"He took L.home for the holidays," he quietly observed.

"Old Piff and the boys." "I--I didn't think of that," said Tom, rather crestfallen.
"You didn't ride fast enough and make enough noise," Mr.Conne said.

His eyes were still fixed on the fluttering tricolor and he whistled very low.

Then he rubbed his lip with his tongue and aimed his cigar in another direction.
"They were studying medicine there, I guess," he mused.
"That's just what my idea's about," said Tom.

"It ain't an idea exactly, either," he added, "but it's kind of come to me sudden-like.