Dalzell. "I'll just step down
to my bank and get the money. Will two dollars be enough, Dick?"

"Stop that talk," ordered Dave Darrin, getting a grip on Dan's
shirt collar. "If you don't, I'll thrash you! Dick has a scheme.
Out with it, old chap!"

"The scheme is simple enough," said Prescott hurriedly. "We must
each get two dollars, and get it like lightning. That will come
to a dollar over the amount we need, but we shall need the extra
dollar, anyway. So hustle! Borrow the money from anyone who'll
let you have it. Offer to work the money out at any time---any
old kind of work. The only point is to come running back with
the money. Get it in any honest way that you can, and don't one
of you dare to fail, or we'll lose our deposit money and our canoe.
Start!"

Nor did Prescott lose any time himself, but raced down the street,
turned into Main Street and ran on until he came to the little
cross street on which stood the bookstore conducted by his father
and mother.

"Mercy, Dick! What makes you run so?" asked Mrs. Prescott. Dick
was rejoicing to discover that there was, at this moment, no customer
in the store.

"Mother," replied her son, "I want to borrow three dollars this
minute. I'll be responsible for it---I'll pay it back. Please
let me have it---in a hurry!"

Then, briefly, he poured out the story. Mrs. Prescott's hand
had already traveled toward the cash register.

"We're very short of money just now, my boy. Try to earn this
and pay it back quickly. You know, trade is slow in the summer
time, and we have several bills to meet."

"Yes, I'll pay it back, mother, at the first chance---and I'll
make the chance---somehow," promised young Prescott. "Thank you."

The money in his hand, Dick raced back to the lot where the show
tent still stood.

He was back before any of the others and waited impatiently.
Dave Darrin came up ten minutes later.

"Did you get it?" asked Dick anxiously.

"Yes," replied Dave laconically, pushing two one dollar bills
into Dick's hand.

One by one the other boys arrived. Each had managed to round
up his part of the assessment.

With thirteen dollars in his hand, Dick went up to the auctioneer's
clerk.

"I am ready to pay the other eleven dollars on the canoe," Prescott
announced, speaking as calmly as possible.

"All right," agreed the clerk. "But you'll have to find some
man you can trust to take the bill of sale. We can't pass title
to a mino