Porter, that's the very meanest! I should
think you'd be ashamed of yourself! I should think you'd be ashamed to
look at me!"

"I don't know anything about it," protested Roy earnestly. "I'm awfully
sorry, Harry, honest!"

"Do you think I believe that?" demanded Harry, brushing aside the tears
that would leak out in spite of her. "You did it to get even with me, I
know you did! I don't care what you do to me, but it was cowardly to
kill my poor rabbits!"

"Harry, I give you my word--!"

"I don't want your word! I wouldn't believe you, Roy Porter! You're a
mean, contemptible thing!"

"Oh, very well," said Roy angrily, walking away. "You can think whatever
you like; I don't care!"

But he did care, nevertheless.

After dinner he spent a few minutes in the office, but his
straightforward denial convinced Doctor Emery of his innocence. The
affair remained a mystery, although Chub professed to have no doubts in
the matter.

"Nobody but Horace would think of such a thing," he asserted. "And if
Harry had any sense she'd know it."

But Harry was apparently firmly convinced of Roy's guilt and all he
received from that young lady during the next week was black looks.

Meanwhile an event of much interest to the school was approaching and
the incident of the white rabbits was soon forgotten by it. Every year,
on the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, was held the Cross Country Run.
There was a cup for the individual winner and a cup for the class five
of whose entries finished first. Ferry Hill had developed cross country
running into something of a science. The annual event always awakened
much interest and the rivalry between the four classes was intense.

There were no handicaps, all entries starting together from the steps of
the gymnasium, taking off north-east for three miles to the village of
Carroll, from there to a neighboring settlement called Findlayburg and
so home by the road to the gymnasium, a total distance of six miles. At
Carroll and Findlayburg they were registered by the instructors. In
deference to the cross country event Thanksgiving dinner was postponed
until evening. It was customary for the football players to remain in
training for the run, and this year they had all done so with the
exception of Forrest, Gallup and Burlen, whose weights kept them out of
the contest. No one was prohibited from entering and even the youngest
boy in school was down for the start. One year the junior class had
cap