mself; "we do a great deal more
than that."

The girls were excessively pleased over his little slip, and he at
last descended from his lofty pinnacle and humbly begged them not to
tell Aleck.

The M.Ks. had in their turn christened the boys' club the "Great
Noodles," a name in which it was thought Uncle William had a hand.

"_Sounds like boys_," Elsie remarked with much emphasis.

The next day after school, just as the group of boys on the corner
began to separate in various directions, Jim Carter asked, "Have you
fellows thought of anything for Friday night?"

"Ikey has," laughed Carl. "You couldn't guess what he did yesterday."

"Shut up! I'd like to know if you didn't help?" Ikey's strap full of
books swung round in dangerous proximity to his friend's head.

"Full details of the sad occurrence given later," Carl called out as
he ran for his life.

"I don't understand it, do you? I haven't any neighbors to help," Jim
said, as he and Fred Ames walked on together.

"I don't know. I suppose it means _not_ doing things too. Perhaps this
is one thing," and Fred carried to the edge of the sidewalk the skin
of the banana he was peeling, and dropped it on the pile of dust and
dirt which had been swept up by the street cleaner.

"Do you think Mrs. Howard meant silly things like that?"

"Why not? I heard of an old man who slipped on a banana skin and broke
his leg. It would not have seemed silly to him if someone had put it
out of his way. But if she didn't mean such things, what did she mean?
Perhaps you think you are improving the neighborhood." Fred glanced
mischievously at his companion, who held a piece of chalk and was
carelessly making a straggling-white line on everything he passed. Jim
dropped his hand impatiently. "I don't think I'll belong," he said. He
did not quite mean this. He was really curious to see what it would
amount to, but at the same time he was not exactly pleased. He felt
great scorn for what he considered trifles, and had a strong belief in
his right to do as he pleased.

Thursday night of this week happened to be Hallowe'en. Jim, who had
had almost unlimited freedom since his babyhood, had often gone about
with a crowd of boys on this night ringing doorbells, carrying away
door-mats, and turning on water. By the marauders it was looked upon
as a grand frolic, and owners of missing mats and deluged yards might
grumble as they pleased. He had even looked forward to the time when
more da