is head," suggested Joe. "That's the only thing I
can think of. Then it'll slide out."

Hands were outstretched in ready compliance, but Jimmy concluded that
the remedy was worse than the presence of the ice and managed to keep
out of reach.

"Never mind, Jimmy," said Bob consolingly. "It'll melt pretty soon,
anyhow."

"Yes, and it'll be a good thing for Jimmy to grin and bear it," added
Herb brightly. "It's things like that that develop one's character."

"'It's easy enough to be pleasant, when life moves along like a song,
but the man that's worth while, is the man who can smile when
everything's going dead wrong,'" quoted Joe.

Jimmy, not at all comforted by these noble maxims, glared at his
tormentors, and at last Bob came to his relief, and, putting his hand
inside his collar, reached down his back and brought up the piece of
ice, now greatly reduced in size.

"Let's have it," demanded Jimmy, as Bob was about to throw it away.

"What do you want it for?" asked Bob. "I should think you'd seen enough
of it."

"On the same principle that a man likes to look at his aching tooth
after the dentist has pulled it out," grinned Joe.

"Don't give it to him!" exclaimed Herb, edging away out of reach, justly
fearing that he might feel the vengeance of the outraged Jimmy.

"You gave it to him first, so it's his," decided Bob, with the wisdom of
a Solomon, as he handed it over to the victim.

Jimmy took it and started for Herb, but just then Mr. Preston, the
principal of the high school, came along and Jimmy felt compelled to
defer his revenge.

"How are you, boys?" said Mr. Preston, with a smile. "You seem to be
having a good time."

"Jimmy is," returned Herb, and Jimmy covertly shook his fist at him.
"We're making the most of the snow and ice while it lasts."

"Well, I don't think it will last much longer," surmised Mr. Preston, as
he walked along with them. "As a matter of fact, winter is 'lingering in
the lap of spring' a good deal longer than usual this year."

"I suppose you had a pleasant time in Washington?" remarked Joe
inquiringly, referring to a trip from which the principal had returned
only a few days before.

"I did, indeed," was the reply. "To my mind it's the most interesting
city in the country. I've been there a number of times, and yet I always
leave there with regret. There's the Capitol, the noblest building on
this continent and to my mind the finest in the world. Then there's the
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