Fred explains to Mary that the seemingly hostile expressions boys use with each other ("You ol' hoss thief," "You needle-nosed nitwit") are actually their way of expressing affection. But then something happens that makes the boys genuinely hostile to Archie, and when Mary hears the boys looking for that "carrot-topped creep," she thinks they're talking that way because they love him.; Katy tries to decide what to wear to a costume ball.; Mr. Tuttle thinks Wilbur and Alec have struck oil on the school grounds.; Li'l Jinx dreams she's a comic-strip character.