"What brought you to town?" asked Rockley.

"My feet."

"Thanks. I thought it might have been your ears. They're big enough."

At this sally both Flapp and Pender began to laugh.

"That's a good one," said Flapp.

"I suppose you used your tongue for a walking stick when you came over," said Tom. "It's long enough."

"Bah!" cried Rockley, and turned away in disgust.

"Those Rover boys have got the swelled head," muttered Flapp. "But we'll turn 'em down before the encampment is over, eh, fellows?"

"That's what," replied Rockley.

While the Rover boys were making their purchases Lew Flapp and his cronies turned back into the tavern. There was a billiard room in the rear and here they began to play billiards.

"We'll let the Rovers start for home first," said Rockley. "It will be safer."

CHAPTER XXI

A TUG OF WAR

When the Rover boys reached the vicinity of the Staton cottage they found Alice and Helen in the dooryard, watching for them.

"Mamma says you must come in," said Alice. "She wishes to see you."

"And papa wants to see you, too," added Helen.

"Thank you, we won't mind resting a bit," answered d.i.c.k. "The sun is rather hot."

They were soon seated on the broad porch, and here Mrs. Staton and her husband were introduced. They proved to be nice people, and both thanked the boys warmly for what they had done on the road.

"I've told Isaac Klem about that bull," said Mr. Staton. "Some day he'll do a whole lot of damage."

"We are going to keep a good lookout for him in the future," put in Alice. "I don't wish to be scared out of my wits again."

Before the boys left Mrs. Staton insisted on treating each to a piece of apple pie and a gla.s.s of milk.

"What did I tell you about pie?" whispered Tom. "Say, but it's all right, isn't it?"

"Yes, indeed!" whispered Sam.

The girls had a set of croquet on the lawn and asked the boys to play, but they had to decline for want of time.

All had moved to the rear of the cottage, under a wide-spreading tree, when d.i.c.k chanced to look toward the roadway and uttered an exclamation:

"Here come the other fellows now!"

"Yes, and look at the packages they are carrying," added Sam.

"And the bottles," came from Tom significantly.

d.i.c.k was about to step forward when Tom caught him by the arm.

"Let us keep shady, d.i.c.k."

"All right, Tom, if you say so."

Sam noticed that the faces of the two girls fell when Flapp and his cronies went past.

"Those are some of your chums, I suppose?" said Helen.

"They are some of the cadets, but no chums of ours," replied d.i.c.k.

"Oh!"

"They belong to a little crowd of their own." explained Tom. "We don't hitch very well, so that is why we let them go by unnoticed."

"We met them at the store in Oakville," said Alice.

"Did they speak to you?"

"Yes, but--but we did not want them to."

"Humph!" said d.i.c.k, and then the subject was changed.

Having invited the girls to come and look at the camp some pleasant day the Rover boys left the cottage and hurried along the road after Lew Flapp and his cronies.

"I'll wager those fellows made themselves obnoxious to the girls," said Tom. "You could tell that by the way the girls looked."

"What do you think they are going to do with the stuff they are carrying?" came from Sam.

"I believe they intend to smuggle it into camp," replied d.i.c.k. "And if that is so, I don't know but what it is my duty to report them."

"If you do that, Flapp will consider you the worst kind of a spy, d.i.c.k."

"Perhaps, but as a captain of the command it is my duty to see that such things are kept out of camp."

"Well, do what you think is best."

"Better make sure that the stuff they are carrying isn't all right,"

said Sam. "They may have nothing but soda in those bottles."