THE “SPLENDID” WAR CANOE

“It’s the wreck of one of the grandest enterprises ever conceived by the human mind!” complained Colonel W.P.  Grundy, in a voice broken with emotion.

A group of small boys grinned, though they offered no audible comment.

“Such defeats often—–­usually, in fact—–­come to those who try to educate the masses and bring popular intelligence to a higher level,” was the colonel’s declaration, as he wiped away a real or imaginary tear.

On a nearby lot stood a large show tent, so grayed and frayed, so altogether dingy as to suggest that it had seen some summers of service ere it became briefly the property of Colonel Grundy.

Near the entrance to the tent a temporary platform had been built of the board seats taken from the interior of the tent.

Near the platform stood a grim-visaged deputy sheriff, conversing with an auctioneer on whose face the grin had become chronic.

Some distance from the tent stood a group of perhaps forty men of the town of Gridley.

“The whole outfit of junk won’t bring five hundred dollars,” predicted one of these men.  “How much did you say the judgments total?”

“Seventeen thousand four hundred dollars,” replied another.  “But the man who attached the show has a claim for only six hundred and forty dollars, so he may get most of his money.”

Here the auctioneer stopped talking with the deputy sheriff long enough to go over to the platform, pick up a bell and ring it vigorously.  A few more stragglers came up, most of them boys without any money in their pockets.

Off at one side of the lot six boys stood by themselves, talking in low tones, casting frequent, earnest glances toward the platform.

These youngsters were Dick Prescott, Dave Darrin, Greg Holmes, Tom Reade, Dan Dalzell and Harry Hazelton.  Collectively they were known in the boydom of Gridley as Dick & Co.

Our readers are already familiar with every one of these lads, having first been introduced to them in the “Grammar School Boys Series,” with its four volumes, “The Grammar School Boys of Gridley,” “The Grammar School Boys Snowbound,” “The Grammar School Boys in the Woods” and “The Grammar School Boys in Summer Athletics.”  The varied and stirring exploits of Dick & Co., as told in these books, stamped the six chums as American boys of the best sort.

Then, in “The High School Freshmen,” the first volume of the “High School Boys Series,” our readers went further into the history of Dick & Co., and saw how even freshmen may impress their personalities on the life and sports of a high school.  The pranks, the fights, the victories and achievements of that first year in high school had done much to shape the characters and mould the minds of all six of our boys.

The present narrative deals with all that happened in the vacation after Dick Prescott and his friends had finished their freshman year.  The summer now lay before them for whatever might come to them in the way of work and pleasure.  Though none of the six yet knew it, the summer was destined to bring to them the fullest measure of wonder and excitement.