Nan’s nose went up in disdain. “One of those horrid detective stories,” she said. “Thank you, but I don’t care for such literature, Kid!”
“Detective story nothing! It’s an Indian story; I should think you could tell that by the name! And, anyhow, it’s a heap more interesting than a story all filled with girls and dolls and—and Christmas presents!”
“For those that like it,” replied Nan in a superior manner. “You know you’re not allowed to have dime novels, Kid, and papa said——”
“It isn’t a dime novel; it’s a half-dime novel, Miss Smarty!”
“Well, if you get caught reading it——”
“I’ll tell them you lent it to me,” declared Kid with a wicked grin. “So you’d better go down and get it for me.”
“If I do you must promise that you won’t read any more of them in school, Kid.” Nan was very earnest, and Kid reflected a moment. After all, he could afford to make the promise for it would soon be warm enough to read outdoors, and that wouldn’t be reading “in school.” So he said, “All right,” and Nan stole downstairs for “Hairbreadth Harry.” Kid crawled out of bed then and found the note he had written to Stanley. His first impulse was to save it, for it had cost him much effort and it was barely possible that he might decide to carry out his running away project later. But a hasty perusal of it showed him that the note wouldn’t answer at all for another occasion and so he tore it into little pieces and dropped them behind the radiator where they wouldn’t be found for a very long time. Then he scuttled back into bed just in time, for Nan knocked a second later and entered empty-handed.
“I couldn’t get it,” she announced. “There are lots of boys down there and as soon as I took one of the books out Steve Lovell came over and wanted to know what I was looking up, and I couldn’t think of anything and so I said ‘Nothing, thanks,’ and came away. I’m sorry, Kid.”
Kid nodded. “All right. I guess I can get it in the morning.”
Nan sat down again and in doing so kicked one of Kid’s shoes which he had placed under the bed. Being an orderly young lady, Nan reached down to put the shoe in its place again. Then there was an exclamation of surprise, and she was holding one wet shoe up and staring at it bewilderedly.