"What?" inquired Tommy, without thinking of the price which the bad boy asked for his important information.
"That"s telling," replied Joe, winking at his companion.
"Won"t you tell me?"
"Give me three cents, and I will."
"I haven"t got three cents; but I will give them to you some time."
"I won"t trust you. Give me the money now, and I will tell you all about it," added Joe.
"How can I give it to you when I haven"t got it?"
The two bad boys saw that he was willing enough to pay them for what they had to tell him, and they had only to devise a plan by which he could raise the funds.
"Are you going to school, Tom?" asked Joe Birch.
"Yes."
"What for?"
"Because my father makes me go. I tried to get off this morning. I made believe sick; but father was going to make me take some of his nasty physic, and I thought I"d rather go to school than do that."
"I can tell you how you can stay away from school without taking any physic."
"How?"
"Give me the three cents, and I will tell you."
"I haven"t them; if I had I would."
"Well, I will tell you how to get them, if you like."
"How?"
"Go home to your mother, and tell her the schoolma"am sent you home for three cents to buy a new book."
"I"ll do that," replied Tommy, not stopping to think how wicked was the act which the bad boy proposed to him.
"Mind you, Tom, go to your mother--don"t go to your father."
Tommy promised to do just as he was told by these bad boys, and ran home with all his might, to get the money for them. His mother did not stop to ask him any questions, though she wondered what book he could buy for three cents.
"Here"s the three cents," said Tommy, as he joined the boys in the road. "Now tell me how I can stay away from school without having to take any physic."
"Just come with us; we are not going to school this fine morning.
When the factory bell rings for twelve o"clock, just go home; and your folks won"t know but that you have been to school."
"That"s the way," added Ben Tinker. "That"s what the fellers call "hookin" jack.""
Tommy did not exactly like the idea at first, for he could not help thinking what might happen in case he got found out. He did not ask himself whether it was right or wrong to do what the boys called "hooking jack;" but only whether he should get found out or not.
We ought always to do right, whatever may happen to us; and we should never do wrong, even if we feel certain of not being found out.
"Where are you going?" asked Tommy.
"Over the other side of the river. We must not let any one see us after school time, for they will know we ought to be in school."
"And, just you mind, Tom Woggs," added Ben, "if you get found out yourself, you mustn"t tell of us. If you do, you will be apt to get a broken head--mind that."
Joe Birch jumped over the wall into the lot, and was followed by his companions in evil. Tommy did not feel just right; not that he felt bad because he was doing wrong, but because he was afraid of the two boys.
When they had crossed the lot, they came to a by-road; and here it was agreed that Ben should run up to the village and buy something with the money which Tommy had furnished.
He was gone but a little while; and when he joined them again, they all hastened across the bridge, and were soon in the woods, where no one could see them.
"What did you buy with the money?" asked Joe.
"Some cigars. I got six for three cents."
"Cigars!" exclaimed Tommy. "What do you want of cigars?"
"To smoke, of course. What do you think?"
"It will make you sick."
"I guess not. You shall have one, if you like. A feller ain"t n.o.body if he don"t smoke," replied Joe.
But the boys decided not to smoke at first; and seeing there was plenty of sticks and brush in the woods, Tommy proposed that they should build a house--just for the fun of it.
"So we will; and when we get it done, we will smoke our cigars in it, and have a good time," replied Ben.
"That will be first rate," added Joe. "But how are you going to build it?"
"O, I know how. I have been to New York, and I know all about these things," said Tommy, beginning now to show his usual vanity.
"I say, Tom, do they make houses out of brush in New York?" asked Ben.
"No; but then I have been about more than you have, and I ought to know more, of course. I will be the builder, and you two shall be my servants."
"Look here, Tom--none of that talk, my boy. We ain"t your servants, any how," said Joe.
"Never mind him, Joe," added Ben. "Let him build the house, if he can. I wonder what it will look like!"
"Well, you bring me the sticks and brush, and see if I don"t build a good one," replied Tommy.
The two boys agreed to this plan; and in a little while they had a great pile of sticks and brush, and Tommy began to build the house. He stuck up two sticks, like the letter V, and then carried a long pole from the top of them down to the ground. Against the pole, he set up long sticks; and then told his companions to cover them over with brush and leaves.
It did not take a very long time to build such a house as this, and it was soon finished. The boys were much pleased with it, and seated themselves on the ground, inside of it, for the purpose of having a good time.