know we didn't bring any pepper along. We had a saltcellar,
and that's all," answered Alice.

"Then it must have been a deliberate attempt on Werner's part to blind
Jack!" cried Andy. "Oh, what a pity we didn't catch him! Then we could
have handed him over to the authorities."

When the boys and girls reached one of the docks at Haven Point Andy and
Randy ran on ahead and speedily procured a taxicab. Into this Ruth and
Jack were hustled, and then Randy, sitting beside the driver, directed
him to take the sufferers to the nearest doctor.

At the first physician's house they learned that the doctor was away for
the afternoon. Then they hurried to another part of the town, and there
found Doctor Borden, an older man who had occasionally come to both the
girls' school and the military academy.

"Pepper in your eyes! Is it possible!" said the old physician. "Come
into my office at once. Sometimes that sort of thing is very serious."

"You wait on the lady first, Doctor," said Jack. "She is by far the
worse off."

"Very well," said the doctor. "Come this way," and he led Ruth into his
private office.

CHAPTER XIV

BOUND FOR HOME

While the doctor was attending Ruth the others of the party arrived at
the physician's residence. They found Jack walking up and down in the
anteroom while Randy sat in a chair doing what he could to comfort his
cousin.

"What does the doctor say about Ruth?" questioned May quickly.

"He hasn't come out yet. They are in there," and Randy pointed with his
hand to the inner office.

"Oh, Jack, how do your eyes feel?" questioned Martha, coming up and
gazing earnestly at her brother.

"To tell the truth, they don't feel very good, Martha," he answered.
"But I won't mind that so much if only Ruth gets out of it."

The boys and girls sat down, some in the outer office and some on the
piazza of the doctor's residence. They had to wait nearly a quarter of
an hour before the door of the inner office opened.

"I think the young lady will feel much better by to-morrow," said Doctor
Borden, as he led Ruth forth. He had placed a new and heavier bandage
over her eyes. "I'll call at the school to see her the first thing
to-morrow morning. You need do nothing to the eyes until that time." He
looked at the other girls. "I presume you young ladies are with Miss
Stevenson?"

"We are," several of them answered.

"Then there ought not to be any trouble about getting her back to the
school