rying to play tricks on
Jack Sheldon," said Billy, "and I won't be such a chump again."

"Some one else thinks the same way," said Jack quietly to Arthur.

"What do you mean by that, Jack?" the other boy asked.

"I'll tell you to-morrow if you don't hear of it in the meantime," Jack
answered, and then the lights went down as a warning that they would
presently go out entirely, and the boys all made haste to get to bed.

The next day when the boys came down Arthur and Harry happened to come
upon Herring and Merritt unexpectedly, the two bullies not seeing them,
and heard Merritt say angrily:

"Huh! that was a pretty hazing scheme you got up on Jack Sheldon, Pete
Herring. I got the worst of it."

"You didn't get it any worse than I did," snarled Herring, "but never
mind, I'll get even with him yet."

"What are you two ruffians talking about now?" asked Arthur, and the two
bullies quickly went away.

Later Arthur saw Jack, and said:

"Did Herring and those other sneaks try to haze you, Jack?"

"Yes," said Jack, smiling. "How did you hear of it?"

"They were talking it over when Hal and I came upon them unexpectedly.
I imagine from what was said that it did not work very well."

"No, it did not and now that it has partly come out. I'll tell you about
it, as I promised."

CHAPTER VII

A TOUCH OF EXCITEMENT

One morning in the second week of school, Bucephalus, the coachman,
assistant cook, head waiter, butler and general factotum of the Hilltop
institution, quite astonished the boys by a bit of news he brought and
gave them a touch of excitement they had never expected.

Bucephalus waited on the table at breakfast and then went to the station
at the foot of the hill and brought back the mail, delivering it some
little time before the morning session began.

This morning when the boys came to get their letters the general
factotum said excitedly:

"I done pring de letters, what dey was of dem dis mo'nin' but ef dey was
any come las' night yo' won' get 'em 'cause de post-office was
buglariously entahed some time in de night an' letters an' stamps an'
money done took o't."

"The post-office robbed?" cried the boys as Bucephalus began
distributing the letters he had in his pouch.

"Yas'r an' de station an' de spress office an' mo' dan dat de
post-office on de river was visited, too, in de same buglarious fashion
an' a big lot o' pussonal property misappropriated by de nocturnal
malefactors. Dey