kled down to the
master," as Riley called it, under the lead of Jack, and they even dared
to laugh slyly at the inseparable "triplets."

The first aim of Pewee and company was to get the better of the master.
They boasted to Jack and Bob that they would fix Mr. Williams some time,
and gave out to the other boys that they knew where the master spent his
evenings, and they knew how to fix him.

When Jack heard of this, he understood it. The teacher had a habit of
spending an evening, now and then, at Dr. Lanham's, and the boys no
doubt intended to play a prank on him in going or coming. There being
now no moonlight, the village streets were very dark, and there was
every opportunity for a trick. Riley's father's house stood next on the
street to Dr. Lanham's; the lots were divided by an alley. This gave the
triplets a good chance to carry out their designs.

But Bob Holliday and Jack, good friends to the teacher, thought that it
would be fun to watch the conspirators and defeat them. So, when they
saw Mr. Williams going to Dr. Lanham's, they stationed themselves in the
dark alley on the side of the street opposite to Riley's and took
observations. Mr. Williams had a habit of leaving Dr. Lanham's at
exactly nine o'clock, and so, just before nine, the three came out of
Riley's yard, and proceeded in the darkness to the fence of Lanham's
dooryard.

Getting the trunk of one of the large shade-trees between him and the
plotters, Jack crept up close enough to guess what they were doing and
to overhear their conversation. Then he came back to Bob.

"They are tying a string across the sidewalk on Lanham's side of the
alley, I believe," whispered Jack, "so as to throw Mr. Williams head
foremost into that mud-hole at the mouth of the alley."

By this time, the three boys had finished their arrangements and
retreated through the gate into the porch of the Riley house, whence
they might keep a lookout for the catastrophe.

"I'm going to cut that string where it goes around the tree," said Bob,
and he crouched low on the ground, got the trunk of the tree between him
and the Riley house, and crept slowly across the street.

"I'll capture the string," said Jack, walking off to the next
cross-street, then running around the block until he came to the back
gate of Lanham's yard, which he entered, running up the walk to the
back door. His knock was answered by Mrs. Lanham.

"Why, Jack, what's the matter?" she asked, seeing him at