The girls understood at once that they might have some trouble to hold
a meeting in the
schoolroom and at the same time prevent the boys from knowing what was
said or done, and they adjourned to the classroom, locking the door
behind them.

"Now tell us all about it, Aggie," said Annie Rich, as she stuffed the
keyhole with paper.
"What is it to be?"

"Did anyone find out from Winny Curtis what the boys think of doing?"
asked Aggie.
"He doesn't know anything about it. Si Kelly won't let him join them
because he said
he would come to our party."

"Jen Hardy, you must try to find out from Tom to-night what they are
going to do, and at
the same time you mustn't whisper to him a word of what we say here,"
and Aggie spoke in a tone of authority warranted by the fact that the
girls looked up to her as their leader. "Now I believe we can shame
those boys so that, whether they come to our party or not, they won't
serve us such a trick again. Here is a letter I have written to Si
Kelly, and each one of you must write the same thing to some other boy,
so that they will all get one. 'Now listen; .I'll read it, and then
eyery one can copy it."

With a look of the most intense satisfaction on her freckled face,
Aggie read: