Part 36 (2/2)
It was now well along in December, and one morning they awoke to find the ground covered with snow.
”s...o...b..lling to-day!” said Tom with a touch of cheerfulness, and he was right. That day, after cla.s.s hours, the students s...o...b..lled each other with a will. The freshmen and the soph.o.m.ores had a regular pitched battle, which lasted the best part of an hour. All of the Rovers took part in the contest, and it served to make them more cheerful than they had been for some time.
”What's the good of moping?” said Tom. ”We are bound to hear from the girls sooner or later.” Yet, as day after day went by, and no letters came, he felt as downcast as did his brothers.
The boys were to go home for the Christmas holidays, and under ordinary circ.u.mstances they would have felt gay over the prospect. But now it was different.
”Going to send Dora a Christmas present?” asked Tom of d.i.c.k, a few days before the close of the term.
”I don't know. Are you going to send anything to Nellie?”
”Yes, if you send something to Dora.”
”Sam says he is going to send Grace a writing outfit and a book of postage stamps,” went on d.i.c.k.
”That's what they all need,” growled Tom. ”It's a shame! They might at least have acknowledged our letters.”
The boys did not know what to do. Supposing they sent presents to the girls, and got them back? They held a meeting in d.i.c.k's room and asked Songbird's advice.
”Send them the nicest things you can buy,” said the would-be poet. ”I am going to send a young lady a gift--a beautiful autograph alb.u.m, with a new poem of mine, sixteen verses in length. It's on 'The Clasp of a Friendly Hand.' I got the inspiration once when I--er--But never mind that. It's a dandy poem.”
”Who is the alb.u.m to go to?” asked Tom indifferently.
”Why--er--Minnie Sanderson,” answered Songbird innocently. ”You see, we have gotten to be very good friends lately.”
CHAPTER XXI
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The next day the Rover boys went down to Ashton to see what they could find in the stores. d.i.c.k said he wanted to get something nice for his Aunt Martha, Tom wanted something for his father, and Sam said he thought Uncle Randolph was deserving of a gift that was worth while.
Yet when they got into the largest store of which the town boasted all seemed to gravitate naturally to where the pretty things for the ladies were displayed.
”There's a dandy fan,” murmured Tom. ”Nellie likes fans very much.”
”So does Grace,” returned Sam. ”Say, what are you going to do?”
”What are you going to do, Sam?”
”I'm going to get one of those fans and send it, along with a box of bonbons and chocolates,” answered the youngest Rover boldly. ”And I'm going to send Mrs. Laning a pair of kid gloves,” he added.
”Then I'll send a fan, too,” answered Tom, ”and I'll send Mrs. Laning a workbox. I know she'd like one.”
In the meantime d.i.c.k was looking at some fancy belt buckles and hatpins. He knew Dora liked such things.
”I'll just take Songbird's advice and get the best I can and send them,” he told himself. And he picked out the best buckle he could find, and likewise a handsome hatpin, and had them put into a fancy box, along with a fancy Christmas card, on which he wrote his name.
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