CHAPTER XIV.

GOOD NEWS.

"LET us have some target practice this afternoon," said Brandt; "I want to make up my score."

"Just what I want to do," replied Jim, and the boys got their bows and began the shooting. When Brandt had received the handsome little bow and arrow from the gypsies, it did not take Jim very long to make one like it for himself. Brandt painted a bull's-eye on the side of the barn, and the boys tried their skill at hitting it every day. After a while it grew so very interesting that Brandt decided to keep a score. He wrote his name and that of his

companion in a book. them hit the bull's-eye

Every time one of

Brandt put a star

beside the name in the book, and at the end of the week they counted the score. Sometimes Brandt was ahead and at other

times it was Jim; but the boys had lots of fun over it and became very good marks

men.

In the midst of their target practice a stiff wind came up, and Jim said, "This is just the day we want for our kites."

"Let us

"That's so," replied Brandt. stop the shooting and try them. I wish we had a good high hill," he continued.

They talked it over with Pete, and he Isaid he would drive them to a certain hill which was fairly high on his way to the post-office.

The boys got out their box kites, and when Pete was ready they started. Tommy promised to be good, and they took him along to see the fun.

After a short drive the hill was reached, and while the boys climbed the hill, Pete drove off to the post-office. They decided to try the large kite first.

They had a good deal of trouble to get it started, but after a few trials it began to rise slowly. It was going along beautifully when all at once the string broke. wobbled in the air for a moment and then

It

came tumbling down. In the descent the kite got entangled in a tree and torn so the boys knew it would be useless to try it again. They had better success with the second one. It was much smaller than the first, and after a while it rose in the It wavered a minute

little, and then went

air like a great bird. and seemed to tip a up higher and higher. The boys had yards and yards of string, and kept letting it out faster and faster. The kite looked very pretty away up in the air, and the boys were delighted. When it was successfully launched on its way Brandt took the string and Jim tried the other kite. In a short time he had it in the air almost as high as Brandt's.

"Isn't my kite high?" cried Brandt, with enthusiasm; "it's just as high as the kites I saw at Hull."

"My kite is higher than the lighthouse, is'nt it?" asked Jim.

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"Oh, yes," was the answer, a great deal higher."

"Just think of going up in a balloon," said Brandt; "that must be fun. But

it's terrible dangerous," he continued, " Mrs.

Cole says so."

"Have you let out all your string yet? asked Jim.

"Yes," said Brandt; "I wish I had yards

"We'll try them again," remarked Jim, "and we'll just double the length of our string."

"Why don't your kite go right up to the sky?" asked Tommy, who had been keeping very quiet.

"Because I haven't any more string," said Jim, smiling.

"And ith you had lots more string, would it keep goin' higher an' higher? "That's just what it would do," replied Brandt.

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Well, then, it would go to heaven, I guess," said Tommy.

This made the boys laugh; but Tommy continued gravely, "My muzzer says heaven ith up there."

Just then Jim's kite took a sudden turn, and began to come down a little. He ran with it, and it rose higher than ever.

L

"I think kite-flying is lots of fun," he cried, "and I'm coming to-morrow with string enough to send it to China."

"But China is down," said Brandt; "I read once that if you could go right through the earth, you would come to China on the other side."

"And did you know that the Chinese are very fond of kite-flying?"

"No," was the answer, "never heard of it."

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They make kites in different sizes and odd shapes, and on certain days everybody, old and young, goes out to fly the kites."

Suddenly Pete appeared on the side of the hill, and waved a letter over his head. He came up and watched the progress of the kites until they decided to start for home. They drew in the string and lowered the kites, and in a few minutes were driving behind Dandy on the way to the farm.

"Have you forgotten the letter?" asked Pete, taking it out of his pocket.

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Oh, is it for me?" exclaimed Brandt. All at once, as he read it, he uttered a shout of joy.