aid that there was not, and the boy then knew that the whole
affair had been a hoax and that probably Bucephalus was as innocent of
it as the station agent himself.

"They must have come in here when the doctor was out, switched the barn
line on to this one, and taken my call without Jones knowing anything
about it," he said as he hung up the receiver and went out. "It was a
pretty good plot, but one little blunder will spoil the best of plots."

He said nothing to Percival nor any of his new friends about the matter,
being satisfied to have gotten the best of his enemies without
publishing it, and feeling that he would be safe from further annoyance
for a time at least.

It was said at the supper table that Holt and Haddon were sick from
eating too much, and that Merritt had fallen into the brook and taken
cold, and Jack did not take the trouble to correct the rumors.

Herring was there, looking as well dressed and conceited as usual, and
probably he had more ways of getting over his troubles than the others
had, for he showed no effects of the hazing.

He glared at Jack in a manner that promised future trouble, but the boy
paid no attention to it, and did not mention the affair to any of his
friends, although he knew that they would have liked well enough to hear
of it.

CHAPTER VI

BILLY'S LITTLE JOKE

Billy Manners still had an idea of playing some sort of a joke upon Jack
Sheldon, albeit a good-natured one, and not the kind that Herring and
boys of that ilk would be likely to perpetrate.

Now Billy knew nothing of the hazing that Herring had intended to give
Jack, for the latter had not mentioned it, and as a natural consequence
Herring himself, in view of his failure, had said nothing about it to
any one, not even his own cronies.

The bullies of the Academy never had much to say to the better class of
boys in any event, and in this particular case Billy would not be apt to
hear of the affair of the unsuccessful hazing, Herring and the rest
naturally keeping their own counsel.

Consequently Billy knew nothing about it, but had an idea of his own and
determined to work it entirely upon his own responsibility without
taking any of the other boys into his confidence.

He was a pretty good hand at working a joke, and knew that sometimes,
particularly in carrying out a practical joke, too many cooks spoil the
broth, although there is another aphorism which declares that in a
multitude of councill