themselves were busy behind the barn, building a hut down near the
railway track. There were six of them altogether, the three extra
ones, besides Archie Dunn and the Sullivan boys, having come from
across the railway to play for the day. Two hours before they had
solemnly organised themselves into the "Hut Club," each boy walking
three times around the block blindfolded, and swearing upon his return
to be true to all the rules and regulations of the organisation, which
had been written with chalk on the side of the barn. The regulations
were numerous, but the most important one was that no East Side boys
were to be allowed within the club-room when it was built, and that
the club's policy should be one of warfare against the East Siders on
every occasion when they met. This fight against the East Side was,
indeed, responsible for the organisation of the club. It was felt
necessary to have some head to their forces, and some means of holding
together. So the club was organised, and now the next thing on the
programme was the erection of a hut to serve as a club-house. Archie
Dunn, who had been elected president, volunteered to get three boards
and a hammer if the other boys would each get two boards and some
nails. This proposition was agreed to, and when the boys returned from
their foraging expeditions it was found that there were more than
enough boards to build the hut, so the work began at once. Holes were
dug in the ground, and some posts planted as supports for the
structure, and then the boards were hastily nailed together from post
to post. In three hours the hut was practically completed, and it
remained only to lay a floor until they could hold their first meeting
in the new club-house. The floor itself was down by noon, and the club
then served a memorable dinner to mark the completion of the
structure.

A hole was dug in the ground outside the door, and a furnace made. A