ookside Farm.

"If you want to kill a snake, you don't have to mash it and hurt it,"
he told Tim heatedly. "You like to kill things. Water snakes are
harmless--Sam Layton says so. You cut up that other snake 'fore you
killed it; and you let me find you doing that to a live snake, or
anything else that can feel, and I'll, I'll----"

The bell rang then and Bobby didn't have time to say what he would do.
Tim Roon and Charlie Black walked off toward the school building
ignoring Bobby, and the other boys followed, looking a little ashamed.
They had watched Tim torture the snake without thinking much about
it. If a snake had feelings they had never considered them. And yet
they did not mean to be cruel.

Bobby stayed to bury the dead snake. This made him late, and Miss
Mason scolded him roundly. Bobby took his seat wishing that he could
get even with Tim Roon. That is not a sensible feeling for any one to
have, and it never yet made the boy or girl, or grown-up for that
matter, who had it, either happy or comfortable.

"I know it is a warm afternoon, and I suppose you find it hard to
settle down to work after a summer of play," said Miss Mason, suddenly
looking up from the list of spelling words she was dictating to the
second grade that afternoon, "but I do not see any excuse for this
incessant noise. James Willard, what have you in that bag?"

"Nothing," answered James stolidly.

"Nothing! Nonsense, you couldn't be rattling an empty bag," snapped
Miss Mason. "Bring it to me instantly."

James tramped heavily up the aisle and handed the teacher the bag. It
was empty.

"Then you've eaten the candy," said Miss Mason suspiciously. "You may
stay after school and fill all the inkwells. Now go to your seat."

Meg watched James as he took his seat. While he had been at the desk
she had seen Charlie Black lean over--he sat directly behind
James--and take something from James' seat. It was a large lump of
yellow taffy.

"He can't eat it," thought Meg. "He'll have to wait till after school.
Poor James won't dare say a word."

And James didn't. When he found his candy gone he looked around at
Charlie and scowled, for he guessed Charlie had stolen it, but he did
not dare complain. Charlie grinned pleasantly at him.

"Charles Black, go to the board," directed Miss Mason half an
hour later. "We have just time to go over to-morrow's lesson in
multiplication. Take the figures I give you."

Miss Mason looked impatiently at C