Was he thinking just then of the coins; or did he have some knowledge of
the practical joke that had been played on old Peleg Growdy?

"Now, tell us what it was, Alan," said Mrs. Stormways, encouragingly.

"Well, perhaps in one way it may have been looked upon as something
humorous, but it annoyed the old man very much. Last Sunday he went out
to let his pigs run loose in the lot, as is his habit. When he pulled
the rope that opened the little door in the back of the pen, he was
astonished to see the queerest lot of porkers dash away that human eyes
had ever beheld."

Karl was snickering by now, showing that he must have some knowledge of
what was to come.

"No two pigs looked alike. The boys had crept into the pen in the night,
with a lantern, and some pots of paint taken from Mr. Rabow's shop, and
painted the whole drove in every color imaginable. One, he said, looked
like the American flag. Another had four legs of different hues; a third
was striped yellow and green, and so it went. Imagine the old man's
amazement as he saw them kicking up their legs, and tearing around like
mad; for the sun had reached the turpentine in the paint, and made it
burn tremendously."

Karl gave a shout, and even Mrs. Stormways could not repress a smile,
though she felt that it was wrong.

"I heard about it from one of the boys, father; I don't want to tell his
name, you see, because it might get him into a scrape," said Karl, as he