Four Afoot: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Highway

"Four Afoot: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Highway" by Ralph Henry Barbour is an early 20th-century fiction book that tells the story of four friends named Dan, Nelson, Bob, and Tommy on a walking trip through Long Island, promising an adventurous and light-hearted tale of youthful friendship filled with humor. The story begins with the boys leaving Locust Park eager to reach Jericho, encountering a farmer along the way who gives them directions. The encounter and the boys' journey is marked by chatting, funny events, and some playful teasing as they travel through fields and deal with unplanned events, like Tommy eating too much pie. The way the story begins shows each character’s personality, Dan's lively leadership, Bob's being sensible, Nelson's athleticism, and Tommy's humor and clumsiness, hinting at more adventures to come.