were
there, Mom; for I noticed you waving your pocket handkerchief; and I
wager now, you never saw anybody but the Fenton boy who was on the
crew. I say, now, what's all this mean?"

Father, mother, and sister all watching him, Fred had opened the little
packet; and out upon the table rolled three handsome opals, that seemed
to take on all the hues of the rainbow as the light of the evening lamp
fell upon them.

He also unrolled a sheet of paper on which were a few lines in a rather
crabbed hand; which Fred would once have said was just like the
character of the whimsical old maid herself, but which he now knew must
be caused by age.

"Dear Boy:--I want you to accept these few tokens of my esteem, to
know that I shall never forget what you have done to show me how
necessary it always should be to look well before you leap. You
will make me happy by keeping these, and saying nothing about the
folly of

"Your Old Maid Friend,

"Alicia Muster."

"Just to think, she sends me these valuable opals, because I happened
to help prove that Bristles didn't take her gems," Fred said,
wonderingly, as he looked down at the handsome present that had been
given to him.

"Well, I think you earned them," remarked Mrs. Fenton, proudly; "and
when your father hears the whole story, which I have only kept from
telling him because I wanted you to have that pleasure, I'm sure he'll
agree with me. Yes, you ought to be a lawyer, Fred. You are cut out for
a successful one."

"And then to think that he was on the crew that beat those smart
Mechanicsburg fellows," Kate declared, as though to her mind that fact
dwarfed everything else; "but, Fred, they are beginning to talk already
how they mean to get even with Riverport this Fall. You know they had a
fine gymnasium given to them by a rich man, and already they have
started to practice all sorts of track events. I understand they mean
to challenge Riverport to a meet; and having the advantage of that
gymnasium, they expect to pay us back for the times we've beaten them."

"Oh! they do, eh?" remarked Fred, as though not greatly worried; "well,
there will be two who must have a say in that, Riverport as well as
Mechanicsburg. Perhaps they may turn out to have the better all-'round
athletes; time will tell."

And time did tell; for the proposed athletic meet came to pass in the
Fall. What stirring things happened along about that time, as well as
the inspirin