ess. He went alone, and once in the town hurried directly
to the museum already mentioned. The proprietor had done little or no
business in the village and was about to move to another place.

When Tad Sobber returned to Putnam Hall he carried under his arm a heavy
pasteboard box which he carried with great care. This box he hid away in
a corner of the barn, among some loose hay.

"I'm ready to fix the Rovers now," he told Nick Pell. "Keep your mouth
shut but your eyes wide open."

"What are you going to do?"

"Just wait and see."

At the appointed time the Rovers and their chums assembled in the
dormitory for the feast. A large quantity of good things had been
procured, including chicken sandwiches, cake, oranges and lemonade. Tom
had even had a dealer in Cedarville pack him up several bricks of
ice-cream, and these now rested in some cracked ice in a washbowl.

"Say, but this is a touch of old times," said Sam. "Do you remember the
first feast we had here, when Mumps got scared to death?"

"Indeed I do!" cried one of the other students. "Here's to the good old
times!" and he raised his glass of lemonade to his lips.

In a short while the feast was in full swing. There was a hall monitor
supposed to be on guard, but Tom had bought him off with a slice of
cake, some candy and an orange, and he was keeping himself in a front
hallway, where he could not hear what was going on.

"If it wasn't for the noise, we might have a song," said Sam. "As it is,
I move Songbird recite 'Mary Had a Little Cow,' or something equally
elevating."

"I can give you an original bit of verse which I have entitled, 'When
the Blossoms Fill the Orchard, Molly Dear,'" answered the doggerel
maker.

"Gracious, that sounds like a new nine-cent piece of sheet music,"
murmured Dick.

"Can't you whistle it?" suggested Tom. "It may sound better."

"Play it out on a fine-tooth comb," suggested Larry.

"Who is ready for ice-cream?" asked Tom, after a general laugh had
ensued. "This isn't going to keep hard forever."

All were ready, and the bricks were cut, the pieces laid on tiny wooden
plates which had been provided, and passed around. Then came more cake
and fruit.

In the midst of the jollification there came a sudden and unexpected
knock on the door.

"Who can that be?" whispered several in alarm.

"Put out the lights!" said Tom. "Those who don't belong here get under
the beds." And he began to get the evidences of the feast out