“We certainly will, with pleasure, sir, and thank you for the offer.”
As Dick said this he and his chum strode toward the gate. Leslie was muttering to himself in a peculiar way he had. A minute later he broke out with:
“I don’t believe the deacon cares very much whether we get a camp or not, Dick. He was chuckling to himself most of the time, and rubbing his hands together like a miser. Perhaps he’s getting tired of playing godfather to a pack of boys.”
“Wait and see,” said Dick, mysteriously, and soon afterwards the chums separated.
CHAPTER IV
MR. NOCKER SPRINGS A SURPRISE
“Here we are again, right side up with care!” remarked Dan Fenwick on the following night, as he burst into the meeting-room of the handsome Y. M. C. A. building, accompanied by two other lads almost as noisy as himself.
“And it looks as if we might have a cracking good crowd here to-night,” added Elmer Jones, as he glanced around at the numerous occupants of the chairs. “Here’s our new member, Humbert Loft, the nephew of our high-brow town librarian who wanted us to read nothing but classics and the dead languages, instead of splendid stories for boys written by our favorite authors.”
“Yes, but who got beautifully left in the lurch when we started our own circulating library, every book of which has had the approval of Mr. Holwell, and is both clean and uplifting,” observed Peg Fosdick, who made the third of the trio of newcomers.
“I understand,” Dan went on to say, exultantly, “there are more than a hundred and thirty volumes on hand now, and Leslie’s Uncle Henry has promised us another batch just as soon as he can run down to the city and look them all over, to be sure they are of the right sort.”
“There are three of the mill boys here to-night—Eddie Grant, Ban Jansen and Cub Mannis,” whispered Elmer. “I know Dick will be glad of that, and Mr. Holwell too, because they get around so seldom. Eddie said one night that they were usually too tired out after their work.”