uth felt
some one touch her arm. Turning, she found herself confronted by a tall,
heavy-set youth, rather loudly dressed, and accompanied by another boy,
wearing a fur cap and fur-lined overcoat.

"Excuse me, but this is Miss Ruth Stevenson, I believe?" said the big
youth, with a broad smile on his coarse face.

Ruth was not at all pleased by being thus addressed, for she had
recognized the fellow as Slugger Brown, and also recognized Nappy
Martell. Nappy raised his cap and bowed pleasantly, both to her and to
May.

"We just got back to Haven Point," said Slugger Brown smoothly. "Been
away a short while, you know."

"And we thought we would go into the movies before going back to
school," put in Nappy Martell. "Were you going in, too? If you were,
let's go in together. I'll get the tickets," and he opened his coat to
thrust his fingers into his vest pocket and bring forth a small roll of
bills.

"Thank you, we are not going into the theater," answered May stiffly.
She did not like either Slugger or Nappy, and was sorry the pair had
shown themselves.

"How about it?" broke out Slugger, taking hold of Ruth's arm in a
decidedly familiar way. "Let's go in. You've got time enough."

"Thank you, but we have something else to do, Mr. Brown," responded Ruth
icily.

"You can't do much outside on a cold day like this," went on the bully.
"Come on in--I'm sure it's nice and warm in there, and they've got some
dandy pictures. Come ahead."

"Sure!" broke out Nappy. "I'll get the tickets," and he took several
steps toward the ticket booth.

"Thank you, but I said I didn't want to go with you," said May, quite
loudly and with flashing eyes.

"We pick our company when we go anywhere," added Ruth, giving Slugger
Brown a look which would almost have annihilated any ordinary boy. But
the bully was proof against anything of that sort.

"Oh, you needn't get on your high horse about it, Ruth Stevenson," he
sneered. "Some day maybe you'll be glad to go to a show with me."

"If you won't go, I guess there are other girls just as good, and maybe
better," added Nappy Martell, not knowing what else to say.

It was at this moment that the big box-sled containing the cadets hove
into sight. With a flourish, the driver drew up to the curb with the
boys tooting loudly on their tin horns, but this salute came to a sudden
end when the lads caught sight of their former schoolmates.

"Look who's here, will you!" ejaculated Randy.

"