It had been packed in without the knowledge of his mother.

It was a large Chinese firecracker.

Paul carefully concealed this precious gift until a grand occasion would come to fire it.

At recess many of the boys came up to see him, and incidentally to share in the delicasies he had received.

Stockie came also and told Paul that their crowd had discovered a tale-bearer in the person of a youth from Johnstown, Penn.
He wound up by adding: "And how are we to fix him ?" Paul answered mysteriously: "Leave it to me.