"If you catch your coat don't think it's the dead man's hand grabbing you, will you?" "Darn you, Hickey," said Legs, "if you don't shut up I'll quit." "Sh-h--good-bye, old man." "Hurry up!" In the crawling, howling darkness Legs waited, holding the skeleton at arm's length, trembling like a leaf, listening tensely for a sound, vowing that if he ever got safely back into his bed he would never break another law of the school. At the moment when his courage was wavering, he heard the muffled, slipping tread of Macnooder returning. He drew a long comfortable breath, threw one leg nonchalantly over the back of a near-by seat and clasped the skeleton in an affectionate embrace. "Hist--Legs." The lantern flashed upon him. Legs yawned a bored, tranquil yawn. "Is that you, Doc?" "Were you scared?" "Of what?" "Say, you've got nerve for a youngster," said Macnooder admiringly. "Honestly, how did it feel hugging old Bonesy, all alone there in the dark?" "You know, I rather liked it," said Legs with a drawl. "I tried to imagine what it would be like to see a ghost. Only, I could hardly keep awake. Good Lord! what's that?" The coil of rope descending had brushed against his face and the start which he gave completely destroyed the effect of his narrative. Macnooder, seizing the rope, made it fast to the skeleton. Then, producing a large pasteboard from under his sweater, he attached it to a foot so that it would display to the morrow's audience the inscription, TABBY. He gave two quick tugs, and the skeleton slowly ascended, twisting and turning in unnatural, white gyrations, throwing grotesque shadows against the ceiling. "Now, let's get up to see Hickey come out," said Macnooder with a chuckle. "He's a sight." Ten minutes later, as they waited expectantly, listening at the opening of the narrow passage, a sneeze resounded. "What's that?" exclaimed Legs, whose nerves were tense. "That's Hickey," said Macnooder with a chuckle. "He'll be along in a minute. He's scattering red pepper after him so no one can crawl in to get the skeleton down. Gee! he must have swallowed half of it." A succession of sneezes resounded, and then with a scramble an unrecognisable form shot out of the opening, covered with cobwebs and the accumulated dust of years. "For heaven's sake, Hickey, stop sneezing!" cried Macnooder in tremor. "You'll get us pinched." "I--I--can't help it," returned Hickey between sneezes. "Great idea of yours--red pepper!" "Just think of the fellow that goes in after you," said Macnooder, "and stop sneezing." "It's in my eyes, down my throat, everywhere!" said Hickey helplessly. They got him out of the building and down by the pond where he plunged his head gratefully into the cooling waters. Then they slapped the dust from him and rubbed the cobwebs out of his hair, until he begged for mercy. "Never mind, Hickey," said Macnooder helpfully, "just think of Tabby when he comes in to-morrow."