“No, I hope not.  You might call the young lady’s attention to the fact, while you are about it.”

“I would do so gladly, but she has left town.  She is making a tour of the towns in the neighborhood.”

“And getting up a reputation on other persons’ literary efforts,” laughed Brooke.  “Well, send me the paper.  Sorry you were fooled that way.  Take the News and you won’t be again.  Goodbye.”

“That is the cheekiest thing I ever heard,” laughed Percival, “taking a thing bodily and claiming it as your own.  I should call that stealing, if I were asked about it.”

“That’s what it is,” replied Brooke, “but it is a very common practice with some papers.  Why, I had an editor show me an article of my own, and ask me if I did not think it quite clever.  One of his compositors had written it, he said.  I said a few things myself.”

“I imagine you did!” chuckled Dick.  “Well, I am glad we have settled this matter.  We might not have known anything about it only for a blunder made by a fellow who has not the sense to read the News every week.”

The editor looked puzzled and Percival explained briefly, Brooke laughing and adding: 

“That was very funny, accusing Sheldon of plagiarizing his own stuff.  I never heard anything quite so queer.”

“And all on account of his not reading your paper,” rejoined Percival with a wink at Jack.  “You should make an editorial of this, Mr. Brooke.”

“Thank you, I think maybe I will,” replied the editor, beginning to peck savagely at his typewriter, and the boys left the office.

When they returned to camp after doing a few errands they were met at the landing by Billy Manners, who said with a grin: 

“Well, it is settled.  Pete Herring and Merritt have gone to Saratoga, so we will not be bothered with them any longer.”

“Just as I thought,” said Jack.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE DEPARTURE OF THE BULLIES

Dr. Wise had had something to do with the going away of Herring and Merritt, although the two bullies had already decided that the camp on the river would not be a very pleasant place for them in view of what had occurred in the matter of the prize poem.

While the boys were out on the river and in the woods the doctor called Herring into his study, and looking at him fixedly through his big black-rimmed spectacles, said slowly: 

“Don’t you think there are some very peculiar circumstances connected with your discovery of Sheldon’s supposed plagiarism, Herring?  It strikes me that there are.”

Herring said nothing, but looked very surly, and the doctor went on.

“Does it not strike you as peculiar that you should have a week old paper in your pocket at the very time we were to pronounce upon the poems submitted by the students?  And also that you had not noticed these verses before when they were published in a town paper?  You can imitate different hand writings, can’t you?” the doctor suddenly broke off.