hat smart trick before I let you up."

"Nothing!" gasped Toad, trying very hard to free himself.

"Oho!" laughed Chuck. "You won't, eh? Well," he added, "I don't mind
sitting here all day. I'm real comfortable."

At this moment there came a knock at the door and before either of the
boys could answer Father Brown entered.

"What's up?" he inquired.

"Toad hit me in the face with a wet sponge while I was asleep,"
explained Chuck, "and he's going to give me something for it."

"Then why are you sitting on him?" asked Father.

"Because he says he won't," replied Chuck with a grin.

"I suppose you'll have to pay up Thomas," laughed Father. "Anyway, I
hope you'll both be down to breakfast soon," he added--"before all the
cakes are gone. I've a terrible appetite this morning," and with these
words he left the room.

"Do you give up now?" asked Chuck.

"No, sir," persisted Toad.

"Remember what he said about the cakes. They'll be hot ones with lots of
maple syrup," teased Chuck.

"Well, you're missing them, too," retorted Toad.

"I guess I'll let you off this time," relented Chuck, "but if you ever
do it again," he threatened, "I'll hold you down for a week, cakes or no
cakes."

"You'd starve to death in that time," argued Toad, with a laugh as he
commenced to hurry into his clothing.

The boys were seated at the table, a half hour later, and had just eaten
the last of the griddle cakes, when Reddy's whistle was heard. Toad,
jumping up from the table, ran over to the window and beckoned to Reddy
to come into the house.

"What are you going to do this morning?" was Reddy's first remark as he
entered the room.

"We're going for Christmas greens and Dad's going to cut our tree from
away up on the hillside," Toad told him, "and," he added, "we're going
to take one of the horses with us to drag it home."

"Oh, that's great!" replied Reddy. "Do you start soon?"

"Don't you want to go, too?" asked Chuck. "And maybe we can get Fat and
Herbie, too," he added.

"If such a crowd goes, and everybody gathers greens," laughed Toad,
"what will we ever do with all of them?"

Mother Brown answered him from the doorway.

"Why not take some of them to the church? I'm sure the ladies who are
trimming it will be glad to use all that you can give them."

"That's a splendid idea," declared Father Brown, rising from his seat by
the fireplace. "Come, boys, bundle up well, because it's going to be a
cold drive."

"I'll r