y she's a little timid
about boys."

"Needn't be afraid of us, I guess," said Ford Foster, with a benevolent
and protecting expression on his face; while Dab drew a mental picture
of the fair Almira as a sort of up-country copy of Annie Foster. After
the darkness came, and the "sleeper" was turned into a great
travelling-box full of little shaky bedrooms, there was no more talking
to be done, and all the boys were tired enough to go to sleep.

One consequence of their beginning their slumbers so early, however,
was, that they felt bright and fresh when the porter aroused them before
daylight next morning; and they hurriedly dressed themselves for their
ride on what Ford Foster called "the switch."

It was quite a respectable railway, however, and it carried them through
scenery so different from any that Dabney or Dick was accustomed to,
that they lost a good deal of what Joe and Fuz were saying about Dr.
Abiram Brandegee, the learned principal of Grantley Academy. It was of
less importance, perhaps, because they had heard it all before, and had
gathered a curious collection of ideas concerning the man under whose
direction they were to get their new stocks of learning.

"Dab," said Dick, "if it was any fellers but them said it, I'd want to
go home."

"Well, yes," said Dab quietly; "but then, that's just it. You can't
guess when they're telling the truth, and when they ain't."

"Is dar really any fun in lyin', do you s'pose, Dab?"

"Can't say, Dick. Guess there wouldn't be much for you or me."

"Dar's lots ob fun in Ford; an' he tells de truth mos' all de time,
stiddy. So does Frank, jes' a little bit stiddier."

"Ford never lies, Dick."

"No, sir, he don't. But w'en anoder feller's lyin', he kin make believe
he don't know it bes' of any feller I ebber seen."

"Dick," exclaimed Dabney, "what if Dr. Brandegee had heard you say
that!"

"I would tell him I was imitating somebody I had heard," solemnly
responded Dick, with fair correctness.

The ride began in the dark hour that comes before the dawn, and the
train ran fast. The sun was above the horizon, but had not yet peered
over the high hills around Grantley, when the excited schoolboys were
landed at the little station in the outskirts of the village. It was on
a hillside; and they could almost look down upon a large part of the
scene of their "good time coming,"--or their "bad time," a good deal as
they themselves might make it.

Dab and his friends