his neck closely, like some clerical garb.

He opened the other box and took out a silk hat. As he put this on his head
he straightened up and drew his face down in mock seriousness.

"My friends," he sniffled, "you see in me a penitent and reformed man."

"Hold me!" yelled Jem, rolling around on the straw in a paroxysm of
laughter.

"Will it do?" smirked Brady. "Ter-rewly, my friends, I seek only now to
make amends for my wicked, misspent life--a--ah!"

"Wow! Oh, you actor! It's enough to make a cow laugh!"

"Will it work?"

"Work!" chuckled the man Jem. "Why, you'd win over the president of the
college himself."

Bang!

"What was that?" demanded Brady sharply.

Frank was in dismay. In his sleep Bob Upton had groaned, then moved.
Probably, in some nightmare, dreaming he was back among his old tyrant
masters on the farm, he had kicked out his foot, landing heavily on the
floor of the loft.

"Oh, I guess it was the wind rattling some loose timber about the old ruin