sked Joe.

"Oh, that might have been a blind, Joe. He could easily go through to
Philadelphia or some other place, if he wanted to."

At first they thought of telegraphing ahead to stop the man, but soon
gave that plan up. They had no evidence, and did not wish to make
trouble unless they knew exactly what they were doing.

"I hope it turns out all right," observed Andrew Mallison, when they
were driving back to Riverside. "If there was a swindle it would give my
hotel a black eye."

"That's one reason why I wanted that man held," answered Joe.

The next day and that following passed quietly, and our hero began to
think that he had made a mistake and misjudged the men. He was kept very
busy and so almost forgot the incident.

Among the new boarders was a fussy old man named Chaster, who was
speedily nicknamed by the bell boys Chestnuts. He was a particular
individual, and made everybody as uncomfortable as he possibly could.

One day Wilberforce Chaster--to use his full name,--asked Joe to take
him out on the lake for a day's fishing. Our hero readily complied,
and was in hot water from the time they went out until they returned.
Nothing suited the old man, and as he caught hardly any fish he was
exceedingly put out when he came back to the hotel.

"Your boatman is of no account," he said to Andrew Mallison. "I have
spent a miserable day," and he stamped off to his room in high anger.

"It was not my fault, Mr. Mallison," said Joe, with burning cheeks. "I
did my level best by him."

"That man has been making trouble for us ever since he come," answered
the hotel proprietor. "I am going to ask him to go elsewhere when his
week is up."

The insults that Joe had received that day from Wilberforce Chaster
rankled in his mind, and he determined to square accounts with the
boarder if he possibly could.

Towards evening he met a bell boy named Harry Ross who had also had
trouble with Chaster, and the two talked the matter over.

"We ought to get square," said Harry Ross. "I wish I could souse him
with a pitcher of ice water."

"I've got a plan," said Joe.

Stopping at the hotel was a traveling doctor, who came to Riverside
twice a year, for a stay of two weeks each time. He sold some patent
medicines, and had in his room several skulls and also a skeleton strung
on wires.

"That doctor is away," said our hero. "I wonder if we can't smuggle the
skulls and the skeleton into Mr. Chaster's room?"

"Just the c