"If the ba.s.s and the trout hold out," supplemented d.i.c.k.

"Say, wouldn"t it be mighty nice if only we could get some home letters here?" asked Hazelton, as the three left the cart at the curb and turned to enter the post-office.

"We can look for home letters on our next trip here," d.i.c.k suggested.

"On Tom"s, Greg"s and Dan"s letters I"m going to add a note on the outside of the envelope to the effect that letters may be sent to this office for us. And I"m going to add a postscript to my letter to my father and mother. You fellows had better do the same thing."

d.i.c.k"s first move was to get a money order blank and fill out his application. Then all hands attended to their postscripts.

This done they went outside.

"There"s a little grove down that street," said Dave, pointing.

"Why not go down there and take a brief nap?"

"I want a long one," d.i.c.k laughed. "Traveling over that road was harder work than I"ve ever done on the football field."

Their nap lasted until a little after noon.

"Whee! But I"m hungry," grumbled Hazelton.

"I think we may feel justified in finding a restaurant, and getting a good meal," a.s.sented d.i.c.k.

"I want a steak for mine," proposed Darry. "It seems a year since we"ve had one."

"Great idea!" nodded d.i.c.k. "And, while we"re about it, we"ll get steaks and some stewing meat the last thing before we leave town and take it back to the fellows. We"ve had so much fish that red meat will hit a tender spot with all the fellows."

"It will make a big hit with Tom Reade, I know," laughed Hazelton.

Pushing the cart through the street, the high school boys found a restaurant that looked as though it would be within reach of their purses. The boys put their cart in a back yard, then went in and asked permission to wash up. This being granted, they soon after took seats at a table in the restaurant.

It was an odd little place, equipped with several booths, each containing a table and seats for four persons.

"We"ll take the booth away down at the end of the room, where we won"t be seen by better-dressed people," proposed Dave.

Accordingly they occupied the last booth in the row. There they ordered a meal that made their mouths water in advance.

Hazelton, poking his head out of the booth as he heard some one enter, hastily drew it in again.

"Guess who"s coming!" he whispered.

"Can"t," replied d.i.c.k.

"Dodge and Bayliss," replied Harry.

"Keep out of sight, and don"t talk," ordered Prescott.

Bert Dodge and his chum came down the room, taking the booth next to that of the high school boys, yet without seeing d.i.c.k and his chums.

When the waiter appeared Dodge ordered two ice creams.

"Queer what became of the mucker gang," observed Bayliss, after the waiter had departed.

"Not a bit queer," retorted Bert. "That was why I wanted to meet you here this morning. I"ve found out where they are."

"How did you find out?" demanded Bayliss.

"Do you see this post card?" demanded Bert, laying a card on the table. "It was written by Laura Bentley to Susie Sharp, and mentions their having had lunch at the camp of the high school muckers.

And this message gives a clear enough idea of where their camp is, too. Laura must have dropped the card in the street, for that"s where I found it."

"Say, that"s a great find!" chuckled Bayliss.

"You may wager that it is," grinned Dodge. "We broke up one night of sleep for the muckers with those bombs, but I"ve an idea that the night we shot off sixty rounds of blank shotgun sh.e.l.ls that they had already moved. But now I have a brand-new one that we can use and make them break camp and run for home as fast as they can go. Then we"ll pa.s.s the story of their scare all around Gridley, and they"ll never hear the last of the laugh against them."

"I"m all attention, old fellow!" Bayliss protested eagerly.

"So are we!" thought d.i.c.k grimly, as he glanced at Dave and Harry.

CHAPTER XVIII

A KETTLE OF HOT WATER FOR SOMEONE

It was a wonderfully elaborate scheme to which the high school boys were privileged to listen. Such a scheme, really showed Dodge, in a way, to be possessed of more brains than people in Gridley commonly credited him with possessing.

But d.i.c.k smiled at Dave Darrin"s scowl as the plot was unfolded in the next booth.

Fortunately for d.i.c.k and his chums the steak order was delayed in the serving. Thus Dodge and Bayliss finished their ice cream and left the place without discovering the presence of their intended victims.

"Say, aren"t that pair just going to enjoy themselves at our expense?"

chuckled Hazelton, after the plotters had left.

"Unless I miss my guess, they"re going to dance to our music to-night,"

laughed d.i.c.k gleefully.

Their meal was served soon after, and eaten with relish. As soon as it had been finished d.i.c.k asked the waiter for a sheet of paper and envelope.

"Don"t worry about any weird doings you may hear of from our camp,"

Prescott wrote his mother. "We"ve just learned of a big scare Dodge and Bayliss are planning to spring on us up at our camp.

We"re going to turn the tables on them---that"s all. But I write this for fear you may hear some awful tales when that pair reach Gridley."

As they left the restaurant, d.i.c.k returned to the post-office, mailing this second letter to his mother.

"Now, we must buy a few things here," d.i.c.k explained to his friends.

"Then we must get out of this village by a back road, and we must make sure that we don"t run into that pair of ex-soreheads."

The "sorehead" reference, as readers of our "_High School Boys Series_" will recall, had to do with Dodge and Bayliss, ere they had been chased out of Gridley High School. These boys had belonged to the notorious "sorehead faction" in the high school football squad.