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Fantasy Football Challenge presents
The Adventure Club Afloat

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to prevent interruption, he presented to the newcomers a summary of the scheme. It was received with enthusiasm and unanimous approval, but Neil Fairleigh and Oscar Brazier sadly admitted that in their cases parental permission was extremely doubtful. George Hanford, whose parents were dead and who was under the care of a guardian, thought that in his case there would be no great difficulty. The other two viewed him a trifle enviously. Then, because one may always hope, they had to hear the particulars and each secretly began to fashion arguments to overcome the objections at home. Finally Oscar Brazier inquired interestedly: "Who is going to cook for you?" "Oh, we'll take turns, maybe," answered Joe. "Or we might hire a cook." Joe stole a look at Steve. Oscar only shuffled his feet. "I say hire," remarked Perry. "Any of us could do it after a fashion, I dare say, but you get frightfully hungry on the water and need good stuff well cooked, and lots of it." "Yes," agreed Steve, "any of us would make an awful mess of it. Cooking's an art." Oscar cleared his throat and frowned. "You'd have to pay a lot for a cook," he said. "It isn't hard, really. I could do it--if I were going along." "That's so," George Hanford confirmed. But the rest seemed unflatteringly doubtful. The silence was almost embarrassing. At last Joe said hurriedly: "Well, we don't have to decide that now. Besides, if you can't come with us--um--" His voice trailed off into a relieved silence. Oscar smiled haughtily. "That's all right," he said. "If you prefer a cook, say so. Only, if I did go I'd be willing to do the cooking, and I'll bet I could do it as well as any cook you could hire. Isn't it so, Han?" "Yes, I call you a mighty nifty cook, Ossie. I've eaten your biscuits more than once. Flapjacks, too." "Well," said Joe politely, "camp cooking is um--different, I guess, from regular cooking. Of course, I don't say Ossie couldn't do it, mind you, but--we wouldn't want to take chances. On the whole, I think it would be best to have a regular cook." "We might let Ossie try it," suggested Perry judicially. "Oh, I'm not crazy about it," disclaimed Oscar, piqued. "If you prefer to pay out good money for a cook--" "Not at all," interrupted Steve soothingly. "We want to do the whole thing as cheaply as we can. I see no harm in leaving the cooking end of it to you, Brazier; that is, if you can go." "I'm going to make a big try for it," declared Oscar resolutely. "If my folks won't let me, they--they'll wish they had!" Whereupon, emboldened by Oscar's stand, Neil Fairleigh expressed the conviction that he, too, could manage it some way. "I dare say that if I tell my dad that all you chaps are going he will think it's all right. It wouldn't be for all Summer, anyway, would it?" "The idea now," responded Steve, "is to start out for a month's cruise and extend it if we cared to. I suppose any of us that got tired could quit after the month was up." He smiled. "We'd all have to sign-on for a month, though." "Right-o," agreed Hanford. "What about electing officers? Oughtn't we to do that? Someone ought to be in charge, I should think." "Sure!" exclaimed Joe. "We'll ballot. Throw that pad over here, Ossie." "Wait a minute," said Steve. "I've been thinking, fellows. The _Cockatoo_ will hold six comfortably. The main cabin has berths for four and the owner's cabin for two, but if I'm not mistaken the berths in the owner's cabin are extension, and if they are we could bunk three fellows in there, or even four at a pinch. That would give us room for seven or eight in all. Eight might make it a bit crowded, but she's a big, roomy boat and I think we could do with seven fellows all right. And seven's a lucky number, too. So suppose we take in one more while we're at it?" "The more the merrier," agreed Joe. "Who have you got in mind?" Steve shook his head. "No one, but I guess we can think of a fellow. There's--" Steve was interrupted by a knock on the door, and when Hanford, who was nearest, had, at a nod from Steve, unlocked the portal a tall, rather serious-faced youth of seventeen entered. "Oh, am I butting-in?" he asked. "I didn't know. I'll come back later, Joe." Philip Street smiled apologetically and started a retreat, but Steve called him back. "Hold on, Phil!" he cried. "Come in here. You're the very fellow we want. Close the door and find a seat, will you?" "By Jove, that's so!" exclaimed Joe, and the others heartily endorsed him. Oddly enough, not one would have thought of Phil Street in all probability, but each recognised the fact that he was the ideal fellow to complete the membership. Steve, Joe aiding and the others attempting to, outlined the plan. If they had expected signs of enthusiasm from Phil they were doomed to disappointment, for that youth listened silently and attentively until they had ended and then asked simply: "When are you planning to get away?" "As near the first of the month as we can," replied Steve. "I'm afraid I couldn't go, then," said Phil. "I'm a delegate to the C.B. Convention, you see, and that doesn't end until the sixth." "I'd forgotten that," said Joe disappointedly. "What's C.B. stand for?" inquired Hanford. "Christian Brotherhood," supplied Steve. "Look here, Phil, could you go after the sixth?" "Yes, I'd love to, thanks." "All right then, you're signed-on. If we get away before that we'll pick you up somewhere. If we don't you can start with us. How is that?" "Quite satisfactory," answered Phil. "But are you sure your folks will let you?" asked Perry. "Oh, yes, I spend my Summers about as I like." "Think of that!" sighed Perry. "Gee, I wish my folks were like that." "I guess," said Steve, "that Phil's folks know he won't get into trouble, Perry, while yours are pretty certain that you will. It makes a difference. Now we can go ahead with that election, can't we? How about nominations?" "No need of them," declared Joe. "What officers do we want?" "Well, this is a club--the Adventure Club, Phil, is the name we've chosen--and so I suppose we ought to have a president and a vice-president and--" "Rot!" said Perry. "Too high-sounding. Let's elect a captain and a treasurer and let it go at that." "I never heard of a club having a captain," Oscar Brazier objected.

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