The physician and his party had been over at the high school boys’ camp for something like twenty minutes, that same afternoon, watching the training work that the young athletes were undergoing.

“Yes, sir,” Dick answered promptly.  Then a sudden thought striking him, he added: 

“Perhaps I can make a suggestion, doctor, that is even more immediate in its nature than yours.”

“Then I shall be glad to have it,” smiled Laura’s father.

“Did you leave that chauffeur to watch your camp?”

“No; he has gone to Five Corners to post the young women’s numerous letters.  But the camp doesn’t need a guard, does it?”

“It does, as long as Tag Mosher is at large, sir.  Harry, won’t you go over to the doctor’s camp and stay there until the chauffeur returns?”

“Yes,” agreed Hazelton.

“If you sight Tag, or any other doubtful-looking characters, just give a yell, and we’ll all come over.”

“Would that young scamp bother our camp, really?” inquired the physician.

“Certainly he would,” Dick went on promptly.  “Mosher, Page, or whoever he really is, is just as natural an anarchist as the world ever saw.  He has never had anything of his own, and whenever he sees anyone else’s property that will serve him, he just says, ‘Tag, you’re It!’ That’s the way he got his nickname.”

“I believe I’ll go over with Harry and see if anything is missing,” declared Dr. Bentley.  “In the meantime, Prescott, suppose you and your squad rest until I return.  Just make yourselves agreeable to the girls.  I’ll endeavor to be back promptly.  When I come back I shall be prepared to offer you some training suggestions that may be of value to you.”

So the flushed young athletes rested, except Harry, who departed with the physician.

In fifteen minutes Dr. Bentley returned.

“Your warning came too late, Prescott,” announced Laura’s father cheerily.  “Our camp has been visited.”

“Tag Mosher?” gasped Prescott.

“Impossible to say,” was the smiling answer.  “The caller forgot to leave a card.  But someone has cleaned us out of about a dozen tins of food and some packages of biscuit.  It must have been quite a little load.  Just by chance I also happened to think to look at my medicine case.  One vial is missing therefrom.”

“What medicine did he take, did you say, sir?” asked Dave Darrin much interested.

“I believe I didn’t say,” replied Dr. Bentley.  “Perhaps later on I shall tell you.”

“If the thief took only a dozen tins,” said Mrs. Bentley, “there is food enough left so that we needn’t worry about immediate famine.  And we have two cars, either one of which may be despatched to bring further supplies.”

“Tag is really going to move away from here, then,” decided Dick thoughtfully.

“Why do you say that?” asked Dr. Bentley.

“Because Tag has a fine appetite, and an abundance of muscle.  Instead of a dozen tins he would have taken three or four times that amount.  It is only his need for traveling in light marching order that made him so moderate in the tax he levied.”