s on his shelves, despite his weak if energetic
protests.

"What you shoutin' about, old codger?" demanded one of the three
bullies, as he crammed his pockets with whatever he fancied in the line
of candy; "the water's coming right in and grab all your stock, anyway;
so, what difference does it make if we just lick up a few bites? Mebbe
we'll help get the rest of your stuff out of this, if so be we feels
like workin'. So close your trap now, and let up on that yawp!"

Max and the others heard this sort of talk as they stopped outside the
door of the little candy shop in which, as small lads, they could
remember having spent many a spare penny.

It filled them with indignation, first because they thought a good deal
of the poor old crippled man who made a scant living selling small toys
and candies to the school children; and second on account of the fact
that they knew this set of rowdies of old, having had many disputes
with them in the past.

Their former leader, Ted Shatter, had been missed from his accustomed
haunts for some time now, and it was whispered that he had been sent to
a reform school by his father, who wielded considerable power in
political circles, but could not expect to keep his lawless boy from
arrest if he continued to defy the authorities as he had been doing.

Since then the "gang" had been led by a new recruit, named Ossie Kemp;
and the other two with him were the old offenders, who have appeared
before now in the stories of this series, Amiel Toots and Shack Beggs.

"Back me up, boys," said Max, hastily turning to his three chums, "and
we'll run that crowd out of there in a hurry, or know the reason why."

"We'll stand by you, Max," replied Bandy-legs, quickly.

"You b-b-bet we will," added Toby, aggressively doubling up his fists.

"To the limit!" echoed Steve, stooping down to secure a stout stick his
roving eye chanced to alight upon, and which appealed to his fighting
instincts as just the thing for an emergency like this.

Max immediately pushed straight into the little store, and, as he
expected would be the case, his eyes fell first upon the raiding
bullies, and then the slight figure of the distressed crippled
storekeeper, wringing his hands as he faced complete ruin, between his
inhuman persecutors and the pitiless flood.

At the entrance of a new lot of boys the poor old man gave a cry of
despair, as though he believed that this would complete his misfortune;
then as he