" said Bert with a perplexed
frown; "about all we can do is sit tight, and hope he'll see the error
of his ways before he gets so bad that Reddy will have to fire him from
the squad."

The others had no suggestions to offer, and after a little further
discussion of the problem they gathered up their paraphernalia and went
to their respective rooms.

The foregoing conversation took place on a Monday evening, and all the
next day the three comrades saw comparatively little of each other, all
being "up to their eyes in work," as Tom expressed it. But on Wednesday
morning they happened to meet on the campus after the first lecture
period, and Tom proposed that that evening, after supper, they take a
ramble through the town after they had prepared their work for the
following day.

"I'm beginning to feel stale," he complained; "Reddy won't let us go to
a theater, of course, because that would keep us up too late. But I
guess he'd have no objection to our taking a walk like that, provided we
got back early."

"All right," said Bert. "I was just going to propose something of the
kind myself. You'll come, won't you, Dick?"

"Surest thing you know," agreed that personage promptly. "What time do
you want to go? About seven o'clock?"

The others were agreeable to this, and so the matter was settled. They
talked a few minutes more, and then hurried away to the classrooms.

In accordance with this plan, they met at the appointed time in Bert's
room, and sallied merrily forth. And indeed, it seemed as though these
three needed no other entertainment than they could give each other.
What with jokes, laughter, and "monkey-shines" the time passed very
quickly, and they soon found themselves on one of the main thoroughfares
of the town. They sauntered along, extracting amusement from everything
they saw, and were about to return to the college, when Bert's laughing
face suddenly grew grave.

They were approaching a brilliantly lighted saloon at the time, and Bert
halted his companions with a gesture.

"What's up, Bert?" inquired Tom and Dick in surprise.

"I may be mistaken," replied Bert, "but I'm sure I saw Martin go into
that place. And I should think, by the way he was walking, that he'd
absorbed a few drinks already. What do you think we ought to do about
it?"

"We might wait around until he comes out, and then give him a talking
to," suggested Dick.

"No, I think that the best thing we can do is to go in and catch h