“We-uh-realize we goofed yesterday on that beach party,” Tom said sheepishly. “But
DATE TROUBLE 77
we’re hoping you’ll give us another chance.”
The girls looked at each other, their eyes twinkling, then burst into giggles.
“You’re forgiven completely!” Phyl declared.
“Then it’s a date?” Bud put in.
“You bet it’s a date, and don’t you forget it!” Sandy warned. “Phyl and I are going right over to Dorman’s Department Store and pick out some cute outfits for the dance!”
Tom and Bud chuckled over the success of their scheme as they drove back to Enterprises. Later that afternoon a telephone call interrupted Tom as he worked in his lab on a sonic-communications system for the hydrolung apparatus.
“This is Lester Morris,” said the voice at the other end of the line. The name did not register with Tom at first until his caller added, “I hear you’re planning a square dance Tuesday night at the yacht club.”
Suddenly Tom remembered. Lester Morris was a popular dance orchestra leader in and around Shopton. He was also much in demand as a square-dance caller and fiddler.
“That’s right,” Tom said with a chuckle. “News must travel fast. We just phoned invitations to our friends.”
Morris asked if musicians had been hired for the evening. When Tom said No, his caller volunteered for the job, offering to provide a small combo of country-style players. His asking price
78 THE ELECTRONIC HYDROLUNG
sounded like a bargain rate, and Tom, knowing Morris’s reputation, was only too glad to engage him.
“Lucky break, his calling,” the young inventor thought as he hung up.