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This ti to him As if the letter "F" in the pancake was some kind of conspiracy What did it stand for? A bad word in Co like that--it wasn't wicked laughter It wassad laughter

Sad laughter It was hard to ht The F was funny, but it also made them sad

He asked one of the other boys "What's with the F Dink carved into Flip's pancake?"

The other kid shrugged "They're Dutch," he said, as if that accounted for any weirdness about them

Zeck took that solitary clue--which he had already known, of course--and took it to his desk immediately after breakfast He searched first for "Netherlands F" Nothing that made sense Then a few ht him to Sinterklaas Day, December sixth, and all the customs associated with it

He didn't go to class He went to Flip's tidily made bed and unmade it till he found, under the sheet and next to the mattress, Dink's poem

Zeck memorized it, put it back, and reetting a demerit that he did not deserve Then he went to Colonel Graff's office

"I don't re for you," said Colonel Graff

"You didn't," said Zeck

"If you have a problened to you?" But Zeck knew at once that it wasn't that Graff couldn't remember the counselor's name--he simply had no idea who Zeck was

"I'an," he said "I'm a spectator in Rat Army"

"Oh," said Graff, nodding "You Have you reconsidered your vow of nonviolence?"

"No sir," said Zeck "I'm here to ask you a question"

"And you couldn't have asked somebody else?"

"Everybody else was busy," said Zeck Immediately he repented of the remark, because of course he hadn't even tried anybody else, and he only said this in order to hurt Graff's feelings by i of iveness"