Anything startling?" asked Tom.

"No; but it is something you and Dave will both like."

"Tell us what it is. We give it up, don't we, Dave?"

"Grace Bernard is going to have a party--a birthday party."

"A party?" echoed Dave. "Who told you?"

"My sister Annie just came from Mr. Bernard's and said so."

"When is it to be?" chimed in both boys eagerly.

"Next Thursday evening," answered their informant.

"Well, that strikes me about right," replied Tom, with evident pleasure
at the prospect. "How old is Grace, I wonder?"

"She will be sixteen next Thursday," returned Matthew.

"I'm glad some one has life enough to wake us up a little. I'm hungry
for a 'racket,'" put in Dave. "The evenings are getting long, and it is
too cold to rove about much. Three cheers, I say, for Grace Bernard! I
speak for the first waltz with her."

The cheers were given with a will, for the mere mention of a party, the
first one of the season, was sufficient to make the boys enthusiastic.

"I wonder who will be invited," said Matthew; and then added, with a
scowl, "well, I don't care who is if Fred Worthington only gets left; _I
hate him_. He tries to push himself ahead too much for a fellow in his
circumstances, and since he has gone into John Rexford's store he is
worse than ever."

"I don't know why he should not be invited as well as any of us," said
Dave Farrington. "He is certainly one of the smartest boys in the
village, both at his books and at whatever else he undertakes; and the
fact that his father is a poor man ought not to be against him;" then,
with a sly wink at Tom, he added, "and you may be certain he won't be
overlooked, for he and Nellie Dutton are getting to be very good
friends, and of course Grace Bernard will ask him on her account, if for
no other reason."

Now Matthew liked Nellie Dutton himself, and like most rich boys (his
father was a retired sea captain and president of the Mapleton National
Bank), could ill bear the deprivation of anything which his fancy
craved. Therefore the thought that a poor fellow, like Fred Worthington,
might come between him and the object of his fancy was exceedingly
disagreeable.

This was one reason why he "hated" Fred; the other was, he could not
lord it over him, as he did over most of the Mapleton boys, for Fred had
a will of his own, as well as a perfect physical development, which
convinced Matthew, bully as he was, that it would not be well to grapple
with him.