new dresses."

"You shall have them, my dear."

"You dear, good man!" cried the fashionable wife; and then the whole
family went in to supper. Bob felt particularly elated. He had gotten
three dollars for spending money and he felt sure that the Bartletts,
including Jack, would have to suffer.

"I wish dad could do something to injure the Thompsons," he said to
himself. "But Mr. Thompson is only a carpenter. I must watch my chance
and get square with Randy on my own account."

CHAPTER IV

RANDY AT HOME

All unmindful of the trouble that had already come to the Bartletts,
and of the trouble Bob Bangs was hatching out for him, Randy divided
the mess of fish with Jack and hurried home.

"See what a fine mess I've got, mother!" he cried, as he entered the
kitchen, where his mother had just started to prepare the evening meal.
"Aren't they real beauties?"

"They are, Randy," answered Mrs. Thompson, and smiled brightly. "Did
Jack do as well?"

"Almost as well as I did, and we divided evenly, because, you see, he
furnished the boat. And, mother, I've found out where we can get a fine
lot of blackberries. If you want me to, I'll go for them to-morrow."

"I wish you would, Randy. Your father loves blackberry pie and
blackberry pudding."

"And so do I."

"I've got time to fry some of these fish for supper," went on Mrs.
Thompson. "And we can have some more to-morrow, too. But I don't think
we can use them all."

"I was thinking we might give Mrs. Gilligan a couple."

"That will be very nice. If you will, take them over at once."

Mrs. Gilligan was a poor Irishwoman who took in washing and ironing for
a living. She was alone in the world and often had a struggle to make
both ends meet.

"Just to look at that now!" she cried, as Randy held up the fish. "Sure
an' ye air a great fisher b'y, Randy, so ye air!"

"I got so many I thought I'd bring you a couple," said our hero.

"Now that's rale kind of ye," answered Mrs. Gilligan, as she dried her
hands and took the fish. "Just loike my Pat used to catch afore he was
kilt on the railroad."

"I caught them this afternoon, so you can be sure they are fresh."

"I'm much obliged to ye, I am indade," said Mrs. Gilligan. She drew a
long breath. "Sure an' the Lord is good to us after all. I was just
afther thinkin' I had nothin' but throuble, whin in comes these iligant
fish."

"Is something wrong?" asked Randy, curiously.

"It's not a great dale, yet it'