ly a faint glimmer of light, not more than was
necessary.

Dick went to bed at nine o'clock, as usual. By an effort he succeeded in
keeping awake, feeling that if he once yielded to drowsiness, he should
probably sleep on till morning. At half-past nine all in the house were
abed. It was not till eleven, however, that Dick felt it safe to leave
the house. He dressed himself expeditiously and in silence, occasionally
listening to see if he could detect any sound in the room above, where
his parents slept. Finally he raised the window softly, and jumped out.
He crept out to the road, and swiftly bent his steps toward Mr. Frost's
house.

As this was not more than a third of a mile distant, a very few minutes
sufficed to bring him to his destination. Dick's feelings were not the
most comfortable. Though he repeatedly assured himself that it was only
fun he was engaged in, he felt very much like a burglar about to enter a
house.

Arrived before the farmhouse, he looked cautiously up to the windows,
but could see no light burning.

"The coast is clear," he thought. "I wish it were all over, and I were
on my way home."

Dick had not reconnoitered thoroughly. There was a light burning in a
window at the other end of the house.

The pig-pen was a small, rough, unpainted building, with a yard opening
from it. Around the yard was a stone wall, which prevented the pigs from
making their escape. They were now, as Dick could with difficulty see,
stretched out upon the floor of the pen, asleep.

Dick proceeded to remove a portion of the stones forming the wall. It
was not very easy or agreeable work, the stones being large and heavy.
At length he effected a gap which he thought would be large enough for
the pigs to pass through. He next considered whether it would be better
to disturb the slumbers of the pigs by poking them with a hoe, or wait
and let them find out the avenue of escape in the morning. He finally
decided to stir them up. He accordingly went round to the door and,
seizing a hoe, commenced punching one of the pigs vigorously.

The pig whose slumbers were thus rudely disturbed awoke with a loud
grunt, and probably would have looked astonished and indignant if nature
had given him the power of expressing such emotions.

"Get out, there, you lazy beast," exclaimed Dick.

The pig, as was perhaps only natural under the circumstances, seemed
reluctant to get up, and was by no means backward in grunting his
discont