on the floor he had found the memorandum book and the envelope. From
some boys in the hamlet he has learned that the Rover boys belonged to
the Putnam Hall cadets, and farmer Gassam had told him where to find
the young soldiers. Then he had called up the constable and set out;
with the results already related.

"This certainly looks black for the Rover boys," said Squire Haggerty.
"How do ye account for having the goods on your persons, tell me that
now?"

"I can account for it only in one way," said Dick. "The thief, whoever
he was, placed them there, for the double purpose of keeping suspicion
from himself and to get us into trouble."

"Thin, if he wanted to git you into throuble, he was after being a
fellow who had a grudge against ye?"

"That must be it," put in Captain Putnam.

"Do ye know of any such persons?"

"Yes, there are a number of such persons," answered Dick. And he
mentioned Dan Baxter, Flapp, Rockley, and a number of others who in the
past had proved to be his enemies.

Following this, Captain Putnam related how Dan Baxter had escaped after
trying to harm Dick Rover and how it was that Lew Flapp was considered
an enemy and how the fellow had been dismissed from the academy, along
with several followers. Squire Haggerty listened attentively.