ear them until they had all the clothes in their arms
and were running away. As soon as they heard us coming both threw
their coats up over their heads, so we wouldn't recognize them.
They would have gotten away sure only Giant yelled that he would
fire a pistol at them if they didn't stop and then they, got scared
and dropped the clothing in a ditch."

"And who do you think they were?" asked Snap.

"Ham Spink and Carl Dudder."

"Why, they aren't home from boarding school yet!" cried Shep.

"I don't care, that's what I think," said Giant, sturdily. "I know
just how those fellows look and walk. Of course I didn't see their
faces, but I am pretty sure they were Ham and Carl."

"They may have gotten home during the last day or two," said Snap,
slowly, "and it would be just like them to lay around waiting to
play some mean trick on us. If they had gotten off with our clothing
we'd have been in a fine pickle truly!"

"That's right---worse than with the ram," answered the doctor's son,
and then he and Snap told of what had occurred on the other side
of the river.

"Too bad you lost those strawberries," sighed Whopper. "I like
strawberries so much I could eat about-----"

"A million platesful," finished Snap, with a grin.

"No, I was going to say a spoonful or two," said Whopper, and
then Snap groaned.

The boys found two socks, a collar and a necktie missing, and
a long search around failed to bring the articles to light. One
of the undershirts had been knotted up tightly, and Shep had to
"chaw on the beef," as boys call it, to get the knots untied.

"I'd like to know if it really was Ham and Carl," he growled. "If it
was I'll fix them for this new trick of theirs."

"How were they dressed?" asked Snap.

"Each wore a brown suit, kind of yellow brown," answered Whopper.
"I'd know 'em out of a million.

"We'll lay for them, Whopper."

Having donned their clothing, the four boys started back for town.
To get to the road they had to cross a wide pasture, and when
they were in the middle of this they saw a man approaching. The
man carried a heavy cane, which he shook at them.

"Hello, it's Mr. Spink!" cried Snap.

"Come to warn us away, I suppose," grumbled the doctor's son. "Shall
I tell him about what was done to our clothing?"

"No," answered Whopper. "We are not certain it was Ham and Carl."

Mr. Spink was a tall, overbearing man, who dressed almost as loudly
as did his son. He strode up to