After that Billy Sabine told the particulars as far as he knew them. Jack and his chums listened with keen interest.
“We ought to report this to the captain!” cried Andy. “It’s the most outrageous thing I ever heard of!”
“This will bring disgrace to Captain Putnam as well as ourselves,” said Pepper. “But I don’t believe in carrying tales.”
“Remember, you promised not to get me into trouble,” came hastily and anxiously from Sabine.
“We promised nothing of the sort,” returned Jack. “But I think we can attend to this trick ourselves, without alarming Captain Putnam.”
“Shall we go to Ritter and his gang and punch their heads for them?” demanded Andy. “I guess I can do something, even with this sore wrist of mine.”
“Say, I’ve got an idea!” cried Pepper, suddenly. “Just the thing—if we can work it.” He turned to Sabine. “Are you sure Ritter is going to get those chemicals at Cedarville?”
“All right—I’ll see what I can do to put a spoke in his wheel when he least suspects it.”
At that moment Reff Ritter appeared not far away, and at once Billy Sabine walked off.
“Please don’t say a word about me,” he pleaded, as he departed.
“Now, what is your plan?” asked Jack of Pepper, some time later, when they and Andy were left alone.
“Why, it is simply this, to go to Cedarville and head off Ritter’s little game.”
“You mean to stop him from going to the drug store?” queried Andy.
“Not at all. The druggist has a new clerk, a fellow named Charley Fowler. I know him quite well. If I can see Fowler before Ritter gets there I think I can get him to play into our hands. Now do you catch the idea?”
“I ought to have as good a chance as Ritter,” answered Pepper; and then the bell rang for the parade previous to supper.
It was no easy matter for Pepper to get off that evening, but when he told Mr. Strong that he wanted to see a friend in Cedarville on important business he was allowed leave of absence until nine o’clock, and as the cadets frequently went in pairs, he was allowed to take Andy with him.
“I’ll keep my eyes on the Ritter crowd,” said Jack, “and make sure they don’t play some trick of another kind during your absence.”
In a roundabout way Pepper and Andy learned that Reff Ritter and Gus Coulter were going to Cedarville on their bicycles. As soon as they heard this the two chums got out their own wheels, pumped up the tires, and were off.