“They must have boarded the train before we did,” explained Bert, “for I’ve been looking out of the window at every station we came to since Briartown, and I didn’t see them hop on.” “That’s right,” agreed Jack. “Come to think of it now, Sam lives in Newtonville, and that’s not far below your town, Tom. Nick was probably visiting Sam, and the two are off on a trip together.” “Yes, but where are they going?” persisted Tom. “I hope, if they’re going camping, that they don’t pick out any spot near us. There’ll be sure to be trouble if they do. I won’t stand for any more nonsense from either Sam or Nick.” “And I don’t blame you,” declared Bert. “There’s one way to find out where they’re going,” suggested Dick Jones. “How?” asked Tom. “Ask ’em.” “That’s right!” laughed Tom. “Only I don’t like to do it. There’d be sure to be a quarrel if I did, for Sam and I never got along well together.” “I’ll ask ’em,” offered Jack. “While I’m not any too friendly with them I think I can get into a conversation with ’em, and learn what’s up. Shall I?” “Go ahead,” spoke Tom; and Jack sauntered into the next coach. Sam and Nick were surprised to see him, of course, and they probably suspected that Tom was somewhere about, but they did not admit it, or show much curiosity regarding Jack’s presence, so unexpectedly manifested. “Going far?” asked Jack. “Oh, not so very,” replied Sam, coolly. “And yet we may make quite a trip of it before we finish; eh, Nick?” “Sure. Where are you bound for, Jack?” “Oh, we’re just going camping--Tom Fairfield, Bert Wilson and a friend of Tom’s.” “No camp life for ours!” exclaimed Sam. “It’s too much work. We stop at hotels.” “Yes, and you miss half the fun,” rejoined Jack. There was some more conversation, and then Jack went back to join his chums. “Did you learn anything?” asked Tom. “Not much. They were as close-mouthed as clams. I did my best to pump them without showing too much curiosity as to where they were going, but there was ‘nothing doing,’ as our friend Shakespeare might say. I guess they thought I wanted to know, and so they took special pains to keep mum. But we won’t let it make any difference to us.” “That’s right,” agreed Tom. “Maybe there won’t be any trouble after all.” The boys traveled all that day, the journey being a pleasant one for the four chums, who had much to talk about. They took an observation now and then of the forward car, and saw that Sam and his crony were still aboard. “Well, we’ll soon be at Wilden,” remarked Tom, as the day was drawing to a close. “Where are we going to stop?” asked Jack. “At a hotel, of course,” put in Bert. “Hotel nothing!” exclaimed Tom. “In the first place there isn’t any, and in the second place mother’s friend, Mrs. Henderson, would feel hurt if we didn’t put up at her house. She wrote specially to invite us when she heard we were going camping near Lake Woonset. So we’ll go there, and proceed to make ourselves at home.”