pepper!" the boys exclaimed.

Miss Laura sat down on a flat rock, and looked at them with a very
pale face. "Oh, boys," she said, "why did you make those dogs
fight? It is so cruel. They were playing happily till you set them on
each other. Just see how they have torn their handsome coats, and
how the blood is dripping from them."

"'Taint my fault," said one of the lads, sullenly. "Jim Jones there
said his dog could lick my dog, and I said he couldn't and he
couldn't, nuther."

"Yes, he could," cried the other boy, "and if you say he couldn't, I'll
smash your head."

The two boys began sidling up to each other with clenched fists,
and a third boy, who had a mischievous face, seized the paper that
had had the pepper in it, and running up to them shook it in their
faces.

There was enough left to put all thoughts of fighting out of their
heads. They began to cough, and choke, and splutter, and finally
found themselves beside the dogs, where the four of them had a
lively time.

The other boys yelled with delight, and pointed their fingers at
them. "A sneezing concert. Thank you, gentlemen. Angcore,
angcore!"

Miss Laura laughed too, she could not help it, and even Billy and I