d anybody see him outside the Beaseley cottage all day.
It was a very unhappy Sunday for Janice.

The whole town was abuzz with excitement. There were two usually
inoffensive persons "on the dissecting table," as Walky Dexter called
it--Nelson and Hopewell Drugg. Much had already been said about the
missing coin collection and Nelson Haley's connection with it; so the
second topic of conversation rather overshadowed the schoolmaster's
trouble. It was being repeated all about town that Hopewell Drugg had
been taken home from the dance at the Lake View Inn "roaring drunk."

Monday morning saw Nelson put to the test. Some of the boys gathered on
the corner of High Street near the teacher's lodging, whispering together
and waiting for his appearance. It was said by some that Mr. Haley would
not appear; that he "didn't dare show his head outside the door."

About quarter past eight that morning there were many more people on the
main street of the lakeside village than were usually visible at such an
hour. Especially was there a large number of women, and it was notorious
that on that particular Monday more housewives were late with their
weekly wash than ever before in the annals of Polktown.

"Jefers-pelters!" muttered Walky Dexter, as he urged Josephus into High
Street on his first trip downtown. "What's got ev'rybody? Circus in
town? If so, it must ha' slipped my mind."

"Yep," said Massey, the druggist, at his front door, and whom the
expressman had hailed. "And here comes the procession."

From up the hill came a troop of boys--most of them belonging in the
upper class of the school. Marty was one of them, and in their midst
walked the young schoolmaster!

"I snum!" ejaculated Walky. "I guess that feller ain't got no
friends--oh, no!" and he chuckled.

The druggist scowled. "Boy foolishness. That don't mean nothing."

"He, he, he! It don't, hey?" drawled Walky, chirping to Josephus to
start him. "Wal--mebbe not. But if I was you, and had plate glass
winders like you've got, an' no insurance on 'em, I wouldn't let that
crowd of young rapscallions hear my opinion of Mr. Haley."

Indeed, Marty and his friends had gone much further than passing
resolutions. Nelson was their friend and chum as well as their teacher.
He coached their baseball and football teams, and was the only instructor
in gymnastics they had. The streak of loyalty in the average boy is the
biggest and best thing about him.