Part 7 (1/2)
Poor Winny! his desire for cake had caused him to place himself in a most unenviable position He knew that Si and all the boys would call hi the remainder of the winter, and he was quite sure the felloould get up soirls' party He kneever, that it would be useless for hi offended Si, and he went sorrowfully home, while the other boys remained to discuss a scheme their leader had decided upon on the impulse of the moment
”We won't have nothin' to do with the ten-cent party,” the Oracle said, as soon as Winny was so far away that he could not hear ”If the girls had coone in with 'e up to suit the to do Now they can have their party, and Win Curtis will be the only feller there”
It is safe to say that fully half the boys wished to go to Aggie Morrell's, and that nearly every one would have been pleased to have done so poor old aunt Betsey; but Si had said that it et even? ” asked Lute Hubbard, anxiously ”We shall have to get up souess that won't be very hard to do,” replied Si, loftily ”If I couldn't get up a better kind of a tis!
We'll each of us put in twenty-five cents to hire Grout's two-horse sleigh, an' go on a ride to Bucksport for all day”
There was no question but that Si was right A ride to Bucksport in Mr Grout's handso the boys could enjoy, and for the otten Each boy pledged himself to raise twenty-five cents, and with so noses,” after which Si laboriously figured up the total amount, it was learned that they would not only have h and horses, but there would be a surplus sufficient to buy such a goodly supply of candy and nuts as would ht, an' we'll have the sleighride,” Si said; ”but we've got to fix it with the girls Let's go back to the schoolhouse, an' I'll write a letter to Ag Morrell that'll show her she can't make us do just what she thinks best”
”What's the use of writin' her a letter?” asked Toet home in time to do his chores before dark ” We can tell her in the oin' to the party, an' that will settle it”
” We'll write the letter,” said Si, with the air of one who does not allow hiirls know that they can't do jest what they want to with us, an' I now's the time to do it”
Then Si led the way back to the schoolhouse, knowing that every boy would follow hi his preparations to leave for the night, Master Kelly wrote a letter to Aggie The co required no little amount of time and labor, for if Si was the leader of the school, he was not a remarkably brilliant scholar, and he was forced to pucker his brows and bite his tongue a good many times before it was completed
”There,” he said, as he handed it to Toe blot of ink with his coat sleeve, ”read that out loud, an'
if it won't show theirls that they can't do jest what they want to, then I don't knoill”
To reiven here exactly as he wrote it:
”MIS MOREL US BOYS DONT WANTER COME TO YOUR PARTY CAUSE WE'RE GOIN SOMEWHERE ELSE YOU THINK YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANTER JEST CAUSE YOUR GIRLS BUT YOU MAKE A MISTAK THE NEXT TIME YOU WANTER START ANYTHING YOUD BETTER ASK US ABOUT IT & THEN PURHAPS YOU CAN DO SOMETHING WE HOP YOULL HAVE A GOOD TIME AT YOUR TEN CENT PARTY BUT DONT GET TOO MUCH MONEY SO THAT ANT BETSEY WILL THINK SHE IS RICH & GET RECKLIS THE BOYS”
No one ventured to express an opinion on this ungentleh there were several in the party who did not think it fair to send such a reply to the kindly meant invitation, and Si said, with a satisfied air:
”I guess that'll show 'eet up any more times, they'll find out first e think about it I'll put it in her readin' book, where she'll be sure to see it the first thing in the h”
Even those ere opposed to sending so harsh a reply in answer to the invitation, did not reainst the plans of their leader, and that which was believed would be the death-blow to the girls'
necktie party was left where Aggie would be sure to see it when she ca
CHAPTER II AGGIE'S SCHEME
While it is a fact that nearly every boy who had allowed hi to attend Aggie Morrell's necktie party was al such a letter to be written withoutprotest, each one was at the schoolhouse early next day in order to learn ”what the girls were going to do about it”
Aggie had always been a favorite with her school, when she came into the schoolhouse a quarter of an hour before Deacon Littlefield called the pupils to order, the boys, with the single exception of Winny Curtis, were very careful to keep on their own side of the room Every felloas anxious to hear what she would say when she read Si's note; but no one illing to put himself forward more prominently than another, for even the redoubtable Si was rather afraid of Aggie's teh Winny had no idea of what the boys were intending to do, he was at the schoolhouse quite as early as anyone, in order to see all that ht take place, as well as to make his peace with the boys, if possible Si refused positively to have anything to do with the ”ten- center,” as he called Winny, and the others gave hi very o to the necktie party
When the girls entered the schoolrooathered in the back seats, strictly following Si's commands to ”act as if nothin' was up”
It was not ie and her friends understood that the boys had decided against the party; therefore, when, just before school was opened, the letter was found, it caused but little surprise