Darrin.

"Thank you! I'll go right up and take the advertisement out at once."

As though afraid that her courage might fail her, if she delayed, Mrs.
Dexter turned and walked rapidly back in the direction whence she had
just come.

"There flies a pot of money out of Dexter's window!" grinned Dave.

"I'm far from being sorry," returned Prescott.

Though neither boy had paid any heed to the fact a cab had moved slowly
down Main Street past them while Mrs. Dexter was talking. The curtains
were drawn just enough to make the interior of the vehicle a black
shadow. Lolling on the back seat, with one curtain adjusted just so that
he could look out sufficiently, sat a man, disguised somewhat, though
none the less Abner Dexter.

"My wife has been up to the 'Blade' office and has put an advertisement
in," muttered Dexter. "Now, she's talking to those two meddlesome boys.
About me, I wonder? Blazes! There she is, turning about again. I wonder
if she's going back to take that advertisement out?"

The cab turned a corner. Then, on directions from inside, the driver
moved his horses along at a brisk trot. The same cab was passing near
the "Blade" office when Mrs. Dexter went there for a second time.

The next morning Ab. Dexter and Driggs unfolded a copy of the "Blade"
between them.

"I've got a misgiving that we won't find the advertisement," muttered
Dexter gloomily. "No, sir. It isn't here, Driggs. Hang the woman, and
twenty times hang those meddling youngsters! Driggs, I never shall win
while those confounded boys are loose in Gridley!"

"We'll take real care of 'em this time," muttered Driggs, with an oath.

"We will!" confirmed Dexter. "We'll stop their troubling us!"

CHAPTER XXII

TRICKED INTO BAD COMPANY

The heads of fifty eighth grade pupils were bent over as many broad
volumes on geography. It was study period; recitation would be called in
five minutes.

Old Dut looked up from a report blank over which he had been poring, to
shoot out this question:

"Why doesn't the tide rise and fall in inland rivers?"

It was a habit of Old Dut's to throw out questions like this in study
time, for the purpose of waking up some of the intellects that needed
rousing.

"Master Holmes, you may answer that," proclaimed the principal.

Greg started out of a brown study at hearing his name spoken. He had a
vague recollection of having heard a question asked. But his mind was
still far away, so he did not rea