“Dick, you haven’t told me yet what you intended to do this summer,” remarked Fred Garrison, as the train rolled on.

“Because I don’t know, Fred,” answered the elder Rover.  “My father has something in store, but I don’t know what it is.”

“Can’t you guess?”

“No.”

“I wish we could take another trip like that on the houseboat—­it was certainly a dandy.”

“The best ever!” put in Tom.  “Even if we did have trouble with Lew Flapp, Dan Baxter and some others.”

“Speaking of Dan Baxter puts me in mind of something,” came from Songbird Powell.  “It has just leaked out that Tad Sobber sent a note to Captain Putnam in which Tad blamed some of the cadets for his troubles, and said he was going to get square some day.”

“Did he mention any names?” questioned Sam.

“Yes.”

“Mine?”

“Yes—­and Dick’s and Tom’s, too.”

“It is just like Sobber—­to blame his troubles on somebody else,” remarked Dick.

“I am not afraid of him,” declared Tom.  “He had better keep his distance unless he wants to get the worst of it.  We used to put up with a whole lot from Dan Baxter before he reformed—­I am not going to put up with as much from Sobber.”

“Tad certainly went off in bad company,” said Sam.  “His uncle ought to be in prison this minute.”

“Have the authorities heard anything of Merrick?” asked Songbird.

“Not a thing.”

“I dink me dot feller has skipped to Europe alretty,” vouchsafed Hans Mueller.  “He vould peen afraid to stay py der United States in, yah!” And the German boy shook his head wisely.

“Personally I never want to set eyes on Sobber again,” said Dick, with a shrug of his broad shoulders.  “The idea of introducing that deadly snake into the school was the limit.  Why, half a dozen of us might have been bitten instead of only poor Pell.”

“Maybe he did it only for a joke,” said Larry Colby, another of the cadets.

“If he did, it was carrying a joke altogether too far—­endangering one or more human lives.  I don’t believe in that sort of fun.”

“Nor do I,” came from several.

“If he is in Europe with his uncle perhaps I’ll meet him there,” said Larry Colby.  “I am going to France and Italy with my uncle and cousin.  Wish some of you fellows were going along,” he added, wistfully.

“I am going to the Maine woods,” said a lad named George Granberry.  “You can never guess who is going there, too.”

“Who?”

“William Philander Tubbs and Mr. Strong.”

“What, our own dude going to camp in the wilderness,” cried Tom.  “Oh, if I was only along wouldn’t I give him some surprises!”

“I’ll have some fun don’t forget that!” replied George, with a grin.  “But as Mr. Strong is going to be along, of course I’ll have to be a little careful.”

“Dear Mr. Strong!” murmured Sam, with a sigh.  “What a fine teacher he is, and how I hate to give him up!”