e would think of haste
in connection with that duffer. It took him just one hour to buy three
soft crabs from some kids at the dock yesterday," said Walter. "I
wouldn't like to be his messmate. But I don't like his eye; it's made
on the bias."

"Yes, always looks as if it were going to slip out of the socket,"
confirmed Jack. "Well, I hope the girls won't go in too deep with
their schemes. Those fellows are from little old N'Yawk."

"Quick!" whispered Walter. "There's that Black. If he lays eyes on
your plates he'll lick them."

The last morsels of food were crammed into mouths before the call from
the neighboring camper was answered.

"Come right in," Ed said, finally, "and help yourself. Have you had
your grape fruit?"

"Oh, no," sighed Tom Black, "I didn't feel exactly right this
morning." (He brushed a brown hand across his brow.) "Nerves, I
guess."

"Nerves? Grub!" shouted Jack. "Didn't I see a can marked 'soup' in
your back yard this a. m.?"

"Might have, but I didn't. Else I would have had soup."

"There were grubbers around last night," went on Jack, "and we thought
we found a thread that matches your sweater, sticking to a nail in our
grub box."

"My sweater is not ripped that I can see," replied Tom, innocently,
"but if you are so kind I might take it. Don't think we put our sewing
boxes in the kit, come to think of it."

"It will be ripped presently," announced Ed. "We have reason to
suspect the Cattle; in fact, we have engaged counsel."

"The motor girls, I fancy, will defend you," said Tom, nonchalantly,
"but I assure you, you will have no case. We are absolutely without
grub; in fact, our case is pitiable."

"And you had a 'Doins' last night," Dray reminded him. "Now, Tom, we
want to be fair, but we have arranged to form a housewives' league for
the purpose of swiping systematically. For instance," (here he got a
burnt match and tried to trace something on the oilcloth), "if we have
company, and no olives, we could go over to your cupboard, take a
bottle and deposit in its stead, say, a can of beans."

"Great!" shouted Tom, tossing up his cap, that landed on the flaming
oil stove. "You should not waste oil," he said, as he rescued the cap.
"It's always wise to turn out the stove when you take off the pan."

"The meeting is to be held in our living room," Ed said, pointing
outside to a bench made of a tree limb _au naturel_. "When we have
formed our committees and settled on our constitut