time is too valuable
to waste just now."

Jack laughed on hearing that.

"Oh! we mean business this morning, Mr. Briggs," he remarked
pleasantly, while Bobolink scowled, and muttered something under his
breath. "The fact is a party of us scouts are planning to spend a
couple of weeks up in the snow woods," continued Jack. "We have a list
here of some things we want to take along, and will pay cash for them.
We want them delivered to-day at our meeting room under the church."

"Let Mr. Briggs have the list, Jack," suggested Bobolink. "He can mark
the prices he'll let us have the articles for. Of course, sir, we mean
to buy where we can get the best terms for cash."

Bobolink knew the grasping nature of the old storekeeper, and perhaps
this was intended for a little trap to trip him up. Mr. Briggs glanced
over the list and promptly did some figuring, after which he handed
the paper back.

"Seems to me your prices are pretty steep, sir!" remarked Jack.

"I should say they were," added Bobolink, with a gleam in his eyes.
"Why, you are two cents a pound on hams above the other stores. Yes,
and even on coffee and rice you are asking more than we can get the
same article for somewhere else."

"Those are my regular prices," said the old man, shortly. "If they are
not satisfactory to you, of course, you are at liberty to trade
elsewhere. In fact, I do not believe you meant to buy these goods of
me, but have only come in to annoy me as those other good-for-nothing
boys always do."

"Indeed, you are mistaken, Mr. Briggs," expostulated Jack, who did not
like to be falsely accused when innocent. "We are starting out to see
where we can get our provisions at the most reasonable rates. Some of
the storekeepers are only too glad to give the scouts a reduction."

"Well, you'll get nothing of the sort here, let me tell you," snapped
the unreasonable old man. "I can't afford to do business at cost just
to please a lot of harum-scarum boys, who want to spend days loafing
in the woods when they ought to be earning an honest penny at work."

"Come on, Jack, let's get out of here before I say something I'll be
sorry for," remarked Bobolink, who was fiery red with suppressed
anger.

"There's the door, and your room will be better appreciated than your
company," Mr. Briggs told them. "And as for your trade, take it where
you please. Your people have left me for other stores long ago, so why
should I care?"

"Oh! that's where the