Somewhat disappointed at their failure to get any information from Rafferty, the three boys returned to Ned's house, where they had met that Sunday evening.
"Better let the thing drop until something turns up," suggested Bart. "We can't do anything, as I see."
"Only be on the lookout for strangers in town," said Ned. "I want to find out who those men were."
"And you'll have quite a job," spoke Bart. "I'm going home. See you at school to-morrow."
"There's one point we forgot to look up," Ned remarked.
"What is it?" inquired Fenn, as he prepared to accompany Bart.
"Those men spoke about someone being in a sanitarium. Do you know of any such place around here?"
"Never has been a sanitarium in this neighborhood," replied Bart. "There's the hospital, but I don't believe they meant that."
"I either," responded Ned. "There's some mystery in it all. Perhaps we can solve it and help Frank."
Little was talked of at school next morning but the contest between the ball team members and the Upside Down Club. The story was told over again, with all sorts of embellishments, and there were any number of versions; from one that Ned had escaped by leaping from the roof, to another that his friends had descended on the building and torn it apart to get him out.
As a matter of fact the victory of the Upside Down society was only a partial one, as Ned had been able to go to the dinner before it was more than half over. The first-year lads had hoped to keep Ned a prisoner until the affair was at an end, but, it developed, there was a misunderstanding in the plans of the conspirators, and those boys who were supposed to be left to guard the prisoner, went away, giving Ned a chance to escape. But the contest with the older students gave the first-years chance enough to crow, and they lost no opportunity to do so.
"What'll we do to pay 'em back?" asked Ned of Bart at the noon recess. "They're making all sorts of fun of us."
"Let 'em laugh. Our turn will come sooner or later."
Frank joined his chums that afternoon, when school had closed for the day, and all went swimming. There was quite a crowd of pupils at the river, including a number of the Upside Down boys, and there were several rather warm discussions among the members of the rival factions. Once or twice it looked as if there might be fights. Lem Gordon, in particular, was much incensed at the action of the first-years, and when Richard Kirk, a member of the Upside Down Club, taunted Lem with belonging to the side that lost in the Saturday night struggle, Lem advanced toward Richard and acted as though he was going to strike him.
"Don't," advised Bart. "That will only make them keep the thing up longer. We'll fix 'em."
"We ought to do it pretty soon," growled Lem. "I'm getting tired of being laughed at. We ought to pay back the ringleaders anyhow. Who were the fellows that held you, Frank?"
"It was so dark I couldn't see well."
"You ought to have recognized some of 'em."
"I didn't," Frank answered, somewhat shortly, as he began to dress.
"What makes Frank act so queerly?" inquired Lem of Bart. "Has anything happened?"
"Not that I know of," Bart replied carelessly. He did not want other pupils to think Frank strange, even if the three chums did. When Frank had finished dressing he started away.
"Where you going?" Fenn called after him.
"I've got a little errand to do uptown," was Frank's reply. "I'll see you later."
Ned, Bart and Fenn looked at one another, but they said nothing. It was not like Frank to go off by himself, but they did not comment on it at the time, as they did not want their companions to take notice.
A little later the crowd at the swimming place began to disperse. The three chums walked away together, conversing in low tones of Frank's action. As they were going through the woods, along a path that led over the fields to the outskirts of the town, they saw a boy stretched out on a log. His eyes were closed and he seemed asleep.
"It's Jim Morton," said Bart. "What's he doing here? I thought he was too lazy to walk this far," for Jim had the reputation of disliking exertion of any kind.
"Hello, Jim!" called Ned. "What you doing here?"
"Waiting for you," replied Jim.
"For me?"
"All three of you. Got a message."
"What is it? Speak up! Don't be all day about it," exclaimed Bart.
"Judge Benton gave me a quarter to come out here and see if I could find any of you chums."
"What does he want? Whom does he want?"
"He wants Frank Roscoe," went on Jim, in drawling tones. "Wants to see him right away. Important business he said. That's all I know. I was to tell Frank if I saw him, or if not, any of you boys. I've done my part, and earned the quarter, I guess. Now don't bother me, I'm going to sleep," and Jim turned over on the log as if that was all there was to it.
"But what's it about? Why can't you tell us more?" asked Bart. Jim did not answer, and a snore seemed to indicate that he was slumbering.
"If he isn't the limit!" ejaculated Ned. "Come on, fellows. We'll see if we can find Frank and give him the message."
"Perhaps he was going to the judge's office," suggested Fenn.
"Well, we'll tell him what Jim said, anyhow," suggested Bart. "Frank can do as he likes then."
They hurried back to town, thinking they might overtake Frank before he reached Darewell, but he had evidently walked fast for they did not see him. As they were passing the post-office, Ned looked in, and caught sight of their chum.
"There's Frank," he said. Frank had just taken a letter from his uncle's box. He was reading it when the three chums entered, and he seemed surprised as they came up to him.
"Judge Benton wants to see you," spoke Ned. "Jim Morton went out to the swimming hole with a message, but you'd gone, so we came after you."
"Thanks," replied Frank, glancing up from his letter. "I was just going over there."
He folded the letter to put it back in the envelope, and Ned caught a glimpse of the name Wright & Johnson, New York, before Frank put the epistle into his pocket.
"See you later," called Frank to his chums, as he hurried from the post-office.
The three boys stood staring at one another as Frank walked out. It seemed so strange they could not understand it. Ned spoke of having noticed the name of the lawyers on the envelope; the same firm that had written to Frank before.
"I can't understand it," declared Bart, as he and his chums went out, in time to see Frank mounting the steps of a building opposite the post-office, where Judge Benton had his office.
"I don't know's it's any of our affair," put in Fenn. "Only I'd like to help Frank if he's in trouble."
"So would I," spoke Ned.
"Shall we wait for him?" asked Bart.
"It's hard to know what to do," declared Ned. "If we go away he may think we're mad. If we stay he might imagine we're trying to find out what Judge Benton wanted him for. However, I guess we'd better wait for him a little while."
They did not have to wait long. Frank came out, and he seemed more cheerful than he had been in some time. It appeared as though something, that had been troubling him, had been settled to his satisfaction.
"Glad you waited," were Frank's first words as he joined his chums. "I've got an idea."
"What is it?" asked Bart.
"We ought to get right to work and play a trick on the Upside Down boys. We haven't much time left this term."
"Good!" exclaimed Fenn. "That's what I say. But what shall we do?"
"I think I have a plan," said Frank. "You know Judge Benton's son belongs to that crowd."
"Does he?" asked Ned, for this was news to himself and his two chums.
"Yes. I didn't know it until a little while ago. I was talking to the judge about—er—about some private matters—and he asked me if I was going to the dance. I asked him what dance, and he said the one the High School boys were getting up. That was the first I'd heard about it, but I pretended to know a little bit, and I learned that the Upside Down boys, of which his son is a member, are planning one for Saturday night in the hall over the drug store. Young Benton had to ask his father for some money to help pay expenses, so that's how the judge knew. Now what's the matter with us getting even with them for what they did to us, by playing some trick at the dance."
"Are there going to be girls there?" asked Ned.
"Of course."
"Then I think I know something that will break up the dance and not harm any one either," Ned replied.
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