"I dreamed—I dreamed—" Stacy paused to gaze feelingly at his companions.
"You dreamed? Yes?" reminded Rector.
"I dreamed—I dreamed I saw three blind men leading a one-eyed horse to water."
"Oh, pooh!" scoffed Ned Rector.
"Three nights," continued Stacy, "did I dream of this nerve-racking scene. Don't look at me like that, William Veal! That's just the way the blind men stared at me."
"Go on," laughed Tad. "What did the three blind men and the one-eyed horse do?"
"They went down to the creek and took a drink," crooned Stacy, gazing steadily at the wide-eyed Chops. Chops was actually pale about the lips. "Then—then I dreamed another—the most awful of all."
"Yes, yes?" pleaded Walter, now really worked up to a high pitch of excitement.
"For three nights running I dreamed that I saw a black cat chasing a three-legged rat through a field of red clover. Br-r-r-r!" The last word came out with explosive force.
Billy Veal leaped to his feet with a yell. The Pony Rider Boys burst into a roar of laughter, with the exception of Stacy, who sat as solemn as an owl. Chops was trembling, for, like most of his race, he was superstitious.