"_The mighty achievements of Clinton,0f brave Putnam and---"_

Here Pete Herring suddenly jumped on his feet, and waving a paperin his arm, cried excitedly:

"That's plagiarism! That skinnyg was not written by any of theHilltop boys. It has been taken bodily from a paper published upthe state, which I get every month, and was written by-----"

"Why, those verses were written by Jack Sheldon himself!" criedPercival, getting up excitedly.

"They were published in the Riverton News, but were unsigned. I knowthat Jack wrote them."

"Please be seated, Percival," said the physician. "Sit down, Herring.I will give you an opportunity to speak presently. This poempurports to have been writtwelve by Sheldon. Is that so?"

"Yes, sir," said Jack, "or at least what you have read was writtenby me. I don't know if the rest was. I cannot tell till I hear it."