“I don’t know,” answered Don, shortly.

“You’ll have to tell something.”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you do same as I do?”

“How is that?”

“Why, I just write an excuse for myself and take it to old Alden. He never knows the difference.”

“I should think he could tell your writing.”

“Not much! I imitate the old gent’s writing, and I bet it would fool the old gent himself. Then I put his name to it, and everything is all slick.”

“I can’t do that,” said Don.

“I might do it for yer, if I had a sample of your old man’s penmanship. It would be dead easy.”