ool boys looked ahead.

A woman's scream had caught their ear.

"It's Mrs. Dexter," muttered Hazelton.

"And that rascally husband of hers," added Greg Holmes.

"Some new row, of course," broke in Dan Dalzell.

"It's a shame!" burst from Dick.

"That Dexter fellow ought to be hung," growled Tom Reade. "He's always
bothering that woman, and she's one of the nicest ever. But now he won't
let her alone, just because her grandfather had to die and leave Mrs.
Dexter a lot of money."

The little city of Gridley was quite familiar with the domestic troubles
of the Dexters. The woman was young and pretty, and good-hearted. Abner
Dexter, on the other hand, was good-looking and shiftless. He had
married Jennie Bolton because he believed her family to be wealthy, and
Dexter considered himself too choice for work. But the Bolton money had
all belonged to the grandfather, who, a keen judge of human nature, had
guessed rightly the nature of Abner Dexter and had refused to let him
have any money.

Dexter had left his wife and little daughter some two years before the
opening of this story. Three months before old man Bolton had died,
leaving several hundred thousand dollars to Mrs. Dexter. Then Dexter had
promptly reappeared. But Mrs. Dexter no longer wanted this shiftless,
extravagant man about, and had told him so plainly. Dexter had
threatened to make trouble, and the wife had thereupon gone to court and
had herself appointed sole guardian of her little daughter. At the same
time she had turned some money over to her husband--common report said
ten thousand dollars--on his promise to go away and not bother her
again.

Plainly he had not kept his word. As Dick and his chums glanced down the
quiet side street they saw husband and wife standing facing each other.
The man was scowling, the woman half-tearful, half-defiant. Behind her,
in her left hand, Mrs. Dexter held a small handbag.

"I'd like to be big enough to be able to enjoy the pleasure of thrashing
a fellow like that Dexter!" growled Dave Darrin, his eyes flashing.

"There's a man standing a little way below the pair," announced Dick. "I
wonder what he's doing, for he seems to be watching the couple intently.
I hope he's on Mrs. Dexter's side."

Unconsciously Dick and his friends had halted to watch the proceedings
ahead of them.

"No, I won't," replied Mrs. Dexter sharply, to something that her husband
had said.

Abner Dexter talked rapidly, a black scowl o