WORDS AND BLOWS The surprise on both sides was equal, and for a moment neither the Rovers nor those in the other crowd uttered a word. "What are you doing here, Jack Rover?" demanded Nappy Martell at length, as he scowled at the youth and his cousins. "I might ask the same question of you, Nappy," was Jack's return. "Did you come here from that detention camp?" questioned Fred. "That's none of your business," retorted Slugger Brown. "You got away from us this afternoon, Gabe Werner, but you're not going to do it this time," continued Jack, and caught the rascal by the arm. "Hi! you let go of me," howled the bully roughly, and shoved Jack back against the building. At this Randy leaped forward and also caught hold of Werner. Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown were about to jump in to the assistance of their friend when Fred and Andy interfered. "You leave them alone," ordered Fred, with flashing eyes. "He's one of the meanest fellows in the world. He threw pepper in Jack's eyes and in the eyes of Ruth Stevenson." The loud talking so close to a window of the restaurant attracted the attention of the men inside, and the fellow named Jake Tate thrust his head out to see what was going on. "Say, what do you know about this?" he exclaimed, turning to his companions. "Those four young Rovers are out here right by the window!" "You don't say so!" burst out Carson Davenport. "If they are by this window maybe they were spying on us," put in the man named Jackson. In the meanwhile there was something of a fight going on outside. Gabe Werner had tried to break away, and then launched a blow at Jack, who returned by hitting him a crack in the jaw. "See here, you leave Werner alone!" blustered Slugger Brown. "You keep out of this, Slugger!" cried Jack, and then, as Werner hit out a second time, Jack dodged and the bully's fist struck the side of the building, skinning several of his knuckles. Then Jack landed a blow with all the force he could command on Werner's left ear, and the rascal went down on the cinder path and rolled over into the roadway. By this time the men in the restaurant had run outside and were coming up. "What's the rumpus here?" demanded Jake Tate, pushing his way through the crowd of boys. He was a burly individual, and could at times put on a most aggressive manner. "We caught these four fellows right by this window," declared Nappy Martell, with a sharp look first at Tate and then at Davenport. "It looked to us as though they might be spying on you," added Slugger Brown, and he too gave Davenport a peculiar look. "Spying on us, eh?" muttered the oil company promoter in anything but a pleasant manner. "Fine piece of business to be in!" By this time Gabe Werner had rolled over and gotten to his feet. But instead of coming at Jack again, he kept at a safe distance, in the meanwhile sucking his bruised knuckles and nursing his left ear. "We have a right to walk on this street if we want to," remarked Randy.