“Phew! I’ll wager poor Peleg was mad!” was Pepper’s comment. He referred to Peleg Snuggers, the general-utility man around Putnam Hall.
“So here you are, Imp,” went on Hogan, and held out the pie.
“That’s the reason you proposed pie as a prize, eh?” cried Dale. “Supposing you had won?”
“Sure, I should have eaten the piece myself,” answered Emerald.
“I’ll accept the pie on one condition,” came from Pepper. “That is that you all have a bite with me.”
“We will!” was the shout, and a minute later each lad present was chewing on his mouthful of the dainty.
After that, the boys skated around for a little while longer. There were others on the lake, but they, for the most part, kept by themselves.
“I see Dan Baxter is out, with a new pair of skates,” said Jack to Pepper, presently.
“Yes, and he has a new camera, too,” answered Pepper. “By the way, I’d like to have a camera myself. I think I’ll write home for one before long. It will be lots of sport to take some winter pictures.”
Jack and Pepper, with Andy, had skated a little to one side, and now the three moved along one of the shores, where grew some evergreens, now loaded down with snow. The sun was going down and it was growing dark.