The Knights of the White Shield / Up-the-Ladder Club Series, Round One Play

rand

Table of

y, lend me yo

ly from the barn into the house. Obtaining the covete

-stick up in your chamb

know I don

nothing, standing

! Yes, you m

minute

of the boys knew you wouldn't let me, but I said you would. I

Charles Pitt Mac

al name and used for

he back window with, and if any buggl

t. In a few minutes he appeared a

, see

what have you done

a chalk shield. "Teacher, of course, must have tim

s let out some fun

s only the

rand m

t want your boy to go that way. Please let me take that old sword abov

, that sword was at the battles of Que

places he had never been in! All this array of names only fired Charlie's ardor. A

ve to dress up in man

firmly. "Don't go out of the

be alon

now it? I may

hree cheers und

asing commotion in

Sid Waters. "You won't be

yes," they

ady for the presid

to furnish his go-cart for the o

first ride

econd," said

r must go behind whil

but all had promised to obey o

knight's-uniform read

rsed various sizes of mild chocolate suns. Each of the other warriors sported a chalk shield, as did Charlie. This was the only thing in common. Other insignia varied in character, color, and size, as much as would those of Chinese, Anglo-Saxon and Zulu troops. Pip Peckham, in his anxiety for distinction, had chalked a shield on each shoulder! The cheapness of the material used would readily permit this, but

ing his turn for a ride. Billy Grimes and Pip Peckham were serving as horses, and soldiers also, pulling along the president and sharing the broom-handle between them. Whether that handle might be a "musket" or a "spear," no one could say. Charlie served as a body-guard, now looking at Aunt Stanshy's window and then glancing in pride at grandsir's sword. Juggie was a color-bearer, and at the same time a color-guard of o

al

by all. Wort retreated from his advanced position and assumed command. "The grand review

t Stanshy or any other spectator should hear the advi

art, which concluded to leave its axle, much to the disgust of the president and t

" Wort shouted

hispering to several old

e, c

dy and sound it when

a fish-horn which he had

arms!" scr

und

, whose foot had been vigoro

resent arms! M

rapidly that only the oldest veterans,

gle!" shouted

y, forward!" Wo

and the color-guard trying to get into place somewhere. Wort vainly endeavored to keep at the head of something or somebody. All this time Juggie was swelling his cheeks and sounding his

do that right," cl

, I

wrong," as

try?" as

" said Sid. "You m

ead to his capsizing. Tony followed Juggie. Billy and Pip still tugged at the go-cart that the president continued to monopolize. Charlie solemnly guarded the precious freight in

om the sidewalk. It was Tommy Keys, a small boy, who had seen a proces

intest suggestion of weakness, and he rushed upon Tommy w

eamont had its boy-clans, those at the lower end of the village being the down-townies, and those at the upper end were designated as up-townies. The club belonged to the up-townies, "the only fit class for gentlemen," Sid had declared The down-townies delighted to hurl all kinds of epithets at the other boys, and these "gentlemen" up-townies could sling titles almost as successfully, and both sides would sometimes give additional flavor to their epithets by means of missiles, even as mothers sometimes season their injunctions to boys with a twig from the old apple-tree in the yard. The club had had no hand in these intestine feuds, but s

Juggie was enthusiastically stimulating by

the enemy made their charge. Sid Waters stepped, or leaped rather, from the "chariot" and ran toward the barn. Away went the "colors" in the hands of Juggie, almost capsizing him, as the tall standard

v. Grimes. "Stand your

e first appeal, and then, in response t

to "rally." But the governor was not discouraged

stick and shrieked, "

to grandsir now turned into a rebel to Charlie. It did what swords will sometimes do; it insisted on mixing up with his chubby legs as he changed his positi

ched the boys, and, seeing the approach of that down-town thunder-cloud, rushed out to meet the storm. Her prowess was witnessed by Simes Badger, who, as a leading village gossip, was loafing away an hour of leisure in a flag-bo

aid Simes

ng a straggling, gray beard, a pair of b

here to be beaten; but Simes had a weakness for "misstatements.") "Well, they neared Water Street, and just then the enemy appeared, a lot of down-townies, yaw, yawl My, didn't those sojers scatter, all but two! I expected them two would be cut up like meat in a sausage-machine, but, turn

c powers unusually fine, pulled a broom out of the stock in a

tle-field? The enemy went down li

ith his broom above the heads of his grinning and gaping auditors, and

Silas, tartly, trying to make a stand against the stagg

, Silas! I was o

ou. If Stanshy Macomber had such rigor in

mes Badger had taken her off at the store! "I'll try

g that this fear existed, Sid Waters and other members of the club, especially the runaways, now ventured several times as far as Water Street, shouting defiance to imaginary enemies behind corners and