s. Wilson appeared. They had arrived at the
station from New York, and heard there the story of the disappearance of
the boys, and of tramps in the house. They hastened to the scene, Mrs.
Wilson almost distracted, and now stood with the rest of the Wilsons and
the Pentzes awaiting the policeman. They heard a cry from above, and
looked up to the veranda.

There were all the boys in a row.

XIII.

A PLACE FOR OSCAR.

"I don't like tiresome fables," said Jack, throwing down an old book in
which he had been trying to read; "it is so ridiculous making the beasts
talk. Of course they never do talk that way, and if they did talk, they
would not be giving that kind of advice But then they never did talk.
Did you ever hear of a beast talking, Ernest, except in a fable?"

Ernest looked up from his book.

"Why, yes," he said decidedly; "the horses of Achilles talked, don't you
remember?"

"Well, that was a kind of fable," said Jack. "Our horses never talked.
Bruno comes near it sometimes. But, Hester, don't you think fables are
tiresome? They always have a moral tagged on!" he continued, appealing
to his older sister; for Ernest proved a poor listener, and was deep in
his book again.

"I will tell you a fable about a boy," said Hester, sitting down with
her work, "and you shall see."

"But don't let the beasts speak," said Jack, "and don't let the boy give
advice!"

"He won't even think of it," said Hester; and she went on.

"Once there was a boy, and his name was Oscar, and he went to a very
good school, where he learned to spell and read very well, and do a few
sums. But when he had learned about as much as that, he took up a new
accomplishment. This was to fling up balls, two at a time, and catch
them in his hands. This he could do wonderfully well; but then a great
many other boys could. He, however, did it at home; he did it on the
sidewalk; he could do it sitting on the very top of a board fence; but
he was most proud of doing it in school hours while the teacher was not
looking. This grew to be his great ambition. He succeeded once or twice,
when she was very busy with a younger class, and once while her back was
turned, and she was at the door receiving a visitor.

"But that did not satisfy him: he wanted to be able to do it when she
was sitting on her regular seat in front of the platform; and every day
he practised, sometimes with one ball and sometimes with another. It
took a great deal of his ti