The Hilltop Boys on the River

out upon the river, no more being said concerning what they

the nurse you saw l

ow the man. He must

cannot make out, though. How di

her. It was evidently not passed from hand to hand as we thought. The girl ha

was who gave you a bad reputation

oined Jack musingly. "

depend upon what he s

say. I have enough fr

faculty, not to

are some of those fellows now l

boat off the railroad dock, and waited till J

to race. We'll meet

to show them you can

hoa

s. "I'll race any one else for the fun of i

nd when they had a good lead, Jack having turned and gone up the river,

uted Billy. "Whoop her up, J.W., a

well, and now, anxious to show off, he shot a

un even if you don't

around, old ma

nything should happen to either Billy or

ts paces, and as Jack turned to follo

anners with a laugh, greatly enjoying the ex

beat anything!"

t us!" snarled Her

came on behind at a swift pace,

'd give a dollar to see young Jesse W. beat tho

he passed Herring and Merritt, and gained a

e the younger boy kept up his speed and increased the lead, Jack followi

r where he could get sight of young Smith, who was going on at

y little Jesse W. Smith, and those fellows claim to have the fa

h his boat, and yet he was ready to race with us just a moment bef

were ashore some little time ahead of him, Jack co

ked Billy in great gle

ore boasting from th

erring, who came up at that moment. "We got out withou

d Billy, while Percival looked

Jack? A poor excuse

d he and Percival wen

by Bucephalus that the doctor wished to see them, and they went at once to th

ntleman who found the

describe i

rn. It was stolen from the house where I live a few weeks ago, and I have been trying to find it ever since. I did succeed in tracing the man whom I suspected of stealing it, but when h

f a bad character anywhere, being well dressed, well spoken

de Jack think he was not what he seemed, and he trie

scribe the w

description of the watch, not omitting the slightest detail, giving the name of the

. "You will know the number of the watch, of course? Persons

be sure. I have it in my pocket-book. The r

ay be exactly alike, but have different numbers. I have not

somewhat impatiently, and all a

seen, talking with the foreign nurse maid on

talked in low, pleasant tones, with a good inflect

such as he had used on the bank of the kill, Jack recogn

k, and read out a number written in pencil, the

asked Jack with a ce

so," the bo

cription is

olut

few minutes ago, and I am perfectly willing t

ent of my having the actual owner of t

ed angrily at the boy

say that I am not--" and then he stopped short, laughed, and sa

orgotten your conversation with Gabrielle this afternoon?" to the man himself. "Well, I have not, nor has my friend, and we both h

inarticulate mutter, and flushed deeply, dashin