all, of bitter rivalries
on the diamond, the gridiron, and on the boating course, and of the
various friends and enemies they had made.

"The only one of our enemies who seems to have made a man of himself
is Gus Plum," remarked Dave. "He has settled down to business and I
understand he is doing very well."

"Well, Nat Poole is doing fairly well," returned Ben. "I understand
his father owns stock in that bank, so they'll probably boost Nat
along as rapidly as his capabilities will permit."

"Nat was never the enemy that Plum and Jasniff and Merwell were!"
cried Phil. "He was one of the weak-minded kind who thought it was
smart to follow the others in their doings."

"This storm is going to interfere with our studies, Dave," announced
Roger. "Not but what I'm willing enough to take a few days' rest," he
added with a grin.

"We'll have to make up for it somehow, Roger," returned our hero.
"We've got to pass that examination with flying colors."

"I'm afraid this storm will interfere with the art critics who were to
look at those miniatures," put in Ben. "Oh, dear! I wish we knew just
what those little paintings were worth."

"I hope they prove to be worth at least a hundred thousand dollars,"
said Phil. "That will be a nice sum of money for you folks, Ben."

"Right you are!" answered the son of the real estate dealer.

The youths were tremendously interested in the miniatures, and a
discussion of them ensued which lasted the best part of half an hour.
Ben described some of the pictures as well as he was able, and told of
how they were packed, and of how they had been placed in the Basswood
safe, waiting for the critics that Mr. Wadsworth had promised to bring
from the city to his home to inspect them.

"Well, I suppose we might as well turn in," said Roger, presently, as
he gave a yawn. "I must confess I'm tired."

"Come ahead, I'm willing," announced Phil; and then he and the
senator's son retired to the next room.

"O pshaw! what do you suppose I did?" exclaimed Dave to Ben, while the
pair were undressing. "I left my overcoat and my cap on the rack in
the lower hallway. I should have brought them up here."

"I did the same thing," answered his chum. "I guess they'll be safe
enough. All the folks in this hotel seem to be pretty nice people."

"I don't suppose there are any blizzard pictures among those
miniatures, Ben?" observed Dave, with a laugh just before turning in.

"There is a picture of one army