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were going to sell any soap.
    Billy returned to his room looking very gloomy indeed. When Miss Pancake saw him, she said, "Goodness gracious, Billy! What is the matter?"
    Billy told Miss Pancake the whole story about the soap.
    "How many boys in the room are on the team?" said Miss Pancake.
    A half dozen hands went up.
    "Who is captain?" she said.
    "Rudy Wilson," replied Billy.
    "You boys stay after school for a meeting," said Miss Pancake. "I'll send word to Rudy."
    Rudy arrived as soon as the class was dismissed.
    "Now," said Miss Pancake to the little boys, "you must work out a way to pay Billy's father the money that you owe him."
    "But what about our football?" asked Rudy.
    "Most of the boys tell me that they don't want to sell the soap," said Miss Pancake. "So you will have to get your football in some other way."
    Just then little Eddie appeared in the open doorway. "What's the matter?" asked Eddie.
    "Are you on the team too?" asked Miss Pan-cake.
    "Yes, ma'am," answered Eddie.
    "No, he isn't," said Rudy.
    "Am," said Eddie and sat down.
    "Well now, boys, you will have to think of some way to raise the two dollars and forty cents. I'll write your ideas on the blackboard."
    The team sat very still. They were all thinking hard.
    Finally Eddie spoke up. "We could wash dogs," he said.
    Miss Pancake wrote on the board, "Wash dogs."
    "That is a very good idea," she said. "If you charge twenty-five cents each, how many dogs would you have to wash? Billy?"
    "Ten," said Billy.

    "That's an awful lot of dogs," said Rudy.
    The boys sat still for five more minutes. Nothing was added to the blackboard.
    At last Miss Pancake said, "Well, is this the only idea?"
    The boys looked at each other. "Guess so," they murmured.
    "All right!" said Miss Pancake. "Tomorrow is Saturday. You can all spend the day washing dogs."
    "Where will we get the dogs?" asked Christopher.
    "You will have to go out and find them," said Miss Pancake. "There must be plenty of people who would like to have their dog washed on Saturday morning."
    "Where will we wash them?" asked Kenny.
    "You will have to decide that," replied Miss Pancake.
    "I guess we can wash them in our garage," said Billy. "That's where the soap is."
    "Very well," said Miss Pancake. "You can go now, and on Monday morning I want to hear that your debt is paid and that every boy helped. And let this be a lesson to you, Billy. Never sign your name to anything you can't pay for."
    "I'll remember, Miss Pancake," said Billy.
    The following morning the boys were up bright and early. They scoured the neighborhood for dogs to wash. By nine o'clock Billy was busy washing the next door neighbors' Airedale.
    He had just finished when Rudy arrived with a Scottie.
    In the middle of the Scottie's bath Kenny came in with an Eskimo dog. Later Christopher brought in a fox terrier.
    The dogs behaved very well. It was just as Billy had said. They liked the odor of the soap.
    Late in the morning Richard and Henry arrived with their own red setter, Chummy. They set to work on him together.
    Just as they finished Billy cried out, "Look what Eddie's bringing!" Billy pointed up the street. The boys looked. Then their mouths fell open. For there, moving majestically beside Eddie, was the biggest dog the boys had ever seen. It was a Saint Bernard.
    "Take it away," yelled Rudy.
    "We're not washing that dog for twenty-five cents," called out Billy.
    "Nix!" yelled Christopher. "Not for two bits."
    Eddie was looking proud enough to burst. "The

    lady says she'll pay a dollar," said Eddie, waving a dollar bill.
    "Oh, boy! Oh, boy!" cried Billy. "Bring him right in."
    All the boys crowded around to pat the Saint Bernard dog. He was as good as gold. He stood still while Billy washed his big head and Rudy washed his back. Joe worked on his back legs and Kenny washed his front legs. It was a big job, but when the boys had finished, the Saint Bernard looked beautiful with his shining white and gold coat.
    When Eddie and the dog