CHAPTER I
LOOKING AHEAD
“I did have ten cents, but I spent it,” explained Ward Larue carefully.
Fred Williamson shook the bank he held in his hand till the contents rattled.
“What did you spend it for?” he demanded.
“A magnifying glass,” admitted Ward. “I needed one.”
“I never saw such a boy for spending money,” complained Fred. “You will end up in the poorhouse, see if you don’t!”
“I guess if I paid ten cents in for Riddle Club dues, it wouldn’t save me from going to the poorhouse,” objected Ward.
“No, I don’t think it would, either,” said Jess Larue, Ward’s sister.
Fred gazed at the circle in despair.
“You don’t any of you have the right idea about these club dues,” he informed them. “You seem to think I want the money to go off and spend on myself. There’s no use in having a treasurer, unless you’re willing to put something in the treasury.”