to give?" he faltered.

"Why, didn't you know? We are going to open the Eclipse Moving Picture
Theater, in Cameron's Hall, over yonder. We advertised for a young
man, to take tickets, usher, and make himself generally useful. We'll
have a little vaudeville with the photo plays, and if the young fellow
can sing, or dance, we'll give him a chance at it."

"Oh, dear me! Did you ever!" gasped poor William Philander. And then,
as he saw that the girls at the soda fountain had heard all that was
going on, he turned red.

"I hardly think you will do for the job," went on the moving picture
man. "You don't look--er--well, strong enough."

"Job," wailed William Philander. "I--er--I don't want any job! Oh,
this is dreadful, horrible! It's one of Tom Rover's jokes! I might
have known it. Sent me all the way to Ashton to try to get a position
in a horrid moving picture show! Oh, this is the worst ever!" And
looking the picture of despair, poor Tubbs rushed from the drug store,
with the laughter of the proprietor, the show man, and the girls
ringing in his ears.

From the window and the side door Tom, Sam, and the others had seen and
heard all that took place. They had all they could do to suppress
their mirth, and when Tubbs came storming out of the drug store they
lost no time in disappearing out of sight behind the building. They
watched the stylishly-dressed student prance down the street,
brandishing his cane viciously in the air.

"Just wait till he catches you, Tom," remarked Spud.

"He'll about half kill you," added Stanley.

"Oh, I guess I can stand it," answered the fun-loving Rover, calmly.

"It was rather a rough joke," was Sam's comment.

"Oh, he needs something like that, to take the awful conceit out of
him," came from Songbird. "Why, he is getting worse and worse every
day. Half the students are down on him. This may do him good."

"I doubt if you can make William Philander improve," was Stanley's
comment. "The only thing that will do it is to send him off to sea, or
on a ranch, and make him rough it for a while."

Tom expected to see Tubbs that evening, but the dudish student kept out
of sight. He did not show himself until Sunday afternoon, and then he
had but little to say. But he eyed Tom in a manner that was new to
William Philander.

"He is going to get back at you, Tom," said Sam. "Better keep your
eyes open."

On Monday afternoon Tom and Sam went down to the water for a