felt
quite at home there. Lucy Little was at their head, and his face showed
excitement.

"I say, Merriwell!" he cried, "are you out for a little sport to-night?"

"That depends on what sort of sport it is."

"'Sh!" said Little, mysteriously. "Close the door, uncle."

A fellow by the name of Silas Blossom, who was familiarly called
"uncle," obeyed.

Little looked at Rattleton and then stared hard at Jones, who had the
face of a parson.

"I don't know about you," he said, "but I think you are all right. Even
if you have scruples I don't believe you will blow."

"Very kind!" grunted Dismal.

"The rest of the gang is all right," said Little.

"Then give us your scheme," spluttered Harry, whose curiosity was
thoroughly aroused. "Don't bush around the beat--I mean beat around the
bush."

"What do you fellows say to a turkey chase?" asked Little.

"A turkey chase?"

"Yes. Out around West Rock way. There are plenty of old farmers who
have good fat turkeys out that way. It is a good cool night, and we can
capture two turkeys without trouble. Then we'll take 'em in here and
have a roast. Are you wid us?"

"Those who are not wid us are agin' us!" fiercely declared Bandy
Robinson.

"And that is dead right, me b'hoys," nodded Arthur Street, who was known
at Yale as Easy Street, on account of his free-and-easy way.

Merriwell hesitated. He was in for any kind of honest sport, but he did
not quite fancy the idea of stealing turkeys.

"Why don't we buy our turkeys at the markets?" he asked.

The other lads stared at him in astonishment.

"Buy them!" they shouted. "Say, are you dafty, man? Where would the fun
come in? You know better than to propose such a thing."

"Stolen fruit is ever the sweetest," quoth Uncle Blossom. "It's not many
fellows we would take into such a scheme, but you were just the man we
wanted, Merriwell. If we bought a turkey we wouldn't have any appetite
for it. Now, the run out into the country and back will give us an
appetite. One fellow will have to stay here and get the fire ready,
while the rest of us chase turks. Come on, man--it's what you need to
start your blood circulating."

Merriwell seemed to suddenly make up his mind.

"I am with you," he said as he arose. "Who stays and looks after the
fire? We don't want anybody along that can't run."

"Well, I'm no sprinter," confessed Dismal. "I'd like to go along, but
I'm afraid I'd peg out. I'll have things ready when you show up.