So better counsel prevailed, and Joe Miller was not asked to loan his shotgun. In due time Joe drove around to the door of the store, and the work of loading began.
"Hey, you fellows, where are you going?" hailed Ben Alvord, stopping and gaping in wonder.
"Camping," replied d.i.c.k with an air of importance.
"Whee! Say, take me along?" coaxed Ben.
d.i.c.k hated the task of refusing, but Dave came to his rescue.
"Got five dollars, Ben?"
"Quit your kidding," retorted Alvord.
"That"s what each fellow paid to get into this outfit," Dave went on.
"We couldn"t feed any more fellows unless they contributed their share in cash."
"How long you going to be gone?" asked Ben.
"Maybe two weeks."
"Whee!"
"It will depend somewhat on how long it takes us to eat up our table stuff," laughed d.i.c.k.
"My, but you fellows are in luck!"
A few more of the Grammar School fellows happened along. There was much envious talk. There were also several pleas to be taken along, but the mention of the five dollar a.s.sessment silenced all such requests.
"All ready!" called out Joe Miller at last. "You youngsters jump on lively, for we"ve got a long way to go."
With a glad whoop d.i.c.k & Co. piled aboard the truck, stowing themselves away as comfortably as might be.
"Giddap!" grumbled Joe at the horses.
"Say!" shouted Ben Alvord as the start was made.
"Well?" answered Dan.
"Who"s going to do your cookin"?"
"We are."
"Wow! You won"t all live to tell the tale, then. Got any medicines with you?"
"There, I knew we"d forgotten something," declared Tom Reade solemnly.
"S"posing any of us should get sick?"
"We"ll make up our minds that we"re not going to," replied Dave.
"Fellows camping out in winter haven"t any right to get sick."
"Still, we might. Might have colds, especially," remarked d.i.c.k thoughtfully. "Oh, I say, Joe! Haul up, quick!"
d.i.c.k was standing up, using his arms to signal an automobile that was coming toward them.
"Well, who"s sick?" smiled Dr. Bentley, stopping his auto.
"Doctor, I have six free patients here for you," d.i.c.k announced solemnly.
"Good!" laughed the physician. "That"s the kind I like best. What are you boys up to?"
"We"re going camping, doctor, out in the forest, and may be gone a fortnight. Just this minute it struck us that we hadn"t a bit of medicine with us in case any of us got sick. We don"t expect to be, of course, but----"
"I see," nodded the doctor, smiling pleasantly. "One thing is sure. If you have a few simple remedies along with you you"re less likely to be ill than if you had forgotten to make any preparation. In that case worry might do its share. Now, let me see."
Dr. Bentley reached up a drug case from the bottom of his car.
"Here"s a bottle of stuff for colds," he went on, selecting a bottle and writing on the label. "There, the directions are straight. Going to cook for yourselves?"
"Certainly."
"Then indigestion is your most likely trouble." Dr. Bentley began to write on the label of a second bottle. "And here"s a little vial, in case any of you get a real fever. Be careful to follow the directions closely."
Then Dr. Bentley took out his prescription book and wrote on two leaves.
"Here"s a prescription for a liniment, and something else," he added, tearing out the two pages and pa.s.sing them to d.i.c.k. "You"ll notice that I"ve written on these that the druggist is to give you the goods with all discounts off. That"ll make the stuff come cheap, for I don"t suppose you"re overburdened with wealth on this trip."
"And now, doctor, how much for the stuff you"ve given us?" asked d.i.c.k.
"Giddap," retorted Dr. Bentley, giving his machine a start. "I helped introduce four of you boys to this world, so I"m in a measure responsible for you."
"Stop at the drug store, Joe," d.i.c.k called out, as the horses were started.
"Say, wasn"t that fine of Dr. Bentley?" glowed d.i.c.k, as they rode along.
"Sure," nodded Dan, "but our folks will find it somewhere in their bills, between now and summer."
"Dan, for that," warned Prescott, "we"ll wash your face in the first snow that falls out in the woods."
"We surely will," confirmed Tom Reade.
The stop at the drug store was made, whereby the cash capital was lowered by eighty cents. Then d.i.c.k & Co. were off in earnest.
So late had the start been made that the boys did not expect to reach their log cabin until after two o"clock. Over Christmas most of the snow had disappeared. There was not enough for good sledding, but just enough to make the going on wheels rather difficult.
Before noon, appet.i.te a.s.serted itself. Fortunately the boys had brought along lunches for use on the road. These were devoured with much relish, Joe Miller, of course, being invited to share with them.
By one o"clock the horses headed into the forest. For the first mile or so there was a fair sort of road, but after that it dwindled down to something more like a trail.
"Isn"t this grand, Joe?" exclaimed Greg.