tries!"

   "Let's stand him on his head and make him tell it backwards!"

   Again there was a rush, but this time poor Shadow took to his heels and rushed up on the piazza, just as the door opened and Mrs. Morr came out to greet the boys.

   "Roger!" exclaimed the lady of the mansion, turning to her son, "what in the world——"

   "Only a little horse-play, Mom," replied the son, with a smile. "We are so glad to see the fellows that we have to let off a little steam."

   "It looked like a fight to me."

   "Oh, nothing like that, Mrs. Morr," said Dave, quickly. "Only fun; isn't that so, fellows?"

   "Of course!" was the quick reply.

   "Have you met Luke and Shadow, Mom?" asked Roger.

   "Yes, about an hour ago. I told them that you had telephoned that you were on the way home, so they said they'd remain out here, watching for you. I showed them what room they were to occupy," added the lady of the mansion.

   "Fine!" cried Roger. "I'll put the car away for the present, and then we'll fix up for dinner and listen to those stories Shadow had to tell."

   "Somebody said Buster Beggs was coming," said Luke.

   "Yes, he'll be here the night before the Fourth."

   Quarter of an hour later found the whole crowd of boys upstairs in the house. In anticipation of the Fourth of July party, as she called it, Mrs. Morr had turned over one wing of the second floor of the big house to the youths. There they could "cut up" to their hearts' content.

   "Say, this is something like old times at Oak Hall!" cried Phil, as the youths gathered in one of the bedrooms and proceeded to distribute themselves in various attitudes on the chairs and the bed. "Somehow, I think we are going to miss that school!"

   "Miss it! Well I guess yes!" answered Dave. "And that puts me in mind of something. I was thinking——"

   "Whoop! Is he going to tell stories, too?"

   "Say, Dave, that act belongs to Shadow."

   "No, I wasn't going to tell a story," answered Dave. 

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