k his head or not remains to be seen."

"Wot's the trouble back there?" demanded Jackson Lemond, as he succeeded
in bringing his team to a halt.

"Trouble is, we hit that man with the rod," answered Buster.

"Humph! I told you to be careful," grumbled the carryall driver. "It
don't pay to act like a passel o' wildcats, nohow!"

"It's too bad it happened," said Dave, and leaped to the ground and ran
back to where the buggy stood, with the driver glaring at them savagely.
The other students followed.

"Are you hurt?" asked Dave, anxiously. The man in the buggy was a total
stranger to him.

"Hurt? I don't know whether I am or not. What do you mean by knocking
off my hat with that stick?"

"It was an accident, sir. We had our school colors on the fishing rod
and were waving them in the air. We didn't expect to hit anybody."

"Bah! you are a lot of rowdies!" growled the man. "Give me my hat!" And
he pointed to where the head covering rested on some bushes.

"There you are," said Ben, restoring the hat to its owner. "But we are
not rowdies--it was purely an accident," he added, with a little flash
out of his clear eyes.

"Bah, I know schoolboys! They think it smart to be tough!" The man
looked his silk hat over. "I ought to make you buy me a new hat."

"That doesn't seem to be damaged any," said Buster, as he looked the
tile over. "If it is, of course we'll make it right," he added, hastily.
He and Luke were holding the fishing rod at the time of the accident.

"Do you boys belong at Oak Hall?" demanded the man, smoothing down the
roughed-up silk hat with his forearm.

"Yes," answered Dave.

"I thought so. Well, if this hat is cracked or anything like that I'll
notify the master of the school, and make you get me a new hat. Maybe it
will be a lesson to you, to be more careful."

"Let me see the hat, please," said Luke.

"What for?"

"I wish to see if it is really damaged."

"If it is, I'll let you know quick enough, don't fear."

"I want to see it now. I am not going to pay for a new hat if this one
is all right."

"Ha! so you don't want to take my word for it, eh?" roared the man.

"I want to look the hat over," answered Luke, stubbornly.

"So do I," added Buster.

"I'll not give you the hat--to play more tricks with. I shall take it to
a hat dealer, and if he says it is injured, I'll call at the school
about it." And having thus delivered himself the man in the buggy put
the silk hat on his head