Bobby Blake at Rockledge School; or, Winning the Medal of Honor

to his head, came doubtfully up the side porch steps of the Blake house

nd her straw-colored hair was bound in a tight "pug" on top of her long, na

Meena, before the red-haired boy c

isitor, stammeringly. He and Mrs. Blake

," said Meena, who did not wa

as a bad guesser! Somewhere inside the ho

! whoo-whoo

from the roof of the house-and descending very swiftly. Finally there came a deci

out for last s

boy with the red hair, looking

dining-room door, I guess. You not go to trapse

om door. A steady footstep was thumping overhead, ri

ew his own. Only he tripped over a corner of the dining-room rug and bumped

f stairs. The mahogany balustrade was in a single smooth spiral, broken by no ornament.

shouted the

the red-haired boy, grinnin

he Overland Limited! This way! No stop

n the exhaust of the locomotive wa

oo! choo! choo! Ding-

momentum carried the boy around the first curve and to the brink of the second pitch

d the boy on the rail. "All o

! he landed up

gainst you, Bobby?" demanded the red-h

, I'd sure thought they'd flashed a danger signal on me-though t

all rug. It was, however, a good-natured bout, and soon they sat side by sid

To tell the truth, Fred had the "Riley cut," as the boys cal

uick tempered because everybody "picks on them" so! Bobby was quite as boisterous as his chum, but he wa

e, smiling mouth, dancing brown eyes, and an activ

"That's why I stayed home. 'Fraid some of the other fellows would want me to go

can of worms. Found 'em under that pile o

l that old yard so soon?" dete

, and paid him a cent, and my ten glass agates, and two big alleys, and a whole cage-trap full o' rats-five of the

ley's are white rats. You

kly. "Buster thinks he can. And, anyway, it was a goo

I'll find my fish-tackle, and we'll sta

t to see your

I get back in time for supper. And then-she ain't so part

as like that," breathed Fr

confessed Bobby. "There's someth

" demanded his chu

I can't come in. And they look troubled all the time-I see 'em, whe

go down and live in one of those shacks by the canal-like

o at breakfast. So it ain't money. It-it's just like it is before Christmas, don't you know, Fred? When folks are

laimed Fred. "'Tain't yo

rthday, you know

s'pose it c

his head. "But it's something about me. Some

n the shoulder. "Do you suppose they're going

"You see, mother won't hear of that. Your mothe

or a while, I guess," ch

I can't go to boarding scho

ed, "let's get a move on us

by, starting up once more. "Say! h

d tied up. But she's rea

nch, I know," grumbled Bobby. "She always

hen. There the tall, angular Swede cast

up mine kitchen,

take fishing, Meena," sai

to fish mit," declared

glared at him with both light blue eyes and reached for the red

e proceeded to tie the long bandage around her jaws and tied it

ittle," begged Bobby. "We won

while she shuffled into the pantry to get the lunch ready. She did not speak English very

same red bandage about her jaws-even if the family had company to dinner! But in man

boys dared not peek into it while they were under her eye, but t

t-all ears-with that thing t

rabbit with red ea

were nice ham sandwiches, minced eggs with mayonnaise, coo

worse than her bite," sigh

larly nice, eh?" said Fre

n't starve,"

t eat enough to hurt you. If they are half yellow it'll take a lot to hurt you. If they're right green and gnarly, about tw