lawyer.

During the skating events of the preceding winter, Dick Prescott,
aided by his chums, had saved the life of Ripley, who had gone
through thin ice. However, so haughty a young man as Fred Ripley,
though he had been slightly affected by the brave generosity,
could not quite bring himself to regard Dick as other than an
interloper in High School life.

Ripley had even gone so far as to bribe Tip Scammon, worthless,
profligate son of the honest old janitor of the High School, to
commit a series of robberies from the locker rooms in the school
basement while Dick carried the key as monitor there. The "plunder"
had been found in Dick's own room at home, and the young man had
been suspended from the High School for a while. Thanks, however,
to Laura Bentley and Belle Meade, two girls then freshmen and
now sophs, Tip had been run down. Then the police made Tip confess,
and he was sent away to the penitentiary for a short term. Tip,
however, refused to the last to name his accomplice. Dick knew
that Ripley was the accomplice, but kept his silence, preferring
to fight all his own battles by himself.

So Fred Ripley was now a junior, in good standing as far as scholarship
and school record went.

So far, during this new year, Ripley had managed to smother his
hatred for Dick & Co., especially for Dick himself.

Lessons and recitations on this early December morning went off
as usual. In time the hands of the clock moved around to one
o'clock in the afternoon, at which time the High School closed
for the day.

The partners of Dick & Co. went down the steps of the building
and all soon found their way through the surging crowds of escaped
students. This sextette turned down one of the streets and trudged
along together. At first several of the other High School boys
walked along near them. Finally, however, the crowd thinned away
until only Dick & Co. were together.

"Dan," said Dick, smilingly, "something struck you hard this morning,
when Mr. Cantwell asked us all to bring the music-money on Monday."

"He didn't say exactly 'money,'" retorted Dan Dalzell, quickly.
"What Prin. did say was that each one of us was to bring fifteen
_pennies_."

"Yes, I remember," laughed Dick.

"Now, we couldn't have held that mob when school let out," pursued
Dan. "And now it's too late. But say, if the Prin. had only
sprung that on us _before_ recess-----"

"Well, suppose he had?" interrupted Greg Holmes, a trifl