package of tacks."

"Listen to the voice from Pee-wee's old patrol!" said Roy. "_Eats_!
I'll fry some killies. Haven't we got some milk chocolate and Ulika
biscuits? I bet there's a large crowd of peanuts and other junk in
Pee-wee's locker. Can't you wait till you get to Minerva's? She'll have
chicken salad and ice cream and sandwiches and cake and lemonade and
paper napkins and souvenirs and everything. We'll feel more like eating
a little later. What do you all say? If each of us goes home we'll
never get together again; we'll all straggle in there one by two."

"Suppose she doesn't have anything but a couple of fancy boxes of
bonbons; you know how girls are," said Doc Carson. "Safety first, that's
what I say."

"I haven't had anything to eat since lunch time," said Ralph Warner.

"Minerva wouldn't wish anything like that on us," said Connie.

"You said it," said Roy; "they're not passing around famines up at her
house. Where do you think we're going? To Russia? Minerva's got the
Sandwich Islands green with envy. What's the use of spoiling
refreshments by eating now? You fellows are worse than the children of
Armenia! I say, let's have a swim; the tide is nice and high, and then
rest up and eat some crackers and hike up to the party. They'll be
throwing chocolate cake at us up there.

"My patrol all have their good suits on; most of the rest of you have
some Christmas tree regalia in your lockers, and the others can beat it
home and hurry up back. What do you say? Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye,
aye, aye!" Roy shouted. "Carried by a large majority! Come on, let's go
in for a swim while the tide's up. That will help to give us an
appetite."

"What do you mean, 'help to give us one?" asked Artie Van Arlen.
"Haven't I got four already?"

"Well, when you come out of the water you'll have five," said Roy.

"Suppose--suppose," said Dorry Benton, who was ever cautious, "suppose,
just _suppose_ they should only have lady fingers and grape juice, or
something like that." He stood uncertain, dangling his bathing suit.
"Suppose they should have afternoon tea crackers. Did you ever eat
those?"

"They're more likely to have roast turkey," said Roy. "Don't I go up
there every couple of days and play tennis? I can't play the game even
because they're always pushing a chunk of cake into my left hand."

"I know, Roy," said Warde Hollister. He also was a far-sighted and
thoughtful boy who did his h