shut up in sizzling New York this kind of weather."

"Well, you can bring them here, I suppose," began Mr. Hamilton,
doubtfully, with a look around his handsomely furnished house, "only
this isn't exactly the country."

"Oh, I didn't mean here," said Dick, hastily. "I was thinking we could
have a crowd of 'em out to Sunnyside."

This was the name of a large farm which Mr. Hamilton owned on the
outskirts of the country village of Prattville.

"The very thing!" exclaimed Mr. Hamilton, with as much fervor as Dick
had shown. "That's the ticket, Dick. I'll write to Foster at once and
ask him if he and his wife can take a crowd of the waifs at Sunnyside
for a few weeks. Then you will have to manage the other end yourself.
Foster will do as I say, I guess, for he loves children and he has a
heart as big as a barrel. You'll have to furnish the children."

"I'll do it!" exclaimed Dick, delightedly. "I'll write to Uncle Ezra and
ask him the address of that committee in New York. Hurrah for the
fresh-air kids! I hope they have a good time!"

"I guess they will if he has anything to do with it," mused Mr.
Hamilton, with a fond look at his son as Dick went to get writing
material to pen a letter to Uncle Ezra.

CHAPTER XX

TIM'S DISCLOSURE

Two days later Dick received a reply from Mr. Larabee. In the meanwhile
Mr. Hamilton had written to Foster, the man he hired to take charge of
Sunnyside farm, and had told him to have the place in readiness for
twenty-five youngsters.

"Did your Uncle Ezra give you the address of the Fresh-Air Committee?"
asked Dick's father.

"Yes, and he sent me a letter of advice along with it."

"What does he say?"

"I'll read it to you," and Dick turned over the pages of the missive.
"This is what he says about my plan of trying to give those kids a
little fun:

"'I send you the address of the committee, as you requested,
but, Nephew Richard, I want to warn you against taking them. In
the first place, they will be no better off than they are at
home. They will not appreciate what you do for them. Then, too,
they might bring some terrible epidemic to this part of the
country. Sunnyside is not so far from Dankville but that a
disease might carry to my place, and you know my health is not
strong.

"'If I had control of you (as I may have some day), I would not
let you do this. But it is not for me to say at this time what
you sh