diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | 40303-0.txt | 394 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 40303-0.zip | bin | 125578 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 40303-h.zip | bin | 278043 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 40303-h/40303-h.htm | 417 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 40303.txt | 8912 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 40303.zip | bin | 123869 -> 0 bytes |
6 files changed, 5 insertions, 9718 deletions
diff --git a/40303-0.txt b/40303-0.txt index 5d8e3a9..288203e 100644 --- a/40303-0.txt +++ b/40303-0.txt @@ -1,38 +1,4 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Rover Boys Down East, by Arthur M. Winfield - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Rover Boys Down East - or, The Struggle for the Stanhope Fortune - -Author: Arthur M. Winfield - -Release Date: July 23, 2012 [EBook #40303] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, J. Ali Harlow -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40303 *** THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST @@ -8547,360 +8513,4 @@ THE FLYING WINDMILL End of Project Gutenberg's The Rover Boys Down East, by Arthur M. Winfield -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST *** - -***** This file should be named 40303-0.txt or 40303-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/3/0/40303/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, J. Ali Harlow -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40303 *** diff --git a/40303-0.zip b/40303-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e3197cb..0000000 --- a/40303-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/40303-h.zip b/40303-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8a0abb4..0000000 --- a/40303-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/40303-h/40303-h.htm b/40303-h/40303-h.htm index a0a5db7..97c130e 100644 --- a/40303-h/40303-h.htm +++ b/40303-h/40303-h.htm @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> <!-- terminate if block for class html --> <title>The Rover Boys Down East, by Arthur M. Winfield</title> @@ -125,44 +125,7 @@ hr { max-width:20em; } </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's The Rover Boys Down East, by Arthur M. Winfield - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Rover Boys Down East - or, The Struggle for the Stanhope Fortune - -Author: Arthur M. Winfield - -Release Date: July 23, 2012 [EBook #40303] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, J. Ali Harlow -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40303 ***</div> <div id="cover" class="img"> <img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="The Rover Boys Down East" width="500" height="747" /> @@ -8302,380 +8265,6 @@ search of pirate treasure.</p> </blockquote> <p class="tbcenter">GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Rover Boys Down East, by Arthur M. Winfield - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST *** - -***** This file should be named 40303-h.htm or 40303-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/3/0/40303/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, J. Ali Harlow -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - -</pre> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40303 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/40303.txt b/40303.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 93cb1d5..0000000 --- a/40303.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8912 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Rover Boys Down East, by Arthur M. Winfield - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Rover Boys Down East - or, The Struggle for the Stanhope Fortune - -Author: Arthur M. Winfield - -Release Date: July 23, 2012 [EBook #40303] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, J. Ali Harlow -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE ROVER BOYS - DOWN EAST - - - OR - - THE STRUGGLE FOR THE STANHOPE FORTUNE - - 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 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, 1911, BY - EDWARD STRATEMEYER. - - The Rover Boys Down East - - - - - INTRODUCTION - - -My Dear Boys: This is a complete story in itself, but forms the fifteenth -volume of the "Rover Boys Series for Young Americans." - -Twelve years ago the line was started with the publication of the first -three stories, "The Rover Boys at School," "On the Ocean," and "In the -Jungle." I earnestly hoped that the young people would like the tales, -but never did I anticipate the tremendously enthusiastic welcome which -was given to the volumes from the start, nor the steady sale, ever -increasing, which has been accorded the series up to the present time. -The publication of the first three books immediately called for a fourth, -"The Rover Boys Out West," and then followed yearly "On the Great Lakes," -"In Camp," "On Land and Sea," "On the River," "On the Plains," "In -Southern Waters," "On the Farm," "On Treasure Isle," and then "At -College," where we last left our heroes. - -Dick, Tom and Sam are older than when we first made their acquaintance -and told how they went to Putnam Hall. They are now college boys, -attending a well-known institution of learning in the middle-west. But -though older, they are as lively as ever, and Tom, at least, is just as -full of fun. They have a great struggle to save the Stanhope fortune, and -have to work hard to get the best of several enemies. They take a long -journey Down East, and their adventures are both mysterious and exciting. - -Again I take this opportunity to thank my friends, both young and old, -for all the nice things they have said about my books. I am more than -sorry that I cannot answer all the letters that pour in upon me from -everywhere praising the stories. I earnestly hope the present volume will -please all my readers and do them some good. - - Affectionately and sincerely yours, - - Edward Stratemeyer - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. A Game of Baseball 1 - II. The Fire on the Steamer 13 - III. College Boys to the Rescue 23 - IV. What Flockley Had to Tell 33 - V. A Celebration on the Campus 43 - VI. Good-Bye to Brill 53 - VII. Dreams of Youth 63 - VIII. Home Once More 73 - IX. Preparations for the Fourth of July 84 - X. When the Cannon Went Off 94 - XI. A Day to Remember 105 - XII. Off for Camp 115 - XIII. Hans Mueller's Queer Catch 125 - XIV. The Happenings of a Night 135 - XV. Strange News 145 - XVI. Something of a Clue 155 - XVII. Dan Baxter's Revelation 165 - XVIII. A Fortune and a Lady Disappear 175 - XIX. On the Way to Boston 185 - XX. An Adventure in Boston 195 - XXI. From One Clue to Another 205 - XXII. A Chase up the Coast 215 - XXIII. Aboard the "Mary Delaway" 223 - XXIV. Out on Casco Bay 231 - XXV. On Chesoque Island 238 - XXVI. A Talk of Importance 246 - XXVII. What Happened in the Cave 254 - XXVIII. At the Bottom of the Pool 262 - XXIX. A Minute too Late 270 - XXX. Back Home--Conclusion 278 - - - - - THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST - - - - - CHAPTER I - A GAME OF BASEBALL - - -"Hurrah! that's the way to do it!" - -"Now, then, Tom, see if you can't bring Dick home!" - -"Give him a swift one, Frank! Don't let him hit it!" cried Sam Rover, -merrily. - -"I'll knock it down into the river!" retorted Tom Rover, as he caught up -a bat and walked to the home plate. - -"I'm waiting for you, Tom!" sang out Dick Rover, who had just reached -second base on a beautiful drive to right field. "Come now, it's time we -tied the score." - -"Everybody in the game!" yelled Stanley Browne, who was in the coacher's -box. "Here is where we do 'em up!" - -"Get ready to run, Dick!" came from Songbird Powell. "Tom is going to -land it on the other side of the river." - -"If he does that I'll walk home," answered Dick, with a grin. - -"Now then, here is where Tom misses!" called out Sam, who was behind the -bat, and he thumped his fist in his catcher's mitt. "Give him a -double-ender curve, Frank." - -"Oh, I'll give him a regular corkscrew curl," retorted Frank Holden, who -occupied the pitcher's box. "Tom, prepare to die!" And he drew back to -pitch the ball. - -Eighteen of the students of Brill College were having a game of baseball -on the athletic field of that institution of learning. The regular season -for baseball was at an end, and the youths had fixed up their nines to -suit themselves, with Dick Rover as captain of one side and Frank Holden -as captain on the other. On Dick's side were his brother Tom, and a -number of their chums, while Sam was doing the catching for Frank. - -It was only a friendly contest and all of the students were in the best -of spirits. The main examinations for the term were practically over, and -in a few days more the students were to scatter for the summer vacation. - -It was the ending of the fourth inning and the score stood 6 to 4 in -favor of Frank Holden's nine. If Tom should manage to bring both Dick and -himself in it would tie the score. But Tom was not known for his home-run -qualities. - -Frank Holden made a signal to Sam and then sent in a low, swift ball. Tom -made a swing at it. But he was too slow. - -"Strike one!" sang out Will Faley, the umpire. "Try it some more, Tom." - -Again the ball came in and this time Tom struck at it with all his might. - -Crack! The ashen stick met the horsehide and the ball went whizzing off -to the right of the home plate, in the direction of a number of students -who were crossing the grounds. - -"Foul!" sang out the umpire, as the sphere curved through the air. - -"You can't get it, Sam!" called out Max Spangler. "It's too far off -already!" - -"Look out, you fellows!" yelled Frank, from the pitcher's box. "If you -don't----" - -Before he could finish the crowd walking across the grounds looked up and -commenced to scatter, to give Sam a chance to catch the ball, which had -gone quite high in the air. But before the youngest Rover could reach the -sphere down it came--straight on the fancy straw hat of a dudish youth, -crushing the article over its wearer's head. - -"Whoop! there's a strike for you, Tom!" murmured Dick. - -"Do you call that knocking the ball over the river?" demanded Songbird, -dryly. - -"Here's a case where a straw shows how the ball blows," misquoted Stanley -Browne. - -"Hi! hi! what do you mean by smashing my hat!" roared Dudd Flockley, the -student who had been thus assaulted. "Who did this, I demand to know?" - -"I knocked the ball--but I didn't aim for your hat," answered Tom. And as -Dudd Flockley held up the damaged hat he could not help but grin. - -"You did it on purpose, Tom Rover!" growled the dudish student. "You -needn't deny it!" - -"Nonsense, Dudd!" put in Stanley. "He wanted to make a home run--he -wasn't aiming at your hat at all." - -"I know better!" answered the other student, bitterly. "Say, Tom Rover, -it's up to you to buy me a new hat," he added. - -"All right, if that's the way you feel about it," answered Tom. "You get -the hat and I'll pay for it. But I didn't smash it on purpose, Dudd." - -"That hat cost me five dollars, and I don't know where to get one like -it," growled the dudish pupil. - -"Oh, I can tell you where to get a hat like that!" piped in a drawling -voice. "Try the Melrose English Shop, on Broadway. They have all styles, -don't you know." - -"Good for William Philander Tubbs!" cried Dick. "He knows the directory -on straw hats." - -"Huh! Think I'm going all the way to New York for a new hat?" growled -Dudd Flockley. "I want one to go home in." - -"Maybe I can lend you an old one," suggested Tom, dryly. - -"I don't want your old hat," growled Dudd Flockley. "I'll get a new -one--and you can foot the bill!" and he turned and walked away, his face -full of sourness. - -"The same old Flockley," whispered Sam to his brother. "After all we did -for him, too!" - -"You beware of Dudd," put in Songbird, who was near. "He pretends to be -friendly, since you put in a good word for him to the doctor, but, just -the same, he has got it in for you." - -"Play ball!" called out the umpire; and then the ball was thrown down to -Frank Holden, and the game went on. Tom gave one more glance in the -direction of Dudd Flockley and saw that the dudish student had stopped in -his walk, turned around, and was glaring at him savagely. - -To my old readers the lads who have thus far taken a part in this story -will need no special introduction. But for the benefit of others who have -not read the former volumes in this "Rover Boys Series," let me state -that Dick, Tom and Sam Rover were three brothers, who, when at home, -lived with their father, Anderson Rover, and their Uncle Randolph and -Aunt Martha, on a beautiful farm called Valley Brook. - -From the farm, and while their father was in Africa, the three boys had -been sent to a military academy, as related in the first volume of this -series, called "The Rover Boys at School." At the school they made a -large number of friends, and also a few enemies, and had "the best time -ever," as Sam expressed it. - -A term at school was followed by a trip on the ocean, as set down in the -second volume of this series, and then by a journey to Africa, where the -boys went to locate their father, who had become a captive of the -natives. After that came a trip out West, to locate a mine belonging to -the Rovers, and then trips to the Great Lakes, and to the mountains, and -then, returning to the school, the lads went into camp with the other -cadets. - -"I guess we had better settle down now," said Dick. But this was not to -be. Not much later they took a long trip on land and sea, and followed -this up by a voyage on the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers on a flatboat. -Then came some thrilling adventures on the plains, and a little later -found the dauntless boys in Southern waters, where they solved the -mystery of a deserted steam yacht. - -"The farm for mine!" said Tom, after traveling north from the Gulf, and -all of the boys were glad to take it easy for some weeks, and also get -ready to graduate from Putnam Hall. They had an idea they were to go -directly from the military school to college. But something turned up -which made them change their plans. - -Through Mr. Rover it was learned that a small fortune belonging to a -certain Stanhope estate was missing. It had been secreted on an island of -the West Indies, and it was settled that the Rovers and some of their -friends should go in quest of it. - -The boys were particularly anxious to locate this treasure, and with good -reason. While at Putnam Hall they had made the acquaintance of Dora -Stanhope and also of Nellie and Grace Laning, Dora's cousins. From the -very start Dick was attracted to Dora, and now the pair were practically -engaged to be married. Tom had taken a particular liking to Nellie Laning -and it must be confessed that Sam was equally smitten with Grace. - -It was learned that the treasure had been willed to Mr. Stanhope, and -consequently, on his death, it had become part of his estate, which in -turn had been willed in part to his wife and Dora, with a small share to -Mrs. Laning, his sister. - -"We'll get that treasure and make the girls happy," declared Dick, and -how the whole crowd set off on the quest has already been told in the -thirteenth volume of this series, entitled: "The Rover Boys on Treasure -Isle." The treasure was also claimed by two of their enemies, Sid Merrick -and his nephew, Tad Sobber, and they did all they could to gain -possession of the valuables. But the treasure was at last brought safely -to this country, and then it was learned that Sid Merrick had been lost -at sea in a hurricane. Tad Sobber was saved, and carried on a passing -vessel to England. - -"And now for college!" cried all of the Rover boys, and wondered to what -institution of learning they were to go. - -"How would you like to go to Brill?" asked Mr. Rover. "It is a fine -place, located in one of our middle-western states, and the head of it, -Doctor John Wallington, is an old friend of mine." - -The boys had heard that Dora, Grace and Nellie were going to an -institution known as Hope Seminary, not far from the town of Ashton. As -soon as they learned that Brill College was situated less than two miles -from Hope they decided without hesitation to go to the institution their -parent had mentioned. - -"We'll be near the girls, and we ought to have lots of good times," said -Tom. - -"It will be our own fault if we don't," Dick had answered. - -How the brothers went to Brill has already been related in the volume -entitled "The Rover Boys at College." At Brill, as at Putnam Hall, they -quickly made a number of friends, not the least of whom were Stanley -Browne, Max Spangler, a German student, and Allen Charter, the leading -senior. They also had with them their former school chums, John Powell, -better known as Songbird because of his cleverness in writing and -reciting doggerel, and William Philander Tubbs, a student whose entire -spare time was spent in buying things to wear of the latest fashions, and -in seeking the society of his young lady friends. - -At Brill the Rovers soon came into contact with the dudish pupil, Dudd -Flockley, and also with two bullies, Jerry Koswell and Bart Larkspur. Led -by Koswell, who was a thoroughly bad egg, the three tried their best to -make trouble for the Rovers, and finally succeeded. But the rascals -overreached themselves, and when they were exposed Koswell and Larkspur -became so frightened that they ran away from Brill and refused to return. -Dudd Flockley remained, and he pleaded so earnestly to be forgiven that -the Rovers finally decided to drop the case against him, and spoke a good -word for him to the head of the college, and he was allowed to continue -at Brill. - -"I guess Flockley has learned his lesson," said Dick. But it looked as if -he might be mistaken, for Flockley, as soon as he felt himself secure at -Brill, acted in anything but a grateful manner. Yet he was not as -assertive as he had been, for he missed the companionship and support of -his former cronies. - -With the fortune in their possession, and Sid Merrick dead, the Stanhopes -and Lanings had felt secure of their wealth. But, returning from England, -Tad Sobber had gone to a shyster lawyer, and put in a claim, and the -lawyer had obtained a court injunction, restraining anybody from touching -a dollar of the money. This depressed the girls greatly, and made them, -for a time, leave Hope. But in the end, the injunction was dissolved, and -the Stanhopes and Lanings were told that they could do as they pleased -with the fortune. - -"That's the best news yet!" Dick had said, on hearing it. "I guess that -will put a spoke in Tad Sobber's wheel." - -"It will take one out, you mean," returned Tom, with a sly grin. "Wonder -what Tad will do next?" - -"He can't do anything," had come from Sam. "He is knocked out clean and -clear. I always said he had no right to the fortune. That claim of Sid -Merrick's was a fake pure and simple." - -"I believe you," Dick answered. "Just the same, I feel, somehow, that Tad -won't give up even yet." - -"But what can he do?" his two brothers had asked. - -"I don't know--but he'll try to do something; see if he doesn't." - -A few days later had come in some particulars of the case. After the -injunction had been dissolved Tad Sobber and his lawyer had gotten into a -big row and Sobber had ended by blackening the legal gentleman's left -eye. Then Sobber had mysteriously disappeared, but the next day he had -sent a rambling letter to Mrs. Stanhope, stating that, even if thrown out -of court, he considered that the fortune from Treasure Isle belonged to -him, and, sooner or later, he meant to gain possession of it. - -"We'll have to watch out for Tad Sobber," had been Dick's comment, on -learning the news. "He is growing desperate, and there is no telling what -he will do next." - -"He's the same old sneak he was at Putnam Hall," declared Tom. - -"This will scare Mrs. Stanhope, and Mrs. Laning, too," had been Sam's -comment. - -"And the girls," his oldest brother had added. "I wish we could round Tad -Sobber up, and put him where he couldn't worry them any more." - -"Maybe he'll drop out of sight," said Tom. But this was not to be. Tad -Sobber was to cause a great deal of trouble, as we shall learn in the -near future. The young rascal had convinced himself that the Stanhope -fortune belonged to him, and he meant to leave no stone unturned to get -possession of it. - - - - - CHAPTER II - THE FIRE ON THE STEAMER - - -"That's the way to do it!" - -The cry came as Tom knocked a neat liner out to center field. He managed -to get to first base with ease, while Dick, on the alert, slid to the -home plate just before the ball came in. - -"That gives us five runs, anyway!" was Stanley's comment. "Now, Spud, see -what you can do." - -"Here is where I knock one across the river and back," declared Spud -Jackson, as he came forward with a bat. "Better chase your men away out," -he added to Frank Holden. - -"They can use nets," answered the pitcher with a grin. - -Spud had a ball and a strike called on him and then met the leather and -sent it to the shortstop. Tom had to run for second and he legged it with -might and main. But the ball got there ahead of him and he was put out, -and so was the runner at first. - -"Wow!" cried Songbird. "Thought you were going to knock the ball across -the river and back, Spud." - -"So I did," answered Spud, as he walked up from first. "It landed on the -other side, bounced back, and the shortstop got it. Fierce luck, eh?" And -he cut a face that made many of the students standing by laugh outright. - -In the next inning the other side added two runs to their total. One of -these runs was made by Sam, much to the youngest Rover's satisfaction. - -"We've got you going!" he cried, to his brothers and the others. "Might -as well give up." - -"Huh! we haven't started yet," retorted Tom. He turned to William -Philander Tubbs, who had strolled near. "Say, Tubby, old boy, lend me -your green socks for luck, will you?" - -"Oh, Tom, please don't ask me to--ah--lend those socks," pleaded William -Philander, innocently. "They are the only pair of that shade I have, and -the young ladies say----" - -"They can't resist you when you have them on," finished Tom. "All right, -if you want me to lose the game, keep the socks," and the fun-loving -Rover put on a mournful look. - -"But, my dear Tom, how can my socks have anything to do with the game?" -questioned the dude, helplessly. - -"Why, it's a psychological phenomena, Tublets. Sort of an inter-mental -telepathy, so to speak--a rhomboid compendium indexus, as it were. Of -course you understand," said Tom, soberly. - -"Why--ah--I don't think I do, Tom," stammered the dude. "But I can't loan -the socks, really I can't!" And he backed away with all possible haste, -while some of the students poked each other in the ribs and some laughed -outright. - -"Now then, here is where we go at 'em, hammer and tongs!" cried Dick, as -he walked to the plate. And he met the first ball pitched and lined a -beautiful three-bagger to deep center. - -"Hurrah! That's the way to do it!" yelled Tom. "Leg it, old man, leg it!" - -"We've struck our gait!" sang out another player. "Now, Tom, you've got -to bring him home sure." - -Tom was on the alert and after one strike managed to send the ball down -into left field. Dick came home and the batter got to second, although it -was a tight squeeze. - -Spud was up next, and this time his face wore a "do-or-die" look. He had -two balls called on him, and then whack! his bat struck the ball and the -horsehide went sailing far over the right fielder's head. - -"Say, that's a beaut!" - -"Come on in, Tom!" - -"Make it a two-bagger, Spud!" - -"You can get to third if you try!" yelled Dick, and Spud did try and -landed in a cloud of dust on third base just a second before the ball got -there. - -"Now then, Wilson, bring Spud in," said Dick, to the next fellow at the -bat. - -"Make it a homer and bring yourself in too, Wilson," added Tom. - -"By chimminy! Make him two home runs while you are at it alretty!" cried -Max Spangler, with a broad smile. Since arriving at Brill the German -American lad had become quite a baseball "fan." - -"Hi, there, you fellows!" came unexpectedly from the center fielder. - -"What's the matter?" yelled back Frank Holden, stepping out of the -pitcher's box and turning around. - -"Something is wrong on the river." - -"Wrong on the river?" queried several, in a chorus. - -"Yes. Don't you hear the screaming?" - -"Time!" cried the umpire, and the game came to a stop. - -"Say, that is somebody screaming!" exclaimed Stanley. "Sounds like a -girl's voice." - -"It's from that excursion boat!" said another student. And as he spoke he -pointed to a small river steamer, gaily decorated with flags and bunting, -that had appeared around a bend of the stream. - -"Why, that's the Thistle!" ejaculated Dick. - -"The Thistle?" repeated Sam. "Oh, Dick, that's the steamer the girls from -Hope were going to use for their picnic up the river!" - -"I know it." - -"Do you suppose Grace and Nellie and Dora are on board?" - -"More than likely." - -"What's the trouble?" - -"They are yelling like Indians!" cried the center fielder. "Come on, -something is wrong, sure!" - -On the instant the game of baseball was forgotten, and like a drove of -wild horses the college boys raced down to the edge of the river, which -at this point was over a quarter of a mile wide but quite shallow. As -they did this they heard the steam whistle of the Thistle sound out loud -and long. - -"That's a call for assistance, that's certain," said Dick. - -"Oh, I hope the girls are safe!" murmured his youngest brother. - -"She's on fire, that's what's the matter!" exclaimed Tom. "See the smoke -coming from the cabin!" - -"Fire! fire! fire!" was the cry taken up on all sides. "The steamer is on -fire!" - -"Why don't they run to the dock?" asked one of the students. - -"Can't--it isn't deep enough," was the reply. "They are going to dredge -out the channel this summer." - -"They are turning towards shore!" came, a second later, and then it could -be seen that the Thistle had turned partly around. But the next instant -the vessel ran into a mud shoal and there she stuck. - -"Come on, let us get out and help those who are on board!" cried Dick, -and started on a run for the college boathouse, located two hundred yards -further up the shore. - -The alarm was now general, and fully two score of students and several of -the faculty, as well as some workmen, were running for the boathouse, to -get out the rowboats and other craft usually housed there. - -"Stanley, how about your gasolene launch?" questioned Dick, as they raced -along the river bank. - -"She's all ready to use," was the answer. "I had her out a little while -early this morning." - -"Then I'll go out with you in that, if you say so." - -"Sure," was the ready response. - -"Want us?" queried Tom. - -"You and Sam better bring another boat," answered Dick. "The more the -better. The Thistle must have quite a crowd on board--if all the Hope -students went on that picnic." - -"Grace said about thirty girls were going," replied Sam. "Oh, if they get -burned----" - -"They won't wait for that--they'll jump into the river first," answered -Tom soberly. For the time being all the fun was knocked out of him. - -While talking, the boys had been busy with the boats. Stanley's gasolene -launch was pushed out, and he and Dick leaped aboard, and the latter set -the flywheel going. The engine was in good running order, and soon a -steady put-put! sounded out, and the craft headed for the burning -steamer. But, as quick as Dick and Stanley were in their movements, Tom -and Sam were equally alert, and as the launch moved away Tom and his -brother scrambled into a rowboat, oars in hand, and caught fast to the -power craft with a boathook. - -"You can pull us as well as not," said Tom. - -"Right you are," answered Stanley. "And the quicker both boats get to -that steamer the better." - -As they drew closer to the Thistle they saw a volume of smoke roll up -from the engine room. A barrel of oil had taken fire and the crew had -found it impossible to subdue the conflagration. As yet the fire was only -a small one, but there was no telling how soon it would spread, and the -seminary girls on board were panic-stricken, more especially as the -teacher who chanced to be with them was herself an extremely nervous -person. - -"Oh, girls, what shall we do?" asked Grace Laning, after the first -dreadful alarm was at an end. - -"Perhaps we had better jump overboard," suggested Nellie Laning. "I don't -want to be burned alive!" And her wide-open eyes showed her terror. - -"Don't jump yet," said Dora Stanhope, as bravely as she could. - -"Oh, girls, we'll be burned to death! I know it, I feel it!" wailed -another seminary student. - -"We are near Brill College," said another. "Let us cry for help!" And -then commenced the screaming that reached the players on the ball field -and others near the water's edge. - -In the meantime, the captain of the steamer, aided by his men, was doing -all in his power to subdue the flames. But oil when on fire is a hard -thing to fight. The blaze was close to the engine room, and presently -both the engineer and the firemen were driven from their posts. Then the -steamer became unmanageable and drifted on the mud shoal, as already -mentioned. - -"We'll have to get out the small boats," cried the captain. But even as -he spoke he knew that the small boats were of no avail, for they had not -been used since the Thistle had been put into commission, three years -before, and they were dried out, and would fill with water as soon as -unshipped. Life preservers were to be had, and a few of the girls were -thoughtful enough to supply themselves with these. - -"Crowd her, Stanley!" cried Dick, as the launch headed straight for the -burning steamer. - -"I'll give her all she will stand," responded the owner of the launch, -and he turned the lever down another notch. The revolutions of the -flywheel increased, and the water was churned up in a white foam at the -stern. - -"Look out, back there, that you aren't swamped!" yelled Stanley to Tom -and Sam. - -"We'll look out!" was Sam's answer. "Only hurry up, that's all!" - -As the launch and the rowboat it was towing neared the burning steamer -the college students gazed eagerly at the forms on the forward deck of -the Thistle. Nearly all of the seminary girls were still screaming, and -some were waving their arms wildly. - -"Help! help! help!" was the cry wafted over the water. - -"We are coming!" yelled Dick. "Don't jump overboard unless you are good -swimmers!" - -"Dick! Dick!" screamed Dora. "Oh, Dick!" - -"Dora!" he answered. - -"Oh, Tom!" came from Nellie. "Please take us off!" - -"Sam, you are just in time!" added Grace. - -"We'll get you off--don't worry!" cried Dick. "Just wait till we can -bring the boats alongside and then----" - -He was interrupted by a mad yell from one of the men on the steamer. - -"Hurry up and leave!" yelled the man in terror. "We can't get at the -boilers no more and I guess she is going to blow up!" - - - - - CHAPTER III - COLLEGE BOYS TO THE RESCUE - - -"Oh, Dick! do you think the steamer will really blow up?" gasped Sam, as -the two small boats ranged up beside the larger vessel. - -"Perhaps--if they can't get at the boilers to let off steam," was Dick's -answer. "But they ought to have safety valves." - -"Maybe the man is so excited he doesn't know what he is talking about," -put in Tom. - -Fortunately the Thistle was not a high boat, but broad and shallow, so -the rail of the vessel was but a few feet above that of the launch and -the rowboat. - -"Come, Dora, and Nellie and Grace!" called out Dick. "We'll help you -down." He turned to Stanley. "Can you hold her?" - -"Sure! But what are you going to do?" - -"Climb up to the rail and help them down." - -"I'll do the same!" cried Tom. "Steady the rowboat, Sam!" - -In a few seconds Dick and Tom were at the rail of the Thistle. All of the -girls who had been out for a picnic were in a bunch, and many of them -were still screaming for help. But Dora and the Laning girls were now -quiet, realizing that aid was close at hand. Another gasolene launch was -coming up, dragging behind it nearly every rowboat Brill possessed. - -It did not take Dick long to assist Dora over the rail and into the -launch, and Nellie and Grace and several other girls followed. In the -meantime Sam rescued a teacher and two girls. By this time the other -launch was at hand, with the additional rowboats, and in a very few -minutes all of the passengers of the Thistle had been transferred. In the -excitement one of the college boys and one of the seminary girls fell -overboard, but the other Brill lads promptly came to the rescue. - -"Let us land the girls on the shore and then try to save the steamer," -suggested Dick. - -"That's the talk!" cried Stanley. - -"Be careful--if she is ready to blow up!" warned Spud. "I don't want to -be blown into the middle of next year!" - -"She won't blow up!" cried the captain, who was still trying to direct -his men as to what to do. "Don't you hear the steam going off?" - -"Then we'll do what we can for you," answered several of the college -youths. - -One after another the small boats landed on the shore, which was but a -hundred yards away. - -"Sam, you stay with the girls," said Dick to his youngest brother. "They -may want you to do something for them." - -"Oh, Dick, don't get into trouble!" begged Dora, and bent her tender eyes -full upon him. - -"Don't worry, Dora." - -"And, Tom, you be careful, too," added Nellie. - -"I will, Nellie," he answered. - -Both of the gasolene launches, with eight of the college boys on board, -returned to the Thistle. The thick smoke of the burning oil was still -rolling up the companionways and hatchways. But, with the deck cleared of -passengers, the crew had a better chance to fight the flames. - -"Captain, what can we do?" demanded Dick, as he climbed on deck, followed -by Stanley and by Allen Charter, who owned the second launch. - -"I don't know," answered the master of the vessel, almost helplessly. -"That oil burns like fury." - -"Wouldn't sand be good for the flames?" questioned Allen. - -"Yes--but I ain't got none--that is, not more'n a shovelful or two." - -"There is sand up at the boat dock!" cried Stanley. "They are going to -use it for the new garage foundation." - -"Maybe we can haul the steamer up there," suggested another student. - -"We can try it," answered Allen Charter. "What do you say, Captain?" - -"I'm willing--if you can budge her." - -"She can't be stuck very fast," said Tom. - -The college boys got into the two launches once more, and as speedily as -possible ropes were fastened to the Thistle. Then the launches were -started up and all power was turned on. At first the big vessel refused -to budge. - -"Don't seem to be making any headway," observed Frank Holden. - -"Here we go!" cried Dick, and he was right. Slowly the Thistle moved off -the mud shoal and commenced to turn. Then as slowly the vessel followed -the two launches in the direction of the dock. - -"We want sand!" yelled some of the boys on board. "Get the sand ready!" - -The cries were understood, and by the time the Thistle was brought close -to the dock, fully a score of boys stood ready with boxes and pails of -sand to come on board. A gangplank was thrown out, and on deck hurried -the sand carriers. - -"That's the stuff!" cried the captain, and his face brightened with hope. -"Just give that sand to me and the engineer. We know where to put it." - -Boxes and pails were passed over with great rapidity, and the sand was -taken below and thrown on the burning oil. It was hard and dangerous work -and some of the men were all but overcome. While the work was going on -Doctor Wallington arrived, followed by the college janitor and some -others, all carrying fire extinguishers. - -"Here, use these!" cried the master of the institution, and the fire -extinguishers were soon brought into play. Dick got one and Tom another -and with them succeeded in putting out the flames that had reached one -end of the cabin. - -All of the men and the boys worked like Trojans, and before long it could -be seen that they were getting the best of the conflagration. The smoke -was growing thinner and only an occasional spurt of flames showed itself. - -"Hurrah! we'll have it out soon!" cried Tom, enthusiastically. - -"Yes, and I'll be mighty glad of it," muttered the captain of the vessel. - -"I hope you are insured, Captain," said Dick. - -"I am--but a fire is always a loss, anyhow." - -"That is true." - -The boys and the men continued their labors, and inside of half an hour -the fire was under control. Some of the men went below to make an -examination. - -"It's mostly around the boilers," said the engineer. "It's a great mess." - -The hands of the Thistle continued to labor and in a short while the last -spark of fire was put out. Then a tug was telephoned for to tow the -vessel down the river to the town. - -In the meanwhile Dick and Tom rejoined their brother and the girls. The -students from Hope, with their teacher, had been invited to make -themselves at home in the reception rooms of the college, and word of the -disaster to the Thistle had been telephoned to the seminary. Word was -also sent to the town, and a large number of persons came out to learn -the extent of the disaster. - -"The newspapers will make a spread of this," was Tom's comment. "We'd -better send word home that everybody is safe." - -"Yes, do!" cried Nellie. "Mamma will be so worried when she hears about -it." - -"Yes, we must send word at once," added Dora. "Mamma can't stand any -excitement. She has had more than enough lately." - -"You mean because of this affair about the fortune, I suppose," returned -Dick. "It was an outrage for Tad Sobber to hold up the money the way he -did." - -"Yes, Dick, but that is not all," answered Dora. "I was going to tell you -of something else the first chance I got." She looked around, to see if -anybody else was listening. - -"About what, Dora?" he questioned, quickly. - -"About old Josiah Crabtree." - -"Crabtree!" exclaimed the eldest Rover boy in astonishment. "What about -him." - -The person mentioned will be well remembered by my old readers. Josiah -Crabtree had once been a teacher at Putnam Hall and had caused the Rover -boys a good deal of trouble. When Crabtree had discovered that the widow -Stanhope was holding some money in trust for Dora, and also had quite -some money of her own, he had done his best to get the widow to marry -him. At that time Mrs. Stanhope had been sickly and easily led, and -Crabtree had exercised a sort of hypnotic influence over her and all but -forced her into a marriage. But his plot had been thwarted by the Rovers, -and later on, Josiah Crabtree had been caught doing something that was -against the law and had been sent to prison for it. - -"He has been bothering mamma again," went on Dora. - -"Been bothering your mother! How can that be, since he is in prison?" - -"He is out again. It seems that while he was in prison he acted so well -that some folks took pity on him and got up a petition to have him -pardoned. Now he is out, and almost the first thing he did was to call on -mamma." - -"What did he have to say?" - -"I don't know, exactly. But I do know that mamma was greatly frightened, -almost as much so as when Tad Sobber called and said he was going to get -the fortune." - -"Did your mother think that Crabtree had reformed?" - -"She wasn't sure about that. What scared her was the fact that he called -at all. She expected never to see him again." - -"Why didn't she order him to keep away? That is what she ought to do." - -"I know it. But you know how mamma is, rather weak and not wanting to -make trouble for anybody. She said she wished he wouldn't call again, and -she was greatly upset." - -"Then it's a good thing you are going home soon, Dora. You'll have to -stay with her this summer." - -"Yes, we and the Lanings are going to stay altogether." - -"I wish we were going off on another trip together, Dora," said Dick, in -a lower voice. "Wasn't our trip to Treasure Isle great?" - -"Perfectly lovely--in spite of the troubles we had," answered the girl. - -"That's the kind of a trip I am going to take again--when we go off on -our honeymoon, Dora." - -"Oh, Dick!" And Dora flushed prettily. "How can you say such things, and -in a crowd! Somebody may hear you!" - -"Oh, I only want you to know----" began Dick, but just then Tom and Sam -brushed up with Nellie and Grace, so the sentence was not finished. Dora -gave him a meaning look and he held her arm considerably tighter than was -necessary. - -"Well, the picnic is off, and they are going to tow the steamer back," -explained Tom. - -"And the young ladies are to be taken back to the seminary in the college -carryall and carriages," added Sam. - -"What a shame!" murmured Tom innocently. "Now they are here I thought -they'd stay till we went home." - -"Tom Rover! what an idea!" shrieked Nellie. "Why, we've got to go back -for our last examination, and to pack." - -"Remember, we are to go East on the same train," warned Dick. "Let me -know just when you can start and I'll arrange for the tickets." - -"We are to leave Hope on Wednesday," said Grace. - -"That will suit us," answered Tom. "We might leave Tuesday afternoon, but -it won't hurt to stay here one night more." - -"It will give us time to rest up from the last day's fun," added Dick. - -"Do you expect any fun on the last day?" questioned Dora. - -"Do we?" cried Tom. "Just you wait and see, that's all! We'll turn old -Brill inside out and upside down!" he added, with emphasis. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - WHAT FLOCKLEY HAD TO TELL - - -It was not long before the carryall of the college and several carriages -were brought into use and in these the girls and their teacher were -placed. - -"We'll see you Sunday!" called out Dick to Dora. - -"Yes, we might as well go to church together," added Sam; and so it was -arranged. - -"But about those messages home?" asked Nellie. - -"We'll send 'em--don't you worry," answered Tom. "We'll go right down to -Ashton now--on our bicycles." And then the turnouts rolled away, and the -students of Brill were left once more to themselves. - -"Well, those girls can be thankful that the fire was no worse," was -Stanley's comment. - -"I reckon they are thankful," answered Dick. - -"They were mighty glad we came up with the boats," said another student. -"Some of them thanked us over and over again." - -"Huh! I don't think the boats were needed," muttered Dudd Flockley. "The -water isn't over two feet deep. They could have waded ashore." - -"The water is four to six feet deep and the bottom out there is soft -mud!" cried Tom, "They'd either have to swim or run the risk of getting -stuck in the mud!" - -"Oh, Dudd is sore--because his hat was mashed," cried another pupil. - -"He's sore because none of the girls thanked him," added another. - -"And he wasn't thanked because he didn't do anything," said Spud. - -"Aw! give us a rest!" muttered Flockley, and then walked away without -another word. - -"Say, did anybody notice William Philander Tubbs?" queried Will Faley. -"He didn't do much towards rescuing the girls, but when they got ashore -he ran all the way to the college to get a whisk broom, to brush them -off!" - -"Hurrah for Washtub! He's the real hero!" cried Tom. "He thinks of the -truly important things!" - -"It was a grand spectacle--the thick black smoke pouring from that -steamer," came from Songbird. "I--er--I helped to get the sand. But even -as I worked I couldn't help but make up a few lines. They run like this:" - - "All wrapt in flames, behold our craft! - She'll plough the main no more! - Her gallant crew may well shed tears----" - - "She's burnt out to the core!" - -finished Tom. "Only that isn't true, for the Thistle wasn't burnt to the -core--in fact, the captain says she was burnt very little--thanks to the -unswerving devotion of the gallant band of Brill fire-fighters who, -undaunted by the terrifying perils of the horrible occasion succeeded, -after almost superhuman endeavors, in quelling----" - -"Great hambones! Tom's sprung a leak!" interrupted Sam. "Tom, put on your -low speed, or you'll run away with yourself." - -"Ha, wretch! to interrupt such a superb flow of oratory!" cried the -fun-loving Rover, in assumed grieved tones. - -"As if you didn't interrupt my poetry," came ruefully from Songbird. "The -next time I--er--recite I'll see to it that you are not around." - -"Don't do it, Birdie, I beg of you. I wouldn't miss your verses for a -quart of freckles." - -"Ashton--and the telegraph office!" sang out Dick. "Who is going along?" -And the touch of hard feelings between Tom and Songbird was forgotten. -Tom knew he had no right to interrupt the would-be poet the way he did, -but--well, Tom was Tom, and he couldn't help it. - -The matter was talked over, and a party of nine was made up, including -the Rovers and Songbird and Stanley. Soon the lads were on the way, -having received permission from Doctor Wallington to be a little late for -supper. - -"We'll return home by the Carlip Road," said Dick. - -"Right you are," added Tom. He knew this would please Songbird, for the -route mentioned would take them past the Sanderson farm, and the would-be -poet would have a chance to see Minnie, the farmer's daughter, with whom -Songbird had of late been quite smitten. - -The messages for the Lanings and Mrs. Stanhope were soon despatched, and -the Rovers also sent word to their folks, saying when they might be -expected home. Then the crowd divided, and Tom, Dick, Sam and Songbird -took to the road leading past the Sanderson cottage. - -"Remember how we pitched into Flockley and Koswell here?" remarked Sam, -as the farm came into view. - -"Indeed I do," answered Dick. He turned to Songbird. "You can ride ahead -if you wish. We'll go on slowly." - -"All right," answered the other. "I won't be long. I only want to leave a -volume of 'Poems of Love' I picked up in a bookstore yesterday," and away -Songbird pedaled towards the Sanderson house. - -"He's got 'em sure," said Sam, with a grin. "Well, Minnie is a nice -girl." - -"Huh! I suppose Songbird has as much right to be soft on her as you have -to be soft on Grace!" was Tom's blunt comment. - -"Not to mention you and Nellie," retorted his younger brother. - -The three Rovers rode past the house and then stopped to rest under a -wide-spreading tree. Some June apples were handy, and they munched on -these until Songbird reappeared, about a quarter of an hour later. - -"Say, it took more than two minutes to deliver that book," remarked Dick. -"We were just getting ready to go on without you." - -"Don't forget we want some supper," added Sam. - -"I--er--I just stopped to point out several poems of special interest," -explained Songbird. "One was on 'Her Eyes So Blue and True.' It's a grand -poem, and----" - -"Let me see, Miss Sanderson's eyes are blue, aren't they?" questioned -Sam, gravely. - -"I wasn't speaking of her eyes--I meant the poem's--that is--those spoken -of in the poem," stammered Songbird. "By the way," he added, hastily, to -hide his confusion, "I just heard strange news. Minnie and her father -were down in Ashton a couple of days ago and they saw Dudd Flockley at -the depot, and he was talking with Jerry Koswell and Bart Larkspur." - -"Koswell and Larkspur!" exclaimed Dick. "I didn't think they would dare -to show themselves around here." - -"Just what I thought, but Mr. Sanderson and Minnie were both sure they -saw the pair. They were talking very earnestly to Flockley, as if trying -to get him to do something, and Minnie says Flockley said, 'I'll see -about it--maybe I can go.'" - -"Humph! Flockley promised that he would drop Koswell and Larkspur," said -Sam. - -"He'd better--if he knows where he is well off," added Tom. - -"What became of Koswell and Larkspur?" questioned Dick. - -"Minnie says they took the night train for the East." - -"The through train?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, then they must be a good many miles from Ashton--and I am glad of -it." - -"Speaking of Flockley puts me in mind of one thing--I mustn't forget to -pay for that hat I smashed," said Tom. - -"Better see him tonight and settle up," said Dick. "And I'll go with you. -I want to speak to Flockley," he added, thoughtfully. - -When the boys returned to the college they found their classmates just -finishing supper. Professor Blackie looked at them rather severely, but -Sam explained that they had permission from the Head to be late, so -nothing was said further. - -From one of the other students Dick and Sam learned that Flockley had -gone for a walk behind the gymnasium, where a path led to the river. As -soon as they had finished eating Tom got some money, and he and his -brother set off to find the dudish student. - -"There he is!" cried Dick, after quite a long walk, and he pointed to -Dudd Flockley, seated on a rustic bench, smoking a cigarette. The student -was alone, and looked to be in a thoughtful mood. - -"Flockley, I want to settle with you for that hat," said Tom, as he came -up. "And let me tell you honestly that I am sorry I mashed it." - -"I think you did it on purpose," grumbled the dudish student. "You Rovers -think you can do just as you please at Brill. I suppose you'll feel more -important than ever--after that affair of the burning steamer," he added, -bitterly. - -"Dudd, let Tom pay you for the hat and then let me talk to you," said -Dick, quietly. "How much did it cost?" - -"Five dollars." - -"Here you are then," came from Tom, and he passed over a five-dollar -bill. "I didn't mash it on purpose, no matter what you think." - -"All right--have your own way about it, Rover," and Dudd pocketed the -bill carelessly. - -"Dudd, you met Koswell and Larkspur the other day," went on Dick, sitting -down on the rustic bench. - -"Did Minnie Sanderson tell you that?" - -"She told Songbird Powell and he told us." - -"Well, what of it? They came to Ashton on business--they had to get their -stuff away from the college." - -"Did you meet them by accident?" - -"What business is that of yours?" And Dudd Flockley's voice grew -aggressive. - -"Perhaps it is none of my business, Dudd. But, just the same, I am going -to talk to you about it. You know all about what happened in the past. -Koswell and Larkspur are bad eggs--and if they can drag you down with -them they will do it. Now, you promised to turn over a new leaf and on -the strength of that we went to Doctor Wallington and persuaded him to -give you another chance. It isn't fair for you to go back on your word, -and take up with Koswell and Larkspur again." - -"Are you going to tell the doctor that I met them?" asked Flockley, in -alarm. - -"No--at least, not for the present. But I want you to promise to drop -that pair." - -"I have dropped them--that is, as much as I can." - -"Then why do you meet them?" - -"I'll tell you why!" burst out the dudish student, bitterly. "Because I -can't drop them altogether. They know everything of what happened as well -as I do, and they said if I dropped them entirely--refused to help -them--they would expose me to the whole world! If they should tell my -folks----" Flockley did not finish, but his head sunk on his breast, and -Dick and Tom understood. - -"It's too bad--a burning shame!" murmured Tom. "Flockley, I am sorry from -the bottom of my heart!" - -"I don't think I would take their threats too seriously," said Dick. -"They are down and out, and, of course, very bitter. But they don't dare -to come out against you openly." - -"Yes--but they can do a whole lot of things behind my back!" groaned Dudd -Flockley. "Oh, you don't know what I have suffered since Jerry and Bart -ran away! They have written me letters, and they have demanded money----" - -"Demanded money. Then they are blackmailers, Dudd!" - -"Oh, they said I owed them the money on bets. But I didn't--at least, I -don't think I did. But I had to give up. At the depot that day I gave -them thirty dollars--all I could scrape up." - -"Where did they go to?" - -"To New York, and from there they are going to Boston and then to some -place off the coast of Maine." - -"And they wanted you to join them?" - -"Yes." - -"Don't you do it!" cried Dick, earnestly. "Don't you do it, Dudd! Wash -your hands of them and refuse to have anything more to do with them." - -"I will--if I can," murmured Dudd Flockley. And then, as some other -students approached, the talk had to come to an end. - - - - - CHAPTER V - A CELEBRATION ON THE CAMPUS - - -"Say, Tom, this is great!" - -"What now, Sam?" - -"All of us have passed the exams with credit marks." - -"All of us? Are you sure?" - -"Yes, I was in the classroom not five minutes ago and got the good word." - -"Say, that makes me feel like dancing a jig!" cried Tom Rover, and he did -a few steps on the floor of the gymnasium. "Won't the folks at home be -tickled when they hear of it!" - -"Dick got the highest marks of the class," went on the youngest Rover. -"Stanley is next." - -"Where do we come in?" - -"You are seventh." - -"Oh, lucky seventh!" murmured the fun-loving Rover. "It's always that -way! At baseball if I do anything at all it is usually in the seventh -innings." - -"Don't grow superstitious, Tom." - -"Where do you come in?" - -"I stand fifth." - -"That's splendid, Sam! Oh, come on and jig!" And Tom caught his brother -by the waist and whirled him around. Over the gymnasium floor they went, -to land suddenly into the form of William Philander Tubbs, who had just -entered. - -"Oh, I say, don't you know----" spluttered William Philander. He had the -breath all but knocked out of his body. - -"Excuse me, Tublets," cried Tom. - -"Don't call me Tublets, please," expostulated the tall student. "And -please don't run into me again." - -"Oh, Sam and I were only doing a war dance," cried Tom, gaily. "We have -passed our exams." - -"You are very rude, don't you know." - -"It shan't occur again, Philliam Willander." - -"William Philander, Tom." - -"To be sure, I am glad I am sorry that I remember I forgot," answered -Tom, gravely. "It shan't occur again the last time, I assure you." - -"Oh, Tom, let up!" put in Dick, who had come up. "We have passed--doesn't -that make you feel good?" - -"And you at the head of the class, Dick! Say, if I had wings, or an -aeroplane, I'd fly!" - -"Come on for a last swing on the rings!" exclaimed Dick, and led the way, -and soon all of the brothers were exercising on the flying rings with -which the college gymnasium was equipped. - -It was Monday afternoon and studies were practically at an end and all -the boys had to do was to pack up their things and wait for the time to -go home. - -On Sunday morning the three Rovers had driven over to Hope Seminary and -taken Dora and the Lanings to church. At that time it had been arranged -that all should start for home on the early morning train on the -following Wednesday. They would travel together as far as a place called -Cartown and then separate, the girls to go on to Cedarville and the lads -to journey to Oak Run, the nearest railroad station to the farm. - -"Some of the fellows are going home Tuesday night," said Dick. "So if we -are going to have any fun we had better have it Monday night," and so it -was arranged. - -The Rovers had had no further opportunity to talk to Dudd Flockley. They -noticed that Flockley avoided them and seemed to be in deep thought. - -"I suppose he is thinking of Koswell and Larkspur," said Dick. "Poor -fellow, I feel sorry for him! I hope he doesn't let them drag him down -any deeper." - -"He has only himself to blame for the position he is in," said Sam. "We -did what we could for him--more than most fellows would do, Dick." - -"That is true, Sam." - -Supper was had at the usual hour and then the students commenced to -gather on the campus and down by the river. Nearly everybody was in good -humor, and they sang, and made a racket generally. Bonfires were lit, and -also a string of paper lanterns. - -"I've got a surprise for the crowd," said Tom to Sam. "Come on and help -me to wake Brill up." - -"How?" questioned the younger Rover. - -"I'll soon show you--come with me." - -Tom led the way to a storeroom behind the gymnasium. In one corner, under -some old canvas, was a box several feet long, that had come in by -express. - -"I had the time of my life getting this here without having it pass -inspection by the Head," said Tom. - -"What's in it, Tom?" - -"Fireworks--a regular Fourth of July outfit--rockets, Roman candles, -pinwheels, bombs, and all. I sent the order to the city a week ago." - -"Good for you!" cried Sam, with a grin. "This will certainly wake up the -natives." - -"See if you can get Dick to help us. But be careful--I want to surprise -all the rest, even Stanley." - -"I'll get him," answered Sam, and hurried off. - -A little later, when it was quite dark, the three Rover boys shouldered -the big box and carried it to the edge of the woods beside the campus. -Then they opened the box and took out the fireworks. - -"Guess we'll send up a few bombs first, just to wake everybody up," said -Tom. - -A minute later a large-sized bomb went whistling upward in the air. It -flew high over the college building, to burst with a deafening report. - -"Hello, what's that?" yelled several. - -"Who fired that shot?" - -"Did a cannon go off?" - -"It was an aerial bomb--and there goes another!" cried Allen Charter. -"Somebody is celebrating in earnest." - -All of the students on the campus stared at the bombs in wonder, while -others came rushing from various buildings, to learn the meaning of the -reports. - -"Who shot off the cannon?" stormed Professor Sharp. "It's against the -rules to shoot off that cannon without permission." - -"It wasn't the cannon, Professor," explained Frank Holden. "It was a -bomb. Somebody----" - -Boom! went another bomb, and it was right over the professor's head. The -professor was scared and ducked wildly. - -"I want the person who is doing that----" he commenced, but got no -further, for just then a big rocket went hissing through the air, to -burst a second later and let fall a beautiful shower of golden rain. - -"Oh, isn't that grand!" - -"Say, this is something like!" - -"Must be that Doctor Wallington meant to surprise us." - -Far into the sky flew two more rockets, one letting fall some chains of -red, white and blue and the other some strange fish-like shapes that -darted hither and thither. - -"This is certainly all to the merry!" murmured Stanley. "It's as good as -a Fourth of July exhibition." - -"Look at the Roman candles!" cried Max, pointing over to the woods. From -among the trees three large Roman candles were sending their balls of -various colors high into the air. - -"This is a surprise and no mistake," murmured Doctor Wallington, as he -gazed at the fireworks. - -"Didn't you know about them, Doctor?" questioned Allen Charter. - -"No. It must be the work of some students." - -"I'm going to see who is doing it!" cried Stanley, and ran for the woods, -followed by a score of others. - -When the crowd arrived they found Dick, Tom and Sam in the act of setting -off more rockets and Roman candles. - -"Say, you sure surprised us!" cried Stanley. - -"It's out of sight!" murmured Spud. - -"Huh! I am sorry," murmured Tom. "I thought it was very much in sight." - -"Oh, you know what I mean, Tom. It's bang-up." - -"It sure is that!" cried Sam, as one of the rockets exploded with a loud -report. - -"Here are some packages of red lights," said Tom. "I want every fellow -here to take one and light it. Then we'll form a procession and march -around the buildings." - -"That's the talk!" cried Stanley. "Say, if we only had a band!" - -"I'll go and git my drum," cried Max, who chanced to own one. - -"And I'll get my bugle," added a student who possessed such an -instrument. - -By the time the drum and bugle were brought the red lights were lit, and -amid a general cheering the students got into line and the march around -the college buildings began. - -"Come on in, Dudd!" cried Dick, to Flockley, who stood looking on, and he -passed over a red light which the student took rather unwillingly. -"Everybody in this march!" - -Around and around the buildings marched the students. William Philander -Tubbs wanted to keep out of the procession, but he was caught by Sam and -Tom and made to carry a flag consisting of an old red sweater tied to the -handle of a broom. Other boys carried the college colors, and they added -to the din with tin horns and wooden rattles. - -"My! but this is disgraceful!" muttered Professor Sharp, in disgust. - -"Disgraceful?" cried Doctor Wallington. "Not at all, sir. Let the young -men enjoy themselves. They are doing no harm." - -"I don't like so much noise," snapped Asa Sharp, and retired to the -college building. - -"I've got about a dozen packs of firecrackers," said Tom, a little later. -"We mustn't forget to shoot them off." - -"Pass 'em around, Tom!" cried Stanley, and the firecrackers were quickly -distributed. - -"Come on and give old Filbury a scare," suggested Spud, and before -anybody could stop him he went off after the old man who worked around -the dormitories. He found Filbury on a step-ladder, fixing a lamp, and he -very quietly pinned his firecrackers to the old man's coat tail. - -"What do you want, sir?" asked the old man, as he started to come down -the step-ladder. - -"I wanted to ask you if you knew where my baseball was," asked Spud, -innocently. - -"No, I don't know nuthing about baseballs," growled Filbury. He sniffed -the air. "Say, smells like something burning around here!" he cried. "Did -any of them fireworks set fire to the buildings?" - -"I guess not," answered Spud. "But about that ball----" - -Crack! bang! crack! went a number of the firecrackers and poor Filbury -leaped several feet into the air. Then he turned hastily around. - -"What are you doing?" he demanded, and then a long string of the -firecrackers went off, causing him to whirl first to one side and then -another. He put his hands behind him. "Ouch! I'm burnt!" he screamed. - -"Whoopla! that's the way to celebrate!" roared Spud. "Nothing like having -fun while you are at it!" - -"I'll 'fun' you!" yelled Filbury, in anger, and of a sudden he drew off -his coat and commenced to chase Spud. Down the corridor went the pair. -And then Filbury cast the coat with the firecrackers still exploding, at -Spud's head. - -Spud ducked and the coat sailed over his head, to enter a doorway that -was partly open. Then another person appeared. It was Professor Asa -Sharp. He stepped on the coat and as he did so several of the -firecrackers went off, one hitting him directly in the chin. - -"Oh!" he screamed. "I am hit! Take those fireworks away!" And he bolted -down the hallway with all the speed he could command. He ran out on a -porch and then down on the campus, where Tom and Sam were bending over -something on the ground. - -"Look out! Run!" yelled Tom, and then he and his brother leaped back. In -bewilderment Professor Asa Sharp stood still. Then a terrific explosion -rent the air, and a great shower of sparks flew in all directions. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - GOOD-BYE TO BRILL - - -"Say, that was an explosion!" - -"Who was that stood so close?" - -"Was he hurt?" - -These and a number of other cries and questions came from the students of -Brill who had witnessed the setting off, by Tom and Sam, of the last of -the fireworks. - -As for the two Rover boys, they knew not what to say. Both stared -helplessly for a moment at Professor Sharp. - -"Hi! hi!" spluttered that individual. "Stop it! Do you want to blow me to -pieces? Oh, I'm all on fire!" And, seeing that his coat had ignited from -some of the sparks, he commenced to dance around in terror. - -"Here--wait, Professor!" called out Tom. "Let me knock out that fire!" -And he began to beat out the flames with his hands. - -"Don't--don't hit me so hard, Rover!" snarled the professor, for in his -excitement Tom was pounding away harder than intended. Sam also came -forward to put out the sparks, and so did Dick and some others. - -"Here, give me that broom, Tubbs!" cried the eldest Rover, and catching -the article, Dick whipped off the red sweater and then used the broom to -sweep from Asa Sharp what was left of the fire. - -In a few seconds more the danger was over. In the meanwhile a big crowd -commenced to collect around the instructor and those who had set off the -fireworks. - -"This is an outrage!" fumed Professor Sharp. "An outrage! I'll have the -law on you for it!" And he glared savagely at Tom and Sam. - -"I don't see how you can blame us, sir," answered Tom, stoutly. "We were -just setting off the fireworks when you ran right into the midst of -them." - -"Nonsense! nonsense! You did it on purpose!" - -"You certainly ran right into the things, just as we had lit them," said -Sam. "I don't see how you can blame us for that." - -"You'll see! I shall report to Doctor Wallington at once!" stormed Asa -Sharp, and hurried off with his face drawn down in sour determination. - -"Phew! I guess we are in hot water, Tom!" whispered Sam. - -"I don't see how he can blame us, Sam." - -"Well, in one way, we had no right to set off the fireworks." - -"Indeed! And why not, on the last day of the term, I'd like to know? The -doctor saw us, and he didn't say anything about stopping." - -"I really think it was Professor Sharp's fault," said Allen Charter, who -had been standing near. "He certainly ran right into the midst of the -lighted fireworks. I saw him do it." - -"Will you say a word for us, Charter, if we are reported to the Head?" -asked Tom. - -"Certainly." - -"And so will I," added Stanley. - -"And I--if you won't make me carry that horrid broom any longer," lisped -William Philander Tubbs. - -"Say, I guess I'm as much to blame as anybody!" came from Spud, who had -followed Asa Sharp from the college building. And then he told of what -had happened between himself, Filbury and the instructor. - -"I doubt if you hear any more about it," said Charter. And he was -practically right. The subject was barely mentioned by Doctor Wallington, -and neither Tom nor Sam were censured for what had occurred. And that was -fair, for the Rover boys had really not been to blame. - -Later in the evening the college boys had something of a feast. A number -had "chipped in" and bought some soda water, ginger ale, ice-cream and -cake in Ashton, and the improvised feast was held in the boathouse, which -was strung with lanterns. Several of the students made speeches, others -sang, and Songbird was called on to recite an original poem, a request -that pleased him greatly. - -"Say, boys, Brill is a great place after all!" remarked Dick, when he and -his brothers were retiring for the night "At first I thought I shouldn't -like it quite as well as dear old Putnam Hall, but I am gradually -changing my mind." - -"This place grows on one," returned Tom. "I suppose by the time we finish -up here we'll hate to leave, just as we hated to leave old Putnam." - -"Well, we won't be college boys so very long," remarked Sam. "Almost -before you know it, we'll be men and out in the world of business." - -"And settled down, maybe, with a family of children to support," added -Tom, with a grin. - -After the strenuous times of the evening before, the Rovers were glad to -take it easy on Tuesday. They finished the last of their packing and Tom -played a last joke on William Philander Tubbs by placing in the trunk of -the fastidious student a pair of old overalls and three old farm hats -found in the barn of Brill. They were hidden in the middle of the dude's -things, and he locked up the trunk without discovering them. - -"I hope he unpacks that trunk when the ladies are around," said Tom. -"Then he can show 'em how he used to play farm hand, and wear three big -straw hats at a time." - -"It's too bad to part!" sighed Songbird. "Wish we were all going on -another treasure hunt!" And then he commenced to warble softly: - - "I love to sail the briny deep! - The briny deep for me! - I love to watch the sunlit waves - That brighten up the sea! - I love to listen to the wind - That fills the snowy sails! - I love to roam around the deck----" - - "And eat the fishes' tails!" - -interrupted Tom. And then he went on: - - "I love to swim upon the sand, - And dance upon the brine, - And write my name in salty waves, - And hope for dinner time - To come, so I can eat my fill - Of sea-foam snaps and cream; - And stand upon the quarter-deck - A halfback of the team!" - -"Humph! do you call that poetry?" snorted Songbird. "It sounds as much -like it as a dog's bark sounds like a hymn!" - -"Well, it would be a 'him' if he was a gentleman dog!" retorted Tom, and -then Songbird turned away in momentary disgust. But soon his good humor -returned and Tom and the others allowed him to "spout poetry" to his -heart's content. - -It had been arranged that the Rovers, Dora, and the Laning girls should -meet at the Ashton depot, and it is needless to say that the three boys -were on time. They were alone, for Songbird and Stanley and some of their -other chums were going to take different trains. - -"Don't forget to let me hear from you this summer!" said Songbird, on -parting. - -"Oh, we'll be sure to write," answered Dick. "Come and see me--if you get -anywhere near my home," said Stanley. - -"We'll remember that," returned Tom. - -The boys were taken to Ashton depot in an automobile belonging to the -college. Their trunks and dress-suit cases had preceded them, and as soon -as they arrived they had their baggage checked straight through to Oak -Run. - -"I see the girls' trunks," announced Sam, who had been looking the pile -of baggage over. "We could get them checked, too, if we had their -tickets." - -"Wonder where the girls are?" came from Tom, as he looked at his watch. - -"How much time, Tom?" - -"Ten minutes yet--and this train will most likely be late." - -Rather impatiently the Rover boys walked up and down the platform. -Presently they saw one of the Hope carryalls coming and went to meet it. - -"They aren't in that," cried Sam, disappointedly. - -"Another carriage coming from Hope?" queried Tom, of the carryall driver. - -"Two of 'em," was the reply. - -The second carriage arrived a minute later. It contained six girls and -among them was Grace. - -"Dora and Nellie are in the last carriage," announced the younger Laning -girl. "I came on ahead to get the trunks and bags checked." - -"We'll do that," answered Sam promptly. "Got the railroad tickets?" - -"Yes, here they are," and Grace handed the tickets over. - -It took several minutes to check the baggage, for the agent was busy, and -all of the Rovers gave a hand in shifting the heavy trunks out to a place -close to the tracks. Then Dick looked at his watch. - -"Time for the train now," he announced. "Wonder why that carriage doesn't -get here?" - -"Dick is getting nervous," said Sam, with a wink. - -"Oh, you are all right--with Grace here," retorted his brother. - -Tom had gone up to a bend of the road to take a look. Now he came back -with a shrug of his shoulders. - -"Nothing but a farm wagon in sight," he announced. "And the horses are -kicking up such a dust I can't see behind it." - -"Oh, Tom, is it time for the train?" asked Grace, anxiously. - -"It's three minutes past the time," answered Dick. - -"Maybe the train is a good deal late," said Sam, hopefully. "I'll ask the -agent." - -He went off and in the meantime the others continued to watch the country -road leading to the railroad station. All they could see was a cloud of -dust that betokened the coming of a big farm wagon, on the front seat of -which sat an old farmer. - -"The train is coming!" cried Sam in dismay, on returning. "The agent says -it will be here in about two minutes." - -"Two minutes!" burst out Dick and Tom. - -"Oh, they'll get left!" moaned Grace. "What shall we do? I can't go home -alone! And I've got their tickets!" - -"Perhaps the agent will hold the train a bit," suggested Dick. - -"I hear the train now!" cried Sam, as a distant whistle sounded through -the air. A moment later they saw the cars, making a broad curve around -the distant hills. - -Dick ran to the man who sold tickets and looked after the baggage. - -"Say, we are waiting for some more passengers--some young ladies from -Hope Seminary," he explained. "Can't you hold the train till they come?" - -"Not much!" was the sharp answer. "The train is late already, and orders -are to make as short a stop as possible." - -"They are coming!" yelled Tom. "I see them away down the road!" - -"Oh, call to them to hurry!" burst out Grace. - -"They can't hear me," answered Tom. "They are coming as fast as the team -can go." - -"Won't you hold the train just a couple of minutes?" pleaded Dick. - -"No, sir!" And the agent spoke with a positive snap in his voice. - -Dick looked across the tracks. The farm wagon had come up, and on the -seat he recognized the fat and jolly Mr. Sanderson, the father of the -girl they had once saved from the annoyances of Dudd Flockley and Jerry -Koswell. - -"I'll get Mr. Sanderson to do the trick for me!" he muttered to himself, -and ran to where the farm wagon had come to a halt. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - DREAMS OF YOUTH - - -"Mr. Sanderson!" - -"Why, if it ain't Mr. Rover!" cried the old farmer. "Glad to see ye! -Bound fer hum, I suppose?" - -"Yes." Dick stepped close to the old farmer's side. "Mr. Sanderson do you -want to do me a great big favor and do it quick?" he went on, earnestly. - -"O' course. Wot is it?" - -"Do you see that train coming?" - -"Well, as my eyesight is putty good, I do," and the old farmer chuckled. - -"And do you see that carriage on the road?" - -"Yes--it's one of them turnouts from the gals' school." - -"Some of our friends are in that carriage and I want to hold that train -till they get here," continued Dick, quickly. "The station agent won't -hold the train for me--so I want you to do it." - -"Me? I ain't got nuthin' to do with the railroad." - -"I know that. But you can hold the train, nevertheless. The train will -stop just below this crossing--it always does. When it is about ready to -start you drive on the track--and then your horse balks, see? You try to -start him but he won't start. You fuss and pull, but the horse don't -budge until those young ladies are on the train." - -"By gum! I'll do it!" exclaimed the fat farmer, with a twinkle in his -eyes. "This hoss is jest the one to balk, too." - -"I can depend on you?" - -"You kin, Mr. Rover." - -"Thank you a thousand times!" returned Dick; and then he went off to -rejoin his brothers and Grace. - -The train had already rolled in and passengers were getting off and on, -and the agent was loading on the trunks and handbags. - -"Oh, if they would only hurry!" cried Grace. - -"You can get aboard," said Dick. "This train won't leave just yet." - -"But it is going to go before they get here," declared Sam. "It's a -shame! Two minutes more would fix it--and they could hold the train as -well as not." - -"All aboard!" sang out the conductor, as the last of the baggage -disappeared into the baggage car. - -Dick looked ahead. Mr. Sanderson's farm wagon had just started to cross -the tracks. He was sawing on the reins and the horse was acting in a -strange manner, not knowing what to make of it. He turned part way around -and faced the locomotive. - -"G'lang!" sang out the old farmer. "Consarn ye! What's the matter of ye, -Franky?" - -"Oh, Dick, he'll be killed!" burst out Sam, in horror. - -"Looks as if the horse wanted to climb over the engine," came from Tom. - -"It's all right," answered the elder Rover boy in a whisper. "The -engineer sees him and won't start the train. Mr. Sanderson is doing it on -purpose." - -"On purpose?" came from Sam and Tom, and then of a sudden they -understood, and both had to turn away to hide the grins that broke out on -their faces. - -"Go ahead!" cried the conductor, and then he saw the trouble and ran -forward to watch proceedings. - -From the antics of the horse in front of the locomotive, the Rover boys -turned their attention to the carriage that was approaching. As it came -closer they saw Dora and Nellie waving their hands frantically. - -"Wait! Wait for us!" cried out Dora, and as the carriage came to a stop -she leaped out, followed by Nellie and the other girl students. - -"Just in time!" sang out Dick, loudly. "Come on, here is our car!" - -"Oh, what made you so late?" asked Grace. "We have been worried to death -about you." - -"One of the girls forgot her pocketbook and we had to drive back for it," -explained Nellie. "Oh, we thought sure we would miss the train, when we -saw it stop. We were so far off." - -"I'll explain why you caught it later on," whispered Dick. "Now excuse me -a moment," and he ran towards the locomotive. - -A crowd had commenced to collect, and several folks were offering Mr. -Sanderson advice. But though he seemed to try his best, his horse and -wagon remained in front of the train. - -"Here, let me aid you, Mr. Sanderson," cried Dick, and gave the farmer -the wink. "It's all right," he added, in a whisper. "I'm your friend for -life after this." - -"Glad to be of service," answered the old farmer, in an equally low tone. -"G'lang, Franky!" he roared suddenly, and touched the horse with his -whip. At once the animal turned partly around and ran off the tracks and -down the country road as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. - -"Confound that fool nag!" muttered the conductor of the train, as he -consulted his watch. "Here we've lost six minutes more. Tom, can you make -it up?" - -"I can try," answered the engineer. - -"All right! Let her go!" And Dick and the other passengers who had gone -forward hopped on the train in a hurry, and the conductor followed. The -train official did not suspect that the "blockading" had been done -purposely, and Dick did not enlighten him. - -The Rovers had secured seats for the girls and themselves in one of the -parlor cars, and all were together. As the train rolled onward Dick -related the particulars of the trick that had been played with the aid of -Mr. Sanderson. - -"Oh, Dick, how could you think of such a thing?" cried Dora. - -"Oh, it just popped into my mind," he answered. "And Mr. Sanderson acted -his part to perfection. Aren't you glad we did something to hold the -train?" - -"Indeed yes!" - -"Would you have gone on without us?" asked Nellie. - -"Not a step!" answered Tom, and spoke the words so quickly and earnestly -that everybody in the party laughed. - -"I didn't want to miss this train for two reasons," went on Dick. "In the -first place, we'd lose our parlor-car seats, and in the second place, -we'd have to wait four hours for another train, and that nothing but a -slow accommodation." - -"Well, I shouldn't mind a slow train--while we have such good company," -observed Sam, and for this remark Grace gave him a warm look of -appreciation. - -"Have you had any further news from home?" asked Dick, of Dora, a little -later. - -"I got a letter from mamma yesterday. She says Professor Crabtree called -again. But she had the maid go to the door, and she refused to see him." - -"That's good. Did he say anything to the maid?" - -"She says he went away looking very angry and muttering something about -making mamma see him. Mamma watched him from an upper window and she -wrote that he hung around the garden about half an hour before he went -away." - -"The rascal! You had better get Mr. Laning to look into this for you. If -he bothers you any more he ought to be locked up." - -"Just what I think. But mamma is too timid to go to the police, or -anything like that." - -"I wish I was there when old Crabtree called--I'd give him a piece of my -mind!" - -"Oh, Dick, maybe he would want to--to--shoot you, or something!" - -"No, Josiah Crabtree isn't that kind. He belongs to the -snake-in-the-grass variety of rascals. But perhaps he won't come -again--now that your mother has refused to see him." - -"I wish I could be sure of it," sighed the girl. - -"What have you done about the fortune, Dora?" - -"Mamma has everything in the vault of a safe deposit company in Ithaca. -We don't know just what to do--thinking Tad Sobber may tie the money up -again in the courts." - -"I don't see how he can do that--unless he brings up some new evidence to -prove that the fortune belongs to Sid Merrick's estate." - -"Uncle John thought it might be best to buy Tad Sobber off--just to end -the matter. But Sobber wanted too much." - -"I'd not give him a cent--he doesn't deserve it--after the way he treated -you, and us. I don't believe Sid Merrick ever had a right to one dollar -of the fortune." - -"I believe that, too." - -"I suppose Crabtree came around because he heard that you had more money -than ever. Gracious, Dora, some day you'll be real rich in your own -name!" - -"Well, won't you like it," she demanded brightly. - -"I'll not complain. But I'd take you just as quickly if you were poor," -added Dick earnestly. - -"Would you, Dick?" - -"Do you doubt me?" - -"No, Dick, I don't. I know you don't want me for my money," and Dora -leaned forward to let her hand rest for a moment on his shoulder. - -"I've got a little money of my own," he went on, after a pause, in which -they looked straight into each other's eyes. - -"A little! Oh, Dick, I guess you've got a good bit more than I've got." - -"Are you sorry for that, Dora?" - -"Sorry? Oh, no, but--but----" And Dora suddenly turned very red. - -"What, dear?" he whispered. - -"Why--I--that is--you said you would take me just as quickly if I were -poor. Well--I--I'd take you that way, too!" And now the girl hid her -blushes in her handkerchief. - -"Dora, you're a darling, and true-blue!" whispered Dick, fervidly. "We'll -pull together, rich or poor, and be happy, see if we don't!" - -"First call for lunch!" announced a waiter, coming through the car. - -"Say, that hits me!" came from Tom. "I had such a slim breakfast I am -hollow clear to my shoes!" - -"A slim breakfast!" sniffed Sam. "Fruit, sawdust and cream, fried eggs -with bacon, half a dozen muffins, and coffee!" - -"Get out! You're thinking of your own breakfast!" retorted Tom. "Come on, -let's lead the way--before the dining car fills up." And he caught Nellie -by the arm. - -"All right, we're coming!" cried Sam, and followed with Grace. "Come on, -Dick!" And he motioned to the others. Soon all were moving towards the -dining car. - -"Might as well do a little practicing," was Tom's comment, on the way, -and linking his arm into that of Nellie, he began very softly to whistle -a well-known wedding march. - -"Oh, Tom Rover!" cried Nellie, giving him a playful poke in the side. "Of -all things! And in a railroad car! I've a good mind not to walk with -you." - -"All right, I'll change the tune," cried Tom, cheerfully, and commenced -to whistle a funeral dirge, at which all of the girls shrieked with -laughter. - -It was a jolly crowd that sat down to the tables in the dining car, and -the Rover boys saw to it that the girls were provided with whatever they -desired on the bill of fare. They took their time over the meal, and the -fun they had made even the waiters smile broadly. - -"We'll get to Cartown in an hour," said Sam, after they had returned to -the parlor car. "And then we'll have to say good-bye." - -"Oh, it's too bad!" pouted Grace. "I wish you were going through to -Cedarville with us." - -"So do I." - -"Well, the best of friends must part, as the oyster said to the shell," -observed Tom, and at this joke the others smiled faintly. But now that -they were to separate so soon all felt rather sober. Little did they -dream of the exciting occurrence that was to bring them together again. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - HOME ONCE MORE - - -"And now for Oak Run and home!" - -It was Dick who spoke, as he and his brothers boarded another train at -Cartown. The girls had gone on in the first train and the boys had had to -wait half an hour for the one on the line which would take them close to -Valley Brook farm. - -"Home it is!" returned Sam. "And I'll be glad to see dad again--and the -rest of 'em." - -"Right you are, Sam," joined in Tom. "After all, there is no place like -home." - -"Remember how you used to hate the farm, Tom?" - -"Well, that was when we got too much of it. I don't like all farm and -nothing else." - -"I wonder if Uncle Randolph has any new fads this summer?" came from -Dick. Their uncle was more or less of a scientific farmer, and was always -trying new ways, and usually losing money on them. - -"He's got bees in his bonnet," answered Tom. - -"What's that?" demanded Dick, indignantly. "Tom, Uncle Randolph is no -more crazy than you are. He has a right to experiment if he wants to." - -"Who said he was crazy?" - -"You said 'he has bees in his bonnet.' It's the same thing." - -"Not much," answered Tom dryly. "He's got bees on the brain--if that -suits you better. Aunt Martha wrote me that he had invested in half a -dozen hives of bees, and got a queen bee worth I don't know how much to -boss the colony." - -"Oh, so he's going into bee culture!" murmured Dick. "I hope he doesn't -get stung." - -"He'll be stung right enough," answered Sam. "If not in one way then in -another. He never makes his experiments pay. Say, I rather think I'll -steer clear of those bees." - -"Maybe we can have some fun with them," mused Tom, and immediately -commenced to lay plans for that purpose. - -They had a three hours' ride to Oak Run and on the way made several stops -of more or less importance. At one place, near the depot, was a cigar -store, and Tom left the train and came back with three cigars of large -size in his hand. - -"What are you going to do with those," questioned Sam, "learn to smoke?" - -"No, I am going to treat some of my particular friends," answered Tom, -and winked one eye, suggestively. - -"Oh, let me in on the joke!" pleaded his younger brother. - -"Here it is then," answered Tom, and brought from his pocket a small -round wooden box. Taking off the cover he disclosed to view some pellets -that were coated with what looked like silver. - -"What are they?" questioned Sam. - -"The fireworks catalogue called them Serpent's Eggs. You light one and -the first thing you know it commences to swell up----" - -"Oh, yes, and then pushes out just like a great big worm, or snake!" -finished Sam. "I had a box of 'em last year. And are you going----" - -"To put them in the cigars. They are harmless, but we can get some fun -out of 'em," concluded Tom. - -It was an easy matter to cut out a portion of the tobacco from the -smoking end of each cigar, and this done Tom inserted three of the -pellets in each. Then he placed the cigars carefully in his pocket. - -On the way to Oak Run the three lads discussed the doings at Brill, and -also the news concerning Tad Sobber and Josiah Crabtree. - -"Both of these rascals would like to get their hands on the Stanhope -fortune," said Dick. - -"Yes, but in different ways," returned Sam. - -"Well, neither of 'em shall get his hands on a dollar--if I can help it," -answered Dick. - -"I should think Crabtree would be ashamed to show himself," went on Sam. -"If I was in his place, I'd travel to some new part of the globe, change -my name, and make a new try at living." - -"In one way I am sorry for him," was Dick's comment. "A man coming out of -prison hasn't much chance to get work. Nobody will trust him, no matter -if he does want to be honest." - -"Do you suppose Crabtree has any money?" asked Tom. - -"I don't know, I'm sure." - -At last they were only a few miles from Oak Run, and they gathered up the -few things they were carrying, fishing rods, cameras, and a small valise. - -"Oak Run!" cried the porter. - -"Here we are!" exclaimed Tom, the first to get off. "I don't see anything -of Jack Ness," he added, mentioning the hired man from the farm, who -usually came for them with the team. - -"He may be a little late--Jack often is," answered Dick. - -"Well, I shan't mind it," said Tom. "I want to see my old friend Mr. -Ricks," and he winked at Sam. - -The station master at Oak Run was a crabbed old individual who rarely had -a pleasant word for anybody. But he was faithful and probably that was -why the railroad continued to employ him. - -"Why, how do you do, Mr. Ricks, I am real glad to see you!" exclaimed -Tom, as he rushed up after the train had gone and caught the station -master by the hand. "It seems like old times to get back here." - -"Huh! Got back, eh?" muttered Mr. Ricks sourly. "Thought you boys went to -college." - -"So we did. We are back for the summer holidays. You are looking well, -Mr. Ricks." - -"I ain't very well, I've got dyspepsy." - -"Is that so. Why don't you smoke more?" - -"Smoke?" - -"Sure. Smoking is the best thing in the world for dyspepsia. Cured the -king of England and the emperor of Germany. Here, have a cigar, and see -how much better you feel after smoking it." - -Now, as it happened, Ricks loved cigars, although he usually smoked a -pipe, that being cheaper. He took the big cigar that Tom handed out and -started to place it in his pocket. - -"Here, light up," cried Tom, and produced a match. - -"I'll smoke after I git my ticket money counted up." - -"No, light up now," said Tom, and struck the match. "I want you to get -the benefit of that cigar at once. It's a special brand and I am sure it -will knock that dyspepsia higher than an airship." - -Ricks lit up as desired and took several long whiffs from the cigar. - -"How do you like it?" questioned Tom, while Sam and Dick watched -proceedings closely. - -"Putty good," returned the station master. The cigars had cost Tom ten -cents each and they were better than those Ricks usually smoked. - -A carriage had rolled up to the station and the boys saw Jack Ness coming -towards them. He shook hands and then went off to get their trunks and -bags, to be placed in a farm wagon driven by a neighbor's boy. - -Ricks entered his ticket office and then walked to the back platform of -the station, where several farmers were congregated, sitting on some -empty milk cans, talking crops. The boys continued to watch him. - -"Hullo, where did ye get the smoke?" asked one of the farmers. - -"Ricks is gittin' high-toned," said another. "Fust thing you know----" - -He got no further, for just then Ricks caught sight of the smoking end of -his cigar and his eyes stared wildly. - -"What's th--that!" he gasped, and took the cigar from his mouth. - -"By gosh! Are ye raisin' snakes, Ricks?" cried one of the farmers. - -"Reckon he's struck a nest o' worms!" commented another. - -"Wha--what do yo--you think it is?" groaned Ricks. He was so amazed that -he could do little but stare at the cigar, from the end of which a -snake-like curl was issuing, larger and larger. - -"Where did you buy that cigar?" asked one of the farmers. - -"Didn't buy it--Tom Rover gave it to me!" answered Ricks. "Say, this is a -put-up job!" he roared, and dashed the cigar to the ground. "Where is -that imp, anyway?" - -"Good-bye, Mr. Ricks!" sang out Tom from the carriage. "Hope you enjoy -that smoke." - -"You come back here!" stormed the station master. "Just you let me get my -fingers on you, that's all!" And he shook his fist at the fun-loving -youth. - -"It's a trick cigar, that's what it is," announced one of the farmers, -and commenced to edge away. "Maybe it will blow up soon." - -"If that's so, I'm going to get out!" cried another, and slid from the -milk cans in a hurry. - -"Say, you don't suppose he put dynnymite in it, do you?" asked Ricks, -fearfully. "He might blow up the whole station. He blew up a fire once I -was building," he added, referring to a joke Tom had once played on him, -the particulars of which have already been set forth in "The Rover Boys -at School." - -"Better put the cigar in a pail of water," suggested one farmer. - -"You do it, Snell." - -"Do it yourself, if you want it done," answered Snell, and very gingerly -Ricks gathered up the cigar and its "worms" on a shovel and cast them -into a tub of rain water that was handy. The others gathered around, -joked the station master unmercifully and he vowed that he would get -square with Tom sooner or later. - -In the meantime the Rover boys lost no time in leaving the railroad -station. They had Jack Ness urge on the team, and soon they were crossing -the Swift River and driving through the village of Dexter's Corners. -Several folks of the village saw them and waved them a welcome, for the -lads were great favorites. Then they started along the country road -leading to Valley Brook farm. - -"And how are all the folks, Jack?" asked Dick. - -"All fairly well, sir," answered the hired man. "Your uncle, he got 'em -rather bad last week." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Some of his new bees stung him--and they stung me, too." - -"Too bad!" murmured Dick. "Any other news?" - -"I don't know of none. The hay crop is going to be heavy, so they say." - -"Well, we need hay for the stock." - -"We miss you boys, so we do," went on the hired man. "When you are away -the farm is like as if we was havin' a funeral." - -"Oh, we'll warm you up," cried Tom. "Eh, Sam?" - -"We'll try to, anyway," answered the youngest Rover. - -"We are going to have a great Fourth of July celebration," said Tom. "I -ordered some fireworks for home at the same time I had those sent to the -college," he added, to his brothers. - -"Yes, we'll have to celebrate in fine style," answered Dick. - -They went on, and soon a turn of the road brought them in sight of the -farmhouse nestling so cozily among the hills. - -"Home again!" sang out Tom. "Let's give them a call!" And he set up a -cheer, in which the others readily joined. - -"I see dad!" cried Sam, a moment later, as his father appeared around a -corner of the house and waved his hand. - -"And there is Uncle Randolph, down among his bee hives," added Dick. - -"And Aunt Martha is on the piazza!" came from Sam. "And there is Aleck -Pop!" he continued, as the ebony face of a smiling negro showed itself -from between the trees. - -"Boys, I am glad to welcome you home again!" cried Anderson Rover, as the -carriage rolled up and the lads leaped out in a bunch. - -"And we are glad to see you, dad!" they answered in a chorus, and shook -hands. Then Tom made one leap for the piazza and fairly lifted his aunt -from her feet. "How are you, Aunt Martha!" - -"Oh, Tom, yo--you bear!" gasped Mrs. Rover, but with a beaming face. "My -boy, how big you are getting!" And then she kissed him heartily, and -kissed the others. - -"Back again! and welcome!" said Randolph Rover, as he walked up quickly. -Then he, too, shook hands; and all went into the house. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY - - -It was a great home-coming. As was to be expected, Aunt Martha had had -the cook prepare a most elaborate supper, and, to this the lads did full -justice. The long ride on the cars had tired them, yet they remained up -long enough to tell about affairs at college, and learn what their father -and their other relatives had to say. - -"Say, this is like old times!" exclaimed Dick, as he entered his bedroom. -"Looks as natural as it ever did." - -"Anyt'ing I can do fo' yo' young gen'men?" asked a voice from the -doorway, and Aleck Pop showed himself, his mouth on a grin from ear to -ear. Indeed Aleck had not stopped grinning since the boys had appeared. - -"Not that I know of, Aleck," answered Dick. "How have you been since we -went away?" - -"I ain't been well, sah," answered the colored man, and his face fell for -a moment. "It's been dat awful lonesome lik I thinks I was a gwine to die -sometimes." - -"Never mind, Aleck, we'll cheer you up some day," came from Tom. - -"I guess I ought to be at a boahdin' school, or a collidge," went on -Aleck. "Perhaps I'll go back to Putnam Hall--if de cap'n will take me." - -"Oh, he'll take you back fast enough," answered Sam. "But why not try for -a place at Brill?" - -"Yo' collidge? Would da hab me dar, yo' t'ink?" - -"Perhaps. They have some colored help." - -"Den say, won't you put in a good word fo' me, all ob yo'?" asked Aleck, -earnestly. "I'd gib most anyt'ing fo' to be wid yo', 'deed I would!" and -his eyes rolled from one lad to another. - -"We'll keep that in mind, Aleck," answered Dick. "But you can be with us -this summer--at least part of the time." - -"I'se glad ob dat, Massa Dick. I'se jess been a-pinin' an' a-pinin' fo' -you boys!" - -The boys slept soundly, and did not get up until late. They spent the -best part of the day in roaming around the farm, and in writing letters -to the girls, telling of their safe arrival home. - -"I'll tell you what I'd like to do," said Tom, that afternoon. "I'd like -to invite the Lanings and the Stanhopes down here to spend the Fourth of -July. We might have a sort of house party." - -"Great!" shouted Sam. "Just the thing--if they'll come." - -"Let us sound dad and Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha on the subject," -added Dick. - -The matter was talked over, and the boys readily secured permission to -have their friends at the farm for the best part of a week. The -invitations were issued immediately, for the national holiday was but ten -days off. - -"I know what I'd like to do, after they are gone," said Dick. "I'd like -to take our tent and go camping up the river for a week or two, just for -the novelty of it. We could fish and swim, and take it easy, and have -lots of sport." - -"Suits me down to the ground," answered Tom. "We'll do it--unless -something better turns up." - -"I was going to suggest an automobile tour," said Sam. "Uncle Randolph -has the new car and it is certainly a dandy." - -"Well, maybe we can take the tour, too," answered Dick. "The summer -vacation will be pretty long." - -"We could run up to Cedarville," said Tom. - -"Sure--right to the Lanings' home," added Dick, giving Tom a poke in the -ribs. - -"Oh, sure--and over to the Stanhopes' place, too." - -Having sent their letters the boys waited anxiously for replies. On -Saturday the answers came, and they read the communications with deep -interest. - -"Hurrah! Nellie and Grace are coming, with their mother!" cried Tom. - -"And Dora is coming with them," said Dick. - -"What about Mrs. Stanhope?" asked Sam. - -"She said she might come, but she wasn't sure." - -A letter had been written by Mrs. Rover to Mrs. Laning and there was a -reply to this, both from Mrs. Laning and Mrs. Stanhope. - -"We'll have a great celebration!" cried Tom. - -"How about those fireworks?" asked Dick. - -"I expect them today." - -"Have you got enough?" asked Sam. - -"As many as we had at Brill." - -"That will be plenty." - -"I ordered some powder, too, for use in the old cannon," went on Tom. -"We'll wake up the natives this Fourth all right!" - -"You look out that you don't blow yourself up," warned Dick, for he knew -his fun-loving brother could get rather reckless at times. - -"Oh, I'll be on guard," was Tom's answer. - -When Tom went to Oak Run to get the fireworks old Ricks was decidedly -grouchy. - -"I've got a good mind not to let you have 'em," growled the station -master. "You didn't have no right to play that trick on me with that -cigar." - -"What trick?" demanded Tom, innocently. - -"Oh, you know well enough, you scamp! Think it's smart to put off a cigar -on me thet swells up and busts out worms! Bah! you keep your cigars to -yourself after this." - -"All right, if you want me to," answered Tom, meekly, and then, watching -his chance, he placed another of the "doctored" cigars in Ricks' office, -where he had a cigar box with tickets in it. Then he, with Jack Ness' -aid, loaded his fireworks and the small box of powder on the farm wagon. - -As Tom worked he watched Ricks narrowly and saw the station agent enter -his office to sell tickets. While he was making change he chanced to look -into the cigar box with the tickets, and Tom, peeping through a crack of -the door, saw him take up the cigar and look at it wonderingly. - -"Hum!" murmured Ricks. "I thought that box was empty. Sallers must have -left this in it when he gave it to me. That's one on Bob. Guess I'll -smoke it up before he comes an' asks me about it." The man he mentioned -was a storekeeper of the vicinity, who had given him the cigar box the -evening before. - -Ricks struck a match and commenced to puff away with satisfaction. By -this time the wagon was loaded and Tom directed Jack Ness to drive off to -the bridge and wait for him. - -"Well, good-bye, Mr. Ricks," said the fun-loving youth, as he stepped up -to the ticket window. "Hope you don't hold any hard feelings." - -"You quit your foolin'!" growled the station master. - -"I see you're smoking another cigar." - -"What if I am? Ain't I got a right to smoke if I want to?" - -"Not if you see things when you do it." - -"See things? Wot do you mean, Tom Rover?" - -"They tell me that you imagined you saw snakes the other day when you -were smoking." - -"You go on about your business! You played me a trick, that's what you -did!" - -"It's queer how cigars affect some people. They get nervous and think the -end of the cigar is crawling," went on Tom, earnestly. "Now, if I was -affected that way I wouldn't smoke." - -"Say, Tom Rover, I want you to understand----" - -What the station agent wanted Tom to know was never divulged, for at that -instant the cigar commenced to swell at the lit end and then an -ashy-colored "worm" commenced slowly to uncurl, reaching a length of a -foot or more. Ricks took the cigar in his hand, held it at arm's length -and viewed it with horror. - -"It's another one of 'em!" he groaned. - -"What's the matter, Mr. Ricks?" asked Tom, calmly. - -"This cigar! Did--did you play this trick on me?" - -"I don't know what you mean." - -"Look at the end o' this cigar." - -"I don't see anything wrong. It looks like a fine cigar, and it seems to -burn well," answered Tom, as soberly as a judge. - -"Don't you see the--the worms?" - -"Worms! Mr. Ricks you are dreaming!" - -"Ain't that a--er--a worm?" shouted the station master, pointing with his -finger at the thing dangling at the end of the cigar. - -"Mr. Ricks, you must have 'em again," answered Tom, and looked deeply -shocked. "You had better go and see a doctor. This cigar smoking has got -on your nerves." - -"It ain't so! I see the worms! There they are!" And the station master -poked his finger into the mass. - -Now, as those who are acquainted with the fireworks known as Serpent's -Eggs, or Pharaoh's Serpents, know, the "worms" or "serpents" are very -fragile and go to dust at the slightest touch. Consequently when Ricks -placed his finger rudely on those at the end of the cigar they were -knocked off, and falling to the floor, were completely shattered to dust. -At this the station master started in amazement. - -"Where are the worms?" asked Tom. "I don't see them?" - -"Why--I--er--that is--they were here!" stammered Ricks. - -"Where?" - -"On the end o' the cigar." - -"Then where are they now?" demanded Tom. "Give me one, till I examine -it." - -"Why they--they are--er--gone now." - -"Gone?" - -"Yes. Say, I don't know about this!" And the old station master commenced -to scratch his head. He looked at the cigar wonderingly. But no more -"worms" were forthcoming, for the reason that the pellets Tom had placed -within had burnt themselves out. - -"You certainly ought to see a doctor--or else give up smoking cigars," -said Tom, as soberly as ever. - -"Tom Rover, ain't this no trick o' yours?" - -"Trick? Do you think I am a wizard? I find you smoking a cigar and you go -and see worms, or snakes, just as if you had been drinking. Maybe you do -drink." - -"I don't. I ain't teched a drop in six months." - -"Well, you had better do something for yourself," said Tom, as he backed -away from the ticket window. - -"I don't understand this, nohow!" muttered the old station master. "But I -ain't goin' to smoke thet cigar no more!" he added, and threw the weed -out on the railroad tracks. - -When Tom got to the wagon he was shaking with laughter. The joke was too -good to keep, and as they drove along he told Jack Ness about what had -occurred. - -"It's one on Ricks," said the hired man, with a broad grin. "He's kind o' -a superstitious man an' he'll imagine all sorts o' things!" - -"Well, if it cures him of smoking it will be a good job done," answered -Tom. "I've seen him with a pipe in his mouth when a lady wanted a -railroad ticket, and he would blow the smoke right into her face." - -It made Randolph Rover somewhat nervous to have so many fireworks and so -much powder around the premises--and there was a good reason for this, -for the facilities for fighting fire at Valley Brook were very meager. -So, to please his uncle, Tom stored the stuff in a small building at the -bottom of one of the fields, where some farming implements and berry -crates and boxes were kept. - -The cannon Tom had mentioned was a rather old affair. But it seemed to be -in good condition and the boys spent some time in cleaning it out and -putting it in condition for use. It was mounted on a big block and set in -the middle of the lawn. - -"Now, I reckon we are ready to celebrate!" cried Sam, after all the -preparations were complete. "And we ought to have a dandy time." - -"We will have," answered Dick. - -"Best ever!" chimed in Tom. - - - - - CHAPTER X - WHEN THE CANNON WENT OFF - - -The boys went down to the railroad station in the new touring car to meet -Mrs. Laning and the three girls, and possibly Mrs. Stanhope. The car was -a fine seven-seat affair, of forty-horse power, and Dick ran it. - -"It's the slickest thing in cars I've seen!" cried the eldest Rover boy, -enthusiastically. "A tour in it would be great." - -"Well, we'll have to take a tour in it before the summer is over," -returned Sam. - -The train was late and the boys waited impatiently for it to put in an -appearance. When it did arrive they were delighted to see that Mrs. -Laning had induced Mrs. Stanhope to come along. - -"I wanted her to come for two reasons," whispered Dick to Dora, after the -first greetings were over. "I wished her here, and I was afraid, if she -remained behind, Josiah Crabtree might try to visit her." - -"He did try, Dick," answered the girl. - -"What, again?" - -"Yes, and what do you think? We had another visit from Tad Sobber." - -"And what did he say?" - -"He wanted us to give him half of the fortune. Said that if we didn't he -would never rest until he got the money." - -"What did your mother do?" - -"She had two hired men, who happened to be at the house, put him out." - -"Good! That's the best way to treat him." - -"Mamma was very much upset, as you can imagine. And the very next day -Josiah Crabtree called, and what do you think he said? He sent word by -the maid that he had called not alone on his own behalf, but also on -behalf of Sobber." - -"Oh, so that's the way the wind blows, eh? They are going to form a sort -of partnership, to see if they can't get hold of your money, by one way -or another." - -"It looks that way, Dick, and I am worried to death." - -"I'd like to run Sobber down and put him in prison. He has done a number -of things for which he might be arrested." - -"I am trying to get mamma to take a trip somewhere. I want her to go in -secret, so that Sobber and Mr. Crabtree can't follow her." - -"That might be a good thing, Dora," answered Dick, and then he had to -turn his attention to running the touring car. Although the automobile -was built for but seven, all had crowded in, Sam sitting in front on -Tom's lap, and the ladies and girls occupying the tonneau. - -The run to the farm took but a few minutes, Dick "letting the machine -out" in a manner that made the ladies gasp. - -"Never rode so fast in my life, on a country road!" declared Mrs. Laning, -on alighting. "It was like a train!" - -"Oh, that was nothing," answered Tom. "We can go twice as fast if we want -to." - -"Not with me in the car!" declared the lady, firmly. - -"It's a splendid automobile," said Mrs. Stanhope. "But I shouldn't care -to travel at racing speed in one." - -The visitors were warmly welcomed by Mrs. Rover and her husband and by -the boys' father, and soon all were made to feel at home. The best rooms -in the farmhouse were given over to the guests, and Mrs. Rover had placed -a beautiful bunch of June roses in each apartment. - -"What lovely roses!" cried Mrs. Stanhope. "We have some, but not as grand -as these!" And her face showed her satisfaction. - -"It's great to have you girls here!" declared Sam. "What a jolly family -we would be if we all lived together!" - -"Oh, what an idea!" cried Grace, but she smiled even as she spoke. - -Of course the boys had to show the girls all over the farm, and Uncle -Randolph took the ladies around, showing them the big barns and the -cattle, the chickens, the horses, the pigs, and the orchards, and broad -fields of corn, wheat, and other products. Then they came back to look at -the neat vegetable garden, and Mrs. Rover's flower plots, and also at the -bees. - -"I hope for great things from my bees," announced Randolph Rover. "I have -taken up the study of them with care, and I think I can produce a variety -that will give us extra fine clover honey." - -"I thought you had your bees all in one place, Uncle Randolph," said -Dick, as he noticed a hive set apart from the others. - -"That is a new family I bought last week," was the explanation. "I am -keeping them apart for the purpose of studying them. But they are rather -wild as yet, and I do not dare to disturb them very much." - -"Oh, I can't bear bees!" whispered Nellie to Tom. "Let's get out of -here," and she walked away, and the others followed. - -Although the young folks remained up rather late on the night before the -Fourth, Tom, Dick and Sam arranged among themselves to get up early the -next day, to fire a salute from the old cannon. - -"We'll surprise them all," said Tom. "We'll show 'em we can make a noise -even if we are in the country." - -The boys crept downstairs at five o'clock and hurried out to the shed -where the powder had been left. Bringing the box forth they took it to -where the old cannon had been placed on the lawn. The piece was pointed -towards an apple orchard, so that it might do no damage. - -"Now, fill her up good!" cried Tom. "We want to make as much noise as we -can with the first shot." - -"Don't put in such a load that she bursts," cautioned Dick. - -The powder was measured out and put in, and then this was followed by a -wad of paper Sam brought from the kitchen. They rammed the paper in good -and tight. - -"Now, I guess she's ready to set off," said Tom. - -"Tom, don't you stand too close," said Dick. "That cannon might explode. -Light the slow match and then run behind a tree, or the corner of the -piazza." - -"All right, Dick. But I don't think she'll explode," was the reply. - -"Hello, goin' to fire her off, eh?" came a voice from the fence, and Jack -Ness appeared. - -"Yes, Jack," answered Sam. "But keep still--we want to surprise the -folks." - -"Good enough," murmured the hired man. "You'll do it right enough. Thet -old cannon always was a snorter fer noise." And he backed away towards -the orchard to get behind a tree, out of the way of possible harm. - -All being ready, Tom lit a match and applied it to the slow match of the -cannon. Then he ran for the corner of the piazza, to join his brothers. - -A few seconds passed--they seemed unusually long just then--but nothing -happened. - -"The slow match must have gone out," murmured Tom. - -"Don't go back!--it may go off, yet," answered Dick. "Sometimes----" - -Bang! went the cannon, and the tremendous report echoed and re-echoed -throughout the hills surrounding Valley Brook. The charge had been so big -that the piece had "kicked back" about a yard. - -"Say, that was a noise!" - -"If that didn't wake the folks up nothing will!" - -"I'm glad she didn't burst." - -"So am I." - -"By gum, you're celebratin' all right!" came from Jack Ness, as he poked -his head from behind a tree. "I guess they must have heard that clear -down to the Corners." - -"Further than that!" replied Tom. - -"Oh, Tom, did you do that?" came a voice from an upper window, and Nellie -showed her face. - -"What an awful noise!" came from another window, as Dora appeared. - -"Did it wake you up?" cried Tom. - -"It made me bounce right out of bed!" declared Nellie. "I thought I was -shot." - -"I thought the house had been hit," said Dora. - -"Did your cannon burst?" questioned Grace, as she appeared beside Nellie. - -"Not a bit of it!" declared Tom. "Just listen, while we fire another -shot." - -"Oh, Tom, wait till I put some cotton in my ears!" cried Mrs. Rover, as -she showed herself, followed by the others. - -"Boys, you didn't shoot off anything in the cannon, did you?" asked -Randolph Rover, nervously. - -"Nothing but powder and paper, Uncle," answered Sam. - -"That ain't so!" suddenly shouted Jack Ness. "By gum! You hit the bee -hive, an' here come the bees! Gee, shoo! Git out! Oh, my! I'm stung!" And -he started to run from the orchard. - -The boys stared for a moment. Down in the orchard was the hive which -their uncle had set apart from the others. It seemed to be torn at the -top, and a swarm of angry bees were flying around. Part of the swarm had -made for Jack Ness, and now the hired man was running for his life. - -"Why, I don't see how we hit the hive----" commenced Dick, when a yell -from Sam interrupted him. - -"The bees! The bees! Some of 'em are heading this way!" - -"Hi! hi! don't let 'em fly away!" screamed Randolph Rover. "They are very -valuable! Stop them! Make them go back in the hive!" - -"Excuse me from touching any bees!" murmured Tom. "I'm going to get out -of here!" And he started to run. - -"Don't go to the house!" cried Dick. "We don't want the ladies and the -girls to get stung. Head for the barn!" - -His brothers understood, and they scampered at top speed for the nearest -barn. In the meantime they could see poor Jack Ness slashing around -wildly with a coat he was carrying. - -"Git out o' here, you troublesome critters!" screamed the hired man. -"Lemme alone, consarn ye! Oh, my nose! Oh, my eye!" And then he pelted -for the vegetable garden. Here he fell over a hot-bed frame and went -sprawling. But he soon picked himself up, and then he streaked it down -the garden to a patch of corn, gradually outdistancing his little -tormentors. - -"Say, this is the worst yet!" groaned Tom, and he and his brothers -watched the bees from a distance. "However did we happen to hit that -hive?" - -"I'm sure I don't know," replied Dick, "unless you put something in the -cannon. Did you use stones?" - -"No. Did you, Sam?" - -"Not a thing but that paper. But we rammed that down rather hard." - -"I don't think paper would reach to the orchard. Maybe there was -something in it. Did you look?" - -"No. Come to think of it, it did feel a little hard," answered Sam. - -In a few minutes Randolph Rover appeared, followed by the boys' father. -The man who was making a study of bees had placed a net over his head and -donned gloves, and thus equipped he went down to look at the hive. A -small corner of the top had been torn away. - -"I fancy the bees will settle down before a great while," said he. "The -hive is not much damaged." - -"I am glad to hear that, Uncle Randolph," said Tom. "I didn't think that -shot would reach so far." - -"Next time you had better point the cannon into the air," replied the -uncle. - -"That's a good idea; we will." - -The cook slept at the top of the house, and awakened by the noise came -down to the kitchen to start up the fire. She heard the others discussing -the discharge of the cannon and mention the damage done to the bee hive. -Then she looked around the kitchen and suddenly gave a scream. - -"My pocketbook! Where is my pocketbook?" - -"Your pocketbook?" asked Sam, who had come around to the kitchen to wash -his hands. "Where did you leave it?" - -"I had it on that side table. It was wrapped in an old newspaper. I was -going to take it up to my room last night and hide it, but I forgot." - -"That newspaper!" ejaculated Sam, and turned slightly pale. "If you had -it in that newspaper it was your pocketbook that shot the top off that -bee hive!" - - - - - CHAPTER XI - A DAY TO REMEMBER - - -"Great Cicero, is it possible we have shot the cook's pocketbook to -pieces!" murmured Dick, who had come up in time to hear the conversation. - -"Shoot it! Did you shoot at my pocketbook?" demanded Sarah. - -"We didn't shoot at it, Sarah," answered Sam. "I stuffed that paper in -the cannon for wadding." - -"What, with my pocketbook in it!" screamed the cook. "Oh, dear! Was ever -there such boys!" - -"I didn't know there was anything in the paper. It looked all crumpled -up." - -"It was the best paper I could find and I thought it would do," groaned -Sarah. "Oh, dear, what am I to do? Where is the pocketbook now?" - -"Blown to kingdom come, I reckon," murmured the youngest Rover. "But -never mind, I'll buy you a new one." - -"The pocketbook couldn't have been a very large one," said Tom, who had -come up to learn the cause of the excitement in the kitchen. - -"It wasn't--it was quite small. My sister sent it to me from Chicago, for -a birthday present." - -"What did you have in it?" asked Sam anxiously. - -"I had four dollars in it in bills, and ten of those new shiny cents, and -a ten-cent piece, and a sample of dress goods, and a slip of paper with a -new way on it to make grape jelly, and some pills for the headache, and a -motto verse, and--and I don't know what else." - -"Well, that's enough," came from Tom. "No wonder the bees kicked at -having all that fired at 'em." - -"I'll give you back the money, Sarah, and get you a new pocketbook," said -Sam. "I'm awfully sorry it happened." - -"Let's look for the pocketbook," suggested Dick, and this was done, the -boys taking good care, while on the search, to keep out of the range of -the bees. All they could find in the orchard were two of the cent pieces -and part of the metal clasp of the pocketbook--the rest had disappeared. - -"Well, let us be thankful that we didn't blow the cannon apart, or hit -somebody with that charge," said Dick. - -Later the cannon was fired off with more care. It certainly made a loud -noise, and a farmer, driving past, said he had heard it away down at Oak -Run. - -"A feller down there told me he guessed the quarry men were blastin'," he -said. "But I said 'twas a cannon. She kin go some, can't she!" And he -shook his head grimly as he drove on. - -The boys and girls spent the morning in firing off the cannon and in -shooting off some firecrackers. Mrs. Rover served an elaborate dinner, -and had the dining room trimmed in red, white and blue flowers in honor -of the national birthday. - -"Do you remember how we spent last Fourth," said Tom, when the meal was -about over. - -"Indeed I do!" cried Nellie. "Don't you remember that big imitation -cannon cracker you set off on the dining room table of the yacht and how -it covered all of us with confetti." - -"Yes, and how Hans Mueller slid under the table in fright!" added Dick; -and then all laughed heartily over an affair that I have already -described in detail in "The Rover Boys on Treasure Isle." - -"Dear old Hans!" murmured Tom. "I'd like first rate to see him this -summer." - -"Let us ask him to the farm for a week," suggested Sam. - -"All right, we will, along with Fred Garrison," answered Dick. - -During the afternoon the boys and girls played croquet and took a short -ride in the touring car, and had ice-cream and cake served to them under -the trees by Aleck Pop, who wore his waiter outfit for the occasion. Then -they sat around until it was dark, and after supper the boys brought -forth the fireworks. - -"Now, be careful," warned both their father and their uncle. - -"We will be!" they cried, and set off the pieces from a field where they -could not possibly do harm. The girls and the ladies, as well as the men, -watched proceedings with interest. - -"Oh, how grand!" cried Dora, as the rockets curved gracefully through the -air. - -"Beautiful!" murmured Grace. - -"I could look at fireworks all night!" declared Nellie. - -The fireworks came to an end with a set piece called Uncle Sam. It fizzed -and flared brightly, showing the well-known face of the old man and the -big hat. Then Tom commenced to pull a wire and Uncle Sam took his hat off -and put it on. - -"Oh, how cute!" cried Grace. - -"Last act!" cried Tom, and set fire to a slow match that was near. -Presently some flower pots commenced to send up a golden shower, and -then, from a wire between two trees there blazed forth the words "Good -Night." - -"Well, that was very nice indeed!" was Mrs. Stanhope's comment. - -"As nice an exhibition of fireworks as I ever saw," declared Mrs. Laning. - -"Just what I say!" cried Mrs. Rover. "The boys certainly know how to get -up a show!" - -After the fireworks came darkness, but neither the boys nor the girls -seemed to mind this. They paired off, and took walks around the house and -down the roadway. Perhaps a good many silly things were said, but, if so, -there was no harm in them. The only ones who were really serious were -Dick and Dora, and seeing this Tom nudged Nellie in the side. - -"Looks like they were getting down to business, doesn't it?" he observed, -dryly. - -"Oh, Tom, hush, they might hear you!" she whispered. - -"You'll have Dick for a cousin-in-law some day." - -"Well, I shan't mind." - -"How about having him for a brother-in-law, Nellie?" - -At this suggestion Nellie's face grew crimson. - -"Tom Rover, you're the limit!" - -"Well, how about it?" he persisted. - -"You mean if Sam should marry Grace?" she asked archly. - -"Not much--although that may happen too. I mean if you should condescend -to marry such a harum-scarum chap like me." - -"Oh, Tom!" And now Nellie hid her face. - -"Maybe you don't like me, Nellie." - -"Why, Tom!" - -"You know how much I like you. It's been that way ever since we met on -the Cedarville steamer. I know I'm pretty young to talk this way, -but----" - -"You'll get older, eh?" - -"Yes, and I don't want any other fellow to come around--when I'm away." - -"How about some other girl coming around when I'm away?" - -"There can't be any other girl, Nellie." - -"Are you sure?" And now Nellie looked quite in earnest. - -"Yes, I'm sure." - -"Well then--" her voice sank very low. "There can't be any other fellow! -There!" - -"Nellie!" he cried. Then he would have caught her in his arms, but she -held him back. - -"Wait, Tom. I understand, and I am very, very glad," she said, earnestly. -"But mamma--she is a little bit old-fashioned, you know. She made both of -us--Grace and I--promise not to--to become engaged until we were twenty -or twenty-one." - -"Oh!" - -"So we'll have to wait a little longer." - -"I see. But we understand each other, don't we, Nellie?" - -"Yes, I'm sure we do." - -"And when you are old enough----" - -"We'll talk it over again," she answered, and took his arm as if to walk -back to the others. - -"All right," he said. Then of a sudden he turned and faced her. "And is -that all?" he pleaded. - -"Oh, Tom, it ought to be!" she murmured. - -"But, Nellie!" he pleaded, and drew her a little closer. Then for just an -instant her head went down on his shoulder and she allowed him to kiss -her. Then they joined the others, both feeling as if they were walking on -air. - -An hour later found everybody either in the house or on the veranda. Dora -sat down to the piano and the other young folks gathered around to sing -one favorite song after another, while the old folks listened. They sang -some of the Putnam Hall songs, and tried several that were popular at -Brill and at Hope. - -"I like that even better than the fireworks," murmured Mrs. Stanhope, to -Anderson Rover. - -"Well, I think I do, myself, Mrs. Stanhope," he answered. And then he -drew his rocking-chair a little closer to where the widow was sitting. -"It seems to me that Dick and Dora match it off pretty well," he -continued, in a lower tone. - -"Yes, Mr. Rover. And Dick is a fine young man--your sons are all fine -young men. I shall never forget what they have done for me and for Dora." - -"Well, they are bright lads, if I do say it myself," answered the father, -proudly. "And let me say, too, that I think Dora is a very dear girl. I -shall be proud to take her for a daughter." - -"No prouder than I shall be to take Dick for a son, Mr. Rover." - -"I am glad to hear you say that--glad that the idea is agreeable all -around," returned Anderson Rover. - -"I shouldn't be surprised if, some day, Nellie and Grace married your -other sons." - -"Possibly. But they are rather young yet to think of that. Dick is older, -even though they go to college together. You see, he got behind a little -at Putnam Hall because, when I was sick, he had to attend to a lot of -business for me. But he is going ahead fast now. He came out at the head -of his class." - -"So Dora told me. Oh, he will make his mark in the world, I am sure of -it." - -"If he does not, it will be his own fault. I shall give him as much of an -education as he desires, and when he wishes to go into business, or a -profession, I shall furnish him with all the money he may need. I am -going to do that for all of the boys--that is, unless the bottom should -drop out of everything and I should become poor." - -"Oh, Mr. Rover, I trust you do not anticipate anything of that sort!" - -"No, at present my investments are safe. But one cannot tell what may -happen. Hard times come, banks break, railroads default on their bonds, -and a man is knocked out before he knows it. But I don't look for those -things to happen." - -"Mr. Rover, before I leave I wish to ask your advice about that fortune -we brought home from Treasure Isle." - -"What about it?" - -"Do you think I ought to invest the money, or keep it intact and wait to -see what that Tad Sobber does?" - -"I should invest it, if I were you. I really can't see how Sobber has any -claim." - -"Would you be willing to invest it for me? A large part of it really -belongs to Dora, you know. I am not much of a business woman, and I would -be glad if you would help me in the matter." - -"Certainly I will help you to invest, if you wish it," answered Anderson -Rover. - -"Can I send the money to you?" - -"Yes, But wait till I send you word. I want to look over the various -offerings in securities first." - -At that moment came a call from the parlor. The young folks wanted the -old folks to come in and join in the singing, and they complied. As they -left the piazza a form that had been hiding behind some bushes nearby -slunk away. The form was that of Tad Sobber. - -"Thought I'd hear something if I came here," muttered that individual to -himself. "Going to turn the fortune over to old Rover to invest, eh? Not -much! not if I can get my hands on it!" - -And then Tad Sobber disappeared down the road in the darkness. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - OFF FOR CAMP - - -All too quickly for the girls and the boys, the visit of the folks from -Cedarville to Valley Brook farm came to an end. During the week the boys -took the girls on several trips in the touring car, and once all went for -a picnic up the Swift river. - -"You must write to us often, Dick," said Dora, on parting. "If you go -camping, tell us all the particulars." - -"I certainly will, Dora," he answered. "And you let me know all about -what you are doing. And don't forget to urge your mother to take a trip -somewhere." - -The boys had already written to their former school chums and fellow -travelers, Fred Garrison and Hans Mueller, and those boys had written -back that they would arrive at the farm, with an outfit for camping, on -the following Saturday. - -"That will just suit!" cried Sam. "We can rest up over Sunday and start -for camp Monday morning." - -"I'm anxious to see what Hans will bring," came from Tom, who was -perusing a long communication from the German American youth. "He seems -to have the notion that this outing is to last into cold weather, and -that we are going to hunt bears and lions and a few other wild beasts." - -"Oh, maybe he is only trying to be funny," answered Sam. - -"Hans is funny without trying to be," put in Dick. "Just the same, he is -one of the best boys in the world." - -Fred Garrison and Hans Mueller had arranged to arrive at Oak Run on the -same train, and the Rover boys went to meet them as they had the folks -from Cedarville, in the new touring car. - -"Here she comes!" cried Sam, as the distant whistle of the locomotive -reached their ears. Then the train hove in sight and they saw Fred's head -sticking out of one window and Hans' head, out of another. - -"Hello, Fred! How are you, Hans!" was the cry. - -"Say, is this really the station?" asked Fred, with a grin. "I've been -watching milk depots for the last hour." - -"This is really and truly the metropolis of Oak Run!" sang out Tom. "Move -lively now, or you'll be carried further." - -The two young travelers alighted, each with two suit-cases. In addition -Fred carried a fishing rod. Hans was loaded down with a fishing rod, a -shotgun, a big box camera, and a bundle done up in a steamer robe. - -"Hello, Hans, did you just come across the Atlantic?" questioned Dick, as -the boys shook hands all around. - -"Atlantic?" repeated Hans Mueller. "Not much I didn't, Dick; I come from -home, chust so straight like der railroad runs alretty." - -"You brought a few things along I see." - -"Sure I did. Vy not, of ve go camping by der voods? I got my fishing -shtick, and my gun, and a planket, and a camera to took vild animals." - -"Going to take their pictures first and then slay 'em, eh?" remarked Tom. - -"Dot's it." - -"Got your license, I suppose." - -"License. Vot license?" - -"To snap-shot the lions and tigers and bears, Hans. It costs two dollars -and ten cents to snap-shot a bear now, and lions and tigers are a dollar -and forty-five." - -"Vot?" gasped the German boy. "Do da make you bay to took pictures?" - -"Why, didn't you know that? I thought you read the new patent and -copyright laws." - -"No, I got somet'ing else to do, Dom. By chiminy! Of da charge so much as -dot I ton't took no bictures, not much!" - -"Well, maybe we can fix it so you won't have to pay any license," -returned Tom, calmly. "But jump in--dinner is waiting for us at home." - -"Say, what a dandy car!" cried Fred. "I've been anxious to see it ever -since you wrote about it." - -"Tell us all about dear old Putnam Hall," said Sam to Hans, when the -crowd were on the way to the farm, and the German boy told them all the -news. Then Fred told about himself, and how he was thinking of going into -business with his uncle. - -"Where are you going to camp?" asked Fred, just before the farm was -reached. - -"We thought of going up the Swift river," said Dick. "But maybe we'll go -over to Lake Nasco. There is a fine spot up there for camping, and we can -have the use of a small sailboat." - -"That would be fine, Dick!" - -"We'll talk it over tonight--after you have had supper." - -Fred and Hans had been at the farm before and the old folks greeted them -warmly. As usual, Mrs. Rover had a substantial meal prepared, and it did -her good to see how both Hans and Fred relished the things provided. The -German youth especially had a good appetite, and he stowed away so much -it looked as if he would burst. - -"Say, we'll have to take along lots to eat," whispered Sam to Dick. "If -we don't, Hans will clean us out in no time." - -"Well, we'll take all we need," answered the big brother. - -After supper the five lads talked over the plans for camping out, and it -was finally decided that they should journey up the Swift River to Lake -Nasco. They were to remain in camp for a week or ten days, and possibly -two weeks. - -As my old readers know, the Swift River could not be navigated around the -Falls--those awful falls where the boys had once had such a harrowing -experience. But further up, the watercourse was fairly deep and smooth, -and from that point the boys decided to take the small sailboat and -either sail or row to the lake, two miles further on. - -"We'll drive to the boat landing with the farm wagon," said Dick. "Jack -Ness can take us, and bring the wagon back." - -On Sunday the entire family went to the village church and the visitors -accompanied them. In the afternoon the boys inspected their outfits and -took it easy. Fred and Hans sent letters home, stating they had arrived -safely, and the Rovers sent letters to Cedarville. - -"Hans, while you are in camp, don't forget to take a picture of the -Pluibuscus," said Tom. "They don't charge to take those." - -"Vot is dot?" asked Hans innocently. - -"What, didn't you ever see a Pluibuscus!" demanded Tom, in astonishment. -"It's a sort of a Cantonoko, only larger. They live in holes, like bears, -only they have four wings, located between the sixth and the seventh -legs." - -"Mine cracious, Dom, vot you talkin' apout, ennavay?" demanded the German -boy. "I ton't know no animals vot got legs and vings alretty. Vos da very -pig?" - -"No, they are not pigs." - -"Vot? I tidn't say pig. I say vos da pig--pig--pig. Ton't you -understand?" - -"Sure I understand. They are not pigs." - -"Dot ain't it at all. I say vos da pig--so pig or so pig?" And the German -boy put out his hands, first close together and then wide apart. - -"Oh, you mean large?" - -"Yah, dot's him." - -"Oh, they are about the size of a horse, that is, when they are young. As -they grow older they get smaller, so that an old Pluibuscus is about the -size of a dog. But it's the horns you have to look out for. They are -pointed like daggers and very poisonous." - -"Du meine zeit! Den I ton't vont to meet none of dose Pluricustibusters, -or vot you call dem," and Hans shook his head, decidedly. - -"If you see one I advise you to run," put in Sam, who was enjoying the -fun. - -"Run? You bet my life I run!" cried Hans. - -"The best way to get away is to run into the water," went on Tom. "They -hate the water. Just run into the lake and duck down and keep hidden for -five or ten minutes and the Pluibuscus will walk away in disgust." - -"How vos I going to keep mine head under der vater fife oder den -minutes?" questioned Hans, in perplexity. - -"Oh, take a deep breath," suggested Fred. - -"I can't do him so long as dot." - -"Poke a hole in the water to breathe through," suggested Dick. - -"Say, I guess you vos making fun!" cried Hans, suspiciously. "Maybe dare -ain't no Pluicusisduster at all. Dot's--vot you call him?--Yah! He is a -fish story!" - -"Tom, you're discovered!" screamed Sam, and then there was a roar of -laughter. Hans looked a bit sheepish, but took the fun in good part. - -"Put I get square, see of I ton't!" he said, shaking his finger at Tom. - -Sunday evening there was a light shower and the boys were much worried, -thinking it might keep on raining. But the shower passed by morning and -the sun came out bright and clear. - -"And now ho! for camp!" cried Sam "Come on, the sooner we start the -better." - -An early breakfast was procured, and the camping outfit, consisting of -the tent, their fishing and hunting outfits, blankets and extra clothing, -and a quantity of food, canned and otherwise, was loaded on the big farm -wagon. - -"All ready?" asked Dick. - -"All ready, so far as I can see," answered Sam. - -"Vait! vait!" cried Hans, "I got to get mine ear coferings!" And he ran -back into the house. - -"Ear coverings?" queried Tom. - -"Yes," answered Fred, with a smile. "His mother made him a pair of -coverings of mosquito netting, so that ants or other insects couldn't -crawl into his ears while he was sleeping." - -"Not such a bad idea," said Dick. "But he needed them more in the West -Indies than he'll need them here." - -Soon Hans appeared with his ear coverings, and then the lads said -good-bye. The whip cracked, and they were off on their outing. Little did -they dream of how the holidays were to come to an abrupt end. - -The road along the river was a rather rough one and they had to proceed -slowly, for fear of jouncing off part of the load. But the lads were in -the best of spirits and as they rode along they sang and cracked jokes to -their hearts' content. Tom had the last of his "doctored" cigars with him -and he passed this over to Jack Ness, and all had a hearty laugh when the -hired man lit up and was treated to a dose of the "worms." - -"By gum! I might have remembered about them cigars!" murmured the wagon -driver. "I laffed at Ricks an' now you got the same laff on me!" - -"Never mind, Jack, you buy something worth smoking, when you go to town," -said Tom, and slyly slipped a silver quarter into the hired man's palm. - -It was noon-time when they reached the spot where they could get the -sailboat. This was hired from a man living in the vicinity, and that -individual's wife supplied all hands with dinner, for the boys did not -want to touch their stores until necessary. Then the sailboat was loaded -and the boys got on board. - -"We'll have to row," said Dick. "There isn't breeze enough to do any -good." - -"Well, rowing suits me," cried Sam, and caught up an oar and Tom did the -same. - -"I'll spell you after a bit," said Fred. "It is not fair to let you do -all the work." - -"So will I," added Dick. - -"Yah, and me," nodded Hans. - -"Good-bye, Jack!" cried all, and waved their hands to the hired man. - -"Tell the folks not to worry--that we will be all right," added Dick. - -"Have a good time!" answered Jack Ness. Then Sam and Tom started to row, -and slowly the boat moved in the direction of Lake Nasco. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - HANS MUELLER'S QUEER CATCH - - -Lake Nasco was an irregular sheet of water, about three miles long by a -quarter of a mile wide. It was not very deep, excepting at one spot near -the upper end. In the center were several islands, known locally as the -Cat and Kittens. - -The spot the Rover boys had in mind for their camp was located near the -upper shore, where a series of rocks ran out to the deep water. Here -would be a good place for the sailboat, and here the fishing would be -good and also the swimming. - -The whole crowd took turns at rowing, and when the lake was reached Sam -and Hans got out their fishing outfits and started to troll. - -"I don't know if I can catch anything, but if I am successful, we can -have fried fish for supper," said Sam. - -"Yum! yum! that would just suit me!" cried Fred. "Fish just caught are so -much better than those from the store." - -It was not long before Sam felt a tug on his line. He hauled in quickly -and found a fair-sized perch. - -"Hurrah! first luck!" he cried, his face beaming with pleasure. - -"Huh! dot ain't mooch of a fish!" was Han's comment. "Chust vait till you -see vot I cotch!" - -They continued to troll, and presently Sam hooked a medium-sized -pickerel. The fish was game and he had to play it a little before Dick -was able to bring it in with the net. - -"Say, I guess we had better all try our luck," said Tom. "This sport -suits me down to the ground." - -"No, Tom, let us get to camp," replied his elder brother. "Remember, we -have got to cut poles for the tent and cut firewood, and do a lot of -things before we go to bed. You can fish all you please tomorrow." - -The boat moved on and soon Hans got a bite. It was another perch, about -the size of the one caught by Sam. Then Sam got another, but of a -different stripe. - -Suddenly Hans' line tightened and the German youth stood up in his -excitement. - -"Vait! I got a pite!" he cried. "Say, dot is a pig feller I guess!" he -added. - -They stopped in their rowing and watched Hans try to land his catch. He -tugged on the line, which grew taut and threatened to snap. - -"Play him a little, Hans," suggested Dick. And the line was let out -cautiously. Then Hans commenced to reel in once more. Slowly but surely -his catch came closer. - -"What have you got, Hans, a maskalonge!" - -"Maybe it's a whale!" - -"Or a water snake!" - -"Cracious, vos der vater snakes here?" questioned the German boy, turning -slightly pale. - -"Sure there are," answered Tom, readily. "Some of 'em are fifteen and -twenty feet long." - -"Dom, you vos choking." - -"No, I'm not choking," answered Tom. "My breath is regular." - -"You know vot I mean." - -"Oh, pull in the catch!" cried Fred, impatiently. - -"That's the talk!" added Sam. "Say, Hans, you've got something big that's -sure." - -Slowly but steadily the German youth reeled in, until his bait was within -a few feet of the boat. Then from the water came something long and dark -and slimy. - -"It's a water snake!" yelled Tom. - -"Oh my! safe me, somepody!" screamed Hans, and fell back in fright and -came close to falling overboard. "Cut der line! Ton't let him pite me!" - -"It's no snake!" said Sam, quickly. "But what is it?" - -"I'll soon know," answered Dick, and pulled in on the line a little more. -Then the object came alongside the boat and the boys set up a shout. - -"A piece of old rope!" - -"With a knot for a snake's head!" - -"And a rock at the other end. This must have been used by somebody for an -anchor." - -"That's it!" - -"Say, vos you sure dot ain't no vater snake?" asked Hans, timidly. He had -crawled to the bow of the boat, as far from the line as possible. - -"See for yourself, Hans," answered Dick. - -Hans went forward cautiously and his eyes opened in wonder. Then a sickly -grin spread over his round face. - -"Huh! Dot's a fine fish, ain't he? Say, Sam, vos you goin' to fry him in -putter oder in lard alretty?" And at this quaint query all the other boys -set up a hearty laugh. - -"Guess you'd better give up fishing now," said Dick, after the merriment -was over. "We've got enough for supper, and the best thing we can do is -to reach the end of the lake and fix up our camp for the night. We want -everything in first-class shape, so that if a storm comes our things -won't get soaked." - -"Oh, don't say storm!" cried Fred. "I don't want to see rain." - -"We are bound to get some, Fred, sooner or later." - -The fishing outfits were put away, and once more the boat moved over the -bosom of the lake. They had passed three other boats and saw one camp on -the north shore. - -"Hope we find the Point deserted," said Dick. - -"So do I," answered Tom. "We want to camp all by ourselves this time." - -It was not long before they came in sight of the shore and the rocky -Point. Not a soul was in sight. They brought the boat around to a little -cove and all leaped ashore. Near at hand was the remains of a campfire, -but it looked a week or more old. - -"Nobody here," said Dick. - -"What an ideal spot for camping!" was Fred's comment, as he gazed around. -And he was right. The shore sloped gently down to the water's edge, and -was backed up by a patch of woods. Among the trees were some rocks, and -between them a spring of clear, cold water. Not far off was the cove, -where the sailboat could be tied up. - -"Well, what's the first thing to do?" questioned Tom. - -"Cut poles for the tent, and also cut some firewood," answered Dick. -"Bring out the hatchets, fellows!" - -Two hatchets had been brought along, and all hands were soon at work, -getting the camp into shape and starting a fire. Dick selected the poles -for the tent and cut them down and trimmed them. Fred built the fire, and -Sam cleaned the fish. Then everybody took a hand at raising the tent and -fastening it down tightly with pegs. A trench was dug at the rear of the -canvas covering, so that if it rained the water would run off towards the -lake. The tent was a large one, and in the rear they stored their extra -clothing and food. Then they cut down boughs for bedding and got out -their blankets. - -"The water is boiling," announced Fred, who had put a kettle on some -sticks over the fire. - -"Well, now the tent is fixed, we'll have supper," said Dick, who had been -made leader. "I reckon we are all hungry enough." - -"I know I am," said Sam. - -"I dink I could eat a leetle," said Hans, winking one eye laboriously. - -"Want a piece of fried water snake, Hans?" asked Tom, dryly. - -"No, Dom, I dake a steak from dot Pluibusterduster," answered the German -youth, with a grin. - -Sam knew how to fry fish to perfection, and soon an appetizing odor -filled the air. Fred made the coffee, and boiled some potatoes. They had -brought along some fresh bread and cut slices from one of the loaves. -They also had a few cookies, made by Mrs. Rover. - -"Say, this is the best fish I ever tasted!" cried Dick, when they were -eating. - -"So I say!" added Fred. "Sam, if you don't mind, I'll take another -piece." - -"It's the fresh air that tunes up a fellow's appetite," remarked Tom. -"Stay out a month and you'll want to eat like a horse." - -"Nothing the matter with my appetite at any time," murmured Sam. "Oh, -Hans, what's the matter?" he demanded, as he saw the German lad throw his -head into the air. - -"He's choking!" exclaimed Dick, leaping up in alarm. - -"It--it vo--vos ch--chust a fi--fish pone!" gasped Hans. "He got in mine -neck sidevays alretty!" - -"Better be careful after this," cautioned Dick. "Here, swallow a piece of -dry bread. That will help to carry it down." And it did, and then Hans -felt better. - -As night came on the boys prepared their beds and then gathered around -the campfire and talked, and told stories. All were in the best of humor, -and they talked of their old schooldays at Putnam Hall, and of the jokes -played on the other boys, and on Josiah Crabtree, and on Peleg Snuggers, -the general utility man. - -"Those were certainly great days," said Fred, almost sadly. "I wish they -could come back." - -"Well, we've got to look ahead, not backwards," answered Dick. - -"How some of the fellows have changed," went on Fred. "Just think of what -a bully Dan Baxter used to be!" - -"Yes, and now he is a real good fellow, and doing well as a commercial -traveler," said Tom. - -"It's too bad that Tad Sobber can't turn over a new leaf." - -"Maybe he will, some day," came from Sam. - -"I don't believe it is in him," answered Dick. "He is not like Dan Baxter -was. Dan got awfully hot-headed at times, but Sobber is a regular -knave--one of the oily, sneaking kind." - -"Have you seen him since his injunction against the Stanhopes was -dismissed in court?" - -"No, but I have heard from him, Fred. He is after that fortune, still." - -"What can he do?" - -"We don't know. But he is bound to make trouble, some way or other. It -makes me sick to think of it." - -"Then let us talk about something else," said Tom; and then the lads -branched off into a discussion of how the days to come were to be spent. - -"Any big game left around here?" asked Fred. - -"Not that I know of, Fred. And you couldn't shoot it anyway--it is out of -season." - -"Maybe we can get some rabbits." - -"They aren't of much account this time of year--and they are out of -season, too. We'll have to depend mostly on fishing." - -It was nearly ten o'clock before they turned in. Then Sam was so sleepy -he could hardly keep his eyes open. - -"Anybody going to stay on guard?" asked Fred. - -"I don't believe it is necessary," answered Tom. "Nobody will disturb us -up there." - -The fire was allowed to die down, so that it might not set fire to any -surrounding objects, and one after another the boys turned in. Hans was -soon snoring, and presently Fred, Dick and Sam dropped asleep. For some -reason Tom could not compose himself, and he turned restlessly from side -to side. - -"Guess I must have eaten too hearty a supper," he murmured to himself. -But at last he dozed off, to dream of college and a rousing game on the -baseball field. - -Dick slept for about an hour. Then, of a sudden, he awoke with a start. -He felt a pain in his ankle. - -"Wonder what's the matter?" he murmured and sat up. As he did so a weird -groan reached his ears. He listened intently, and soon the groan was -repeated. - -"Hi! what's that?" he asked aloud. But no answer came to his question. -Then came another groan, and now thoroughly alarmed, Dick leaped to his -feet in the darkness. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - THE HAPPENINGS OF A NIGHT - - -"What's the matter?" - -It was Sam who asked the question. Dick's question had aroused him. - -"That is what I want to know." - -"What woke you up?" - -"I felt something on my ankle--and then I heard several groans." - -"Vos somepody call me?" asked Hans, sleepily. "It can't pe morning yet, -it's too dark." - -"We didn't call you, Hans." - -"Hello, what is it?" And now Fred roused up. "What is going on?" - -"We don't know," answered Sam, who had been sleeping behind him. "We are -trying to find out." - -Dick had gone to a post of the tent. Here a box of matches had been -placed in a holder and he took one out, struck it, and held it up. - -"Why, Tom is gone!" he cried, seeing that the place his brother had -occupied was vacant. - -"So he is!" murmured Sam. He raised his voice: "Tom! Tom! where are you?" - -There was no reply to this call, and all in the tent gazed at each other -questioningly. Then the match went out, leaving them in darkness as -before. - -"I don't like this," muttered Dick, and he made his way outside, followed -by the others. Fred had loaded a shotgun and he caught up the piece. Hans -walked to the smouldering fire and threw on some dry brushwood which soon -caused a glare. - -All looked around the tent, but failed to catch sight of Tom. Then they -hurried to the edge of the lake, but nobody was there. - -"Tom! I say Tom!" yelled Sam. "Where are you?" - -All listened, but no reply came back. But they heard a curious noise at a -distance up the lake shore. - -"Maybe he is in trouble!" cried Dick. "Spread out and look for him!" - -One of the boys ran up the shore and one down, and Fred and Hans walked -towards the woods, the former carrying the shotgun. - -"Do you dink a--a bear cotched him?" asked the German youth, in a tragic -whisper. - -"I don't know what to think," answered Fred. - -Dick had gone up the shore, where the rocks were rather rough. As he came -out on the point he heard a peculiar noise and then a yell. - -"A home run! A home run!" reached his ears. "Everybody in the game!" And -then, to his utter amazement, Tom appeared, running in a queer fashion. -He was headed directly for the lake. - -"He's asleep! He's got a nightmare!" thought Dick, and as Tom attempted -to pass him he caught his brother by the arm. - -"Let go--I want to reach home plate!" growled the sleepwalker, and tried -to break away. - -"Tom! Tom! wake up!" cried Dick, and retaining a firm grip on his -brother's arm he shook him vigorously. - -"Oh!" groaned Tom at last. "I--what--stop shaking me!" he added, in -confusion. - -"Wake up, Tom! Wake up!" - -"I--er--I am awake! What are you shaking me for?" demanded the fun-loving -Rover. He could see no fun in the present proceedings. - -"Tom, you've been walking in your sleep," said Dick. He raised his voice. -"This way, fellows; I've found him!" - -"Where is he?" and Sam came running, followed by Fred and Hans. - -"Have I--er--really been walking in my sleep?" asked Tom, sheepishly. - -"Doesn't this look like it?" - -"Why, where am I?" - -"Up the lake shore. We missed you and hurried out to find you. You were -just going to run into the lake when I grabbed you." - -"Was he really walking in his sleep?" asked Sam. - -"Yes, unless he was shamming," answered his elder brother. - -"I wasn't shamming," stammered poor Tom. "I--er--I was dreaming about a -ball game, and I was--er--trying to make a home run! Say, this is punky, -isn't it?" he added, staring at the crowd, blankly. - -"It's a good thing Dick came up in time," said Sam. "Supposing you had -run into the lake." - -"Oh, I guess the bath would have woke him up," said Dick. "But I am -mighty glad I stopped him," he added. - -"You're not more glad than I am," said Tom. "I guess I ate too much -supper. I couldn't sleep at all at first." - -"I guess you had better chain yourself fast in the tent after this," -remarked Fred. "Dick, it was lucky you woke up." - -"Something pressed me on the ankle. It's a little sore yet. I guess Tom -stepped on it when he left the tent--but I didn't wake up fast enough to -catch him then." - -All walked back to the tent and sat down around the campfire to talk the -matter over. But nothing new was learned and presently they retired -again; and this time all slept soundly until morning. - -"First in the lake for a morning plunge!" shouted Sam, as he rushed out. -"Come on, everybody, it will wake you up!" - -"I'm with you, Sam!" answered Fred, and side by side the pair ran down to -the water and plunged in. - -"Phew! as cold as Greenland!" spluttered Fred, as he came up. - -"It's only the first plunge," answered the youngest Rover. "You'll soon -get used to it." - -The others followed, Hans being the last to go in. The German youth was -on the point of backing out, as the water looked so cold, when Sam came -up behind him and sent him in with a rush. - -"Wow! wow!" spluttered Hans. "Say, maype dot ain't cold, py chiminy! I -vos dink I fell into an ice-house alretty!" - -"Swim around and you'll soon get warm," was Dick's advice. - -The boys remained in the water less than ten minutes and then lost no -time in dressing. Then came a hot breakfast, to which all paid every -attention. - -It had been decided that they should spend the day in fishing and in -resting up, so they took it easy. Some went out in the boat and took a -short sail, for a fair breeze was blowing. - -"This puts me in mind of the times we used to camp out with the Putnam -Hall cadets," remarked Tom. "Only there used to be more of a crowd." - -For dinner they had more fish, and also some beans which had been brought -along. They also made a pot of chocolate--something that suited Hans -especially--and the cookies were not forgotten. - -Two days passed, and the boys enjoyed every minute of the time. They took -a tramp through the woods back of the camp and found a blackberry patch -where the luscious fruit was growing in profusion. - -"We'll take all we can carry back to camp with us!" cried Sam, and this -was done, and then the youngest Rover took it upon his shoulders to make -a huckleberry roly-poly pudding, "just like Aunt Martha's." Perhaps the -pudding was not as good as those turned out by Mrs. Rover, but it was -good enough, and the boys ate it to the last scrap. Then Fred tried his -hand one morning at flapjacks and these they also ate with a relish. - -"I dink I makes you some Cherman coffee cake alretty," said Hans, on the -day following, and in the afternoon he set to work. Soon he had several -kettles, pans and pails filled with flour and water and other things. His -hands were full of a pasty mess, and he had some of the stuff on his -nose. - -"How are you getting on?" asked Dick, when he saw the German youth stop -and stare around in perplexity. - -"I dink I need anudder dish," said Hans, slowly. - -"Great Scott, Hans! You now have about all in the camp." - -"Is dot so! Vell, I must but dis stuff someveres, ain't it?" And Hans -proceeded to dump the mass in one bowl with that in another. The other -lads watched him work with keen interest. - -"Want more sugar, Hans?" asked Sam. - -"How about salt?" questioned Fred. - -"Maybe you want a little more flour?" came from Dick. - -"Want to flavor it with peppermint?" asked Tom. "I saw a lot of the stuff -growing back of the spring." - -"You chust leave me alone!" cried Hans. "Ton't you podder me, oder I -makes some mistake." - -"I guess he has made several mistakes already," whispered Dick to Fred, -as they turned away. - -"Shouldn't wonder. But wait and see what he turns out." - -They all waited and watched Hans from a distance. The poor German youth -worked hard for two hours, baking his stuff over the roaring fire. His -face was flushed and he looked far from happy. At last he declared that -his coffee cake must be done. - -"It certainly looks like coffee," said Tom, as he gazed at the mass, -which was shaped like a flower pot and was the color of roasted coffee -beans. - -"All right, Hans, cut it up and let us try it!" cried Fred, cheerfully. - -"Dick, you cut him up," answered Hans, rather faintly. - -Dick took the carving knife and set to work. The knife went into the -"cake" with ease, but there it stuck. - -"What's the matter, Dick?" asked Sam. - -"I don't know--the knife is stuck." - -"Better let me cut it." - -"Go ahead and try your luck, Sam." - -The youngest Rover came around and took hold of the knife. He tried to -draw the blade free but merely succeeded in raising the "cake" into the -air. - -"Hello, it sticketh closer than a brother!" exclaimed Tom. "Hans, did you -put a porous plaster in that cake?" - -"Not much I tidn't!" snapped the German lad. "Here, you gif me dot cake! -I cut him ub for you, so quick like neffer vas!" - -Very valiantly Hans took the "cake" and the knife and set to work. He had -no more success than had Dick and Sam. Finally, in a rage, he lifted -knife and "cake" on high and brought them down on a stone with a bang. -The "cake" bounced back like a rubber ball and all but struck him in the -face. - -"Hello, Hans has been manufacturing a football!" cried Tom. - -"Vot's der madder mit dot ennahow!" roared the German youth. "I make him -chust like mine mudder make him in der old country." - -"Hans, did you make the coffee cake with glue?" asked Dick. - -"I ton't know how I make him!" groaned poor Hans. "I got me all mixed up, -mit eferybody around me! Say, can't you vos got dot knife owid somehow?" -he questioned anxiously. - -"I'll try a new way," said Dick, and placed the "cake" under his feet. -Then he drew on the knife, and it came up between his feet with a sucking -sound. - -"I guess you can sell that coffee cake for rubber," said Sam. - -"Don't you want a slice, Sam?" asked Tom. - -"Not today, thank you." - -"I dink I drow him into der vater!" cried Hans, and picked up the -glue-like mass. Then he ran down to the lake front and balanced it on one -of his hands. He gave a throw, but the "cake" did not land in the water -as he had intended. Instead it remained stuck to his fingers. - -"Can't get rid of it so easily!" cried Dick. "Be careful, Hans, or that -cake will be the death of you!" - -"Du meine zeit!" groaned the German youth, and then he pulled at the mass -until he had it free from his fingers. Then he gave it a kick with his -foot, and it went into the lake with a splash. - -And that was the first and last time Hans tried to make German coffee -cake. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - STRANGE NEWS - - -Several days passed and during that time the lads amused themselves -hugely, hunting, fishing, swimming and knocking around generally. Once -they had a snake scare. The reptile got in the tent and held possession -for nearly an hour, when Dick dislodged it with a stick and Sam ended its -life with a stone. - -"Say, I ton't like dot!" cried Hans, when the excitement was at an end. - -"I don't believe any of us do," answered Dick, dryly. - -"I'll be almost afraid to sleep in the tent tonight," added Fred, with a -shiver. - -"Oh, I guess there was only one snake," said Sam. "But we can look around -for more." Which they did, in as thorough a manner as possible. But no -more reptiles were brought to light. - -On Saturday it rained and the rain kept up all day Sunday. This was not -so nice, and the boys remained under shelter most of the time. - -"I guess I am a fair-weather camper," observed Fred. "I don't like this a -bit." - -"Oh, let's have a song!" cried Tom. "And then each fellow can tell a -story." - -"And then we can play a little music," added Sam. He had brought along a -mouth harmonica, and Hans had a jews-harp. - -Sunday evening it began to clear, and by midnight the stars were shining -brightly. - -"The weather will be all right by tomorrow," said Dick, who had been out -to look around. - -"But the woods will be wet," grumbled Fred. - -"Never mind, let us go out in the boat. I'd like to explore the creek -running in from the other shore." - -"That will suit me, Dick. Maybe we can get an extra lot of nice fish over -there." - -All of the boys slept soundly and it was nearly eight o'clock when they -commenced to get breakfast, and it was almost ten before they were ready -to start in the sailboat for the other shore of the lake. - -"Hello, here comes a boat!" exclaimed Dick, as he looked down Lake Nasco. - -"Two men in it," added Tom. "They seem to be in a hurry, too, by the way -the fellow at the oars is rowing." - -"Why, it's Jack Ness in the back of the boat!" exclaimed Sam, as the -craft drew closer. "That is Pete Hawley rowing." - -"Jack must have a message," came from Dick. "Wonder what it can be?" - -"Hello, boys!" yelled the Rovers' hired man, as soon as he was within -hailing distance. "Got a very particular letter fer you!" And he waved -the communication in the air. - -"What is it, Jack?" demanded Dick, quickly. - -"You jess read the letter, and you'll find out as quick as I kin tell -you," answered the man. - -"Anybody sick or hurt?" asked Sam. - -"Nobuddy hurt--leas'wise not in body, an' nobuddy sick nuther, in the -ordinary way. But I reckon your friends from Cedarville is putty sick all -the way through, when they think of their loss." - -Dick snatched the letter and glanced at it. It was in his father's -handwriting and bore only a few lines, as follows: - - -"Just received a telegram from Mrs. Stanhope, wanting to know if I had -received her money, as asked for? Telegraphed back that I had not asked -for money and had received none. Then she telegraphed that she had sent -money to a certain place at my request. I don't understand this at all. I -fear something is wrong, and I am going to Cedarville without delay. -Better come home and wait to hear from me." - - -"Mrs. Stanhope's money?" mused Dick, as he handed the letter to his -brothers. "Can she mean the fortune from Treasure Isle?" - -"More than likely," answered Tom. "Before we came away father told me she -has said something about investing it through him. He was to let her know -when he wanted the money." - -"But he says in this letter that he didn't send for the money," put in -Sam. - -"If the money had been obtained under false pretenses I guess it is -Sobber's work," murmured Dick. - -"More than likely," returned Tom. "Oh, this is the worst yet--and just -when we were getting ready to enjoy ourselves, too!" - -"Well, we'll have to go back, Tom. Father may need us." - -"Sure we'll go back. I couldn't stay here and enjoy myself while I knew -that fortune was gone." - -"It's too bad on you fellows," said Dick, turning to Fred and Hans. "But -you can see how it is." - -"Oh, that's all right," answered Fred quickly. - -"I dink I got enough of camping owid annaway," came from the German -youth. "Maype of we stay here much longer von of dem snakes comes and -eats us up alretty, ain't it!" - -"The telegrams came yesterday, but I waited until this morning to come -here," said Jack Ness. "Your father left for Cedarville on the first -train today." - -"We'll pack right up and get back," answered Dick. - -Although he tried not to show it, he was greatly excited. He was sure -that the Stanhope fortune had in some manner fallen into the hands of Tad -Sobber, and he wondered if that rascal would be able to get away with it. - -"If he does it will be a sad blow to both the Stanhopes and the Lanings," -he said to his brothers. "They were planning to get much good out of that -money." - -"It will be especially hard on the Lanings," said Tom, soberly. "For they -are not as wealthy as the Stanhopes." - -All of the boys worked with a will, and Jack Ness and the man who had -rowed him to camp aided as much as they could. As a consequence in less -than an hour the tent was down and packed, and the rest of the camping -outfit placed aboard the sailboat. Then the journey for home was begun. - -The wind was in their favor, so those in the little sailboat had to do -little rowing, and they helped the other boat along. Arriving at the -landing on Swift River, they found the farm wagon awaiting them and also -a carriage with the best team of horses the Rover farm afforded. - -"Thought you young gentlemen would like to go back that way," explained -Jack Ness. "I can drive slower with the wagon. I would have brought the -auto, only I can't manage that yet." - -"I'm glad you thought of the carriage," answered Dick. "Now we can go -home in jig time." - -The boys entered the carriage, and Dick took the reins and touched up the -horses. Away went the spirited team on a gallop, the turnout bouncing -from side to side over the rocky road. - -"Mine cracious!" gasped Hans, as he tried to hold himself down. "Look -owid, Tick, oder we go overpoard alretty yet!" - -"Maybe you'd rather ride home with Jack," suggested Tom. - -"No, of you can stand him, so can I," answered the German youth, firmly. - -Away they went for the Rover farm, up hill and down. Soon they left the -river road and then struck a highway where going was much better. Here -Dick made the team do their best, and poor Hans was badly scared, -thinking the horses were running away. - -"Of you can't sthop 'em, ve vos all busted up, so quick like neffer vos!" -he bawled. - -"They are all right, Hans," answered Sam. "Let Dick alone, he knows how -to handle 'em." - -"Ain't da running avay?" - -"No." - -"All right, of you say so," returned Hans, but his face indicated that he -thought otherwise. - -At last they came in sight of the farm, and drove up to the house by the -back way. Their Aunt Martha saw them coming, and ran out to meet them. - -"Any more news from the Stanhopes?" asked Dick, quickly. - -"Not that I know of," was Mrs. Rover's answer. "Your uncle has gone off -to the telegraph office to wait for word from your father." - -"I don't think father has reached Cedarville yet," said Sam. - -The team was turned over to Aleck Pop and the boys went into the house. -There the Rovers read the telegrams which had been received from Mrs. -Stanhope. There was also a telegram from John Laning, in which he said he -would look into the matter if he could get around, but that he had fallen -from the hayloft of his barn and sprained his ankle. - -"That will keep him home," said Sam. "Too bad--just when the Stanhopes -may need his aid." - -"I wish I knew the particulars of the affair--then a fellow would know -how to act," said Dick, impatiently. - -"Father may send word before night," answered Tom. - -"I was sorry to see your father go away," said Mrs. Rover. "He was not -very well." - -"Not well?" cried Sam. "What was the matter with him?" - -"Oh, it wasn't much, but it was enough. You'll remember how he struck his -knee on a rock or something, while you were on that treasure hunt." - -"Oh, yes, he fell down in the hole," said Tom. "He was so excited at the -time he didn't notice the hurt." - -"Exactly, Tom. Well, lately that has bothered him quite some, and he had -to go to a doctor about it. The doctor told him to be careful of the -knee, or it might give him lots of trouble and maybe get stiff." - -"Then he shouldn't have gone to Cedarville," said Dick. "We don't want -dad to get a stiff leg." - -"Say, do you know what?" cried Tom. "I think we ought to got to -Cedarville ourselves." - -"That's the talk!" cried Sam. "We can't do anything here but suck our -thumbs." - -"We'll wait until morning and see if any word comes," answered Dick, who -did not want to do anything hastily. "Perhaps father may want us to work -on the case from this end." - -"What about Fred and Hans?" asked Tom. - -"They'll go along--part of the way," answered Sam. "They said they -would." - -"It's too bad to break up their vacation." - -"Oh, they understand matters. And, besides, they are both going elsewhere -next week," answered Tom. - -Impatiently the three Rovers waited for news from their father or from -the Stanhopes. At supper time Mr. Randolph Rover returned from Oak Run. - -"Here is a telegram from your father, stating he arrived safely at -Cedarville," said the boys' uncle. "We ought to get some word late -tonight about this mysterious affair." - -A little later Tom was outside, walking around the piazza. He was looking -on the ground, and presently saw something bright lying at the foot of a -bush, and stooped to pick it up. It was a queer-shaped stone, of blue and -white. - -"I've seen that stone before," he murmured, as he turned it over in his -hand. "It doesn't belong to any of our folks. Maybe it is Fred's, or -Hans'." - -With his find in his hand he entered the house, where the others were -just sitting down to the table to eat. He held the stone up to view. - -"Any of you lose this?" he asked, and looked at Fred and Hans. - -"Dot ain't vos mine," declared Hans, readily. "Vot vos it, a stone from a -preastbin?" - -"I guess it is from a watch locket," said Tom. - -Fred looked at the stone and started. - -"Let me see it!" he cried, and held it close to the light. "Well, I -declare!" he gasped. - -"What about it, Fred?" asked Dick and Sam, in a breath. - -"I don't know who this stone belongs to, but I do know that Tad Sobber -used to wear one just like it, when he went to Putnam Hall!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - SOMETHING OF A CLUE - - -"Tad Sobber!" - -The cry came simultaneously from all of the Rover boys. - -"Yah, dot's so!" exclaimed Hans. "I remember him now. Vonce I vos ask -Sobber vere he got dot sthone." - -"If the stone belongs to Sobber--he must have been here!" gasped out Sam. - -"Do you think he is around now?" asked Tom, and threw his eyes about the -lawn, as if half expecting their enemy to show himself. - -"No, he isn't here now--wish he was," answered Dick, bitterly. "More than -likely he is miles away by this time--and the Stanhope fortune with him." - -"I can't understand this," said Fred. "Unless Sobber has been here, -spying on you." - -"Maybe he followed the Stanhopes here--to find out, if he could, what had -become of the fortune," suggested Sam. - -"Sam, I think you've struck it!" almost shouted Dick. "It may be that he -came here, heard Mrs. Stanhope ask dad to invest the money for her, and -heard dad say that he would let her know when he wanted the cash. Then, -perhaps, he went off, and sent Mrs. Stanhope a bogus letter, or telegram, -signing dad's name." - -"Say, Dick, you're a regular sleuth!" cried Fred. "I guess you've got it -straight." - -The boys entered the house, and there told their uncle and aunt of what -had been found. Randolph Rover looked at the stone with interest. - -"It is a curious one," he said slowly. "I do not imagine there are many -like it. If this Sobber had one, then this is probably his." - -"You didn't see any strangers around the farm, did you?" asked Sam. - -"None that I noticed. Of course plenty of folks have passed up and down -the main road, and the back road, too." - -It was not long after that when Jack Ness drove up with the camping -outfit. The boys aided the man in putting the outfit away and also -questioned him concerning Sobber. - -"There was one man, or young fellow, hanging around," answered Jack Ness. -"I tried to reach him, to ask him wot he wanted, but he jumped the -orchard fence and got away. I thought he might be a tramp, although he -wasn't dressed like one." - -"Why didn't you report him?" demanded Dick. - -"Oh, everybody was a-havin' seech a good time I didn't want to bother -you. I watched the fellow until he was away down the road." - -"How was he dressed and how did he look in the face?" - -As well as he was able the hired man described the individual he had -seen. The clothing counted for nothing, but the face and manner of the -person tallied with that of Tad Sobber. - -"I guess it was Sobber right enough," was Tom's comment. "We ought to let -dad know about this." - -"We will let him know--first thing tomorrow morning," answered Dick. - -All waited impatiently for some word from Mr. Rover, but none came in -until eight o'clock the next morning. Then the telegram was very brief, -reading as follows: - - "Bad mix-up, money all gone. Better come on and help in investigation." - -"Too bad!" groaned Dick. "I am going to start for Cedarville by the first -train." - -"So am I," added Tom. - -"And I," came from Sam. - -Then of a sudden all three lads looked at Fred and Hans. - -"Don't you mind me at all," cried Fred. "I'll go with you--as far as -Marville." - -"And I go so far as Ithaca," added Hans. "Py chiminy! I hopes you cotch -dot rascal, Tad Sobber alretty quick!" - -"So do I hope we catch him," answered Dick. - -The Rover boys were so used to traveling that getting ready did not -bother them. They knew they could catch a train for Ithaca in two hours -and so lost no time in packing their dress-suit cases. - -"We'll go to the depot in the auto," said Dick. "Frank Rand can bring the -machine back here." And so it was arranged, Rand being an automobile -owner living at the Run. - -"Oh, boys, I do hope you will take care of yourselves!" cried Aunt -Martha, when they were ready to leave. - -"Don't worry, Aunty, we'll do that!" cried Sam. - -"Here is something to remember me by!" added Tom, and gave her a warm hug -and a kiss. Then the others kissed her, and gave a handshake to Uncle -Randolph. - -Dick brought the automobile out, and in all of the lads piled and Aleck -Pop lifted in the dress-suit cases and Hans' bundle. The power was turned -on, and off the touring car moved. - -"Good-bye!" was the cry from the boys. - -"Don't forget to let us know what is happening!" called out Randolph -Rover. "And if you need me, don't hesitate to send for me." - -Dick turned on more gasolene and advanced the spark, and soon the big -touring car was shooting along the country road at a speed of twenty-five -miles an hour. They had plenty of time to make the train, but the Rovers -were impatient to get to Oak Run, to send a message to their parent, -advising him of their coming. - -Through the village of Dexter's Corners they dashed, around a corner, and -then straight for the bridge spanning Swift River. A farm wagon was -making for the bridge from the opposite shore, and there was not room for -both vehicles to pass on the bridge. - -"Better slow up and wait, Dick!" cautioned Sam, but instead, Dick turned -on more power, and away they sailed over the bridge like the wind, and -past the farm wagon. - -"Phew! that's going some!" cried Fred. "I don't know as I would have -nerve to run a car like that!" - -"Oh, Dick's a dandy driver," answered Tom, enthusiastically. - -Arriving at the station, they went to the telegraph office and asked for -messages, and found none. Then word was sent to Anderson Rover at -Cedarville. After that the automobile was turned over to Frank Rand, who -agreed to take it back to Valley Brook farm that afternoon. - -"Off ag'in, eh?" said Ricks, when they bought their tickets. "I don't see -why you boys can't settle down fer awhile." - -"Smoking any cigars now, Mr. Ricks." asked Tom, dryly. - -"If I am, 'tain't none o' your business!" snapped the old station agent. - -"I just heard of a new cure for smoker's jim-jams," went on the -fun-loving youth. "You take a squash and boil it in lard, and then cut it -into thin slices, and----" - -"I don't want none o' your cures!" roared Mr. Ricks savagely. "I ain't -got no smoker's jim-jams, nor nuthin'. I----" - -"But you saw things, Mr. Ricks, you said you did. Worms, and snakes, and -strange things----" - -"I didn't! I didn't!" howled the old station agent, growing red in the -face. "Now you shet up, do you hear? The boys has been pokin' fun enough -at me as it is! Everywhere I go they ask me about my smokin'! I'm sick o' -hearin' about it, an' I ain't goin' to stand it, I ain't!" And he shook -his fist in Tom's face. - -"Sorry you feel so bad about it, Mr. Ricks," said Tom coolly. "I only -wanted to do you a favor. Now this squash cure is warranted to----" - -"Didn't I tell you I don't want to hear about it!" shrilled the station -agent. "You mind your business, Tom Rover! I know you! Some day I'll fix -you, yes, I will!" - -"Oh, Mr. Ricks, I only want to be of service. Now, if you will only -listen. This squash cure is warranted----" - -"Stuff and nonsense! I won't listen, do you hear? I won't listen!" The -station agent was fairly dancing up and down. "I--I--There's the train. -Go on with you, and good riddance!" - -"Oh, Tom, you'll be the death of Ricks!" laughed Sam, as all of the lads -climbed up the steps of the cars. - -"Not much! Nothing like that will ever kill him," answered the fun-loving -Rover. "He's too tough!" - -"He'll get even with you some day," said Dick. - -"Let him--I'm willing," answered Tom, calmly. He was so fair-minded that -he was willing to take as well as give, when it came to practical jokes. - -The train rolled on, and for the time being the boys had little to do but -talk over the situation. At a junction point Fred left them. He promised -to write and asked them to send him the particulars of what they did. - -Just before Ithaca was reached, the train was delayed. As a consequence -they missed the last boat for Cedarville that night. - -"That's too bad," said Dick. "Now we won't be able to get to the Stanhope -place until eleven o'clock tomorrow morning." - -"Well, we can send a telegram to dad at Cedarville," said Sam. "And maybe -we can telephone," he added. - -At Ithaca Hans left them. - -"I keeps mine eyes open for dot Dad Sobber," said he. "Of I finds him I -let you know." - -"That's the talk, Hans!" cried Tom. "You play detective and some day -perhaps you'll win a great big leather medal." - -"Yah, dot's so," answered the German youth, complacently. - -At the telegraph office they sent a message to their father, who had -engaged a room at the new Cedarville Hotel. They mentioned that they -would go to the Axtell House in Ithaca, and asked him to communicate with -them there by telephone. - -At the Axtell House a surprise awaited them. Seated in the reading room -they found Dan Baxter, the one-time bully of Putnam Hall, but who had -reformed and who was now a commercial traveler for a large jewelry -concern. - -"Why, Dan, you here!" cried Dick, as Baxter, on seeing them, rushed up to -shake hands. - -"I am," returned the young commercial traveler. "But I didn't think to -have the pleasure of seeing you," he added. "Thought you'd be off on a -summer vacation somewhere." - -"We were off camping, but we came this way on business," answered Sam. -"How have you been?" - -"First-rate. Don't I look it?" and Dan Baxter smiled openly. - -"You certainly do," put in Tom. "Traveling must agree with you." - -"It does." - -"And business is good?" asked Dick. - -"The best ever. And what is more to the point, I've had a raise in -salary." - -"You mean the one you mentioned when you met us at Ashton," said Tom. - -"No, another one. You see, a rival firm made me an offer. My firm heard -of it, and they at once came to me, and told me I mustn't think of -leaving--and then they tacked another five dollars per week on my -salary," and Dan Baxter's eyes beamed. - -"Good!" cried Dick. "Stick to it, Dan, and some day you'll be a member of -the firm." - -"That is what I am working for. Going to stay here over night?" - -"Yes." - -"Good enough. We can talk things over. I was rather lonely--not having a -soul to talk to. And by the way, whom do you think was here some days -ago?" - -"Tad Sobber?" questioned Dick, quickly. - -"Why--er--yes--he was here. But I wasn't thinking of him when I spoke." - -"Who were you thinking of?" asked Tom. - -"Old Josiah Crabtree. He is out of prison, you know, and he heard I was -stopping here, and he came to see me." - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - DAN BAXTER'S REVELATION - - -The announcement that Josiah Crabtree had come to see Dan Baxter filled -the Rover boys with interest. - -"Did he have much to say?" asked Dick. - -"He had a great deal to say," answered Dan. He looked around at several -who had entered the reading room "Come up to my room and I'll tell you -all about it." - -"We will--after we have notified the clerk where we will be," said Dick. -"We are waiting for a message from our father." - -The boys engaged their rooms and had their dress-suit cases taken up. A -few minutes later the whole crowd entered the apartment Dan Baxter -occupied. They noticed that it was well-kept and that on the bureau -rested a photograph of Dan's father. - -"How is he, Dan?" asked Dick, motioning to the picture. - -"Fairly well. He is getting old, you know." - -"When you see him next, give him our regards." - -"I will," answered Dan, and then he motioned the Rovers to seats and sank -down on the edge of the bed with something of a sigh. In spite of his -success as a commercial traveler Dan could not help but think of his own -past and of his father's past. How his father might have prospered, even -as the Rovers had prospered, had he followed the path of fairness and -honor! He had reformed now, but this reform had come too late in life to -enable him to make another start in the business world. Dan was -supporting him, and father and son were glad enough to have the Rovers -drop their many just causes of complaint against them. - -"I can tell you I was much surprised to see Josiah Crabtree," said Dan, -after a pause. "I ask him how he happened to be out of prison, and he -said he was let go because of his good behavior." - -"That would make me laugh," interrupted Tom. "Think of old Crabtree on -his good behavior!" - -"He said he had been following me up for nearly a week," pursued Dan, and -then he paused and his face grew red. - -"Following you up?" cried Sam. "What for?" - -"Well--er--I might as well make a clean breast of it, fellows--although I -hope you will keep it to yourselves. You'll remember how thick Crabtree -and I once were?" - -"Yes," answered all of the Rovers in a low tone. They could realize how -painful the remembrance of it must be to Dan, now. - -"Well, he had an idea that I was the same old Dan and ready for new -schemes for making money. He had a scheme, and he wanted me to help him -work it." - -"What was it?" asked Dick. - -"Well, you'll remember that he was always crazy after Mrs. Stanhope." - -"He was crazy after her money, and Dora's money." - -"Exactly. Well, he wanted me to help him in a scheme against Mrs. -Stanhope--the same old scheme he tried years ago. He wanted to get her in -his power and force her to marry him." - -"What! Marry that jailbird!" cried Dick, and his eyes flashed fire. "What -a father-in-law Josiah Crabtree would make!" - -"That's it, Dick. He talked around the bush a good deal at first, and I -led him on, wanting to know what he had up his sleeve. He talked about -his affinity and all that, and said that Mrs. Stanhope really wanted to -marry him--that she had said so a score of times----" - -"The scoundrel! He tried to hypnotize her!" - -"I know all that as well as you do, Dick. Well, he said she wanted to -marry him, but that her daughter wouldn't let her, being influenced by -you and the Lanings. He wanted me to aid him in getting Mrs. Stanhope -away from Cedarville, and he said that as soon as they were married he -would give me five thousand dollars for helping him to get her." - -"Dan!" - -"It is true, every word of it. I pumped him all I could, just to get the -details of his plot. But he wouldn't give me the details--in fact, I -don't think he had the details worked out. When, at last, I flatly -refused to assist him he went off the maddest man you ever saw. He warned -me not to say a word to anybody, stating that if I did, he would put the -police on my track on some old charge. But I made up my mind that I would -write to you, and I'd write to Mr. Laning, too--he being Mrs. Stanhope's -near relative." - -"Where did he go to?" asked Sam. - -"I didn't see him the next day, until late in the evening. Then I was -over to Grapeton, to see a jeweler there, and when I was coming away an -automobile passed me driven by a fellow in a regular chauffeur's costume. -On the back seat was Crabtree and a fellow who used to go to Putnam -Hall--the fellow who tried to do the Stanhopes out of that fortune in -court, Tad Sobber." - -"Sobber and Crabtree!" burst out Dick. "They surely must be together in -this deal!" - -"It certainly looks like it," added Tom. - -"I guess Crabtree is bound to have a part of the fortune, even if he -can't marry Mrs. Stanhope," said Sam. - -"Is Sobber after that fortune again?" questioned the young commercial -traveler. - -"We are afraid he already has it in his possession," answered Dick. "Now -that you have been kind enough to tell your story, Dan, we'll tell ours." -And he related the particulars of what had brought them away from the -camp at the lake. - -"I guess they are both after that fortune," said Dan, after listening to -the recital. "It seems to me it all fits in. Sobber wanted to get hold of -that cash. He couldn't do it by force, so he had to use cunning. He is -not an overly-brilliant fellow, I take it, so he had to get somebody to -aid him. In some manner he fell in with Josiah Crabtree. He knew that -Crabtree was as smart as he was unprincipled. The two fixed up the plot -to get the fortune--and got it." - -"I hope they haven't got Mrs. Stanhope, too," murmured Dick. - -"I think Crabtree would rather have the money than have the lady," said -Dan. - -"Well, we'll know all about the case tomorrow," said Sam. "I am dead -tired now and am going to bed," he added, looking at his watch. - -"What time is it?" - -"Quarter to twelve." - -"Gracious, Dan, I didn't think we were keeping you up so late!" cried the -eldest Rover boy. - -"Oh, that's all right, Dick. I'm glad you came--it saved me the trouble -of sending that letter." - -"You can go to bed," went on Dick, to his brothers. "I'll stay up a bit -longer and see if any message comes from dad." - -The Rovers left Dan Baxter's apartment, and Sam and Tom retired, both -worn out from their day's exertions. Dick went below, to interview the -hotel clerk. - -"No message yet, sir," said that individual. "If any comes in I will call -you." - -Dick was about to turn away, when the telephone bell rang. He waited -while the clerk listened for a moment. - -"Yes, he's here now," he heard the clerk say. "Wait a moment." The clerk -turned to Dick. "There's your party now. I'll switch you into the booth -yonder." - -Trembling with anticipation, Dick hurried to the booth, shut the door and -took up the telephone receiver. The wire was buzzing, but presently he -made out his father's voice. - -"Is that you, Dick?" - -"Yes, Dad. Where are you?" - -"At the hotel in Cedarville. I just got here a few minutes ago from a run -across the lake." - -"Across the lake? What for? Did you go after the fortune?" - -"No, I went after Mrs. Stanhope." - -"Then she is--is gone?" faltered Dick. He could scarcely speak the words. - -"Yes. But how did you guess it?" And Anderson Rover's tones showed his -surprise. - -"Tell me first where she went, and how?" demanded Dick, impatiently. - -"We don't know how she went, or just when. It is most mysterious all the -way through. Dora is nearly frantic, for she did not know her mother was -going. We followed her up and learned that she had crossed the lake in -company with some man who wore a heavy, black beard and dark goggles." - -"It must have been Josiah Crabtree," cried Dick, and then, in as few -words as possible, he told of the meeting with Dan Baxter and what the -young commercial traveler had revealed. - -"Yes! yes! that must be the truth of it!" said Anderson Rover. "And -Crabtree must have been the one who aided in getting the fortune from the -bank where it was being kept." - -"Never mind the money, dad, just now. Tell me about Mrs. Stanhope." - -"I can't tell you any more, Dick. I went across the lake in a launch, but -I could get no trace of her on the other side. Now I am going back to the -Stanhope house, and send Dora over to the Lanings. I want you to come up -here the first thing in the morning," added Mr. Rover. - -"I'll be up, and so will Sam and Tom," answered Dick, and then after a -few words more the telephone talk came to an end. - -Dick slept but little that night. His one thought was of Mrs. Stanhope. -What had become of her? Was it possible that Josiah Crabtree had in some -way used his sinister influence to get her to leave her home, and would -he be able to hypnotize her into marrying him? - -"If he does that it will break Dora's heart!" he groaned. "Oh, it's an -outrage! We don't want such a scoundrel in the family!" And he grated his -teeth in just indignation. - -The first boat for Cedarville left directly after the breakfast hour. The -Rovers dined with Dan Baxter and then bade the young commercial traveler -good-bye. - -"I'll keep my eyes open for Crabtree and Sobber," said Dan. "And if I see -either of 'em I'll let you know at once." - -"Do," said Dick. "Send word instantly--at my expense." - -The boys boarded the same little steamer, the Golden Star, which had -first taken them up Cayuga Lake, when on their way to become pupils at -Putnam Hall. The captain remembered them and spoke to them cordially. But -none of the lads was in the humor of talking to outsiders. - -As soon as Cedarville was reached they rushed ashore at the well-known -dock. They were going to look around for a public carriage to take them -to the Stanhope residence, some distance away, when a voice hailed them. - -"Why, boys, I am glad to see you!" came in hearty tones, and the next -instant they were shaking hands with Captain Putnam, the owner of the -school which they had attended so many years. - -"We are sorry, Captain, that we can't stop to talk," said Dick, "but we -are in a tremendous hurry." - -"Yes, and I know why," answered the owner of the school. "I met your -father yesterday. Want to go to the Stanhope place?" - -"Yes." - -"Then come with me. I have my carriage here, and my best team, and I'll -take pleasure in driving you there." - -"You are very kind," answered Tom. "My! I almost feel as if I was going -back to the school!" - -"I'd be glad to have you back, Thomas." - -"In spite of my pranks, Captain?" and Tom grinned. - -"Yes, in spite of your pranks," answered Captain Putnam, promptly. - -"And to think we are after Josiah Crabtree!" murmured Sam. "How time -changes things!" - -"I trust you catch him, and catch that Tad Sobber, too," answered Captain -Putnam, gravely. - -The team was a spirited one, and the captain knew well how to handle -them. Away they flew, through the village and then out on the smooth road -leading to the Stanhope place. Dick relapsed into silence. He was -thinking of Dora and of the girl's missing mother. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - A FORTUNE AND A LADY DISAPPEAR - - -"And that's all I know about it, Dick." - -It was Dora who was speaking. She was seated on the sofa with Dick beside -her. She had been telling her story and weeping copiously at the same -time. He had listened with great interest, and had comforted her all he -could. Tom and Sam had gone off with Mr. Rover, to the Laning place, to -interview Mr. Laning and his wife and see if they could throw any -additional light on the mystery. - -What Dora had to tell was not much, and it simply supplemented the story -Mr. Rover had already related to his sons. - -One day a strange messenger had appeared at the Stanhope house with a -letter for Mrs. Stanhope. The communication was very brief and asked the -lady to get the fortune from the trust company that was holding it and -take it to Ithaca and there meet Mr. Rover. She was to do this in secret, -for, as the letter said, Mr. Rover "wanted to make an investment of great -importance, but one which must be kept from the general public, or the -chance to buy stock at a low price would be lost." The communication had -been signed in the name of the Rover boys' father. - -Rather ignorant of business affairs, Mrs. Stanhope had taken the first -boat she could get for Ithaca and gone to the trust company and gotten -from her private box the whole fortune--her own share and also that of -the Lanings. There she had gone to the office of the Adrell Lumber -Company, where, so the letter stated, Mr. Rover was to meet her. - -The Adrell company's office proved to be a small affair on a side street, -and on entering Mrs. Stanhope had met the messenger who had delivered the -letter to her the day before. He had said that Mr. Rover was expected -every minute and had requested her to sit down. - -While the lady was waiting, with the fortune in her valise, a telephone -had rung and the man in the office had gone to answer the call. He said -Mr. Rover wished to speak to her. She had answered the telephone, and -someone had spoken to her in a voice she believed to be Anderson Rover's. -The party at the other end of the wire had said he was then dickering for -some valuable mining shares owned by a rich old man, and said the shares -would surely go up to double value inside of a month. - -"I can't leave the old man," came over the wire. "Is Mr. Barker there?" - -The man in the office had said he was Mr. Barker, and then the man on the -wire had vouchsafed the additional information to Mrs. Stanhope that he -was an old friend and perfectly trustworthy. Then Mrs. Stanhope had been -requested to turn the fortune over to Mr. Barker, who would deliver it to -Mr. Rover without delay. - -Thinking that all was fair and square, Mrs. Stanhope had delivered the -valise to the man, who had gone off with it immediately. He had told her -to go home and Mr. Rover would send her word before night about what he -had done. - -She had returned to Cedarville and to her home and there she had waited -patiently to hear from Anderson Rover. No message coming for her, she had -at last grown suspicious and sent word to the hotel at which the Rover -boys' father was supposed to be stopping. On receiving a reply that he -was not there, and had not been there, she grew more alarmed than ever, -and then sent the message to Oak Run which so mystified all of the -Rovers. - -"We have learned that the Adrell Lumber Company went out of business -several months ago," explained Dora. "The old signs were left up and the -office was rented temporarily to a man who said he wanted to use it for -storage purposes." - -"And it was rented that way just to fool your mother," returned Dick. - -On learning the truth Mrs. Stanhope had been all but overcome. She had -sent word to Mr. Laning, but he could not come, having hurt his ankle as -already mentioned. - -Then, while Dora and her mother were in the house alone, another message -had come. It was signed Tad Sobber, and stated that Sobber had the -fortune and would return the greater portion of it provided Mrs. Stanhope -would allow him to keep ten thousand dollars and promise not to prosecute -him. If she agreed to this, she was to meet a certain man in Cedarville, -who would take her across the lake, where she could meet Sobber and get -back her valise with her precious belongings. She was particularly -cautioned to come alone--otherwise the fortune would not be returned. - -"And she went across the lake, and that is the last seen or heard of -her," said Dora, and then she burst into fresh tears. - -"Have you seen anything lately of Josiah Crabtree?" questioned Dick. - -"No, but mamma got a long letter from him, in which he said he loved her -more than ever and that she had better make up her mind to marry him. The -letter was so sickening mamma tore it up and put it in the stove." - -"Dora, I hate to alarm you more, but I think Crabtree had something to do -with getting your mother to cross the lake." - -"What makes you say that, Dick?" she demanded, with a new fear coming -into her face. - -"I'll tell you," he answered, and then related the particulars of the -meeting with Dan Baxter. When he concluded her face was very pale and her -hands icy cold. - -"Oh, Dick, would that--that monster carry her off and--and force mamma to -marry him!" she moaned. - -"I can't answer that, Dora. But you'll remember what a strange influence -Crabtree used to exercise over her." - -"Yes! yes! But mamma was sickly then and her mind was weak. Now she is -much stronger." - -"I think Crabtree is something of a hypnotist and mesmerist, and there is -no telling what such a rascal will do when he sets out for it. He wants -that fortune just as much as Sobber wants it. I think they are working -this game between them." - -"But why would they take mamma away after they had the fortune?" - -"Because the fortune is not all in gold. There is some very rare jewelry -and precious stones. The thieves would have trouble in disposing of those -things unless they had some semblance of a legal right to do so. If Mr. -Crabtree was your mother's husband he could take the jewelry and precious -stones and sell them, and nobody would prosecute him." - -"Oh, Dick, what shall I do?" - -"I don't know that you can do anything, Dora. My advice is, that you go -over and stay with the Lanings, and let us try to solve this mystery. -We'll do all we can, and we'll make the authorities do all they can, -too." - -"The Cedarville police are of no account--in a matter of such -importance." - -"I know that. Father sent to New York for a couple of first-class -detectives. Perhaps they'll be able to get on the trail quicker than any -of us realize." But though Dick spoke thus it was more to allay Dora's -anxiety than through any faith in what the sleuths of the law might be -able to accomplish. - -The matter was talked over a little longer, and then Dora dressed and -packed her suit-case and announced herself ready to go to the Laning -farm, located some distance away. Dick drove her over. They found the -whole household in excitement over what had occurred. - -"I declare, that fortune has brought nothing but trouble from the start," -said Mrs. Laning, with a deep sigh. "Sometimes I wish we had never heard -of it!" - -"I shouldn't care so much for the fortune, if only I knew mamma was -safe!" answered Dora. - -"I am going down to Cedarville and see if I can't get on the trail of the -party who took your mother across the lake," said Dick. - -"And I'll go along," came from Tom. - -"So will I," added Sam. - -"I am going to Ithaca, to look into that lumber office business," said -Mr. Rover. "I want to get a good description of the fellow who got that -valise with the fortune." In his excitement he did not think of his -injured knee. - -All drove to Cedarville, and there Mr. Rover took the boat down Lake -Cayuga. The boys walked along the docks, looking for a man named Belcher, -who rented out small boats. They found the fellow at a boathouse, putting -a new seat in a rowboat. - -"Do you know anything of this affair?" asked Dick, after he had learned -how the news of Mrs. Stanhope's disappearance, and the disappearance of -the fortune, had spread. - -"I was just thinking I might know something," answered Caleb Belcher, -slowly. He was known to be a man who never hurried. - -"What?" asked the three Rovers, eagerly. - -"Well----" The boatman slowly shifted his quid of tobacco from one side -of his mouth to the other. "I was thinking I might know a little." - -"But what? Tell us, man!" cried Dick. "Don't keep us waiting." - -"It ain't much," was the slow reply. "I was out rowing, you -understand--coming from the Point to Harden's dock, when I see a boat I -didn't know, moving across the lake." - -"Yes," said Sam, impatiently. - -"She put across the lake, and she had two men and a woman in her. The -woman wore a dark dress and a dark veil." - -"It must have been Mrs. Stanhope!" cried Dick. "When was this?" - -"About the same time they say the lady disappeared." - -"Where did the boat go to?" asked Tom. - -"Well, I was kind of curious to know whose boat it was, so I watched -pretty closely, and she went in over there," and the old boatman pointed -with his hand to a spot on the opposite shore where there was a tall rock -and a fair-sized cove. - -"Take us over there at once and I'll pay you well," said Dick. "Get out -two pairs of oars, and we'll help you to row." - -Slow though he was, Caleb Belcher was always anxious to earn money, and -soon a rowboat was gotten ready and the three Rover boys sprang in. The -old boatman followed, and the craft was headed across the lake. - -"Who lives near that spot?" questioned Dick, as they swept over the calm -bosom of the lake. - -"Tony Carew's farm isn't far off," answered the old boatman. - -"Anybody else?" - -"Not that I know of." - -"Do you know this Tony Carew." - -"Guess I do--we went to school together, and licked each other more'n a -dozen times," and Caleb Belcher chuckled over the recollection. - -"All right, show us to his place," said Dick. - -As soon as the shore was reached all sprang out of the boat, which was -tied to a bush growing nearby. Then Caleb Belcher led the way along a -trail that was rather rough. Presently they came to a road and on it an -old farmhouse. - -"There is Tony Carew now," said Belcher, and pointed to an old man who -sat on a bench, smoking. - -"I didn't have nuthin' to do with it--you can't mix me up in it!" cried -Tony Carew, as soon as Dick stated the object of his visit. "I didn't -tech the lady!" And he bobbed his head vigorously. Evidently he was a man -easily scared. - -"I want to learn if you know anything about it," returned Dick, sternly. -"If you do, tell me." - -"I didn't tech the lady! I wouldn't tech nobuddy!" howled Tony Carew. - -"Did you see her and the men?" - -"Yes--but I didn't tech nobuddy, I tell you. I stayed in the barn." - -"But you saw her!" cried Dick. "Where did she go? Or where did those men -take her?" - -"The hull crowd got in a carriage wot was waitin' down the road." - -"Whose carriage?" - -"I dunno. They had a white hoss an' a black hoss, an' the carriage had -the top kinder torn." - -"Who was driving?" - -"A man with a linen duster, an' a cap pulled away down over his face." - -"Which way did they go?" - -"That way," answered Tony Carew, and pointed to a side road leading -eastward. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - ON THE WAY TO BOSTON - - -The Rover boys gazed down the road with interest. It ran between a number -of tall trees, and looked to be lonely in the extreme. - -"Where does it lead to?" asked Sam. - -"It's an old road, running to Shaville," answered Tony Carew. "It ain't -hardly used any more." - -"And that is why those rascals took it," answered Dick. "They wanted to -keep in the dark as much as possible. How far to Shaville?" - -"'Bout two miles." - -"Can you take us over in a carriage? We'll pay you, of course." - -"To be sure! But, say, honestly, I didn't have nuthin' to do with -carryin' her off!" cried the old farmer. - -"I believe you," answered Dick. "But it's a pity you didn't report what -you knew to the Cedarville police." - -"I didn't want to git in no trouble." - -"Want me any more?" asked Caleb Belcher. - -"We may want you," answered Dick. "Stay here for a couple of hours, -anyway." - -"My price is twenty-five cents an hour." - -"All right--and there's a dollar on account," and Dick passed the money -over. - -A fairly good horse and wagon were brought from the barn, and the boys -and Tony Carew got in. Then the horse was urged forward, and over the -uneven road they bumped, in the direction of the village of Shaville, a -sleepy community, with one store, a blacksmith shop, a church, and about -a dozen cottages. - -When Shaville was reached the boys commenced a diligent search for some -news concerning the carriage with the white and the black horse and the -dilapidated top. At first they could find nobody who had seen such a -turnout, but presently they met a tramp whom Sam stopped, and he gave -them news that was surprising. - -"I see 'em!" cried the tramp. "Say, boss, give me a dollar an' I'll tell -you all I know." - -"You'll tell all you know without the dollar!" cried Dick, and grabbed -the knight of the road by the collar. "Come now, tell me, quick!" - -"Don't hurt me!" yelled the tramp. "I was only foolin'. Course I'll tell -you." - -He was subjected to close questioning, and from him it was learned that -the carriage with the three men and the lady had passed through Shaville -and turned towards Latown. The lady had tried to jump from the carriage -just while it was passing the tramp, but the men had held her back. He -had heard the men mention Latown, and also speak of an automobile. - -"One feller was an old gent, who looked like a perfesser," said the -tramp. - -"That must have been Crabtree," said Tom. - -"Can it be that they were going to leave the carriage and take to an auto -at Latown?" came from Sam. - -"Perhaps," answered Dick. "If they did take to an auto it will be mighty -hard to find them." - -Tossing the tramp a quarter, they went on their way, and presently -reached Latown, and there hurried to the only garage the place possessed. -There they learned that the garage owner had rented a touring car out -several days before and it had not yet been returned. - -"The fellow who rented it was to pay me ten dollars a day, but I didn't -think he'd keep it so long," said the man. "He gave me his card." - -"Why, it is my card!" ejaculated Dick, on glancing at the pasteboard. -"The nerve of him! Of course it was Sobber--or one of his cronies." - -It was not until nightfall that the boys learned what had become of the -touring car. Then they found a boy who had seen the car, with three men -and two women in it, speeding towards the Albany road. This lad took them -to the very spot where he had seen the car. - -"One of the ladies was terribly excited," said the lad. "When she saw me, -she shouted something and then threw one of her hair combs at me. Here is -the comb now." - -"It must be Mrs. Stanhope's," was Dick's comment. "She wanted it to be -used to trace her by." - -"It is hers," said Sam. "I remember, she had a pair of them." - -"What did she shout?" asked Dick. - -"I couldn't make out, exactly. It sounded like Boston--but I ain't sure." - -"Boston?" repeated Dick. "Oh, it can't be! That is too far away." - -"They might be headed for Boston. There is a fine road for autos from -Albany to the Hub--the old post-road," said Tom. - -"I'll telephone along the line and try to find out where they went," -answered Dick. - -It was not until the next day that word came in from Albany that the -automobile had been seen in that city. It had stopped at a garage to have -a tire fixed. No one was in it at the time but a young man. He appeared -to be in a great hurry, and had paid well for a rapid repair. - -From Albany the auto was traced across the Hudson river and to North -Adams. But that was the last heard of it. - -"I am going to North Adams," said Dick. - -"It looks as if they did really go to Boston," said Tom. - -"Well, they could make the run in a day if they tried real hard. The -distance is only about a hundred and fifty miles." - -All of the boys resolved to go to North Adams, and sent word to -Cedarville to that effect. In return came a telegram from Mr. Rover, -reading as follows: - - "Run them down if you possibly can. Do not spare expense." - -"As if I would spare any expense!" murmured Dick. "I'd give all I possess -to put Mrs. Stanhope back in her home, and put Josiah Crabtree back in -prison!" - -"And put Sobber in prison, too," added Tom. - -In North Adams the lads quite unexpectedly ran into Spud Jackson, who had -been spending a few weeks with some relatives in the Berkshires. Spud was -immediately interested in what the Rovers had to tell and proposed -something that met with immediate approval. - -"My uncle Dan has got a dandy car--fast as they make 'em," said Spud. -"Can go about a hundred miles an hour, I guess. Well, he lets me run it -whenever I want to. Say the word and we'll start for Boston tomorrow, and -make inquiries all along the road." - -"Can you have the use of the car, Spud?" asked Sam. - -"Positively. Uncle Dan said I could make a tour of the White Mountains if -I wished, but I don't care for the scenery much--too much of it, I guess. -But going to Boston, to catch those rascals, would hit me plumb." - -So it was arranged that they should start eastward in the morning, and in -the meantime Dick and his brothers sent out more messages. - -"Who do you think the other woman in that touring car can be?" asked Sam. - -"I don't know, Sam," answered his eldest brother. "Perhaps some -unscrupulous party who was hired by Crabtree to look after Mrs. -Stanhope." - -"Dad said he had heard that Sobber got his money to go to court from a -woman who was his great aunt." - -"Well, she may be the one--most likely she is. I am only afraid of one -thing." - -"What's that?" asked Tom. - -"That by some means old Crabtree will force Mrs. Stanhope to marry him -before we can rescue her." - -"I wonder why she doesn't try to run away," came from Sam. - -"Probably she has tried, Sam; but they watch her too closely." - -"If they went to Boston, what will they do there?" queried Tom. - -"I don't know--maybe take a liner for Europe, or to some other part of -the earth. You must remember, they are playing for a big stake." - -The touring car that Spud brought around the next morning was certainly -an elegant affair. It seated five and was of sixty-horse power. Spud -quickly demonstrated that he knew how to run the machine, so Dick did not -offer to do so. - -"Now you do the bossing," said Spud. "I'll run her anywhere you please, -even if you want to go to the top of Mount Washington." - -"We are going after that other auto, that's all," answered Dick, grimly. - -The weather was ideal for touring and had they not been under such a -mental strain the Rover boys would have enjoyed riding greatly. But they -could think of nothing but Mrs. Stanhope and the missing fortune. - -"I suppose Dora is waiting every hour to hear from us," said Dick. - -"Yes, and the Lanings are waiting, too," added Tom. - -"And dad, and the folks at home," supplemented Sam. - -They had sent a number of messages to Cedarville and now sent another, -telling of their plans, and mentioning some towns at which they expected -to stop. To this message no answer was returned until they reached -Worcester, on the afternoon of the following day. - -"Hello, here's news!" cried Dick. "Say, we want to get to Boston just as -soon as we can!" - -"What is it?" asked the others, quickly. - -"Father has received a postal card, mailed from Boston. It is signed by -Mrs. Stanhope, and asked for help." - -"Does she give any address?" asked Tom. - -"He says all there is of the address is 234 Carm. He says the rest is -rubbed out." - -"Maybe we can find out in a directory what Carm stands for," suggested -Spud. - -"Exactly, Spud. Say, will you get us to Boston just as soon as possible?" - -"I sure will." - -"How far is it?" - -"About thirty-five miles." - -"Then you can make it in an hour." - -"Yes, if----" And Spud closed one eye suggestively. - -"If what?" - -"If they don't arrest us for speeding. It's against the law to run fast, -you know." - -"Oh, well, we'll have to take a chance," declared Tom. "It's a case of -necessity." - -As soon as they were outside of the city limits, Spud turned on the -gasolene and advanced the spark, until the touring car was making forty -and then forty-five miles per hour. On they tore, through Westboro and -other places, and then on towards Wellesley. - -"Look out, here, that you don't run down any college girls!" warned Dick, -as they came in sight of Wellesley College. - -"Oh, I wouldn't run down any girls for the world!" answered Spud, as he -slowed down a bit. Soon the main street of Wellesley was left behind and -on they sped for Newton and the Hub. - -"Hi! hi!" came a sudden call from the roadway, and a policeman appeared, -waving his hand frantically. - -"Sorry, but we can't stop to talk!" flung back Spud, and in a minute the -officer of the law became a mere speck in the distance. He had not gotten -their number, so could do nothing. - -They were just entering Boston proper when a loud report came from one of -the rear tires. The car swerved to one side, and Spud had all he could do -to keep it from going into a hitching post. Then he shut off the power. - -"A blow-out!" announced Tom, as he leaped to the ground. - -"That ends running for the present," said Sam. - -"So it does," agreed Spud, mournfully. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - AN ADVENTURE IN BOSTON - - -The Rover boys looked at each other inquiringly. They wanted to go on, -but did not know what to do about the stalled automobile. - -"You go ahead," said Spud, reading their thoughts. "I'll fix the tire, or -have it done by some garage man, and I'll see you later." - -"Where?" asked Dick. - -"I'll go to the Parker House--that is where my uncle always goes," -answered Spud. - -"Very well--we'll call for you or send a message," said Tom. "Come on, -here is a trolley!" And he ran to stop the car. Soon he and his brothers -were on board and bound for the heart of the city. - -"Say, do you know any street in town that begins with Carm?" questioned -Dick, of the car conductor. - -"Carm?" repeated the man, slowly. "No, I don't. I don't believe there is -such a street." - -"Do you know the streets pretty well?" - -"I ought to--I drove an express wagon for four years." - -"That looks as if we were up against it," said Dick, to his brothers. - -"We'll go in a drug store and consult a city directory," answered Sam. -"He may think he knows all the streets, but every city has a lot of -places even the oldest inhabitant doesn't know." - -They rode on a few blocks further and then, seeing a large drug store, -alighted from the car and entered the place. A directory was handy, on a -stand, and they asked for permission to consult it. - -"Nothing like Carm here," said Tom, after they had looked at the -alphabetical list of streets. "We are stumped, sure enough." - -"Hello! I've got it--I think!" burst out Sam, so loudly that the -attention of several persons in the store was attracted to him. "Here is -a Varmolet street. Maybe Mrs. Stanhope only heard the name, and thought -it was Carmolet. She wrote that down, and the end became rubbed off." - -"You may be right, Sam," answered Dick. "Anyway, I guess your idea is -worth looking into. I wonder where Varmolet street is?" - -They made several inquiries, and at last learned that the street was a -narrow and exceedingly crooked affair about half a mile away. They -boarded another street car to visit the neighborhood. - -"Look who is here!" ejaculated Tom, as he and his brothers sat down. - -"Well, I never!" cried Sam. - -"Jerry Koswell and Bart Larkspur!" murmured Dick. - -It was indeed the two former students of Brill--the lads who had run away -after causing the Rovers and some others so much trouble. Both were -loudly dressed in summer outing flannels, and each carried an unlighted -cigarette in his hand. - -"Huh!" grunted Jerry Koswell, as he glared at the Rovers. "Where did you -come from?" - -"Perhaps we might ask the same question," returned Dick, coldly. - -This meeting was not at all to his taste, especially when he and his -brothers wished to turn their whole attention to locating Mrs. Stanhope -and her enemies. - -"Have you been following us?" demanded Bart Larkspur. - -"No, Larkspur, we have something of more importance to do," answered Tom. - -"Huh! you needn't get gay, Rover!" - -"I'll get gay if I wish," retorted Tom, sharply. - -"You had better not follow us," came in ugly tones from Jerry Koswell. -"If you do you'll get yourselves in hot water." - -"See here, Koswell, and you too, Larkspur," said Dick, in a low but -distinct tone. "We know all about what you did at Brill--and so do the -authorities know it. Just at present we haven't time to bother with you. -But some day we may get after you." - -"Bah! you can't scare me!" snorted Koswell. Yet his face showed that he -was disturbed. - -"Are you staying in Boston?" asked Sam, somewhat curiously. - -"No, we are bound for a trip up the coast to----" - -"Shut up, Jerry, don't tell 'em where we are going," interrupted -Larkspur. "It's none of their business." - -"Some day we'll get after you," said Dick. "Now we've got to leave you," -he added, as the car conductor called out the name of Varmolet street, as -Dick had requested him to do. - -"You keep your distance!" shouted Koswell after the Rover boys. - -"We are not afraid of you!" added Larkspur, and then the car went on -again, and the two former students of Brill were lost to view. - -"They are off on some kind of a trip," said Sam. "Evidently they have -quite some money." - -"More money than brains," returned Tom, bluntly. "If their folks don't -take 'em in hand, they'll both end up in prison some day." - -"Koswell mentioned a trip up the coast," said Dick. "They must be going -up to Portland and Casco Bay, or further." - -"I'd like to go to Casco Bay myself," said Sam. "It's a beautiful spot, -with its islands. Tom Favor was telling me all about it. He spent three -summers there." - -They had alighted at the corner of Varmolet street and now started to -look for No. 234. They had to walk two blocks, past houses that were -disreputable in the extreme. - -"I don't like the look of this neighborhood," remarked Sam, as they -hurried along. "I'd hate to visit it after dark." - -"Think of what Mrs. Stanhope must be suffering, if they brought her to -such a spot," returned Dick, and could not help shuddering. - -Presently they reached No. 234, an old three-storied house, with a dingy -front porch, and with solid wooden shutters, the majority of which were -tightly closed. Not a soul was in sight around the place. - -"Don't ring any bell," warned Sam. "If those rascals are here they may -take the alarm and skip out." - -"There isn't any bell to ring," answered Tom, grimly. "There was once an -old-fashioned knocker, but it has been broken off." - -"I think one of us ought to try to get around to the back," said Dick. -"If those rascals are here they may try to escape that way." - -"That is true," returned Tom. "But let us make sure first that we have -the right place. The folks living here may be all-right people, and -they'd think it strange to see us spying around." - -Dick looked up and down the street and saw a girl eight or nine years old -sitting on a porch some distance away, minding a baby. - -"Will you tell me who lives in that house?" he asked, of the girl. - -"Why, old Mr. Mason lives there," was the answer. - -"Mr. Mason?" - -"Yes. He's a very old man--'most ninety years old, so they say." - -"Does he live there alone?" - -"Yes--that is, all the rest of his family are dead. He has a housekeeper, -Mrs. Sobber." - -"Mrs. Sobber!" exclaimed Dick. - -"Yes, sir." - -"How old is she?" - -"Oh, I don't know--maybe forty or fifty. She's been Mr. Mason's -housekeeper for three or four years. If you call on her, you want to look -out. She don't buy from agents." - -"Why?" asked Dick, innocently. He did not mind that the little girl took -him to be an agent. - -"Oh, she is too sharp and miserly, I guess. She used to get me to do her -errands for her--but she never paid me even a cent for it." - -"Anybody else in the house?" - -"Not regular. Once in a while a young man comes to see Mrs. Sobber. He -ain't her son, but he's some kind of a relation. I think she's his aunt, -or great aunt." - -"Haven't you seen anybody else coming lately?" - -"I've been away lately--down to my grandfather's farm. I came back last -night. I wish I was back on the farm," added the little girl, wistfully. - -"Never mind, maybe you'll get back some day," said Dick, cheerily. -"Here's something for you," and he dropped a silver dime in her lap, -something that pleased her greatly. - -"It's the place!" cried the eldest Rover boy, on rejoining his brothers. -"An old man lives here, and a Mrs. Sobber is his housekeeper. She is some -relation to Tad, I feel sure. Maybe she is the one who advanced him some -money." - -"And maybe she is the woman seen in the auto with Mrs. Stanhope," added -Tom, quickly. - -"I shouldn't be surprised." - -"If you are sure of all this, hadn't we better notify the police?" came -from Sam. "Remember, we have not only Tad Sobber against us, but also old -Crabtree, and one or two unknown men. In a hand-to-hand fight we might -get the worst of it." - -"That's a good idea, Sam. Run up to the corner and see if you can find a -policeman," said Dick. - -"I guess I know how to get to the rear of that building," mused Tom. -"I'll go through that alleyway and jump the fences," and he pointed to an -alleyway several houses away. - -"All right, Tom. You do that, and I'll get in the front way somehow. I'm -not going to wait another minute. They may have seen us already, and be -getting out by some way of which we know nothing." - -Thus speaking, Dick mounted the porch and rapped loudly on the door with -his bare knuckles. Tom ran off and disappeared down the alleyway he had -pointed out. - -Dick listened and then rapped again, this time louder than before. Then -he heard a movement inside the house, but nobody came to answer his -summons. He tried the door, to find it locked. - -"Mrs. Sobber, who is that?" asked a trembling and high-pitched voice--the -voice of the old man who owned the building. - -"Oh, it's only a peddler; don't go to the door," answered a woman. - -"I am not a peddler!" cried Dick. "I have business in this house, and I -want to come in." - -"You go away, or I'll set the dog on you!" cried the woman, and now Dick -heard her moving around at the back of the hall. - -"Mrs. Sobber, I want you to open this door!" went on Dick, sharply. "If -you don't you'll get yourself into serious trouble." - -"Want to be bit by the dog?" - -"No, I don't want to be bit by a dog," answered Dick. He listened but -heard nothing of such an animal. "I don't believe you have a dog. Will -you open, or shall I bring a policeman." - -"Mercy on us, a policeman!" gasped the woman. "No, no, don't do that!" - -"What does this mean?" demanded the old man. "Open that door, Mrs. -Sobber, and let me see who is there. I don't understand this. Day before -yesterday you brought those strange folks, and now----" - -"Hush! hush!" interrupted the woman, in agitated tones. "Not another -word, Mr. Mason. You are too old to understand. Leave it all to me. I -will soon send that fellow outside about his business." - -"This is my house, and I want to know what is going on here!" shrilled -the old man, and Dick heard him tottering across the floor. "I'll open -the door myself." - -"No! no! not yet!" answered the woman. - -"Mr. Mason, I want to come in!" cried Dick loudly. "There has been a -crime committed. If you don't want to be a party to it, open the door." - -"A crime," faltered the old man. - -"Yes, a crime. Open the door at once!" - -"No, no, you--er--you shall not!" stormed the woman, and Dick heard her -shove the old man back. - -"Mr. Mason, for the last time, will you let me in?" shouted Dick. - -"Yes! yes!" answered the old man. "But Mrs. Sobber won't let me open the -door." - -"Then I'll open it myself," answered Dick, and hurled his weight against -the barrier. It was old and dilapidated and gave way with ease; and a -moment later Dick stepped into the hallway of the old house. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - FROM ONE CLUE TO ANOTHER - - -"Now, what do you want?" asked the old man, as he eyed Dick, curiously. - -"I want to talk to that woman, first of all," cried Dick, and he pointed -to Mrs. Sobber, who was just disappearing through a door in the rear of -the hallway. - -"But what does this mean?" went on Mr. Mason, in a faint voice. "I have -done nothing wrong." And now he sank on a rush-bottomed chair, all out of -breath. He was very old, and his hair and his face were exceedingly -white. - -"I'll be back and tell you," went on Dick. He could see at a glance that -the old owner of the building had had nothing to do with the stealing of -the fortune or the abduction of Mrs. Stanhope. - -Dick ran to the door at the back of the hallway, to find it locked. He -threw his weight against it, but it did not give way. - -He was on the point of pushing on the door again, when a cry from the -yard reached his ears. - -"Dick! Dick! Come and stop them!" It was Tom who was calling. - -"I'm coming, Tom!" he yelled back. And then he landed on the door with -all his might. - -"Don't br--break the door!" gasped the old man. "If you want to get out -to the back, go up and down the stairs," and he pointed a trembling -finger upward. - -Dick understood, and ran up the front stairs three steps at a time. He -passed through a short hallway and then reached a stairs, running down to -a back entry way. As he went down these stairs there came another cry -from Tom. - -"Dick! Dick! they are getting away!" - -As fast as he could, Dick reached the entryway and threw open the outer -door. He came out in a small yard, surrounded on three sides by a high -board fence. At the rear was a gate, and this was wide open. - -"Tom! you are hurt!" exclaimed Dick, as he caught sight of his brother -flat on his back, and with the blood oozing from a cut on his forehead. - -"Yes, the rascal hit me in the head with a club!" gasped poor Tom. - -"What rascal?" - -"Tad Sobber!" - -"Where is he now?" - -"Ran out of the gate--and a woman just followed him." - -"Did you see anybody else?" - -"No. Go after 'em," added the injured youth, pluckily. - -"Are you badly hurt?" - -"I--I guess not. But he gave me an awful crack!" And pulling himself up, -Tom staggered to a wood-chopping block and sat down. - -Dick waited to hear no more, but made for the gate and ran into an -alleyway beyond. This made a turn and came out on a street behind that -upon which the house was located. Dick looked up and down the crooked -thoroughfare, but could see no signs of Tad Sobber or the woman. - -"Did you see a young man and a woman come out of here?" asked Dick, of a -boy who was playing with a ball. - -"Sure I did," answered the lad. - -"Where did they go?" - -"Took the auto and went that way." - -"An auto?" - -"Yes." - -"Was it waiting here?" - -"Sure." - -"Somebody in it?" - -"A man was running it. He was here yesterday, too." - -"Did you see who he took out yesterday?" went on Dick, growing -interested. - -"He came twice. Once he had a lady and a gent for passengers. They came -out of that alleyway, just as you did." - -"When was this?" - -"Just about supper time." - -Dick ran down the street in the direction the automobile had taken. He -could see no signs of the machine, and presently returned to the back -yard where he had left Tom. There the pair were joined by Sam. - -"We were too late--they got away!" said Dick, with something like a groan -in his voice. - -"But not too late for Tad Sobber to leave me his card!" muttered Tom, -putting his hand to the cut on his forehead. - -"We'll have to have that tended to, Tom," said Dick, kindly. - -"Oh, it isn't so bad. I'll put some court-plaster on it, after I've -washed it." - -"I'm sorry, but I couldn't locate a policeman anywhere," said Sam. - -"Never mind, I guess a policeman would only be in the way," returned his -oldest brother. "He'd ask a lot of questions, and let it go at that. I'm -going into the house, and see if I can find out anything." - -"Maybe Mrs. Stanhope is in there," cried Sam. - -"No--they have taken her off in an auto, I am almost sure of it, Sam." - -The three Rover boys entered the old house, to find Mr. Mason walking -nervously up and down in the parlor. - -"Where is Mrs. Sobber?" he asked anxiously. - -"I imagine she has run away," answered Dick. He drew a long breath. "Mr. -Mason, I am going to ask you some questions. If you wish to avoid trouble -with the authorities, you will answer me directly and truthfully." - -"Yes! Yes! I felt that something was wrong!" cried the old man. "I want -no trouble, I am too old and respectable. What is it all about?" - -"Briefly, a lady has been abducted and a fortune has been stolen." - -"Oh, then the lady they said was--er--insane, was not insane at all." - -"Did they tell you she was insane?" - -"Yes, that is what Mrs. Sobber and one of the men said. They said they -were going to take her to a private asylum." - -"The villains!" burst out Tom. - -"What asylum?" - -"I don't know that. But I overheard them talking about taking a boat to -Portland." - -"Portland?" repeated Dick. "Are you sure they were bound for that city?" - -"Oh, I am not sure of anything--I am only telling you what I overheard." - -"Please tell us all about those men who came here, and about the lady, -and about Mrs. Sobber," pursued Dick. - -"Hadn't we better get after the auto?" asked Tom, who believed in action. - -"You and Sam can try to hunt it up," answered the elder Rover. "I'll hear -all Mr. Mason can tell first. It may give us a direct clue. I'll meet you -later at the Parker House." - -Sam and Tom went off, and then Dick listened patiently to the rather -rambling tale Oliver Mason had to tell. The old man said that he had -known Mrs. Sobber when her husband was alive and had hired her to be his -housekeeper after the death of his three sisters and his wife. - -"She was all alone in the world excepting for a young man named Tad -Sobber, who came to see her once in a while," said Oliver Mason. "I -didn't like the young man much, but the two had quite some business -together." - -The old man then told how Mrs. Sobber had gone away for several days, -stating she must look after a lady friend who had become insane. She -stated that possibly she would bring the lady to the house for a day or -two, but that if she did, Mr. Mason need not be afraid, for a doctor and -a nurse would come along. Then the lady had arrived, in company with Tad -Sobber and two men. He had not been allowed to talk to the woman, the -others saying she might become violent in the presence of strangers. Then -the lady had been taken away by the men and Tad Sobber the night before, -and Tad Sobber had come back for Mrs. Sobber just about the time the -Rovers tried to get into the house. - -The story was told with such simpleness that Dick felt bound to believe -it, and consequently he saw no reason for blaming Oliver Mason, who was, -in truth, on the verge of second childhood. - -"I must look around and see if those scamps left anything behind," said -Dick. "You won't object to that, will you?" - -"No! no!" cried the old man. "Only please do not take any of my few -belongings." - -"I'll not take anything, sir, you can trust me absolutely," answered -Dick, readily. - -He made a search of the rooms, and especially the apartments occupied by -Mrs. Stanhope and her abductors. At first he found little of value, -although he picked up a handkerchief that had Mrs. Stanhope's initials -embroidered in the corner. - -"That is proof positive that she was here," he thought grimly. - -In one of the fireplaces he came across some half-burnt letters. He -looked them over with care and caught the post-mark, Portland, Me. On one -slip he read the following: - - easy from Portla - the schooner Mary Del - as we arrive, I will have - if not then Slay's Island, where - -"Humph! this may prove of value," murmured Dick to himself, and placed -the bit of letter in his pocket. Then he hunted around the rooms again, -but nothing more came to light. - -"Will Mrs. Sobber come back?" asked the old man, when Dick went below. - -"I doubt it, sir." - -"She must be an awful woman, if what you say is true." - -"She is a criminal, Mr. Mason, and so is that Tad Sobber. I would advise -you to have nothing more to do with them." - -"I must have a housekeeper," whined the old man. - -"Then hire somebody you are sure is honest," returned Dick; and a few -minutes later he quitted the house. - -On his way to the hotel he met Sam and Tom, who had looked in vain for -the automobile. In as few words as possible he told his brothers about -what Oliver Mason had said, and of the finding of the slip of paper. - -"What do you make of it?" asked Sam. - -"I think they are going to Portland, either by auto or in a boat," -answered Dick. - -"That's just what I think," added Tom. "But we may be mistaken." - -"Before we go any further, I am going to have that house watched," went -on Dick. "I'll hire a first-class detective, and then, if Mrs. Sobber or -any of the others come back, we'll have 'em arrested." - -They visited a detective agency, and a man was put on the case without -delay. Then the Rovers hurried down to the water front, to see if they -could get any trace of Mrs. Stanhope there. - -An hour's tramping produced no results, and somewhat discouraged, they -were on the point of going to the hotel, to meet Spud, when they saw an -old sailor come from a restaurant close by. - -"My friend," said Dick, addressing the old tar, "I'd like to get some -information. Did you ever hear of a schooner in these parts that was -called the Mary Del something or other?" - -"Mary Del?" repeated the old sailor, twisting his forelock. "Oh, I reckon -you mean the Mary Delaway!" he cried. "Sure, I know her. Didn't I see her -sail for Portland less than an hour ago!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - A CHASE UP THE COAST - - -"You saw her sail for Portland!" cried Sam. - -"Less than an hour ago?" exclaimed Tom. - -"Where from?" queried Dick, quickly. "Hurry up and tell me--it will be -money in your pocket." - -"The Mary Delaway sailed from Cruser's dock," answered the old sailor. -"That's about four blocks from here. I can show you the place. But you -can't get aboard, messmates--she's gone." - -"We must catch her!" ejaculated Dick. "No matter at what cost, we must -catch her. How can we do it?" - -"Can't we follow her in a motor boat, or a steam launch?" asked Tom. - -"You can follow her in a tug," said the old tar. "But she is out of sight -now." - -"Do you know where she is going to land in Portland?" asked Sam. - -"No." - -"Do you know anybody on board?" - -"I know Jack Crumpet. He sailed in the old Resolute with me. I went to -see him--that's how I know the Mary Delaway sailed." - -"You were on board?" asked Dick. - -"No, I wasn't--I saw Jack on the dock. He said as how the cap'n had given -orders for nobuddy to come aboard--why, I don't know." - -"Well, I know," muttered Dick. "It was to keep their villainous doings -secret. Who did you see on the schooner?" - -"I saw several men and two ladies. One lady looked kind of excited." - -"It must have been Mrs. Stanhope!" murmured Dick. "Come!" he cried. "Let -us get some kind of a boat and follow that schooner." - -The Rover boys were accustomed to quick action, and they had supplied -themselves with plenty of ready cash to use in case of emergency. -Consequently, it was an easy matter for them to pick up a steam tug at -one of the docks. The captain said he would willingly follow up the Mary -Delaway and try to overtake her if he was paid for it. - -"Will you go along?" asked Dick, of the old tar. "I want you to aid in -picking up that schooner. You know her by sight. I will pay you good -wages." - -"I've signed articles for a trip to Africy, starting next week Thursday," -answered Larry Dixon, for such was the sailor's name. - -"We'll get you back long before that time," answered Dick. "And pay you a -nice salary in the bargain." - -"Then I'm your man, messmate," responded Larry Dixon. - -While the steam tug was getting ready to leave, Dick called up Spud on -the telephone and acquainted their college chum with what had occurred. - -"When will you be back?" asked Spud. - -"I don't know," replied Dick. "Better not wait for us. This may prove a -long chase." - -"Well, I hope you rescue the lady, get back the fortune, and land those -rascals in jail," said Spud. - -The steam tug carried a crew of six, all good, strong, hearty fellows. In -a few brief words Dick and his brothers explained to the captain how -matters stood, and Captain Wells promised to aid them all he could in -thwarting the plans of the evildoers. He was armed, and said he could -lend the Rovers some pistols if they wanted them. - -"I reckon the Mary Delaway will take the regular route to Portland--that -is, so far as the wind will allow," said the owner of the tug. "We'll -follow that route just as fast as our steam will permit. But let me give -you a tip. Perhaps it will be better for you to merely follow 'em to -Portland, and have them locked up when they reach that place. If you -tackle 'em on the high seas they may show fight and get the best of you." - -"I'll think that over," answered Dick, slowly. "But meanwhile crowd on -all steam and get after them. Never mind using up your coal--we'll pay -for it." - -The docks were soon left behind, and the black smoke pouring from the -funnel told how the fireman was doing his best to make steam. But it was -now late, and it would soon become a problem, as to whether it would be -advisable to run so fast during the night. They might pass the schooner -without knowing it. - -"I'll leave the matter to you, Captain Wells," said Dick, after talking -the matter over with his brothers. "I'll pay you your regular price for -chartering the tug, and one hundred dollars additional if we succeed in -rescuing Mrs. Stanhope." - -"I'll do my level best for you, Mr. Rover," responded the captain. "I'll -talk to my crew." And he did, promising each man an extra five dollars if -they succeeded in doing what the Rovers desired. As a consequence every -man, including Larry Dixon, was constantly on the lookout for the Mary -Delaway. - -Inside of an hour Boston Harbor had been left well behind, and then the -bow of the steam tug was turned up the coast in the direction of -Portland, about a hundred miles distance. The day was now over and the -lights on the tug were lit. - -"Don't see anything of the Mary Delaway yet," remarked Larry Dixon. "I'm -afraid we'll have to shut up shop till mornin'." - -"Could the schooner reach Portland by that time?" asked Sam. - -"She'd be there early in the morning," answered the old sailor. - -"Then we had better run for Portland, too," said Tom. "We might hang -around outside the harbor on the watch." - -It was a clear night, with no moon, but with countless stars bespangling -the heavens. The boys and some of the others remained on the watch, -although they could see but little. - -"It would be great if we had a searchlight," said Sam. - -"Just the thing!" cried Tom. "But we haven't any, so what's the use of -talking about it?" - -"Might as well try to get some sleep," said Captain Wells, about nine -o'clock. "I can call you if anything turns up." - -"We'll stay up a couple of hours yet," answered Dick, although the -excitement of the day had worn him out. - -But not a sight of the schooner was seen, and one after another the Rover -boys laid down to get a few hours' sleep. Captain Wells allowed them to -rest until six o'clock. By that time they were standing around near the -entrance to Portland harbor. - -"See anything yet?" asked Dick, as he sprang up from the berth upon which -he had been resting. - -"Not yet," answered the captain of the tug. - -"You don't think they got here ahead of us?" - -"No, for we have been here for several hours." - -The boys got up and washed, and then had breakfast. In the meantime the -steam tug cruised around, and those on board watched eagerly for a sign -of the Mary Delaway. - -Thus two hours passed. As the time went by the three Rovers grew more -anxious than ever. - -"What do you make of this, Dick?" asked Tom. - -"I don't know what to make of it, Tom." - -"It looks to me as if they had given us the slip," said Sam. - -"If they didn't come here, where did they go to?" - -"I don't know. What did that scrap of paper say?" - -"That spoke of Slay's Island. But none of the men on this tug ever heard -of such a place." - -"That is not to be wondered at, Dick," went on Sam. "I understand there -are scores of islands in Casco Bay. It isn't likely these men from Boston -would know the names of all of 'em." - -They remained around the entrance to Portland harbor until noon and then -Dick ordered the captain to run in and land them. - -"You might go up and down the docks a bit," he said. "They might have -slipped us after all." They entered the harbor, passing the old -lighthouse, and soon were within easy reach of the docks. They looked on -all sides for the Mary Delaway, but in vain. - -"We have missed her!" groaned Dick. - -"What are you going to do next?" questioned Tom. - -"See if I can't find out in some way where the schooner went to--and also -find out where Slay's Island is located." - -"We might get a map of Casco Bay. That would have the names of the -islands on it," suggested Sam. "I know there are a great many of 'em, -some of 'em quite small and others very large." - -At last they started to go ashore. They ran up to a dock where the tug -was in the habit of landing when at Portland, and the boys walked to the -gangplank that was put out for them. - -"Look! look!" cried Tom, suddenly, and pointed to a motor boat lying -alongside the steam tug. - -"Well, I never!" gasped Sam. - -The motor boat was a craft of fair size, and very gaudily painted, in -red, blue and yellow. It was piled high with suit-cases, bundles and -fishing outfits. At the wheel was a tall young man, smoking a -cigarette--a stranger to the Rovers. In the bow, also smoking, were two -other young men, Jerry Koswell and Bart Larkspur. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - ABOARD THE MARY DELAWAY - - -"Hold on there, you!" bawled Jerry Koswell. - -"Why, it's the Rovers!" ejaculated Bart Larkspur. "How did they get -here?" - -"They are following us, that's what!" stormed Koswell. "And I won't have -it!" - -"What do you want?" asked Dick, as he walked to the end of the tug -nearest to the motor boat. - -"I want to know what right you've got to follow us?" returned Jerry -Koswell, sourly. - -"Who said we were following you?" - -"Oh, I know you are. Didn't you follow us to Boston, too? I want to know -what it means?" - -"Maybe it means that we are going to have you arrested," put in Tom, with -a side wink at his brothers. - -"Arrested!" gasped Larkspur, and turned pale. "You shan't do it!" - -"I want you to stop following us," went on Koswell. - -"Go ahead--don't talk to them any more!" whispered Larkspur, uneasily. -"Let us get away as soon as we can." - -"I am not afraid," answered Koswell, boastfully. - -"But they may have us locked up!" - -"What's the row about?" asked the young man who was at the wheel. - -"Oh, it was a row we had at college, Alf. Those fellows were in the -wrong, but they made the Head believe otherwise, and we had -to--er--resign," answered Jerry Koswell. "Well, go ahead, if you want -to," he added. - -"Where are you going?" asked Tom, as the motor boat commenced to move -from the dock. - -"We are bound for----" began the stranger. - -"Don't tell them, Alf!" begged Larkspur. "Go ahead--let's get out." - -"If you don't tell us where you are going----" began Sam, when Dick -stopped him. - -"Let them go--we haven't time to bother with them now," said the eldest -Rover boy. "We have other fish to fry." - -"As you say, Dick. But we ought to scare the wits out of them if nothing -else." - -"We'll do it--some day," put in Tom. - -As the motor boat swept past they saw that the craft was named the -Magnet. Soon some other boats coming in hid it from view. - -On going ashore, the Rover boys made diligent inquiries concerning the -Mary Delaway and at last learned that the schooner was expected by a -certain transportation company some time that afternoon, to take on a -cargo of lumber for Newark, New Jersey. - -"I don't know what we can do excepting to wait," said Dick. - -"Let us go down the harbor to meet the schooner," said Tom. "Then Sobber -and Crabtree and the others won't have any chance to land in secret." - -"Do you think they'll try to land here, Dick?" - -"Honestly Tom, I don't. It is more than likely the captain of the -schooner will land that crowd on some island before he comes into -Portland." - -"Slay's Island?" - -"Yes--if there really is such a place." - -The steam tug left the dock and ran down to the neighborhood of Portland -Light. Here they cruised around for nearly two hours, when old Larry -Dixon gave a shout: - -"I see her! I see her! There's the Mary Delaway!" - -"Where?" asked the three Rovers, excitedly. - -"There!" And the old sailor pointed with his hand. "I know her by the two -patches on her mainsail and the slit in her jib." - -The steam tug was headed in the direction of the incoming schooner, and -before long the two craft were within hailing distance of each other. - -"Aboard the schooner!" cried Dick. - -"Aboard the tug!" was the answering hail. - -"I want to talk to the captain." - -"I'm the captain. What do you want?" - -"I want you to lay-to and let me come on board." - -"What for?" - -"Business." - -"I'm in a hurry," snapped the captain of the Mary Delaway, and the Rovers -saw that he was a hard looking individual. - -"You can suit yourself, Captain. But if you don't let me come on board -I'll have you placed under arrest as soon as you reach your dock," said -Dick, in the sternest voice he could command. - -"Arrest!" roared the master of the schooner. "Don't you talk like that to -me, you young whipper-snapper." - -"I will talk like that to you--and I'll do just what I said." - -"Have me arrested! You must be joking." - -"I am not." - -"What for?" - -"You know well enough." - -"Honestly I don't. You have made some mistake." - -"Are you going to stop and let me come on board, or not?" went on Dick, -as calmly as he could. "If you don't, it's arrest and nothing less. You -can take your choice." - -"I don't know what you are talking about," growled the captain. "But I -suppose I'll have to let you come aboard, to avoid worse trouble." - -The schooner was brought around, and not without difficulty Dick leaped -aboard, followed by Tom and Sam. The captain of the schooner when he saw -that they were only young men, glared savagely at them. - -"Now then, explain yourselves!" he snapped, shortly. - -"I want to know what you have done with Mrs. Stanhope?" said Dick, -thinking it best to come directly to the point. - -"Mrs. Stanhope? Who is she?" - -"The lady who was abducted by Tad Sobber and Josiah Crabtree and taken on -your schooner at Boston." - -"Never heard of any of the people you are talking about, young man. You -have got hold of the wrong boat." - -"No, there is no mistake. You left Boston yesterday afternoon, and you -had on board Mrs. Stanhope and her abductors. I guess you are old enough -to know what the punishment is for abduction," went on Dick, pointedly. - -"Abduction? I ain't abducted nobody, I tell you. You've got hold of the -wrong boat. You can search us if you want to." - -"Oh, I don't suppose the lady is on board now. I want to know what you -did with her." - -"Don't know her--never saw her." - -"You took her on board, and you were seen doing it," put in Tom. - -"Seen!" cried the captain, and gave a start. - -"Yes," put in Sam. "Oh, we've got you dead to rights, and the best thing -you can do is to tell us at once where she is." - -"Say," said the master of the schooner, slowly and thoughtfully. "You -tell me the particulars of this matter and maybe I can put you on the -track of something. I never heard of any lady being abducted." He saw -that he was cornered and that if arrested matters might go very hard with -him. - -In a few words Dick and his brothers told about how the Stanhope fortune -had been stolen and how the lady herself had been abducted and taken to -Boston. Then they said they had positive proof that the lady had been -taken aboard the Mary Delaway. - -"Where is the proof?" asked the captain, and now his voice was not as -steady as it had been. - -"Well, for one thing, there is a sailor on the tug who saw the lady on -your vessel," said Dick. "In the second place I've got a letter, written -by one of those rascals, and naming your boat----" - -"What! Did any of those lunkheads write it down in a letter?" roared the -captain. "If they did----" he stopped, in great confusion. - -"Ah, so you admit the crime, do you?" said Dick, quickly. - -"No, I don't admit no crime!" growled the captain of the schooner. "I -promised to do a little job for two gentleman, that's all--and I did -it--and got paid for it." - -"What was the job to be?" - -"If I tell you, you won't try to drag me into it, will you?" was the -anxious question. - -"If you don't tell us, you'll surely go to jail." - -"I didn't know there was anything wrong, honest I didn't--leastwise at -the start, although I had some suspicions later. That feller Sobber and -the old gent, Crabtree, along with a Mrs. Sobber, said they had an aunt -who was a bit insane, and they wanted to take her to an island up here in -Casco Bay, for rest and medical treatment. They hired me to do the job, -and paid me well for it." - -"And you took them to the island?" - -"I did." - -"What island?" asked all of the Rover boys. - -"A place called Chesoque." - -"Chesoque?" - -"Yes. The old lobster catchers used to call it Shay's Island, after old -Cap'n Shay, of the lobster fleet." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - OUT ON CASCO BAY - - -The Rover boys listened with close attention to the statement made by the -captain of the schooner and they felt that the fellow was now telling the -truth. - -"You say you suspected that all wasn't square?" said Dick, after a pause. -"What made you do that?" - -"Why--er--the way the lady acted. She seemed to be more scared than -crazy. But they kept her down in the cabin, so I didn't see much of her." - -"When did you land the crowd on the island?" - -"About nine o'clock this morning." - -"Were you going back there later?" - -"No, they said it wouldn't be necessary." - -Dick walked to the rail of the schooner and beckoned to the captain of -the steam tug. - -"This captain says he landed the crowd on Chesoque Island," he called -out. "Do you know where that is?" - -"I know where she is," put in Larry Dixon, as Captain Wells hesitated in -thought. "The lobster catchers used to have a hangout there." - -"Where is it?" asked Captain Wells, and the old tar described its -location as well as he could. - -"Reckon I could pick it up, from what the man says," said the captain of -the tug, to Dick. - -"All right then," answered the eldest Rover. He turned again to the -captain of the schooner. "Now listen to me. I know you and I know your -boat. If you have told me the exact truth, well and good. If you -haven't--well, you'll have to take the consequences, that's all." - -"I didn't abduct nobody. I only did a job and got paid for it," muttered -the captain. - -"Where are you bound?" - -"Portland." - -"And after that?" - -"Going to--er--take a load of lumber down to Newark, New Jersey." - -"Very well--then we'll know where to locate you. Come on!" added Dick to -his brothers. - -"You can rely on me," said the captain, and spoke quite respectfully. -"I'll tell all I know, and so will my men." - -"Hello, Jack!" cried Larry Dixon to a sailor on the schooner, and the -fellow addressed waved his hand. - -"I'll talk to that man a minute," said Dick, to the captain. The latter -wished to demur, but Dick gave him no chance. The fellow was told to go -aboard the tug, and there Larry Dixon asked him to tell his story. The -sailor had little, however, to add to what his captain had said, -excepting that the landing at Chesoque Island had been made in something -of a hurry. - -"Here's a dollar for you," said Dick, on parting. "Whenever the schooner -makes a landing anywhere, you send me word where she is," and he gave the -tar his home address and also the address of a hotel in Portland. - -"Don't try to get me into trouble and I'll tell you everything I know!" -shouted the captain of the schooner, as the steam tug went on its way. - -"I'll remember you!" answered Dick, somewhat grimly. He did not know -whether he could trust the captain or not. - -Leaving the entrance to Portland Harbor, the tug steamed up into the -waters of Casco Bay, that beautiful spot with its scores of verdant and -rocky islands. As it was the height of the summer season they passed many -pleasure boats, big and little. Once they passed an island where a big -picnic was in progress and they heard the music from a band quite -distinctly. They also passed Peak's Island where there was a big, -round-topped structure, which the captain of the tug said was a famous -summer theater. - -"A fellow could certainly have a dandy time here, cruising around among -the islands," was Tom's comment. - -From Larry Dixon the boys learned that Chesoque Island was away from most -of the others, lying far out in the Bay. It was a rocky place, and there -was a story that once a band of smugglers had used it for a rendezvous. -It was also said to be inhabited by numerous snakes. - -"Excuse me, but I don't want to run up against any snakes," said Sam, -shuddering. - -"Neither do I," added Tom. - -"No snakes shall stop me from trying to locate Mrs. Stanhope," said Dick. -"More than likely the story about snakes has little foundation to it." - -"Like the story about the snakes back of Putnam Hall," said Tom. "Old -Farmer Landell said there were thousands of 'em, and he and his son -killed exactly five, and only little ones at that." - -Presently a distant shore loomed up and after an examination Larry Dixon -declared it was the island for which they were seeking. - -"Are you sure?" questioned Dick. "This is very important, and we don't -want to make any mistake." - -"I know the spot," answered the old tar. "See that old building? The -lobster catchers used to use that. And see that rock? There is where the -old John Spurr struck, in a storm one winter." - -"Well, I don't want to strike anything," said Captain Wells, and ordered -the engineer to reduce speed. Then, with great caution, they approached -what had once been a good dock, but one which was now practically in -ruins. - -"Hello, there's a motor boat!" cried Sam, as they came closer. Then all -looked and saw that a gaudily-painted motor boat was tied up on one side -of the old dock. - -"Say, that looks like the motor boat Koswell, Larkspur and that stranger -had!" ejaculated Dick. - -"It is the same!" shouted Tom. "There is the name, Magnet. Now what do -you think of that!" - -"What do I think?" said Dick. "I think they must be here." - -"With Sobber and the others?" - -"I don't know about that. I didn't think they knew Sobber." - -As the steam tug drew up on the other side of the dilapidated dock, those -on board saw three persons rush from the old building nearby. They were -Koswell, Larkspur and the fellow who had been running the motor boat. - -"Say, I won't have this!" roared Koswell. "You get out of here, and be -quick about it!" - -"Can't we stop 'em from landing?" asked Larkspur. He was plainly scared. - -"You can't land here!" called out the young man who had run the Magnet. -"This is private property. I forbid you coming in." - -"Private property?" called out Captain Wells. - -"That is what I said." And now the young man turned to his companions and -a whispered, but animated conversation ensued. - -"Who are you?" asked Dick. - -"I am Alfred Darkingham. This island belongs to my uncle, John -Darkingham. He gave us permission to come camping here, and said we -needn't let anybody else come ashore. I forbid your making a landing." - -"That's the way to talk, Alf!" cried Koswell, in a low, but earnest -voice. "Make 'em stay away." - -"Yes! Yes! don't let 'em come ashore!" added Larkspur. - -"Mr. Darkingham, I'd like to talk to you," said Dick, as the steam tug -bumped against the dock. - -"Don't you listen to him, Alf!" cried Koswell. "He only came to make -trouble." - -"Make him go right away," added Larkspur. - -"I want you to leave," ordered Alfred Darkingham. Evidently he was a -close crony to the boys who had run away from Brill. - -"I want to ask you a few questions," pursued Dick, firmly. "And I'll not -go away until you answer them--and maybe not then." - -"This is private property, and--" - -"You said that before. What I want to know is, Do you know the other -persons on this island?" - -"There are no other persons." - -"I believe otherwise. A lady has been abducted, and I have every reason -to believe she was taken to this island." - -"Nobody here. I was here yesterday, and all of last week, and I know." - -"I think they brought the lady here this morning, about nine o'clock. I'd -like to search the island for her." - -"It's a trick!" cried Larkspur. "It's a trick to get ashore and play us -foul! Don't you let 'em land!" - -"There is nobody on this island but ourselves," said Alfred Darkingham. -"You can take my word for that." - -"Will you let me make a search?" - -"I will not. I want you to go away, and at once. This is private -property, and if you try to land I'll have the law on you!" And as he -spoke the young man looked not only at the Rovers but also at the captain -of the steam tug. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - ON CHESOQUE ISLAND - - -For a moment there was silence. Dick looked at Alfred Darkingham and then -at Captain Wells. - -"What do you think of this?" he asked of the captain of the tug. - -The captain shrugged his shoulders. - -"You do as you think best, Mr. Rover," he said slowly. "He can certainly -have us arrested if we land without permission. And the authorities have -been pretty strict lately--so many folks landing where they hadn't any -business to." - -"But if Mrs. Stanhope is here?" - -"He says there is nobody but his crowd on the island." - -"They may be in hiding," suggested Tom. - -"If they are, they'll take good care to keep out of your way--if such a -thing is possible." - -"Let us leave!" put in Sam, in a low voice. "I've got a plan that may -bring results." - -"What?" demanded Dick. - -"I'll tell you as soon as we are out of hearing," returned the youngest -Rover. - -The steam tug was backed away from the dock. Koswell and Larkspur grinned -in triumph. - -"Don't you think of coming back!" shouted Koswell. - -"If you do, remember we are armed," added Larkspur. - -"We'll remember what you have done--don't forget that," answered Dick, -with some bitterness. It worried him greatly to have the search for Mrs. -Stanhope delayed. - -"Now, what is your plan?" asked Tom of Sam, as soon as they were a goodly -distance from the island. - -"I propose we sail away and pretend to be going back to Portland. Then we -can turn and come up on the other side of the island." - -"They'll watch for us," said Dick. - -"We might land at night." - -"Yes, we could do that. But if we wait, we may be losing valuable time." - -"I'll run for the next island and sail around that," said Captain Wells. -"That may throw them off the scent." - -It took the best part of half an hour to gain the next island and round a -convenient point. Here the tug was stopped, that they might decide on -their next move. - -"Oh, come on, let's do something!" cried Tom. "Let us sail for the other -side of that island and chance it! If they come after us, we can easily -steam away again." - -So it was decided, and rounding the island they were at, they set a new -course, so that they might reach Chesoque Island at a point directly -opposite to where the dock was located. In the middle of the island were -several rocky hills, so that the view from one side to the other was -completely shut off. - -"I'll have to be careful here," said Captain Wells, "I can't afford to -strike on the rocks. Those chaps would let us drown before they would -come to our assistance." - -The steam tug came in slowly. It could not reach the island proper, but -stopped at the first of a series of rocks. - -"Let me have one of those pistols," said Dick, to the captain, and the -weapon was handed over. Then Tom and Sam also armed themselves. - -"You had better stand off," went on Dick to Captain Wells. "If we want -you we'll fire three shots, or wave a handkerchief." - -"Say, don't you want me along?" asked Larry Dixon. "I'd like a scrap, if -it comes to that." - -"Come along if you want to," answered Dick. He saw that though the sailor -was old he was strong, and not afraid to take his own part. - -The boys and the tar lost no time in jumping from one rock to another -until the main portion of the island was gained. Then they ran for the -shelter of some bushes. In the meantime the steam tug moved away to such -a distance that those aboard could be seen with difficulty. - -"Now, if the others didn't see us land, we are all right," cried Tom. - -"We don't want to make any noise," cautioned Dick. "Remember, they may be -on the watch for us--Koswell and his cronies, and the Sobber crowd too." - -"Do you think Koswell and Larkspur would give aid to those other -rascals?" asked Sam. - -"I think they'd do almost anything to make trouble for us, Sam. You can -see how bitter they acted at the dock." - -With caution the party of four began a tour of the island. They moved -from the shelter of the bushes to a thicket of pines, and then climbed -along a ridge of rough rocks. - -"I'll crawl to the top," said Dick. "Then I'll have a pretty good chance -to look around." - -At the top of the ridge, however, he found the view somewhat -disappointing. There were other ridges, and several thickets of pines and -hemlocks, and at one point what looked to be a cliff with some caves -beneath. - -"It will take some time to explore this island," said he, as he came -down. "I don't wonder that the smugglers used to use it. It's got a -number of dandy hiding places." - -"How in the world did the Sobber crowd learn of it?" asked Sam. - -"I think I can answer that," said Tom "Josiah Crabtree once taught in a -Portland school and he used to put in his summers on an island in this -bay. More than likely, in cruising around, he heard of this island, and -when he plotted to abduct Mrs. Stanhope he made up his mind it would be -just the spot to bring her to." - -"All providing she is here," added Sam. "We haven't proved that yet." - -They moved on, and passed another ridge of rocks. Then they came to a -well-defined trail, running from one end of the island to the other. - -"Let us follow this," said Dick. "If there are any buildings near the -centre of the island they'll likely be on this road." - -"Here is a spring!" exclaimed Sam, a minute later. "Say, that water looks -good. I am going to have a drink." - -All stopped to quench their thirst, for the day had been warm in spite of -the breeze that was blowing. - -"Look!" cried Dick, as he pointed at the wet ground. "Somebody has been -here before us." - -"That's so!" returned Tom. "Now, if we were only Indians, we would know -whose footprints those were and would follow 'em." - -Dick and Sam got down to examine the footprints. The majority of them -were of good size, but a few were small, the heel marks especially so. - -"I believe those marks were made by a woman's shoes!" murmured Dick. "And -if so----" - -"They were made by Mrs. Stanhope!" finished Sam. "Dick, I think we've -struck the right trail!" - -"This proves that what that young fellow of the motor boat said was not -true," said Dick. "Other folks are on this island." - -"Let us follow up the footmarks!" cried Larry Dixon. "Come on, messmates, -to the rescue!" And he waved a stick he had picked up. - -To follow up the footmarks was not easy, for they led from the dirt to -the path and then to some smooth rocks. But they managed to get the -general direction, which was something. - -"I wonder if it would do any good to set up a yell," said Tom. "Maybe -Mrs. Stanhope would hear it, and answer it." - -"If she got the chance." said Sam. "If she didn't, all the yelling would -do would be to let our enemies know we were here." - -"No, we had better go ahead as quietly as we can," said Dick. "If -possible, we want to take them unawares." - -Much to their surprise, at the other side of the smooth rocks was another -path, running between a thick growth of pines. Here the going was -somewhat uncertain, and they had to proceed slowly, for fear of stepping -into a crevice and twisting an ankle. - -"If they brought Mrs. Stanhope this way, it must have been very hard on -her," murmured Tom. - -"Listen!" exclaimed Sam, suddenly, and held up his hand. - -All became silent, and listened with strained ears. But the only sounds -that reached them was the breeze through the trees, and the washing of -the waves on the rocks. - -"What was it, Sam?" asked Dick, in a whisper. - -"I thought I heard a call." - -"You must have been mistaken." - -"Maybe I was, but--There it goes again!" - -"That's so!" exclaimed Tom. "Somebody is calling from the other side of -this patch of trees." - -"It is Jerry Koswell," said Dick. - -"Who is he calling to?" asked Sam. - -"I don't know. Keep still and maybe we'll find out." - -And then all listened with bated breath for what might follow. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - A TALK OF IMPORTANCE - - -"I say, you on the rocks! Come down here and let us talk to you!" shouted -Jerry Koswell. - -"Who are you. What do you want?" asked a voice that was strange to the -Rovers. - -"We want to know what you are doing on this island?" demanded another -person, Alfred Darkingham. - -"What business is it of yours?" - -"What business?" shouted Darkingham, wrathfully. "A good deal of my -business. This island belongs to my uncle and you have no right here." - -"Oh, is that so!" exclaimed the stranger. "I didn't know that this island -belonged to anybody in particular." - -"Well, it does. Who are you anyway?" - -"Oh, my name is of no account, since we are not acquainted," answered the -stranger. "If this is your island, I suppose the only thing for me to do -is to get off of it." - -"What are you doing here?" - -"Why--er--only looking around," stammered the stranger. - -"Are you alone?" - -"Can't you see that I am?" - -"How did you get here?" asked Larkspur, who had come up. "We didn't see -you land." - -"Oh, I came in a--er--in a motor boat, run by a friend of mine. -He--er--he said he would call for me later," stammered the stranger. - -The Rover boys listened to this conversation with interest, and gradually -drew closer, as the stranger came from the rocks to talk to Darkingham -and the others. - -"Say, are you the fellow who abducted a lady!" cried Larkspur. - -At this direct question the stranger started. "Why--er--what makes you -ask--er--that question?" he stammered. - -"We know some fellows who are looking for a lady who was abducted--at -least, that is the story they told," answered Koswell. - -"Where did you see those fellows?" asked the stranger, and now he was -plainly excited. - -"They were here awhile ago." - -"Here--on this island?" - -"At the dock--but they didn't land--we didn't let 'em," said Larkspur. - -"Humph!" The stranger was thoughtful for a moment. "No, I don't know -anything about a lady who was abducted," he said slowly. "I am just -roaming around a bit. As soon as my friend comes back with the motor boat -I'll leave the island. If I had known it was private property I shouldn't -have come ashore at all." - -"Oh, I don't mind a fellow roaming around a little," said Alfred -Darkingham, loftily. "But we came here to camp out, and of course we -prefer to have the island to ourselves." - -"I see. Well--er--I shan't disturb you. I--er--left my fishing outfit on -the opposite shore. I'll go and get it, and then I'll be ready to leave -as soon as my friend comes for me." - -"Oh, you needn't be in such a tremendous hurry, Mr.----" - -"Smith--plain John Smith," filled in the stranger. "I'm stopping at -Peak's Island." - -"My name is Alfred Darkingham. These are my friends, Jerry Koswell and -Bart Larkspur." - -"Koswell!" cried the stranger, in considerable surprise. "Did you say -Jerry Koswell." - -"Yes." - -"Did you--were you a student at Brill College?" asked the man who had -given his name as John Smith. - -"Why, yes," was the reply. "But I don't remember you." - -"No, for you never met me. But I have heard of you, and I think I have -heard of your friend, Mr. Larkspur. Didn't you once have some trouble -with some fellow students named Rover?" - -"Yes," answered Larkspur, and his brow darkened. - -"Pretty bad trouble, too, wasn't it?" - -"Bad enough," growled Koswell. "Are you a friend to the Rovers?" he -added, suspiciously. - -"Oh, no, I don't know them. But I heard of the trouble." - -"It was the Rovers' fault," said Jerry Koswell, sourly. "They put it off -on us, but they were to blame. We might have gone back to Brill, but we -didn't think it was worth while; did we, Bart?" - -"No, we had enough of the grind as it was," answered Larkspur, glibly. - -"Great Scott! just listen to that!" whispered Tom to his brothers. They -were behind some nearby bushes and could catch every word that was -spoken. - -"Hush! or they may hear you," was the warning, from Dick. - -"Didn't you once get a letter or two from a party named Tad Sobber?" went -on the fellow who called himself John Smith. - -"I did!" cried Jerry Koswell. "Then you know Sobber?" - -"Supposing I told you that I did?" And the strange man eyed Koswell -narrowly. - -"Sobber wanted me to help him get square on the Rovers," went on Jerry -Koswell. - -"But you didn't want to help him, is that it?" - -"Yes, I did want to help him. I sent him a long letter to that effect, -but he never answered it." - -"A letter that you would help Sobber?" - -"Sure. The Rovers treated me dirt mean, and I'd go out of my way a good -deal to get square." - -"So would I!" cried Larkspur. - -"I don't believe Sobber ever got your letter," went on the stranger. "He -told me he had waited to hear from you but you hadn't answered." - -"Then the letter got lost," answered Jerry Koswell. "I am sorry if it -did, for I wanted to fix the Rovers." - -"And so did I," echoed Larkspur. - -"Well, maybe you can fix them yet," went on the fellow who had called -himself John Smith. "You say you are going to camp out here?" - -"Yes." - -"Then I may see you again in the near future. I am going to Peak's Island -and then to Portland, and I may see Tad Sobber, and if I do, I'll tell -him what you've said." - -"Do it!" cried Koswell promptly. "And tell him I am willing to help him -all I can against the Rovers." - -"And tell him that Bart Larkspur will help him, too," supplemented that -individual. - -"All right," answered the stranger. "Of course you know it might be -a--er--a little risky, getting the best of those Rovers." - -"Oh, we'll take a little risk," answered Koswell. "But, say!" he almost -shouted. "I begin to smell a mouse!" - -"Eh?" - -"It was the Rovers who were here--looking for that lady who was -abducted!" - -"Well?" - -"Did you and Sobber bring her here? Is she here now?" went on Koswell, -quickly. - -"If--er--if Sobber was here, would you like to meet him?" - -"Sure I would. And the lady who was abducted----" - -"I can't tell you anything about her. But--well, I might as well admit -it--Tad Sobber is on this island with me. He--er--he came on rather a -peculiar errand and he didn't want anybody to know it. But I rather -think, as you are going to camp out here, he would like to meet you and -talk to you." - -"Where is he?" - -"Up the shore a distance. If you'll wait for me here I'll hunt him up and -bring him to you." - -"Bring him down to our camp yonder," put in Alfred Darkingham. "We are -going down there to get something to eat." - -"All right, I'll bring him to your camp just as soon as I can locate him. -We'll be there in less than an hour. So long!" And with a wave of his -hand, the stranger turned and hurried across the rocks and into the -bushes. - -"I think I know that man!" whispered Sam, excitedly. "His name is Pally, -Jim Pally. He was one of the freight thieves who was in league with Sid -Merrick and Tad Sobber. He got away when the gang was rounded up," he -added, referring to a happening, the particulars of which were related in -"The Rover Boys on the Farm." - -"And now he is aiding Sobber again," said Tom. "Maybe he is the fellow -who helped in carrying Mrs. Stanhope off." - -"I think he is the rascal who got the fortune at the lumber company -office," whispered Dick. "His appearance tallies with the description -Mrs. Stanhope left. Come on, let us follow him. I think he will lead us -directly to where Sobber and Crabtree are, and Mrs. Sobber and Mrs. -Stanhope, too." - -And Dick led the way with the others at his heels. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CAVE - - -The man ahead hurried along over the rocks so quickly that the Rovers and -Larry Dixon had difficulty in keeping up with him. - -"He's a bird for moving," was the old sailor's comment. "Splice my main -brace! but I wish he'd put a reef or two in his legs!" - -The man ahead suddenly made a turn around some rocks. The boys and the -tar followed cautiously, so as not to be surprised. - -"Wait here, I'll look ahead and investigate," said Dick. And he shoved -some bushes aside. - -A surprise awaited him--but not of the sort he had anticipated. The man -had disappeared! - -Vainly did Dick look in all directions for him. He was as completely gone -as if the earth had opened and swallowed him up. - -"Can he have entered some opening in the rocks?" the youth asked himself. - -With added caution he moved forward a few steps further. Then, between -some dense bushes, he saw a slit in some high rocks. The slit was -irregular in shape but not over a foot wide in any one place. - -"What do you see?" asked Tom, who, growing impatient, had followed his -big brother. - -"He seems to have disappeared, Tom," was the low reply. - -"Did he go in there?" - -"That is just what I was wondering." - -Dick looked into the slit. It was of uncertain depth and looked dark and -uninviting. Then the whole crowd searched the neighborhood. Not a trace -of the stranger was discernable anywhere. - -"Well, he didn't fly up in the air," said Sam. "He must have gone -somewhere. Why not look into that opening, Dick?" - -"You look out that you don't get shot!" warned Tom. "That fellow, if he -is one of the old freight thieves and the rascal who robbed Mrs. Stanhope -of the valise with the fortune, must be a desperate character." - -"If I go in, it will be pistol first," answered Dick, grimly. - -He drew the weapon Captain Wells had loaned him, and slowly but -cautiously wormed his way between the rocks. It was so dark he had to -feel his way along, and, fearing that he might fall into some hole, he -did not advance a step until he was sure of his footing. - -"Shall we come?" called Tom, softly. - -"Not yet," answered Dick. - -He passed along a distance of fifteen or twenty feet. Then the passageway -widened, and he found himself standing on a rocky flooring that was -comparatively smooth. - -"Gracious! can this be one of the entrances to the smugglers' cave they -told about?" he mused. - -He continued to advance, and presently caught sight of a flicker of -light, playing over the uneven rocks that formed the roof of the cavern. - -"That must come from a campfire!" he murmured. "And if it does. I must -have struck the right spot. Maybe this is where they are holding Dora's -mother a prisoner!" - -He continued to go forward, and the light of the fire grew brighter. Then -of a sudden, he heard a step behind him. - -"Will spy on me, will you!" cried a voice, vindictively, and in a trice -he was struck a blow on the back of the head. He went down in a heap, and -a man leaped on top of him and held him fast. Then commenced a fierce -struggle, in the midst of which Dick's pistol went off, making a -tremendous report in that confined space. The bullet struck the rocks, -doing no damage. - -The pistol had been close to Dick's head and the discharge caused the -smoke to get into his face, choking and blinding him. Then he received -another blow, and for a minute or two knew no more. - -"Listen!" cried Tom, as the pistol went off. "Dick must be in trouble! -Come on, Sam!" - -"Yes, but be careful," was the answer. - -"Want me?" asked the old tar, anxiously. - -"You had better stay on guard here, for the present," replied Tom. - -"Just as you say, messmate." - -Tom wormed his way between the rocks and Sam followed. The pistol shot -was followed by silence, and the two Rover boys did not know what to make -of it. - -"Shall I call?" asked Sam. - -"Might as well," was Tom's reply, and both called Dick's name as loudly -as they could. - -"Help! help!" came back faintly. - -"We are coming!" yelled Tom, rushing forward. "Where are you?" - -"I am her----" was the answer, and then of a sudden all became quiet -again, as a hand was placed over Dick's mouth. - -With their weapons ready for use, Tom and Sam ran through the cavern. But -all was silent, and the flickering rays from the campfire beyond were too -faint for them to see much. - -"Dick! Dick! Where are you?" called out Tom. - -"To the left!" was the faint reply. "Turn to the left!" - -The voice sounded muffled, as if the speaker was being strangled, and -with their hearts in their throats, Tom and Sam advanced and at a break -in the rocky wall, turned to the left. Hardly had they gone a dozen steps -when they plunged downward into space. - -"Oh!" came from both, and then followed a mighty splash, as the pair -struck the water. Each went down over his head, and on coming up had to -strike out to keep from drowning. - -"Sam! Sam!" cried Tom. - -"I'm here!" was the spluttered-out reply. "Are you hurt?" - -"Not much, but I went over my head in water!" - -"So did I." - -"Where is Dick?" - -"I don't know." - -"Can he be drowned?" - -"Oh, don't say that!" - -It was pitch dark, and only by calling to each other did the two lads -manage to get together. Both swam around until their feet touched a rock -and on this they stood to catch their breath. The water was all around -them. - -"Which way did we come, Tom?" asked Sam, after a moment of silence, -during which both did what they could to get back their breath. - -"I don't know. I can't see a thing, can you?" - -"No." - -"I don't believe Dick is here." - -"Neither do I, Tom. I believe somebody fooled us." - -"That's it! And we fell right into the trap!" - -"But where can Dick be?" - -"Most likely a prisoner of our enemies," muttered Tom, bitterly. - -Tom's surmise was correct, Dick was indeed a prisoner of their enemies. -He had his hands and his feet bound tightly, and he had been dragged, by -Tad Sobber towards the campfire that was burning at the further end of -the big cave. In the meantime the fellow who had been followed by Dick -went off to make sure that Tom and Sam would turn to the left and fall -into the water. - -"Well, Dick Rover, this is what you get for following us!" cried Tad -Sobber, in tones of triumph. "Perhaps, some day, you'll learn enough to -keep your hands out of my affairs." - -"Sobber, tell me, what have you done with Mrs. Stanhope?" asked Dick, -quickly. Even though he felt bruised and shook up, the welfare of Dora's -mother was uppermost in his mind. - -"I am not here to answer your questions." - -"You won't tell me?" - -"Not a word." - -"Do you realize that you and Josiah Crabtree have committed a big crime?" - -"We have done nothing wrong." - -"Don't you call stealing and abducting wrong?" - -"I haven't stolen anything. The fortune from Treasure Isle belonged to my -uncle and me--the Stanhopes had no right to it whatsoever." - -"I think otherwise--and so did the courts." - -"Bah! Your side didn't treat me fairly, you bought up the judges! I know -you!" stormed Tab Sobber. "The fortune was ours! Now I've got it--and I -mean to keep it!" - -"And what of Mrs. Stanhope?" - -"Mrs. Stanhope has acted like a sensible woman." - -"Acted like a sensible woman? What do you mean?" - -"She has done what she should have done years ago--she has given her -heart to the man who loves her." - -"Sobber, you don't mean----" Dick could not go on, for the lump that came -into his throat. - -"I do mean it." - -"What?" - -"I mean that she has become the wife of Mr. Josiah Crabtree!" cried Tad -Sobber. "So if you ever marry Dora Stanhope you'll have Mr. Crabtree for -your father-in-law." - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL - - -At the announcement of Tad Sobber, Dick could only stare at the speaker -for the time being. - -Was it really true that Dora's mother had married the disreputable Josiah -Crabtree after all? It made his heart sick to think of such a state of -affairs. - -"You are telling me the truth?" he asked at last. - -"Certainly." - -"I don't believe you, Tad Sobber." - -"Very well--you can ask Mr. Crabtree--and Mrs. Stanhope, when you see -her." - -"If she married Crabtree she was forced to do it." - -"No, she married him willingly." - -"I'll never believe it. Where is she now?" - -"I am not here to answer questions, Dick Rover. You and your brothers -came here I suppose to get the best of us. Well, you are nicely caught." - -"What are you going to do with me?" - -"You'll find that out before you are many hours older," answered Sobber, -and turned away. - -A quarter of an hour went by and the man who had met Koswell and the -others outside of the cavern came back. - -"Well, Jim, what about the other Rovers?" questioned Tad Sobber. - -"Safe enough," answered Jim Pally, with a grin. - -"Where?" - -"Down in the pool." - -"They slipped in?" - -"They sure did." - -"I hope they won't drown," went on Sobber, uneasily. - -"Oh, they are safe enough. I heard 'em swimming around until they found -the rocks to stand on." - -"Good enough. Now, what do you think we had better do with this one?" - -"Why don't you make him join his brothers?" answered Jim Pally. And then -he motioned Sobber to one side, out of Dick's hearing. A conversation in -a low tone followed. Pally was telling Sobber they had better be on -guard, since the Rovers might not be alone. Then he told of the meeting -with Koswell, Larkspur and Darkingham; and the two went off to consult -with Josiah Crabtree. - -Left to himself, Dick tried his best to free himself of the bonds that -held him. But the work of making him a prisoner had been done well, and -all he did was to cut his wrists and his ankles. - -When Sobber and Pally came back they were accompanied by Josiah Crabtree. -The former teacher and jailbird wore the same dictatorial look as of -yore. - -"Ha! so we meet again, Rover!" cried Josiah Crabtree, pursing up his -lips. - -"Mr. Crabtree, is it true that you have married Mrs. Stanhope?" asked -Dick, bluntly. - -"Well--er--we are as good as married, yes," he stammered, taken somewhat -off his guard by the suddenness of the question. - -"As good as married? What do you mean?" - -"I mean she has promised to be my--er--my bride as soon as we can obtain -a--er--a minister to perform the ceremony." - -"You are forcing her into this marriage!" - -"Not at all, young man, not at all! She is going to marry me of her own -free will." - -"I do not believe it." - -"Ha! don't dare to talk to me in this fashion, Rover!" stormed Josiah -Crabtree, glaring at the helpless youth before him. - -"Will you let me speak to Mrs. Stanhope?" - -"And poison her mind against me? Indeed not!" - -"Where is she?" - -"She is in safe hands." - -"In your hands?" - -"No, in the hands of a very estimable lady, who is doing all that is -possible to make her comfortable." - -"Is she well?" - -"She is--er--a little bit fatigued by her journey, that is all. She will -be quite herself after she has rested for a few days." - -"Mr. Crabtree, you had no right to abduct her." - -"Who says I abducted her? She accompanied me willingly, Rover." - -"I do not believe that, and never will believe it. You mesmerized or -hypnotized her, or something of the sort. I know your tricks of old." - -"Ha! don't dare to talk to me in that fashion!" stormed Josiah Crabtree. -"Don't you dare to do it!" And coming closer he shook his fist in Dick's -face. - -"You'd not do that if I were free, Josiah Crabtree!" cried the youth, -defiantly. - -"Say, we can't afford to waste time in talk!" interrupted Tad Sobber. "I -reckon the best thing we can do with this fellow is to make him join his -brothers." - -"And then--" went on Crabtree, and finished in a whisper which Dick did -not catch. - -A few minutes later Dick was led back into the cavern towards the pool -into which his brothers had fallen. Sobber carried a torch, that threw a -flickering light throughout the dismal underground opening. - -"Help! help!" came faintly from the bottom of the pool, and looking down -those on the rocks high above saw Sam and Tom standing there, in water up -to their knees. - -"Hello!" cried Dick. "Are you all right?" - -"We would be, if we could get out," answered Tom. - -"Hello! It's the Sobber crowd, with Dick!" murmured Sam. - -"I don't think they are going to aid us," returned Tom. - -A few words passed between Sobber, Crabtree, and Pally, and then while -two of the evildoers held Dick the third cut his bonds. - -"Now, then, you can join your brothers!" cried Sobber, and gave Dick a -shove that sent him headlong. Down he came with a tremendous splash, and -then the waters of the pool closed over him. - -"You cowards!" shouted Tom, in a rage. "I shouldn't treat a dog that -way!" - -"You shut your mouth!" yelled back Tad Sobber. "It serves you right--for -following us." - -"Some day you'll be in jail, Tad Sobber!" shouted Sam. "It's where you -belong." - -All waited for Dick to come up, but second after second passed and the -eldest Rover boy failed to appear. - -"Something is wrong!" gasped Tom, in alarm. "Maybe his head struck on the -bottom," cried Sam. "If he is dead, you'll pay the penalty!" he cried, to -those on the shore of the rocky pool. - -All were worried, for those above had not expected anything of this sort -to happen. They looked down, but could see nothing of Dick. - -"I'm going to hunt for him!" cried Tom, and leaving the rocks upon which -he was standing, he swam with all haste in the direction of the spot -where his big brother had gone down. Seeing this, Sam followed his -example. - -"Perhaps we had better be getting out of here!" muttered Jim Pally, -turning pale. - -"No! no! let us see if they bring Dick Rover up!" answered Tad Sobber, -hoarsely. - -The firebrand was swung into a larger blaze and the glare cast on the -waters. As the rays lit up the weird scene, Tom set up a sudden shout. - -"There he is!" - -"Where?" demanded Sam. - -"Over yonder! I just saw him bob up. Quick, Sam, before he goes to the -bottom!" - -The brothers swam to the spot indicated by Tom with all possible speed, -and Tom made a dive under the surface. When he came up again he had hold -of Dick's left foot. - -"I've go--got him!" he gasped. "Hel--help me!" - -For reply Sam ranged up by his brother's side, and between them they -raised Dick up and swam with him to the spot where the water was shallow. -Then they stood there, in water up to their knees, supporting Dick as -best they could. The oldest Rover boy was all but unconscious. - -"Going to help us?" yelled Tom, to their enemies. - -"What's the matter with him?" asked Tad Sobber. - -"Oh, I fancy he was only shamming!" came from Josiah Crabtree. "Come on -away." - -"Don't you dare to leave us here!" cried Sam. - -"Help us out," came from Tom. "It is your duty to do it." - -"Not much!" answered Tad Sobber, with a sneer. "You can help yourself--if -you can!" And with these words he walked away, in company with Crabtree -and Pally, leaving the Rovers to their fate in the water and the -darkness. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - A MINUTE TOO LATE - - -"Of all the rascals!" murmured Tom, as the light faded from sight. - -"They are the worst!" supplemented Sam. And then he added: "How do you -feel Dick?" - -"Oh, I--I guess I'll come around!" murmured the oldest Rover boy. "But I -came pretty close to being drowned!" he added, with a shudder. "I struck -something and it about stunned me, and I swallowed a lot of water." - -Tom and Sam continued to hold up their brother until Dick had recovered -sufficiently to support himself. As they stood on the submerged rocks, -they listened for some sound from their enemies, but none came. - -"Maybe they have left the cave," suggested Sam, after ten or fifteen -minutes had passed. - -"This is a fierce place," was Tom's comment. "It's just like a great big -well!" - -"And we are like the frogs at the bottom of the well!" added Dick, -grimly. He felt a little weak, but otherwise was all right. - -"I looked around when we had the light of that torch," said Tom, "but I -didn't see any place where a fellow could climb out, did you?" - -"Nary a spot, Tom," answered Sam. "The walls were all as smooth and as -slippery as glass." - -"Do you think they mean to leave us here to die?" asked Dick. - -"I shouldn't think they'd be as heartless as all that," came from Tom. -"They'd be afraid of consequences." - -An hour went by--just then it was an age--and at last the boys saw a -glimmer of light approaching. It flickered and flared over the walls for -fully a minute and then commenced to fade. - -"Somebody went past, through the main cave!" cried Tom. "Wonder who it -was?" - -"The Sobber crowd most likely," returned Dick. - -"But it might be somebody else!" cried Sam. "I'm going to yell and find -out." - -He raised his voice in a loud call, and Tom and Dick joined in. Several -minutes went by, and they called again. Then they saw the flickering of -the light once more. - -"Who is there?" came faintly to their ears. - -"This way! This way!" shouted one Rover boy after another. - -"Be careful of where you step!" cautioned Tom. - -"Where are you?" - -"This way!" they answered, and kept calling until the light of a ship's -lantern came into view, and they saw Captain Wells and Larry Dixon -approaching. - -"Well, I never!" ejaculated the captain of the steam tug, as he came to a -halt on the brink of the blackish pool. "How in the world did you git -down there?" - -"Help us out first, and then we'll tell you," replied Dick, quickly. - -"Didn't you meet our enemies?" asked Tom. - -"Nary a soul have we met since we landed," answered the captain. - -"Which way did you enter the cave?" asked Sam. - -"By the slit in the rocks--where you came in," answered Larry Dixon. "I -watched you disappear, and afterwards I heard some yelling. Then I got -scared and ran down to the shore and signalled for the steam tug to come -in. I told the cap'n all I knew, and he came ashore with a lantern to see -what was wrong--and here we be." - -"You've come in the nick of time," said Dick. "Our enemies, the Sobber -crowd, are here, and they left us as you see us. I rather think they have -Mrs. Stanhope and that fortune here, too, but I am not certain. Help to -get us out of here, and we'll get after 'em without delay." - -"Don't know how we are going to help you without a rope," said the -captain. - -"I saw some rope, down in the big part of this cave," said Larry Dixon. -"Let me have the light an' I'll fetch it in a jiffy!" - -He took the light and was off on the run. When he returned he was out of -breath. In his hands he held several pieces of good, stout rope, parts of -the same rope which had been used to make Dick a close prisoner. - -"We can splice these," said the old tar, and while Captain Wells held the -lantern, he tied the bits together. Then both he and the captain allowed -one end of the rope to dangle down into the hole, while they braced -themselves and held on to the upper portion. - -"Is it long enough?" asked Captain Wells. - -"I think so--I'll see," cried Tom, and leaving the rocks he swam over to -the rope. He was just able to reach it, and being something of an -athlete, went up the rope hand over hand, with his feet against the rocks -for added support. - -"Now you go, Dick!" cried Sam. "If you are weak and fall, I'll catch -you." - -It was quite a task for Dick to gain the rocks at the top of the pool and -once he came close to giving up and slipping back into the water. But he -was gritty, and Tom assisted him by leaning down on his breast and -extending a helping hand. Then Sam came up, and the three Rovers stood -beside the two men who had come to their rescue. - -"Phew! I am glad we are out of that!" murmured Sam, as he looked back at -the cold and gruesome waters. - -"We don't want to stay here!" cried Dick. "We want to get after the -Sobber crowd--before they have a chance to leave the island!" - -"How can they leave the island?" questioned Sam. "I don't think they have -a boat. I haven't seen any." - -"But Jerry Koswell's crowd has a boat, Sam--that swift motor craft." - -"Do you think they would aid such criminals as Sobber and Crabtree?" - -"They might--just to get the best of us." - -"Then the sooner we get after our enemies the better." - -"Where are your pistols?" asked the captain of the steam tug. - -"Mine was taken from me by Sobber," answered Dick. - -"And ours are at the bottom of the pool," added Sam. "We both dropped 'em -when we plunged into the water." And then he and his brothers acquainted -Captain Wells and the old sailor with the particulars of their adventures -since entering the cavern. - -"Well, I still have my pistol!" cried Captain Wells, grimly. - -"And I've got a good club," came from Larry Dixon. - -"We can arm ourselves with clubs," said Dick. "But the main thing just -now is to keep those rascals in sight. If they slip us, there will be no -telling where they will go to." - -With eyes and ears on the alert, the whole party made its way through the -big cave, coming out of the main opening, not far from where the campfire -still lay smouldering. - -"They certainly left in a hurry," remarked Tom, as he gazed around. "They -didn't wait to pick up all of their provisions." - -"I guess they got scared," murmured Dick. "Well, they'll get more scared -when they find we are so close on their heels." - -"Where do you suppose they went to?" asked the captain. - -"I don't know. But I think the best thing to do is to go down to where -that motor boat was tied up. I don't think they can leave unless they use -that boat--unless, of course, they have some craft we haven't as yet -seen." - -There was a well-defined path running from the cave down to the shore of -the island. This they followed, through the patch of woods and over some -rocks. Then they came to an opening where were located several -dilapidated buildings. Not far from one building were the remains of a -recent camp. - -"I believe this was the camp Darkingham and those with him made!" -ejaculated Dick. "They have gone--maybe they have left the island!" - -"Come on, I don't like this!" put in Tom, and broke into a run for the -old dock, and the others followed on his heels. - -They were still a hundred yards from the dock when Tom let up a shout: - -"There they are!" - -"Where?" asked Dick. - -"In the motor boat!" - -"Who?" questioned Sam. - -"The Sobber crowd--and they have Mrs. Stanhope with them." - -"Stop! stop!" yelled Dick, at the top of his voice. "Stop, I tell you! -Mrs. Stanhope!" - -"Oh!" came from the lady, as she espied the Rovers. "Save me! Save me! -Don't let them take me further away!" - -"Put on all speed!" roared Tad Sobber, to Pally, who was at the engine. -"Crowd her to the limit! They are after us!" - -"Here we go! Hold fast everybody!" answered Pally, and the next moment -the motor boat shot out into the waters of Casco Bay. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - BACK HOME--CONCLUSION - - -"Too late!" groaned Dick. "Oh, why didn't we get here a minute sooner!" - -"Stop, you rascals!" sang out Captain Wells. "Stop, or I'll fire!" and he -raised his pistol. - -"Don't shoot! You might hit Mrs. Stanhope!" whispered Dick. - -"I only want to scare 'em," muttered the captain of the steam tug. - -The motor boat gathered headway rapidly, and soon was out of range of the -pistol. The Rovers saw that the craft contained Tad Sobber, Jim Pally, -Josiah Crabtree and Mrs. Stanhope and another woman, probably Mrs. -Sobber. - -"Wonder what has become of Koswell, Larkspur and that Darkingham," said -Sam. - -"I don't know, and I don't care, just now!" returned Dick. "Captain, we -must follow that boat without delay. If they get out of our sight we may -never get another chance to rescue Mrs. Stanhope!" - -"I'll get after 'em as soon as I can," returned the master of the steam -tug. - -But to start a pursuit was not so easy, from the fact that the tug lay on -the other side of the island and could not be signalled. - -"Tom and I can go after the tug," said Sam. "The rest of you can try to -keep that motor boat in sight;" and so it was arranged. - -The two Rover boys skirted the south end of Chesoque Island. They kept on -a run, and on turning a corner of rocks, plumped fairly and squarely into -Koswell, Larkspur and Darkingham, who were talking earnestly among -themselves. - -"They said they would send the boat back sure," Koswell was saying, when -Tom almost ran him down. - -"Hello! you here!" cried Tom, and then, as Koswell grabbed him by the arm -he added: "Let me go!" - -"Not so fast!" roared Koswell. "Bart, catch the other fellow!" - -"I will!" muttered Bart Larkspur, and caught Sam by the arm. - -What followed, came with such swiftness that both Koswell and Larkspur -were taken completely off their guard. Tom drew back and hit Koswell a -blow in the nose that sent him staggering back against the rocks and made -the blood spurt freely. Sam, seeing this, also struck out, reaching -Larkspur's left eye, and putting that optic in deep mourning. Larkspur -fell back on Darkingham, and for the moment there was great confusion. - -"Skip! We don't want to be delayed!" cried Tom, to his brother, and on -they went again, before their enemies had time to recover. - -Inside of five minutes they came in sight of the steam tug. Those aboard -were on the watch for the return of Captain Wells, and the engineer had a -full head of steam up, to use in case of emergency. - -"Quick!" cried Tom, as he and Sam rushed on board. "Captain Wells and my -brother want you on the other side of the island at once!" - -"We'll get there as quick as the propeller can take us," said the mate, -and the engineer nodded to show that he understood. The tug backed away -from the island, and in a moment more was on the way to the old dock. - -"Say we gave Koswell and Larkspur something to remember us by," remarked -Sam, grimly. - -"So we did," answered Tom, with a grin. "Wish it had been ten times as -much!" - -"They and that Darkingham must have loaned the motor boat to the Sobber -crowd." - -"Most likely Sobber paid 'em well for its use. He could do it easily--out -of that fortune." - -As the steam tug rounded the end of the island, Tom and Sam were just -able to see the motor boat in the distance. It seemed to be heading for -the mainland. - -"All aboard!" sang out Tom, as they ran up to the old dock. But this -invitation was unnecessary, for Dick, Captain Wells and Larry Dixon -leaped on the deck as soon as the craft was close enough. - -"Now then, after her!" sang out the eldest Rover boy. "Crowd on all -steam! I'll pay all expenses, and more!" - -"Even if she blows up?" queried the captain, with a bit of dry humor. - -"Yes, even if she blows up, Captain! Oh, we must catch them!" added Dick, -pleadingly. - -"We'll do our level best, Mr. Rover. Nobody could do more." - -Soon the throbbing of the engine showed that the tug was running under a -full pressure of steam. The spray dashed all over the craft and those on -board, but to this nobody paid attention. Every eye was riveted on the -craft ahead. - -Those on the motor boat were equally eager, and watched the pursuit with -chagrin. - -"Do you--er--think they will catch us?" asked Josiah Crabtree, nervously, -not once but several times. - -"I don't know--I hope not," answered Pally. - -"Can't we run faster?" - -"I am crowding her to the limit now." - -"Do you know about motor boats? Perhaps Mr. Sobber knows more." - -"I don't," answered Tad Sobber. "Wish I did." - -"I know about 'em--I ran one for two summers," answered Jim Pally. "I'll -leave 'em behind if it's in the boat to do it." - -"Oh, please let me go!" cried Mrs. Stanhope, almost tearfully. "Mr. -Crabtree, I do not want to go with you another step! Please let me go!" - -"Keep quiet, Mrs. Stanhope, don't excite yourself," he answered, trying -to soothe her. But he was so nervous his voice trembled as he spoke. He -had not dreamed that the pursuit would become so swift and sure. - -Closer and closer drew the steam tug, until those on board could plainly -see all that was taking place on the motor boat. - -"I command you to stop!" yelled Captain Wells. "Stop, or we'll run you -down." - -"No, no, don't you do that!" screamed Josiah Crabtree, in fright. - -"Save me! Oh, save me!" screamed Mrs. Stanhope, and then, of a sudden, -she sprang to her feet, leaped to the stern deck of the motor boat, and -cast herself headlong into the waters of the bay. - -The movement was so unexpected by the others on the Magnet that not a -hand was raised to detain her. She went down, directly in the path of the -oncoming tug. - -"Stop! Back her!" screamed Dick, in horror, and Tom and Sam also yelled -out a warning. There was a quick jangling of a bell, and the engine was -stopped. Then the power was reversed, and the steam tug was steered to -one side. - -"There she is!" cried Tom, pointing with his hand, and the next instant -came a splash, as Dick made a dive overboard. He, too, had seen Mrs. -Stanhope floating near, and soon he had her in his arms and was -supporting her. - -The engine of the tug was now stopped, and a rope was thrown to the -eldest Rover boy, and he and Mrs. Stanhope were hauled on board. As the -lady was brought on deck, she fainted away, but in a few minutes she -recovered. - -"Thank heaven, she is safe!" murmured Dick. - -"I'm thankful we didn't run her down!" added Captain Wells. "It was a -close shave! We had to reverse like lightning." - -"It was well done, sir," answered Sam. - -"Couldn't have been better," came from Tom. - -"But, say, aren't we going after those rascals? Remember, even though we -have rescued Mrs. Stanhope, they still have the fortune!" - -"Sure, we are going after 'em!" cried Dick. "Go ahead!" - -The order to proceed was given, but, much to the captain's chagrin, the -tug refused to get up any speed. Then came a report from the engineer -that the sudden reversing of the engine had broken some of the machinery. -They could run, but it would have to be slowly. - -"Then they'll get away after all!" groaned Sam. "And with that fortune, -too!" - -"Fortune?" came from Mrs. Stanhope, who was standing near the boiler, -trying to dry her wet garments. "What about the fortune, boys?" - -"Haven't they got that fortune with them?" questioned Tom, quickly. - -"Oh, no, they buried it, in the cave on the island," was the answer. -"They didn't know I saw them, but I did. Tad Sobber and Mr. Crabtree said -they would come back, after--after--" And here she blushed deeply. - -"After old Crabtree had forced you to marry him, I suppose," whispered -Dick. - -"Yes, Dick. But, oh! I didn't want to do it! He tried to hypnotize me, -just as he tried to do years ago--but I fought him off as best I could!" -answered Mrs. Stanhope, earnestly. - -"He ought to be in prison again!" muttered Dick. - -"If the fortune is on the island, let us go and get it," cried Sam. "We -can't catch that motor boat anyway!" For the craft was now all but out of -sight. - -The steam tug was headed for Chesoque Island, and slowly made her way to -the old dock. There the engineer and his assistant set to work to make -the necessary repairs, while the three Rover boys and Mrs. Stanhope -visited the cave. Once in the underground opening, the lady pointed out -the spot where the valise containing the fortune had been secreted -between the rocks. - -"Here it is!" cried Tom, and dragged the valise to light. - -"Open it and see if the fortune is safe!" came from Sam, in a voice he -tried in vain to steady. - -The key to the valise was missing, so the lock to the bag had to be -broken open. Inside were the gold and precious stones. - -"All here--or at least the greater portion of it," was Dick's comment, -and he was right. Only about five hundred dollars in gold was missing, -and two small diamonds--hardly worth mentioning beside the total value of -the treasure. - -"Hurrah!" shouted Tom. "We've beaten them after all! We've got the -treasure!" - -"And Mrs. Stanhope," added Dick. "We must send word to Dora and the -others just as soon as we can!" - -"It's a pity we didn't catch those rascals," murmured Sam. - -"Oh, we'll get them some time!" said Dick. How they fell in with their -enemies again will be related in another volume of this series, to be -entitled, "The Rover Boys in the Air; or, From College Campus to the -Clouds," a tale telling the particulars of several happenings far out of -the ordinary. - -While the steam tug was laid up for repairs, several of the party took a -walk and looked for Koswell, Larkspur and Darkingham. But they looked in -vain, for those rascals were thoroughly frightened, and kept themselves -well hidden in the woods. - -That evening found the Rover boys and Mrs. Stanhope in Portland, where -they put up at one of the leading hotels. Messages were sent to Dora, the -Lanings, and the Rovers at home, telling of the rescue of Mrs. Stanhope, -and of the recovery of the fortune. Then Mrs. Stanhope told how she had -been lured from her home and abducted, and then placed in the care of -Mrs. Sobber, and how she had managed to mail the postal card. - -"They treated me kindly enough," she said. "But they would not let me -have my liberty, and I think they told outsiders that I was insane." - -"That is just what they did," answered Dick. - -A general alarm was sent out for Sobber, Crabtree and the others. But -they kept in the dark and were not captured. - -"Oh, how glad I shall be to get back home!" murmured Mrs. Stanhope, when -the return was begun. "It seems an age since I went away!" - -"Dora will be glad to see you," answered Dick. - -"I owe you and your brothers a great deal, Dick!" she went on earnestly. -"You are all noble young men!" And this earnest praise made all of the -Rover boys blush. - -The return to Cedarville was a great event. Dora clasped her mother in -her arms and laughed and wept by turns, and then threw herself into -Dick's embrace. - -"Oh, Dick! It was splendid!" she cried. "Oh, I shall never forget it, -never!" And then she kissed him right in front of everybody. - -The Lanings were equally pleased, and Nellie and Grace were proud of the -parts Tom and Sam had played in the affair. - -"You are a regular hero!" said Nellie to Tom, and gave him a glance that -thrilled him through and through. - -"And we shall always remember what you did!" added Grace, to Sam. - -"You did better than the authorities," was Mr. Anderson Rover's comment. - -"The authorities did nothing," added Mr. Laning. "If it hadn't been for -your boys----" And then he bobbed his head enthusiastically. "Great lads! -fine lads!" he added. - -"Whoop!" cried Tom, in sudden high spirits, and catching Sam by the arms -and whirling him around. "Say, I suppose now we can go back and finish -that vacation, eh?" - -"Sure thing, Tom!" cried Sam. - -And then both set up a merry whistle; and here let us take our leave and -say good-bye. - - - THE END - - - - - This Isn't All! - - -Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in -this book? - -Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and -experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author? - -On the reverse side of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will -find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store -where you got this book. - - - Don't throw away the Wrapper - - -Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. But in -case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for a complete catalog. - - - THE FAMOUS ROVER BOYS SERIES - - By ARTHUR M. WINFIELD - (EDWARD STRATEMEYER) - - - Beautiful Wrappers in Full Color - - -No stories for boys ever published have attained the tremendous -popularity of this famous series. Since the publication of the first -volume, The Rover Boys at School, some years ago, over three million -copies of these books have been sold. They are well written stories -dealing with the Rover boys in a great many different kinds of activities -and adventures. Each volume holds something of interest to every -adventure loving boy. - -A complete list of titles is printed on the opposite page. - - - FAMOUS ROVER BOYS SERIES - - BY ARTHUR M. WINFIELD - (Edward Stratemeyer) - - OVER THREE MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THIS SERIES. - - Uniform Style of Bindings. Colored Wrappers. - Every Volume Complete in Itself. - - 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 ON LAND AND SEA - THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP - 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 ROVER BOYS AT COLBY HALL - THE ROVER BOYS ON SNOWSHOE ISLAND - THE ROVER BOYS UNDER CANVAS - THE ROVER BOYS ON A HUNT - THE ROVER BOYS IN THE LAND OF LUCK - THE ROVER BOYS AT BIG HORN RANCH - THE ROVER BOYS AT BIG BEAR LAKE - THE ROVER BOYS SHIPWRECKED - THE ROVER BOYS ON SUNSET TRAIL - THE ROVER BOYS WINNING A FORTUNE - - - Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York - - - WESTERN STORIES FOR BOYS - - By JAMES CODY FERRIS - - Individual Colored Wrappers and Illustrations by - WALTER S. ROGERS - - Each Volume Complete in Itself. - - -Thrilling tales of the great west, told primarily for boys but which will -be read by all who love mystery, rapid action, and adventures in the -great open spaces. - -The Manly Boys, Roy and Teddy, are the sons of an old ranchman, the owner -of many thousands of heads of cattle. The lads know how to ride, how to -shoot, and how to take care of themselves under any and all -circumstances. - -The cowboys of the X Bar X Ranch are real cowboys, on the job when -required but full of fun and daring--a bunch any reader will be delighted -to know. - - THE X BAR X BOYS ON THE RANCH - THE X BAR X BOYS IN THUNDER CANYON - THE X BAR X BOYS ON WHIRLPOOL RIVER - THE X BAR X BOYS ON BIG BISON TRAIL - THE X BAR X BOYS AT THE ROUND-UP - THE X BAR X BOYS AT NUGGET CAMP - THE X BAR X BOYS AT RUSTLER'S GAP - THE X BAR X BOYS AT GRIZZLY PASS - THE X BAR X BOYS LOST IN THE ROCKIES - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - THE HARDY BOY'S SERIES - - By FRANKLIN W. DIXON - - Illustrated. Every Volume Complete in Itself. - - -THE HARDY BOYS are sons of a celebrated American detective, and during -vacations and their off time from school they help their father by -hunting down clues themselves. - -THE TOWER TREASURE - - A dying criminal confessed that his loot had been secreted "in the - tower." It remained for the Hardy Boys to make an astonishing discovery - that cleared up the mystery. - -THE HOUSE ON THE CLIFF - - The house had been vacant and was supposed to be haunted. Mr. Hardy - started to investigate--and disappeared! An odd tale, with plenty of - excitement. - -THE SECRET OF THE OLD MILL - - Counterfeit money was in circulation, and the limit was reached when - Mrs. Hardy took some from a stranger. A tale full of thrills. - -THE MISSING CHUMS - - Two of the Hardy Boys' chums take a motor trip down the coast. They - disappear and are almost rescued by their friends when all are - captured. A thrilling story of adventure. - -HUNTING FOR HIDDEN GOLD - - Mr. Hardy is injured in tracing some stolen gold. A hunt by the boys - leads to an abandoned mine, and there things start to happen. A western - story all boys will enjoy. - -THE SHORE ROAD MYSTERY - - Automobiles were disappearing most mysteriously from the Shore Road. It - remained for the Hardy Boys to solve the mystery. - -THE SECRET OF THE CAVES - - When the boys reached the caves they came unexpectedly upon a queer old - hermit. - -THE MYSTERY OF CABIN ISLAND - - A story of queer adventures on a rockbound island. - -THE GREAT AIRPORT MYSTERY - - The Hardy Boys solve the mystery of the disappearance of some valuable - mail. - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - THE TED SCOTT FLYING STORIES - - By FRANKLIN W. DIXON - - Illustrated. Each Volume Complete in Itself. - - -No subject has so thoroughly caught the imagination of young America as -aviation. This series has been inspired by recent daring feats of the -air, and is dedicated to Lindberg, Byrd, Chamberlin and other heroes of -the skies. - - OVER THE OCEAN TO PARIS; or Ted Scott's daring long distance flight. - RESCUED IN THE CLOUDS; or, Ted Scott, Hero of the Air. - OVER THE ROCKIES WITH THE AIR MAIL; or, Ted Scott, Lost in the - Wilderness. - FIRST STOP HONOLULU; or, Ted Scott, over the Pacific. - THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST FLYERS; or, Ted Scott, Over the West Indies. - SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE; or, Ted Scott, On a Secret Mission. - ACROSS THE PACIFIC; or, Ted Scott's Hop to Australia. - THE LONE EAGLE OF THE BORDER; or, Ted Scott and the Diamond Smugglers. - FLYING AGAINST TIME; or, Breaking the Ocean to Ocean Record. - OVER THE JUNGLE TRAILS; or, Ted Scott and the Missing Explorers. - LOST AT THE SOUTH POLE; or, Ted Scott in Blizzard Land. - THROUGH THE AIR TO ALASKA; or, Ted Scott's Search in Nugget Valley. - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - THE DON STURDY SERIES - - By VICTOR APPLETON - Author of "The Tom Swift Series" - - -Every red-blooded boy will enjoy the thrilling adventures of Don Sturdy. -In company with his uncles, one a big game hunter, the other a noted -scientist, he travels far and wide--into the jungles of South America, -across the Sahara, deep into the African jungle, up where the Alaskan -volcanoes spout, down among the head hunters of Borneo and many other -places where there is danger and excitement. Every boy who has known Tom -Swift will at once become the boon companion of daring Don Sturdy. - - DON STURDY ON THE DESERT OF MYSTERY - DON STURDY WITH THE BIG SNAKE HUNTERS - DON STURDY IN THE TOMBS OF GOLD - DON STURDY ACROSS THE NORTH POLE - DON STURDY IN THE LAND OF VOLCANOES - DON STURDY IN THE PORT OF LOST SHIPS - DON STURDY AMONG THE GORILLAS - DON STURDY CAPTURED BY HEAD HUNTERS - DON STURDY IN LION LAND - DON STURDY IN THE LAND OF GIANTS - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - THE RADIO BOYS SERIES - - (Trademark Registered) - - By ALLEN CHAPMAN - Author of the "Railroad Series," Etc. - - Illustrated. Every Volume Complete in Itself. - - -Here is a series that gives full details of radio work both in sending -and receiving--how large and small sets can be made and operated, and -with this real information there are the stories of the radio boys and -their adventures. Each story is a record of thrilling -adventures--rescues, narrow escapes from death, daring exploits in which -the radio plays a main part. Each volume is so thoroughly fascinating, so -strictly up-to-date, and accurate that all modern boys will peruse them -with delight. - -Each volume has a foreword by Jack Binns, the well known radio expert. - - THE RADIO BOYS FIRST WIRELESS - THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT - THE RADIO BOYS AT THE SENDING STATION - THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS - THE RADIO BOYS TRAILING A VOICE - THE RADIO BOYS WITH THE FOREST RANGERS - THE RADIO BOYS WITH THE ICEBERG PATROL - THE RADIO BOYS WITH THE FLOOD FIGHTERS - THE RADIO BOYS ON SIGNAL ISLAND - THE RADIO BOYS IN GOLD VALLEY - THE RADIO BOYS AIDING THE SNOWBOUND - THE RADIO BOYS ON THE PACIFIC - THE RADIO BOYS TO THE RESCUE - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - THE RAILROAD SERIES - - By ALLEN CHAPMAN - Author of the "Radio Boys," Etc. - - Uniform Style of Binding. Illustrated. - Every Volume Complete in Itself. - - -In this line of books there is revealed the whole workings of a great -American railroad system. There are adventures in abundance--railroad -wrecks, dashes through forest fires, the pursuit of a "wildcat" -locomotive, the disappearance of a pay car with a large sum of money on -board--but there is much more than this--the intense rivalry among -railroads and railroad men, the working out of running schedules, the -getting through "on time" in spite of all obstacles, and the manipulation -of railroad securities by evil men who wish to rule or ruin. - - RALPH OF THE ROUND HOUSE; or, Bound to Become a Railroad Man. - RALPH IN THE SWITCH TOWER; or, Clearing the Track. - RALPH ON THE ENGINE; or, The Young Fireman of the Limited Mail. - RALPH ON THE OVERLAND EXPRESS; or, The Trials and Triumphs of a Young - Engineer. - RALPH, THE TRAIN DISPATCHER; or, The Mystery of the Pay Car. - RALPH ON THE ARMY TRAIN; or, The Young Railroader's Most Daring - Exploit. - RALPH ON THE MIDNIGHT FLYER; or, The Wreck at Shadow Valley. - RALPH AND THE MISSING MAIL POUCH; or, The Stolen Government Bonds. - RALPH ON THE MOUNTAIN DIVISION; or, Fighting Both Flames and Flood. - RALPH AND THE TRAIN WRECKERS; or, The Secret of the Blue Freight Cars. - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - FLYING STORIES FOR BOYS - - IN THE AIR WITH ANDY LANE - By EUSTACE L. ADAMS - - Illustrated. Every Volume Complete in Itself. - - -Mr. Adams, the author of this flying series for boys is an experienced -aviator and has had many thrilling adventures in the air--both as a -member of the famous Lafayette Escadrille in the World War and in the -United States Naval Aviation Service flying with the squadrons patrolling -the Atlantic Coast. His stories reveal not only his ability to tell -daring and exciting air episodes but also his first hand knowledge of -modern aeroplanes and the marvelous technical improvements which have -been made in the past few years. Andy Lane flies the latest and most -highly developed machines in the field of aviation. - -FIFTEEN DAYS IN THE AIR - - Andy refuels his ship in the air and sets a new endurance record. - -OVER THE POLAR ICE - - In a giant flying boat Andy beats his enemy in a dash to the South - Pole. - -RACING ROUND THE WORLD - - In a series of thrilling flights Andy wins an air dash around the globe - to win a $100,000 prize. - -THE RUNAWAY AIRSHIP - - Through foggy skies Andy Lane brings back the world's greatest - passenger carrying dirigible, blown away on the wings of a storm. - -PIRATES OF THE AIR - - Andy Lane pilots the giant passenger plane Apex No. 4 across the - Atlantic in the face of almost overwhelming odds. - -ON THE WINGS OF FLAME - - Andy makes a forced landing in the South American jungle in the dead of - night and has thrilling experiences with the natives. - -THE FLYING WINDMILL - - Andy Lane and his restless crew take off in a monster autogyro in - search of pirate treasure. - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Rover Boys Down East, by Arthur M. Winfield - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST *** - -***** This file should be named 40303.txt or 40303.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/3/0/40303/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, J. Ali Harlow -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/40303.zip b/40303.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 506c860..0000000 --- a/40303.zip +++ /dev/null |