The primary and grammar grades, and the high school, were in beautiful brick buildings side by side at this end of Milton. The little folk had a large play yard, as well as basement recreation rooms for stormy weather. The Parade Ground was not far away, and the municipality of Milton did not ornament the grass plots there with "Keep Off the Grass" signs. No automobiles were allowed through the street where the schools were at the hours when the children were going to or coming from school. Besides, two big policemen--the very tallest men on the force--were stationed at the crossings on either side to guide the school children through the danger zone. However, Tess usually waited for Dot after school so that the smallest Corner House girl should not have to walk home alone. It happened one afternoon during these first few weeks of school, while Tess was waiting with some of her classmates for the smaller girls, that Sammy Pinkney, Iky Goronofsky, and half a dozen other boys of Tess' age, came whooping around from the boys' entrance to the school, chasing a small, disreputable dog that ran zigzag along the street, acting very strangely. "Oh, Tess!" cried Alfredia Blossom, the colored girl, "see those boys chasin' that poor dog. I declar'! ain't they jest the wust--" "Oh, dear me, Alfredia!" urged Tess, gravely, "_do_ remember what Miss Shipman tells you. 'Worst,' not 'wust.'" "I'm gwine to save dat dog!" gasped Alfredia, too disturbed by the circumstances to mind Tess' instructions. She darted out ahead of the boys. Sammy Pinkney yelled at the top of his voice: "Let that dog alone, 'Fredia Blossom! You want to catch hydrophobia?" "Wha' dat?" demanded Alfredia, stopping short and her eyes rolling. "That dog's mad! If he bites you you'll go mad, too," declared Sammy, coming puffing to the spot where the little girls were assembled. At this startling statement some of the girls screamed and ran back into the yard. There they met the smaller girls coming forth, and for a time there was a hullabaloo that nearly deafened everybody on the block. Said Sammy with disgust: "Hoh! if hollerin' did any good, those girls would kill all the mad dogs in the State." As it was, the police officer at the corner used his club to kill the unfortunate little animal that had caused all the excitement. The S. P. C. A. wagon came and got the poor dead dog, and the doctors at the laboratory examined his brain and sent word to the newspapers that the animal had actually been afflicted with rabies. It was a strange dog; nobody knew where it had come from. It had bitten several other dogs in his course as far as the school. Some of these dogs were sent to the pound to be watched; but some foolish owners would not hear of sacrificing their pets for the general good. So, within a fortnight there was a veritable epidemic of rabies among the dogs of Milton.