"My gracious, this is terrible!" spluttered Carncross, and began to cough.

In the meantime Glutts smelled of the food that remained on the improvised tray, and suddenly gave a loud sneeze, followed by several others.

"Hurrah! they are enjoying it all right enough," remarked Jack, in a low tone.

"I've got to have a drink!" yelled Carncross recklessly. "Gee! I'm burning up clean from my mouth to my stomach!"

"You're no worse off than I am," spluttered Glutts. "Oh, just wait until I get hold of that Walt Baxter!"

"It was the whole bunch that did it. I'll bet the trick was gotten up by those Rovers!"

The door was flung open, and all of the occupants of the room dashed out into the hallway, bent upon getting to the nearest bathroom or water cooler for a drink. Not one of them noticed the slippery banana skins spread out on the floor, and on the instant Bill Glutts went sliding along and came down flat on his back. Carncross did likewise, Codfish tripping over him and pitching headlong.

"Say! what's this?" exploded Glutts. "Oh, my back! I guess I've broken my shoulder."

"They must have soaked the floor," came from Carncross. "No! It's banana skins," he added, in deep disgust. "Say, Codfish, take your feet off my stomach, will you?"

"I--I couldn't help falling over you, you went down so suddenly,"

apologized the sneak. "Oh dear! let me get a drink of water--I'm all on fire inside."

The Rovers and their chums had retreated to a distance, and this was wise, for, had Glutts and Carncross been able to get hold of them, there would certainly have been a fight. But as it was, the bully and his cronies pa.s.sed down a back corridor to the nearest bathroom, where they proceeded to wash out their mouths and get a long drink.

"Now we'd better get back to our rooms and get into bed as soon as possible," said Jack. "They may report us, and some of the professors may come around to investigate."

"Let them come! We'll all be asleep like so many innocent lambs,"

remarked Randy.

"They'll find that I've been asleep for the last two hours," added Walt Baxter, and at this the others had to smile.

The crowd separated, and the four Rovers returned to their rooms, where they lost no time in getting rid of all the evidences of the feast. Then they undressed, turned out the lights, and crept into their beds.

"I don't believe they'll dare to report this," whispered Andy to his twin. And in this surmise the fun-loving Rover was correct. Glutts and his cronies did a good deal of grumbling, but there the matter, for the time being, ended.

"But I'll get square some day! You just wait and see!" Glutts told the others.

The school term was now drawing to an end, and it was definitely announced that, owing to the war conditions, Colby Hall would remain closed for a period of six weeks for the winter holidays. This would give the Rovers and their chums a full month's vacation after New Year's.

"And what a good time we will have up at Cedar Lodge!" cried Fred.

"It certainly was grand of Gif to ask us to go up there with him and Spouter," added Jack.

The Rovers and their chums, and especially Walt Baxter, kept a close eye on Bill Glutts and his cronies. But beyond scowling at them whenever they pa.s.sed, the bully did nothing regarding the peppered food which had been presented.

"He's laying low for something, I suppose," said Walt. "However, I'm not going to worry."

One day he received a "soaker" of a s...o...b..ll in his left ear while hurrying to the gymnasium. He did not know who threw the missile, but was satisfied in his mind that it came from either Glutts or Carncross.

The examinations for the term were held, and much to the Rover boys'

satisfaction all acquitted themselves creditably. Spouter and Gif did very well too, and were equally elated.

"Let us go down to town this evening and celebrate," suggested Jack that afternoon. "I think Captain Dale will let us go, and I understand they are giving a very good war picture at Mr. Falstein's moving picture theater."

"That will suit me," answered Fred.

The matter was talked over by a number of the cadets, and they went to see Captain Dale about it; and as a result nine of them set out for Haven Point, where was located the moving picture theater at which Jack and his cousins first met the girls from Clearwater Hall.

"This looks like a pretty good picture," remarked Gif, as he pointed to one advertised on the billboards. "A real war play with some of the scenes taken at the front."

"Either at the front or on the Hackensack Meadows," remarked Randy dryly. "They tell me that more than three-fourths of those so-called war pictures are faked up."

"Well, you wouldn't expect the moving picture actors to go right out in the middle of a battlefield and perform, would you?" queried Jack.

"Here's a good comic, too!" put in Fatty Hendry. "That suits me all right. I like a good laugh."

"Fatty, you ought to go in the movies," remarked Fred. "You would make a hit as the Living Skeleton."

"He would unless his face broke the camera," added Ned Lowe.

"I understand some of those fat fellows in the movies get a couple of hundred dollars a week for acting," said Fatty. "I wouldn't mind doing some of those stunts myself at that price."

The cadets purchased their tickets and were soon inside the showhouse.

An educational film was being thrown on the screen, and they were much interested in seeing the details of tanning leather and making leather belts, handbags, and shoes.

"Gee! how easy it is to learn about these things in a moving picture,"

remarked Gif.

"What a pity it is they can't teach a fellow algebra and geometry in the same way," sighed Randy.

The educational film was followed by the war play, and whether this was given with faked-up backgrounds or not, it proved to be a very interesting production, especially to the Rover boys. There were pictures of life in the soldiers' camps and on the transports bound for Europe, and then scenes of life in the French trenches, culminating in a terrific bombardment by big cannons, and then a thrilling charge over No-Man's Land.

"Gee, isn't that immense!" murmured Fred. "Think of dad being in such a charge as that!"

"It brings the war pretty close, doesn't it, Fred?" asked Jack.

The scenes of the mighty conflict not alone thrilled the Rover boys but also sobered them, especially when there came a picture of the dead and the dying, with the ambulances rushing hither and thither to take the wounded to the field hospitals.

Poor Fred felt the tears coming into his eyes, and was glad that the moving picture house was rather dark, so that he might use his handkerchief without being noticed.

The war picture was followed immediately by one depicting the trials and tribulations of a fat man who obtained a position as a bell-boy in a country hotel. He did some wonderful stunts, and managed to break up a great deal of crockeryware and innumerable pies, and this set all the cadets, as well as the majority of the audience, to roaring with laughter.

"I guess those fellows earn their money," remarked Spouter to Fatty.

"Just think of being slammed around in front of the camera like that!"

"Yes. And think of having three or four pies plastered all over your face," returned the stout youth. "I guess, after all, I'd rather go into ordinary business."

"I imagine some of those so-called stunts are only trick pictures--I mean those things like climbing up the side of a house and holding on to the top of a church steeple," remarked Jack. "Just the same, those moving picture actors have to risk their lives more than once, especially when they take wild rides on horse-back or in automobiles, or get in railroad smash-ups."

Immediately following the comic picture, all the lights in the theater were turned on and a gentleman stepped on the stage to address the audience.