Left End Edwards

nswer is that Steve's father and Tom's father were in the same line of trade, wholesale lumber, and had a few years before fallen out over some business matter. Since that time the two men

But they had been close friends ever since primary school days and, while they reluctantly respected the dictum as to visiting at each other's r

n dulled by time. Both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Hall took active parts in municipal affairs and so were forced to meet often and to even serve together on various

ing the fact in the preceding spring, that Steve was to go to boarding school, that he was sending the boy away to remove him from the questionable association of Tom Hall. But Steve gave little credence to that statement, for he knew that secretly his father thought very well of Tom. The real reason was that Steve had not been making good progress at high school, owing principally to the fac

you propose!" But in the end he, too, capitulated, though with ill-grace, and for a week there were not two busier persons in all Tannersville than Steve and Tom. Steve had taken time by the forelock and had accumulated most of the necessary outfit, but Tom had to attend to all his wants in six weekdays, and there was much scurrying around the shops by the two lads, much hurry and worry and bustle in the Hall mansion. You had to take with you such a lot of silly truck, you see! Or, at least, that is the way Tom put it. The catalogue in

n a night in a sleeping-car, with all its exciting possibilities, begged to be allowed to make their start Monday evening, which would

school opens," grumbled Tom, "and have

tudents will be received any time after Monday noon. I'm not going to have

g the inevitabl

odd situation of two boys who were to travel together side by side taking leave of their parents at opposite ends of the same car developed. Tannersville is not a large town and those who were on the platfo

eve as he met Tom where their bag

tired?" agreed the other.

ocket and drew out a carefully folded and v

r. I guess that will do, though. The only things we have to pay f

d, his eyes grew large and round and his gaze set, Tom fidgetted mightily and persons in nearby seats, sensing the tragedy, grinned in heartless amusement. Then, at last, the precious envelope came to light f

cast on your own resources is at once blissfully uplifting and breathtakingly fearsome. Suppose they lost their way in New York? Suppose they were robbed of their tickets or their pocket money? You were always hearing about folks being robbed o

if anyone pinched our money or our tickets we'd just tele

?" asked Tom wit

ot

oney, would they?" Tom objected. "Maybe

ve scathingly. "There aren't any United States

be," Tom replied uneasily. "W

This is a peach of a train; one of the best on the r

ou she

is! I'll ask

eve put the question. The conductor leaned down and took a glance at the flying la

"But he said we were

r than fifty anywhere. Y

ughed Steve. "Where d

get out at Phillipsburg at twelve-twenty-three and get s

teve when the conductor had moved o

which fact occasioned both surprise and dismay. "Seems as tho

have breakfast? I had

ain and see if we can find some

es, and found a seat in the car and settled down to business. They were both frightfully hungry, since excitement had prevented full justice to breakfasts.

o smoke at school," sai

he replied at last. "We can say it's because we're in training, you know. They don'

he fellows did it, you know, I'd better, too. In all the stories about boarding schools I've ever

g or something and it turns out that it was that fellow who did it, you know, and he goes and fesses up to the principal and the principal asks the hero's pardon in class and the captain of the football team comes to him and begs him to play quarter-back or something, which he does, and the school wins

linquish the story-book romance. "Fellows do get wrongly accused of-of things, and they do rescue other

ut of it long before Christmas! If anyone wrongly accuses me of anything you can bet I'll make a kick. You won't see me gett