Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/93

Rh lowered voice, "let me give you a tip. Don't ever be seen again in Morr's company. He chews gum!" And then a general laugh went up, which Dave did not understand until later, when it was explained that Roger had once found every pocket of his clothes stuck fast with chewing gum. It was suspected that Chip Macklin, the school sneak, had played this trick, but it could not be proved.

"The fourth individual of this benighted community is Lazy. His real name is Samuel V. Q. X. Day, but call him Lazy and he'll come every time the dinner bell rings. He always smiles——"

"See here, Cheery, if it wasn't too much trouble I'd get up and spank you," came from Sam Day, a large-boned lad, with a stretchy, indolent air.

"There you have it, Dave. 'If it wasn't too much trouble!' Do you wonder they call him Lazy? Why, he——"

"Say, that puts me in mind of a story I once heard," interrupted the lad called Shadow. "Lady gave a tramp a cherry pie. Says the tramp, 'Madam, can't you make it an apple pie?' 'Why?' says the lady. 'Cos this has pits in it,' answers the tramp. 'I hates to work me jaws gittin' rid on 'em!'"

"Story number sixteen!" came from Phil Lawrence. "Ever since we ran across Shadow he has been loading us up with his comic journal jokes, and——"