business and was just going
back to the Academy."

"Where is it? Is it a fast one?"

"Yes, but----"

"You are right about the danger of remaining here but we are not as near
the place as you think. This place must be miles away and nowhere near
the river. It is safe enough but if I had a good car and a fair start I
could----"

There was a step outside and then the turning of a key in a lock and the
door was opened.

Two men were outside, both rough looking fellows whom Jack had not seen
before and one of them now said:

"Waitin' for your supper? Hungry, are you? Well, we'll fix up something
in a jiffy and then you can go to bed as soon as you like. Hello! there
wasn't two of you, was there?"

"What are you keeping the boy here for?" asked the man with Jack.

"I donno, some business of keeping him away from school till arter
examinations, I guess, but I don't see why that should worry him. I
never was anxious to go to school myself and if anybody had said I
shouldn't it wouldn't have bothered me none," with a hoarse laugh.

"Keep me away from school till after examination?" thought Jack. "Oh, I
see! This is a plot of some of the Hilltop boys, Herring and his set, no
doubt. No one else would do it."

"Where have Byke and Tyke gone?" asked the man.

"To take back a car. We don't want it."

"Ha! I might have wanted it myself," muttered the other. "Why didn't
they let me know?"

"Couldn't tell you. Friend of theirs, hey? Well, they'll come back after
a bit. Folks don't like to have other fellows' autos with 'em. It ain't
allus safe."

"No, but I could have taken it back as well as they could and I wanted
to go that way besides."

"Well, we come to get supper for the boy and to see that he didn't get
away. If you want to go it ain't nothin' to us as I know."

One of the men now unfastened one of the windows while the other went
outside where there was a rusty little cook stove and began to make a
fire.

Then the other got some bacon and a half dozen potatoes from a locker
under the shelf, produced a greasy frying-pan from a dusty corner and
went outside to get the supper.

"I would have taken the car and got away," muttered the strange man.
"This is far enough away but it might not be safe for all that and the
sooner I get away the better."

"The car will be missed and advertised," replied Jack, "and you would be
taken. Where were you going?"

"Out West somewhere. It is not safe around here nowaday