ul farewell, freshmen. Keep on
with your good work and remember that perseverance conquers everything.
Even the best of friends must part--"

Foster and Will waited to hear no more, but both plunged down the
ladder, but when they had gained the floor below it was to behold Mott
speeding up the lane as if he was "sprinting" for life itself. For a
moment the surprise and consternation of the two freshmen were so
complete that both were speechless.

"Why didn't you take after him, Will?" said Foster, who was the first to
break in upon the awkward silence. "What are you standing here for?"

"No use, Foster," replied Will, shaking his head. "He's got too good a
start. I don't see how he ever got loose."

"Well, he is loose and that's all there is about it. What'll we do
next?"

"Find those canes. They're here, I know they are."

"Just tell me where they are, will you?"

"They won't come to us, that's certain! We've got to look them up. And
if we don't find them pretty soon too it'll be the worse for us."

Will turned as he spoke and once more opened the lid of a piano box that
was standing on the floor near them. The box apparently was filled with
oats and they had inspected it before, but as it had not presented any
appearance of containing the object of their search they had passed it
by and gone on to the loft above.

This time, however, Will thrust his arm deep down into the oats and in a
moment he almost shouted. "Here's something, Foster! Help me clear away
these oats. There's something down in there!"

Foster seized the scoop that was near the improvised oat bin and with
feverish haste threw the oats up on one side and then said exultantly,
"Here's something! Here they are!"

Leaning over the box, he drew forth a bundle of canes carefully tied
together and partly hidden from sight beneath the oats.

"Are they all there?" demanded Will in a hoarse whisper. He hastily
inspected the bundle and then exclaimed, "Here's only a part of them,
Foster!"

"Where some are it's likely there are more," and Will at once resumed
his search. His efforts were speedily rewarded by the discovery of
another bundle similar to the one that had already been found, and,
dropping his scoop, he hastily began to count the canes.

"Here they are!" he exclaimed joyfully. "Every last one of them is
here!"

"Then the sophs must have been to both places where we had them."

"Yes, but it's all the better for us. We'll now be--"