oftily, "I'll give that fellow all that's coming his way!"

"They're the right sort of people," confessed Dick. "Fellows, we've all
got to make it our business to see that the Crossleighs are never
bothered again by fellows out for larks. Say, they showed us that
playing a joke with a baby is only a clownish trick, didn't they?"

"I'm going home," announced Hoof. "This little shaver has been out long
enough. It's time he was in his crib."

To this no objection was offered. As Wrecker Lane was near his home he
ran off with the basket, which he tossed into the yard, after which he
overtook his companions.

"What are we going to do, now?" Ben Alvord wanted to know.

"Let's prowl around and see what other Hallowe'eners are doing,"
proposed Dick.

Apparently there was enough going on. The Grammar School boys came
across one party of grown young men who had climbed to the top of a
blacksmith shop and had hoisted a wagon into place on the ridge pole. At
another point they came across a group of High School boys who, with
bricks done up in fancy paper, and with a confectioner's label pasted on
the package, were industriously circulating these sham sweets by tying
the packages to door-knobs, ringing the bells and then hurrying away. In
another part of the town the Grammar School boys came upon a bevy of
schoolgirls engaged in the ancient pastime of "hanging baskets."

In time Dick and the rest of the crowd found themselves down by the
railroad, not far from the railway station. Lights shone out from the
office where the night operator was handling train orders and other
telegrams.

"What can we do here?" demanded Ben Alvord.

"I don't know," returned Dave.

"It's a bad place to play tricks," advised Dick. "Railway people are in
a serious line of business, and they don't stand for much nonsense."

"Green is the night operator, and I don't forget the switching he gave
some of us a year ago," muttered Ben Alvord bitterly.

"What were you doing?" asked Dick.

"Oh, just catching on and off a night freight that was being made up in
the yard."

"And taking a big chance of getting hurt?" asked Dick. "I don't know
that I blame Green much for taking the quickest course he knew of
getting you out of harm's way."

"He had no right to switch us with a stick," insisted Ben.

"You're right he hadn't," spoke up another youngster. "I was there, and
I got some of that switch across my legs, too. Whew! I can feel the
sting yet.