they are rather damp," answered Ruth.
"Mine are both wet and cold," said May. "I shouldn't mind it if I could dry them off and warm them somewhere."
"Come on up to the Hall," went on Jack. "I'm sure they will let you dry them in front of the open fire in the big living-room."
"Oh, Jack, we don't want to go there in such a crowd of cadets!"
"Don't worry about the cadets," put in Fred.
When they arrived at the living-room of the military academy, they found it practically deserted, the great majority of the cadets being at the lake front or in the big boathouse, where a pot stove was kept going for the benefit of the skaters.
"My, but this is a cozy place!" remarked Ruth, after she had become comfortably settled in a big armchair with her feet resting close to the blaze.
"I wish I was a cadet here," sighed May. "It's more fun being a boy than being a girl."
"How do you know? You never were a boy," returned Fred, with a grin.
"I know, just the same," May answered. "I'm sure you boys have a much better time of it than we girls."
This started quite an argument, in which all of the young people, including Spouter, joined. In the midst of the talk Andy and Randy came in, having been told where the others had gone.
"It's all over and everybody is safe," announced Randy.
"And the only thing lost, so far as we can find out, was Fatty's skating cap," put in Andy.
"Well, if that's all, we can chip in and buy him another cap," remarked Jack, and at this there was a short laugh. Now that the peril was a thing of the past all felt greatly relieved, and their manner showed it.
Jack and Fred had the pleasure of skating all the way to Clearwater Hall with Ruth and May. During that time the young folks grew quite confidential.
"Why don't you get your sister Martha to come to Clearwater Hall?" said Ruth to Jack. "I'm sure I'd like very much to meet her."
"Yes, and why not have your sister Mary come too?" added May to Fred.
"Say, that's a great idea!" burst out Jack.
"Let's put it up to the folks at home without delay," added his cousin. "But they might not like to leave the private school they are now attending," he continued, his face falling.
"That's true, for they are getting along very nicely," said Jack. "Just the same, we can put it up to the folks at home and let them know all about what a nice place Clearwater Hall is—and what awfully nice girls there are here." And at this latter remark Ruth and May blushed.
"I sent a letter to Mary a year or two ago," said May; "but at that time I wasn't here. I think I'll send her another letter."
"Do, by all means," returned Fred quickly. "And let her know all about how nice a place it is. That may help."
"It would be a fine thing if they were at this school—it would give us more chances to call here," remarked Jack to Ruth.
"Last week I met Cousin Dick in town," said May, "and he was telling me how that Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell had left the Hall. He said the pair were terribly down on all you Rovers."
"Yes, they were very much enraged over the way we exposed them," answered Fred.
"They deserved to be exposed!" cried Ruth. "The idea of their shooting two of Mr. Lacy's valuable cows and then trying to prove that you did it! It was shameful!"
"Well, their folks had to pay Lacy for the cows," answered Jack.
"And then to think how they tampered with the chains on that lumber raft so that the raft went to pieces in that storm on the lake!" added May. "Oh, I think they must be very wicked boys!"
"They are certainly no angels."
"Jack, if they should come back to Colby Hall, won't you be afraid that they will try to do something more to get you into trouble?"
"More than likely they will; but I am not afraid of them."
"We intend to keep our eyes wide open, and if Slugger or Nappy try any funny work, we'll jump on 'em like a ton of bricks," added Fred.
Then the subject was changed, and a few minutes later the cadets bid the girls good-bye, promising to see them again if possible in the near future.
"I'll tell you what, Jack, they are a pair of mighty fine girls," was Fred's comment, as he and his cousin skated back in the direction of the military academy.
"I agree with you, Fred."
"I wish we could persuade Martha and Mary to go to Clearwater Hall," went on the youngest Rover boy, wistfully. "I'd like first rate to have 'em get better acquainted with May and get acquainted with the other girls there."
"We'll have to be careful how we write home about it," cautioned his cousin. "If we aren't, they'll think we want them to come just on account of Ruth and May, and then they'll tease the life out of us."
"Oh, sure, we'll be careful! Just the same, it would be a fine boarding school for them. I don't think much of that fashionable private school where they are now going. Most of the girls there think more of how they are dressed and what dances they are learning than anything else."
"By the way, do you think Spouter knows more about what Slugger and Nappy intend to do than he told?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, perhaps he heard something, but didn't want to tell all of it for fear of alarming us."
"I don't think Spouter would do that. He knows well enough that we aren't afraid of that pair."
"Just the same, Fred, if they do come back we'll have to keep our eyes wide open, for they surely will do their best to put one over on us, and any fellows who would be mean enough to do what they have done, wouldn't hesitate to do worse."
"I can't understand why Colonel Colby is going to let them come back at all."
"Oh, I suppose he feels that he ought to give them at least one more chance. He probably remembers how Dan Baxter acted toward our fathers and the colonel himself, as well as their chums, and how Baxter afterwards reformed."
"Yes, that may be true. But when one fellow like Walt Baxter's father reforms, a dozen others remain as bad as ever, or grow worse. To my mind, there isn't much in the way of reform in Slugger Brown's make-up, or in Nappy Martell either."
"Oh, I agree with you there. Slugger Brown is nothing short of a brute, and Nappy Martell is as sly and vicious as any fellow I ever ran up against. We'll certainly have to watch them when they get back here."
CHAPTER IV
OUT HUNTING
After the excitement attending the skating races, matters moved along quietly at Colby Hall for several days. The Rover boys, as was their custom, paid close attention to their studies.
"We've got to make a record for ourselves," was the way Jack put it. "If we don't, our folks may take it in their heads to send us to some other boarding school, thinking Colonel Colby is too easy with us."
"And to take Jack away from this vicinity when he is getting so sweet on Ruth Steven——" began Randy, when he was cut short by a book flung by his cousin, landing on his shoulder.
"You cut out that talk, Randy!" cried Jack.
"Let's talk about the weather," murmured Andy, who had