The Rover Boys Under Canvas; Or, The Mystery of the Wrecked Submarine
by Edward Stratemeyer · English · Gutenberg #23286 · 372,742 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The Rover Boys Under Canvas; Or, The Mystery of the Wrecked Submarine
Author: Edward Stratemeyer
Release date: November 1, 2007 [eBook #23286]
Most recently updated: January 21, 2009
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER BOYS UNDER CANVAS; OR, THE MYSTERY OF THE WRECKED SUBMARINE ***
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Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from scans of public domain material
produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)
THE ROVER BOYS UNDER CANVAS
_By_ ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
[Illustration: "MY GRACIOUS! LOOK AT THAT!"
(_Frontispiece_)--_Page 28_]
THE ROVER BOYS
UNDER CANVAS
OR
_THE MYSTERY OF THE
WRECKED SUBMARINE_
BY
ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
AUTHOR OF "THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL," "THE ROVER
BOYS ON THE OCEAN," "THE PUTNAM
HALL SERIES," ETC.
_ILLUSTRATED_
NEW YORK
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS
Made in the United States of America
BOOKS BY ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
THE FIRST ROVER BOYS SERIES
THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE
THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE MOUNTAINS
THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP
THE ROVER BOYS ON LAND AND SEA
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE RIVER
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE PLAINS
THE ROVER BOYS IN SOUTHERN WATERS
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM
THE ROVER BOYS ON TREASURE ISLE
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLLEGE
THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE AIR
THE ROVER BOYS IN NEW YORK
THE ROVER BOYS IN ALASKA
THE ROVER BOYS IN BUSINESS
THE ROVER BOYS ON A TOUR
THE SECOND ROVER BOYS SERIES
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLBY HALL
THE ROVER BOYS ON SNOWSHOE ISLAND
THE ROVER BOYS UNDER CANVAS
THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES
THE PUTNAM HALL CADETS
THE PUTNAM HALL RIVALS
THE PUTNAM HALL CHAMPIONS
THE PUTNAM HALL REBELLION
THE PUTNAM HALL ENCAMPMENT
THE PUTNAM HALL MYSTERY
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY
EDWARD STRATEMEYER
_The Rover Boys Under Canvas_
INTRODUCTION
MY DEAR BOYS: This book is a complete story in itself, but forms the
third volume in a line issued under the general title, "The Second
Rover Boys Series for Young Americans."
As mentioned in a number of volumes of the first series, this line was
started some years ago with the publication of "The Rover Boys at
School," "On the Ocean," and "In the Jungle," in which I introduced my
young readers to Dick, Tom, and Sam Rover. The volumes of the first
series related the doings of these three Rover boys while attending
Putnam Hall Military Academy, Brill College, and while on numerous
outings.
Having acquired a good education, the three young men established
themselves in business and became married. Presently Dick Rover was
blessed with a son and a daughter, as was also his brother Sam, while
Tom Rover became the proud father of twin boys. At first the four lads
were kept at home, but then it was thought best to send them to a
boarding school, and in the first volume of the second series,
entitled "The Rover Boys at Colby Hall," I related what happened to
them while attending this institution.
From Colby Hall the scene was shifted to Snowshoe Island, where the
lads went for a mid-winter outing. Here they ran into a most unusual
mystery, and helped an old lumberman to establish his claim to the
island.
In the present volume the boys are back at Colby Hall, but it is time
for the annual encampment of the military school, and soon they depart
for a brief season "Under Canvas." This is at the time of the World
War, and the lads get mixed up in the mystery surrounding a wrecked
submarine. What this led to, I leave for the pages which follow to
relate.
In conclusion I wish to thank my numerous readers for all the nice
things they have said about my books. I trust the reading of the
volumes will do all of them good.
Affectionately and sincerely yours,
EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I A GAME OF BASEBALL 1
II ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS 12
III THE AMMUNITION FACTORY EXPLOSIONS 25
IV A RESCUE ON THE LAKE 35
V MEETING OLD ENEMIES 41
VI CELEBRATING THE BASEBALL VICTORY 56
VII FUN WITH CODFISH 66
VIII AN INTERRUPTED FEAST 76
IX A TELEGRAM FROM HOME 87
X ON THE WAY HOME 98
XI TOM ROVER'S DILEMMA 109
XII AT THE ROVER COMPANY OFFICES 120
XIII FUN AT A RAILROAD STATION 132
XIV BACK TO COLBY HALL 142
XV THE ELECTION FOR OFFICERS 153
XVI OFF FOR THE ENCAMPMENT 164
XVII A NIGHT ON THE ROAD 175
XVIII ONE SURPRISE AND ANOTHER 184
XIX AT CAMP BARLIGHT 194
XX FIRST DAYS UNDER CANVAS 202
XXI STRANGE NOISES 212
XXII AT THE RIFLE RANGES 221
XXIII GIRL VISITORS 231
XXIV TOM ROVER'S ANNOUNCEMENT 240
XXV AT CAMP HUXWELL 250
XXVI AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY 260
XXVII ON BOARD THE SUBMARINE 271
XXVIII THE CABIN IN THE WOODS 282
XXIX THE FIGHT ON THE SUBMARINE 291
XXX AN IMPORTANT CAPTURE--CONCLUSION 300
THE ROVER BOYS UNDER CANVAS
CHAPTER I
A GAME OF BASEBALL
"Now for a home run, Jack!"
"Soak it out over the bleachers!"
"Show the Hixley boys what we can do!"
"Give him a swift one, Dink! Don't let him hit it!"
"Oh, dear, I do hope Jack scores!" came in a sweet, girlish voice.
"Of course he'll score!" returned a youth sitting near the girl who
had made the remark. "He's been holding back for just this chance."
"Oh, do you think so?" asked another girl in the grandstand.
"Surest thing ever was," was the airy rejoinder. "This is the time
we're going to show the Hixley boys what's what."
"Not on your life!" bellowed a heavy voice from the rear. "Here is
where Colby Hall gets snowed under."
Then came a series of yells, followed by the tooting of horns and the
sounding of rattles, making a din that was almost ear-splitting.
The occasion was the annual baseball game between Hixley High and
Colby Hall. It had been scheduled to take place on the high-school
athletic field, but at almost the last minute this field had been
declared out of condition, and it had been decided to hold the contest
on the athletic grounds attached to the military academy.
Hixley High was very anxious to win this game. During the previous
fall, as related in a former volume of this series, the high-school
lads had lost the annual football game with Colby Hall by a single
touchdown. This defeat still rankled in their minds, and they were
determined if possible to take the baseball game by a score that
should be well worth while.
And they had good reason to be hopeful of doing this. While their
football team had always been considered by the other teams of that
locality to be of the "second string variety," the baseball nine was a
remarkably strong organization. At its head was Dink Wilsey, a pitcher
who was destined at some time in the future to show himself in one of
the big leagues.
"Why, Dink alone can walk off with that game," was the way more than
one Hixley High student had expressed himself.
But more than this--Hixley High had an exceptionally good first
baseman and a trio of outfielders whose batting average was high.
"We're going to put it all over Colby Hall this trip," was the way the
manager of the Hixley High ball club declared himself on the day
previous to the match.
The game was now at the second half of the sixth inning, and the score
stood, Hixley High, 4; Colby Hall, 2. Colby Hall was at the bat with
two men out and one man at second.
It was therefore no wonder that the military academy students became
anxious when Jack Rover took up his bat and walked to the plate. A
home run would mean the tying of the score, and with a chance to do
even better.
"Take your time, Jack," said Gif Garrison, who was the manager of the
nine. "Make him give you a ball just where you want it."
"Watch yourself!" yelled one of the coaches to the runner at second,
for the Hixley High pitcher had suddenly whirled around, sending the
ball down to the second baseman. There was a quick drop by the runner,
and he escaped getting caught by a few inches only.
"Close shave! Watch yourself, Dan!" yelled Gif Garrison; and Dan
Soppinger, at second, nodded to show that he understood, and then
danced away in the direction of third base as before.
The first ball pitched to Jack Rover was a slow in-curve, and he
stepped back and allowed it to pass him.
"Ball one!"
At this decision a howl of delight went up from the followers of Colby
Hall, while a corresponding groan came from Hixley High.
"That's the eye!"
"Better get a pair of glasses!"
"Sure! The umpire must be blind! That was a perfect ball!"
"Sure it was a perfect ball! That's the reason he called it a ball!"
came from Andy Rover, who sat on the substitutes' bench.
The second ball delivered was a fairly good one, although rather low.
Jack swung at it, and high into the air spun the sphere, well back of
the catcher's head.
"Foul!"
"Run, Billy, you can catch it!"
Flinging off his mask, the Hixley High catcher rushed back toward
where the ball was coming down. But it was too far away for him, and
it struck slantingly on one of the back posts, rolling off toward the
grandstand.
"Line it out, Jack! Don't be fooling with fouls!" yelled Fred Rover.
"Show 'em where the river is!" added Randy Rover.
The next ball to come in was a wide out-curve, and again Jack let it
pass him.
"Ball two!" shouted the umpire.
"That's the way to do it, Jack! Make 'em give you what you want!"
With two balls against him, the noted pitcher for the high school
exercised a little more care in his next delivery. He sent in a
straight, swift one, directly over the outer point of the plate. It
was not exactly what Jack desired, but it was good enough, and he
swung at it with all his strength. Crack! And the ball went sailing
directly over the head of the shortstop and into the field beyond.
"Run, Jack! Run! It's good for a two-bagger!"
"Leg it, Dan! Leg it for home!"
"Send the ball in, Wiffles! Don't let 'em get home!"
These and a hundred other cries rang out as nearly every spectator
sprang to his or her feet in the excitement. Dan Soppinger, half way
to third when Jack made the hit, had now touched that bag and was
tearing for the home plate.
In the meantime Jack, running like a deer, had passed first and was
making for second. The shortstop had made a high but ineffectual jump
for the ball, and now he and the fielder behind him were both after
the sphere. There was a short mix-up, and then the fielder sent the
ball with unerring aim toward the catcher at the home plate.
"Slide, Dan, slide!"
And then Dan Soppinger, running as he had never run before, dropped
down and slid to the plate amid a whirl of dust, followed instantly by
the ball, which landed with a thud in the catcher's mitt.
"He's safe! He's safe!"
"And look! Jack Rover is going to make third!"
Realizing that it was too late to catch the man at the plate, the
catcher threw the ball down to second. But Jack Rover had already
started for third, and now he streaked along with all his might,
arriving at that bag just an instant before the ball followed him.
"That's the way to do it, boy! Keep it up!"
"Oh, he made three bases!" cried one of the girls in the grandstand.
"Isn't that just lovely?"
"I told you he'd do it, Ruth," said another of the girls.
"I wish my cousin Dick was coming up," remarked one of the girls. "I'm
sure he would be able to help them out."
"Never mind, May. He'll be coming up pretty soon," answered Ruth
Stevenson.
The next cadet to the bat was Walt Baxter. Walt was a good all-around
player, but just at present he was not in the best of condition,
having suffered from a touch of the grippe early in the season.
"Bang out a homer, Walt!" sang out Andy Rover.
"Never mind that, Walt. Make a safe hit and bring Jack in," said Gif
Garrison.
"I'll do my best," answered Walt Baxter. But it was plainly to be seen
that his recent illness had rendered him somewhat nervous. He had a
ball and a strike called on him, and then got another strike through a
little foul that passed over one of the coaches' heads. Then Dink
Wilsey passed him a slow, tantalizing ball. Walt connected with it but
sent up only a pop fly, which the third baseman gathered in with ease.
"Hurrah! that's the way to hold 'em down," came the cry from one of
the high-school boys.
"Gee, old man, it's too bad you didn't have a chance to bring that run
in," remarked Gif Garrison to Jack Rover, as the latter walked in from
third base.
"Well, anyway, I brought Dan in," returned Jack, as cheerfully as he
could.
"Yes; but if you had got in that would have tied the score," went on
the manager. "However, the game isn't over yet."
"Over! Why, we've just begun to play!" returned Jack, with a grin.
"That's the talk!" cried Andy Rover. "Colby Hall forever! Now then,
boys, all together!" he yelled, turning to the grandstand. And a
moment later there boomed out this refrain:
"Who are we?
Can't you see?
Colby Hall!
Dum! Dum! Dum, dum, dum!
Here we come with fife and drum!
Colby! Colby! Colby Hall!"
And then followed a great yelling and tooting of horns and sounding of
rattles.
"My gracious! if they keep on I'll surely become deaf," said Martha
Rover.
"I think I had better retire from this game," remarked Walt Baxter, as
he faced the manager. "I told you I didn't feel like going in, and
now I am sure I should have kept out of it."
"All right, Walt. I'll be sorry to lose you," answered Gif. And then
he told Andy Rover to get ready to get into the game.
With a score still 4 to 3 in their favor, Hixley High opened the
seventh inning with vigor. They managed to get a man on first, and
then on a sacrifice advanced him to second. Then came a two-bagger,
and the play made by Colby Hall in the ending of the sixth inning was
repeated by their opponents, thus making the score 5 to 3.
On their part Colby Hall tried its best to score during the seventh,
but was doomed to disappointment.
Then came the eighth inning with a goose egg placed on the board for
each nine.
"Say, this begins to look bad for us," remarked Will Hendry, the
fattest boy at Colby Hall. "It looks as if Hixley High was going to
have a sweet revenge."
In the Hixley High half of the ninth inning Dink Wilsey showed what a
very good all-around player he was. The noted pitcher cracked out a
home run, making the tally with ease. Fortunately this was at a time
when there was no one on base, so that only one run was scored. Two
men were out, and the next player knocked a fly to short, which was
gathered in by Frank Newberry with ease.
"Hurrah! Score another for Hixley High!"
"That makes the score six to three!"
"I guess this game is as good as won!"
So the cries ran on among the high-school scholars and their friends.
The Colby Hall contingent was, of course, much downcast, but they
refused to show it, and once more the slogan of the military academy
boomed forth.
"Now, boys, pull yourselves together and go at 'em hammer and tongs,"
cried Gif Garrison. "Watch the pitcher. Don't let Dink put anything
over you."
Fred Rover was at the bat, and he managed to make a safe hit. He was
followed by a player who made another safe hit, thus advancing Fred to
second. Then came two outs, but in the mix-up Fred managed to steal to
third, while the player on first got down to second. Jack Rover was
now once more to the bat, and all of his friends were yelling at the
top of their lungs for him to "Knock the hide off the ball!" "Send it
over the back fence!" "Show 'em where the other side of the river is!"
and to "Wipe up the field with Hixley High!"
One ball was called, and then a strike. Then came another strike, and
things began to look gloomy for Colby Hall. But then Jack got a ball
exactly where he wanted it, and he swung at it with every ounce of
muscle he could command. Crack! went the bat, and the sphere went
sailing far down in left field.
"That's the way to do it! Run, boys, run!"
"Come on home, Jack!"
Fred, on third, was already streaking for home, and close behind him
came the player who had been on second. In the meanwhile, Jack raced
to first and around to second, and then came plowing up to third.
"Hold it, Rover! Hold it!"
"Come on in--don't wait! Come on in!"
Jack looked down into the field and saw that the fielder was just in
the act of picking up the ball. With a great bound, he started for the
home plate, and when ten feet from that place dropped to the ground
and slid in with the rapidity of lightning.
"He's safe! A home run!"
"That ties the score!"
"Now then, boys, go in and finish 'em up!"
The din and excitement was now tremendous. The score was indeed a tie.
Which club would win?
CHAPTER II
ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS
"Now then, fellows, don't forget to bring in the winning run!"
"Show Hixley High what we can do!"
And then came a rousing cheer from the Colby Hall cadets, and once
more they gave the well-known military academy refrain.
Any ordinary pitcher might have been nervous over the prospect ahead
of him; but Dink Wilsey was not one of that caliber, and he faced the
next batsman as coolly as he had all of the others. Two balls were
called, and then two strikes, and then two more balls, and the batsman
walked to first base.
"Hurrah! he's afraid to give him the kind we chew up."
"Maybe he'll let the next man walk, too!" cried another.
But this was not to be. The next cadet up went out on a foul, and the
inning came to a sudden end.
"A tie! A tie! The game is a tie!"
"Now for the winning run! Hixley High!"
"That's the stuff! Larsen to the bat! And, my, won't he wallop that
ball!"
Larsen was the Hixley High center fielder--a tall, sturdy youth with
blue eyes and light hair, of Norwegian descent. He came to the plate
with a "do-or-die" look on his face. He allowed two balls to pass him,
only one of which, however, was called a strike. Then he made a sweep
for the next ball, sending it out in a red-hot liner toward Jack.
Many a young ball player would have stepped out of the way with such a
red-hot variety of baseball coming his way. But not so Jack Rover.
Like a flash his hands went out and he caught the ball firmly,
although the impact of the sphere whirled him half way around.
"Gee, look at that!"
"I wouldn't have caught that ball for a thousand dollars!"
A great shout of approval rang out, and during this Gif hurried over
to Jack's side.
"How about it--did it hurt you any?" he questioned quickly.
"It stung me a little, that's all," was Jack's reply. His hands burnt
like fire, but he did not intend to let anybody know it.
"One down! Now for the other two!" came the cry.
"Not much! Here is where we score!"
But alas for the hopes of Hixley High! The next man up went out on
strikes, and the fellow to follow knocked a foul which was easily
gathered in by the third baseman.
"Now here is where we bring home the bacon!" cried Ned Lowe, one of
the Colby Hall fans.
Andy Rover had been burning to distinguish himself, and now his chance
came. First to the bat, he made a very neat base hit. Then, however,
came an out, and the Colby Hall boys were, for a moment, downcast. But
they quickly recovered when the next player made a single and Andy
slid around safely to third.
"Now then, a hit! Just a neat little hit!" came the entreating cry.
"Oh, if only they do get it!" murmured Ruth Stevenson. "I wish Jack
was at the bat."
"It's my cousin Dick!" cried May Powell, and she was right--Spouter
Powell was up.
Spouter was not a particularly strong ball player, but he had one
feature which was in his favor--he knew how to keep cool, and that
helped greatly in this heart-breaking emergency. He waited calmly
until two strikes and two balls had been called, and then he struck a
low one, sending it just inside the first-base line. It slipped past
the baseman, and as Spouter's feet crossed the bag, Fred Rover slid in
safely to the home plate.
"Hurrah! Hurrah! Colby Hall wins!"
Then followed a wild cheering and yelling, in the midst of which the
crowds on the bleachers and the grandstand broke forth to mingle with
the players on the ball field. Of course, the Hixley High students
were much crestfallen, yet they tried to take their defeat in good
part.
"Three cheers for Hixley High!" shouted Gif Garrison, and they were
given with a will. Then followed a cheer from the high-school students
for those of the military academy, and then the crowd started to
disperse.
"Oh, boys! some celebration to-night, what?" cried Randy Rover, and in
the exuberance of his spirits he turned several handsprings on the
grass.
"You bet we'll celebrate!" exclaimed his cousin Fred.
"Say! we ought to shoot off the old cannon for this," burst out Andy
Rover. He referred to an ancient fieldpiece located on the front lawn
of the school.
"Too dangerous," interposed his cousin Jack. "That old cannon is too
rusty, and it would fly into a million pieces."
"Yes, but we might----"
_Boom!_
It was a loud explosion coming from a considerable distance. The
cadets, as well as all the others gathered on the ball field, looked
at each other in surprise.
"What could that have been?" questioned Fred Rover.
"Sounds like a big cannon going off," answered Walt Baxter.
_Boom! Boom!_
Two more explosions rent the air, both much louder than the first. The
very ground seemed to be shaken by the concussion.
"Say, that sounds like a warship!"
"No warships around here," was the answer.
"Maybe it's a German Zeppelin!"
"Gee! do you suppose the Germans have come over here to bombard us?"
_Boom! Boom! Boom!_
Several more explosions came now close upon the others, each explosion
heavier than those which had gone before. The ground all around seemed
to tremble, and those who were still in the grandstand cried out in
alarm.
"The grandstand is going down! Everybody jump for his life!"
"Look! Look!" was the sudden cry from Jack Rover, and he pointed to a
place on the opposite shore of Clearwater Lake. A dense volume of
smoke was rolling skyward. Then came another tremendous explosion, and
a mass of wreckage could be seen to be lifted skyward.
"It's the Hasley ammunition factory going up!" cried Fred Rover. "What
an awful thing to happen!"
"That factory is right across the lake from our school!" cried Martha
Rover. "I wonder if it will damage that place any?"
"I shouldn't be surprised," answered her cousin Andy. And then he
added quickly: "I hope Mary will be safe."
"Oh, oh! do you think Mary is in danger?" cried Ruth Stevenson, who
had just joined the others. Mary was Fred Rover's sister, who had been
left behind at the girls' boarding school because she had been
suffering that day with a severe headache, and had said she preferred
resting to attending the ball game, even though she loved to be with
the others.
"There goes another building!" yelled Andy Rover, as another report
rent the air. Then those who were looking down the river and across
the lake saw some strange objects being hurled through the sky in the
direction of Clearwater Hall.
"If that whole ammunition factory starts to go up, it will certainly
mean damage to the boarding school," declared Jack. "I guess the best
we can do is to get down there and see if Mary is safe."
"That's just what I say!" declared Fred. "I'm going to get down there
just as fast as I can." And he ran off, to board one of the
automobiles headed in that direction.
Now, I know it will not be at all necessary to introduce the Rover
boys or their friends to my old readers, but for the benefit of those
who have not perused any of my former stories a few words concerning
these characters will be necessary. In the first volume, entitled "The
Rover Boys at School," I told how three brothers, Dick, Tom, and Sam
Rover, were sent off to Putnam Hall Military Academy, where they made
a great number of friends, including a youth named Lawrence Colby.
From Putnam Hall the lads went to Brill College, and on leaving that
institution of learning went into business in New York City with
offices on Wall Street. They organized The Rover Company, of which
Dick was now president, Tom secretary and general manager, and Sam
treasurer.
While at Putnam Hall the three Rovers had become acquainted with three
very charming girls, Dora Stanhope and her two cousins, Nellie and
Grace Laning, and when Dick went into business he made Dora Stanhope
his lifelong partner. A short time later Tom married Nellie Laning and
Sam married Grace.
The three brothers purchased a fine plot of ground on Riverside Drive
overlooking the noble Hudson River, and there they built three
connecting houses, Dick and his family living in the middle house,
with Tom on one side and Sam on the other.
About a year after their marriage Dick and his wife became the proud
parents of a little son, who was named John after Mr. Laning. This son
was followed by a daughter, called Martha after her great-aunt Martha
of Valley Brook Farm, where the older Rovers had spent many of their
younger days. Little Jack, as he was commonly called, was a manly lad
with many of the qualities which had made his father so well liked and
so successful.
It was about this time that Tom and Nellie Rover came to the front
with a surprise for all of the others. This was in the shape of a pair
of very lively twins, one of whom was named Anderson, after his
grandfather, and the other, Randolph, after his great-uncle Randolph
of Valley Brook Farm. Andy and Randy, as they were always called, were
very active lads, in that particular being a second edition of their
father.
About the time Tom's twins were born Sam and Grace Rover came along
with a beautiful little girl, whom they named Mary after Mrs. Laning.
Then, a year later, the girl was followed by a sturdy boy, christened
Fred after Sam Rover's old and well-known school chum, Fred Garrison.
Residing so close together, the younger generation of Rover boys, as
well as their sisters, were brought up very much like one family. They
spent their winters usually in New York City, and during the summer
often went out to Valley Brook Farm, where their grandfather, Anderson
Rover, still resided with Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha.
At first the boys and girls had been sent to private schools in the
Metropolis; but soon the lads, led by Andy and Randy, showed such a
propensity for "cutting loose" that their parents were compelled to
hold a consultation.
"We'll have to do as Uncle Randolph did with us," said Dick Rover.
"We'll have to send them to some strict boarding school--some military
academy." And to this the others had agreed.
Some time previous their old school chum, Lawrence Colby, who had
since become a colonel in the state militia, had opened a military
academy, called Colby Hall.
"We'll send them to that place," was the decision of the older Rovers.
"Lawrence Colby is just the fellow to make them behave themselves, and
as we are such good friends he will be sure to give them extra
attention."
So the boys were sent off to this school, as related in detail in the
first volume of my second series, entitled "The Rover Boys at Colby
Hall." This military school was located about half a mile from the
town of Haven Point on Clearwater Lake, a beautiful sheet of water
about two miles long and nearly half a mile wide. At the head of the
lake was the Rick Rack River, running down from the hills and woods
beyond.
The school consisted of a large stone building, facing the river at a
point not far from where the stream emptied into the lake. It was a
three-storied structure, and contained the classrooms and a mess hall
and also the dormitories and private rooms for the scholars. Close by
was a smaller brick building, occupied by Colonel Colby and his family
and some of the professors.
On the opposite side was an up-to-date gymnasium, while at the water's
edge were a number of small buildings used as boathouses and bathing
pavilions. Behind the hall were a stable and barn, and also a garage,
and further back were a large garden and several farm fields and a
great athletic field where the boys played baseball in the spring and
football in the fall.
On arriving at Colby Hall the young Rovers had found several of their
friends awaiting them, one of these being Dick Powell, the son of
Songbird Powell, a former schoolmate of their fathers. Dick was always
called Spouter because of his fondness for long speeches. Another was
Gifford, the son of Fred Garrison, after whom Fred Rover had been
named. There was also Walter Baxter, a son of Dan Baxter, who years
before had been an enemy of the older Rovers, but who had now reformed
and was doing very well.
Before coming to Colby Hall, Jack Rover had had a quarrel in New York
City with a tall, dudish youth, named Napoleon Martell. Nappy Martell,
as he was called by his cronies, was a cadet at the military academy,
and he and his crony, an overgrown bully named Slugger Brown, did what
they could to make trouble for the Rovers. But one of their
underhanded transactions was exposed, and they were sent away from the
academy for the time being.
As mentioned, Colby Hall was located about half a mile beyond Haven
Point. On the opposite side of the town was located Clearwater Hall,
a boarding school for girls. During a panic in a moving-picture
theater Jack and his cousins became acquainted with a number of these
girls, including Ruth Stevenson, May Powell, Alice Strobell, and Annie
Larkins. They found out that May was Spouter Powell's cousin, and the
whole crowd of young people soon became friends. Later on Mary and
Martha Rover became pupils at the girls' school.
Ruth Stevenson had an old uncle Barney, who in times past had had a
bitter quarrel with Ruth's parents. The Rover boys once went out
hunting, and on this occasion saved the old man's life, as related in
"The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island." For this the old man was
exceedingly grateful, and as a result he invited them to spend their
winter holidays on Snowshoe Island, a place which he said he owned and
of which he was very proud.
The boys traveled to this island and had many adventures while hunting
and otherwise. They found out that the father of Slogwell Brown,
always called Slugger by his comrades, was laying claim to the island.
This man, backed up by Asa Lemm, a discharged teacher of Colby Hall,
and backed up likewise by his son Slugger and Nappy Martell, did all
he could to take possession of the property. But the Rover boys
exposed the plot, and held the rascals at bay, and in the end old
Barney Stevenson's claim to the land was made safe. During the time on
the island Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell had stolen a tin box
containing some valuable papers from the old man, and for this they
had at first been threatened with arrest, but had been allowed to go
when Slugger's father gave up his claim to the place.
"You think you're smart, don't you?" Slugger Brown had grumbled to
Jack when he was ready to depart from Snowshoe Island. "You just wait,
Jack Rover! I'm not going to forget you and your cousins in a hurry!"
"And I won't forget you either," Nappy Martell had added. "We'll get
even with you when you least expect it."
But for quite a while now none of the Rovers had seen or heard
anything more of Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell. But they were
destined to hear more from these two unworthies, and in a most unusual
fashion.
CHAPTER III
THE AMMUNITION FACTORY EXPLOSIONS
"Oh, I do hope Mary is safe!" cried Martha Rover, as she and the
others ran toward where the automobiles which had brought them over to
Colby Hall from the girls' boarding school were standing.
"So far those explosions haven't reached Clearwater Hall," answered
her brother Jack. "But there is no telling what a real heavy explosion
may do."
"That's just it!" burst out his cousin Randy. "For all we know, those
Hasley people may have a large quantity of TNT or some other high
explosive stored there, and if that should go up--good-night!"
"It would be fierce!"
"I think it's awful to allow those ammunition people to have their
works so close to a town," was Ruth Stevenson's comment.
_Boom! Boom!_
Two more explosions rent the air. Then followed a series of poppings
like the discharge of a machine gun.
"Those must be some of the small shells going off," said Andy. "Gosh,
what a shame they couldn't have held this back until the Fourth of
July!" he added. Andy would probably have wanted to joke at his own
funeral.
The Rovers and their girl friends were soon seated in the automobiles
which they had used earlier in the day to bring the girls to Colby
Hall. With them went as many of the other cadets and their friends as
could pile into the machines or hang fast to the running boards. All
of the ball players went in their baseball outfits, not taking time to
change to their uniforms.
The Rovers and their friends were among the first to leave the
military institution, and for this reason they got away without any
trouble. They had scarcely departed when Captain Mapes Dale, the
military instructor attached to the school, appeared and forbade any
more of the cadets to leave the grounds.
"There is no telling how dangerous those explosions may become," said
Captain Dale, "and Colonel Colby thinks it is best that you remain
here where it is comparatively safe. Even as it is, we may have some
big shells coming this way."
The Hasley Shell Loading Company had been located on the opposite
shore of Clearwater Lake for a number of years previous to the opening
of the war in Europe. But at that time it had been only a small
concern, employing but a handful of men. A year after the opening of
hostilities, however, the plant had been enlarged, and now, since the
entrance of the United States into the war, the force of workmen had
been again doubled and many additional buildings had been erected,
some along the lake front and others in the hills further back. A spur
of the railroad had also been built to the plant, and on this were
numerous cars, all painted to show the dangerous nature of the freight
they were destined to carry.
On two different occasions the Rover boys and their chums had rowed
over to the vicinity of the shell-loading works to look at what was
going on. Guards around the works, however, had kept them from landing
or even getting within a reasonable distance of the place. This, they
knew, was done because the authorities feared that some spies might
try to get into the buildings with a view to blowing them up.
"Gee, that certainly sounds like war!" cried Andy, as the explosions
continued. There was a continual popping of small shells, punctured
every now and then by a decidedly heavier explosion.
"My gracious! Look at that!" burst out Jack a moment later.
What the oldest Rover boy referred to was a curious explosion of a
quantity of shells which seemed to go up in the form of an immense
sheaf of wheat. Thousands of small objects filled the air, flying off
in all directions of the compass.
"I'll bet we'll get some of those over here!" exclaimed Gif Garrison,
who was clinging to the running board of the machine.
And he was right. Only a few seconds later several small bits of metal
came down around them, two striking the hood of the automobile and one
falling into the tonneau on Ruth's lap.
It did not take those in the automobile long to cover the half mile
which lay between them and Haven Point, where the railroad station was
located. Here they found the town people in great excitement, and
learned that steps were already being taken to care for any of the
workmen who might be injured by the explosions.
"Of course we have no idea yet how many people have been killed or
wounded," declared a policeman who gave the cadets this information.
"We are all upset because we don't know how bad the explosions may
get. If they don't get any worse than they have been, we'll be
thankful."
The cadets and their girl friends did not remain long in Haven Point.
All were anxious to get to Clearwater Hall, to learn if that place was
much damaged. The girls' school was directly opposite the
shell-loading plant, and consequently more liable to suffer than the
town or Colby Hall.
"Look at them getting away from that place, will you?" cried Fred, who
had come as far as Haven Point on another automobile and then had
rejoined his cousins. He pointed to the lake, where a number of
rowboats and other craft were leaving the vicinity of the explosions.
"You can't blame them for wanting to get away," returned Jack. "It may
mean life or death to them."
"Oh, I hope nobody has been killed!" murmured Ruth.
"I'm afraid, Ruth, that's too much to expect," answered Jack soberly.
"Oh, I just think war is too horrible for anything!" cried out Alice
Strobell, who was along.
"I just wish they could sink all those Germans in their old
submarines!" declared Annie Larkins who was also in the crowd.
"I guess we'd all be willing to subscribe to that!" cried Randy.
"You just wait until Uncle Sam gets into this scrap," declared Jack.
"We'll show 'em what's what!"
"How I wish I could go to the front," said Andy wistfully. "It would
beat going to school all hollow."
"Now that we've gone into the war, we'll have an army over there
before long," said Spouter. "I suppose they'll send some of the
regulars over first, and then some of the national guard--of course
taken into the regular army--and after that we'll have the volunteers.
I suppose if Uncle Sam really wanted to do it, he could get together
several million men without half trying. And with an army like that,
properly trained and equipped, and transported to the battlefields of
Europe, we shall be sure to make a showing which will throw terror
into the hearts of----"
"Hurrah! Spouter is off again," broke in Randy.
"Say, Spout! they ought to send you to the front to help talk the Huns
to death," put in Andy. "Talk about gas and gas masks----"
"Aw say! you're always butting in when I've got something to say,"
growled the lad who loved to talk.
There might have been a little friction right then and there, but
another explosion came from across Clearwater Lake, and all stopped to
gaze at the thick volume of yellowish-black smoke which rolled
directly toward them.
"The wind must be shifting," declared Jack, for all of the smoke
heretofore had rolled up the lake shore.
"It's too bad it is coming this way," said Ruth. "Miss Garwood
declares that a good deal of smoke from such shells is poisonous."
Miss Garwood was the head of the school for girls, and likewise an
authority in chemistry.
The road was filled with automobiles going and coming, and Randy had
all he could do to send the machine along without getting into some
sort of collision. The heavy smoke continued to roll across the lake,
and soon they were in the midst of this. It had a curious pungent odor
to it, which set them to sneezing and coughing.
"No fun in this, I must say," declared Jack. The girls all had their
handkerchiefs to their faces, and May Powell looked as if she was
getting sick.
In a minute more they came within sight of Clearwater Hall, a large
structure setting back in well-kept grounds. There were numerous
bushes and flowers and quite a number of fair-sized trees.
Several automobiles had reached the school ahead of them so the scene
was one of animation. Town people, as well as scholars from the
Hixley High School, mingled with the cadets and the girls from
Clearwater Hall.
"Go on in and find Mary," said Jack to his sister. "Tell her we are
here to help her in case anything happens."
Martha rushed off, followed by Ruth, and the two soon located Fred's
sister. She was in a rear room of the school, along with a number of
the other pupils and one of the assistant teachers.
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come!" declared Mary Rover. "What a dreadful
thing this is getting to be!"
"I suppose it has made your head ache worse than ever," said Martha
sympathetically.
"No, strange to say, it's just the other way around," declared Fred's
sister, with a faint smile. "Those explosions seemed to have shocked
the headache all away."
Mary was glad to join the others, and the Rovers and their friends
proceeded to one of the reception rooms of the school. In the meantime
the explosions across the lake continued, but seemed to be gradually
dying down.
"It looks to me as if the worst was over," remarked Fred, after there
had been comparative silence for fully a quarter of an hour.
"Say, I'm going down to the lake front to see what's doing," declared
Randy, a little later. "Perhaps we can be of some assistance."
"That's the talk! We can't do anything more here," returned his twin.
"Let's all go down!" cried Jack. "We ought to be able to do something
for those poor workmen who have been hurt." And then, turning to Ruth,
he continued: "If there are any more big explosions and this place
seems to be in danger, we'll be back."
"Oh, Jack! I don't want you to run into any danger down at the lake
shore," said the girl, looking at him pleadingly with her big brown
eyes.
"I guess we'll be able to take care of ourselves," he answered
lightly. But it pleased him a great deal to have Ruth so full of
consideration for him.
Leaving their automobiles in the school grounds, the Rovers and their
chums left the place, crossed the highway, and followed the footpath
leading down to the Clearwater Hall boathouse. Here they found only a
few people congregated, the heavy-rolling clouds of smoke keeping a
good many away.
"Not very pleasant here," was Gif Garrison's comment, after the smoke
had made him cough. "I don't think I'm going to stay."
"Neither am I," said Spouter. And presently he and quite a few others
left, leaving the four Rovers to themselves.
"You know what I've got an idea of doing?" declared Jack. "Why not get
out one of the Clearwater Hall boats and row over a little closer to
that place? We may be able to be of some assistance to some of the
workmen."
The others were willing, and soon a large rowboat was brought out,
with two pairs of oars, and the four Rovers manned it and sent it well
out into the lake.
"We've got to keep our eyes open in this smoke," declared Jack. "It's
worse than a fog."
"You're right there," returned Randy. "If some of those poor
chaps----"
_Boom!_
Another terrific explosion cut short what he was saying. The very
water under the rowboat seemed to shake, and the air presently was
filled with flying missiles dropping all around them. Then, as Andy
stood up in an endeavor to get a better view of the situation,
something came flying through the air, hit him on the shoulder, and
hurled him overboard!
CHAPTER IV
A RESCUE ON THE LAKE
"Andy's overboard!"
"Grab him, somebody!"
"Wow! what is this anyway--a bombardment?"
Such were the cries coming from the three Rovers when they saw the
luckless Andy lose his balance and go over into the lake with a
splash.
"It's fire coming down! We've got to get out of this!" cried Fred, a
few seconds later.
The youngest of the Rovers was right. It was indeed a rain of fire
that had suddenly descended upon them through the pall of
yellowish-black smoke. It was falling into the boat and on their
persons. Where it struck the lake it sent out a curious hissing sound.
"Come--let us get Andy aboard again and row out of this as quickly as
possible!" gasped Jack.
Andy had disappeared from view, but only for a few seconds. He came
up, thrashing around wildly, for he had been almost stunned by the
thing which had struck him, a block of wood carried up from the
ammunition plant by one of the explosions.
"Steady, Andy, steady! We'll save you!" called out his twin, and as
Fred and Jack sent the rowboat in the luckless one's direction, Randy
bent over and grabbed his brother by the hand. Then, taking care that
the craft should not tip over, Fred and Randy pulled Andy aboard.
"Are you much hurt?" questioned Randy anxiously.
"I--I don't know," was the gasped-out reply. "I--I don't think so,
though. What did you slam me in the back for?" Andy demanded of Jack,
who had been behind him.
"I didn't hit you. It was a block of wood which came sailing over from
the ammunition factory," was the quick reply. "Come on--we've got to
get out of here, or the first thing you know we'll be on fire."
"Better wet your clothing," said Andy. "It may help a whole lot."
This was good advice, and the others lost no time in filling their
baseball caps with water, which they sprinkled over their shoulders
and the other portions of their baseball outfits. They also wet down
the bow and stern seats of the rowboat. Then they grabbed up their
oars and commenced to row up the lake, trying to get out of the range
of both the fire and the smoke.
"Here is what the fire consists of," declared Fred presently, when he
caught a whisp of it on his arm. "It's nothing but oil-soaked waste.
They must have had a whole lot of it at that plant, and one of the
explosions sent it high into the air and scattered it in every
direction."
The boys continued on their way for a few minutes, and then ran into
another cloud of smoke. This was of a peculiar bluish-green cast, and
seemed so sulphurous they were nearly choked by it.
"Listen!" burst out Andy. "I think I heard somebody calling."
He held up one hand for silence, and all listened attentively. In
spite of the roaring of the flames, which were now devouring several
of the buildings at the shell-loading plant, and the continual popping
of some of the smaller shells, all heard a frantic cry for assistance.
"It's somebody calling for help!"
"Where is he?"
"I think the cry came from over yonder," said Jack, in answer to the
latter question. "Let's pull over there and see."
All were willing, and the four once more bent to their oars, sending
the rowboat through the bluish-green smoke, which almost choked and
blinded them.
"Hello there!" yelled Fred. "Where are you?"
"Help! Help!" came the cry from off to their left. "Help! Save me!"
The rowboat was turned in that direction, and a few seconds later the
Rover boys caught sight through the smoke of a water-logged rowboat to
which an elderly man, dressed in the garb of a workman, was clinging.
"Help me! Help me! I can't hang on much longer!" gasped the man, as
soon as he saw the boys.
"Sure, we'll help you," declared Jack. "Go slow now," he cautioned his
cousins. "We don't want to knock him off into the water."
With care the rowboat was brought around so that they came up
alongside of the elderly man. He was glad enough to turn from his
water-logged craft to the other boat. But he was well-nigh exhausted,
and the Rovers had not a little trouble in getting him on board.
"Tell you what--I'm mighty glad you lads came along," panted the old
man, when he was safe. "I couldn't have held out much longer. This is
something terrible, ain't it? Say, would you mind hooking that boat
fast and pulling it to shore? It belongs to me, and I ain't so
wealthy that I can afford to lose it. Besides, it's got some of my
things in it."
"We'll take it along unless it keeps us back too much," answered Jack.
And then he bent down, got hold of the bowline of the craft, and tied
it fast to their stern. Fortunately the other boat was a small one, so
they had not much difficulty in towing it along.
"I'm a dockman over at the ammunition factory," explained the old man.
"And when things began to go off I thought it was high time to get
out. I tried to save a few of my things and dumped 'em into my boat
and began to pull for the shore. But then one of the big explosions
went off, and I got caught in a lot of smoke and a rain of I don't
know what, and was nearly rendered senseless. When I came to, I had
drifted along to near where you found me. Something must have hit the
boat and gone through the bottom, for she was filling with water fast.
Then she tipped, and I went overboard. I can't swim very well, and
that confounded smoke got in my lungs, and I thought sure I would be a
goner. You boys certainly came in the nick of time."
"And we are glad of it," declared Fred, and the others nodded in
approval.
The elderly man said that his name was Jed Kessler, and that he lived
on the outskirts of Haven Point. He knew very little about Colby
Hall, however, for previous to being employed by the Hasley Shell
Loading Company he had worked around the docks at Hixley, at one end
of the lake. So much the boys learned from him when they had rowed out
of the pall of smoke and the rain of fire and could breathe freely and
in comfort.
"Have you any idea what started that fire?" questioned Jack, when they
were headed for one of the docks at Haven Point.
"I've got my idea, yes. But I don't know whether it's correct or not,"
replied Jed Kessler. "Of course, any kind of a slight accident in a
place like that might set things to going. But I know one thing, and
that is very important, I think."
"What is that?" questioned Randy.
"The first explosion took place down the railroad track, in one of the
cars loaded with shells, while the second explosion, which came less
than half a minute later, occurred in one of the supply houses."
"Was the supply house near the car where the first explosion
happened?" queried Jack.
"No. The two places are at least five hundred feet apart."
"In that case, it isn't likely that the first explosion brought on
the second, is it?" questioned Andy.
"It didn't!" was the prompt answer. "Those two explosions had nothing
to do with each other--except in one way,--and that is that they were
both started by the same person or persons," declared Jed Kessler
emphatically.
"Gee! do you suppose there were German spies around?" ejaculated
Randy.
"I am sure there were," went on the old dockman.
"But I supposed your guards kept all strangers away from the plant,"
said Jack.
"They were supposed to. But you know how it is. Those fellows aren't
on the watch all the time. They get tired of their job, and sometimes
they take it easy. Besides that, it is rather easy to reach the plant
from the water front, and it is almost equally easy to come down
through the woods on the hill behind the place. Of course, we've got a
big wire fence up all around, but it doesn't take much to go through
that if a fellow has a good pair of wire cutters."
"Did you ever see anybody suspicious?"
"Lots of times. But, of course, most of the people who looked
suspicious proved to be nothing but men who had an idle curiosity
regarding the plant. But I saw some fellows around there two weeks
ago and again a couple of days ago, and they looked mighty suspicious
to me. They were a couple of heavy-set looking fellows, with strong
German faces, and I heard 'em at a distance talking in a language that
I'm pretty sure was German."
"Why didn't you report this to the guard?"
"I did. But they were a lot of fresh young fellows, and they only
laughed at me and said I was too suspicious," grumbled Jed Kessler.
"But that is where I made a mistake. I should have gone right to the
offices and reported to the head boss."
"Do you suppose you'd know those fellows again if you saw them?"
questioned Jack.
"I think I would--although I'm not sure. They were both fellows with
heavy black hair and heavy black beards, and one of them walked with
his right foot kind of turned out."
"You certainly ought to report this as soon as possible," declared the
oldest Rover boy. "It may furnish the authorities with an important
clue. If I were you, I would get into communication with one of your
bosses without delay."
Leaving the old man and his rowboat at the dock, the four Rovers rowed
up the lake once more in the direction of the Clearwater Hall
boathouse. By this time the explosions at the shell-loading plant had
practically ceased, and only a small amount of smoke was now coming
from the ruins.
When the Rovers arrived at the boathouse connected with the girls'
school, they found that Mary and Martha had come down to the place,
accompanied by a number of the other girls. All had heard that the
Rovers had taken the rowboat, and were wondering if the lads were
safe.
"You've given us a terrible scare," declared Martha to her brother.
"You shouldn't have taken such a risk!"
"Well, it was worth while," answered Fred, and then told of the rescue
of Jed Kessler.
"Well, we've had a surprise since you went away," said Ruth Stevenson
presently.
"A thoroughly disagreeable surprise, too," added May Powell. "You'll
never guess who was here only a few minutes ago!"
"Some of our folks from New York?" questioned Jack quickly.
"No such luck," answered his sister.
"They were two persons we didn't care to see," said Ruth. "They were
Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell!"
CHAPTER V
MEETING OLD ENEMIES
"Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell!" The cry came from all of the Rover
boys simultaneously.
"What were those fellows doing here?" continued Jack.
"Did they dare to speak to you?" demanded Fred.
"Of course they spoke to us--you can't stop fellows like Brown and
Martell from doing that," answered Ruth. "But you can be sure we gave
them both the cold shoulder."
"What did they want here?" questioned Jack.
"I don't know what they wanted or where they came from," continued
Ruth. "Their appearance gave us such a shock we didn't know what to do
at first."
"We were on our way from the school to the boathouse, and were just
crossing the roadway when Slugger and Nappy came along in a runabout,"
said May. "The minute they saw us they stopped and jumped out. They
asked us a whole lot of questions about how we were getting along at
school and if your sisters were here."
"Our sisters!" cried Fred. "What business have they got to ask about
Martha and Mary?"
"Of course we didn't answer their questions, and Martha and Mary had
gone on ahead, so Brown and Martell didn't see them," said Ruth. "They
tried to act in a friendly manner, but we gave them to understand that
we wanted nothing to do with them. Then they jumped into the runabout
again and drove off."
"Did they go toward Haven Point?" questioned Randy.
"Yes."
"Those fellows certainly have their nerve with them--to show
themselves anywhere near Colby Hall after what happened!" burst out
Andy.
"One would think they wouldn't want any of their old classmates to see
them," remarked Fred.
"They are not that kind," replied Jack. "Both of them are too
thick-skinned to be sensitive. More than likely they have been telling
their friends that we did our best to get them into trouble and that
they were not to blame."
"Oh, Jack! if you go back to Colby Hall by way of the town, I hope you
don't get into any trouble with those horrid fellows," said his
sister.
"Don't worry about that, Martha," answered her brother quickly. "I'm
not afraid of Slugger or Nappy either. They have got to behave
themselves; otherwise we may bring up one of the old charges against
them."
Of course the girls wanted to know more concerning what had happened
to the Rover boys while they were out on the lake, and they related
many of the particulars.
"And do you really think those two Germans that that Jed Kessler spoke
about set fire to the munition plant?" questioned Ruth.
"I don't know what to think, Ruth," answered Jack. "One thing is
certain: If the first explosions weren't accidental, then they must
have been due to some underhand work."
During the time the boys spent with the girls at the boathouse there
were no more explosions, and now the fire on the opposite shore of the
lake was dying out, while only a small part of the pall of
curious-colored smoke remained.
"I guess it's about over," was Randy's comment.
Feeling that those at Clearwater Hall would be safe, at least for the
time being, the Rovers decided to return to Colby Hall, knowing that
Colonel Colby and his assistants would be anxious concerning the
welfare of all the cadets.
Spouter and those with him had taken one automobile, but the other
remained, and, bidding the girls good-bye, the Rover boys jumped into
this and were soon off. Jack was at the wheel, and in spite of the
numerous machines on the road, for the blowing-up of the shell-loading
plant had caused great excitement for many miles around, he drove the
car with considerable speed in the direction of Haven Point.
"Let us stop at the town for a few minutes and find out, if we can,
just how bad this affair has been," said Fred.
"That's it!" returned Randy. "I'd like to know if anyone has been
killed or seriously hurt."
They stopped on the main street close to where were located a number
of the stores and also the moving-picture theater where the cadets had
first met Ruth Stevenson and her chums.
"It's a pretty bad affair," said one of the storekeepers, with whom in
the past the boys had done some trading. "I was just down to police
headquarters, and they say there that two workmen were killed and
about fifteen injured. It certainly is a rascally piece of business,
and the fellows who did it ought to be strung up."
"Then they are pretty certain that it is the work of some German
sympathizers?" questioned Jack quickly.
"They can't figure it out any other way. The boss of the plant, and
likewise two of his head foremen, have been closely questioned, and
they declare that every possible precaution against accidents was
taken. More than that, they say that there were two separate
explosions occurring almost at the same time--one down on the railroad
tracks and another in a storehouse quite a distance away."
"Yes, we heard that, too, from one of the dockmen of the plant,"
answered Fred. "He said he thought two men who looked like Germans and
who had been hanging around the plant might be guilty."
"Yes, I've heard that story, too. I think it was started by old Jed
Kessler, wasn't it?"
"That's the man," said Randy.
"I think I saw those two fellows here in Haven Point," continued the
storekeeper. "They were heavy-set, round-faced men, and each had heavy
black hair and a heavy black beard, just as Kessler described them.
They were here several times. I think they had business at one of the
machine shops, although I'm not certain about that."
The Rover boys spoke to several other people of the town and gathered
a little additional information regarding the destruction of the
shell-loading plant, and then reentered their automobile and started
once more for the military academy. With them went Bart White and
Frank Newberry, who had come down to the town directly after the ball
game.
"It's too bad this affair had to happen just as it did," declared Bart
White. "It kind of takes the shine off of our victory over Hixley
High."
"So it does," said Jack. "But that can't be helped."
"If you put it up to the shell-loading people they would probably have
been willing to postpone the blowing up indefinitely," remarked Andy
dryly.
"I suppose the newspapers here will be full of nothing but this
affair," said Fred wistfully; "and they won't give our game with
Hixley High more than a brief mention."
"Oh, well, what of it?" cried Randy gaily. "We walloped 'em, and
that's the main thing."
"Right you are!" came in a chorus from several of the others.
At one of the street corners, owing to the excitement, there was a
congestion of traffic, and Jack had to bring the car to a stop. As he
did this there was a sudden yell from behind, and then came a slight
bump followed by a jingling of glass.
"Hi, you! what do you mean by stopping so suddenly?" yelled an irate
voice from the rear.
"They've busted one of our headlights!" added another voice in surly
tones.
Those in the tonneau of the Rovers' automobile looked around quickly.
"Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown!" ejaculated Fred in surprise.
"They must have been following us!" added Randy quickly.
"Say, I didn't know those fellows were anywhere around here!" burst
out Frank Newberry.
"I thought from what you fellows told us those fellows would steer
clear of this vicinity," added Bart White.
By this time Jack and Andy, who were on the front seat, were also
looking back to see what had happened. They beheld a runabout standing
close up to their own car. The collision had not been sufficient to do
any more damage than to break the glass in both of the headlights of
the runabout. They had struck the framework holding an extra shoe on
the rear of the Rovers' car, and for this reason the other automobile
had not suffered any damage whatsoever.
"You fellows will pay for this damage!" grumbled Slugger Brown, who
was at the wheel of the runabout.
"You did it yourself," answered Bart White quickly.
"You fellows had no business to stop so suddenly!"
"They did it on purpose!" burst out Nappy Martell.
As was usual with the youth, he was loudly dressed, wearing a light
checkered suit with a cap to match and a flaming red tie. He looked
somewhat dissipated.
"I'll attend to this," said Jack to his cousins and the others. And
without delay he leaped from the front machine and walked back to the
other.
"Just see what you've done, Jack Rover!" began Slugger Brown. But then
the stern look in Jack's face caused him to come to a stop.
"I'm glad I met you, Brown--and you too, Martell," said Jack in a low,
steady voice. "I was hoping I'd see you before you had a chance to
leave Haven Point."
"Wanted to see us, eh?" said Slugger; and now a somewhat uneasy look
took possession of his face.
"Don't let him talk himself out of paying for the damage done," put in
Nappy loftily. He was puffing on a cigarette and blew the smoke high
into the air as he spoke.
"We're not going to pay for any damage done," said Jack. "This little
accident is your own fault, for you had no business to be driving so
close behind our car."
"We'll see about that," grumbled Slugger.
"What I want to talk to you about is another matter," went on Jack,
without raising his voice because he did not wish to have any outsider
hear. "You took the trouble a while ago to stop at Clearwater Hall and
speak to some of the young ladies attending that school."
"Well, what of it? Haven't we got a right to do that if we want to?"
"I guess we can speak to our lady friends any time we feel like it,"
added Nappy.
"Both of you know very well that none of those young ladies want
anything to do with you," continued Jack. "You've had your warning
before. Now I want you to leave them alone."
"Huh! you talk as if you were our master," growled Slugger, an ugly
look coming into his eyes.
"Never mind how I talk, Brown. You just listen to what I'm saying, and
you mind me. If you don't, you'll get into a whole lot of trouble,
just as sure as you are born."
By this time Fred had also left the forward car and was standing
beside Jack.
"You fellows asked about my sister and about Jack's sister," said
Fred. "Why did you do that?"
"That's our business," answered Nappy.
"I know why you did it," went on Fred quickly. "You did it because you
thought you might make some sort of trouble for the girls. I know you!
Jack," he continued, turning to his cousin, "I think the best thing we
can do is to have them both arrested for that affair on Snowshoe
Island."
"You can't bring up those old things--they are past and gone!" cried
Nappy Martell, his face showing sudden uneasiness. "Old Barney
Stevenson agreed to let the whole matter drop provided he was allowed
to remain on the island."
"Oh, he's only bluffing, Nappy," broke in Slugger. "They can't do a
thing, and they know it!"
"We can and we will unless you leave all the girls at Clearwater Hall
alone," declared Jack stoutly. "Not a one of them wants anything to do
with you."
"How do you know what they want?"
"Because they told us."
"I don't believe it, Rover."
"You can suit yourself about that, Brown. But just you remember this:
If you or Martell attempt to do anything in the future to annoy my
relatives or any of our girl friends at that school, I'll see to it
that you are punished, and punished heavily."
"Say, do you know what I think?" cried Andy, who had come to the rear
of the front car. "I think we ought to give them both a good licking."
"It might do them both good," answered his twin.
"I don't see how you fellows can show yourselves around here,"
remarked Frank Newberry. "After the way you acted at Colby Hall and up
on Snowshoe Island I should think you'd want to keep out of sight."
"What right have you got to butt in here, Frank Newberry?" cried
Slugger Brown wrathfully.
"I've got a good deal of right, and you know it, Brown! You and
Martell were a disgrace to Colby Hall, and every cadet at the academy
is aware of that fact. And I, too, know for a fact that none of the
young ladies at Clearwater Hall wants to have anything to do with
you."
"Aw, you fellows make me tired!" growled Slugger Brown.
By this time a small crowd had collected, anxious to find out how the
damage to the headlights of the runabout was to be settled. Then a
policeman pushed his way forward.
"Any trouble here?" he asked.
"No trouble that I know of," answered Jack. "I stopped my car, and
this fellow came up behind me so suddenly that he smashed his
headlights."
"I see." The policeman turned to Slugger Brown. "Your own fault, was
it?"
"It was his fault! He stopped too quickly," grumbled Slugger.
"But--er--I--I--won't make any complaint--at least not--not now," he
said lamely. "I'll take this up later."
"And we'll get what's coming to us--you see if we don't!" put in Nappy
Martell.
Then Slugger Brown started up the engine of his runabout, backed up a
few feet, and turned out into the roadway. He ran around the nearest
corner and up the road, and was soon out of sight in the distance.
CHAPTER VI
CELEBRATING THE BASEBALL VICTORY
"He was afraid to make a complaint," was Fred's comment.
"I can't understand why two such fellows should act the way they do,"
said Bart White. "They both come from fairly well-to-do families, and
they could be really fine fellows if they wanted to."
"Slugger Brown doesn't come from a very good family--at least as far
as his father is concerned," answered Jack. "Mr. Brown is just as mean
and dishonorable as Slugger. He was at the head of the plot to do poor
Barney Stevenson out of Snowshoe Island."
"Yes, and to my mind Mr. Martell is no better," added Randy. "I've
heard my father talking about him several times. Martell has been in
more than one shady stock transaction down in Wall Street."
When the Rover boys arrived at Colby Hall they were immediately
surrounded by a number of their friends, all eager to learn the
particulars of what had occurred in the vicinity of the girls'
boarding school. Of course the others who had come in ahead of them
had already told their stories, but everybody at the military academy
was eager to get all the details possible.
"It's the worst calamity that ever happened around here," said Will
Hendry, the stoutest boy in the school, and who was generally called
Fatty. Hendry had started to leave the school grounds shortly after
the others had gone, but had been stopped by Captain Dale.
"It looks to me as if it was the work of German sympathizers," said
Major Ralph Mason, who was the cadet at the head of the school
battalion. Ralph was the oldest student at the Hall, and one who was
greatly liked by everybody.
"Ralph, what do you think about our getting into this war in Europe?"
questioned Randy. During off hours the young officer was always
addressed by the Rovers by his first name, although during school
hours and when on parade they invariably addressed the young major by
his official title.
"I'm glad we've got into it at last," returned Ralph Mason. "My father
thinks we should have gotten into it long ago. I only wish one thing,"
he added wistfully.
"And I know what that is!" cried Jack. "You wish you were old enough
to volunteer for the army or the navy!"
"If we were all older what a grand company of volunteers the
Government could get out of Colby Hall," said Randy. "I'll wager more
than half of the fellows would want to go."
"I'm certain fellows like Codfish wouldn't want to go," remarked Fred.
He referred to one of the younger boys, Henry Stowell by name, a lad
who was a good deal of a sneak and who in time past had been a toady
to Brown and Martell. On account of the great width of his mouth,
Stowell was usually called Codfish.
"If you fellows will keep a secret, I'll tell you something," remarked
Ralph Mason, lowering his voice. "I just heard of this a while ago."
"What is it, Ralph?" questioned Jack quietly.
"Will you fellows keep it to yourselves until it becomes public
property?" asked the young major anxiously.
"Sure!" was the prompt response.
"I overheard the talk quite by accident while I was in the library.
Colonel Colby was talking to Professors Grawson and Brice. He stated
that he intended to leave the Hall under the management of Captain
Dale."
"You mean Colonel Colby is going away?" questioned Fred. "Where to?"
"He has offered his services to the Government."
"Hurrah for the colonel! I knew he'd do something like that!" cried
Randy.
"Do you know whether his offer has been accepted?" questioned Jack.
"Of course his offer will be accepted," answered Ralph Mason. "Now
that we are in this great war Uncle Sam will need all the soldiers he
can possibly muster, and of course they've got to have first-class men
like Colonel Colby to command them."
"You're right there," said Fred. Then he looked questioningly at Jack
and the twins. The others understood that look, but just then nothing
was said concerning the thought which had rushed into their minds.
"I've got to go now," said Ralph Mason, a few minutes later. "I
suppose you fellows will want to celebrate that baseball victory
to-night?"
"Surest thing you know!" declared Jack.
"I don't suppose we'll have as much fun as we would have had if the
shell-loading plant hadn't gone up," grumbled Andy. "We can't make any
such noise as that."
"Oh, we'll have fun enough--don't worry about that," answered his twin
quickly.
"Well, don't tear the old Hall down," returned the young major,
laughing, and then hurried away.
"This certainly is great news about Colonel Colby's volunteering for
the army," said Jack, a little later.
"I wonder why Captain Dale doesn't volunteer, too?" said Andy.
"Oh, he's too old; and besides he's somewhat crippled by rheumatism or
something," said Randy.
The Rover boys hurried off to their room to get into their cadet
uniforms. The twins went on ahead, leaving Jack and Fred alone for the
time being.
"Jack, what do you think our fathers will do?" questioned Fred. He
remembered that both Jack's father and his own had at one time been
officers of the cadets at Putnam Hall. The fun-loving father of the
twins had never aspired to such a position, being content to remain "a
high private in the rear rank," as he himself had often expressed it.
"I'm sure I don't know, Fred," was the sober reply. "It may be that
they will be just as anxious to get into the war as Colonel Colby
seems to be. But you must remember that they are at the head of The
Rover Company, and possibly they won't be able to leave--at least not
right away."
"But they are so patriotic they'll want to go," declared Fred.
"Well, if they make up their minds to go, I guess we'll be among the
first to hear about it."
"Gee, how I'd like to be a soldier boy!" sighed Fred. "Wouldn't it be
great if all of us cadets could go into the army?"
"We'll have to wait four or five years before we can do that, Fred.
And I rather think that by that time this great war will be over."
"Oh, you can't tell how long a war like this will last. For all you
know the Germans may come right over here."
"I don't think they'll do that. They'll have their hands full fighting
in Europe."
"Well, they've sent their submarines over here already."
"I know that. But I don't think they've got enough submarines to
transport an army that way."
Since coming to Colby Hall the Rover boys had occupied four very
pleasant rooms on the second floor in a wing of the great building.
But instead of using the four rooms for bedrooms, the twins slept
together and all used one of the extra rooms, No. 20, for a
sitting-room.
"You fellows have got to hurry up or you'll be late for roll call!"
cried Randy, when he entered.
"Oh, I think they'll give us a little leeway on account of all the
excitement," returned Fred. And he was right,--the roll call and drill
were postponed for half an hour, for which many of the cadets were
thankful.
It did not take the Rovers long to throw off their baseball togs,
wash, and don their uniforms. Then they lost no time in rushing below
to the gun rack and obtaining their rifles, doing this just as the
drums rattled on the parade ground.
Soon the battalion of several companies was examined, and then began
the roll call. After this there was a brief inspection by Captain
Dale, with Colonel Colby looking on. Then the drums rattled and the
fifes struck up a lively march air, and the cadets marched around the
grounds, disposed of their rifles, and entered the mess hall of the
institution. Here each had his place assigned to him at one of the
long tables, each table presided over by one of the officers or a
teacher.
The meal was a substantial one, for Colonel Colby believed in treating
his pupils well, and it is perhaps needless to state that all of the
cadets fell to with vigor. There was a constant clatter of forks and
knives, mingled with a flow of lively conversation, carried on,
however, in rather a subdued tone, for boisterousness of any sort in
the mess hall was against regulations. After each lad finished he
excused himself and left the hall, and soon all of them had scattered
in various directions.
"Bonfires to-night!" announced Andy gaily, as he turned a handspring
on the campus.
"I think we ought to have some sort of feast," said Fred.
"Great Caesar, Fred! didn't you get enough to eat at supper?" queried
Jack.
"Oh, you know what I mean--a little something to eat just before we go
to bed!" answered his cousin.
"Suits me!" was the cry from the others.
Talk about the victory over Hixley High and about the excitement
attending the destruction of the shell-loading plant filled the air.
The cadets were only boys, and the facts regarding the awful
occurrence across the lake could not subdue their high spirits when
they considered their great victory over the high school.
"We've just got to celebrate and let off steam somehow," was the way
Randy expressed himself.
Boxes and barrels had already been stored away in anticipation of a
victory, and these were promptly brought forth and placed on the
river front. They were piled as high as possible and then set on fire,
the flames shooting skyward quickly and illuminating the scene for a
long distance around.
"Hello there, Codfish!" cried Andy gaily, when he beheld the sneak of
the school standing not far from one of the bonfires.
"Got any more boxes to put on the fire, Codfish?" questioned Randy,
who was beside his twin.
"I haven't got any boxes," grumbled the young cadet. Since the
departure of Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell from the Hall, Codfish
had kept a good deal to himself. But he was as much of a sneak as
ever, and did many mean things which were exceedingly irritating to
the other cadets.
"You haven't any boxes?" said Randy, in apparent surprise. "What's the
use of talking like that? You know better;" and then he winked at his
brother.
"I'm on," whispered Andy quickly. "Bring him up to his room in about
ten minutes." And then he ran away at top speed.
"It's a waste of good money to burn up boxes and barrels like that,"
was Codfish's comment. "I don't see why Colonel Colby allows it.
Those boxes and barrels could be used to pack all sorts of things
in."
"Well, if you don't like to see the boxes and barrels burned up, why
don't you furnish us with a little cord wood?" inquired Gif Garrison,
who had come up.
"That's the talk!" said Jack quickly. "Show us where you've got your
cord wood stored, Codfish," he went on, after Randy had whispered in
his ear. Then Randy ran off in the direction his twin had taken.
"I haven't any cord wood, I tell you!" stormed Codfish. "And I haven't
any boxes or barrels, either!" and then he walked away to get clear of
his tormentors.
But Jack remembered what Randy had said to him, and did not allow
Codfish out of his sight. He kept the sneak in view, and quickly
gathered Spouter, Gif, Fatty, Walt, and a number of others around him.
"We're going to take Codfish up to his room in a few minutes and treat
him to the surprise of his life," he explained. "Don't forget to come
along and see the fun."
CHAPTER VII
FUN WITH CODFISH
The idea of having a little fun with Codfish had occurred to Andy and
Randy on the day previous, when they had been out collecting some
boxes and barrels for the bonfires which they hoped to have--provided,
of course, that Hixley High was beaten in the baseball contest. They
had talked the matter over for some time, and had then set to work,
laying their plans to give the sneak of the school the surprise of his
life.
"What's doing, Jack?" questioned Walt Baxter, in some surprise.
"Going to put one over on Codfish?" questioned Gif.
"Just you wait and see," announced Jack. And then, turning to Spouter,
he continued: "In about five minutes I wish you would go over to
Codfish and tell him somebody wants to see him up in his room without
delay. Put it to him good and strong so that he goes up at once."
"Trust me for that," answered Spouter, with a grin. "I'll tell him
his grandfather has just died and the lawyer is up there waiting to
hand him an inheritance of a million dollars."
"Don't pile it on as thick as that!" cried Fred. "If you do, he'll
take it for another joke, and won't go at all."
All of the crowd kept their eyes on Codfish, and when the time was up
Spouter approached Stowell as if in a great hurry.
"I say, Henry," he said in an earnest voice, "there's a man wants to
see you. They just sent him up to your room."
"To see me! What for?" questioned Codfish in surprise.
"I don't know. He seemed to be a very nice man, though. He was in a
great hurry. You had better not keep him waiting. He said it was very
important," and without waiting to be questioned further, Spouter
hurried away.
Codfish looked after the other cadet rather doubtfully, and stood
still for a moment. Then, however, his curiosity got the better of
him, and he hurried off in the direction of the Hall.
"Come on, fellows!" cried Jack in a low voice. "But don't let him
suspect that you are following him, or it may spoil the fun."
Stowell entered the school by a side door and ran up the nearest
stairway to the main corridor above. The others hastened around to
the front entrance and came up by another staircase. They were just in
time to see the sneak hurrying into the room he occupied.
"Hist!" came in a low voice from the other end of the corridor, after
the door had closed upon Codfish, and then from a shadowy recess Andy
and Randy appeared.
"Did you get everything fixed up?" questioned Jack hurriedly.
"All fixed," answered Andy laconically. "Come on in here," and he
motioned to a room next to that occupied by Stowell. This belonged to
a student who, for the time being, was away from the school.
Once inside of this room, Randy and Andy took the others to where
there was a door connecting that apartment with the one occupied by
the sneak. This was partly open, so that they could look into
Stowell's room with ease.
"Hello there!" they heard the sneak exclaim. And then followed the
switching on of an electric light. "It's only one of their rotten
jokes! I knew it all along!" murmured the cadet.
He looked around the room, and then a cry of astonishment burst from
his lips. In the center of the floor were piled at least ten boxes of
various sizes and shapes. Some of the boxes had had straw in them and
others excelsior, and part of this was strewn on the floor.
"Huh! Some of those fellows are mighty smart, putting these boxes in
my room!" growled Codfish to himself. "I'd just like to know who did
it! If it was that Spouter Powell, I think I'll go and tell on him!"
"Here is where I got in fine!" murmured Spouter.
Codfish glanced further, and his eyes fell on the interior of the
closet of the room, the door to which stood wide open. Then he gave a
gasp.
"My gracious! if they haven't taken all my clothing, and my hats, and
even my shoes!" he groaned. "This is the worst yet!" He rushed to the
closet, and another look convinced him that the place was entirely
empty. Then he ran to a corner where stood a clothes tree, which had
contained some of his athletic outfit. This was likewise empty. Then
he rushed to his chiffonier.
"Gone! Everything gone! Not a thing left!" he groaned. "Oh, if this
isn't the worst yet! If I don't tell on somebody for this!"
Coming back to the middle of the room, he surveyed the pile of boxes
suspiciously. Then a sheet of paper resting on the top box claimed his
attention.
"'For anything that is missing look in the boxes,'" he read from the
slip of paper. "Oh, dear! I suppose those fellows were just mean
enough to stuff all my things in those packing cases. I wonder what
they did that for? Maybe they thought they were going to cart them
down to the bonfire and burn them up, and burn all my stuff, too. Just
wait and see if I don't fix somebody for this!"
There was rather a small box on top of the others, and this Codfish
started to open first. One end of the lid was nailed down, but the
other was loose, and he pulled up on this with vigor.
And then the sneak got the first of a series of surprises. The lid of
the box held down a large rubber frog, and this bounced out of the
box, hitting him full in the face. He staggered back and fell over on
his bed.
"Hurrah! First round!" whispered Andy delightedly.
"Just wait for the second," said Randy.
There was nothing else in the box but excelsior, and having rummaged
about in this, Codfish threw the box aside and started to investigate
the next receptacle.
The lid to this was screwed on, and he had quite a job opening it. The
other cadets watched with interest, doing their best to keep from
laughing. When the box was opened, Codfish found that it contained a
layer of excelsior. Under this, however, were a number of bundles
wrapped in newspapers, each containing a small portion of the stuff
taken from his chiffonier.
"Huh! thought they were smart, didn't they?" he muttered, as he put
the things where they belonged. "Just wait! I'll fix 'em for this."
The next box contained some of his clothing, which he hung in the
closet. Then he tackled a rather large box which was bound up with an
old clothesline. He had to tug at the line quite a little to get it
loose, not thinking in his excitement that it would be easier to cut
the line. The top of the box was filled with all sorts of rubbish.
Beneath this were some more of his things, and then at the very bottom
a rather small wooden box with a sliding cover.
Any ordinary school boy would have suspected some trick in connection
with this box. But not so Codfish. He looked at it carefully, and
then, bringing it close under the light, proceeded to pull the sliding
cover back.
And then he was treated to another surprise, this time far more
disagreeable than the other. The box contained a large codfish, one
which, as Andy afterwards explained, had seen better days.
"Phew, what a smell!" cried the sneak, as he allowed the decayed
codfish to fall out on the floor.
The odor when released from the air-tight box was so overpowering that
he had to go over and throw open the window.
"Codfish for the Codfish!" sang out Andy gaily, unable to keep quiet
any longer.
The sneak of the school whirled around suddenly, and there beheld in
the doorway of the next room the Rover boys and their chums in a
group, all grinning at him.
"How'd you like the fish, Codfish?" questioned Fred.
"Thought you said you didn't have any boxes in your room," came from
Jack.
"I didn't know you were raising frogs for a living," remarked Randy.
"Why don't you take those boxes down and put them on the bonfire?"
questioned Gif.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself--littering up your room with all
that straw and excelsior," was Walt's comment. "If you aren't careful,
you'll get some mighty bad marks for doing that."
"What did you do with the man who wanted to see you?" questioned
Spouter. "Did you tell him that you were too busy to talk?"
"You're a fine bunch of fellows!" howled Codfish, not knowing what to
say. "You had no business to play a trick like this on me!"
"Play a trick on you?" questioned Andy innocently. "Who has been
playing a trick? Why, we don't know what it is to do anything like
that!"
"I think somebody said you wanted to see us, but I don't know what
for," added Randy.
"If anybody should ask me, I would say you had a queer way of cleaning
house, Codfish," remarked Fred calmly.
"And to think he stole one of the codfish from the pantry!" said Jack.
"By the way it smells, he must have taken it the day he enrolled
here."
"Maybe he likes codfish good and strong," suggested Gif.
"I'll 'codfish' you fellows if you don't leave me alone!" howled the
sneak. He was so vexed he almost felt like crying. "You just wait till
Colonel Colby or Captain Dale hears about this!"
"Yes, I wonder what the colonel will say when he finds out you stole
one of the codfish belonging to the school," said Andy. "You oughtn't
to have done it, Henry, my boy. If you wanted anything to eat, why
didn't you ask one of the teachers for it?"
"Maybe he chews on codfish in the middle of the night when he can't
sleep, or when he is trying to solve a problem in algebra," suggested
Randy.
"I don't do any such thing, and I didn't take that codfish from the
pantry, and you know it!" howled Codfish, in anger. "It's a put-up
job, and you are the fellows who did it! All of you ought to be sent
away from this school."
"If he took a codfish, maybe he took some other things, too," said
Jack. "I think this ought to be investigated."
"And how did you happen to get all these boxes?" demanded Fred. "I
know them. They were collected for the bonfire some days ago."
"You certainly have no right to have them in your room, Codfish," said
Gif. "Better hustle 'em down and put 'em on the fire before the rest
of the fellows hear of this."
"And if you've got things belonging to the school victuals besides
that codfish, you'd better fork 'em over," admonished Jack.
"You clear out, every one of you! I don't want to hear another word!"
screamed Codfish, in a rage. "You just wait until I report you! I
think you're all too mean for anything! Go on away!" And he tried to
close the door to the other room in their faces. But they held it back
so he could do nothing.
"Come on, fellows, let's put those boxes where they belong!" cried
Jack. And, marching into the room, he picked up one of the packing
cases, and the others quickly followed suit. Then they marched out
into the hallway, leaving Codfish staring after them in bewilderment.
"I know you've got some other things belonging to the school besides
that fish!" cried Andy. "You've got the pockets of your overcoat just
stuffed with good things!"
"Haven't any such thing!" declared the sneak. And then, struck by a
sudden idea, he ran to the clothing closet and brought forth his
overcoat, which had been in one of the boxes. He rammed his hand into
one of the pockets, and then suddenly withdrew it with a yell of
fright and pain.
And his fright and pain were not without good reason, for clinging to
the thumb of the hand he had inserted into the pocket of the overcoat
was a small, but exceedingly active, snapping turtle!
CHAPTER VIII
AN INTERRUPTED FEAST
"Oh, oh, oh!" yelled Codfish, dancing around the room wildly. "Take
that thing off! Oh, I'll be bitten to death! Take it off, somebody!
What is it, anyhow?"
"Hello! Codfish has been fishing," cried Andy gaily.
"Maybe he got that from the cook's pantry, too," broke in Randy.
"What's the dear creature's name, Codfish?" questioned Fred.
"You haven't got to let go of him if you don't want to, you know,"
came from Jack.
All this while the sneak of the school was dancing around the room,
doing his best to shake off the snapping turtle. But the creature,
though small, had a hold that was very tenacious, and refused to
budge.
"Say, he won't be seriously bitten, will he?" questioned Spouter, in a
low tone.
"No, it's only a baby snapping turtle," answered Andy slowly.
"Codfish is far more scared than hurt."
The sneak of the school was so frightened that he did not dare to take
hold of the snapping turtle. He held the creature out at arm's length
and continued to dance around, asking the others to take it off.
"He'll eat my finger!"
"Put it in some water and it will let go quick enough," suggested Fred
presently.
"Yes, give him a chance to swim around in a bathtub," added Randy
quickly, when he saw Stowell make a move toward the washbowl in one
corner of the room. "That isn't big enough for a good healthy turtle."
"Oh, oh! I'll have the law on you for this!" yelled the sneak, and
then bolted for the door and ran down the corridor in the direction of
the nearest bathroom.
As it happened, at that moment Job Plunger, the school janitor, was
coming along the corridor carrying an armful of old magazines which he
had been ordered to store away in the attic. As my old readers know,
Plunger, who had been nicknamed "Shout," was quite deaf, and with eyes
in another direction he did not see Codfish coming. The two collided
violently, and the janitor was sent over backward, scattering the
magazines in all directions, while Codfish came down on top of him.
"Hi you! what you mean by knockin' me down that way?" shrilled the
janitor, when he could regain his breath.
"I--I didn't mean to do it," stammered the sneak, as he arose to his
feet. "I was in a hurry."
"You ain't got no right to race through these halls like a crazy
horse," went on Plunger. "I ought to report you."
"I told you I was in a hurry," explained Codfish.
"Worry?" queried Plunger, not hearing aright. "Ain't I got a right to
worry if a feller like you sends me sprawlin'?"
"I didn't say worry--I said I was in a hurry. A snapping turtle had me
by the finger, and I wanted to get rid of it."
"Rappin'! Well, you ain't goin' to rap me. I'll let you know that!"
growled the deaf janitor.
"I said snapping--not rapping--a snapping turtle!" Codfish put his
mouth close to the janitor's ear. "_A snapping turtle!_"
"What's that? No, I ain't got no snappin' turtle. What would I be
doin' with a snappin' turtle?" queried Plunger blankly.
"I said I had one here--on my thumb!" cried Codfish. "It's gone now. I
guess my fall knocked it off," and he looked around in the rather dim
corridor to see what had become of the turtle, but without locating
the creature.
"I'm off, am I?" snarled Plunger, who had been asked that day to do a
large amount of extra work by the cadets, and was consequently in no
good humor. "I ain't half as much off as you are, you young rascal!"
He grabbed Codfish by the arm. "You jest pick up them magazines and
put 'em in my arms ag'in, or I'll report you."
At this the sneak muttered something under his breath. But he was
afraid of the deaf janitor, and so he began to pick up the various
magazines that had been scattered around and piled them high in
Plunger's arms. While he was doing this, he continued to look around
for the snapping turtle, but the little creature had disappeared.
"Now you be careful after this," said Plunger, when the task of
gathering up the scattered magazines had been completed. "After this
when you want to run through the halls, you walk!" And then he
continued on his way.
The Rovers and their chums had witnessed the scene in the corridor,
but as soon as Stowell turned to come back to his room they ran off
and down a side stairs, carrying the packing cases with them.
"Say, but that was rich--the way he thumped into Shout," was Andy's
comment.
"Yes, and the way Shout took him up for what he said," returned Randy.
"Gosh! it seems to me as if poor old Shout is getting deafer every
day."
"I wonder what became of the snapping turtle," said Fred.
"If they fell on it, they must have crushed the poor creature,"
returned Jack.
The boxes were soon placed on the various bonfires, and then the boys
mingled with the other students in having a good time generally. The
cadets sang songs and danced around the fires, and then organized an
impromptu parade up and down the river front and around the Hall.
"How about that little feast we were going to have before we went to
bed?" questioned Randy presently.
"Just what I was thinking about," answered Fred. "I'd like to have it
first rate; but where are we going to get the eats?"
"Perhaps we can get something from the Hall pantry," suggested Jack.
"Nothing doing in that direction," came from Ned Lowe, who was
present.
"What makes you say that?" questioned Spouter.
"Bart White and I tried it a little while ago, and everything is
locked up as tight as a drum. I guess the head cook and the head
waiter got on to the fact that we might make a raid."
"Then there is only one other thing to do," said Randy quickly. "And
that is to go down to town for something."
"That would be easy enough, especially if we could get some one on the
road to give us a lift," said Jack.
The Rovers and their chums talked the matter over for several minutes,
and then it was decided that Jack, Fred, Spouter, and Gif would pay a
hurried visit to Haven Point, bringing back with them such good things
as they could pick up quickly in the stores and carry back. A cap was
passed around, and eight dollars was collected for the proposed feast.
The cadets who had been selected as a committee lost no time in
leaving the school grounds, and then hurried off down the road leading
to the town.
"Let's watch our chance for a ride," said Jack. "We don't want to
waste any time on this trip."
He had scarcely spoken when they heard the rumble of a truck
approaching. It was a motor truck belonging to a dairy company doing
business in Haven Point and other towns around the lake.
"Hello there! Give us a ride into town, will you?" questioned Fred of
the driver, as the truck came to a halt at their signal.
"Sure! Climb on board," said the good-natured driver. He had only a
small load and was glad of their company, feeling sure that they would
treat him well for the accommodation.
By means of the truck it did not take the cadets long to reach the
town, and there they left the driver, Jack tossing him a quarter for
his kindness. Then the lads hurried to such of the stores as were
still open.
They had already made up their minds as to what they wanted if the
things could be obtained. At a delicatessen store they purchased a
pasteboard box lined with waxed paper and filled with chicken salad,
and also some ham and tongue sandwiches. Then they rushed into a
bakeshop, the proprietor of which was just closing, and purchased
several layer cakes and also a generous supply of ginger snaps. Then
they hurried to a confectionery, and there obtained some bottled soda
water and ginger ale, and likewise several quarts of ice-cream.
"Now I guess we're pretty well fixed for a little spread," declared
Jack, when they were once more on the street, each loaded with several
bundles.
"I hope we can get a ride back to the school," said Fred. "These
bundles are pretty heavy."
"I've got an idea," said Andy. "See that automobile yonder? Well, that
belongs to the man who owns the moving-picture theater. There he is in
front of his place. I wonder if he wouldn't let his chauffeur run us
down to the Hall? He knows all the boys at the Hall are pretty good
customers at his show place."
"It wouldn't do any harm to ask him, Andy," answered his cousin.
The crowd crossed the street and was soon interviewing the owner of
the moving-picture theater. He had seen the boys there a number of
times, and remembered them, and was keenly alive to anything that
might aid his business.
"Sure, my man can run you down to the school," he said readily. "Here
he is now." He turned to his colored chauffeur. "Joe, take these young
gentlemen to Colby Hall and then come back here just as soon as you
can."
The run to Colby Hall in the automobile took but a few minutes, and
the driver very condescendingly agreed to take them around to the rear
entrance of the building. The cadets paid him for his trip, and then
lost no time in sneaking what they had bought up a back stairway and
into the rooms occupied by the Rovers.
By this time the celebration over the defeat of Hixley High had about
come to an end. The cadets were disappearing in all directions, some
going to their rooms and others to the library of the school, a large
room which was often used as a general meeting place.
Word had been passed around to a number of others, so that a crowd of
about a dozen assembled in the Rovers' rooms to take part in the
feast.
"I'll tell you one thing we ought to do," said Randy. "We ought to
square ourselves somehow with Codfish. Otherwise he may be just mean
enough to give us away."
"I guess I can fix it for you," said Ned Lowe, who in the past had
been a bit more friendly with the sneak than any of the others
present. "Just give me a plate of ice-cream and a piece of cake, and
I'll go and smooth it over with the little sneak."
"Go ahead and do it, by all means, Ned," answered Andy quickly. "I
don't begrudge the little sneak a bit of something good. It will make
him forget how his thumb hurts."
Ned soon departed with the ice-cream and cake, and then the others
passed around the food which had been provided. They had brought along
some paper dishes and paper drinking cups, and likewise a few tin
spoons, and the boys made themselves comfortable on various chairs
and on the beds.
"It's all right," said Ned, when he returned. "Codfish was sitting by
the window in his room wondering what he was going to do. He was
suspicious at first, thinking there was some trick about the ice-cream
or the cake, but when he found it was all right he felt better, and he
has promised to keep quiet. But just the same, we'll have to keep
quiet ourselves in here, or we'll get into trouble. I just heard the
professors going around giving orders that the celebration was now
over and everybody would have to turn in."
With such healthy appetites as all of the cadets possessed, the good
things to eat and drink disappeared as if by magic. Some of the boys
wanted to sing, but this had to be tabooed. Spouter, however, was
called on to make a little speech, much to his delight.
"It's a grand occasion," he began. "A grand and glorious occasion, and
one which will live long in the memory of those attending this school.
In years to come we can point with great pride to our baseball
association and how, in spite of the fact that our opponents possessed
a pitcher whose renown had traveled for many miles, and an outfield
which was classed as second to none in this district, yet our
invincible heroes----"
"Hurrah! Hurrah! That's the stuff, Spouter!" interrupted Andy.
"Did you say invisible heroes?" queried Randy.
"I did not," snorted Spouter. "I said our invincible heroes. And as I
was about to further remark, our invincible heroes covered themselves
with a glory which will ever remain as a bright guiding star to this
glorious school, and when in days to come----"
"How do you know the days are to come?" questioned Andy. "Maybe the
days will go."
"Stop your interrupting!" cried the young speechmaker. "And in the
days to come----" he repeated, "and in the days to come--er--we shall,
in the days to come----"
"Great Caesar, Spouter! how long are those days coming?" queried Randy.
"Say, how can a fellow make a speech if you're going to interrupt him
all the time?" cried Spouter. "If you want to listen to what I've got
to say----"
At this moment came another interruption, but not from any of the
others present. There was a loud knock on the door, something which
brought all of the cadets to their feet in alarm.
CHAPTER IX
A TELEGRAM FROM HOME
"I'll bet it's one of the professors!" whispered Fred.
"Just our confounded luck!" grumbled Andy.
"And when we were having such a dandy time!" added his twin.
"Say, you fellows get that stuff out of sight, and be quick about it!"
commanded Jack in a low tone of voice. "Take everything into the other
rooms."
With alacrity the cadets removed all traces of the spread, placing the
empty soda-water bottles and ginger-ale bottles and other things in a
closet and in the adjoining rooms.
"Now you outside fellows get into the other rooms, and hide in the
closets if necessary," said Jack. "I'll stay here with my cousins."
The knock on the door had been repeated several times, and Jack had
answered in a sleepy voice that he was coming. Then, when all was
ready, he threw the door open--to find himself confronted, not by one
of the professors, as he had expected, but by Bob Nixon, a fellow who
was employed as a chauffeur and a general man of all work around the
school.
"You must sleep pretty sound," announced Nixon good-naturedly. "I
thought I'd have to knock the door down to make you hear."
"I told you I was coming, Nixon," answered Jack. "What do you want?"
"Got a telegram for you," answered the man curtly. "Professor Brice
asked me to bring it up to you. Say, you fellows certainly did trim up
Hixley High to-day, didn't you?" the chauffeur went on, grinning.
"You're right we did!" answered Jack. He was immensely relieved to
think it was not one of the professors come to spoil their feast.
"Where is the telegram?"
"Here you are," and Nixon held it forth.
"Any charges?"
"No; it's a prepaid telegram. It was delivered with another one for
Colonel Colby. He signed for it, thinking you might be asleep. I hope
you haven't got any bad news."
"I hope so myself," answered Jack. His heart had given a little jump
on first receiving the news, thinking that possibly something had
happened at home. He lost no time in opening the envelope, and while
he did this Fred and the twins crowded around him.
The telegram was from Jack's father, and read as follows:
"Your Uncle Sam and I have volunteered for the army. We have
both received commissions. Tell Fred of this and break the news
gently to Mary and Martha. Uncle Tom will manage business and
remain head of Liberty Loan Committee. Colonel Colby will tell
you more.
"RICHARD ROVER."
"What is it?" queried Fred.
"It's great news, Fred; especially for you and for me," answered Jack,
whose eyes had traveled swiftly over the telegram.
Then he read the message aloud. Bob Nixon had retired, and Randy had
closed the door after him.
"Well, what do you know about that!" ejaculated Fred. "My father in
the army! Good for him!"
"And to think my father is going, too!" remarked the oldest of the
Rover boys. "And he also has a commission." He looked at Andy and
Randy and wanted to go on, but somehow could not.
"And they are going to make our father remain at home and take care of
the business," remarked Randy soberly. "That's what I call tough
luck!"
"It sure is!" declared his twin emphatically. "I'll wager he wanted to
go to the front just as much as anybody."
"Why, of course he did," answered Jack readily.
"Uncle Tom is just as brave as anybody! We all know that!" burst out
Fred. "It was only that somebody had to stay in New York and take care
of The Rover Company."
"Of course our dad was never as much of a soldier as your fathers,"
continued Randy. "He never became an officer at Putnam Hall. Just the
same, I'll wager he'd like to have a chance to put one over on the
Huns."
By this time the other cadets had come from their various hiding
places and were listening with much interest to what was being said.
"It certainly is great news!" declared Gif Garrison. "I wonder if my
dad will want to go, too?" He knew that his parent and the older
Rovers had been great chums.
"They leave us to break the news to Mary and Martha," said Fred. "That
isn't going to be a very nice job. I'm afraid the poor girls will be
all broke up."
"I can't see it that way," answered Jack. "They ought to feel proud to
think our fathers are brave enough to volunteer."
"The telegram says that Colonel Colby will tell you more about this,"
said Randy. "Why don't you go over and interview him?"
"Maybe he has gone to bed," suggested Spouter.
"I don't think so--not if he was up to receive that telegram Nixon
mentioned," said Jack. "Anyhow, I'm going down and find out. Do you
want to come along, Fred?"
"Sure!" was the instant response.
"Find out if the colonel knows anything about my father," said Randy.
And then he added to his brother: "We can stay here and get rid of the
remains of this feast."
"All right," was Andy's answer. And then he added in a low tone. "Just
the same, I can't understand why dad didn't volunteer along with Uncle
Dick and Uncle Sam," and his face wore anything but a pleasant
expression.
Leaving the others to dispose of what remained of the feast as they
saw fit, Jack and Fred brushed up a bit, and then lost no time in
hurrying downstairs and to the main entrance of Colby Hall. Here they
found a night watchman on guard.
"You can't go out this time of night," said the watchman, following
orders.
"We have just received this telegram," answered Jack, showing the
yellow slip; "and we must confer with Colonel Colby at once. The
telegram states that he can give us some information we want."
"Oh, all right, if that's the case," said the watchman, and allowed
them to pass.
As stated before, the colonel and his family, along with a number of
the professors, lived in a building some distance away from the Hall
proper. Crossing the campus, the boys noted a light in the colonel's
library, and presented themselves at the door of this place, and
knocked.
"Come in," called out Colonel Colby.
They found the head of Colby Hall seated at his desk, looking over a
number of private papers and accounts. He looked up questioningly, and
then smiled as he recognized his visitors.
"Got your news from home, I suppose," he said, after motioning them to
seats. "I knew it was coming."
"It's great news, Colonel Colby!" cried Jack, his eyes shining. "Here
is the telegram. You see it says you will give us more information. Of
course, both Fred and I are curious to know all the particulars."
"I'll be glad to tell you all I can, boys," answered Colonel Colby.
"And first of all let me say that I have also volunteered, and I, too,
have been commissioned."
"Isn't that fine!" exclaimed Fred. "Are you going with our fathers?"
"Yes. And I may as well tell you a little secret. Quite a crowd of us,
all former pupils of Putnam Hall, have volunteered, and we hope to go
into the war together."
"May I ask what sort of commission my father obtained?" questioned
Jack.
"He has been made a captain and your Uncle Sam has been made a
lieutenant."
"A lieutenant!" said Fred. "Well, that's something anyhow!"
"And what about you, if I may ask?" continued Jack.
"I, too, have been made a captain."
"Who of the others of the Old Guard are going?" asked Fred.
"Oh, there are quite a number, including Harry Blossom, Bart Conners,
Dave Kearney, and Hans Mueller."
"For gracious sake! you don't mean that Hans Mueller is going?"
queried Jack. He had often heard of this German-American who had been
a school chum of his father. Mueller had never learned to use the
English language correctly, and had been intensely German in many of
his ways.
"Yes, Hans Mueller has volunteered," answered Colonel Colby. "But he
is going into the heavy artillery, so I'm afraid your fathers and I
won't see very much of him. In spite of his German blood, Hans Mueller
is very patriotic, and that counts for a good deal."
"I should say it did!" said Fred.
"And what about Mr. Powell and Mr. Garrison?" questioned Jack.
"We have been corresponding with those two gentlemen, but up to to-day
have not heard what they have decided to do. We are hoping that they
will go with us if they can leave their business. And that puts me in
mind. You will probably want to know about your Uncle Tom, and I
presume the twins would like to know, too."
"Yes, indeed!"
"Well, when the question of going to the front came up, your Uncle Tom
was just as eager to go as anybody, even though he was never an
officer during his days at Putnam Hall Military Academy. But it was
realized that some one must remain behind to take charge of The Rover
Company. More than this, your Uncle Tom is at the head of one of the
most important committees connected with the sale of Liberty Bonds,
and he is also at the head of one of the Red Cross committees, and
doing splendid work in both positions. The matter was talked over a
number of times, and finally, much, however, against his will, he
consented to withdraw in favor of your fathers. It is understood that
he is not only to look after the business, but that he will likewise
look after all of you young folks, including your sisters."
"And how soon do all of you expect to leave, if I may ask?" questioned
Jack.
"That will depend somewhat on circumstances. As soon as I receive any
word, I'll let you know. In the meanwhile, however, you may get some
word from home."
The two cadets continued to talk the matter over with Colonel Colby
for several minutes longer, and then, realizing that he was a very
busy man, they withdrew and hurried back to their own rooms.
"Now tell us all about it," said Andy. All of the outsiders except
Spouter and Gif had gone to their own quarters.
"Tell it straight," said Randy.
Sitting down, Jack and Fred did so, the others listening closely to
every word that was said. As they proceeded the twins showed their
satisfaction over the news.
"I knew dad would want to go just as much as anybody," declared Randy.
"So did I," added his twin. "As it is, I guess he'll have as much to
do as anybody."
"He'll certainly have his hands full, running The Rover Company and
being on those two committees, as well as looking after all of us
young folks."
"Just as if we couldn't look after ourselves!" exclaimed Fred.
"Oh, well, you know what I mean!"
"This gets me!" said Spouter. "I'd like to know what my father is
going to do. If he is going into the army, I'd like to know it."
"And I'd like to know what my father is going to do, too," said Gif.
"I don't believe he cares much for military matters, but just the
same, he is intensely patriotic, and I know he would like to get a
chance at those Boches."
"I suppose we'll get more news in a day or two," said Jack. "This
telegram was sent more to break the ice than anything else. It puts it
up to us to let Mary and Martha know," and he looked at Fred as he
spoke.
"We'll go over to-morrow and see them," was Fred's reply. "I don't
think I care to telephone news like this. No, we'll take them off by
themselves and let them know."
A little later Spouter and Gif retired. The four Rover boys sat up for
fully an hour longer, discussing the subject from every possible point
of view. To Jack and Fred the entrance of their fathers into the army
of the United States meant a great deal. The great war was on in all
its fury, and they knew that sooner or later their fathers would be
sent to France to face the enemy.
"It's all well enough to talk about going to the front and covering
oneself with glory," was the way Fred expressed himself. "But some of
those who go to the front never come back."
"That is true, Fred," answered Jack soberly. "But a good citizen has
got to be ready to do his duty, no matter what the cost."
"Oh, I know that! Just the same, this going to the front is a serious
business. Even if a person isn't killed, he may come back minus an arm
or a leg, or something like that."
"Well, don't you go to talking like that to Mary and Martha."
"I don't intend to. Just the same, what I said is true."
"I know it."
CHAPTER X
ON THE WAY HOME
"Oh, Jack, you don't mean it! Father and Uncle Sam have really
volunteered for the war!"
It was Martha Rover who spoke. She and her brother were seated in a
small summerhouse attached to Clearwater Hall. Not far away sat Mary
and Fred.
"It's the truth, Martha," answered Jack; "and here is the telegram
that was sent. We at once went to Colonel Colby and got some
particulars."
"But he may be shot down and killed!" and Martha's face grew white as
she spoke.
"That's a chance every soldier takes when he goes to the front,
Martha. But let us hope that dad will escape--and let us hope that
Uncle Sam will escape, too."
Jack and Fred had come over early in the morning and had asked
permission of Miss Garwood to see the girls on an important errand.
They had left the school building under the curious eyes of Ruth and a
number of their other chums.
"Well, in one way, I'm glad of this," declared Mary, her pride showing
in her face. "It's exactly what I thought dad would do the minute we
got into the war. I knew he wouldn't want to be thought a slacker."
"But, Mary! suppose they got killed--or even wounded?" murmured
Martha.
"Martha Rover! do you want your father to hang back when he thinks
it's his duty to go to the front?" demanded Mary, her eyes snapping
questioningly.
"No, no!" answered her cousin quickly. "I know it's the right thing to
do. Just the same, it worries me a great deal; and I know it will
worry mamma, too."
"You mustn't say anything about being a slacker," admonished Jack. "If
it should get to the ears of Uncle Tom, it might make him feel very
bad."
"Oh, I don't put Uncle Tom down as a slacker," returned Mary quickly.
"I think he is making a great sacrifice, by staying behind to keep the
business together, and to serve on that Loan Committee and the Red
Cross Committee."
The young folks talked it over for some time, and decided to wait
until they got further word from home. Then the two girls went back
into the school to tell Miss Garwood and their chums the news, while
the boys hurried to Colby Hall, arriving there during the morning
recess.
"Say, but we've had some fun since you went away!" cried Andy gaily,
when they appeared. "Pud Hicks, the janitor's assistant, got the
surprise of his life."
"How is that?" questioned Fred.
"Why, Pud was using a vacuum cleaner in the upper hall when he saw
something in a dark corner that he couldn't quite make out. The thing
got stuck in the cleaner, and he put down his hand to see what it was.
The next minute he let out a yell like a wild Indian and came flying
down the corridor, scared stiff."
"What was it--the snapping turtle?" asked Jack.
"You've struck it. The turtle must have crawled into the corner, and
when he felt Pud's hand on him he took a good solid hold on Pud's
little finger.
"I had just gone upstairs to get a book when I saw Pud tearing around.
Half a dozen fellows were there, and the way Pud cut up was like a
circus. Shout Plunger came tearing upstairs to find out what it was
all about, and Pud gave the snapping turtle a sling, and it hit Shout
right in the face and then fell down inside his coat. Shout put his
hand inside to find out what it was, he being too deaf to hear the
talk about a snapping turtle, and then the turtle got busy and got
Shout by the hand. Then there was more fun!"
"What did they do with the turtle at last?" questioned Jack.
"Oh, Shout wouldn't take any chances," answered Andy. "He put the
turtle down on the floor and smashed it with his heel; and then, of
course, the fun was all over."
"Did they find out how the turtle came to be there?" questioned Fred.
"No, they didn't. Codfish came along, and he started to say something,
but I put up my fist and motioned to him, and then he shut up like a
clam."
"He'll give you away sooner or later, Andy," remarked Jack.
"If he does, he'll pay for it," retorted the fun-loving Rover.
Several days went by, and during that time the boys learned not a
little concerning the catastrophe at the Hasley Shell-Loading plant,
the local papers giving a full account of the affair. Fortunately the
report that several had been killed was untrue, but about sixteen men
had been injured, and several of them quite seriously.
There were many speculations concerning what had started the
explosions. It was proved that the first had occurred in one of the
cars which was standing loaded on the railroad track, while the second
explosion had come less than a minute later from what was known as
Storehouse No. 3. Then had followed an explosion at Storehouse No. 2,
and after that the explosions had come so rapidly and there had been
so much excitement that no one could tell exactly what had happened
next. But fortunately the explosions had been confined to the
storehouses and the loaded cars on the track. The main building of the
shell-loading plant had suffered considerably, but a portion was still
standing, and some underground vaults, filled with high explosives,
had not been reached. Had these explosives gone up, it is more than
likely Haven Point, as well as Clearwater Hall and possibly Colby
Hall, would have been shaken to their foundations and with great loss
of life.
A rigid investigation had been started by three different parties--the
owners of the plant, the local authorities, and the Secret Service of
the national government. The Secret Service men, of course, made no
public report, but the others in authority came to the conclusion that
the explosions had been started either by some spies working for the
shell-loading plant or by two suspicious-looking men who had been seen
several times around the place--the same fellows described by Jed
Kessler.
"Maybe those two fellows on the outside had confederates on the
inside," remarked Jack, in talking the affair over with his cousins.
"More than likely that's the truth of it," said Randy. "Those fellows
often work in gangs."
During the days following the victory over Hixley High, a number of
the cadets had gone down to Haven Point at various times, and several
brought back the report that they had met Slugger Brown and Nappy
Martell driving through the town in their runabout. Slugger and Nappy
had put on a lordly air, bowing very condescendingly to those they
knew, but refusing to stop for any conversation.
"Those fellows make me weary in the bones," was the way Dan Soppinger
expressed himself. "What ever brought 'em to Haven Point? If I had
been fired out of the school the way they were, I wouldn't want to
show my face around here again."
"Yes, Dan; but you aren't the sort they are," declared Jack. "I don't
believe either Slugger Brown or Nappy Martell has a particle of real
pride. They think just because they have a little more spending money
than most fellows, they can lord it over anybody."
It worried all of the Rovers to think that Brown and Martell were
hanging around Haven Point, and Jack telephoned to Clearwater Hall
several times, calling up Ruth and also his sister Martha, asking if
they had been annoyed in any way by the pair.
"We saw them again down near our boathouse," said Ruth over the
telephone. "They acted as if they wanted to talk to us, but we did not
give them any chance to do it."
"If they dare to say a word to any of you, just let us know and we'll
take care of them," declared the oldest Rover boy.
On the third day came a long letter to Jack and an equally lengthy
communication for Fred. The letters were from their fathers, and in
them Dick and Sam Rover gave the particulars of how they had
volunteered for service in France and how Dick had been commissioned a
captain and Sam a lieutenant. They mentioned the fact that they were
soon to leave New York City, along with a number of other volunteers,
to go to Camp Huxwell, a beautiful site selected by the government and
located on the Atlantic coast.
"Why, say, that isn't very far from here!" exclaimed Jack. "I've often
heard them talk about that place."
Jack's father also mentioned the fact that Colonel Colby had obtained
a commission as a captain and that a great many others of his old
school chums from Putnam Hall, and likewise two of his comrades from
Brill College, were going. He added that if Jack wanted to come home
to see him off, he could do so.
"And that's just what my dad says, too," said Fred, after both boys
had finished reading the letters. "Of course we'll go!"
"Ten horses couldn't hold me back," answered Jack.
"Well, if you fellows go, we're going, too," declared Randy, when the
matter was talked over.
"Bet your life!" added Andy slangily. "I want to know what dad has got
to say about all this."
Jack and Fred communicated at once with their sisters, and learned
that they, too, had received letters from home and were going to
depart for New York City at the earliest possible moment. It was then
arranged that the young folks should all leave together on the
following morning.
"Remember me to your fathers," said Colonel Colby, after they had
asked for and received permission to go. "Tell them they will hear
from me very shortly."
The two girls met the four boys at Haven Point, and Ruth, May, Gif,
and Spouter came to see them off.
"I've got a surprise for you," said Spouter, who had come to the
railroad station at Haven Point earlier than the others, in order to
obtain parlor-car seats for the party.
"What is that?" questioned Fred.
"When I came in for the seats, who do you think was just ahead of me
at the ticket window?"
"You don't mean Slugger and Nappy?" questioned Randy quickly.
"You've struck it!"
"What were they doing there?" asked Jack with interest.
"They were getting tickets for New York."
"Oh, dear! do you mean to say we've got to put up with those fellows
on this trip?" sighed Martha.
"You won't have to notice them, Martha," declared her brother.
"Don't worry but what we'll make them keep their distance," added
Fred.
The whole crowd looked around the depot, and presently made out
Slugger and Nappy at the far end of the platform. They were smoking
cigarettes and talking in low, earnest tones.
"I hope they didn't get seats in the parlor car," said Mary.
"I don't think they did," answered Spouter. "They're such smokers, I
guess they'd just as lief hang out in the smoking car."
In a few minutes the train came along, and, bidding their friends
good-bye, the Rovers got aboard and had a porter show them to their
seats. From the window Jack waved Ruth a good-bye, and then the long
train pulled out of Haven Point and began its trip to the metropolis.
It was rather a long journey, and it was necessary that they obtain a
meal on the train.
"Let me go into the dining car and have a look around first," remarked
Fred, when it came time to eat.
"What's the matter--afraid we won't be able to get seats?" inquired
Randy.
"I want to see if Slugger and Nappy are around. I don't want to eat
when they do."
"Right you are!" answered Jack.
He and Fred hurried through the train and into the diner. Neither
Brown nor Martell were present, for which they were thankful. They
found a table for four on one side of the car, with a table for two
directly opposite, and at once engaged both. Then, while Jack held the
tables, Fred hurried back and brought the girls and the twins.
"I never eat in a dining car but what I think of that fun we had with
Asa Lemm when we first came to the Hall," remarked Andy, as they sat
down. "My, what a pickle we did get that professor in!" he chuckled,
referring to a series of incidents, the particulars of which were
related in "The Rover Boys at Colby Hall."
"I wonder if we'll ever meet old Asa Lemm again?" remarked Fred.
"Sure!" returned Randy. "He's like a bad penny--bound to turn up some
time."
The young folks ordered soup for a first course, and this was quickly
served. Mary and Martha sat at the larger table with Andy and Randy
opposite, while Fred and Jack occupied the smaller table on the other
side of the car.
The soup was finished and the young folks were waiting to be served
with the more substantial portion of the meal, when suddenly Fred, who
was looking toward the far end of the dining car, pressed his foot
down on that of his cousin.
"What is it?" questioned Jack quickly.
"Here come Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell," was the low reply.
CHAPTER XI
TOM ROVER'S DILEMMA
Andy and Randy were facing the same way as Fred, and they, too,
noticed the approach of Brown and Martell. Randy whispered something
in a low tone of voice to Martha and Mary, and the two girls pursed up
their lips, but said nothing, nor did they look around.
The dining car was almost full, and the only table vacant was a small
one directly behind where Fred was sitting. Slugger and Nappy were
conducted to this by the head waiter, thus passing the Rovers. They
did not, however, notice our friends until they had seated themselves
and given their order.
"Humph! what do you know about that?" murmured Nappy Martell to his
crony. He was seated where he could stare directly at the two girls.
"What's the matter?" returned Slugger Brown, and then turned around to
follow his crony's gaze. "What do you know about that? I didn't know
they were in such a hurry to get to the diner, did you?"
"I knew they would most likely want to eat," answered Nappy.
The newcomers winked at each other, and then, while they were waiting
to be served, Nappy began to stare boldly at Martha. But she refused
to look at him, confining her attention to her plate and to Mary and
the twins.
Fred could no longer see the unworthy pair, as they were behind him.
But Jack, looking over his cousin's shoulder, got a good view of how
Martell was staring at his sister, and he also saw how uncomfortable
this was making Martha. He waited a minute or two longer, hoping that
Nappy would desist. But then, as the dudish young man continued to
gaze at the girl, trying his best to catch her eye, he whispered
something to Fred, and then rose to his feet.
"All right, Jack, I'm with you if you want any help," returned Fred
promptly.
Without hesitation, Jack approached the table at which Brown and
Martell sat eating their soup, and placed himself close to the
latter's side.
"Now listen to me, Nappy Martell," he said in a low but distinct
voice, meant only for the dudish youth. "You keep your eyes to
yourself and leave my sister and my cousin alone. If you don't, I'll
smash you one in the face that will put you in the hospital. Now
remember--I won't give you another warning!" And having thus spoken,
Jack turned on his heel and went back to his own table.
Nappy Martell flushed up and an angry retort arose to his lips. Then,
however, he became pale and not a word escaped him.
"What was that he said, Nappy?" demanded Slugger in a whisper.
"I--I'll tell you afterwards," stammered Martell. "He's mighty
fresh--that fellow!"
"Did he threaten you?"
"I guess he wants to start a row," grumbled Nappy. "But I don't want
any fight in front of those girls."
"Those Rovers are getting too fresh to live," was Slugger's comment.
"Some day we'll have to get after 'em and polish 'em off."
"We can't get after 'em any too quick to suit me," answered his crony.
After that Nappy confined his gaze to his chum and to the lunch set
before him. Never once did he allow his eyes to rove over to the table
opposite. Jack had spoken with an intensity that showed his
earnestness, and for once Nappy Martell was completely subdued.
"Those Rovers are getting to be a regular bunch of rough-necks," he
growled, after he and his crony had finished a somewhat hurried meal
and gone back to the smoking car.
"Did he want to fight you?" queried Slugger.
"That's what he had in mind to do--as if I would want to fight before
that crowd of people! Why, we would all have been arrested!"
Jack's meal had been spoiled for him, but he did not let the others
know this. He, however, kept his eyes on Brown and Martell until they
left the dining car. Then he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Gee! I'm glad they're gone," was Fred's comment.
"You're no more glad than I am," answered his cousin. "I'll teach him
to stare at my sister! For two pins I'd have wiped up the floor with
him!"
"I wish I'd have gotten the chance," put in Andy, from across the
aisle. "Wouldn't I like to have peppered up their food good for them!"
In due course of time the young Rovers reached the Grand Central
Terminal at Forty-Second Street, in New York City. They had sent a
telegram, announcing their coming, and found Mrs. Dick Rover and Mrs.
Sam Rover awaiting them, each with a touring car.
"Well, I see you got in on time," said Mrs. Dick Rover, after the
greetings were over. "I thought on account of so many soldiers being
sent to the various camps, the train might be late."
"We saw some soldiers on the way," answered her daughter.
"And we also saw some freight cars carrying cannon," put in Mary.
"This war is going to make a great change all around," declared Mrs.
Sam Rover. And then she added to her daughter: "What do you think
about your father going to the front?"
"It's just what I expected," answered Mary promptly. "He's a real
patriot--dad is!"
"You are right. But I hate awfully to see him go away," sighed the
mother.
The young folks were soon seated in the two automobiles, and their
handbags were disposed of in the tonneau. Then the cars were started
up, and they were soon whirling away over to Broadway and Riverside
Drive, and then to the comfortable mansions occupied by the three
Rover families.
It was still rather early in the afternoon, but Sam Rover had already
come uptown from his office and was there to greet his son and
daughter and the others.
"It's great news, Dad!" cried Fred, shaking him warmly by the hand,
while Mary clung around his neck and kissed him.
"Oh, I'm going to be real proud of you!" said the daughter.
A little later Dick Rover arrived, and Jack shook hands with a warmth
that was most unusual. When Martha kissed her father a curious lump
arose in her throat, and her eyes grew misty.
"I suppose it's all right, Dad," she whispered in his ear. "But, oh! I
do hope you'll come back all right." And she clung to him in a way
that spoke volumes.
"Of course I'll come back all right, Martha," said Dick Rover
confidently. "And for all you know, your dad will come back a major or
a colonel, or maybe a brigadier general."
"Oh, I don't care about that! All I want is for you to come back safe
and sound!"
"Your father will be up in a little while," announced Dick Rover to
the twins. "He had a meeting to attend in reference to the next
Liberty Loan. He's a tremendously busy man these days."
"But Uncle Dick! he wanted to go to the front just as well as you did,
didn't he?" questioned Randy eagerly.
"Of course he wanted to go," was the ready response. "But we couldn't
all go, you know. Somebody had to stay behind to look after our
business interests in Wall Street."
"But--but couldn't you hire somebody else to run the business for
you?" questioned Andy. Now that he and his brother were face to face
with the fact that their Uncle Dick and their Uncle Sam were going
into the army, it did not look right at all to them to have their
father left behind.
"We thought something of that, but we really couldn't see how it could
be done. You see, we have a great many important deals under way, and
if those transactions are not looked after carefully, we might stand
to lose a great deal of money."
"I don't care--if dad wanted to go to the front, he should have had
the chance to go!" burst out Randy.
"I declare, Randy, you'll be as hard to manage in this affair as your
father was," said Dick Rover, with a faint smile.
"Was he really hard to manage?" queried Andy eagerly.
"He sure was! We had to talk to him for several days before he would
agree to remain behind. He told us once that the whole business could
go to pot."
"Hurrah for dad! That's the way I knew he'd act!" burst out the boy.
"If I was him I'd let the business go to pot!" declared Randy. "What
good will your old business be if those Germans win this war and start
in to rule everything? For all you know, they'll come right over to
New York and take your whole business away from you."
"Well, that might possibly happen," put in Sam Rover seriously.
"Although I don't think it is very probable."
Knowing that the young folks were usually very hungry when they got
home and that they always enjoyed home cooking, their mothers had
prepared quite a spread for them. Mrs. Tom Rover had gone downtown to
meet her husband, and now she came back in a flutter of excitement.
"Hello, Ma! Where is Dad?" questioned Randy, as he ran up and gave her
a hug and a kiss, followed by his twin.
"He's downtown, up to his ears in that Liberty Loan business,"
answered Mrs. Tom Rover. "Oh, dear! I never saw such a busy man! Half
a dozen men are coming in and going out all the time, wanting to know
what to do next and asking him if he won't make another speech here,
there, or somewhere else. They want him to talk at two Liberty Loan
meetings to-night and one Liberty Loan meeting and a Red Cross meeting
to-morrow afternoon."
"Isn't he coming home at all?" questioned both of the twins in a
breath.
"Oh, yes. He'll be here in a little while. But he won't be able to
stay long," returned the mother.
When Tom Rover arrived he looked rather tired out, but he greeted all
the boys with a smile and gave each of the girls the kiss he knew they
were expecting.
"Oh, I'm in it neck deep," he answered, in reply to his sons'
questions. "They must think I can talk just like a coffee-grinder
grinds out coffee. And the nerve of some of them!" he continued. "Here
they have asked me to go somewhere uptown and meet a lot of bankers
and tell them how some of the work on the Liberty Loan is to be done!
As if those bankers don't know as much about it as I do, and maybe
more!"
"You've bought some of the bonds yourself, haven't you, Dad?"
questioned Randy.
"Yes, Son--twenty thousand dollars' worth, and The Rover Company, as a
company, has taken twice that amount."
"And my father has taken twenty thousand dollars' worth, too," said
Mary.
"And so has mine," added Martha.
"All told, I think we're doing pretty well by Uncle Sam!" cried Jack.
"Just the same, Uncle Tom, I think it's a shame that they are going to
make you stay behind to run the business."
"I won't stay behind if things get much warmer!" burst out Tom Rover
suddenly. "I'll put somebody in my place and grab a gun and go after
those Huns."
"Hurrah! that's the way to talk," cried Andy enthusiastically.
"Would you really, Dad?" burst out Randy, his eyes shining.
"Do you want me to go, Son?" demanded the father, catching him by the
shoulder.
"Of course I do! I don't think you ought to stay behind with Uncle
Dick and Uncle Sam going."
"It doesn't seem right," added his twin.
"And it isn't right! But what am I going to do?" asked their father
somewhat helplessly. "We've all our money locked up in our various
business deals. Those deals have got to be looked after. Who is going
to do it if we all go away?"
"Oh, you can get somebody!"
"This getting somebody that you can trust absolutely is not so easy,"
answered Tom Rover. "I did think of getting one gentleman we know
very well--a Mr. Allen Charter, who graduated from Brill College a
year after your uncles and I were admitted to the institution. Mr.
Charter is a very fine business man, and understands the deals we are
in perfectly."
"Well, then, why didn't you get Mr. Allen Charter to take hold?"
questioned Randy.
"He was going to take hold, but at the last minute he declined,
stating that he had made up his mind to volunteer for the army."
"Well, there must be somebody else."
"There was another student at that college, named Stanley Browne. He
is a cousin of Colonel Colby. We were very good friends, and I thought
sure that we could get him to take charge. But Browne has also gone
into the United States service."
"Oh, if that isn't a shame--every one of them going in and you left
behind!" grumbled Randy. "I don't think it's fair at all!"
"Well, I suppose I've got to make the best of it," answered Tom Rover.
But as he spoke he heaved a mountainous sigh. This being left behind
while his brothers and his best friends went to the front was going to
almost break his heart.
CHAPTER XII
AT THE ROVER COMPANY OFFICES
"Well, we're off at last! Good-bye to everybody!"
The words came from Dick Rover as the last call was given for the
volunteers who were going to Camp Huxton to entrain.
"Don't forget to write regularly!" came from Sam Rover.
"Oh, we'll do that--don't fear!" answered his wife Grace. "And don't
you forget to answer every letter."
"And please, please, both of you be careful, and don't get hurt!"
murmured Martha.
"Oh, say, Martha! don't put a wet blanket on things that way,"
whispered her brother. "Don't you know you have to send them away with
a smile?"
"And I'm going to," she answered quickly, and then began to smile,
even though the tears were forming in her pretty eyes.
"I know you will take good care of things while we are away, Tom,"
said Dick Rover to his brother.
"You can rest assured of that," answered Tom Rover. "Just the same, I
wish I were going along."
"So do I, now that the time has come."
"We may never have to go to France," put in Sam Rover. "The war may be
over before that time." Yet, as he spoke, he knew in his heart that
such was not likely to be the case. But he wanted to say something to
ease the minds of his wife and the other womenfolks.
There were quite a number of volunteers to entrain, and friends and
relatives were hurrying this way and that to see them off. Among the
Rovers there was much handshaking and not a few kisses, and then Dick
Rover and Sam entered the train, which, a few seconds later, glided
from the station.
It was a sober crowd that returned to the Rover homes, even Andy and
Randy being subdued. No one felt like talking. Poor Martha seemed to
be the most affected, and had she attempted to speak she would
certainly have broken out crying.
"Well, I suppose we've got to get back to Colby Hall to finish out the
term," remarked Jack, after Tom Rover had departed for the offices in
Wall Street.
"Gee! I wish I could volunteer and go to that camp," sighed Fred.
"Well, we'll get a touch of camp life soon," returned Jack.
He referred to the annual encampment of the Colby Hall students. Every
year the cadets of the school were marched away to some place either
in the mountains or on the seashore, there to erect their tents and
live under canvas for several weeks. During this encampment the cadets
were given a taste of real military life, with strenuous drills and
marches, target and bayonet practice, and usually ending with a
thrilling sham battle.
"Well, we can't get under canvas any too quick to suit me," announced
Randy. "I'd rather be out in the open air than in the Hall."
It was arranged that the young folks should return to Haven Point on
the following morning. Andy and Randy wanted to see as much of their
father as possible, and so decided to run down to Wall Street late in
the afternoon and come home with him.
"And you fellows can come along, if you want to," said Randy to his
cousins.
"That suits me," answered Jack. "I'd like to see how things look at
the offices. I haven't been down there in a long time."
"I'd like to go, too," came from Fred. "Maybe we can cheer Uncle Tom
up a bit. He certainly deserves it--having all this business thrust on
his shoulders!"
It did not take the four boys long to reach Wall Street, and then they
hurried down to one of the small but better-class office buildings in
that vicinity.
The Rover Company occupied the entire fourth floor of this building.
There was a large general office and a counting room and three private
offices, one for each of the brothers. The office help numbered about
twenty, and the place during business hours was usually a busy one.
They found Tom Rover in his private office at a large desk piled high
with sheets and documents. He was hard at work signing his name to a
number of sheets, but smiled pleasantly when he saw who his visitors
were. The boys, of course, were well known to most of the employees,
and so had passed in without being questioned.
"Come to help me out, I suppose," said the father of the twins, with a
grin. "All right. Take off your coats, roll up your sleeves and pitch
in. There is plenty to do."
"If that is the case, Uncle Tom, I guess you don't want us to disturb
you," said Jack quickly.
"I'll be through here in less than half an hour," announced Tom Rover.
"Just make yourselves at home for that length of time, and then I'll
be with you."
This was a gentle hint that he must get through with his work, and the
boys lost no time in backing out of his office. They went into the
offices usually occupied by Dick Rover and Sam Rover, looking over a
number of books, magazines and pamphlets.
"Let's go down in the street for a while and take a look around,"
suggested Andy, who always liked to be on the go.
As there was nothing particular for them to do in the offices, the
others agreed to this, and so, telling the twins' father that they
would come back at the end of the half hour, they walked out into the
corridor opening upon the elevators and the stairway.
As they waited at one of the elevators for a chance to go down, the
elevator came up and stopped to let out a messenger boy. Then it
continued on its way upward.
"Say, did you notice who was in that elevator?" cried Randy quickly.
"I thought I saw Mr. Martell," answered Fred.
"Yes, it was Martell, and Nappy was with him."
"Well, there is nothing strange about that," came from Andy. "Probably
he wants to see his father now he is in New York again."
"I'd like to know what Nappy has told his father about us," went on
Fred. "You can wager it's nothing good."
"I don't care what he says, so long as he leaves us alone," said Jack.
Another elevator appeared, and the four boys descended to the ground
floor of the office building. Here half a dozen people were waiting to
go up, while several others were at the rear of the corridor, talking
earnestly.
"Hello! there are Slugger Brown and his father," exclaimed Fred,
pointing down the corridor. "Now, what do you know about that!"
"They must be in this building to visit the Martells," returned Jack.
"They are talking to two men," put in Randy. "I wonder who they can
be?"
"Oh, some friends or business acquaintances, I suppose," answered the
oldest of the Rover boys.
Ordinarily none of the Rover boys considered eavesdropping honorable,
but they thought it a different thing when dealing with their enemies,
and Andy, being naturally inquisitive anyway, sauntered down the
corridor and passed the group that was talking so earnestly. The
backs of both Mr. Brown and Slugger were toward him, so neither
noticed the lad.
"And if you will do that, Mr. Brown, you will make very good money by
it," Andy heard one of the strange men say. He spoke with a strong
German accent.
"You will make far more money that way than you ever did in your
business," added the other stranger.
"Yes, but I'll be running a big risk," Mr. Brown replied. "Those
things are getting more dangerous every day."
"Say, Pop, why don't you go up and see Mr. Martell about this?" put in
the son.
"Yes, I think we ought to go up and see Nelson Martell," answered Mr.
Brown.
"I have already seen him," said one of the strangers.
"Well, it won't do any harm to talk it over again," returned Slogwell
Brown. "Come on; his offices are up on the fifth floor."
The party of four turned, and as they did so Andy raised his hand and
made a quick motion to the other boys to get out of sight. Then, as
Slugger Brown and the men passed him, he turned quickly and, bending
down, pretended to fix the lace of his shoe. Thus he was passed
without being recognized. A few seconds later the four were in the
elevator, going up.
"Why did you motion for us to get out of the way?" demanded Jack, as
soon as Andy rejoined the others.
"Because I didn't want Slugger and his father and those other men to
see you," was the quick reply. "Do you know what I think?"
"What?" came in a chorus from the others.
"I think that whole crowd is up to no good. Both of those men look
like Germans, and each of them talked with a strong German accent,
even though they are both evidently very well educated."
"What did they say?" demanded Jack; and when told, he looked grave.
"There may be something in this," he said slowly. "Suppose we go up to
the fifth floor and try to find out a little more."
"We might get caught," said Fred.
"I don't see how," went on the oldest Rover boy. "Martell doesn't
occupy the whole floor. He has the front offices only. There are
several other firms in the rear. We might be calling on them, you
know," and he winked.
The boys talked the matter over for a minute or so, and then, as an
elevator came down, they entered and got out at the fifth floor. The
little corridor here was empty, for which they were thankful.
"Of course there may not be a thing in this," announced Jack. "It may
be some ordinary business deal which is perfectly legitimate."
"Not by the way those two German-looking fellows talked," said Andy.
"I didn't like their looks at all. Unless I miss my guess, they are a
slick pair."
The two strangers had looked to be about forty years of age. Each was
tall and rather stout, with a clean-shaven, florid face and close-cut,
sandy hair. Their eyes had had a shifty snake-like look, and this it
was, as much as anything, which set Andy against them.
The doors to the Martell offices were two in number, one marked
"Private" and the other, "Entrance." The boys waited for a few
seconds, and then walked softly over to the latter door. They heard a
murmur of voices, but could not make out what was being said.
"Perhaps they are in the office marked 'Private,'" whispered Jack, and
tiptoed his way in that direction, followed by his cousins.
In front of the door to this office they could hear slightly better.
The murmur of voices was at times quite distinct, and they caught the
words: "Supplies," "Canned goods," "Immediate delivery," "Motor
trucks," "Machinery," "Cash payment," "Night work," and a number of
others. Then the murmur of voices grew a little more animated, and
finally they heard Nelson Martell exclaim: "I think we ought to have a
thousand dollars at least in advance!"
"Better make it two thousand," came from Slogwell Brown.
There was an exclamation from the strange men, and then the voices
sounded lower so that the Rovers could not hear what was being said.
Suddenly, however, one of the strangers cried out:
"Oh, I forgot! I have an important engagement in less than half an
hour. I must go at once."
"I guess it's time we got out of here!" exclaimed Jack, and started to
retreat, as did the others.
The Rover boys had just reached a place in front of the elevators when
the door to one of the back offices opened and much to their surprise
Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown came out. Evidently they had been sent
off by their fathers while their parents had been doing business with
the two strange men.
"Hello! what are you fellows doing here?" grumbled Nappy, gazing at
them suspiciously.
"Did my father come up here?" questioned Randy, before the others
could speak. "We want to see him," continued the quick-witted Rover.
"Maybe he's in Mr. Benson's office, fellows," he added. "Come on."
There was a Mr. Benson on that floor with an office in the rear.
Without saying another word to Nappy or Slugger, the Rover boys
marched to the door of the Benson place, knocked, and went in.
"Say, that was a neat trick, all right enough," whispered Jack to
Randy. "But now you've got us into it, you'll have to get us out."
"Humph! that's easy enough," was the ready reply. "Just leave it to
me."
A clerk came up, looking inquiringly at the boys.
"Excuse me, but did my father come up here?" questioned Randy
innocently. And then, as the clerk looked puzzled, he added: "I am
Randy Rover. My father is Thomas Rover of The Rover Company."
"Oh, I see!" and the clerk smiled. "No, I don't think your father came
up here, but I'll ask Mr. Benson." The clerk disappeared into an inner
office, to reappear a moment later. "Sorry, but your father hasn't
been up here to-day."
"Thank you," returned Randy; and then he and the others backed
themselves out.
The stairway was close at hand, and a few seconds later the four Rover
boys were on the fourth floor. Here they waited for the elevator, and
soon found themselves on the ground floor, and from that walked to the
street.
"Let's hang around and see if that fellow really goes away," advised
Fred.
This they did, and in a few minutes saw the two German-looking men
come from the building. They seemed to be in a great hurry, and lost
no time in disappearing up Wall Street in the direction of Broadway.
"I wonder if we hadn't better follow them?" said Fred.
"It might be rather a long-winded job, and we haven't time," answered
Jack.
"Let us stay around until my father is at leisure," said Randy. "Then
we can tell him what we have heard and see what he thinks of it." And
so it was decided.
CHAPTER XIII
FUN AT THE RAILROAD STATION
"There may be a good deal in this, and there may be nothing at all,"
were Tom Rover's words, after he had listened to the story the boys
had to tell. "This may be a perfectly legitimate business transaction,
although, as I have said before, Nelson Martell has been known to go
into more than one shady transaction here in Wall Street. Generally,
however, he just manages to escape falling into the clutches of the
law."
"Yes, but Dad! you must remember how Mr. Brown tried to treat old
Barney Stevenson," broke in Randy.
"Yes, I remember that," answered his father. "And I have heard that
Brown is no more reliable than is Martell. But to know a fact is one
thing, to prove it in a court of law is another."
"And those two strangers were certainly Germans," said Andy.
"I'll look into this a little further as soon as I get time," said Tom
Rover, after a moment of thought. "And perhaps I'll speak to one of
the Secret Service men about it. It certainly will do no harm to have
these men watched for a few days."
A little later Tom Rover was through with his labors at his office,
and then he and the boys returned to the homes on Riverside Drive. The
father of the twins had to go out in the evening, and the boys spent
the time at home with their mothers and the girls.
"We can't go straight through to Haven Point this morning," announced
Jack, on the following day, when they had arrived at the railroad
terminal. "They are shipping some soldiers and some naval supplies,
and the road is somewhat balled up. The gateman told me we should have
to make two changes."
All of the mothers had come down to see the young folks off. Jack and
Fred, as well as their sisters, felt particularly sorry for their
parents, now left entirely alone so far as their own families were
concerned.
"But never mind, Ma," said Martha. "The term at Clearwater Hall will
soon be at an end, and then we'll be home again."
"And don't forget that we are to pay a visit to Camp Huxwell if the
authorities will permit it and dad is still there," added Mary to her
parent.
"Sure! we'll all go," cried Fred.
Owing to war conditions, there was no parlor car on the train, but the
boys and girls managed to get seats together, for which they were
thankful. They made themselves as comfortable as possible, and then
settled down to read their newspapers and magazines, or gaze out of
the window at the scenes which were flashing by.
There was no dining car on this train, but from the conductor the
young folks learned that they would have to change at a place called
Raymonton, and they would there have half an hour in which to get
lunch.
"I can get all I want in less time than that, provided it's to be
had," said Fred. "We can go to the lunch room just as soon as the
train gets in."
Raymonton was nothing but an overgrown village containing but a
handful of stores, a church, a garage, and a canning factory, with the
houses occupying half a dozen straggly-looking streets. There was only
a small and not an altogether inviting-looking lunch room, and here
the bill-of-fare was decidedly meagre.
A tall, angular Irish girl waited on them. She was pleasant enough,
and smiled broadly at the twins' jokes. She served them with
sandwiches, cake, pie, and hot chocolate, and they also purchased from
her a bag of grapes and pears.
"I told you we'd have plenty of time," remarked Fred, looking at a
clock on the wall. "We have still ten minutes to spare."
"I think I'll get a shoe-shine," said Jack. "I saw a bootblack outside
roaming around doing nothing. If I give him work it may keep him out
of mischief."
At the end of the railroad platform was a stand devoted to the sale of
newspapers and periodicals, chewing gum and candy. There was also a
rack with postcards, and the girls busied themselves at this, picking
out such cards as they desired. Not far from where the stand was
located stood a long auto-stage, marked "_Raymonton to Clappville.
Fare 10 Cents._" On the seat of the stage sat an elderly driver,
smoking, and the bus contained one or two men and several women and
children, evidently waiting for the stage to start on its journey.
Jack had just finished having his shoes polished when he and the other
boys noticed a man at the newsstand talking to the proprietor. Both
men appeared to be out of sorts.
"Sorry, Sir, but you can't have that magazine!" they heard the stand
keeper exclaim.
"I'd like to know why not!" demanded the would-be customer. "I am
ready to pay for it."
"That's all right--but you can't have it! I get only two copies of
that magazine, and one is for the hotel and the other for Doctor
Johnson's daughter. They both take it regular."
"Humph! I guess you don't want any customers," growled the other man
savagely. "Well, if you don't want to sell me any of your old
magazines you can keep them! I guess I can get all the magazines I
want elsewhere." And the man stalked off in haughty anger.
The boys had watched this scene and listened to the talk with much
interest. They had recognized in the would-be customer Asa Lemm, the
professor who previous to his discharge from that institution had made
life so miserable for them at Colby Hall.
"I'm glad the fellow didn't let him have the magazine," said Fred.
"Gee, I wish we could put one over on old Lemm!" whispered Andy.
"I wonder what he is doing in this town?" queried Randy.
"I think I can answer that," replied Jack. "I once heard that he had
some relative--a brother I think--living at Clappville. Maybe he came
from there, or is going over to that town in the stage."
Without allowing themselves to be noticed, Andy and Randy kept their
eyes on Asa Lemm and saw him hurry over to one of the stores on the
main street of the town, where a number of magazines were displayed in
the window. He came out of the place, however, empty-handed, and
looking more sour than ever. In the meantime Jack sauntered up to the
keeper of the stand at the railroad station.
"Not a very pleasant sort of a fellow, that," he remarked.
"Say, that fellow makes me tired!" growled the newsstand man. "I have
a run-in with him nearly every time he comes here. The last time it
was over a plugged ten-cent piece he tried to pass on me. When I
handed it back to him and told him I wanted a good one, he was as
peppery as sin."
A minute or two later the driver of the auto-stage tooted his horn to
show that he was about ready to start on the trip. At once several men
and women came running from various directions and began to enter the
stage. The last man to arrive was Asa Lemm. He had picked up a valise
and a bundle from somewhere, and he had to stand in the rear, waiting
for those ahead to enter the stage.
"I suppose there won't be any seat for me by the time I get aboard,"
he grumbled to the driver.
"Ain't my fault," answered the stage driver calmly. "If you don't want
to stand, you can wait until the next trip."
"I haven't time to wait. I'll crowd in somehow," grumbled Asa Lemm.
While this was going on, Andy and Randy had come up close behind the
professor. Both were wondering if they could not play some sort of
trick on him before he departed.
The newsstand was similar to many of that kind, and on two sides of it
were long rows of periodicals, fastened by clips to a wire held in
place by small hooks. Watching his chance, Andy unfastened the end of
one of these wires, and motioned to his twin to unhook the other end.
"Now I guess we'll fix Mr. Asa Lemm!" muttered Andy, and with a quick
move he came up behind the former teacher of Colby Hall and twisted
one end of the wire around a back button of Asa Lemm's cutaway coat.
By this time all of the others had gotten into the stage, and, being
somewhat in a hurry, the driver made a move as if to start away.
"Hi there! Wait till I get in!" shouted Asa Lemm and threw his bags
and his bundle into the stage. Then he got on to the stage step and
the driver started off.
"Hello, look at that!"
"Say, what is that fellow dragging behind him?"
"Hi, Mr. Gasaway! That fellow is running away with your magazines!"
"Talk about the tail of a kite--this beats any kite tail I ever saw!"
[Illustration: "TALK ABOUT THE TAIL OF A KITE--THIS BEATS ANY
KITE TAIL I EVER SAW!" _Page 139_]
Such were some of the cries that rent the air as the stage started
away from the depot. On the step, clutching the handrails, was Asa
Lemm, and streaming out behind him was the wire, loaded with magazines
and picture papers.
"Hi you! Come back here!" roared the stand keeper in bewilderment.
"What do you mean by running off with my stuff? Come back, I say!"
and, throwing up a flap of the counter, he ran out of his stand and
after the auto-stage.
Asa Lemm did not know what to make of the hullaballoo. People were
rushing toward the stage from all directions, and many were pointing
their fingers at him. He felt a tug in the rear, but could not put his
hand back to the button on which the wire was fastened for fear of
falling from the stage step.
"Stop that stage! Stop that stage, I tell you!" bawled the newsstand
keeper. "He's running off with my magazines!"
And then the crowd set up a roar of laughter.
"I ain't got no time to waste. I'm behind time already!" yelled back
the auto-stage driver. "What do you want, anyway?"
"Oh, my! did you ever?" screamed Martha, dropping several of the
postcards she had purchased.
"Just look at all those magazines dangling after that man!" screamed
Mary. And then, as she caught sight of Andy and Randy, both doubled up
with laughter, she continued: "I'm sure those twins must have done
it!"
Jack and Fred had also come up, and both were on a broad grin. In the
meanwhile the stage moved on with Asa Lemm still dragging the wire and
the periodicals attached to it behind him.
"Hurrah! he believes in loading up on information!" cried Andy gaily.
"He's what you can call a real live wire!" added his twin.
"Come back with those magazines, I tell you!" bawled the stand keeper,
shaking his fist at Asa Lemm. "Come back, I say!" And then he set off
on a run after the stage.
He could not catch up to the vehicle, but he did catch up to the end
of the wire, and as he stepped on this there was a tearing sound from
beyond, and away came the button from Asa Lemm's coat, bringing with
it a strip of cloth.
"Hurrah, he's got his magazines back!" exclaimed Randy.
"And a souvenir of Asa Lemm's coat to remember him by!" added his
brother.
Just as Andy said this a train came rolling into the station.
"I hope that is our train," cried Fred.
The boys ran around to the other side of the station and found out
from the conductor that the train which had come in was that for which
they had been waiting. They at once called to the girls; and all lost
no time in hurrying on board.
"Wait! I want to see the end of this!" cried Andy, and threw up a
window. He stuck out his head, and as the train rolled away from
Raymonton he was just in time to see Asa Lemm pulled from the step of
the auto-stage by the irate man from the newsstand. Then the former
Hall professor was tripped up and sent flat on his back in the dust of
the road.
CHAPTER XIV
BACK TO COLBY HALL
"Well, that is where we got back at Asa Lemm!" cried Randy, after all
of the Rovers had gazed out of the car windows as long as the scene
near the auto-stage remained in view.
"I'll wager that stand keeper is mad," said Jack.
"And what a beautiful coat old Lemm has, with the tail torn to
ribbons!" Fred added.
"Oh, I think you boys are simply dreadful!" cried Mary, but she smiled
as she spoke.
"Don't you think you were rather hard on the professor?" questioned
Martha dubiously.
"No, I don't!" answered Andy promptly. "He treated us as mean as dirt
while he was at Colby Hall. He was more than stern--he was thoroughly
unreasonable! That's why Colonel Colby discharged him."
"And please to remember how he backed up Slugger Brown's father on
Snowshoe Island," added Randy. "He was perfectly willing to swindle
old Barney Stevenson out of his property. He deserves no sympathy."
The remainder of the journey to Haven Point passed without special
incident. The boys and the girls had sent word ahead that they were
coming, and when they reached the town they found Bob Nixon there with
one of the Colby Hall turnouts, and also a driver with a stage from
the girls' school.
"Well, here is where we part and get back to the grind," said Fred,
after he and Jack had placed their sisters' baggage in the proper car.
"Good luck to both of you girls!" cried Jack.
The girls were soon started off in one direction, and then the boys
started off in the other. The latter were still some distance from
Colby Hall when they saw Spouter Powell and Gif Garrison approaching
on foot.
"Glad to see you back!" cried Spouter, as he climbed into the machine.
"We've got great news," announced Gif, his eyes beaming.
"Our fathers have volunteered for the war!" broke out Spouter.
"Really?" came from the Rover boys.
All were much interested, although Andy and Randy looked a trifle
disturbed. The fact that their own father would have to remain behind
while all of the others were going to the front was continually in the
minds of the twins. They felt much disappointed.
"When did you get the news?" questioned Jack.
"It came in by the first mail this morning," returned Spouter. "I got
a letter, and so did Gif. My father and Mr. Garrison are both going to
do their best to join the crowd from Putnam Hall and Brill College."
Of course the Rovers wanted to know more particulars, and they were
given so far as Spouter and Gif knew them.
"And we've got more news, too," announced Gif. "They've finally
settled on the place where we are to have our annual encampment."
"And where will that be?" asked Randy eagerly.
"We're to go to Barlight Bay on the Atlantic coast. It's quite a
distance from here."
"Barlight Bay!" exclaimed Jack. And then he looked inquiringly at
Fred. "Isn't that in the vicinity of Camp Huxwell?"
"Sure it is!" answered Fred. "They are almost side by side."
"I asked about that," said Spouter; "and Captain Dale told me that our
camp and the government camp will be not very far apart. There is a
thick belt of timber and some rocky land between."
"Why then, we'll be close to our fathers!" cried Fred joyfully. "This
suits me right down to the ground!" and his face showed his delight.
"Gee, I wish we were going under canvas to-morrow!" sighed Jack.
The next day found the Rovers deep in their studies. The examinations
previous to the annual encampment were now close at hand, and all were
anxious to make a good showing.
"Because, you see, it's this way," said Jack to his cousins, and
especially to the fun-loving twins. "We didn't come here merely to cut
up and have a good time. Our folks sent us to Colby Hall so that we
would settle down and get good educations. If we don't make a good
showing, you know how disappointed every one of them will be."
"Oh, I'm going to study like an Indian," answered Andy quickly. "I'm
going to cut out every bit of horseplay until after the examinations
are over."
"And so am I," added Randy.
And, strange as it may seem, the twins kept their word, and as a
result, when the examinations were held for the term, both came
through with markings which were exceedingly gratifying.
Jack and Fred likewise did very well, for which they were thankful.
They telephoned the results to their sisters, and got back word from
Clearwater Hall that Martha and Mary were also coming through finely.
"And what about Ruth and May?" questioned Jack, who was on the 'phone,
with Fred beside him.
"Ruth is at the head of the class," announced Martha, over the
telephone. "May will stand third or fourth."
"Then give them both our congratulations," said Jack.
"And also our best regards," added Fred, crowding his cousin to one
side.
"Hold the wire a minute and you can talk to them yourselves," said
Martha. And a minute later Jack was talking to Ruth and later still
Fred managed to get in a few words with May.
Following the examinations, Colonel Colby called the entire school
together, and then announced that he was going to take his departure
for Camp Huxwell and would leave the scholars in charge of Captain
Dale and Professors Grawson and Brice.
"I am sorry to leave you," announced the colonel, "but I have accepted
the call of our country and shall go to the training camp without
further delay. But you all know Captain Dale very well, and I feel
sure that you will be glad to learn that he will have charge during
the annual encampment. He will be assisted by the professors and some
others, and all arrangements have been perfected for making this
outing a great success.
"With talk of war filling the air, we shall try to show what Colby
Hall can do in the way of first-class military training. Captain Dale
will see to it that you are given an opportunity to show what you can
do at target and bayonet practice, and in marching and other camp
activities. There will, of course, be the usual athletic contests, and
as you are going down to the coast, you will likewise have an
opportunity to make use of the water."
Here the colonel paused, and there was a faint handclapping, quickly
followed by a generous round of applause.
"Evidently you all like the idea of going in camp near the water,"
said Colonel Colby, smiling.
"It's dandy!" called out Andy, and at this there was a general laugh.
"Before you depart for Camp Barlight, as the place will be called,
Captain Dale will hold the annual election of officers. As the old
cadets here know, no cadet who has not been at this school for at
least six months can hold any office in the battalion. Apart from that
rule, the cadets can make up their tickets to suit themselves. You
will first vote for a major, then for three captains, one each for
Companies A, B, and C, and then for two lieutenants for each company.
The other officers, including the quartermaster, will be selected by
Captain Dale and the professors.
"And now, young gentlemen, I must bid you good-bye, and I trust that
you have a good time during the encampment. As I expect to be at Camp
Huxwell for some weeks at least, I shall probably have the opportunity
from time to time of coming over to see how you are getting along."
Colonel Colby bowed and stepped back, and again there was a round of
applause. In the midst of this Major Ralph Mason arose and walked to
the front.
"Colonel Colby," he said in a loud voice, as soon as the applause had
subsided, "in the name of the battalion which I have the honor to
command, I wish to thank you for all your kindness to us as students
here, and we trust you will accept our best wishes for good luck to
you in the course you are taking. We feel sure that with such men as
you in our army Uncle Sam is bound to help very materially in winning
this World War.
"And now, sir, as a token of our esteem, and also as a reminder of
what we hope you will do to the enemy, allow me, sir, in the name of
all the cadets of Colby Hall, to present you with this."
As the young major concluded he drew from behind him a leather case
which he sprung open as he presented it to the astonished master of
the institution. There, in the case, rested a very fine automatic
pistol, its polished handle engraved with Colonel Colby's name and
also the fact that it was presented to him by the school, with the
date. The hat had been passed around among the boys for contributions
to this gift, and every cadet had given something.
Though the colonel was much astonished, he was likewise greatly
pleased at this evidence of their friendliness and interest in him,
and he accepted the gift in a few words which showed his emotion.
"If I ever get to France this automatic shall go with me," he
announced. "And you can rest assured that if ever the opportunity
comes, the weapon shall render a good account for itself." And
following these remarks there was another round of applause, and then
the school was dismissed.
Of course the boys had known about the annual election for a long
time, and there had been a good deal of wire-pulling over the question
of candidates for the various offices. It was felt by many, including
the Rovers, that Ralph Mason should remain the major of the school
battalion, because he was so well liked and was such a thoroughly good
officer. It was also felt that the captains of Company A and Company B
should remain, and likewise several of the lieutenants.
"What we want most is a new captain for Company C," said Spouter.
"Yes, and we want two lieutenants for that company, too," put in Walt
Baxter.
"And the whole company wants to be jacked up," added Don Soppinger.
"The way they have been drilling has been a disgrace to this school.
They don't do half as well as the other companies."
"Well, you must remember one thing," said Jack. "Company C was formed
long after they had Company A and Company B. That company always got
all the new fellows, and you can't expect new cadets to do as well as
the old ones."
"Yes, but now that they are getting ready to form a Company D, the
fellows in Company C ought to be jacked up," said Fatty Hendry. "They
need it."
"Say, Fatty, do you want to become an officer of them?" queried Randy
slyly.
"Well, I wouldn't mind the job," answered the stout cadet. "I think I
could boss 'em around a little better than Phil Huber did." Huber had
been the former captain, but he had left the school, and the command
was now in charge of the first lieutenant, a fellow named Gabe Werner.
Now it chanced that Lieutenant Werner was not very well liked at Colby
Hall. He was a tall, angular youth, with watery blue eyes and
straw-colored hair, and he had a general manner about him which was
anything but inviting. How he had ever gotten to be a lieutenant of
the cadets was a mystery.
"I think they'll dump Lieutenant Werner," remarked Fred. "I don't
believe anybody wants him for an officer again."
"I guess you're right," answered Dan Soppinger. "If anybody at all
voted for Werner, it would be Bill Glutts."
"Well, Glutts isn't any better than Werner," was Jack's reply. "He's a
regular blockhead, in my opinion."
Glutts was a youth who had come from the Middle West, and it was said
that his father was in the wholesale butcher business. He was a
broad-shouldered, beefy-looking youth, with prominent front teeth and
a face that was far from inviting.
"Say, Jack, why don't you run for captain?" queried Gif. "I'm sure our
whole crowd would stand by you."
"Oh, I don't know, Gif," returned Jack modestly. "I didn't expect to
become an officer yet. Let some of the older cadets take hold. You
might run yourself."
"No, I don't think I want the job," answered Gif.
"Maybe you'd like it, Spouter?" said Jack.
"No, I'll give it up in your favor, Jack," was the prompt response.
Spouter looked at the assembled crowd. "Say, fellows, what do you
think of it? Shall we put up Jack Rover for captain of Company C?"
"Sure!"
"Jack will be sure to run well!"
So the comments ran on, and almost before he knew it, Jack had been
nominated by his friends for the position of captain of Company C.
Then began an animated discussion over the other offices to be filled,
and a little later Fred was nominated for a lieutenancy.
CHAPTER XV
THE ELECTION FOR OFFICERS
"Jack, I hope you win out in that election," said Fred, after the
conference had come to an end and the cadets had dispersed.
"I hope you win out, too, Fred," was the quick reply.
"I think if anybody has a job to get elected, it will be you, Jack,"
came from Randy. "You can bet your bottom dollar that Gabe Werner will
make every effort to secure that office."
"Well, as he is acting captain now, perhaps he deserves it," answered
Jack slowly.
"He deserves nothing!" came promptly from Andy. "He's a regular bear.
He never has any consideration whatever for the cadets under him. Why,
only last week it made my blood boil the way he treated a couple of
new fellows. Of course, they didn't know what he wanted, but that's no
reason why he should howl at 'em the way he did. If he had done that
to me, I'd have thrown my gun at his head."
What had been said about Gabe Werner's ambition to become the regular
captain of Company C was true. The angular lieutenant was of the
opinion that the place belonged to him, and he did not hesitate to
tell this to all those with whom he was intimate.
Now that Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell had left Colby Hall for good,
Henry Stowell had established himself as a satellite of Werner, doing
all the mean little jobs the big cadet desired.
"Of course you'll be elected," declared Codfish to the lieutenant,
when the talk over the coming election was rife. "The place belongs to
you."
"Sure it does," answered Gabe Werner readily. "But I suppose I've got
to work like the rest of the candidates if I want it," he added,
heaving a deep sigh. Werner was lazy by nature, and he did not like
the idea of electioneering, any more than he did the idea of studying.
"I'll tell you what you ought to do, Gabe," said Bill Glutts. "You
ought to give the boys a spread, or treat them to an entertainment in
town. That would nail the captaincy for you."
This idea pleased Werner, and, as a result, that night he invited all
the cadets he dared to approach to the moving-picture theater at Haven
Point. A crowd of about thirty accepted this invitation, and they not
only went to the show, but later on dined at one of the restaurants
at Gabe's expense.
"That sort of thing makes me tired," declared Spouter, when he heard
of this. "Why, the poor fish is trying to buy votes!"
At first Dan Soppinger had said that he did not care to run for the
captaincy, but a number of his friends insisted that he allow his name
to be put up, and finally he consented. Others went to Walt Baxter and
told him that he must run, too.
"You've simply got to do it, Baxter," said Ned Lowe. "If you don't,
some of the fellows who might vote for you will go over to Werner, and
he'll have a walkover from the start."
"All right then, if you want me to stand I'll do it," said Walt. "Just
the same, I think Jack Rover ought to have it, and I'm going to vote
for him."
The voting was to be held on the following Saturday, and on Monday
morning the cadets were to leave Colby Hall for Camp Barlight.
Consequently between getting ready to vote and preparing for the
encampment, all of the students were unusually busy.
The election was held in the main hall of the school, and was presided
over by Captain Dale and Professor Brice. It was announced that the
total number of votes to be cast would be 111 and the number necessary
for a choice would consequently be 56.
"We will ballot for the major and the three captains separately,"
announced Captain Dale. "Then we will have the balloting for the
lieutenants."
The electing of a major for the next term proved easy. Ralph Mason
obtained ninety-one votes on the first ballot and was consequently
declared reelected.
"Hurrah for Major Ralph Mason!" cried one of the cadets, and the
cheers were given with a will.
Then followed the balloting for the captain of Company A and the
captain of Company B, and they were likewise reelected, and there was
more cheering.
"We will now ballot for a captain for Company C," announced Captain
Dale.
There was a murmur, and the cadets once more formed a long line and
marched up to the platform, where each deposited his ballot in a big
box, located there for that purpose.
There was a smug grin on the face of Gabe Werner when he dropped in
his vote. It seemed to show that he felt sure of being elected.
A few minutes of silence occurred, during which time the votes were
being tabulated, and then Professor Brice struck a bell to attract the
attention of the cadets, and, stepping forward, read the result:
"Total number of votes 111
Necessary to a choice 56
Gabe Werner has 32
Jack Rover has 32
Daniel Soppinger has 30
Walter Baxter has 17."
At this there was a murmur of voices, and all the cadets looked at
each other.
"As no candidate has received the required number of votes, I will
leave you for ten minutes to talk matters over among yourselves, and
then we will have another vote," announced Captain Dale.
"Say, Jack! what do you know about that?" cried Fred. "You and Werner
are tied for first place!"
At this moment Walt Baxter came up.
"Listen, Jack," he said in a low voice. "I voted for you, and I would
just as lief withdraw in your favor, but some of the fellows who voted
for me say if I withdraw they will vote for Werner, so I'll have to
stay on the ticket. But it's a blamed shame!" and Walt's face showed
that he meant what he said.
"Say, Bill, we've got to get a hustle on and get more votes," growled
Gabe Werner to his crony, as they walked over to a corner.
"I don't see how we're going to do it. I've talked to every fellow in
the school," said Glutts.
"I'm entitled to this captaincy, and if they won't give it to me I
don't want anything," growled Gabe Werner. It angered him to think
that in spite of all the money he had spent he could muster up only
thirty-two votes.
While this was going on, Dan Soppinger had been circulating among
those who had been supporting him. Dan was gratified over the showing
he had made, but he did not want the position. Now he came up and
announced that he was going to withdraw.
"I'm withdrawing in favor of Jack Rover," he declared in a loud voice,
and went around the hall repeating this statement. "I want everybody
who voted for me to vote for Jack."
"Not much we won't!" cried one cadet. "If you won't run, we'll vote
for Walt Baxter."
"We want Bart White to run!" put in another cadet.
"All right, suit yourselves," said Dan, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Just the same, I'm out of it, so I don't want anybody to vote for me
again."
It was not long after this that the call came for the next ballot, and
once again the cadets filed up and placed their slips of paper in the
box. Then the counting began and was soon finished. Both Captain Dale
and Professor Brice seemed to be much disturbed over something that
had occurred, and the bell for silence rang out sharply.
"This ballot cannot be counted!" declared Captain Dale, in a stern
voice. "There are but one hundred and eleven cadets present, but one
hundred and fifteen votes have been cast, showing that some person or
persons voted more than once. You will immediately prepare new votes
and stand in one long line, handing each vote to me as you come up."
"Gee! what do you know about that?" whispered Randy.
"I wager some of the Werner crowd did that," remarked his twin.
"How foolish to do anything of that sort," said Jack. "They ought to
have known they couldn't get away with it."
"Maybe they thought because Dan Soppinger retired some of the fellows
wouldn't vote," suggested Fred.
"Well, if they thought that, they got left."
The next vote proved correct so far as numbers went, and once more the
figures were announced:
"Number necessary to a choice 56
Jack Rover has 54
Gabe Werner has 30
Walter Baxter has 20
Bart White has 7."
"Hurrah, Jack, you're going up!" cried Fred enthusiastically.
"You're only two votes shy of a choice," said Randy.
"I guess you would have been elected if Bart White hadn't gone on the
ticket," returned Spouter.
At that moment both Walt Baxter and Bart White came rushing up to
Jack.
"I'm going to retire in your favor, Jack," said Walt.
"So am I," declared Bart.
"Well, now, I didn't expect this," stammered Jack, hardly knowing what
to say.
"I can't get it anyway," declared Walt, "and as Werner is falling
behind, I think it's perfectly safe now to withdraw."
"And I only went in to keep the votes from going to Werner," declared
Bart.
Both of these cadets hustled around among their supporters and let all
in the Hall know that they were withdrawing from the contest.
In the meantime Gabe Werner and his cronies circulated among the
crowd, and it was afterwards said that Werner even went so far as to
attempt to buy some votes, but without avail.
Then the next ballot was called for, and it was quickly cast.
"We have at last reached a result," announced Captain Dale. "And I am
glad of it." And then he read the figures.
"Total number of votes cast 111
Necessary to a choice 56
Jack Rover has 81
Gabe Werner has 30."
"Hurrah! Jack Rover is elected captain of Company C!" and a great
cheer went throughout the hall.
"He got all the votes that were cast for Baxter and White!" cried
Fred.
"Right you are!" added Gif. "Gabe Werner did not get a single vote
more than he had before."
"And that was two less than he got at the start," added Spouter.
"I hereby declare Jack Rover duly elected captain of Company C for the
ensuing term," said Captain Dale. "Captain Rover, if you will come
forward, I shall be glad to shake hands with you," he added. And then,
as Jack walked to the platform to grasp the instructor's hand, there
was a great burst of applause.
"Never mind, Gabe. We'll make you lieutenant again, anyway," declared
Bill Glutts, while this scene was being transacted.
"I don't want to be lieutenant again!" howled Gabe. "If they don't
want me for a captain, they needn't have me for anything. I'll decline
to run!" And thus speaking, Gabe Werner marched out of the room in
great disgust.
"He sure is a sweet one!" was Gif's comment.
A little while later it was announced that the balloting for
lieutenants would begin. The names of eight aspirants were put up,
including that of Fred Rover. There was a good deal of wire-pulling,
and it took nine ballots to decide the various choices. But in the end
Fred became the first lieutenant of the company of which Jack had been
made captain.
"Good for you, Fred! I congratulate you!" cried Jack, catching his
cousin by the hand.
"I guess we'll all do that," declared Randy.
"Three cheers for Lieutenant Fred Rover!" exclaimed Spouter, and the
cheers were given with great heartiness, for Fred had made himself a
favorite throughout the school.
"And now to get ready to go to Camp Barlight" said Andy. "My, but
won't we have the best times ever while we are under canvas!"
"I hope we do," answered Jack.
But a little later the newly-elected captain became somewhat doubtful
of this. As he and Fred, followed by the twins, went upstairs to their
rooms they passed Gabe Werner and his cronies in the main corridor.
The angular ex-lieutenant did not say a word, but he glared at Jack in
a baneful way that boded no good.
"Werner has got it in for you, Jack," remarked Andy, when the four
Rovers were in their rooms and the doors had been closed.
"I guess you're right," was Jack's reply. "Well, I'm not going to
worry. I think I can take care of myself."
CHAPTER XVI
OFF FOR THE ENCAMPMENT
As was the usual custom at Colby Hall, all of the old officers and
those newly elected were invited to participate in a dinner given by
Captain Dale. This was held in a private dining room of the school,
and was usually a function looked forward to with much pleasure by
those to take part.
"Now we've got to look our prettiest," announced Fred to Jack. "Of
course, we'll wear our new officers' uniforms."
The dinner proved to be one long to be remembered by the two Rover
boys, and they were sorry to think the twins had not been present to
see what took place. There were some speeches and a good deal of
merrymaking, and the two Rovers were congratulated over and over again
on having been elected.
"I'm mighty glad to think you're going to be at the head of Company C,
Captain Rover," said Major Ralph Mason. "And glad, too, that your
cousin Fred is going to be a lieutenant of that company. I shall
expect great things from both of you."
"Well, I intend to do the best I can," announced Jack modestly.
There was but one drawback to the affair. Gabe Werner did not show
himself, nor did he send any letter of regret to Captain Dale.
"Gabe is sore, all right enough," declared one of the under officers.
"When I asked him if he was coming to the spread, he merely shook his
head and looked like a thundercloud."
Sunday proved rather a busy day for all of the cadets, yet the Rovers,
along with a number of others, went to Haven Point where they met some
of the girls. All attended services at one of the local churches. Then
the young folks paired off, the boys walking with the girls to
Clearwater Hall.
"Oh, Jack, you can't think how proud I am to know they have made you a
captain!" said Ruth, who was walking beside the newly-elected officer.
"And I think you ought to be very proud yourself."
"I admit it makes me feel pretty good, Ruth," he answered.
"But you'll have to be careful," went on the girl anxiously. "Randy
told me on the way to church that a cadet named Werner is very angry
because you cut him out of one of the captaincies."
"I'm not afraid of Werner or any of his crowd!"
"Yes, but he may try to make trouble, Jack. Don't forget how Brown and
Martell acted--and are acting still."
"I won't forget, Ruth." And then, making sure that none of the others
was noticing, he pressed the girl's fingers tightly within his own.
"It's awfully nice to have you so interested," he whispered. And,
although she did not answer to this, she gave him a bright look that
lingered in his memory for many a day afterward.
In the meantime Fred was walking along with May Powell, and had also
been congratulated on attaining a lieutenancy. May was full of fun,
and her eyes showed it.
"I suppose some day it will be Major Fred Rover!" she exclaimed. "My,
won't you look grand with a whole lot of gold lace, and a cockade hat,
and all that sort of thing!"
"No gold lace for mine, May!" he laughed.
Spouter and Gif were walking with Martha and Mary, and soon the whole
crowd reached Clearwater Hall. Here the boys had to say good-bye to
the girls, and this was rather a lingering process, since the young
folks did not know exactly when they would get together again.
"But don't forget we expect to march past here to-morrow morning about
ten o'clock," said Jack. "If you are really patriotic you'll be
watching for us and have your flags out."
"Don't you worry about that," answered Ruth. "We're going to ask Miss
Garwood for a special recess in honor of the occasion."
The evening was spent by the boys in packing their things and in
otherwise getting ready for the encampment. There was, however, the
usual song service at eight o'clock in the assembly room of the Hall,
on this occasion presided over by a minister who had stopped at the
Hall to visit his two nephews, who were pupils there. The minister was
a good speaker, and he made an address which the cadets listened to
with close attention.
Early in the morning came a sound that told all the cadets that the
annual encampment was now at hand. Instead of the school bell ringing,
there were the notes of two bugles ringing through the corridors. Then
from outside came the vigorous rattle of several drums.
"Hurrah! No more studying! From now on we are soldier boys!" exclaimed
Andy, and he bounced out of bed. "Get up, you sleepyheads!" And in the
exuberance of his spirits he threw a pillow at his twin's head. Randy
returned the compliment by throwing a shoe at him, hitting Andy in the
stomach.
"Hi! What's this?" exclaimed Fred, scrambling up at the confusion.
"Over the top at the Huns!" shouted Andy, charging on Randy and
sending him backward into a stand loaded with books. "Forward, the
light brigade, and on to the gas attack!"
"Hi! You fellows are making altogether too much noise," came from
Jack. "Attention, company! Line up! Eyes right!"
"My! but don't the bugles and drums sound fine?" was Fred's comment,
as he hurried into his new uniform, of which, it may be said
privately, he was exceedingly proud.
"I suppose we won't have a bit of fun at this outing, with a captain
and a lieutenant keeping their eyes on us," grumbled Andy; but, of
course, he did not mean what he said.
"Sure, I'll make you line up and toe the chalk mark," answered Jack,
with a grin. "You won't dare to call your souls your own. If you
infringe one fixed rule the sixteenth of an inch, I'll place you in
the guardhouse."
"Yes, and we'll feed you on nothing but dry bread and dry water,"
added Fred.
"Good-night!" came solemnly from Randy. "Please lead me to the
dungeon at once! What's the use of looking at the sunshine and trying
to smile!"
It had been decided that the cadets should march to Barlight Bay,
which was about thirty-five miles distant. They were to take two days
for the journey, stopping over night on the outskirts of the village
of Rackville, where Captain Dale had already rented a farm field for
that purpose. All of their belongings were to be transported in
several motor trucks, engaged for that purpose, these trucks being
under orders from the battalion quartermaster.
Of course, it must be understood by my young readers that Colby Hall
was only a military school for boys, and that the military matters
there, while conducted somewhat on the lines of those at West Point,
were by no means so strict. The officers, from the young major down,
were expected to do their duty the same as if they were at a
government camp, but all were under the supervision of Captain Dale
and the Hall professors.
More than this, the boys did not pretend to do any of the camp cooking
or any of the menial camp labor, this being accomplished by hired
helpers. And again, the officers were only officers while on parade or
during special hours of duty--otherwise they were just like the
other cadets and were treated accordingly.
There was the usual morning roll call, and also the drill and
inspection, this time the latter being unusually severe, for Captain
Dale wanted to make sure that everything was right before the cadets
left the Hall. The parade around the grounds, however, was omitted,
and the lads went in to their breakfast half an hour earlier than
usual. Then it was announced that they would leave the Hall at exactly
nine o'clock.
At the roll call and inspection it was a new thing for Jack to take
command of Company C, and for Fred to fill the position of a
lieutenant; but both acquitted themselves creditably, and for this
received a nod of approval from Captain Dale.
On Sunday evening it had been rumored about that Gabe Werner had
decided not to attend the encampment. This rumor had its foundation in
the fact that the angular ex-lieutenant had sent a telegram to his
father explaining the situation and stating he wanted to come home. In
return, however, Mr. Werner commanded his son to remain at Colby Hall,
and so, much against his will, Gabe was on hand when the cadets were
ready to march away.
"But I ain't going to do anything that I don't want to do," growled
Gabe to Bill Glutts. "You just wait and see!"
"Maybe you'll get a chance to make it warm for Jack Rover and his
bunch," suggested the wholesale butcher's son.
"You bet!" answered Werner laconically.
The cadets were all assembled on the parade ground, and the motor
trucks, piled high with all of their belongings, as well as the
camping paraphernalia, had already left the grounds. There was a final
rattle of drums to call any cadets who might still be missing.
"Battalion attention!" commanded the young major, after he had
received his orders from Captain Dale.
At once the three companies came to attention.
"Shoulder arms!" came the command a few seconds later.
"Forward--march!"
Boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom! went the drums, and the Colby cadets
stepped off gaily, while the professors and helpers left behind at the
Hall cheered loudly and waved their hands. From the big flagstaff on
the campus floated a large American flag, this being run up every
morning at sunrise and taken down at sunset.
Soon the drums gave a preliminary rattle, and then the shrill fifes
struck up into a lively marching air, and one company after another
passed out of the Hall grounds and on to the road leading to Haven
Point.
"Hay foot, straw foot!" murmured Andy jokingly to Randy, who was
marching by his side. "I wonder how our feet will feel after we have
covered the eighteen miles we have to do to-day?"
"Oh, that will be all right, I think," answered his twin. "I've done
more than eighteen miles in a day, and so have you."
It did not take long for the cadets to reach the outskirts of Haven
Point. Their coming was expected, and quite a crowd of town folks were
out to see the parade. Some few had put out flags, for all were proud
to have such an institution as Colby Hall in that vicinity.
The moving-picture theater was decorated with flags from top to
bottom, and across the street the enterprising manager had hung a big
banner inscribed with the words:
_Good-bye
COLBY HALL
Have a good time, boys_
Captain Dale was marching beside Major Mason, and as the school came
in sight of this banner the major whispered a few words to the
elderly military man, who nodded in approval. Then the young major
turned and, walking backward, cried:
"Battalion attention! Three cheers for Mr. Felix Falstein!"
The cheers were given with a right good will, and a number of the
cadets swung their caps at the manager of the moving-picture theater,
who stood in the doorway, smiling at them. The cheer had been totally
unexpected, and Mr. Falstein grew exceedingly red in the face. But he
bowed and smiled, and kept on bowing, in the meantime waving his hat
at the cadets, until they had passed up the street.
Leaving Haven Point behind, and with a generous following of small
boys, the cadets continued their march by taking to the road leading
past Clearwater Hall. Here another surprise awaited them. The girls of
the school had strung long lines of colored paper across the roadway,
and had decorated the entire front of the school grounds with small
flags. More than this, all of the girls were out in a long line facing
the roadway, and many of them carried flags and wore red, white and
blue ribbons.
"Good-bye! Have a good time!" called out Ruth.
"Don't forget to write!" came from Martha.
"Oh, but you do look nice!" called May.
And then there was such a babble of exclamations that hardly a word of
what was said could be understood. And in the midst of this the cadets
gave a rousing cheer for Clearwater Hall and everybody connected with
that school.
"Oh, but don't they look lovely!" cried May, when the boys had passed.
"Did you see Jack at the head of the third company?" she asked of
Ruth.
"Why, of course! And he certainly looked every inch a captain."
"I wish I were a boy and could go along!" sighed Mary.
"Oh, I guess we all wish that," declared Ruth. "But come--let us give
them another cheer!" And this rent the air just as the cadets reached
a turn in the road and passed out of sight.
CHAPTER XVII
A NIGHT ON THE ROAD
"This is the life, boys!"
"Ho for a life under canvas!"
"Beats rooming in a school all hollow, doesn't it?"
"Exactly so! And think--we haven't any studying to do. Oh, boy!" and
Andy, who was the speaker, felt so light-hearted that he turned
several cartwheels on the grass.
"Say, you look out, Andy, or somebody will grab you and put you in the
circus," was Spouter's comment.
The Colby Hall cadets had finished their first day's march and were
now in camp on the outskirts of Rackville. They had made the hike
without mishap, stopping at noon for lunch along the roadside.
The encampment consisted of three long lines of tents, one for each
company. As was the usual practice, the cadets had erected the
canvases themselves, doing it with real military precision. They were
in the center of a large, sloping field, one end of which bordered the
road running into Rackville. The field was a pasture lot belonging to
a large farm owned by a man named Oliver Appleby. Appleby owned a
dairy farm, and employed about a dozen hired hands.
"I know on
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