not let go
all his mental bearings without some pessimistic afterthoughts. "But
who's to say it will hold out? One thing I rather insist on, Phil, since
you make a sort of bluff at being our leader. Let's stick to the guide
book route, whether we go through Albany to Boston or whether we
short-cut through the Catskills and down the Hudson to New York. That's
my opinion."

They argued it out that last night at Griffin, which they were to leave
in the morning for the east.

"Somehow I'd like to see New York more'n Boston, I think," remarked Way.
"It would shorten the time of our vacation, and give us more time for
side trips, say to Niagara Falls or, if we went down the Hudson, to West
Point."

"Geewhillikins! Stop it, Phil!" cried Paul, making a grimace. "I tell
you what, boys! After all our troubles we're going to take in the real
country from here on. If I don't see the Falls, 'twill be because you
vote against the Big Six going there."

"And West Point!" This from MacLester, no longer gloomy-viewed. "I've
wanted to see that place ever so long."

"Tell you what we can do," chimed in Billy, who had been listening
intently. "Let's have a sort of elastic program, a go-as-you-please
route, governed each day by taking a vote as to how we'll go from then
on, subject always to approval of a majority of the voters."

"Will that do?" queried Phil humorously. "There are only four votes.
Suppose it's a tie, what then?"

"Aw, Phil!" from the irrepressible Paul. "If it comes to a tie, we'll
keep talking and voting until it's unanimous or three to one. I guess
we've all got some horse sense!"

Without too much stickling for unanimity, it was finally agreed that
while the general plan of the eastern trip should remain the same,
whenever advisable there would also be discussions of the next move
which would require at least a three-to-one vote in order to decide.

"We may all be fools some of the time," voiced Dave sagely, paraphrasing
Lincoln's noteworthy pronouncement, "but we won't all of us be fools all
the time." This while shaking his head dubiously at Jones, Esq., who
sniffed scornfully.

Accordingly, the following morning when the Big Six left Griffin its
course was eastward over the big highway prescribed in the guide book.

Phil, Dave and Paul took turns at the wheel, and when night was again
upon them they were nearing a small town where, according to the guide
book, one might turn to the left and before the