up all their spare time. Sam played a little on the scrub, but soon gave it up.
During those days Dick was more serious than usual, and neither Tom nor Sam bothered their elder brother. They knew he was thinking of his engagement to Dora, and also worrying over the business affairs of their father and their Uncle Randolph.
One day Tom and Sam took a short trip in the biplane and pursuaded Stanley to go with them, and the next day they took out Spud. But nobody else of their chums cared to go.
"A new arrival to-morrow!" cried Sam, one evening. "Just from a trip to Paris, too."
"Is it William Philander Tubbs?" queried Tom, looking up from the theme he was writing.
"You've struck it, Tom. Since you wrote to him about the socks he has been over to Paris. But he gets back to the grind to-morrow—comes in on the four-thirty train."
"Say, let us get up a reception in William's honor!" cried the fun-loving Rover; and as soon as the theme was finished he began to arrange his plans.
The next afternoon the Rovers and a crowd of their chums took one of the college carryalls and drove over to Ashton station to witness the sport. Tom had been to town early in the morn-