Paul. S'pose ye see if ye kin ketch up with 'em, son."

That was all, but as Paul hurried off he was conscious of a strange
feeling deep down in his breast; and he felt sure that after all it had
paid. Peleg Growdy at least had met with the surprise of his life. After
this possibly his ideas of juvenile depravity might undergo a violent
change; for such positive natures as his usually swing from one extreme
to the other, just like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.

Paul did not catch up with his fleeing comrades, for they had secured
too good a start. When he reached the rendezvous, however, he found them
there, one and all, and wondering what could have happened to detain him.

Loud were the expressions of astonishment as he calmly announced that
having been caught in a trap, he had held a face to face talk with Peleg
Growdy himself; when he managed to relate the whole surprising adventure
the boys were stunned at the possible consequences of their little prank.

Those who had considered it only in the light of a joke began to see that
Paul had something deeper in mind when he proposed such a thing.

All the way home Paul was kept busy repeating some of the things he had
said to the irate farmer. It gave those lads something to ponder over
when by themselves. Possibly they had never before realized what a
powerful lever for good such a method of returning a grudge may become.

Paul himself was delighted. Even if nothing more came of it he could look
back to the little adventure with satisfaction such as Ted Slavin and
his cronies might never feel with regard to their prank.