ore speed than
usual, either. He awaited Mr. Robey's appearance in the locker-room with
some apprehension, certain that if he had erred badly he would soon
learn of it. When the coach did arrive at the tail of the procession of
panting players and said his say without once singling out Don for
special attention, the latter was relieved. He couldn't, he told
himself, have done so very badly, after all!

Tom walked back to Billings with Don to learn the result of Tim's and
Clint's embassy to the Cedar Ridge Poultry Farm, for the two had
obtained leave of absence from Mr. Robey and had set forth on their
journey the minute a three o'clock recitation was finished. Tim wasn't
in Number 6 when they reached it, but he and Clint tramped in soon
after, dusty and weary but evidently triumphant. Tim narrated their
experiences.

"Missed the three-fifty car, just as I told Clint we would if he didn't
hustle----"

"I had to find a cap to wear, didn't I?" interpolated Clint.

"Well, we found the place all right, fellows, and, say, it's some
poultry farm, believe me, dearies! Isn't it corking, Clint?"

Clint grunted assent, stretching tired legs across the floor.

"There's about a thousand acres of it, I guess, and a mile of red
chicken houses and runs, or whatever you call 'em. How many hens and
things did he tell us he had, Clint?"

"Eighteen hundred, I think. Maybe it was eighteen thousand. I don't
remember. All I know is there were chickens as far as you could see, and
then some."

"Never mind the descriptive matter," urged Tom. "What did he say? Had
Josh been at him? Did he promise----"

"I'm coming to that, dearie. When we found him he was doing something to
that car of his in a cute little garage. And, say, it's an
eight-cylinder Lothrop, and a regular jim-dandy! Well, he took us into
his house first----"

Tom groaned in despair.

"----And fed us on crackers and cake and ginger ale. Say, he's got a
peach of a bungalow there; small but entire; and a cute little Jap who
cooks and looks after things for him. Well, then he took us out and
showed us around the place. Chickens! Gee, I didn't know there were so
many in the world! And we saw the incubators and the--what you call
them--brooders, and----"

"For the love of mud!" exclaimed Tom. "Can't you get down to dots? _Is
it all right or isn't it?_"

Tim smiled exasperatingly. "Then he showed us----"

Tom arose to his feet and took a step toward him.

"It's all ri