In the meantime, Ruth Stevenson and May Powell, accompanied by Alice Strobell, Annie Larkins, and some of their chums from Clearwater Hall, had arrived in the town and gone to several of the stores on various errands. Then, a few minutes before the time appointed for meeting the cadets, they hurried over in the direction of the moving picture theater.
Several of the girls went into a drugstore close to the theater, leaving Ruth and May standing on the sidewalk, looking at the various gaudy billboards which were displayed there. The girls were discussing the picture of a well-known moving-picture actress, when suddenly Ruth 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."