ing June."

"Would he be mean enough to do that?" asked Dave.

"I think he would be mean enough for anything," responded Phil. "Oh, I
am not going to stand it!" he cried.

The boys had just come upstairs, after an extra hard session in their
Latin class. All were aroused over the treatment received at the hands
of Job Haskers. He had been harsh and dictatorial to the last degree,
and several times it had looked as if there might be an outbreak.

The next day the outbreak came. Phil sprang up in class and denounced
the unreasonable teacher, and Ben followed. Then Dave and Roger took a
hand, and so did Buster and several others.

"Sit down! Sit down!" cried Job Haskers, growing white in the face.
"Sit down, and keep quiet."

"I won't keep quiet," answered the shipowner's son. "You are treating
us unfairly, Mr. Haskers, and I won't stand for it."

"Neither will I," added Ben.

"Sit down, I tell you!" stormed the instructor.

But none of the students obeyed him, and in a minute more the room was
in an uproar. One of the under-teachers heard it, and quickly sent for
Doctor Clay.

As the master of Oak Hall strode into the classroom there was a pause.
He mounted the platform and put up his hand, and soon all became
quiet.

"Young gentlemen, be seated," he said, in his strict but kindly
fashion, and instantly every student sat down. Then he turned to the
teacher. "Mr. Haskers, what is the trouble?" he asked.

"The trouble is that certain students will not learn their lessons,"
answered Job Haskers, sourly. "I had to take them to task for it."

"Who are those students?"

"Lawrence, Basswood, Porter, Morr, Beggs----"

"That will do for the present. Lawrence, stand up," ordered Doctor
Clay.

Phil did as requested, and the eyes of the entire class were fastened
on the shipowner's son.

"Now, Lawrence, what have you to say for yourself?" went on the
doctor.

In a plain, straightforward manner, Phil told his side of the story.
Several times Job Haskers wanted to interrupt him, but Doctor Clay
would not permit this. Then Ben was questioned, and after that the
master of the school turned to Dave.

"Is your complaint the same, Porter?"

"Yes, sir."

"And yours, Morr?"

"Yes, sir."

"What have you to say, Beggs?"

"The same. The lessons lately have been altogether too hard--we simply
can't get through them. We never had such long lessons before."

"I have given them only the regular lessons," put in Job