By this time five of the chums had started across the broad, sunny
field toward the rather dusty road.

"Coming, Dave?" Dick called, looking back.

"Oh, yes," grunted Darrin. "But I hate to see all of you fellows
running as though you didn't know whether you'd ever get another
meal."

"I wonder what is Dave's sudden grouch against the eats," Tom
mused aloud. "I've seen him at a few meals, and he was always
a clever performer."

"Probably Dave has been eating too much for this time of the year,
and has a touch of indigestion," Greg laughed.

Darrin overheard the discussion as he came along, but he did not
choose to enlighten his friends. However, unintentionally, Greg
had touched upon a part of the trouble. Dinner, that Sunday,
at the Darrin cottage, had been unusually tempting, and Dave had
eaten heavily. For that reason, when he had joined the crowd
in the early afternoon, Dave had felt just a bit sluggish. The
walk out into the country had roused his digestion a bit, and
had left him in just that state where he could contentedly lie
on the grass and doze half of the time.

On this bright Sunday all six of our Grammar School boys had attended
church and Sunday school as usual. Then, the day being so fine,
they had met and gone away on this tramp, which had ended in a
"resting match" on the cool grass under the shade of trees.

All of our readers are familiar with these six fine American boys.
Our readers were first introduced to Dick & Co., as Prescott
and his chums were locally known, in the first volume in this
series, "_The Grammar School Boys Of Gridley_." Therein the reader
made the acquaintance of six average American boys of thirteen,
and followed them through their sports and adventures---which
latter were many and startling indeed.

In the second volume of the series, "_The Grammar School Boys
Snowbound_," the same six were shown at winter sports just before
Christmas. The detection, on Main Street, of a trio of Christmas
shopping thieves led to a long chain of rousing adventures. Right
after Christmas, Dick & Co., securing permission from their parents,
went for a few days of forest camping in an old log cabin of which
they had been given the use. Another phase of their adventure
with the shopping district thieveries turned up in the woods and
contributed greatly to the excitement of their experience. While
still camping in the old, but weather-proof cabin, the Grammar
School boys found themselve