Part 8 (1/2)

”Say, you come and do the coaxing yourself to-night, when dad is home,”

begged Dan.

”I will, if you think it will do any good, Danny,” Prescott agreed.

”At any rate, your little speech can't put the matter any further back than it stands right now,” Dalzell declared. ”And, oh, dear! I do want so badly to go with you fellows! I never wanted anything as much before.”

”Say, we'll all go together, early this evening,” proposed d.i.c.k, his eyes now snapping. ”We'll call in a body at the house of each fellow who hasn't yet secured leave to go on the winter camping party. We will all present the case. Perhaps we can put it through for the whole six. If we can't all go there won't be nearly as much fun.”

Very soon, indeed, after supper, d.i.c.k & Co. were all a.s.sembled once more.

”You won't need to go to my house,” Tom explained triumphantly. ”My father says I can go and he has brought mother around to agree to it.”

”Whose house shall we go to first, then?” asked d.i.c.k.

”Come to mine,” begged Dan woefully.

So to the Dalzell home they went. The boys pleaded their case both with Mr. and Mrs. Dalzell. Neither parent, however, would do more than say that ”they would see.”

At Greg Holmes's house victory was quickly won, and Greg was happy. Next d.i.c.k & Co. went in force to Harry Hazelton's home, where the coaxing was renewed.

”I want to sleep over this scheme, Harry,” said Mr. Hazelton finally, ”and I think your mother does, too. We don't want to see you miss any good times that you really ought to have, so I think, if the rest are going, we shall probably decide to let you go, too. But I won't say 'yes' to-night. I'll wait and see how the idea strikes me to-morrow.”

”Oh, I guess you're fixed, all right, Harry,” grunted Dan when the Grammar School boys had filed out of the Hazelton house. ”But--oh, poor me!”

”And now, see here, fellows, we want to get around into the stores before we lose any more time,” suggested d.i.c.k. ”We don't want to forget that each fellow is to spend half his money in buying the best present he can get for his mother.”

”Do you think it will pay--in my case?” asked Dan dolefully.

”Shame on you, Danny boy!” growled Dave Darrin, giving Dalzell a st.u.r.dy shaking.

”Was there ever a time that it didn't pay a fellow to remember his mother whenever he had a chance?” demanded d.i.c.k. ”If my mother had said 'no' and had stuck to it, I'd be mighty glad over being able to get her a solid Christmas present just the same.”

Within another hour the presents had been bought, the crowd sticking together and giving collective advice for the benefit of each individual.

Then d.i.c.k went home. Instead of pa.s.sing through the store, where both his parents were, he took out his key and made for the door that admitted to the living rooms above. Over the k.n.o.b was tacked a piece of paper. d.i.c.k took it off and carried it upstairs with him, where, in the light of the parlor, he read this message, in scrawling print:

”Wait and see if you ain't sorry!”

”This must be from the fit-thrower!” thought young Prescott, with an inward jump.

He was soon to know.

CHAPTER IV

”REMEMBERED”--BY MR. FITS?

Through the night d.i.c.k slept as only an active, tired out boy can sleep.