I'll let you have twenty-five dollars.
When that's gone you can come to me for more. But remember one thing:
you've got to help me to down the Rovers."

"I'll help you to do that. But--but--"

"But what?"

"We mustn't go too far."

"Oh, you leave that to me. You've heard how they treated my father,
haven't you?"

"They say Dick Rover was kind to him."

"Bah! That's a fairy story."

"But your father says the same--so I have been told."

"The old man is out of his head--on account of that fire. When he gets
clear-headed again he won't think Dick Rover--or any of the Rovers, for
the matter of that--is his friend."

There was another pause.

"Where do you propose to go to?"

"Philadelphia, on a little business first, and then to Pittsburg, and
to that place where they have their houseboat."

"And after that?"

"I'm going to be guided by circumstances. But you can rest assured of
one thing, Flapp--I'll make those Rover boys wish they had never
undertaken this trip."

Dan Baxter brought out a pocketbook well filled with bank bills and
counted out five five-dollar bills.

"My, but you're rich!" cried the bully of Putnam Hall.

"Oh, I've got a good bit more than that," was the bragging answer. "I
want you to know that once upon a time my father was as rich as the
Rovers, and he would be as rich now if it wasn't that they cheated him
out of his rights to a gold mine," went on Dan Baxter, bringing up
something which has already been fully explained in "The Rover Boys
Out West." The claim belonged to the Rovers, but the Baxters would
never admit this.

"Did they really cheat him?" questioned Lew Flapp, with interest.

"They certainly did."

"Then why didn't you go to law about it with them?"

"They stole all the evidence, so we couldn't do a thing in law. Do you
wonder that I am down on them?"

"No, I don't. If I were you, I'd try to get my rights back."

"I'm going to get them back some day," answered Dan Baxter. "And I am
going to square up with all the Rovers, too, mind that!"

CHAPTER XIII

CHIPS AND THE CIRCUS BILLS

It is now time that we return to Sam and find out how he fared after
being so unexpectedly hurled into the river by Lew Flapp.

The youngest Rover was taken so completely off his guard that he could,
for the moment, do nothing to save himself. Down he went and his yell
was cut short by the waters closing over his head.

He was dazed and bewildered and swallowed some of