g gym.
shoe," remarked Dave dryly. "How about it, Phil?"

"That's so," answered the shipowner's son.

"I've got the shoe in my closet," growled Nat. "It dropped out when I
was packing the box. I'll get it now."

"No, you don't!" cried Shadow. "You can get the shoe any time. We will
settle the rest of this affair before you leave."

"I--er--I don't understand?" stammered the money-lender's son. "You've
got your shoes back. What more do you want? Can't you stand for a joke?"

"Not that kind of a joke, Nat. You put me in a false light--made
everybody think I had walked off with the shoes in my sleep--and you
made the whole crowd buy new shoes. We ought to make you pay that bill."

"I won't pay a cent! You--you've got the new shoes."

"Well, you've got to settle with me anyway," went on Shadow, firmly.
"You can take your choice of two things. If you won't explain to the
whole crowd how the thing happened, and won't apologize to me, why I'm
going to give you a sound thrashing, that's all."

"Humph!"

"No 'humph' about it. You can take your choice."

"I won't apologize to you, or to anybody."

"Then you'll get a sound thrashing, Nat Poole."

"I am not afraid of you!"

"You won't apologize?"

"No!"

"Very well, then. Remember, I am going to give you the thrashing of your
life the very first chance I get," declared Shadow, and then, without
another word he left the "den," and Dave and Phil went with him.

"Are you going to do what you just said, Shadow?" questioned Phil.

"Indeed I am! I'll teach him that he can't put off his dirty tricks on
me!" declared the sleep-walker.

"When will you meet him?"

"I don't know. I'll lay for him some day when he goes to town."

"He'll keep out of your way most likely," declared Dave.

"Never mind, I'll catch him some time," declared Shadow, grimly.

A little later the missing shoe was returned to Phil. Nat Poole showed
himself only during class hours, and it was plain to see that Shadow's
threat had scared him. He and Bolton talked of "squaring up" with Dave,
Shadow, and the others, but nothing came of the discussion.

"You are not afraid of Hamilton, are you?" asked Bolton of Nat.

"Of course I ain't!" cried the money-lender's son.

"Then why don't you challenge him to a regular fight?"

"Why, I--er--that is, it wouldn't do," stammered Nat. "Shadow would be
just mean enough to let one of the teachers or the doctor hear about it,
and I might be expelled. My fa