“He must feel the strain of his father’s illness,” observed Dave sarcastically.

“He does!” retorted Mr. Hartshorn, with emphasis.  “If old Reuben dies young Timothy must go to work for a living.  The disgrace of toil will almost kill him.  His two sisters are as bad as he is.  They’ve never done a stroke of work, either.  All three have lived on the poor old peddler’s earnings all their lives, though not one of the three would be willing to keep the old man’s house for him.  There are a lot of sons and daughters like them to-day.  Perhaps there always have been.”

Mr. Hartshorn waited until Dick and Dave had finished with the purchases and had loaded them on the wagon.

Then the farmer shook hands with each member of Dick & Co.

“I’m coming up to Gridley to see the football game this Thanksgiving,” he promised.  “I hope I’ll see as good a game as I did last year.  Anyway, I’ll see the work of a mighty fine lot of young fellows.”

Prescott expressed again the heartiest thanks of himself and friends for the timely aid given them during the trouble in camp.

“We’ve lost so much time this morning that we’ll have to hustle for the rest of the day,” Tom called down from the wagon seat, as he started the horse.

An hour later they were more than three miles past Fenton.

“Get out of the way, Tom!” called Dave.  “Drive up into someone’s yard like lightning.  Here comes a whizz wagon that wants the whole highway.”

Behind them, its metal trimmings flashing in the sun, and leaving a trail of dust in its wake, came an automobile traveling at least sixty miles an hour.

Yet, fast as the car was going when it passed them, the speed did not prevent one occupant from recognizing them and calling out derisively.  Then, half a mile ahead, the car stopped, turned, and came slowly back toward the wondering Gridley boys.

CHAPTER XXIV

CONCLUSION

Five rather contemptuous pairs of youthful eyes surveyed Dick & Co. as their outfit plodded on its way.

“Aren’t they a mucker looking outfit?” demanded one voice from the car.

Then the automobile shot ahead again.

“Phin Drayne!  Humph!” said Darry rather scornfully.

Phin Drayne is no stranger to the readers of the “High School Boys Series,” who will recall Phin as the “kicker” who, at the game on the Thanksgiving before, had sulked and refused to go on the field, hoping to induce the other members of the Gridley High School gridiron team to coax him to play.  Thus Dick, though suffering at that time from injuries, and forbidden to play, had been forced out onto the field to help win the great game of the season.  Of course a kicker like Drayne did not like Prescott.  Dick worried but little on that account.

“There! they are coming back,” Greg announced.  “They are grinning at us again.”