Rick looked serious on hearing this.
“You’d better leave him behind,” suggested Mrs. Dalton.
“Nope!” declared Rick. “If Ruddy can’t go I don’t go—besides, Uncle Tod asked specially for him.”
“Well,” began Mr. Dalton, “I don’t see—”
And then Mazie interrupted with a joyous cry of:
“Oh, I’ve just thought of something! They could all go out in an auto; couldn’t they; Rick, Ruddy and Chot?”
“We could if we had a car,” answered Rick, a bit gloomily.
“It would be swell!” declared Chot. “But we can’t drive a car away out beyond the Rockies. Besides, we haven’t any.”
“No, but Mr. Campbell has,” said Mazie. “He’s going to go out west in his touring car, and Mabel Campbell was saying to me yesterday her father wished he had some one to make the trip with him, as none of them can go and he doesn’t like to travel alone.”
“Is that so?” asked Mr. Dalton, and some of the perplexity faded from his face. “Well, if Mr. Campbell would take the boys and dog—Oh, but it’s too much to ask.”