“Hello, Peleg, old sport!” cried Pepper, gaily, to the driver of the turnout.  “How have you been for the past fifty years?”

“Oh, I’m very well, thank you,” responded Peleg Snuggers.

“Heard you had a fortune left to you,” went on Pepper, with a wink at his chums.  “Old uncle died and left you half a million.”

“Three-quarters of a million,” put in Andy Snow, scenting fun.  “All in gold, too.”

“Isn’t that fine!” said Jack.  “Peleg, how about lending me ten or fifteen dollars?”

“I could use a five-spot myself,” added Dale.

“I’d like to borrow about fifty for a new bicycle,” came from Fred Century.

“Don’t be modest about lending us the cash,” went on Pepper.  “Just hand it out as if you had always had it.”

“I ain’t had no fortune left to me!” burst out the general utility man, desperately.  “Who said I had?”

“Why, everybody knows it, Peleg,” responded Pepper.  “Come, don’t be modest about it.  Was it really three-quarters of a million?”

“Maybe it was more,” suggested Jack.

“If I were you, Peleg, I’d not carry so much around in my pockets,” said Dale.

“I ain’t had a cent left to me!” shouted the driver of the carryall.  “This is some of your jokes, an’ I want you to stop it!  Oh, dear, now the school’s opened ag’in I suppose there won’t be no rest fer nobuddy!” And he heaved a mountainous sigh.

“Oh, Peleg!  Don’t be angry with me!” murmured Pepper, with a trace of tears in his voice.  “If you get angry I’ll die!”

“You behave yourself, Pepper Ditmore, or I won’t drive you to the Hall.”

“Peleg, don’t you want me to drive?” asked Andy, who was on the front seat.  “I’m a cracker-jack at driving.”

“Not much!  Don’t you tech them hosses!” shouted the general utility man in alarm.  “That off hoss is a new one an’ he’s mighty skittish, I can tell you.  This mornin’ when I was hookin’ him up he nigh kicked the leg off o’ me!”

“Say, how are we going to get to the Hall?” came in ugly tones from Reff Ritter.  He, with six other boys, was standing beside the carryall.

“Captain Putnam said he’d send down some carriages,” answered Peleg Snuggers.  “There they come now,” and he pointed to the turnouts.

“Pshaw!  I wanted to go in the carryall,” grumbled Ritter.

“So did I,” added Gus Coulter.

“Well, this is full, so you’ll have to take the carriages,” answered Peleg Snuggers.  “Everybody hold fast!” he shouted, as he took up the reins.

“We are off!” shouted Pepper, gaily.  “Farewell to Cedarville and ho! for Putnam Hall!”

“Wish I had room, I’d turn a handspring for you,” came from Andy, who was quite an acrobat.

“Now don’t you cut up any monkey-shines,” pleaded the driver of the carryall.  “That new hoss won’t stand for ’em.”

“All right, Peleg, I’ll keep as quiet as a lamb without a tail.”