blame you a good deal for it," added Hi, "and they declare
that they're going to get even with you."

"All right; let them try it," Dick nodded.

"What do you think of this swimming challenge?" asked Dave quickly.

"Why, I think," Dick replied, "that it will bear looking into
closely. There may be some trick about it, and we must look out
that we are not roped into some funny game. We'll see the fellows
at school on Monday."

"Hi Martin is probably the best swimmer among the Grammar School
boys of Gridley," Tom suggested.

"I think that he most likely is," Dick agreed. "If he proposes
to stand for North Grammar, and wants us to put up one candidate
against him, then Hi would probably take the race. If we take
the challenge, either we ought to insist on a team race, or else
on a number of separate events by different fellows, each event
to count for so many points on the score. In any match of singles
Hi Martin might win. If we go into this at all, we must look
out that it isn't fixed so that Hi Martin, alone, can carry off
the championship for his school."

"The very fact that Hi proposed it makes me suspicious that he
has some trick in reserve," Tom urged.

"I like the general idea," spoke up Greg. "Any swimming contest
that is a real match between the schools, instead of between
individuals, will be good sport and arouse a lot of school
interest. There are a lot of fairly good swimmers in our school,
too."

"We'll talk it over with the fellows, and with Old Dut also,"
Dick went on. "Of course we have no right to act for the school
unless the other fellows are willing."

When Dick left his chums at noon it was with an agreement to meet
on Main Street again at half past one.

At fifteen minutes past one the telephone bell rang in the little
bookstore.

"Have you a copy of Moore's Ballads?" asked a masculine voice.

"Yes," replied Mr. Prescott; "in different styles of bindings
and at different prices."

The bookseller then went on to describe the bindings and named
the prices. The customer at the other end of the wire seemed to
prefer an expensive volume, which came at four dollars.

"Can you deliver the book immediately, with a bill, to Mrs. Carhart,
at the Gideon Wells place?" continued the voice at the other end.

"Yes; I think so," replied Mr. Prescott.

"The book must be delivered within the hour," continued the voice,
"as Mrs. Carhart is going on a journey and wishes the book to
read while