Tom Slade

Sol

was near the Bennett place he decided to loiter thereabout, partly for the ineffable pleasure of be

thing to eat very much indeed, and he surmised that such a sympathetic fellow as young Mr. Ellsworth wo

indows and wondered what it was all about. Strange that fellows could be e

nd the scouts began to come out. Tom

whipping" was as good as splicing for two strands of rope. One boy insisted that splicing

ping," said another fellow. "The binding would

going to grab that loop, it'll be

nly seven feet, and what was the use of a rope anyway? Then someone said that Pee-wee

in hot pursuit of them, running a little,

wondered how he knew. Then three or four of the Ravens appeared and one said i

o), and he had no notion what "that" meant, but he liked the idea of doing it at mid

t that evening, Tom never knew. The last ones to emerge from the Librar

your dot flares

hat I'm going to sa

ot, let me

n the job as soon

on't say good-night

ou to-

ine, but he thought it had something to do with "dot flares"; in any event, it was so

ntine sign on the Bennett house as he passed. Tom was rather surprised that he noticed it sinc

at if he followed this boy up the hill to an unf

y less than amazed at this for he had thought that his pursuit was not known. When they c

om it, which seemed to be in the shape of a bird. He had a trim figure and stood very straight, and about his neck was a looselyknotted scarf of

following me f

folleri

u a

ollerin' y

you

lyin'?" shouted Tom, advan

ur

owered head and held his clenched fist conveniently ready at his side, but Roy did

me ter han

sure

en, was

thing yo

was a

'll leave ye off," sa

asked, "What do you

cup o'

ng his lip ruminatively,

wagon juggler in this town. You're halfway up the hill now; come

hesi

give you some plum-duff I made and you can have a belt axe

s up

ours sin

de big hous

that ring gets his wrist slapped and two demerits. I let the house stay there on account of my mother and fathe

cout's offhand manner and rather whimsical way of talking took the wind out of his be

don't speak neithe

uck

ohn Temple done it, bu

was

o' day

tion and his companion listen

x weeks. And the best way to get hunk on a fellow that puts you out of a house is just to slee

buddy but poor guy

uys that sleep i

wind gi

all over you

aw hand-out, all right

no use fighti

r w

--as Dan B

-one o' yo

' is scrapping with your job--with

his companion's carriage, and soon entered the spacious grounds of the big old-fashion

be your first sleep outdoors, won't it? If you wake up all of a sudd

undred feet from the house, was a l

at sunset. That's what gives her such rosy cheeks. We'l

m a grocery box. Before the entrance stood two poles and on a rough board across these were painte

strewn about with BOYS' LIFE on their covers. On the central upright was a little shelf with a reflector for t

and he and I are trying out the Morse code; you'll see me hand him one to-night. We're trying it by searchlig

ittle tower with a platform

aytimes for flag work. Here's the searchlight," Roy added, unwrapping it from a piece of canvas. "B

you are. Wait a minute, the lantern's smoking. Never thought what you were up against to-night, did you? You're

w for the fire and then the plum-duff. Don't be afraid of it-you can only die onc

the tent, drew his knees up, and breathed a long, exag

to ask you? Oh, yes; how'd

e sign on Sissy

ha

idn't ye

at

ich guy,

d at him,

over from Hillside ter

a

de sign up fer t

u d

and continued to look curiously at him with the same concentrated gaze with which he would have studied a trail

, thoughtfully; "they m

gone from his face, and s

rich guy?" e

how you something as sure as you're a foot high! You and I are goi