y back," declared Phil, stubbornly. And then more words followed,
until it looked as if there might be a fight. Finally, in a rage,
Jason Sparr ordered the students from his place.

"All right, we'll go, but you haven't heard the end of this!" cried
Phil.

"You'll catch it, for treating us so meanly," added Ben.

"Don't you threaten me, or I'll have the law on you!" roared Jason
Sparr.

"Perhaps I'll call on the law myself," answered Phil, and then, unable
to control himself, he shook his fist at the hotel man. Then all the
boys filed out of the place, some bystanders looking on in wonder.

"Well, what do you think of this!" cried Gus, when outside.

"Phil, I wouldn't say anything more just now--you are too excited,"
said Dave, catching his chum by the arm.

"Yes, but that fellow is as mean as--as dirt!" answered the
shipowner's son.

"He hasn't any right to keep Phil's money," said one student.

"Then the feast is called off, is it?" said Buster, with something
like a groan in his voice.

"And somebody is going to have the laugh on us!" added Shadow. "Say,
this puts me in mind of a story," he added, brightening. "Once some
boys were going----"

"Oh, stow it, Shadow!"

"This is no time for stories!"

"I'd rather go down to the cemetery and weep."

"Nobody is going to have the laugh on me," cried Phil. "We'll get
something somewhere."

"Right you are!" cried Dave. "I've got it!" he added. "Let us drive
over to Rockville and get something at the hotel there. I know the
proprietor and he's a nice man."

"Better telephone to him first and make sure," suggested Roger.

"I'll do it," said Phil.

The carryall was brought around again and all piled in and drove down
to a drug store where there was a telephone booth. Into the booth
went Phil, to communicate with the hotel in Rockville. He came out
smiling.

"It's all fixed up and I guess we'll have something this time," he
said. "But just wait; I'll fix that mean Jason Sparr, see if I
don't!"

"It's quite a drive to Rockville," protested Horsehair, when they told
the driver what was wanted.

"Never mind, it will do the horses good," cried Roger. "They are
getting too fat standing still."

"Say, Phil," whispered Dave. "If you haven't got money enough along, I
can let you have some."

"Good," was the whispered return. "I was going to speak of that, as
soon as I got a chance."

The affair at the Oakdale hotel had put something of a damper on the
c