who was taken with the idea of playing off
a joke. "I will do my part to carry the thing through."

"And I will do mine," said another; and by this time all were willing
to follow the example of Benjamin, their leader. Perhaps all were
afraid to say "No," according to the dictates of conscience, now that
the enterprise was indorsed by one or two of their number. Boys are
too often disposed to go "with the multitude to do evil." They are
often too cowardly to do what they know is right.

The salt marsh, bounding a part of the millpond where their boat lay,
was trampled into a complete quagmire. The boys were accustomed to
fish there at high water, and so many feet, so often treading on the
spot, reduced it to a very soft condition. It was over this miry marsh
that they proposed to build a wharf.

The evening was soon there, and the boys came together on their
rogue's errand. They surveyed the pile of stones, and found it ample
for their purpose, though it looked like a formidable piece of work to
move them.

"Some of them are bigger than two of us can lift," said Fred.

"Then three of us can hitch to and carry them," said Benjamin. "They
must all be worked into a wharf this evening. Let us begin,--there is
no time to lose."

"The largest must go first," said John. "They are capital ones for the
foundation. Come, two or three must take hold of this," at the same
time laying hold of one of the largest.

So they went to work with decided perseverance (the only commendable
thing about the transaction), sometimes three or four of them working
away at one stone, lifting and rolling it along. Benjamin was never
half so zealous in cutting candle-wicks as he was in perpetrating this
censurable act. He was second to no one of the number in cheerful
active service on this occasion.

The evening was not spent when the last stone was carried away, and
the wharf was finished,--a work of art that answered their purpose
very well, though it was not quite so imposing as Commercial Wharf is
now, and was not calculated to receive the cargo of a very large
Liverpool packet.

"What a capital place it makes for fishing!" exclaimed Fred. "It is
worth all it cost for that."

"Perhaps it will cost more than you think for before we get through
with it," said John. "We can tell better about that when the workmen
find their stones among the missing."

"I should like to hear what they will say," responded Benjamin, "when
they discove