ave.

That afternoon the clan gathered again on the turf beside the shack and
went over the evening's campaign. The new family in the large green
house across the road still had a big swing suspended from the veranda
ceiling. If they didn't remove it, the boys intended to. Sid DuPree
reported that the gate on Otton's back fence could be lifted from its
hinges very easily. It would be great fun to replace the bit of porch
furniture with it. As for doormats, the preoccupied neighborhood doctor
had left his out last Halloween, and could be depended on to do it
again; also, there were the apartment entrances, each with a heavy
rubber mat in front of the stone steps. As for the can-and-string trick,
the frame dwelling where the fat little tailor lived was marked for the
experiment, as were a half dozen others.

"Gee," chuckled Silvey, "don't you wish it was dark now?"

John fingered his pea shooter wistfully.

At last the welcome dusk blotted out the long shadows on the railroad
tracks and the "Tigers" filed stealthily out of the yard to commence the
skirmishing before supper, which always came as a prelude to the more
important evening campaign. They darted up and down steps, rang
doorbells, and raised eery cat-calls which echoed between the houses,
and pelted pedestrians to their hearts' content.

Presently the door of the big green house swung open and threw a shaft
of golden light across the leaf-strewn macadam, over against the Alford
dwelling, which stood opposite. Four white-sheeted figures danced down
the steps and paraded on the walk in front of the home lot, tooting
horns and performing antics in a manner which no set of self-respecting
ghosts ever dreamed of.

"Her kids," John snapped scornfully. "'Member how she chased us out of
the street last Saturday because we were making too much noise with our
tops? Come on!"

They divided silently into two parties. The one slipped across the road
on tiptoe and hugged the shadows of the houses as they advanced, halting
finally under the shelter of an adjacent porch. The other walked boldly
some distance down the walk on the far side of the street, crossed over,
also, and executed a similar maneuver.

Suddenly a pea caught the biggest of the four apparitions on the nose
and caused him to drop his horn to the sidewalk. As he stooped to pick
it up, a volley sent his younger brothers and sister scurrying
porchward, amid cries of "Mamma! Mamma! Mamma!" The "Tigers" yell