The Hilltop Boys

rain. There will be sure to be some of the

eady, as he expected several of the young gentlemen to come on the af

oing any more work than he is obliged to. We can ride back w

sting down. Come on, there is the trai

rrounding country, the Hudson River being seen in the distance at the foot of a mountain of considerable height, everything being most distinct in the clear A

advance of the rest to begin the new term, were, in fact, some of the Hilltop Boys as they were called by the people of the town on

pt, selected their own, mounted quickly and set out along the Academy drive to the road leading

of the grade and the numerous stops the two boys had plenty of time to reach the r

s they reached the road, set their brakes and started do

ed Master Dick. He always likes to fetch Dick u

r Dick always g

p, there being a decided drop a few rods in advance and a number of sharp turns

n, in rounding a particularly sharp turn where they had to keep all their wits about t

arry, taking a tighter grip on his

ried Arthur i

et distant at this moment, stood perfectly still and crie

de, both of you and the

e a quick signal to th

left, both whizzing past the boy in the middle of the road wh

room to spare and the wind of the two wheels caused his c

e hill at a tremendous gait and in another were

, with a sigh and a feeling of intense relief. "I made

Lots of fellows would have gone all to pi

do it," Harry went on. "Only for that

of it. That fellow has some nerve. Wonder what he was doing on our road? You can't get anywhere excep

ybe he didn't know

and went on to the little railroad station, hearing the sound o

s and by the people of the town at the foot of the hill, sat on his box as if carved out of black marble and neither looked to the r

ere coming down, Buck?" asked Harry, stepping alongside

on de road, sah. Ah done had 'nuff to do to look aftah mah

rt time it arrived and many of the passengers alighted, among them b

of it. How are you, Billy, how do

comers. "Hope we will have a good crowd this term. Any n

g put on top and behind the coach and then all got inside, Bucephalus objecting when H

rs an' taking up mo' room dan Ah speckerlated on," he

rry. "Not much. There's room for all

f sixteen, strong, well built and sturdy, slyly passing something to the coachman. "

f up the hill for the Academy and Dick at once began to tell

g. Two rough-looking fellows, fruit pickers, and they are not the best men to meet even if they are sober, and these were not, came up and looked rather hostile and threatening. I had considerab

ted. "They must have been pretty husky

k and then the boss happened up and sent them away. The boy went back to his picking and the man gave me directions how to reach the road. I suppose the boy was

ung fellow. It looked as if we would run him down but he stood stock still and with all the nerve in the world, whisked his arm first to the right and then to the le

te that there wasn't

r saw him

doing on the

now. That's what bo

at last stopped in front of the Ac

tanding on the front veranda with a good-

ing forward with the strange boy. "Let me make you acquainte

et on the road," whispered Harry to h

the first picker I

y in a tone of

to co