“And Jack Ness and the rest,” put in Sam.  “I guess we’ll be glad enough to see everybody.”

When the boys arrived at Ithaca they found there had been a freight smash-up on the railroad, and that they would have to wait for five or six hours for a train to take them home.  This would bring them to Oak Run, their railroad station, at three o’clock in the morning.

“I move we stay in Ithaca over night,” said Tom.  “If we got to Oak Run at three in the morning, what would we do?  There would be no one there to meet us, and it’s a beastly hour for rousing anybody out.”

So they decided to put up at a hotel in Ithaca, and went around to a new place called the Students’ Rest.  The hotel was fairly well filled, but they secured a large apartment with two double beds.

“There’s a nice concert on this evening by a college glee club,” said Sam.  “I move we get tickets and go.”

“Second the motion,” said Tom promptly.

“The motion is put and carried,” put in Dick just as promptly.  “I trust, though, the concert don’t make us weep.”

“They won’t know we’re there, so perhaps they won’t try it on too hard,” said Sam, and there the students’ slang came to an end for the time being.

The concert was quite to their taste, and they were surprised, when it was over, to learn that it was after eleven o’clock.

“I hadn’t any idea it was so late,” exclaimed Dick.  “We’d better be getting back to the hotel, or we won’t get our money’s worth out of that room.”

“That’s right,” laughed Tom.  “Although, to tell the truth, I’m not very sleepy.”

Several blocks were covered when Sam, who was looking across the street, uttered a cry of astonishment.

“Look!” he exclaimed.

“At what?” asked both Tom and Dick.

“Over in front of that clothing store.  There is Dan Baxter, and Jasper Grinder is with him!”

“Sam is right,” came from Dick.  “They must have struck up some sort of a friendship, or they wouldn’t be here together.”

“Let’s go over and see what Baxter has to say for himself,” said Tom boldly.

“All right,” returned Dick.  “But we want to keep out of a row; remember that.”

They crossed the street and walked straight up to Baxter and Jasper Grinder, who were holding an animated conversation in the doorway of a clothing establishment which was closed for the night.

As they came up, Sam caught the words, “There is money there, sure,” coming from Baxter.  He paid no attention to the words at the time, but remembered them long afterward, and with good reason.

“Hullo, Baxter!” said Dick, halting in front of the bully.

Dan Baxter gave a start, as if detected in some wrong act.  Then, as the light from an electric lamp shone upon Dick’s face, he glared sourly at the oldest Rover.

“Where did you come from?” he asked, and then, seeing the other Rovers, added:  “Been following me, I suppose?”