I'm a committee of one, sent over here by the Gridley folks at the hotel.

They're ordering a supper and they want you boys to come over promptly.

You're to be the guests of honor." "Will you be good enough to present the Gridley people with our best thanks," returned Dick promptly, rising to greet the referee, "and ask them very kindly to excuse us?
Assure them, please, that we're in strict training, with more races to come, and that banquets would perhaps spoil us for the next race." "I'm afraid I'll have difficulty in getting that message through," protested Mr.Tyndall.

"Your Gridley friends are bound to have you over at the hotel." "They can't get us there with anything less than the state militia," declared Dave, who had awakened.

"We can fight and whip any smaller body of armed men that tries to drag us away from our rest.
Our friends are good to us but can't they understand that we ache ?" "You _do_ look rather played out," assented Mr.Tyndall, after surveying the various wrapped bundles of high school boy humanity.