"Fred Ripley ran into trouble, too." "Got hurt, you mean ?" asked Dick quickly.
"Not quite," went on Darrin, making a face.

"When Fred was going into the house last night he tripped slightly---against a rope that had been stretched across the garden path between two stakes." "But Fred wasn't hurt ?" "No; he says he tripped, but he recovered himself." "I'm afraid you don't believe that, Dave ?" "I ought to, anyway," retorted Darrin dryly.

"Fred is showing the rope." "A piece of rope is easy enough to get," mused Dick.
"Yep; and a lie is easy enough for some fellows to tell.

But some of the fellows are inclined to believe Rip, so they've started a yarn that Gardiner High School is up to tricks, and that some fellows have been sent over in advance to cripple our box men for to-day." "That's vile!" flushed Prescott indignantly, as he got up to make the circuit of the room.

"The Gardiner fellows have always been good, fair sportsmen.