ell, I don't know what you'll do,
Toppy," he said, controlling his dismay enough to speak. "Run down and
skin through the fellows' rooms on first floor. Oh, good gracious!" he
groaned, "it's all up with getting it now," as a swarm of boys came
tumbling over the stairs.

So he mixed with them, laughing and talking, and Berry melted off
somewhere. And no one had time to think a syllable of anything but the
great game of tennis to be called at two o'clock, between the two
divisions of Dr. Marks' boys. Some of the team of the St. Andrew's
School, a well-known set of fellows at this sport and terribly hard to
beat, were going to be visitors. So there was unusual excitement.

"What's up, Pepper?" A howl that rose above every other sort of din that
was then in progress, came from Joel's room.

"He's been in here!" Joel plunged out of the doorway, tossing his black,
curly locks, that were always his bane, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"Say, where's Jenk? He's been in my room," he cried, doubling up his
small fists.

"What is it?" cried Jenkins, making as if just coming up the stairs.
"What's all the row about?"

"You've been in my room," shouted Joel in a loud, insistent voice, "and
taken my----" The rest was lost in a babel of voices.

"What? What's gone, Joe?" They all crowded into the small space, and
swarmed all over the room.

"My racket," yelled Joel wrathfully. "Jenk has got it; he better give it
up. Quick now." He pushed up the sleeves of his tennis shirt, and
squared off, glaring at them all, but making the best of his way over
toward Jenk.

That individual, when he saw him coming, thought it better to get behind
some intervening boys. Everybody huddled against everybody else, and it
was impossible to get at the truth.

"See here now, Mother Fox will be after us all if you don't hush up,"
called one boy. "I guess she's coming," which had the desired effect.
All the voices died down except Joel's.

"I don't care," said Joel wrathfully. "I wish she would come. Jenk has
got my racket. He saw me with it before I ran to math; and now it's
gone." All eyes turned to Jenkins.

"Is that so?" A half-dozen hands pushed him into the centre of the
group. "Then you've got to give him fits, Pepper."

"I'm going to," announced Joel, pushing up his sleeves higher yet,
"until he tells where it is. Come on, Jenk." He tossed his head like a
young lion, and squared off.

"I haven't your old racket," declared Jenk, a white