Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell," murmured Fred.

"Say, they are talking to Ruth and May!" broke in Andy.

To all this Jack said nothing. But he lost no time in leaping to the
pavement and walking up to the girls, who came forward to greet him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you got here!" exclaimed Ruth in a low voice, and she
looked at Jack appealingly and then let her eyes rove in the direction
of the bully and his crony.

"Those boys are just too horrid for anything!" murmured May, by way of
explanation.

"What did they do?" demanded Spouter of his cousin, he having quickly
followed Jack from the sled.

"They almost insisted upon it that we accompany them into the movies!"

"Why, they hardly know you!"

"That's true, Dick. And I think it was awful of them, the way they came
up."

"That Brown boy caught me by the arm, and he had no right to do that,"
said Ruth to Jack. "I don't want a thing to do with him."

"You get into the sled, girls, and we'll tend to Brown and Martell,"
announced Spouter, and the tone of his voice showed his anger.

The girls did as bidden, being assisted by the others; and, in the
meantime the remaining girls came from the store and also got into the
sled. Spouter and Jack strode across the pavement, and caught Slugger
Brown and Nappy Martell just as they were on the point of dropping their
tickets into the ticket box.

"Come here a minute. I want to talk to you," said Spouter, catching
Martell by the arm.

"And I want to talk to you," added Jack, as he detained Slugger Brown.

"I won't talk to you," retorted Nappy Martell, and tried to pass.

"Yes, you will!" answered Spouter. "You listen to me, Nappy! After this
you leave my cousin, May Powell, alone. If you don't, you'll have an
account to settle with me."

"And you leave both of those girls alone!" said Jack to Slugger Brown.
"Miss Stevenson doesn't want anything to do with you. Now, you mind what
I'm telling you, or you'll get into trouble the first thing you return
to the Hall!"

"Oh, say, Rover, you make me tired!" sneered the bully, glaring at Jack.
"I'm not going to try to take your girl away from you. There are plenty
of better girls around Haven Point. You go about your business and leave
me alone;" and, thus speaking, Slugger Brown passed into the
moving-picture theater, followed a moment later by Nappy Martell. The
two others watched them out of sight, and then looked at each other
knowingly.

"One fine pair, believe me!