s fifteen minutes, and by Sube as half an hour at
the very least, they came up. And their coming was no graceful bobbing
to the surface. It was more like a volcanic upheaval, followed by the
terrific spouting of a horrid two-headed marine monster.

[Illustration]

Piercing shrieks greeted their appearance, followed quickly by the din
and confusion of a panic. The terrified boys brushed the water from
their eyes and gazed in trembling awe at the havoc of which they had
been the innocent cause.

They saw Dr. Mossman pulled down by a pack of frenzied women who
trampled him underfoot as if he had been a doormat, and then fought,
tore, scratched and screamed their way to the door.

Gizzard was the first to speak.

"What is it?" he asked in a voice husky with terror. "S'pose the church
is on fire?"

Sube's teeth chattered violently as he shook his head and managed to
say, "I don't know; but I guess we better be gettin' out of here!"

They had ascended the little steps before they realized that they were
naked. Looking about in brainless bewilderment Gizzard asked,

"Where's our clo's?"

And although Sube knew, he was never able to tell, for at that instant
he saw rising before him like a Phoenix from its ashes the battered
remains of Dr. Mossman. It then became apparent that Sube had lost some
of his contempt for the minister, for he tried to avoid him and jump
hastily back into the water.

But alas, he was too late.

Dr. Mossman seized him with an iron grip and drew his shivering body
across a large pious knee--and for the next few moments forgot all
about his hobby.

When Sube appeared at Sunday School the following day he was nursing a
bad cold.

"Did you catch an'thing 'sides a cold?" asked Gizzard under his breath.

"Not buch I didn't!" returned Sube. "Bud we godt a bystery over to our
house."

"A mystery? What is it?"

"By bother found the Baptis' bidister's overcoat hangin' in our frondt
hall last dight, and dobody in the house could tell her how it godt
there!" Sube punched the grinning Gizzard jovially in the stomach as he
continued, "She hadt me take it to him, but he didn't know how it godt
there either!"

"We got a mystery over to my house, too!" howled Gizzard. "My mother's
been tryin' to figger out how I could lose off my undershirt and one
stockin' without knowin' it!"

When they had sufficiently calmed down the boys passed into Sunday
School, winking knowingly whenever their eyes chanc