“I want to ride back with you,” continued Spider. “Jerry was telling me about the dandy ride he had this morning. He’s chopping kindling now for his mother. She’s going to give him a quarter if he chops all the afternoon and he’s going to have another ride.” Spider put his hand in a trousers pocket, pulled it out again and opened it under Tom’s nose. “I brought my quarter with me, Tom.” The boys laughed and Willard said: “Sorry, Spider, but I guess you had your walk for nothing. We’re not going back to town until after the 3:14 goes through.” Spider’s face fell. “You’re not? Why?” Tom explained. Spider’s mild blue eyes blinked. Then, “Well, what time is it now?” he asked. “Twenty-five past two,” responded Willard, leaning back so that he could see the clock in the waiting-room through the nearest window. Spider sighed with relief. “That’s all right then,” he said. “I’ll wait. There isn’t anything going on to-day, anyway.” “Isn’t the team playing Cold Spring this afternoon?” Tom enquired. “Yes, but it costs ten cents each way on the trolley and I thought I’d rather have a ride in your automobile. Besides, Cold Spring hasn’t any sort of a team. I saw Jimmy Lippit this morning and he said we’d win easily. Jimmy’s going to play to-day. Jordan’s gone away for a month; gone to the beach. Wish I was!” “Don’t be a chump, Spider,” said Tom. “We aren’t going to take your quarter. You could have gone to Cold Spring and had your ride with us, too. We didn’t charge Jerry anything――――” “You didn’t!” Spider’s blue eyes opened wide. “Why, he said you took him and Teddy down to the station and back again and that the fare was a quarter each way!” “So it is,” laughed Willard, “but they didn’t pay it. You hang around until the 3:14 goes, Spider, and we’ll give you a good ride.” “Honest? That’s awfully good of you. I――I’m willing to pay, though, Will. I’ve never ridden in one of those, you know. Have you fellows been making a lot of money?” Tom shook his head. “We haven’t got rich yet,” he answered dryly. “Haven’t taken in more than twenty or thirty dollars to-day.” Spider’s eyes grew round again until Willard laughed. “The fact is, Spider,” said Willard, “we can’t get folks to ride with us yet. They’re so used to riding up with Connors’ men that they don’t even see us.” “That’s too bad.” Spider frowned. “Couldn’t you――couldn’t you advertise?” “Just what Tom suggested. But I told him advertising costs money. Besides, where would we advertise to catch the folks that travel on the trains? You see, they come from all around.” “A lot of them come from right here,” said Tom. “Now, if――――” “I tell you!” exclaimed Spider. “I’ll get father to put an article in the paper about you.” Spider’s father was proprietor and editor of the _News-Patriot_, Audelsville’s principal daily newspaper. “He will do it if I ask him to and it won’t cost you a cent!” “Why――――” began Willard.