“I doubt it,” Midge answered carelessly. “Those old trustees haven’t relented one bit. And Terry wouldn’t bring them to us—you know that.”
“Well, we have ’em and that’s what counts,” Chips cheerfully declared. “Now we can go ahead with our plans. Let’s make the ice cream first thing after school tomorrow night. It should keep if we pack it in ice.”
Jubilantly, the Cubs carried the two freezers into the clubroom. They were still discussing the strange manner of delivery when Mr. Hatfield arrived. He had nothing new to report regarding the threatened damage suit, but expressed amazement that the Den had acquired the cream freezers.
“I had nothing to do with it,” he assured the Cubs. “To be sure, I’ve asked a number of people if they knew where we could get some freezers. Perhaps one of our inquiries paid off.”
Brad told the Cubmaster of the request Pat Oswald had made with reference to use of the gymnasium for a basketball practice session.
“No reason why they can’t use it for an hour tomorrow night after school, is there?” Mr. Hatfield inquired. “The Cubs will be making ice cream and won’t want the floor themselves.”
“Do you think they should be allowed the run of the place?” Red protested. “You know how Pat and his gang are.”
“The practice will be a supervised one. I promise you that,” Mr. Hatfield said. “I see no reason why the boys shouldn’t be allowed privileges here, providing they don’t abuse them.”
“You’re forgetting how they got us into trouble,” Red asserted.
“No, Red. I just believe in fair play, that’s all. We agreed to the series of games, so it’s only right that we give the Purple Five a chance to practice. Right?”
“Oh, I guess so,” Red submitted. “I don’t trust Pat, that’s all.”
Word was carried to Pat that his team might use the gymnasium the following afternoon from three-thirty until four-thirty.
“You mean it?” The boy demanded in surprise when Dan gave him the information. “Well, thanks!”
“Say, by the way, you weren’t at the church a while ago, were you?” Dan asked in an offhand way.
The moment he had asked the question, he regretted it. Once the words had been spoken it was too late to retract them.
“Oh, a couple of ice cream freezers were delivered to the Cubs,” Dan explained reluctantly. “I thought you might know something about it.”