"It's Dr. Everett," he said promptly, that curious touch of pride
appearing again in his voice. "He lives away up among the
Twenty-thirders, and he goes to Cady's house to doctor, and lots of them
places where the big ones lives. I dunno how he happens to come here."

Mrs. Roberts had never heard the name, but she reflected that she was a
new-comer, and wisely desisted from taking from the glory of Dr. Everett
by admitting that he was not known to all the world. He might be a good
doctor and a philanthropic one; his visits to this region looked like it.

"Do you know where any of the boys in our class live?"

This was her next carefully-worded question. She did not know whether to
hint that she had heard of one who lived in that alley, or whether this
would be considered an insult.

"Well," said Nimble Dick, the sly twinkle coming back to his eyes that the
strangeness of the situation had driven away for a moment, "I calculate
that I know where I live _myself_; sometimes I do, anyhow."

"To be sure!" she said, laughing at his humor. "I should have said, where
any of the others live. Of course you will give me your address, after
being so kind as to see me to--some point where I am acquainted."

She had nearly said a place of safety, but checked herself in time. I am
not sure, though, that Dick would have noticed it; he was lost in
astonishment over the idea of giving anybody his address!

"This is Dirk Colson's house," he said, suddenly, "and he is one of our
fellows."