“Have you made up your list yet?” asked Ben, when nearing the school.
“Not quite. I’ll have Dave and Roger and Shadow and Buster, of course. I’ll have to leave 120 out some fellows, but that can’t be helped. I can’t afford a spread for the whole school.”
“Of course you can’t.”
“I think I’ll have Luke and Sam, and maybe Gus and Chip.”
As the boys drew closer to the school Ben had to stop to fix his shoe. Both sat down on some rocks, at a turn in the road. They were about to go on again when somebody made the turn of the road, coming from the town. It was Nat Poole.
“Hello! you been to town?” cried Ben, good-naturedly.
“Yes,” answered the money-lender’s son. “Haven’t I a right to go if I want to?” he added, and then hurried on ahead of them.
“Rather peppery,” mused Ben. “Say, Phil, there is one fellow you won’t invite, and I know it.”
“Right you are, Ben,” was the ready answer. “All I ask of Nat Poole is, that he leave me alone.”
But Nat was not to leave Phil alone, as events were quickly to prove.