d making their way to Mr. Dodge's apple orchard,
a quarter of a mile from the center of the town. The other boys
knew as well as Snap that there were some fine fall pippins in
the orchard, and, like all growing lads, each loved a good apple.

The town of Fairview was not a large one. There was one main
street and a side street running to the little depot, at which
eight trains stopped daily. There were fifteen shops and stores,
a hotel and three churches. The houses numbered less than a hundred
in the town proper, although many others were located in the rich
farming district close by. Fairview was situated on the Rocky
River, which, ten miles below, flowed into a beautiful sheet of
water called Lake Cameron. The town was noted for its natural
beauty, and in the summertime not a few tourists stopped there.

One of the principal men of the community was Mr. Dodge, Charley's
father. He was rich, but preferred to live on his farm instead
of moving to the town or the city. He was a school trustee and
also held an interest in the summer hotel and in one of the big
saw mills on the river.

Sheppard Reed was the only son of a local physician, who, during
the past twenty years, had built up a substantial practice in
and around Fairview. Shep and Snap, as they were always called,
were close chums, and once in a while their own folks would refer
to them as the Twins.

Frank Dawson had moved to Fairview only two years before, but
had become a general favorite among the boys. He had a habit
of exaggerating most woefully, and this had gained for him the
nickname of Whopper. From this it must not be inferred that Frank
could not tell the truth, for, when it came to the pinch the lad
was as truthful as anybody. His "whoppers" were always so big
that everybody recognized them as such instantly.

Will Caslette, always called Billy or Giant, was the son of a
French widow lady who had come to Fairview on the death of her
husband, seven years before. The widow had just enough to live
on comfortably, and she took a great pride in her offspring, even
though he was so small in stature. But though Billy was small
he was "all there," as the other boys said, and promised to become
a man, every inch of him.

Arriving at the orchard, the four boys walked to one of the best
of the apple trees and with a stick brought down a dozen of the
finest apples. Then they selected a warm spot in the sunshine,
threw themselves on the sw