BAFFLED.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 177, 28 July 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

BAFFLED.

(By CLARE HENDREN, age 14, Grecnhithe.) The. prefect turned out the lights and left the dormitory. Scarcely had the souitd of his footsteps died away than every boy sat up in ted and began to whimper. "Who will win tbe cricket match tomorrow afternoon?" whispered one boy. "St. Gregory's, of course," came answering whispers, full of excitement. "Oh, I say," gasped a boy suddenly. "You know, old Walters told me the other day that if I didn't find my atlas or buy a new one before to-morrow's geography lesson lie would keep me in inst of letting me play in the match to-morrow afternoon. Well, to-day I went into the village and bought one. Coming back I found that I had forgotten something. I left the atlas under a bush, went back to the village, and coming home forgot the book. Oh, what a duffer I am!" "You are," was the candid agreement. "You'll have to get it to-night>, old man. There won't be time in the morning, and we sinaply can't do without you in the match to-morrow," said a bov. "I'll come with you," he added.

''So thanks, 111 go by myself," answered Collins, as he got out of bed. He dressed quietly, and, climbing to the window-sill, went slowly and cautiously down the fire escape. Arriving at tlie bottom, he sped silently across the playground, keeping close to shadowed objects, until he reached a tree that grew beside the high fence bordering the school grounds. In a few seconds he had clambered up, dropped to the other fcide, and was running swiftly along the white ribbon of road that led to the village. Ten minutes' running brought him to tho bush under which he bad left his atlas.

With a sigh of relief ho picked it up and put it in his pocket. Turning round he saw to his uneasiness a man about ten yards up the road.

Collins started to ran. He did not want the fellow, whoever he was, to see him climbing up the school wall. To his surprise the man began to run too. Collins ran harder. So did the man. Clancing over his houlder he saw, to his horror, that the man was gaining rapidly on him.

The next moment a hand grasped his collar. Collins wrenched himself free and ran on. Again he was grasped, this time by the coat-tail. "What are you doing here?" asked a well-known voice. "The Head!" gasped Collins. He tugged and struggled wildly from the restraining hand. There was a rending of cloth, and next moment he was free. Running on, he soon reached the school, minus a coat tail. Ihe Head followed in a more leisurely fashion, knowing that he could easilv identify the culprit by the missing coattail. Next morning when he stalked into the schoolroom, and asked if anyone had lost a coat-tail, every boy in tho*Fourth Form stood up and displayed only one tail to his coat!