cooking, Mrs. Hibley,â Joe said. âIâd like some more of these sausages, if you donât mind.â
âYouâre starting to sound like Chet,â Frank said to his brother. âActually, Iâd like some more scrambled eggs myself.â
âAnd home fries?â Phil asked.
âComing right up,â Mrs. Hibley said. âOh, I just love cooking for a roomful of young men.â
Joe leaned