"Say, old man!" exclaimed Ned, "what you want is a day off, and
I'm going to see that you get it. You need a little vacation."
"Perhaps I do," assented Tom wearily.
"Then you'll have it!" cried Ned. "There's going to be a little
picnic to-morrow. Why can't you go with Mary Nestor? She'd like
you to take her, I'm sure. Her cousin, Helen Randall, is on from
New York, and she wants to go, also."
"How do you know?" asked Tom quickly.
"Because she said so," laughed Ned. "I was over to the house to
call. I have met Helen before, and I suggested that you and I
would take the two girls, and have a day off. You'll come, won't
you?"
"Well, I don't know," spoke Tom slowly. "I ought to--"
"Nonsense! Give up work for one day!" urged Ned. "Come along.
It'll do you good--get the cobwebs out of your head."
"All right, I'll go," assented Tom, after a moment's thought.
The next day, having instructed his father and the foremen to
look well to the various shops, and having seen that the work on
the new aerial warship was progressing favorably, Tom left for a
day's outing with his chum and the two girls.
The picnic was held in a grove that surrounded a small lake,
and after luncheon the four friends went for a ride in a launch
Tom hired.
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