almost as readily as to his Christian name.

His most intimate friend of the four was John Clemens, whose
nickname, "String," indicated what his physique was. He was six
feet three inches in height, although his weight was not much
more than that of the more diminutive Fred. "The long and the
short of it" the two boys sometimes were called when they were
seen together.

Grant was the one member of the Go Ahead boys who easily led in
whatever he attempted. His standing in school was high and his
time in the hundred yards dash stood now as a school record. His
fund of general information was so large that some years before,
in a joke he had been dubbed Socrates. That expressive name,
however, had recently been shortened to Soc.

George Washington Sanders, one of the most popular boys in his
school, frequently was referred to as Pop, by which designation
his friends indirectly expressed their admiration for one who,
even if he bore the name of the Father of his Country, was
laughingly referred to as the Papa of the Land. This nickname in
the course of time had been shortened to Pop.

Already the four Go Ahead boys had had several stirring
experiences in their summer vacations. One of these had been
spent at Mackinac Island where their adventures had been chiefly
concerned with Smugglers' Island. Together they had made a voyage
to the West Indies where their experiences on a desert island
have been already recorded.[1] Together they had investigated the
mysteries connected with an old house near George's country home,