ong summer they worked hard, classifying all they
learned and collecting more as one gathers up snow by rolling a
snowball.

Then came the fall, with its frosts of ever increasing heaviness. The
park flowers drooped; baseball failed to drive the cold from chilled
fingers; and lunching in the open had to be abandoned. It was then that
notices were posted in all the tanneries saying that at noon on a
certain day the president of the Coddington Company desired to meet his
men in the vacant room of Factory 2.

Peter's heart beat high!

At last the secret of the reading-room was to be made public!

Would the men like their new quarters, he wondered. What an absurd
speculation! Of course they would.

Yet it was not without some anxiety that, in company with Nat, Peter
made his way to Factory 2 the moment the noon whistle blew on that great
day. A tide of workmen moved hither with him. On every hand they poured
in through the doors and streamed up the stairways. The two boys
followed. Everybody was speculating as to what the president could want.
Then, as the vanguard of the crowd reached the fifth floor, Peter heard
a rush of sound--cheers and cries of surprise. The mystery, so long
guarded, stood revealed!

A lump rose in the lad's throat. The men were pleased, and his father,
who had spent so much time and money on the carrying out of this
project, would consider himself more than repaid for all he had done.
Poor Peter! He almost felt personally responsible that the men should
appreciate his father's kindness. So anxious had he been that had those
hundreds of voices not risen with just the spontaneity they did it would
have broken his heart. But the cheers swelled from the scores of throats
with a heartiness not to be questioned.

Silently he and Nat pushed their way into the crowded room. Far away in
the glow of a blazing fire Peter could see his father, wreathed in
smiles, talking with Mr. Tyler. And it was just at that moment that the
boy remembered about the picture which was to have been purchased and
raised his eyes curiously to the space over the fireplace. To his
chagrin the spot was covered with a piece of green cambric. The picture
his father had promised to buy had not come! For a fraction of a second
Peter sobered with disappointment; then in the excitement of the
cheering he forgot all about it.

In answer to shouts and cheers Mr. Coddington stepped forward and raised
his hand.

There was instant st