stead were rattling off
up the road at a great rate.

But when the fact really dawned upon the crowd of boys, there was a roar
of indignant exclamations, and only a very few laughed this time. "After
them!" was the first shout. "Catch them!"--and some said, "Drown 'em!"

Not many were in a condition to make pursuit, however. The perpetrators
of the outrage easily escaped; they were a mile off, indeed, before the
most of the swimmers were dressed.

Poor Enoch was now in bad straits. He and three or four others began
diving for his boots, but failed to bring them up.

Addison was much disturbed. He gave Enoch his undershirt, and another
boy endowed him with a pair of drawers. With these donations, they got
him out of the bushes, and forming a close circle round him, escorted
him barefoot and bareheaded to one of the village stores, where he was
rigged up--on credit--so that he could go home. There was a great deal
of joking, yet the prevalent feeling was one of indignation; and if the
two tricksters had been caught that afternoon, they would have fared
badly, and probably taken a ride on a rail. Altogether, it had been a
bad day for Enoch; but for popular sympathy, he would not only have lost
his "duster," but been obliged to scud home under bare poles.

At sunset we bought crackers and cheese for our supper. Ned and the two
Murch boys were now of our party, but Thomas and Catherine had gone
home. We were but slightly repaid for waiting till evening, however;
only six rockets, five Roman candles and two "pin-wheels" were burned in
the way of fireworks. It was very soon over, although we had been
obliged to wait until a quarter to nine for the exhibition to begin.
Boy-like, however, we would not have missed it for a great deal.

Then came the long ride homeward in the dark, for the night proved
cloudy; but the events of the day furnished us a great deal to talk of,
as old Sol plodded onward,--and there was more to follow.

We had gone about half way home, and were passing a partly wooded tract
on the upper or west side of the highway, when Willis suddenly said,
"What's that thing, hanging down from that tree over the road?"

"I don't see anything," replied Addison.

"I tell you there is!" muttered Willis, excitedly. "Hold on, Ad. Stop."

Addison pulled up.

"Yes, there is something there," Ned said.

I was sure, too, that I could see something different from the branches
and leaves of the tree; there was a ref