riscoe, "I am sorry to say that Justice Lee
wants to see you about a little matter on Hallowe'en. Get your hats and
coats and come along."

An awed hush crept over the eighth grade room after the youngsters had
left.

"I hope," declared Old Dut to his class, "that the young men haven't
been doing anything very wrong."

Under Justice Lee's questioning the five broke down, one after another
and confessed.

"Young men," said Justice Lee severely, "this is a more serious offense
than probably any of you understand. Destroying railway signals is
always likely to lead to destruction of property and even loss of life.
I advise the parents of these young men to explain to them carefully and
earnestly what a criminal thing these boys have done. If any of you
young men are ever brought before me again, on such a charge, I shall
send the offenders to a reformatory, there to remain until they are
twenty-one. For this first offense I trust that the parents will act as
my allies. On this occasion, therefore, I shall let the young men off
with a fine of ten dollars each."

The fines were paid. Ben and his comrades reached school just as the
afternoon session was closing. All five of the culprits were in an
angry, defiant frame of mind.

"Whoop! There's Ben Alvord," shouted one of the eighth grade boys, as
Central Grammar "let out." "Hullo, Ben! What did they do to you?"

"How long you got to go up for, Ben?" jeered another.

The five were quickly surrounded and eagerly questioned.

"That judge was too fresh!" declared Alvord wrathfully. "He called us
criminals, and gave us a fierce scolding. He made our folks pay ten
dollars apiece."

"That don't cost you anything," grinned one of the boys.

"Don't it, though?" Ben demanded angrily. "I had ten dollars and forty
cents saved up for a bicycle. Dad said that, as long as I liked such
expensive amusements, I could just pay the fine out of my bicycle money.
So, now, I've got only forty cents left. And all because some fellows
can't keep their mouths shut!"

"What do you mean by that, Ben?" demanded three or four fellows.

"I mean that Dick Prescott and his gang had to go and blab on us!"
charged Ben Alvord. "There he is, now, the sneak!"

There was a great bobbing of heads. All eyes, and most of them accusing
eyes, were turned on Dick & Co.

CHAPTER XX

DICK'S ACCUSER GETS TWO ANSWERS

Dick took a step forward, his face grave but his eyes steady as he faced
his