“All but three,” replied Dick, “and they won’t subscribe more than a quarter apiece, I guess.”
“All right,” said Lanny. “That leaves us about twenty-one dollars behind then. To-day’s the eleventh, isn’t it? And Mr. Grayson’s birthday is the twenty-fifth, and that’s just two weeks from to-day. When are you planning to buy the things?”
“I suppose we ought to do it a week ahead,” said Morris. “It may take three or four days for them to get here by freight.”
“Maybe longer,” said Dick. “I wouldn’t leave it much after the fifteenth.”
“The fifteenth is Sunday,” Morris reminded. “We might go to New York the next day, though.”
“Louise and May and I, unless some of you fellows want to go along.”
“I guess none of us could get away,” responded Dick. “You’ll have to cut recitations, won’t you, though?”
“Only one. We’ll take the two-twelve train and that’ll give us nearly three hours before the stores close. We can get back by eight. If we can get everything at Marsden’s it won’t take more than an hour or so. Father agreed last night to advance what money we need and we’re to pay him back as fast as we collect from the students.”
“We have almost fifty dollars paid in now,” said Louise. “So we won’t have to borrow more than forty from father.”
“How about the expenses of your trip?” Lanny asked.
“We’ll each pay our own,” replied Louise. “It’s only fair, because it’s going to be rather fun. I wish we might all go.”
“It will be all right if I cut practice that day, won’t it?” asked Morris.
Dick nodded. “For that matter,” he said, “Lanny and Gordon may go as far as practice is concerned. There won’t be much hard work on Monday, anyway.”
“I’m afraid not. I’d have to cut two classes. Besides, I’m not much good at getting around in the crowds.”
“I don’t think I’ll go, either,” said Lanny.
“Same here,” said Gordon. “You three will be enough. The more there are the harder it will be to agree on things.”
“Now please tell us about your plan, Lanny,” said Nell eagerly.
“I don’t know whether my plan is good for as much as twenty-one dollars,” responded Lanny dubiously. “I think we may be able to get, say, fifteen, though. The reason I wouldn’t say what it was the other night was that I had to consult others about it first; our Head Coach, for one.”