he move an instant too soon. Some thirty bricks fell to the
sidewalk with a great clatter. Among them landed a heavy hod.

"My! But that was a close shave!" quivered the boy. "A second or two
later and my head would have been split open!"

He darted out, but did not stop until he had reached the middle of the
road.

"Hey!" Prescott shouted up to the top of the building, but no one
answered.

"Be careful, up there, where you dump your bricks!" called Dick once
more.

A customer coming out of a store next door caught sight of the bricks
and the hod.

"What's the matter, Prescott?" called the man.

"Some workman was careless, and let that hod and all the bricks fall,"
Dick answered. "I heard them coming, and got in out of the shower just
in time."

"No workman did that," muttered the man, after staring in bewilderment
for a moment. "The men are all off, getting their dinner."

"Then who could have done it?" Dick wanted to know.

"Humph! If you have any enemies, Prescott, I'd say that trick was done
by some one who didn't care how badly you were hurt."

"Oh, nonsense!" rejoined Dick. "I don't believe any one hates me badly
enough to do a thing like that."

"Didn't you have some trouble with a couple of men yesterday?"

"Why, yes; but----"

Dick halted suddenly, looking puzzled. Could it be possible, after all,
that this was a "delicate" attention from Ab. Dexter?

For Dexter had no need to be afraid of walking the streets of Gridley.
His wife had refused to procure a warrant for him on the charge of
attempted abduction of Myra. She was unwilling that her child should
bear the disgrace of having a father in prison.

Three other men had drawn close and halted. To them the first man
explained what had happened.

"Come on!" cried one of the newcomers, hastening into the building. "One
of you stay out on the sidewalk; another go to the back of the building.
We'll soon find out whether there's any one in the building."

Dick joined, as the person most interested, in the swift, thorough
search that was made.

No other human being than the searchers, however, was to be found in the
building.

"I don't believe any one threw it at me," said Dick thoughtfully, after
all hands had returned to the street. "The hod must have been left
standing near the edge of the building--perhaps against the top of a
ladder. Then the breeze up there may have jarred it out of place. At any
rate, I'm not hurt, and no harm is do