vacation, Dick," remarked
Mart rather wistfully. "Lot of fun in that war canoe, isn't there?"

"Yes; there is, Mart. If we see you down at the float one of
these days we'll ask you out for a little ride."

"Will you?" asked Mart, his eyes snapping. "Fine! Now that you
fellows have your canoe I don't suppose you'll be trying to go
away anywhere this summer. Too much fun at home, eh?"

"I don't know about that," said young Prescott wistfully. "Just
now we're planning to try to take the canoe up to Lake Pleasant
for a while."

"Bully place, the lake," said Mart approvingly. "I'm going up
there Monday. Going to be gone for a couple of days."

"How are you going to get there?" Dick asked with interest.

"You know my Uncle Billy, don't you?" asked Mart. "He's the teamster,
you know. He's going to Lake Pleasant to get a load of furniture
that the installment folks are taking back from a new boarding
house up there. He said I could go up with him. We'll carry
our food, and sleep over Monday night in the wagon."

Dick halted suddenly, trembling with eagerness. He began to feel
that he had scented a way of getting the canoe up to the lake
in the hills!

CHAPTER X

PUTTING UP A BIG SCHEME

"Your uncle will be at his regular stand to-night, won't he?" queried
Dick Prescott.

"I expect so," Mart agreed. "What's the matter? Do you want
to go along with us? I guess Uncle Billy would be willing."

At this moment Dick heard a group of younger boys laughing as
they strolled along the street.

Following their glances, Dick saw in the street what is commonly
known in small towns as the "hoss wagon"---a vehicle built for
the purpose of removing dead horses.

"There goes Fred Ripley's bargain!" chuckled one of the boys.

At that moment Fred Ripley himself turned the corner into Main
Street.

"And there's Rip himself," laughed another boy. "Hey, Rip! How's
horse flesh?"

But Fred, flushing angrily, hurried along. "What's up?" asked
young Prescott as the group of boys came along.

"Haven't you heard about Fred's pony?" asked one of the crowd.

"I know he bought a pony," Dick answered.

"Yes; but Squire Ripley had a veterinary go down to the Ripley
stable this afternoon, and look the pony over," volunteered the
ready informant. "Vet said that the pony would be worth a dollar
or two for his hide, but wouldn't be worth anything alive. So
Squire Ripley ordered the pony shot, and that cart is