got an idea
for a club."

"A club? What do you mean?" asked Roger. "Do you mean for us to get up a
club?"

"Yes, the Oak Hall Club, to be composed of fellows who attended Oak Hall
for a year or more."

"Great!"

"Let us do it!"

"We'll make Dave president," cried Roger.

"And you treasurer," added Phil.

"And Shadow chief story-teller," put in Luke, with a grin.

"Huh! What's the use of being chief story-teller when you won't let me
tell a story?" grumbled Shadow. "But I know what I'll do," he added,
with a sudden twinkle in his eye. "If you won't let me talk, I'll write
it down. And I'll write a sentence none of you can read and be sure of,"
he went on.

"What's that?" asked Phil, curiously. "A sentence none of us can read?
Maybe you'll write it in Choctaw, or Chinese."

"No, I'll write it in plain, every-day United States, and none of you
will be sure how to read it."

"What's the riddle?" demanded Dave, who saw that the story-teller had
something up his sleeve.

"Give me a sheet of paper and a pencil and I'll show you," returned
Shadow.

Paper and pencil were furnished by Roger, and the story-teller quickly
wrote down the following:

_"After a row the sailors had a row!"_

"Now read it out loud!" cried Shadow, as he passed the paper to the
others. All gazed at it for several seconds.

"I pass," remarked Dave, calmly.

"Why, that's easy!" cried Phil. "After a ro----Say, Shadow, what do you
mean, did they quarrel or row the boat first?"

"Maybe they rowed the boat twice," suggested Roger, with a grin.

"Or had two quarrels," suggested Luke. And then a general laugh went up.

"You've got us this time, Shadow!" cried Dave. "Give him a lemon,
somebody, for a prize," and then another laugh went up.

"That idea of an Oak Hall Club is a good one," said Luke. "But you can't
organize it now--the fellows are too scattered."

"Oh, I was thinking we might do it later on--perhaps this winter,"
answered Dave.

The newcomers were much interested in what Dave, Phil, and Roger had to
tell about Job Haskers and Link Merwell, and various were the opinions
advanced as to what had become of the pair.

"They are both mighty sore, because they had to leave Oak Hall in
disgrace," said Luke. "Every one of us had better keep his eye peeled,
for they'll make trouble if they get half a chance." And then the bell
rang for dinner and the boys went downstairs.

The next day the lads were all busy getting ready