'"
"It is a conundrum, I know," said Joe; and he leaned his head on his hand
and settled down to think.
Time went slowly to the puzzled boys, for all their fun that day. It seemed
as if "after supper-time" would never come; but it came at last, and Uncle
John came, too, with a shiny skate runner peeping out of his coat pocket.
Uncle John did not delay; he sat down and looked straight into Harry's
eyes.
"Been a good boy today, Hal?"
"Yes--n-o," said Harry, flushing. "I did something Aunt May told me not to
do, because Ned Barnes dared me to. I cannot bear a boy to dare me. What's
that got to do with spelling 'man'?" he added, half to himself.
But Uncle John had turned to Bob.
"Had a good day, my boy?"
"Haven't had fun enough," answered Bob, stoutly. "It is all Joe's fault,
too. We boys wanted the pond to ourselves for one day, and we made up our
minds that when the girls came, we would clear them off But Joe, he----"
"I think this is Joe's to tell," interrupted Uncle John. "How was it, boy?"
"Why," said Joe, "I thought the girls had as much right on the pond as the
boys, so I spoke to one or two of the bigger boys, and they thought so,
too, and we stopped it all.
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