boy was now walking on again. Of course he knew nothing
about the character of the elusive paper, save that it had played him a
little trick. They could hear him whistling again in his loud way as
though he had already forgotten the circumstance.

"Hang the luck!" complained Carl, when he felt that it was safe to let
a little of the compressed steam escape through the safety valve of his
voice.

"That was a rough deal, all right," admitted Tom. "Who would have
dreamed such a blast could sweep down and take that paper off? Too bad
you had all your work for nothing, Carl."

"Oh! the work didn't amount to much," said the other boy, despondently;
"but after hoping for such great things through our plan it's hard to
feel that you're up in the air as bad as ever."

"We might try it all over again some time, after Dock's kind of
forgotten about this happening," suggested Tom. "But if he kept on
seeing loose papers every little while he might get suspicious about
it. Perhaps we can think up another plan that will have the earmarks of
success about it."

"I never thought the river would play me such a trick," said Carl,
looking out on the moving water; "up to now I've had a sort of friendly
feeling for the old stream, but after this I'll be apt to look on it as
an unprincipled foe."

"Oh! I wouldn't say that," urged Tom, always practical; "the river
wasn't to blame at all. And that gust of wind would have come whether
we thought to place our bait on the road or not. I'd call it a piece of
hard luck, and let it go at that."

"We couldn't do anything, Tom, now our paper's gone off on the
current?"

"Oh well," replied the other purposely allowing himself to grow
humorous so as to cause Carl to forget the keen bitterness of his
disappointment; "perhaps if we went fishing to-morrow below here we
might take the trout that would have your paper tucked away in his
little tummy."

"That's right, Tom," the other added; "we've read some thrilling yarns
about jewels being recovered that way; and I remember that even a gold
watch was said to have been found, still running inside a fish after
many moons."

"Yes, they tried to explain that phenomenon in a lot of ways, but I
guess it must have been meant for a joke, just as my idea was."

"It's all over for to-night then?"

"Yes, let's go home," replied Tom. "We have lots to talk over and do,
too. Before long the exams will be coming on, and we want to pass with
honors if we e