"Are we to have Mumps and his crowd in here?" asked one of the newcomers.
"I don't want Mumps," answered Dick. "Not because he ran against me, but because he was Baxter's toady and is a regular sneak."
"Little Luke Walton and Mark Gross voted for you, Dick," said
Harry Blossom. "They ought to be invited."
"All right, tell them to come in, and anybody else who wishes, outside of Mumps," answered Dick.
The young captain went off, and soon returned with six boys of
Sam's age or younger.
"Mumps is awfully mad," he announced. "My idea is, he is going to cause us trouble if he can."
"We'll wax him good if he does!" cried Tom. "Say, Sam, let us watch him," and he hurried into the hallway, while the others attacked the several good things Dick had provided for them.
Tom and Sam had been in the dark hallway but two minutes when the door of Mumps' dormitory opened and the sneak came out, wearing his slippers and his long overcoat. He glided swiftly toward the side stairs leading to Captain Putnam's private apartments.
"He's going to peach!" whispered Tom, "Come on, Sam, let us capture the enemy!" and he hurried after Mumps and caught him by the arm.
"Hi! who is this?" demanded the sneak, turning in fear. Then, as
Tom and Sam confronted him, his face grew white.