“Whoop!” yelled Rick. “Now I can tell Chot!” and away he and Ruddy raced to the home of his chum. “Chot! Chot!” yelled Rick. “We’re going out west!”
“Who is? You and Ruddy?”
“Yes, and you! Oh, boy! It’s too good to be true! Listen!” And Rick breathlessly told as much of the story as was needful.
Chot clasped his chum firmly by the hand and led him into the presence of Mrs. Benson.
“Tell her, Rick,” besought Chot, with pathetic eagerness. “And then say I can go, Momsie! Oh, say I can go!” he pleaded.
“Well, what’s all this about?” asked Chot’s mother with a laugh.
And when she had been told she looked a little serious and said, as Mrs. Dalton had said: “I’ll see.”
However, not to go into too many details about the discussion of the questions, pro and con, let it be said that finally permission was given for Chot to accompany Rick and Ruddy out west.
And then, as you may well imagine, busy times began in both households, for though, as compared to girls, boys are not difficult subjects to prepare for a journey, in this case there was Ruddy the dog to be considered.
“I don’t really see how you are going to take him,” said Mr. Dalton, when the arrangements had been pretty well settled as to Rick and Chot. “Ruddy will have to ride in baggage cars, and he ought to be put in a crate. He’s bound to be miserable and he may get loose and jump out.”