drew a sigh of relief as the deep voice sounded a sleepy protest.
Minutes passed. His legs became cramped from inaction, yet he dared not
stir. Were his parents asleep? Or was Mrs. Fletcher waiting merely until
some tell-tale noise enabled her to order John senior forth on an
expedition which would result in certain detection? If he had only
avoided that misstep!

Then the kindly fast-mail thundered over the railroad tracks and enabled
the seeker after forbidden pleasures to scurry to the first floor under
cover of the disturbance.

In the hallway, the boy deposited his shoes and tackle very cautiously
on the carpet, and tiptoed over to the unused grate. There he extracted
from behind the gas log a package of sandwiches, surreptitiously
assembled after supper the night before. Then with both hands grasping
the doorknob firmly, he strained upwards, that weight be thrown off the
squeaking hinges as much as possible, and swung the door back, inch by
inch, until the opening permitted a successful exit.

The old cat bounded from her bed on the window ledge with a thud and
mewed plaintively for admittance as he stood with one hand on the screen
door, and fumbled in his pockets. Sinkers, spare hooks, a line with a
nail at one end on which to string possible victims of his skill,
"eats," his dollar watch that he might know when breakfast time came
around--all present and accounted for.

The family pet protested volubly as he blocked her ingress with one foot
and closed the door as slowly and noiselessly as it had swung open. A
moment spent in lacing his shoes, a consoling pat for puss, and he was
off on the dogtrot for Silvey's house, with tackle swinging easily to
and fro in one hand and a noiseless whistle of exultation coming from
half-parted lips which became more and more audible as his rapidly
echoing footsteps increased the distance from home. For he had made good
his escape, the strange fragrance of the cool, early air with its
absence of city smoke went to his head like wine and set his pulses
a-throb with a very joy of living, and five hours, three hundred
glorious minutes, if the excursion were stretched a bit past breakfast
time, of enchanting, tantalizing sport lay before him.

A short distance from the corner, he turned in abruptly at a frame house
which was distinguished from its neighbors by unusually ornate fretwork
about the porch and gables, and tiptoed gently over the struggling grass
on the narrow sid