g before Aleck came in to dress. It was late and he was
in a hurry, for he knew he had a rival, a man named Jim Johnson, and
he did not want Johnson to get to the widow's home ahead of him. He
washed up and donned his clothing with rapidity, and never noticed
that anything was wrong with the coat.

"Now, Sam, you fix his necktie for him," whispered Tom, who, with his
younger brother, was lying in wait outside the house. "Tell him it
doesn't set just straight."

Sam understood, and as soon as Aleck appeared he sauntered up side by
side with Tom.

"Hullo, Aleck, going to see your best girl?" he said pleasantly.

"I'se gwine to make a little call, dat's all."

"He's after the widow Taylor," put in Tom. "He knows she's got ten
thousand or so in the bank."

"Massa Tom, you dun quit yo' foolin'," expostulated Aleck.

"If you are going to make a society call you want your necktie on
straight," said Sam. "It's a fine tie, but it's no good the way you
have it tied. Here, let me fix it," and he pulled the tie loose.

"I did hab a lot ob trubble wid dat tie," agreed the colored man.

"It's too far around," went on Sam, and gave the tie a jerk, first one
way and another. Then he began to tie it, shoving Aleck again as he
did so.

In the meantime Tom had gotten behind the colored man and was blowing
up the rubber rabbit. As the rubber expanded Aleck's coat went up with
it, until it looked as if the man was humpbacked. Then Tom fastened
the hose, so the wind could not get out of it. Next the youth brought
out a bit of chalk and in big letters wrote on the black coat as
follows:

I have got to HUMP to catch the widow.

"Now your tie is something like," declared Sam, after a wink from Tom.
"It outshines everything I ever saw."

"I'se got to be a going," answered Aleck. "Much obliged."

"Now, Aleck, hump yourself and you'll get the widow sure along with
her fourteen children."

"She ain't got but two children," returned the colored man, and
hurried away. His appearance, with the hump on his back and the sign,
caused both the Rovers to burst out laughing.

"Come on, I've got to see the end of this," said Tom, and led the way
by a side path to the Widow Taylor's cottage. This was a short cut,
but Aleck would not take it, because of the briar bushes and the dust.
As the boys were in their knockaround suits they did not mind this.

The widow's cottage was a tumbled down affair on a side street of
Dexter's Corners. A st