em older and larger than the members
of Dick & Co. To make the intrusion still more impudent, Ripley's crowd
were all at table, eating the best that the cabin afforded.

CHAPTER XIX

NOT A LOVE FEAST

At the same instant that Dick and his friends, all utterly astounded,
peered into the cabin from the doorway, Fred Ripley felt the draught and
looked around.

"Hullo!" shouted Fred gleefully. "Here are the other babies!"

"What are you fellows trying to do here?" demanded Dick sternly, as he
strode into the cabin.

"Minding our business, booby!" leered Fred.

"You've no right here. Get out!" Dick ordered.

All of the intruding feasters were now regarding Prescott mockingly. But
perhaps Hen Dutcher, who was seated on the furthest side of the table
from the door, was most pleased of all.

"Now, you want to shut your mouth, Dick Prescott, and keep it shut,"
advised Hen. "You're not running this show, and you'll find it out
mighty soon if you don't keep your tongue behind your teeth."

"My, how brave you've grown, Hen!" remarked Dick scornfully. "You were
taken in and looked after, and now you've brought this gang of hoodlums
down on us."

"Be careful there, small boy!" warned Fred Ripley, flushing.

"As for you, Ripley," Dick went on, "wouldn't your father be proud to
find you with a crowd like this, and stealing food that belongs to other
people?"

"See here, you little rat," snarled Fred inelegantly, as he leaped up,
kicking his chair over and striding toward the Prescott group, "you want
to keep your tongue under control, or you're going to be sorry that you
didn't."

"Let's take the kid down to the spring, break the ice and give his head
a soaking in the spring water," proposed Bert Dodge, rising, too, and
coming forward.

"Hurrah!" cheered Hen. "That's the stuff. Not a bit too good, either,
for a chump like Dick Prescott!"

But Dick wouldn't pay any heed to this renegade Grammar School boy who
had gone back on his own mates.

"And where are the two friends we left here?" demanded Dick, undismayed
by the advance of Fred Ripley and Bert Dodge. Tom and Dave drew a little
closer to their chum, while Harry Hazelton flanked Dave.

"What do we know about your friends?" sneered Ripley. "What do we know
about any of your cheap crowd?"

"And what do you imagine we care about them, either?" demanded Dodge.

"Are you fellows going to get out of here?" Dick demanded.

"When we get good and ready,"