ed saying. "I
begrudged losing my first chance to get limbered up; but so far as that
goes, there'll be plenty of occasions later on. You see, I had to go
on an important errand for my mother."

"It must have taken you out of town, then," remarked Hugh; "or else
you'd have showed up at the athletic grounds later on."

"The fact of the matter is, I had to run over to Chestnut Hill, which
you know is some ten miles away," explained Thad, as he made room
alongside for his chum. "It was a matter that could not be delayed, so
I didn't even bother running to the field to report to Mr. Leonard. At
that I hoped to breeze along fast enough to fetch me back in time to
have a little turn with the boys; but I counted without considering
that I was dealing with an old car; and sure enough one of the back
tires had to take on a puncture."

"And as you didn't carry an extra tire along, you just had to lay off
and mend the same," chuckled Hugh. "I was afraid that might happen the
other night when on our way to the hop; but we were lucky enough to
escape it. Of course, on the road home, I wouldn't have cared much,
because all the fun was over by then; and the girls would consider it
something of a joke for us to bump along on a flat tire. But I see the
old flivver in by the barn, so you did manage to get it home after all,
eh, Thad?"

"Oh! yes, though I made a beastly mess of my tire-mending, I'm afraid.
I ought to take a few more lessons in that art, because I've always
been weak there. And when I found how late it was after getting here I
concluded not to hustle around to the grounds. I guessed you'd be
cropping up to find out what had become of a certain baseball crank who
had played hookey. So I've been sitting here about ten minutes, I
should judge."

"Is that all?" asked Hugh.

"Well, no, it isn't," snapped Thad, "though I wonder how your sharp
eyes noticed anything peculiar about my manner. There is a lot more to
tell you, Hugh."

"Suppose you get started then, and let's hear of your adventures," the
other went on to say, with kindling interest. "Did any tramp try to
hold you up on the road; or was it necessary for you to stop and help
put out a fire in some farmhouse; like the time both of us had that
pleasure, and received the biggest dinner we ever got away with as a
reward?"

Thad shook his head in the negative.

"If you kept on guessing all day long I don't believe you'd hit the
mark, Hugh. Still,