Billy To-Morrow’s Chums
“BILLY TO-MORROW” SERIES
BILLY TO-MORROW’S
CHUMS
By
SARAH PRATT CARR
Author of
The Iron Way, Billy To-Morrow, Billy To-Morrow in Camp,
Billy To-Morrow Stands the Test
Illustrated by
ROBERT J. DAVISON
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1913
Copyright
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1913
Published November, 1913
W. F. Hall Printing Company
Chicago
ILLUSTRATIONS
| PAGE | |
| “Hello, young feller! What are you out of quod for?” | Frontispiece |
| “Get into this chair,” Sydney ordered | 12 |
| She was in evening dress | 132 |
| A premonition of disaster swept him | 138 |
| “Mine leetle Ida would be eighteen already” | 164 |
| “Here she is!” Max shouted wildly | 188 |
Billy To-Morrow’s Chums
CHAPTER I
The night was dark, the darkest he everknew, Sydney Bremmer thought as he wenthis rounds to see if the place was in order. Whenfirst he came to live with Mrs. Schmitz he hadto take a lantern; but now he was so accustomedto the narrow, soft lanes that led up and downthe nursery between close rows of shrubs andflowers, and to the passages in the greenhouses,that he could “feel his way,” as he could in thesame way tell when the temperature was right.
As for the little furnace, its own cheerful light,when he opened the doors to fill the fire box andbank the fire, not only showed the way to thecoal bin, but sent long streamers of genial light[2]into the black night, and flooded the boy’s facewith a weird color that made him look like afire spirit.
Once between noises he thought he heardsomething under one of the plant shelves, andcalled to see if it was the dog, Blitzen. No dogappeared, and everything seemed to be in place.Thinking he had been mistaken, Sydney closedthe furnace, fastened the greenhouse door, andran through the nursery gate to the porch, wherehe put out the milk bottles and patted Blitzen,saying good night in the silent, boyish fashionthat the dog well understood.
As he entered the kitchen, very quietly hethought, a woman’s voice called from above,“That