ndows,
or whenever they met on the street. But neither would touch the chairs,
and neighbors grinned every time they passed and saw the chairs still on
the Gordon porch. One night, in November, however, Gordon took the
chairs as far as the middle of the road. An hour later Mose Waterman
slipped out from his unlighted house and carried the chairs back and
into his own house. The neighbors had had their hearty laughs, however.

"Say, I'll bet that's the best thing done to-night," chuckled Toby Ross,
as the "gang" pressed on to new scenes and new laughs.

But it wasn't quite the best thing done that night as later events
showed.

CHAPTER XVII

THE NEWEST TRICK OF ALL

"Here's where old Miss Lowthry lives," muttered Ned Allen, halting
before a gate leading into the grounds surrounding a cosy little
cottage.

"It wouldn't be very manly to do anything to scare lone women, would
it?" demanded Dick.

"She's an old maid," protested Toby.

"That's no crime," insisted Dick.

"She has no use for boys," breathed Ben Alvord, complainingly.

"From some things that boys do, I don't altogether blame her," chuckled
young Prescott.

"And--say! Don't Miss Lowthry hate babies!" grunted Wrecker Lane. "You
remember Fred Porter? His folks used to live in that next house. When
Fred was a baby they say he used to cry something awful. Well, once in
the summer, after Fred had cried every night for a week, and Miss
Lowthry had to hear it all through her open windows, what did she do but
go to the health board and ask that the Porters be ordered to make their
baby stop crying. There was an awful fuss about it, and Miss Lowthry
made some talk about all babies being brats."

"They are not," denied Hoof Sadby indignantly.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," went on Wrecker calmly. "That's
why I have no use for old maids that hate babies. Now, there are some
old maids that are really fine. But Miss Lowthry!"

"Wrecker, you live right near here," murmured Dick suddenly.

"'Course I do."

"Then come aside. I want to whisper something to you."

Then Dick talked in whispers with Wrecker for a few moments. The other
boy was seen by the curious suddenly to double up with laughter. From
that attitude Wrecker recovered, only to start off on the run.

"Say, what is it?" demanded a dozen cautious voices as Dick came back to
the crowd.

"Now, see here, fellows, don't want to know too much. Just stay around
and see what happens,