u hear anything further about Ruth or anything about May?"
questioned Jack.

"Not a word. Of course, not having been invited myself, I didn't care to
question either of them for fear they might think I was just a bit
jealous, or something like that."

"Well, I don't think they ought to go to any such party," answered Jack,
and then told what he and Fred had learned at the livery stable.

"I've heard of Joe McGuire and also heard of Ted Rosenblatt!" exclaimed
Martha. "I certainly shouldn't want to be seen in their company. I'll
have to mention this to some of the others." And here the conversation
had to come to an end.

On Monday morning Jack met Brassy Bangs in one of the corridors and
noticed that the loud-spoken youth looked at him rather speculatively.
Nothing, however, was said, and the young captain entered one of the
classrooms and was soon deep in his studies. That evening, however,
Brassy Bangs and two of his chums were missing from their usual places at
one of the mess-hall tables.

"They got permission to go to town. I suppose they went to make further
arrangements about that big sleighing party," remarked Randy.

To show that he meant to do his best as captain of Company C, Jack put in
a full day on Tuesday drilling his command and in the classrooms. As a
consequence that evening found him pretty well worn out from his duties.
Yet he had some studying he felt he must do, and so announced he was
going to sit up for a while after his cousins, who occupied rooms on both
sides of him, had retired.

The young captain was hard at work doing some examples in geometry when
there came a sudden sharp rap on his door. Thinking that one of his
school chums had come to have a word with him before retiring, he threw
the door open and found himself confronted by Brassy Bangs.

"I want to have a few words with you, Jack Rover!" cried the loud-mouthed
cadet savagely. And then closing the door he advanced upon the young
captain in anything but a friendly manner.

CHAPTER VIII

A FIGHT AND A CHALLENGE

Jack Rover could see that Brassy Bangs was laboring under great
excitement. The youth who loved to dress in such a showy manner was red
of face and his eyes glittered in a manner calculated to make any one
quail before him.

But the young captain of Company C was not going to quail, and he stood
his ground and looked the other youth squarely in the face.

"You want a few words, eh?" he said coldly. "Well,