claimed Mosher miserably. "Just watch me
catch it when he gets home."

"Well," Silvey snapped, still angry as the others gathered around the
infant, "I told him to keep out of the cucumber basket. What did he
throw at me for?"

The wails continued. Skinny bent anxiously over his brother. "Come,
buddy," he coaxed. "You're not hurt badly."

"W-a-a-a-h!" The boys began to feel alarmed.

"Where did he hit you?"

"W-a-a-a-h!"

Silvey looked down remorsefully. "Here, kid, here's some cucumbers. You
can hit me as hard as you want and get even."

"W-a-a-a-h!"

Once more, Mosher tried to assuage his brother's grief. "Look at the
funny man who's coming over to see you. Don't let him find you crying."

The "funny man" proved to be the school physician who was returning from
a professional call. He dropped his medical case on the turf and stooped
over the prostrate urchin, who promptly kicked him in the shins.

The doctor drew back hastily. "What's the matter?" he queried.

"Th-th bad boy hit me."

"Which one?"

A grimy, tear streaked hand pointed to Silvey. The medic turned to him.

"Come here, boy," he said majestically.

Instead, Silvey beat a hasty retreat to the railroad tracks. There, from
the summit of the embankment, he heaped abuse on the inoffensive figure
with the little black case.

"Smarty, smarty, smart-e-e-e!" he shrilled. "Johnny made a monkey of
you. Johnny made a monkey of you!"

The ex-members of the armies snickered. Still the shouts continued. The
doctor flushed a deep scarlet. To retreat in the face of the taunts
seemed cowardly--to remain was rapidly becoming insufferable.

"Tell your friend he'd better keep quiet," he said in futile anger.
Silvey interpreted the gesture which accompanied the ultimatum.

"Come on and make me quit," he chanted. "Johnny made a monkey of you and
I can, to-o-o!"

The physician grinned sheepishly and took a few swift strides after the
dancing figure. Silvey waited until he was almost at the wire railroad
fence, and retreated to one of the back yards on the opposite side of
the embankment. As the doctor retraced his steps to the sidewalk, the
boys gazed thoughtfully at the depleted supply of ammunition. John
turned to Skinny Mosher.

"Take that kid away before he gets us into more trouble. He's always
spoiling our fun, anyway. What'll we do now."

"Let's go over to the street and get chased," Perry Alford suggested, as
Skinny started towards home with h