"I don't believe they will," said Tom. "Why, you see they'd have to pay
for the whole thing, and I reckon they won't be in a hurry to do that.
But wouldn't we have a splendid line if they were to do it?"

"I should say so," said Harry. "It's almost too good a thing to expect.
I'm afraid Mr. Martin won't feel quite so generous when he calculates
what it will cost."




CHAPTER XXVI.

A GRAND PROPOSITION.


The summer vacation was now over, and the Board of Managers of the
telegraph company, as well as the other boys of the vicinity, were
obliged to go to school again and study something besides the arts of
making money and transacting telegraphic business. But as there was not
much business of this kind to be done, the school interfered with the
company's affairs in little else than the collection of money due from
private individuals for telegraphic services rendered during the late
"rise" in the creek. The committee which had charge of this collection
labored very faithfully for some time, and before and after school and
during the noon recess, the members thereof made frequent visits to the
houses of the company's debtors. As there were not more than
half-a-dozen debtors, it might have been supposed that the business
would be speedily performed. But such was not the case. Mr. Darby, the