He went to the door.

"Here's a letter I forgot to give you," said the mailcarrier. "It got
out of place in my bundle, and I didn't discover it until I was quite
a way up the street."

"That's all right," answered Ned good-naturedly. "From the Board of
Education," he murmured, as he looked at the printing in the upper
left hand corner. "I wonder what they are writing to me about?"

He opened it and drew out a printed circular. As he re-entered the
room where his chums were he gave a cry of delight.

"Listen to this!" he called, and he read:

"'To the pupils of the Cresville Academy. It has been discovered,
at the last moment, that a new heating boiler will be needed in the
school. The tubes of the old one are broken. It has been decided to
replace it at once, and, as it will be necessary to do considerable
work about the building, thereby interfering with the proper
conducting of studies, the school will not open for another month,
or six weeks, depending on the length of time required to install a
new boiler.

"'Therefore pupils will kindly not report on Monday morning, as
originally intended, but will hold themselves in readiness to begin
their school work shortly after the receipt of another circular,
which will be sent out as soon as the building is in proper shape.
The faculty earnestly recommends that all pupils apply themselves