up and attempted to fulfil their
expectations but he never was quite sure what he said, although he knew
that they cheered and yelled and that presently he sat down. Within a
few minutes Coach Murray brought the banquet to a close and they all
went out to watch the celebration which was already well under way.

The band that had done almost continuous service during the afternoon
had been retained and was now engaged in booming out--somewhat raucously
and discordantly but nevertheless effectively--the Ridgley songs,
principally the Ridgley victory song. Above the din sounded the _boom_,
_boom_ of the bass drum--not always in time with the music--and the
members of the team discovered that Snubby Turner had persuaded the
"artist" who wielded the padded sticks to relinquish his noise-producing
instruments and that Snubby, at the head of the band, was drumming away
to his heart's content and every few seconds giving voice to a yell that
expressed his supreme happiness in the outcome of the afternoon's
struggle. Every one laughed at Snubby and felt himself inspired by the
example to yell louder and contribute with more abandon to the
demonstration around the fire.

As Teeny-bits looked at Snubby, he said to himself again that it was
impossible that this genial and loyal son of Ridgley was guilty of
stealing from members of the school or being in any way connected with
the incidents that had contributed to his own former unhappiness. He
made up his mind that he would, within the next twenty-four hours, have
a talk with Snubby and attempt to arrive at an explanation of the
mysterious events which were still puzzling his mind.

Until midnight the red sparks mounted above the tops of the Ridgley
maples,--mounted until they seemed to join with the stars that on this
crisp autumn night looked down from clear skies upon the scene of
revelry.

Only two members of Ridgley School were absent from the celebration and
no one at the time missed them,--Tracey Campbell, substitute left
half-back of the football team, and Bassett, the self-named Western
Whirlwind.

Parades and speeches and cheering, torchlight wavering against the white
buildings, huge banners held aloft with the stirring figures, 20 to 14,
emblazoned in red upon them, and then gradually as the night grew old, a
lessening of sound and a dimming of light,--that was the way of
Ridgley's festivity. Finally the members of the school made their way
back to the white dormi