cried Ben, running to the window to gaze out. "What a
fine day to go nutting, if we could get away."

"Nothing but lessons to-day, Ben," answered Dave. He was bending down,
looking under the bed. "Has anybody seen my shoes?" he continued,
looking from one to another.

"I haven't seen them," answered Roger. He bent down to get out his own
foot coverings. "Hello, my shoes are gone, too!" he cried.

"So are mine!" exclaimed Plum.

"And mine!" came quickly from several of the other boys.

"Did anybody put them in the closets?" asked Dave.

"If they did, they are not here now," answered Ben, who had entered one
of the closets to look.

A hasty search was made, the boys looking into every place they could
think of,--but all to no purpose. Every shoe, every boot, and every
slipper belonging to them had disappeared.

CHAPTER XIII

IN WHICH SOME SHOES ARE MISSING

"What do you think of it?"

"Who took them?"

"We can't go downstairs in our bare feet."

Such were some of the remarks made, as the lads of dormitories Nos. 11
and 12 looked at each other. The closets had been searched thoroughly
but without success.

"See here, if anybody in these rooms hid those shoes, I want to know
it!" demanded Sam, gazing around sharply.

"I hardly think a fellow would hide his own shoes, too," answered Luke.

"He might,--just to hide his own guilt."

"I believe this is the work of some outsider," declared Dave. "Most
likely Nat Poole and his crowd."

"By Jove, Dave, I believe you are right!" exclaimed Phil. "It would be
just like them to do it, if they got the chance."

"Did you say Nat Poole?" queried Shadow, scratching his head
thoughtfully.

"I did. Most likely Nat heard of our feast, and it made him extra sore
to think we were having a good time and he wasn't invited."

"That is true, and I guess----" Shadow stopped short, and a curious look
crossed his face.

"What is it, Shadow? Do you know anything of this?" asked Roger.

"Why, I--er--that is, I had a dream last night," stammered the
story-teller of the school. "Or, maybe it wasn't a dream after all," he
went on, in confusion.

"See here, Shadow, have you been sleep-walking again, and did you make
off with our shoes?" demanded Phil. He remembered only too well how poor
Shadow was addicted to walking in his sleep, and how he had once walked
off with a valuable collection of rare postage stamps belonging to
Doctor Clay.

"I--I don't think so," sta