father, he agreed with
the other that apparently he had been already well punished.

So he stepped over to unfasten the door again.

"I hope this will be a lesson to you, Bud," he remarked, while so doing.

"Oh! it sure will," Bud responded, eagerly, "I'll know better than to
crawl in a window, and let other fellers have the snap of waitin' till
the door's swung open. I'll be mighty careful about that, after this,
give you my word, Paul."

And that was all Bud had learned from his experience. After this he
would let Ted snatch his own chestnuts out of the fire. Small use trying
to show such a chap the real significance of his wrong-doing. Paul did
not try, but opened the basement door.

William and Bobolink hastened to line up on either side. From the
threatening manner in which they swung those terrible looking
instruments of torture over their right shoulders, it seemed as though
they wished to get in one last whack at the enemy before the incident
was called closed.

Bud saw these dread preparations with renewed terror. He had already
experienced several painful connections with those padded clubs, and was
not sighing to renew his acquaintance.

"Please, Paul, call 'em off! Don't let 'em get a chance at me again! I'm
all black an' blue now from tumbling around on the floor, with the
fellers stampin' on me. Boys, have a little mercy, won't you, now?"

William looked at Bobolink. Then they exchanged winks, for it had really
never been their intention to turn loose upon Bud again.

"Well," said Bobolink, "seeing that you've made up your mind to reform
after this, p'raps we might let you off easy, Bud. But the next time you
get caught, oh! but you're going to get it. Better quit that crowd, and
try another tack. Ted and Ward have all the fun, and you fellows take
the drubbings. Think it over, Bud!"

It was not often Bobolink talked like this. It happened, however, that
once upon a time he and Bud had been good friends. That was, of course,
before they reached the parting of the ways, the latter choosing to
throw in his fortunes with the Slavin crowd, because he thought they had
the most fun.

"I'm going to, Bobolink," responded the wretched fellow, a grain of
thankfulness in his voice, "I'm beginning to get my eyes open. P'raps my
dad'll make me promise never to go with Ted again."

But Paul did not believe that Bud had reached the point of seeing the
full evil of his ways. Had he done so he would never ha