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diff --git a/42403-8.txt b/42403-0.txt index 8526f9d..bfffad1 100644 --- a/42403-8.txt +++ b/42403-0.txt @@ -1,38 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Eight-Oared Victors, by Lester Chadwick - - -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 Eight-Oared Victors - A Story of College Water Sports - - -Author: Lester Chadwick - - - -Release Date: March 24, 2013 [eBook #42403] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS*** - - -E-text prepared by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://archive.org/details/americana) - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42403 *** Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. @@ -8427,7 +8393,7 @@ THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS "Here they come, boys! Get ready!" yelled Bean Perkins, wildly waving his megaphone. "Here they come!" -"Oh wow!" shouted Joe Jackson. "For the love of Csar tell us who's +"Oh wow!" shouted Joe Jackson. "For the love of Cæsar tell us who's ahead." "It's hard to see from here. But I think----" @@ -8934,362 +8900,4 @@ Transcriber's note: --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS*** - - -******* This file should be named 42403-8.txt or 42403-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/4/0/42403 - - - -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. 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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 <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -<p>Title: The Eight-Oared Victors</p> -<p> A Story of College Water Sports</p> -<p>Author: Lester Chadwick</p> -<p>Release Date: March 24, 2013 [eBook #42403]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS***</p> <p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Donald Cummings<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="http://archive.org">http://archive.org</a>)</h4> <p> </p> <table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> <tr> @@ -12037,360 +12020,6 @@ GOLDEN FETISH.”</p></li> <p> </p> <p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 42403-h.txt or 42403-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/4/0/42403">http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/0/42403</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed.</p> - -<p> -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. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<p>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.</p> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42403 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/42403.txt b/42403.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c5a98a7..0000000 --- a/42403.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9295 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Eight-Oared Victors, by Lester Chadwick - - -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 Eight-Oared Victors - A Story of College Water Sports - - -Author: Lester Chadwick - - - -Release Date: March 24, 2013 [eBook #42403] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS*** - - -E-text prepared by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 42403-h.htm or 42403-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42403/42403-h/42403-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42403/42403-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/eightoaredvictor00chad - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). - - [oe] represents the oe-ligature. - - - - - -[Illustration: THE FINISH LINE WAS BUT A HUNDRED FEET AWAY.] - - -THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS - -A Story of College Water Sports - -by - -LESTER CHADWICK - -Author of "The Rival Pitchers," "A Quarter-Back's -Pluck," "The Winning Touchdown," "Baseball -Joe of the Silver Stars," "Baseball Joe -at Yale," etc. - -Illustrated - - - - - - - -New York -Cupples & Leon Company - - * * * * * - -=BOOKS BY LESTER CHADWICK= - - =THE COLLEGE SPORTS SERIES= - 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. - - THE RIVAL PITCHERS - A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK - BATTING TO WIN - THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN - FOR THE HONOR OF RANDALL - THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS - - - =THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES= - 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. - - BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS - Or, The Rivals of Riverside - - BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE - Or, Pitching for the Blue Banner - - BASEBALL JOE AT YALE - Or, Pitching for the College Championship - - (Other volumes in preparation) - - _Cupples & Leon Co., Publishers, New York_ - - * * * * * - -Copyright, 1913, by -Cupples & Leon Company - -THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS - -Printed in U. S. A. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I GREAT NEWS 1 - II THE FLOOD 15 - III THE MISSING TROPHIES 24 - IV IMPLIED ACCUSATION 32 - V THE CLUE 45 - VI THE PRACTICE SHELL 53 - VII THE FIRST TRIAL 62 - VIII RUTH'S LOSS 72 - IX ON CREST ISLAND 81 - X THE GAY HANDKERCHIEF 90 - XI THE FIRST BREAK 101 - XII A FRIENDLY BRUSH 112 - XIII THE LONG VACATION 118 - XIV OFF FOR CAMP 126 - XV THE OLD GRADUATE 132 - XVI THE GIRLS 141 - XVII AT PRACTICE 147 - XVIII "SENOR BOSWELL" 156 - XIX JEALOUSY 162 - XX A STRANGE CONFERENCE 174 - XXI IN THE SHACK 181 - XXII THE PAWN TICKETS 188 - XXIII TWO MISSING MEN 194 - XXIV BACK AT RANDALL 203 - XXV THE NEW SHELLS 209 - XXVI "ROW HARD!" 216 - XXVII A BRUSH WITH BOXER 242 - XXVIII FAINT HEARTS 247 - XXIX THE REGATTA 253 - XXX A CLOSE FINISH 266 - XXXI THE TUB RACE 273 - XXXII BOSWELL'S CHANCE 279 - XXXIII MENDEZ EXPLAINS 289 - XXXIV THE GREAT RACE 297 - XXXV THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS 302 - - - - -THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -GREAT NEWS - - -"And after this--the deluge, I suppose," quoted Tom Parsons as he gazed -moodily out of the window of his study, and watched the raindrops -splashing on the ledge, running down the pipe, and forming one of many -streams that trickled over the green college campus. "Is it never going -to stop?" he went on, turning toward his three chums. "It's rained -now----" - -"Oh, for the love of differential calculus!" cried Phil Clinton, "can't -you talk of anything but the weather, Tom? I'm sick of hearing it -discussed." - -"No sicker than I am of hearing it pour," retorted the first speaker. - -"The rain certainly does seem to stick around," added Sid Henderson, as -he endeavored to arise from a decrepit armchair--one of the twins--that -added comfort to the college study. "I'm so damp, and altogether gluey, -that it's all I can do to get up. Lend me a hand somebody!" he appealed. - -"'Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears!'" recited Tom in the -best schoolboy style. "Can't you manage to assist yourself, Sid; or are -you getting too fat?" - -"Fat! Huh! I guess if you'd trained the way I did for those track games -you wouldn't be fat!" was shot out in protest. - -"Train! Listen to him, Phil. Just because he won his big jump he thinks -that's all there is. Why----" - -"Hold on," put in Phil, quietly. "You fellows will get on each other's -nerves if you continue. And you're certainly getting on mine. How do -you expect me to bone away if you're going on like this? That fussy -alarm clock is bad enough--I don't know why we tolerate the old thing -anyhow--but when you two get to scrapping, and this confounded rain -never lets up, why it's the extreme edge, so to speak." - -"It is the rain, I guess," spoke Tom Parsons, in a low voice. "It's -enough to get on anyone's nerves. A straight week now," and he drummed -on the wet window-pane, while Phil turned over on an old sofa, that -creaked dismally, and tried to get a better light on his book. But the -gloom outside seemed to have found a place in the study room. - -"Easy on that ancient and honorable piece of furniture!" cautioned Tom, -as he looked anxiously at the sofa, which seemed to groan in protest at -Phil's weight. "It won't stand much more mending, and that's no idle -dream." - -"Don't worry," said Phil, easily. "I think as much of this sofa as any -of you." - -"Um!" grunted Tom moodily, as he crossed over to the other armchair -and threw himself into it at no small risk of going through the seat. -"What's a fellow to do?" he asked. - -Neither of his chums answered him. Sid had managed to rise without -anyone's aid, and was examining a pile of books, as though trying to -pick out the one containing the easiest lessons. - -"Where's Frank?" asked Tom, after a silence. - -"I saw the Big Californian crossing the campus awhile ago," replied -Phil, closing his book and yawning. "He was bundled up in a raincoat, -and seemed as chipper as a clam at high tide." - -"Wish I had the spunk to go out," commented Sid. "The river must be -nearly flood-high by this time, with all the water that's fallen." - -"Water! Ugh! Don't mention it," begged Tom. - -Silence reigned in the room, broken only by the ticking of the fussy -little alarm clock. There was the rustle of the pages, as the two lads, -studying, turned to various lessons. Tom got up with an impatient -exclamation, and passed into one of the four small bedrooms that opened -out of the main study. - -"I think I'll take a chance and go out!" he announced. "It's as dull as -ditchwater in here. You fellows are about as cheerful as a wake." - -"Um!" grunted Phil. Sid did not take the trouble to reply. - -"That's right. Be grumpy!" said Tom, sarcastically. - -Clearly the weather was getting on the nerves of all of them. And small -wonder, for it had rained almost steadily for a week, and the stone -piles that made up Randall College seemed soaked through to the very -wall paper. The campus was like a sponge, and the walks, where they were -not gravel, were ribbons of mud. - -"Lucky we got our Spring games over with, before this flood set in," -went on Tom. - -There was no answer. - -"What's the matter; have you fellows lost your tongues?" he demanded, -sharply. - -He paused in the act of slipping off a lounging coat preparatory to -putting on an outdoor garment. Sid and Phil avoided his glance. At that -moment the door into the hall opened and there stepped into the study a -big lad, attired in a raincoat, that dripped moisture at every seam. - -"Hello, Duck!" greeted Sid with a cheerful grin. - -"Where have you been, Frank?" asked Tom. "I was just coming out to join -you." - -Evidently this was Frank Simpson, the "Big Californian," the reason for -the nickname being obvious. - -"Come ahead--all of you," invited Frank. "It isn't so bad, and I guess -it's going to clear up." - -"I believe you're right!" agreed Tom, and there was an instant change in -his voice. "It has almost stopped. Come on!" he cried. "You fellows stop -boning, and we'll make a party of it. It's early yet, only the clouds -make it seem dark." - -"Wait a minute," suggested Frank, as he saw that the others were likely -to fall in with Tom's idea. "Have you fellows heard the news?" - -"Has Moses granted a Roman holiday?" asked Sid. - -"Or has Pitchfork consented to resign?" added Phil. - -"Neither one. This is the greatest news ever. And it's just the kind -of a day to impart it, for it has to do with water. Fellows, do you -think Randall could get into the rowing game--I mean as it ought to -be gotten into? Do you think we could make up a crew--or two crews -for that matter--an eight and four--that could put it all over Boxer -Hall and Fairview Academy? Do you think we could turn out some -four-and-eight-oared victors?" - -Frank paused in his enthusiastic questions, and gazed at his chums -through a mist of moisture that seemed to emanate from his damp person. - -"Do you?" he repeated, for they were silent. - -"What does he mean?" asked Tom. - -"He speaketh in riddles," added Phil. - -"Mayhap he but jesteth," came from Sid. - -"No joke at all," said Frank with a smiling good nature. "This is the -very latest news, and I think I'm one of the first fellows to hear it. -Listen and I will a tale unfold." - -"Well, as long as it's only a tale you're going to unfold, and not that -wet raincoat, proceed, most noble Brutus," begged Tom. - -"Oh, let up with the jollying, and let's hear the news," suggested Phil. - -"In brief, then, it's this," went on Frank. "A number of old grads, -who, it seems, used to be fonder of rowing and sculling than anything -else when they were at Randall, have had a meeting, and they decided to -subscribe ten thousand dollars to fit us up with a dandy boathouse and -shells--that is if we'll consent to accept----" - -"Accept! I guess yes, with running shoes on!" cried Phil. - -"There's a sort of a string attached to it," went on Frank. - -"What is it? Do we have to raise an additional ten thousand dollars?" -asked Tom, suspiciously. - -"No, nothing as hard as that. But we have to form a regular rowing -association, and promise to work our level best to be the champions of -the river and lake. Shall we do it?" - -For a moment there was silence. And then Tom cried: - -"Of course we will!" - -"Why shouldn't we?" demanded Phil. - -"Say, this is great!" came from Sid. "Randall going to have a crew at -last! It's about time. But I say," he went on, "it's too late this term -to think of it. Why we only have a few more weeks before the Summer -vacation." - -"I know it," replied Frank, "and the idea is to get things in shape the -remainder of this term, and have a regatta early in the Fall, before the -football season opens. I think we can induce Boxer Hall and Fairview to -enter into that sort of agreement, even if those two colleges do row -each other every Spring." - -"Good idea," commented Tom. - -"Say, Frank, how comes it that you know all this?" asked Sid. - -"Merely by accident," answered the Big Californian. "I was coming across -the campus just now, plowing along through the water with my head down, -and I ran plump into Moses and Dr. Marshall. I begged their pardons, of -course, and was about to go on when Moses, looking at the doctor, said: - -"'Perhaps we had better tell him, and have him sound some of the -others.'" - -"I began to pick up my ears at that and wonder what was in the wind. -And when Dr. Marshall came back with: 'It wouldn't be a bad idea,' I -knew something was up. The upshot of it was that Moses took me into his -confidence. Ahem!" and Frank swelled up his chest. - -"Go on, you rooster!" commanded Tom. - -"Tell us about the crew," begged Sid. - -"Well, that's it. Dr. Churchill said he had just received the offer from -a number of the wealthy old grads. who, it seems, got together, had a -sort of meeting, and voted that the decline of water activity at Randall -College was a shame. - -"It seems that they used to be regular sharks at rowing in their day, -and they passed a resolution that, whereas Randall had done well at -baseball, football and in track athletics, nevertheless she was a back -number when it came to rowing. - -"Therefore, 'be it resolved, and it is hereby resolved,' and all that -sort of thing, you know. Then they subscribed the ten thousand dollars, -and the only condition is that we promise to do our best to become -champions." - -"Which we'll do without question," said Tom. - -"Of course," added Phil. - -"But it's going to take a lot of work," commented Sid. "We'll need all -the time between now and Fall to get in shape. But what can we practice -in? We haven't any decent shells." - -"We can get some second-hand ones for practice," said Frank, "and I -understand the old grads will have the new ones ready for us in the -Fall, together with the new boathouse. We can also practice during our -vacation." - -"Good!" cried Tom. "It makes me feel better already. I want to get out -on the water right now." - -"And a little while ago you thought there was altogether too much -water," commented Phil, drily. - -"Oh, well," excused Tom, with a shrug of his shoulders. "I say, it is -clearing!" he cried. "Come on down and get into a boat. Even one of the -old tubs will answer, and we can talk this thing over." - -"That's what I came in to propose," said Frank. "As we are among the -older students here, it will be sort of up to us to spread the idea. I -think everybody will take to it, though." - -"It's about time we took a fall out of Boxer Hall on the water," -declared Sid. "Fairview isn't in it so much, though she came mighty near -beating Boxer in the eight one year." - -The rain had ceased, there probably being no more water left in the -sky, as Sid remarked. The four chums--the "Inseparables," as they were -called, slipped off their lounging jackets--at least Sid and Phil did, -for Tom already had done so--and soon all were on their way to Sunny -River, on the bank of which the various buildings of Randall College -were situated. Over the soggy campus they took their way, meeting no -one, for no one else seemed to have the courage to venture out. - -Though the institution had not boasted of a rowing association, or crew, -in some years, there was a boathouse, and a number of craft owned by -the students, and it was toward this structure that our friends betook -themselves. - -"Let's take the big barge," suggested Tom. "Then we can all get in it -and talk." - -"It's as heavy as lead," complained Phil. "It will be all right rowing -down stream, but coming back we'll have a hard pull." - -"What of it?" demanded Frank. "It will be good practice for us if we're -going to try for the crew." - -"That's right, we will have to make tries to see who are the best -oarsmen," remarked Tom. "I wonder if Mr. Lighton is a good coach when -it comes to rowing? I know he's all right at football and baseball, -but----" - -"I believe Dr. Churchill mentioned that if we took up this offer, one of -the old grads, who was a crackerjack oarsman in his day, might come and -give us some pointers," put in Frank. - -"Well, let's get out. Say, but the river is high, though," Tom -exclaimed, as they came in sight of the stream. The rain of the past -week had raised it considerably, and it was now rushing swiftly along, -a muddy stream, far from bearing out its name--Sunny. - -"The barge is as safe as a ferry-boat," commented Sid. "It can't upset." - -"All right, I'm game," declared Tom. "Let's row down to Tonoka Lake, and -see what's going on there." - -This lake was a large body of water into which the river emptied--in -fact it was more like the widening of the stream than a real lake, but a -lake it was called in spite of that. In its centre was Crest Island, of -good size. - -Soon the four students were in the barge, a four-oared craft, with -enough seats so that the quartette could row with an oar each, after -the manner of those in a shell. - -"Take out the rudder," directed Frank. "We'll have to make our own -course, for it can't be worked by one's feet as in a four-oared shell." - -Phil unshipped the rudder, and they rowed out into the middle of the -stream. It was easy going down with the current, but they realized that -it would be harder coming back. However, they were out for practice as -much as anything else, and did not mind a stiff pull. - -"I wonder what sort of a stroke we pull?" said Tom, as they rowed on. - -"Oh, we probably have lots of faults," admitted Frank. "But they can be -corrected." - -"It's a pretty big chunk to bite off--to think of beating Boxer Hall, -where the fellows have been rowing for years, and we just starting in," -commented Sid. - -"Oh, stranger things have happened," declared Tom. "We can do it." - -Then began a spirited discussion of the splendid offer that had been -made to Randall, and a talk as to what the other students would think of -it. The four chums were enthusiastic over the prospect. - -"Say," called Tom, after a bit. "This is all right, and lots of fun, but -we've come down quite a way, and we've got to think of going back. This -current is fierce." - -"Quitter!" called Phil. - -"Nothing of the sort--I've got common-sense," was the retort. - -"Tom is right," said Frank Simpson, in a quiet voice. "We mustn't overdo -the thing. It is going to be a stiffish pull back, and we don't want to -be late for dinner--I don't anyhow." - -They had rowed down to where the river widened into the lake. There was -a Summer picnic ground near here, and on the higher slopes of land, back -from the water, were a number of fine residences, the estates running -down to the shore edge. Many of the places had boathouses. - -As the boys came opposite one of these they saw a small motor-boat turn -in toward a shelter, the doors of which were open. There was a lone man -in the boat, and he skillfully directed her course across the current. - -"Let's pull over there and rest before going back," suggested Sid, -and the others agreed. They reached the boathouse and dock in time to -see the man in the motor-boat close and lock the door, with his craft -inside. Apparently he did not notice the boys, who were working to get -in on the downstream side of the float, so they could be out of the -current for a little while. - -"There," remarked the man from the motor-boat, as he walked out of the -shore-door of the house, also locking that after him, "I guess things -will be safe in there until I come back. I won't be gone long. Maybe -I ought to take them with me but they're heavy, and I've got to go up -hill--I guess I'll leave them," and he started up the slope from the -river, toward a fine residence on the hill. - -"He must have money in the bank--talking to himself that way," remarked -Tom, in a low voice. - -"I wonder what it is he's leaving in his boat?" spoke Phil. - -"He trusts us, anyhow," laughed Frank. - -"He didn't see us," came from Sid. "Anyhow the place is locked." - -The boys rested there by the boathouse for several minutes. - -Tom was about to propose that they start back, for it looked cloudy -again, as if the rain would begin once more. But before he could mention -this fact Sid exclaimed: - -"Here comes the Boxer Hall shell! Say, look at those fellows row!" - -"They are hitting up the pace!" agreed Frank. - -All looked to see a fine eight-oared shell fairly scudding over the -water under the impulse of the sixteen sturdy arms of the rowers. - -"We'll soon be doing that," said Phil, in a low voice. And then some of -the lads in the shell looked over and saw our friends. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE FLOOD - - -"Hello, you fellows!" called Dave Ogden, who was acting as the coxswain -of the shell, waving his megaphone at them. "Out for practice?" and he -grinned as he looked at the heavy barge. - -"Yes, we're getting ready to order a new shell," answered Tom. - -"Ha! Ha! That's pretty good. Maybe you think you can beat us rowing!" -and Dave looked not a little proudly at the eight lads whose efforts he -had been directing. They had been out for a spin on the lake, and were -now coming back rather leisurely. - -"We will beat you--some day!" declared Frank. - -"Maybe you'd better not tell them about our shell until we get it," -suggested Tom, in a low voice. - -"Oh, they'll have to know it some time or other," declared Frank. "It -will be all over the college in a day or so, and Boxer Hall is sure -to learn of it. Besides, I want to get things stirred up a bit. But -they'll only think we're joking, so far." - -The eight-oared shell passed on with a sweep, the rowers making good -time against the current. But then the craft was so much like a knife -that it offered scarcely any resistance to the water. - -"Row easy, all!" came the command from Dave Ogden, and the rowers -reduced the number of their strokes per minute. They were closer to -shore now, and out of the worst grip of the current. The coxswain -waved his megaphone at our friends in a friendly fashion, and then -gave his attention to his crew. Though there was rivalry--sometimes -bitter--between Randall and Boxer Hall, the students were, for the most -part, very friendly. - -"Jove! It will be great to get in that game!" exclaimed Tom with a sigh, -as he watched the rival's shell. - -"And we'll do it, too!" declared Frank, earnestly. - -"Well, let's be getting back," suggested Sid; and the others agreed that -this might be a wise thing to do. - -And while they are returning to college I will, in order that my -new readers may have a better understanding of the characters, tell -something of the books that precede this in the "College Sports Series." - -Our first volume was called "The Rival Pitchers," and told how Tom -Parsons, then a raw country lad, came to Randall College, with the idea -of getting on the baseball nine. He succeeded, but it was only after -a hard struggle and bitter rivalry. Tom made good against heavy odds. -The second volume had to deal with college football, under the title, -"A Quarter-back's Pluck," and in that I related how Phil Clinton, under -trying circumstances, won the championship gridiron battle for his -eleven. - -"Batting to Win," the third book of the series, was, as the title -indicates, a baseball story. Besides the accounts of the diamond -contests, there was related the manner in which was solved a queer -mystery surrounding Sid Henderson. Going back to football interests, -in the fourth book, "The Winning Touchdown," there will be found many -accounts of pigskin matters. Also how Tom Parsons, and his chums, saved -the college from ruin in a strange manner. - -The book immediately preceding this volume was "For the Honor of -Randall," and while it was, in the main, a story of various college -athletics, there is detailed how a certain charge, involving the honor -of Frank Simpson, and incidentally his college, was disproved. - -My old readers know much about Randall, but I might mention, for -the benefit of my new friends, that the college was located on the -outskirts of the town of Haddonfield, in the middle west. Near the -institution ran Sunny River, as I have said, and it was on this stream, -and the connecting lake, that it was proposed to have Randall enter into -aquatic sports. Randall, Boxer Hall and Fairview Institute--the latter a -co-educational college--had formed the Tonoka Lake League in athletics, -though in rowing only the two latter colleges had competed. But this was -soon to be changed. - -At the head of Randall was Dr. Albertus Churchill, dubbed Moses, in -affectionate terms. Dr. Emerson Tines, alias "Pitchfork," was head -Latin instructor, and Mr. Andrew Zane was proctor. Dr. Marshall was a -physician in residence, and also gave instruction in various lines. - -Tom, Phil, Sid and Frank roomed together. Formerly they had had a large -single dormitory to themselves, doing their studying there, and going -from there to classes, lectures or chapel--but not the latter when it -could conveniently be "cut." In the book just before this I told of the -Spring track games in which Randall had managed to come out the victor. -These had been past a week or two when the present story opens. - -Just after the games there had been thrown open to the use of the -students a new dormitory, and study-building, with rooms arranged _en -suite_, and the four chums had taken a large central apartment, with -bedrooms opening from it. This gave them a much more convenient place -than formerly. - -But, if they changed their room, they did not change the furniture--at -least they kept all the old, though getting some new. Among the former, -were the two ancient armchairs, known to my readers, and the decrepit -sofa, which had been mended until it seemed that nothing of the original -was there. And then there was the alarm clock, which served to awaken -the lads--that is, when they did not stop it from ticking by jabbing a -toothpick somewhere up in the interior mechanism. - -As for the friends of our heroes they were many, and their enemies few. -You will meet them, old as well as new, as the story progresses. - -"There sure is some water!" exclaimed Tom, as he gazed from shore to -shore of the turbulent stream. - -"And it's getting higher," added Phil. - -"And going to rain more," came from Sid. - -"Oh, there'll be a flood sure, if you calamity-howlers have your way," -remarked Frank. "Give way there! What are you doing, Phil--stalling on -me?" - -"Say, who made you the coxswain, anyhow?" demanded the aggrieved one. - -The boys reached Randall just as the downpour began again, but their -spirits had been raised by the row, and by the good news which Frank -had heard. It was confirmed a little later by an announcement on the -bulletin board, calling for a meeting of the athletic committee, within -a few days, to consider the matter. - -"Say, this is going to be great!" cried Holly Cross, one of the football -squad. "Rowing is something Randall always needed." - -"And she needs rowers, too, don't forget that, Holly, me lad!" exclaimed -Bricktop Molloy, a genial Irish lad who was taking a post-graduate -course, after an absence of some time at Columbia and with a mining -concern. Some said he came back to Randall merely because he loved her -athletics so, but Bricktop, with a ruffling up of his red hair would -say, half-savagely: - -"I deny the allegation, sir, and I defy the alligator!" an old joke but -a good one. - -"Oh, we'll get the rowers," was the confident declaration of many, and -then the lads, gathering in the gymnasium, or in the rooms of one and -another, talked over the coming rowing contests. - -It rained all night, and part of the next day, and then seemed to clear -off for good. - -"What about another spin on the river?" asked Tom, after his last -lecture. "I'm ready for it." - -"So am I," declared Sid, and the remaining two fell into line. Several -other lads agreed to accompany the four inseparables, and soon quite a -group was headed for the river. - -"Say, look at that; would you!" cried Phil, as they came in sight of the -stream. "That's a flood all right!" - -"I should say so!" remarked Tom. "Why, it's almost up to the doors of -the boathouse, and it hasn't been that high in years!" - -"Some water," agreed Frank. "I wonder if it's safe to go out? Look at -that current!" - -"Safe! Of course it's safe!" exclaimed Phil. "I've seen it worse." - -"But not with so much wreckage in the river," added Tom. "Look at those -big logs. If one of them even hit the barge it would smash a hole in it." - -"There's part of a chicken-coop!" cried Sid, pointing to the object -floating down the river. - -"Yes, and there's half a cow-shed, if I'm any judge," went on Frank. - -"The river sure is high," conceded Phil. "I did want to take a run down -to Fairview, and see Sis, but----" - -"See your sister!" jeered Sid. "I know who you want to see down there -all right," for while Phil's sister, Ruth, attended the co-educational -institution, so did Madge Tyler, of whom Phil was very fond, and also -Mabel Harrison, in whom Sid was more than ordinarily interested. -Besides, there were "others." - -"I was going to row down," declared Phil, stoutly. "But I can go by -trolley." - -"Oh, let's try a little row," suggested Tom. "If we find the current is -too strong, we can come back and take a car. I'd like to see the girls." - -"Brave youth! To admit that!" exclaimed Frank. "I fancy we all would. -Well, let's get out the boat." - -But they found the flood too much for them. Venturing only a little way -out from shore they were gripped in the current with such force that -they saw it would be folly to proceed. Accordingly, they put back, as -did their companions in other boats. - -As they were tying up at the boathouse, Wallops, one of the college -messengers, came in. - -"Did you hear about it?" he demanded, apparently much excited. - -"About what?" he was asked. - -"A lot of boathouses down the river have been washed away in the flood," -he went on. "The small one at Boxer Hall came near going, but they -anchored it with ropes. One of their small shells was smashed. Oh, it's -a bad flood all right!" - -"Well, we can't help it," said Tom. "I guess the trolley cars are still -running. Come on, fellows, if we're going to Fairview Institute." - -So, leaving the boathouse, they started for the trolley line. - -"We'll take a row down the river to-morrow, and see what damage the -flood did," called Sid to Wallops, as they moved away. They little -realized what they would find, or what part it would play in the history -of Randall. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE MISSING TROPHIES - - -"Boys, you really must go!" - -"Oh, can't we stay just a bit longer?" - -"No, not another minute. Miss Philock has sent up twice to say that -you've stayed long enough." - -"I think her clock is wrong." - -"We haven't been here ten minutes." - -"Oh, Sid Henderson! Why, it's over half an hour!" exclaimed Mabel -Harrison. - -"And he's the fellow who didn't use to like the girls!" said Tom, with -conviction. "Oh, Rome, how art thou fallen!" - -"Cut it out!" growled Sid, under his breath. - -The four chums had called on their friends and Phil's sister at Fairview -Institute, and the result can easily be imagined by the foregoing -conversation. There had been jolly talk, a telling of the new chance -that had unexpectedly come to Randall, and then the appeal of the girls -that the boys must go--not because the girls wanted them to--but -because Miss Philock, the head of the co-educational institution, deemed -it necessary. - -"But we can come again; can't we?" asked Frank, as they paused at the -door. Somewhere down the corridor a thin lady, with thin lips, was -narrowly watching the group of young people. - -"Sure we can come again!" declared Phil. "They can't stop me from seeing -my sister." - -"Or someone else's," put in Tom, mischievously. - -"Tom! Stop it!" cried Madge Tyler. "She'll hear you." - -"But we will come!" declared Frank. - -"I don't see how we poor girls can prevent you," said Helen Newton, with -a mischievous glance of her eyes. - -"Young ladies!" came a warning voice from down the corridor. - -"Oh, you really must go!" exclaimed Ruth Clinton. - -"All right," agreed Tom. "We'll be back soon. When is the next dance?" - -"We'll send you cards," replied Madge Tyler. "Good-bye!" - -And the boys moved off, with many backward glances, while the girls -lingered in the doorway of the reception hall until Miss Philock -advanced to garner them into her charge. - -"Young ladies!" she began severely, "if your friends overstay their time -again I shall not permit them to see you--even if they are _brothers_!" -and she looked at Ruth. - -"Horrid thing!" murmured Madge. "I'll be glad when vacation comes." - -"Are your folks going to camp on Crest Island again?" asked Ruth, naming -the resort in Tonoka Lake. - -"I think so. Papa sent a man up to look over the cottage this week, to -see if it needed any repairs. And, girls, if we do go, I want you all -to spend several weeks with me!" cried Madge Tyler. "We will have a -scrumptious time!" - -When the boys got back to Randall they found some mild excitement there. -Further word had come from the committee of old graduates that they had -perfected their arrangements in the matter of supplying Randall with all -that was necessary to enter into aquatic sports, and there was a request -that the students at once hold a meeting, and decide whether or not they -would accept the offer. - -Of course it is not necessary to say that the boys did accept. A meeting -was called for that same evening, and it was enthusiastically voted -to accept the generous offer, with thanks. It was voted to have an -eight-oared crew, as well as a four, while as many singles as could be -arranged, with possibly a double. A committee was appointed to secure -some second-hand shells for practice, pending the arrival of the new -ones in the Fall. - -Another committee was named to negotiate with Boxer Hall and Fairview -Institute, looking to planning for the races in the Fall. - -"If they won't meet us then, we'll have to wait until next Spring," said -Frank Simpson. - -"Oh, I guess they're sports enough to give us a race this Fall," -declared Tom. "We'll try, anyhow." - -It was now June and the weather, after the long rain, was perfect. -Within a few days Boxer Hall and Fairview would meet in their annual -water carnival, swimming as well as boat races, and, as some of the -Randall boys had entered in the swimming contests, it was planned to -send a big delegation from that college to the meet. - -"We can get a line on their rowing that way," said Sid, and the others -agreed with him. - -Meanwhile the flooded river was subsiding, and a few days after their -visit to the girls, our four friends went out for a row again. In the -meanwhile they had secured some books on the subject of sculling, and, -as they went down stream, they endeavored to correct their faults. - -But, as is always the case when you try to do something opposite to the -way you have learned it, whether that way be good or bad, there was -trouble. - -"I can't row for a cent the way the book says it ought to be done," -declared Tom. - -"Me either," came from Sid. - -"And yet that's the right way," said Frank. "I guess we'll get on to it -after a bit. But let's row our old way now, and go down to Crest Island. -That will make a good distance, and test our wind. Later we can row -right. Anyhow, if we have a coach he'll show us the ropes. Give way now, -everybody!" - -They made good speed, and, a little later, were nearing the island, the -largest one of three or four that dotted the lake. Crest Island was the -home of several cottagers in Summer. - -"Look! What's that!" cried Tom, as they neared the upper point of the -bit of water-surrounded land. - -"Looks like a boat wrecked there!" said Phil. - -"It is," declared Sid. "It's smashed on the rocks." - -"Let's take a look," suggested Frank. "Maybe it's worth saving." - -"It's a motor-boat," said Tom, as they came nearer. "But I guess there -isn't much left of it." - -"And there's part of the boathouse it was evidently in," came from Phil. -"Probably it was carried away by the flood--boat, boathouse and all, and -smashed on these rocks." - -By this time they had brought their boat to the island shore, and, -getting out, they examined the wreck. Truly it had been a bad smash. The -hull itself could never be used again, and it was a question whether -the engine could, as one of the cylinders was badly cracked. The seat -lockers had been broken open, and nothing seemed to remain in them. - -"Say, this is the same boat that fellow locked in the boathouse, the -time we were out rowing when we met the Boxer Hall shell!" cried Tom, as -he saw the name on the bow. - -"That's right!" agreed Frank. "The very same. Wallops said some -boathouses had been carried away. This must have been one of them." - -"I wonder who owns this boat?" ventured Sid, but no one answered him. - -They looked at the wreck for some little time longer, and then started -back up the river. They had not gone far from the island before they met -a man rowing down in a small boat. He had an anxious look on his face as -he hailed them. - -"I say, boys," he called, "have you seen anything of a wrecked -motor-boat about here?" - -"There's one down on the point of that island," said Tom. "The _Sylph_." - -"That's mine!" exclaimed the man. "Is there anything left of her?" - -"Not much," replied Frank. "Wait, we'll show you where she is. We were -just looking at her." - -"You were?" exclaimed the man, and there was something in the sharp -way he said it, and in his tone, that caused the boys to glance at him -curiously. - -"Yes, saw it by accident," went on Phil. - -"Did you--er--find--that is--Oh, never mind, I can soon tell when I look -at her," the man said, rather confusedly, as he rowed on. The four lads -turned their craft and accompanied him. - -"There she is!" cried Frank, pointing out the wrecked craft amid some -rocks and bushes. "You can see for yourself there's not much left of -her." - -Without a word the man sprang ashore from his boat, while the college -lads kept their craft off the rocks. Rapidly rummaging through the -broken-open lockers, the man, muttering to himself, suddenly stood up. -As he did so, Tom said in a low voice: - -"That's the same chap who locked the boat up. I wonder what is missing?" - -"Did you--excuse me for asking--but did you boys take anything from my -boat?" asked the man, in rather hard tones. - -[Illustration: "DID YOU BOYS TAKE ANYTHING FROM MY BOAT?" ASKED THE MAN.] - -"Take anything? What do you mean?" demanded Sid, sharply. - -"Something is missing from one of the lockers." - -"We certainly took nothing from your boat," said Tom, stiffly. "What is -missing?" - -"Many things," was the answer. "Among others, a number of trophy cups -belonging to Boxer Hall College. I had them to repair, polish and -engrave, and now they are gone from my boat. Someone must have taken -them!" and he looked at the boys. The four chums felt their anger -rising. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -IMPLIED ACCUSATION - - -Frank Simpson was the first to take definite action. He looked sharply -at the man, as the latter gave the surprising information about -trophies, and then, in a low voice, said to his companions in the barge: - -"Let's go ashore, fellows." - -"What for; to be insulted again?" asked Tom. "I'm not going to stand for -that fellow's insinuations. Who is he, anyhow?" - -"I don't know," answered Frank, "and for the very same reason that I, -neither, do not intend to stand for any imputation, I want to go ashore. -Give way!" - -They urged their heavy craft shoreward. - -"They are certainly gone," went on the man, as he continued to rummage -about in the wreckage of his boat. "And it means a big loss to me. If -you boys were here----" - -"Say, just hold on a minute, my friend," interrupted Frank, in that cool -way of his. "Just go a bit slow about making cracks. It might not be -altogether healthy!" and the eyes of the Big Californian glowed. - -"But I tell you it's a big loss!" went on the man. "I must find the -things--money won't pay for them!" - -"Now suppose we go at this thing systematically," suggested Frank, his -chums, by common consent, letting him assume the leadership. "We don't -any of us know you, except that we all recall seeing you land on the -main shore in your motor-boat a day or so ago. It was this same boat, I -take it." - -"The same," answered the man. "And now----" - -"Wait," suggested Frank, holding up his hand. "As for us, we're -Randall College students, as you can easily verify. We'll give you our -names--fellows, cards," and Frank handed over one of his own, the others -doing the same. - -"That's all right," spoke the man, in half-sullen tones; "but that isn't -going to bring back my stuff." - -"Do you think we took it?" snapped Frank, and there was a warning glint -in his eyes. - -"No--not exactly--but you lads were at my boat, you say, and this is -the first time I've seen it since I left it with those cups and other -valuables in." - -"Well, that's a long way from proving that we took anything," went on -Frank. "It's laughable, or, it would be if it wasn't so serious." - -"Who are you, anyhow?" burst out Tom Parsons, unable to restrain his -curiosity longer. "This thing is getting too deep for me. How did you -come to have the Boxer Hall trophy cups?" - -"Perhaps I had better explain," went on the man. "I am Edward Farson, -and I'm in the jewelry business in Haddonfield. I've only recently -started up, and I'm working a new line of trade. I am an expert repairer -and mender of old jewelry, and I find that many residents along the -river here, as well as out in the country, have old jewelry they want -made into modern forms. - -"As I happened to own a motor-boat I decided to use that in making calls -along the river, and I have been quite successful. Then learning that -the colleges hereabouts had many cups and trophies that grew tarnished, -or were broken, I solicited orders in that line. I also do engraving, -putting the names of the winners and all that on the cups. - -"The other day--the time I remember now when I saw you at Mr. Borden's -dock--I had collected quite a few pieces of jewelry, some from -customers, some from the students at Fairview Institute, and a number of -trophy cups from Boxer Hall. - -"I had a call to make at Mr. Borden's, and, leaving the jewelry and -cups in a box in one of the lockers of the boat, I ran my craft in the -boathouse, as you saw, locked it up, and went up the hill to call on -Mrs. Borden. As the box of valuables was rather heavy I did not want to -carry it with me. I thought it would be safe." - -"We heard you remark as much," interpolated Sid. - -"Yes? Well, I expected to be back right away, but when I got to the -house I found unexpected news awaiting me. There had come a telephone -message from the clerk in my store, who knew that I was to be at Mrs. -Borden's at a certain time. I had told him to that effect, as my elderly -mother is very ill, and I wanted to be kept informed of her condition. -The doctor communicated by wire with my clerk, and the latter left with -Mrs. Borden a message to the effect that my mother was sinking, and that -I was to hasten if I wanted to see her alive. - -"That, as you may suppose, drove from my mind all thoughts of the -valuables left in my boat. Or, if I did think of them at all, it must -have been to hope that they would be safe, locked in the boathouse as -they were, and with no one but myself--as I supposed--knowing of them. - -"Mrs. Borden, whom I have known for some time, as soon as she had given -me the message about my mother, offered me the use of a horse and -carriage to get to my mother's house, which is quite a way back from the -river, off in the country. - -"I accepted and drove away, never even mentioning to Mrs. Borden about -the jewelry in the locker of my boat. I said I would, on my return, -collect the things she wanted repaired. Then I hastened to my mother. - -"I found the dear old lady quite ill, and for a time her life was -despaired of. But she rallied, and when my sister came to take charge of -matters, I decided to come back to my business. But, in the meanwhile, -as you know, there was the flood. - -"When I went back to the Bordens, it was to find that their boathouse -had been washed away by the high water, carrying my craft with it -down to the lake. I was nearly crazy, not only at my own loss, but -over the missing valuables, which I knew I could never replace. I -borrowed a small boat to-day, and set off in search of my launch. I -looked in several places where it might have lodged, and when I saw -you boys--well, you know the rest," and the jeweler concluded with a -pathetic air, as though his troubles was too much for him. - -"It's rather a queer story," commented Frank. "As for our part in it, it -is just as we told you. We landed here by accident, and saw the wreck -of the boat. We assumed what had happened, but we saw nothing of any box -of cups and jewelry. Then we rowed away and met you." - -"I'm much obliged to you for the information," said Mr. Farson, "and -I--of course--I'm bound to believe you," he went on, a bit awkwardly. -"Then you didn't see a trace of them?" - -"Of course not!" cried Phil. "Don't you believe us?" - -"Oh, yes--yes, of course. I only thought that maybe, as my boat is so -broken up, and the parts scattered about, that you might have looked -farther along the shores of the island. The box may have held together, -and be lodged somewhere." - -"Perhaps it has," said Frank, calmly. "I'd advise you to look -thoroughly. You might find it. Come on, fellows," and he led the way -back to the boat. - -Tom Parsons acted as though he intended to speak, but Sid nudged him in -the ribs, and the youth kept quiet. - -Mr. Farson stared after the boys as though much disappointed at their -desertion, and then, looking to the fastening of the rowing craft in -which he had come ashore, he began walking along the edge of the island, -where many signs of the high water still remained. - -"What did you want to come away for in such a hurry?" asked Tom, -in a low voice, when they were some distance out. "You were on your -high-horse for fair, Frank." - -"And why shouldn't I be? Do you think I was going to stay there, and -help him hunt, after he practically insulted us the way he did? As if we -knew anything about his musty old jewelry!" - -"That's right!" broke in Phil. "I wouldn't lift my hand to help him, -after he made that implied accusation. We didn't see any of his stuff!" - -"Oh, so that's the reason," replied Tom. "Well, I guess it was a good -one, Frank." - -"Those Boxer Hall lads will be up in the air all right when they learn -that their trophies are gone," suggested Sid. "I wonder if there were -any of the ones they won in the last meet?" - -"They didn't get many," chuckled Frank. "But it will be quite a loss -to them. However, it's none of our funeral. I wouldn't trust any of my -jewelry to a man who would go off and leave it in a motor-boat for a -night and a day." - -"Oh, well, he didn't mean to. When he got that message about his mother, -I suppose it flustered him," said Tom, in extenuation. - -"It's hard to blame him," commented Frank. "But he's in a pickle all -right. Now let's do some fast rowing." - -They hit up the pace, but they did not have enough practice to maintain -it, especially in the heavy barge, and soon they were all panting, -while the oars took the water raggedly, and Sid caught a crab that -nearly sent him overboard. - -"I guess we need some coaching," admitted that lad, when he had -recovered himself. "We're not racers yet, by a long shot. Slow down a -bit, fellows." - -"Oh, we're too soft!" complained Frank. "We'll never amount to anything -in a shell if we can't stand this. Think of a four-mile row at top -speed." - -"But we'll be in better shape for it after a course of training and some -coaching," declared Phil. "Then, too, we'll have this Summer vacation to -practice in." - -At slower speed they rowed up to their boathouse dock, and were soon -strolling across the campus to their room, discussing the events of the -last few hours. - -"I can't get over the nerve of that jeweler!" exclaimed the Big -Californian. "He nearly got me going." - -"I could see that," commented Tom. "It was a good thing we came away -when we did." - -"Oh, well, he wasn't exactly responsible for what he said. Be a bit -charitable," advised Sid. - -"Well, how's the racing game progressing?" asked Holly Cross, as he met -our friends. "When is that second-hand shell coming so we can practice?" - -"That's up to Dan Woodhouse," explained Tom. "Kindlings is chairman of -that committee. Let's look him up." - -"I wonder if Boxer Hall will row us in the Fall?" asked Bricktop Molloy, -strolling up. "It will make a double season for them." - -"I don't believe they'll dare refuse when we've beaten them at almost -everything else," spoke Frank. "But we'll soon know about that. Dutch -Housenlager said he had written to their crew captain and coach, and -expected an answer soon." - -"They ought to be glad to row us," commented Tom. "It will give them a -chance to get more cups to replace those they lost." - -"How lost?" asked Holly Cross. "What do you mean?" - -"Oh, it's a great story!" cried Sid, and he proceeded to relate, aided -by his chums, the incident of the smashed motor-boat. - -"Too bad," commented Bricktop. "I know how we'd feel if such a thing -happened here. But that fellow may find his stuff. Here comes Pete -Backus. Hi, Grasshopper!" he called, to a long lad who imagined he was a -champion jumper, "are you going to try for the crew?" - -"I sure am," was the confident answer. "I used to row a lot when a kid, -and I guess I haven't forgotten." - -"He's too light by fifteen pounds," declared Frank, in a low voice. -"About one hundred and sixty is a good average." - -"Thank goodness we're all of us that," said Tom, looking at the chums -gathered about him. - -"Are there going to be single races?" asked a lad, stepping up to join -the group. He was a well dressed chap, reputed to be wealthy in his own -right. His name was Reginald Boswell. - -"Why, yes, Reggie," said Tom, in the drawling tones affected by the -other, "we count on having single shells. Are you going to compete?" - -"Aw, say, I wish you wouldn't call me Reggie. I hate that name!" -exclaimed the lad, who was completing his Freshman year. "Cawn't you -call me just--er--Boswell?" - -"How would Bossy do for short, me lad?" asked Bricktop. "Not that you're -a calf, you know; but Bossy has a sweet sound, thinkest thou not so, my -comrades?" and he appealed to his chums with accompanying winks. - -"Aw, I say now, quit spoofing me, cawn't you?" appealed the rich -lad. "Bossy is too rotten silly, you know," and he drew a scented -handkerchief from the pocket of his rather loud, and swagger clothes, -which, as he always took the trouble to inform all who appeared -interested, were made in "Lunnon." Mr. Reginald Boswell had traveled -abroad, it seemed. - -"You ought to be thankful for any nickname, Bossy," put in Holly Cross. -"It isn't every Freshman who is thus honored. It's going to be Bossy or -nothing." - -"Oh, but I say, Reggie isn't as bad as that!" - -"Bossy or nothing!" insisted Bricktop. - -"Well, then, tell me about the single shells," went on the rich student, -evidently deciding to accept the less of two evils. "I'd like to row in -those contests." - -"Well, I guess you can--if you can make good," said Frank. "Come on, -fellows," and he linked his arms in those of Sid and Tom, and walked -them off toward their dormitory, followed by others of the chums, -leaving Bossy, as he was generally called after that christening, to -contemplate them with mingled feelings. - -"Silly rotters!" he murmured after the manner of some of his English -acquaintances. "I'll show them I can row, though!" - -The news of the loss of the Boxer Hall cups was soon known all over -Randall, and, in the next day or so, it was generally talked of, for -there was a reward offered by the distracted jeweler, an article -appearing in the local paper about it. - -"I guess he didn't find any trace of them on the island," commented Sid. - -"The box is probably at the bottom of the lake," was Tom's opinion. - -It was several days after this that the four chums were in Haddonfield, -partaking of a little supper after a vaudeville entertainment. There -strolled into the restaurant some lads from Boxer Hall, among them one -or two members of the eight-oared crew. - -"Hello, Dave!" greeted Tom and the others. - -"Too bad about your trophies; wasn't it," added Phil. - -"Rotten!" conceded Dave. "Some of them were old timers, too." - -"I--er--I understand that you lads were the _first_ to discover the -loss," put in Harry Cedstrom, one of the new students at Boxer Hall, and -a member of the crew. There was a strange emphasis on the word "first." - -"The _first_ to discover it--what do you mean?" asked Frank Simpson, -bristling up. - -"I mean that you were first at the wrecked boat that had held the box of -jewelry," went on Harry, while some of his companions nudged him to keep -him quiet. - -"We happened to be there," admitted Frank, in a quiet voice that, to his -friends, always presaged an outburst of righteous indignation. "We saw -the wrecked boat, and called the attention of the owner to it. We went -back with him, and then he told us his loss. That's how we happened to -be the first, after Mr. Farson himself." - -"Oh, I see," spoke Harry. "Then you were at the boat _before_ he was?" - -"Cut it out; can't you?" demanded Dave of his friend, in a hoarse -whisper. - -"Yes," said Frank quietly, "we were there before Mr. Farson," and he -looked the other student straight in the eyes. - -"And you didn't see anything of our cups?" - -"Just what do you mean?" demanded Frank quietly, half rising in his -chair, while Tom laid a hand on him in restraint. - -"Oh," went on Harry easily, "I thought maybe you fellows might have -taken our trophies----" - -"Hold on!" cried Frank, and he arose with such suddenness that his chair -overturned. Tom arose also, and clung to the arm of the Big Californian, -whispering rapidly: - -"Quiet, Frank. Keep quiet! Don't have a row here!" - -"In a joke!" finished Harry Cedstrom with an attempt at a smile. There -was a dead silence in the groups of students. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE CLUE - - -Frank Simpson stared at the Boxer Hall lad for a moment, and then sank -back in the chair which Sid Henderson had replaced for him. Harry seemed -to breathe easier, and certainly there were looks of relief on the faces -of his companions. - -"A joke?" repeated Frank, grimly. "Well, if that is your idea of a joke, -all I have to say is that your early education was sadly neglected. -Fellows, I guess it's my treat. Some more of those seltzer lemonades, -waiter," and turning his back, with studied indifference, on the Boxer -Hall lads, Frank began to chat with his friends. - -There was an uneasy movement among the students from Boxer Hall. - -"I tell you he insulted me!" Harry could be heard to fiercely whisper, -as he made an effort to rise. - -"Now you sit right still!" said Dave Ogden, firmly. "If there was any -insulting done, it was on your part first. I tell you to drop it. -Randall is our rival, in more ways than one, but no one ever yet accused -her of unfair tactics--least of all any of those fellows. You cut it -out, Cedstrom, or you won't know what happened to you!" - -"That's right," chimed in Pinky Davenport, another Boxer lad. "That was -a raw thing for you to say, Cedstrom, and it might make trouble for us." - -"I don't care!" exclaimed the other, defiantly. "I wanted to take those -fellows down a peg. The idea of them thinking they can row us!" - -"Well, we'll give them all the chance in the world," declared Dave, -good-naturedly; "but I think they'll never see the bow of our shell -in an eight-oared race. It takes more than one season to turn out -champions." - -"That's right," agreed Pinky. "But you go a bit slow, Cedstrom. Those -fellows are good friends of ours, even if they are rivals." - -"All right--no harm intended," said the other, seeing that he had gone -too far. - -Aside from uneasy glances from time to time toward their rivals, our -friends showed no further interest in the unpleasant incident. It had -not come to the notice of others in the restaurant, for the students -were in a room that, by custom, was set aside for their exclusive use. - -"You got his number all right, Frank," commented Phil. - -"That's what," chimed in Sid. - -"Well, I wasn't going to stand for any crack like that," declared -Frank. "Especially from a Freshman. He may have meant it, and he may -not, but the time to put the screws on is in the beginning." - -The two parties broke up soon after that, most of the Boxer Hall boys -nodding friendly good-nights to their rivals as they passed out. - -"What's the matter, Frank?" asked Tom, a little later, as they gathered -in their common study, and the tall pitcher "flopped" down beside his -chum on the old sofa. At once there was a cracking, splintering sound, -and Sid cried out in alarm. - -"Cheese it, you fellows! Do you want to spoil that completely? Remember -it's an invalid." - -"I should say so!" cried Tom, getting off as carefully as a skater goes -over thin ice, while Frank held his breath. "I didn't mean to come down -so hard." - - "Oh, student spare that couch, - Touch not a single spring. - In sleep it resteth me, - As nice as anything!" - -Thus Phil misquoted, adapting it to suit his needs. - -"Punk!" commented Tom. - -"Fierce!" cried Sid. "That's an old one." - -"Say, you fellows don't know good poetry when it comes up and shakes -hands with you," declared Phil, in disgusted tones. "I'm going to frame -that." - -"We'll have to have a new frame for the couch if Tom does any more of -his gymnastic stunts," declared Frank, as he looked to see what damage -had been done. "The back's nearly broken again," he added. - -"Kindly forgive me," spoke the pitcher, in contrite tones. "But those -two hulks have the armchairs, and I wanted some place to rest. I guess -we'll have to invest in another chair, if that couch is only going to -hold one." - -"We will not, you vandal!" exclaimed Phil. "Sit on the alarm clock, if -you want to, or flop down on the floor, or to go to bed; but you don't -go getting any new, modern, ugly, incongruous furniture into this den." - -"Oh, I didn't mean that," Tom hastened to explain. "I meant pick up a -second-hand one somewhere." - -"That mightn't be so bad," admitted Frank. - -"But say, what ails you, anyhow?" went on Tom, turning to the Big -Californian, as though to change the subject. "I was asking you that -when they raised this row about the old couch." - -"Don't you call that an 'old couch' unless in terms of the deepest -respect!" cried Phil. - -"I meant it strictly in the Pickwickian sense," Tom hastened to explain. -"But, Frank, is there anything up?" - -"Well, yes, there is," admitted the other. - -His chums looked at him curiously. - -"I hope you didn't take that Boxer Hall puppy's remarks seriously," went -on Tom. - -"Not seriously, no; and yet what he said has set me to thinking." - -"Hurray! Frank's thinking at last!" cried Sid. "Send word to Pitchfork, -and he'll give you a double stunt in Latin." - -"No, but seriously," went on the Big Californian, "you heard what he -said. In a joking way, as I really think he meant it, he suggested that -we might know something of the missing cups and jewelry, seeing that we -were first on the scene--or, at least, as far as is known. Now if he -thought that--even in a joke--and the jeweler thought it seriously--as -I am convinced he did--though he soon passed it up--why shouldn't other -people?" - -"Do you think they do?" asked Sid. - -"They might, and what I've been thinking is that we can't afford to have -even the slightest suspicion hanging over us." - -"But does there?" demanded Tom. - -"I don't know--there's a possibility that there might. You see, fellows, -we _could_ have taken those things!" - -"We could!" cried Phil. - -"Certainly. Just figure it out for a moment," went on Frank. "We might -as well look at this thing fairly and squarely. Say that box of jewelry -was in the wrecked boat when we found it on the point of Crest Island. -Say we found it to contain the Boxer Hall trophies. We could have taken -them even for a joke; couldn't we?" - -"Yes, but we didn't," declared Phil. - -"No, but that won't stop people from thinking so. They may set it down -as a college prank, but, even so, they'll think it just the same." - -"Well?" asked Sid, as Frank paused. - -"Well, that's what I was thinking of when Tom plumped down, and broke -the sofa." - -"I didn't break it." - -"You came mighty near it," went on Frank. "I was turning that over in my -mind after what happened in the restaurant, and I've got something to -propose." - -"What is it?" demanded Phil, leaning forward so interestedly and -suddenly that the old armchair creaked and groaned dismally, and a cloud -of dust arose from its ancient upholstery. - -"I think we ought to go back to Crest Island, and make a search. We may -find that box of cups and jewelry caught in some cleft of the rocks, or -we may find----" - -Again Frank paused. - -"What?" asked Tom. - -"A clue to who did take it--if it was taken." - -There was a moment of silence, and then Sid exclaimed: - -"Frank's dead right! We'll go to Crest Island to-morrow and hunt for -clues." - -Eagerly the matter was discussed, and in the end all four agreed that -they would make the search. Then came an hour of studying, and the -lights went out. - -"Oh, for the love of baked beans!" exclaimed Tom, as they were all -settled comfortable in bed. "Somebody stop that clock, will you? I'll -furnish the toothpick." - -"Get up and do it yourself," directed Frank. "I'm too comfortable." - -"So am I," said Sid. - -"Same here," came from Phil. - -"Then I suppose I've got to," groaned Tom, and in the end he did. Then, -with the fussy, little alarmer quiet, the chums dropped off, their -thoughts lasting longest on the prospective races, and on the queer -muddle of the lost trophies. - -"Well, here's where the boat was," said Tom, as they landed on Crest -Island the next afternoon. - -"But it's gone now," added Phil. - -"Yes, probably Mr. Farson had it towed away on a barge to see if he -could save any of it. My opinion is that it wasn't worth it," said Sid. - -"Well, let's scatter, two going down one shore of the island, and two on -the other," suggested Frank. "When the boat struck on the rocks, and -split, the things in the lockers may have floated one way or the other." - -"If they didn't sink," put in Tom. "A box of jewelry would be pretty -heavy." - -"If it sank, so much the better," declared the Big Californian. "Then it -would lodge, and when the waters went down, as they did after the flood, -it would still stay there. Scatter and hunt." - -They took his advice, and for an hour or more searched. Then Tom, who -was with Frank, on the eastern shore, sprang toward a clump of bushes in -which was caught some driftwood. - -"I've found something!" he cried. "It looks like the seat lockers of a -motor-boat." - -"It is," declared his chum, as he hurried to Tom's side. - -There, in the debris that had settled around the roots of the bush when -the waters had subsided, was part of a boat locker. It was split and -broken, but the cover was still on it. Eagerly Tom lifted it and, as he -did so he uttered a cry of delight. - -"Here it is!" he shouted. "The jeweler's box! It has his name on it!" - -"Open it!" exclaimed Frank, as Sid and Phil came hurrying to join their -two chums. - -Tom lifted the cover. - -"Empty!" he cried, blankly. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE PRACTICE SHELL - - -The four chums stared, almost uncomprehendingly, into the open box. -It was of good size, capable of holding several trophy cups, with -compartments, velvet lined, for smaller pieces of jewelry. - -"The things all fell out!" cried Tom. "They must be scattered around -here somewhere. Let's look," and he started off. - -"No use," said Frank, quietly. - -"Why not?" asked Tom, in wonder. - -"Because those things never fell out of that box," went on the Big -Californian. - -"Why didn't they?" demanded Phil. "When the box was knocked around in -the water, or even inside the locker, why wouldn't it be split open and -the things fall out?" - -"It wasn't split, as you can easily see," went on Frank, calmly, "and -the cover wasn't forced open by banging against the rocks. It was -opened by some slender instrument being shoved under the catch, and -then pried upon. See, there are the marks. No rocks ever made those," -and he showed several scratches in the shiny surface of the box, near -the clasp. The scratches went entirely under the broad brass fastener, -showing that something thin enough to have been employed in this way was -used. As Frank had said, no rock against which the case might have been -tossed by the storm-waters, could have done it. - -"Well, let's take it to Mr. Farson," went on Sid. "We'll tell him how we -found it, and he can then see that we had nothing to do with taking the -things--even in a joke. Let's hurry back to town." - -"Let's do nothing of the sort!" exclaimed Frank quickly. - -"Why not?" demanded his chums in chorus. - -"If you want tongues to wag any more--if you want a real suspicion to be -cast on us, where there's only the faintest one now--if you want to make -real trouble, take that box to Mr. Farson. If you don't, and if you want -to get at the real facts in this case, just keep quiet about it." - -For a moment there was silence, and then Tom objected: - -"Well, maybe it's clear to you, Frank, but I can't see it that way." - -"Me either," declared Phil. - -"Why, it's as simple as anything," declared the Big Californian. - -"Well, maybe it is," admitted Sid, "but kindly translate. It's too deep -for us." - -"Look here," went on Frank. "That jeweler saw us at the wreck; didn't -he?" - -"No question about that," admitted Tom. - -"And we helped him look around. We were here first; and we said we -didn't see anything of the stuff." - -"No question about that," admitted Sid, following Tom's lead. - -"And now here we go and find the empty box--it has every appearance of -having been forced open by human hands. We take it to Mr. Farson, and -say--'Here's your box, Mr. Jeweler; but it's empty--that's just how we -found it, honest it is!' Say, wouldn't he smell a rat right away, and -think we had the stuff?" - -"No question about that," declared Phil. "That ends it! Frank is right, -we'll have to keep mum about this for our own sakes, though I don't like -it. It makes us look guilty." - -"Not a bit of it," declared Frank, stoutly. "It gives us a chance to -find out who the guilty party is." - -"Who do you suppose it is?" asked Tom. - -"I haven't the least idea," answered the California lad, quickly. -"Someone may have been on the island before we were, and found, and -rifled, the box; or that person may have come after we did. That's one -thing we've got to find out--and it isn't going to be any cinch, take it -from me!" - -They all examined the box, and then looked about the place where it had -been found, for other clues. But they found none--no other parts of the -wrecked boat seemed to be there. - -As they were coming away, to get to their boat and row to Randall, Tom -stooped and picked from the ground a bit of gaudily-colored silk, a -plaid of many colors, in a sort of ribbon. - -"What's that?" asked Sid. - -"Looks like part of a Scotch necktie," replied the tall pitcher. - -"Let's have a look," suggested Frank, as he closely examined the piece -of silk. "That's no part of a necktie!" he exclaimed. "It's a piece -of a Mexican silk handkerchief of all the colors of the rainbow. I've -seen 'em on sale out in my state. The Mexicans and some other folks are -fond of sporting them, but they were always too rich for my blood. But, -fellows, do you notice one thing about this?" and he held it up for -inspection. - -"Do you mean it might have been worn by the jeweler, and dropped in his -motor-boat?" asked Tom. - -"It _might_ have been worn by the jeweler, but not very likely," said -Frank. "In the first place, notice that it shows no signs of having -been wet, except by the dew. It was never in the flood, or it would -have mud on it. And I don't believe it was worn by the jeweler, and -dropped here; otherwise, having good eyesight, as all jewelers and watch -repairers have, he would have seen his box." - -"Then you think----," began Sid. - -"That it was dropped here by someone who was on this island either -before, or after, we were here the first time; by someone who found the -box, opened it, and took the stuff away," finished Frank. - -"And who that person was it's up to us to find out," declared Tom. - -"Exactly. And here's another thing," went on Frank, "this piece of silk -is torn off in a long strip, cleanly, and it looks to me as if it might -have been one of several so torn, or ripped, to make a bundle of the -cups and jewelry. If we can find a handkerchief like this, with a strip -torn off, we'll come pretty close to the person who has the Boxer Hall -cups," finished the Big Californian. - -"Maybe the fellow tore off a couple of strips, used the main part of -his handkerchief in which to wrap his stuff, and left one strip here by -mistake," suggested Phil. - -"Maybe," admitted Frank. "Well, we've got about all we can find here, I -guess. I vote we get back, and talk this matter over among ourselves. -And, mind, not a word to a soul!" - -All promised and then, carefully concealing in their boat the jewelry -box, with the piece of silk inside, they rowed back to college. - -But the discussion they brought to bear on the matter in their room -later, failed to throw any light on the subject. All the conclusion they -could come to was that if they found the owner of the gaudy handkerchief -they might find the possessor of the jewelry. - -In the days that followed rowing matters occupied much of the attention -and the talk of the Randall students. The chairmen of the various -committees called meetings, and made reports of progress to the general -athletic body. The offer of the alumni to provide a fine boathouse, and -a rowing equipment, was formally accepted, and the required promise made. - -There was no lack of material for an eight-oared shell--two in -fact--several fours, a couple of doubles, and one or two singles. In -response to a request for a list of what was needed, it was decided to -ask for one first-class eight-oared shell, for two fours, two doubles, -and three singles, though the gift committee, naturally, would do as -they thought best. This would give plenty of craft in which to practice. -In view of the expense of the eight-oared shell it was decided that the -students themselves would subscribe enough to purchase a second-hand -eight for practice. - -They learned of one in good condition, that could be had at a bargain, -also a single and a four, and, as it would take some time for the -generous old graduates to provide their equipment, it was voted to buy -the second-hand ones for use the remainder of that Spring. - -"That will give us a little time for practice," decided Kindlings, who -had the matter in charge. He had been elected temporary captain of a -tentative eight crew; a temporary arrangement, as it would not be known, -until the coach had selected the crew, who would row in the different -craft. There would be try-outs as soon as possible. - -The old boathouse would have to answer until the new one was built, -but, to accommodate the many students who now thronged it, a temporary -addition was built, the coming warm weather making it unnecessary to -have it very substantial. - -The interest in rowing increased every day. Our four chums and their -friends were perhaps the foremost in showing their delight in the coming -events. - -Boxer Hall had been communicated with, as had Fairview Institute, and -both had agreed to enter into triangular-league contests that Fall, the -details to be arranged later. - -The second-hand shells had been ordered, and Mr. Lighton agreed to do -the water coaching, in addition to looking after the baseball lads, for -the affairs of the diamond were beginning to hold the attention of many. -Of course our friends did not lose interest in baseball because of the -coming water sports. - -Meanwhile no further trace of the missing cups or jewelry had been -found. No one claimed the reward offered by Mr. Farson, to which the -Boxer Hall Athletic Association added a substantial sum for the recovery -of their trophies. Our friends said nothing of their find, and, though -there was hardly a breath of suspicion against them, even in Boxer Hall, -still they fretted. - -"We've just got to find out who took those things!" cried Tom, one -afternoon, coming back from a row on the river. - -"That's right!" agreed his chums. - -A number of the ordinary rowing boats had been secured, and Mr. Lighton -spent some time giving the lads an idea of the rudiments of getting down -to the right stroke. Of course with toe stretchers, and sliding seats, -there would come a vast change, so he did not want to go too deeply into -the matter until the right craft were at hand. - -"Well, what shall we do this afternoon?" asked Sid, as he yawningly -tossed aside a book that he had dipped into on coming to his room after -a lecture. - -"I'm for a row!" exclaimed Tom. - -"We ought to do some baseball practice," suggested Phil. "We've sort of -been letting that slide." - -"Let's do a little of----" began Frank, when the door flew open, and in -came Kindlings, all excited. - -"It's come!" he cried. - -"What?" chorused the others. - -"The new shell--I mean the second-hand eight--the boat we're going to -do our practice in! I just got word from the freight office that it's -there. Let's get a truck, and have it carted to the river. I'm crazy to -get in and go for a row!" - -"Hurray! That's the stuff!" cried Tom. "Come on, everybody!" and he led -the way, the others following. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE FIRST TRIAL - - -"Well, now we have it, what shall we do with it?" - -"Say, but it's a frail thing all right!" - -"Looks as if one good stroke would split it in two." - -"And that will hold eight men!" - -"Nine, counting the coxswain, you gump! Didn't you ever see an -eight-oared shell before?" - -"Not so close at hand! Say, but it's flimsy all right." - -"Oh, I guess we'll find it stiff enough for us." - -These were only a few of the comments, and questions, propounded by the -students of Randall as they gathered about the new shell--or, rather, -the second-hand one--that had been purchased in order to give them -practice while the new outfit was being made. - -Following the enthusiastic announcement of Kindlings, as detailed in -the last chapter, the more eager of the rowing contingent, including -our four heroes, had gone to the freight depot, and, procuring a truck -had, with great care and patience, transported the boat, well swathed in -burlap, to the river. Later, under the direction of Coach Lighton, they -had attached the outriggers, gotten out the oars, given the boat another -coat of varnish, oiled it well, and now it rested in the water alongside -the dock, as lightly as a swan, if not as gracefully. - -"It looks more like a water-spider than anything else," commented Jerry -Jackson, one of the Jersey twins. - -"Here! Can that!" cried Tom. "No finding fault with our boat, or we'll -duck you." - -"That's what!" declared Dutch Housenlager. "Let's get in and take a -try!" he proposed, starting toward the frail craft, and preparing to -step in it. - -"Here! Hold on!" cried Mr. Lighton, in accents of alarm. "That's no way -to get into a shell. Now you fellows just hold your breaths until I give -you a few points." - -The lads--a score or more--all of whom hoped to make the eight, while -others felt that they would be satisfied in the fours, or singles, -had gathered around. They had all helped to get the shell into shape, -pending the arrival of some more of the second-hand craft. Now they were -eager to try their skill. - -"It is too early to pick out the crew yet," said Mr. Lighton, "as I -don't know what any of you can do. So I suggest that you all have a -try, and those that develop the most aptitude will come in for more -consideration. Have you thought of anyone for permanent captain? Wait, -though, I guess you'd better let that go until you see how you make out -in rowing. And, as for the coxswain--who wants to be coxswain?" he asked. - -"Don't all speak at once," he added whimsically. "Remember that, while -it's a post of honor, the coxswain doesn't row, though by steering he -assumes almost as much responsibility as all the rest put together, for -a well-steered boat often means a winning one. We want a light weight -for coxswain," and he looked over the assembled group. - -No one volunteered and the coach went on: - -"Well, at the risk of seeming egotistical, I'll assume that post myself, -for the time being, though I'm a bit heavy. I think I can coach you -better from that position--at least at the start. Now then, I guess -we're ready. Whom shall we try first?" - -Once more he looked around. - -"Holly Cross," he called, and that lad stepped forward, then: -"Kindlings, Phil Clinton, Tom Parsons, Frank, Sid," went on the coach. - -A pause. - -"Yes, come ahead, Housenlager," said the coach, as Dutch made an eager -move. "Let's see, that's seven. Where's Bricktop. Not here. Joe Jackson." - -"I'm afraid I'm a bit light," said the Jersey twin. - -"Well, perhaps you are. You may fill in later, though, as coxswain, or -row in one of the other boats. I guess----" - -"I'd like to row!" exclaimed someone. - -Reginald Boswell stepped forward, a smile of confidence on his face. - -"I've done considerable of it," he added, with an air of assurance. -To do him justice he was a well-built lad, and those who had seen him -out on the river knew he could pull a good oar. Whether he had racing -qualities in him remained to be seen. - -"Very well," said the coach, quietly. "We'll give you a trial. That -makes the eight. Now then, who'll be for stroke? Simpson, I think -I'll try you. You look as though you could set the pace. For number -seven--um! Parsons, you try that, though we may change later. Remember -that number seven, who sits directly behind stroke, has almost as -important a position, for he has to pick up the stroke promptly, and the -rest of the crew is dependent, in a great measure, on what number seven -does. - -"Now, let me see. Boswell, you'll be bow oar. Phil Clinton number two, -Sid Henderson at three, Housenlager at four, Woodhouse number five, and -Cross at six. Now I guess we're all ready. Steady the boat there, some -of you, while the crew gets in." - -Dutch Housenlager once more eagerly started for the boat, and extended -his foot to step down into it at his designated seat. - -"Wait! Wait!" cried the coach. "Don't get into a shell that way. -Remember that it's almost as thin as its name indicates. Put your foot -lengthwise of the keelson, not athwart, or you may force your heel or -toe through the sides. Have all of you your rubber-soled shoes on?" - -"Sure," replied Dutch, a bit abashed. A glance showed that all were in -sufficiently regular rowing costume. - -"Now, while we're at it, I might as well tell you how properly to get in -a shell," went on the coach. "You may all listen, as you can't tell whom -it may fit. - -"In the first place take your oar, and, if you're to row on the side of -the shell that happens to be nearest the float at the time, lay your -blade on the platform. If you're on the water side, lay the blade flat -on the surface of the water. - -"Now get in, facing the stern, being careful to step lengthways, as I -told Housenlager. Stoop down, with a hand on either gunwale, and lower -yourself into your seat. You will of course notice the seats slide back -and forth, that you have outriggers instead of gunwale oarlocks, and -that there are stretchers, or loops under which to thrust your toes. - -"Once in your seat, ship your oar by thrusting the handle in through -the outrigger oarlock from outside. Sit straight, not to one side, and -squarely face the handle of your oar, have your shoulders a bit back, -and your elbows close to your flanks. I'll give you more points as we go -along. - -"Hold your oar with the outside hand close to the end of the handle, -but not over the edge of it. You get more power from your outside hand, -remember. The 'outside' hand, strange as it may seem, is the one nearest -the centre of the boat, and the inside one, that nearest the 'loom,' -spoon, body or blade of the oar. Put the other hand not more than two -and a half inches from the outside hand. Thumbs underneath, or toward -the bottom of the boat, of course; though some men row with the thumb of -one hand in the same position as the fingers. - -"And now then, to give you brief instructions in how to row. First -give a full, fair reach out over your toes, with both arms perfectly -straight, dip your oar in the water--plunge it in with force. Get a good -hold on the water with the blade, and the instant it is immersed, pull -with all your might, and then follow through, as we say, with a long, -firm stroke without vibration or wavering. - -"Then, with a light finish, get your oar blade clear of the water -cleanly, feather light, low and quick--into the water again all together -with a 'chug'--another pull and--there you are--you're rowing!" - -There was silence for a moment, and then Tom remarked: - -"Sounds easy; doesn't it?" - -"Yes, and some of you will find it easy," remarked Mr. Lighton, with a -smile. "Others will not. But we can tell soon who the rowers are going -to be, though that is not saying that, with practice, some of those who -seem the least fitted may not become very proficient." - -"I once belonged to a swell New York club," remarked Reginald Boswell. - -"Why did they put you out, Bossy?" asked Kindlings, with a wink at Sid. - -"They didn't--I resigned," and the rich lad shot an indignant glance at -his tormentor. - -"Same thing," remarked Kindlings. - -"Now then, get into the shell, and we'll try a little spin," called the -coach, and he watched carefully as each of the eight lads followed his -instructions more or less accurately. Some were a bit awkward, but all -were careful to at least step into the shell properly. - -"Push off," commanded the coxswain-coach, as he took his seat in the -stern, with the tiller ropes in his hands. "You will notice that some of -you are on what is called the stroke side--that is, with your oars on -the same side as Frank Simpson, who faces me. So when I say 'stroke side -pull,' it means that only those on that side, or at my right hand, are -to row. - -"Oppositely, some of you are on what is known as the bow side, or with -your oars on the side on which sits Boswell, the bow oar. That is on my -left. Though, of course, you all sit in the middle of the boat. So when -I give orders for the stroke oars to do certain things I mean for those -on Frank's side to obey. Now then, row, stroke oars!" - -Four blades shot back and took the water, not all at once, as they -should have done, but fairly well for the first time. As the craft -was heading down stream, with the stroke oars nearest the float, this -man[oe]uver tended to swing the craft farther out into the river to clear -the dock. - -"Row, bows!" came the order, and the others, dipping their blades, -slewed the craft around until she was straight again, and far enough out -to enable a good start to be made. - -"Very good!" complimented the coach. "Now then, row all!" - -The frail shell, like some grotesque water spider, darted ahead, the -water swirling under the broad blades. - -"Hurray!" yelled the crowd along the bank and on the dock. - -"They're off!" shouted Jerry Jackson. - -"The first spin!" added his brother. "I wonder if we can turn out a -winning crew?" - -"Of course we can, Joe me lad!" cried Bricktop Molloy, coming up at that -moment. "Of course that's not sayin' it wouldn't be much better with me -in the boat, but it can't be helped now. I'm a bit late," he added. "Ten -thousand maledictions on Pitchfork for detainin' me. But who's that at -bow?" - -"Bossy," some one told him. - -"That calf! Sure he can row though!" the Irish student added, -half-admiringly, as he watched the efforts of the rich lad. - -The shell was well out in the river now, spinning along at a rapid pace. -Of course it was far from being at racing speed, but even a little power -sent the knife-like boat along at a great rate, so little resistance was -there. - -"Steady all!" called Mr. Lighton, in a low voice, as he noticed a -tendency to splash on the part of some. "Get your oars in the water with -force. Get hold of the water all together. When you do, it will sound -like a stone falling in--a chug--a noise like a 'rotten egg', as it is -called. Try for that. The eight oars ought to sound like a single pair -when you learn to row in unison. - -"Pick it up a little faster, bow!" he called to Boswell. - -"This is the way I learned to row," came the retort from the bow oar. - -"Well, you'll have to unlearn some things," retorted the coach, grimly. - -"Don't look so worried, Tom," he went on a little later. "You're picking -up your stroke fairly well. Frank, a little more forward--reach out well -over your toes. That's better. Now let's hit it up a little." - -They had been rowing about twenty strokes per minute--rather slow, and, -as Mr. Lighton indicated an increase, Frank followed, until they were -doing twenty-four, a substantial advance. As they rowed along, Tom -glanced away from Frank's rising and falling back, and said in a low -voice: - -"Here comes Boxer Hall!" - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -RUTH'S LOSS - - -"Silence number seven--eyes in the boat--on the man in front of you!" - -Thus the coach called to Tom, but there was no sting in his words, and -the tall baseball pitcher of Randall knew that it was for the good of -himself and the crew. Nothing is so important in a race as to save one's -wind, and to keep one's eyes fairly glued on the back of the man in -front of one. For on unison, and in rowing exactly in time with every -other man in the shell, does the race depend. - -"Never mind Boxer Hall," went on Mr. Lighton. "We're going to beat her, -but we won't unless we learn how to keep our eyes in our own boat. -Steady there, Sid!" - -On came the Boxer Hall eight. They were rowing down the stream, as were -our friends, but the rival college shell was in the rear, having gone up -stream earlier in the day, being now on the return trip. - -"Don't try to race them when they pass us," cautioned Mr. Lighton, who -had not even turned his head to see the approaching shell behind him. -"It will be a temptation, I know, but we are not ready for a spurt yet." - -"Are we going to let them pass us?" demanded the rich lad, almost -forgetting to row. - -"Don't talk!" came sharply from the coxswain. "It's your business to -row, Boswell, if you want to be in this eight. You almost lost a stroke -then, and see how the boat slews! I have to shift the rudder to correct -it, and in a race that might mean the loss of considerable distance. -Pick up your stroke, and don't race!" - -The face of the rich lad expressed disappointment, and his was not -the only one. Certainly it was a bit galling to let Boxer Hall--their -ancient rival--pass them, and the first time Randall was out in her -eight, too! - -But afterward all admitted the wisdom of the course taken by the coach. -They were in no condition to race, and, green as most of them were as to -how to behave in a tricky shell, they might have had an upset. Not they -would have minded that, but they would have been the laughing-stock of -Boxer Hall. - -On came the rivals, the oars being feathered beautifully. They took -the water with that peculiar chugging sound that always denotes a -well-trained crew. - -"Listen, all of you," advised Mr. Lighton in a low voice. "That's what I -mean by the 'rotten-egg' sound. It's when the oar blade is plunged under -water as you begin your stroke. Try to attain it--after they pass." - -The Boxer Hall lads, rowing perhaps a trifle faster than they had been -doing, sitting perhaps a trifle straighter, and pulling a bit harder--a -natural showing off--came opposite the shell containing our friends of -Randall. - -"Want to try a little spurt?" called Dave Ogden, from the coxswain's -seat. - -"No, thank you--we're just out for practice. It's our first spin," -replied Mr. Lighton. "Some other time." - -"Why not now?" murmured Boswell. - -"Silence in the bow!" exclaimed the coach, sharply. - -"You're a martinet!" retorted the rich lad, but in so low a voice that -only Phil, sitting in front of him, heard. - -Not a lad in the Boxer Hall shell spoke, though several nodded in -friendly fashion at their acquaintances in the Randall boat. They were -evidently well trained, and were saving their wind. - -On they rowed, passing those who hoped to prove themselves formidable -rivals by the following Fall. And in spite of the command of Mr. Lighton -for all eyes to be in the boat, hardly a lad of the eight but glanced -enviously at the smoothly-swinging shell, that looked so trim and so -neat. For, in spite of the work expended on the second-hand craft, it -showed what it was. - -"But it won't be long before we have a better one," thought Tom. - -"Row easy, all," came the command from the coach, when the Boxer Hall -boat had passed around a bend of the stream. - -The stroke was slackened, to the relief of all, for, though they were -sturdy lads, rowing was a form of exercise to which they were not much -accustomed, especially in a shell. The strangeness of the seats, the toe -stretchers, and the outriggers added to their confusion, so that the -fatigue was almost as much one of attention and brain power as of muscle. - -"Now for a turn against the current," remarked the coach, when they had -gone on a mile or two more. "This will give you some resistance to work -against." - -The shell was turned, after a fashion, Mr. Lighton being anxious not -to bring too much strain on the outriggers, the turning action always -involving this. - -"Give way!" came the command, and the shell started back up stream. - -This was harder work, but the coach, desiring to know if he had any -members on the crew who were likely to prove of less service than the -others, kept them all up to a good stroke. There was some panting when -the float was reached, a larger crowd than before being there to welcome -the first tentative crew. But, to do the lads justice, not one but had -stood the strain well, even the fault-finding Boswell. - -"Well rowed for the first time!" complimented Mr. Lighton. "Now, then, -a good shower bath and a rub-down, and then some light exercise to keep -from getting stiff, for you have used muscles to-day that seldom came -into play before. Now who's for another crew?" and he picked out eight -more lads, who went off in the shell. - -"That was great!" cried Tom, as, with his three particular chums he -started for the gymnasium. - -"It sure was," agreed Sid. "I never thought I could do so well." - -"And I never knew I could do so rotten!" came from Frank. "I used to -think I was some pumpkins with an oar, but this has taken all the -conceit out of me." - -"Same here," agreed Phil. "But I think we're on the right road." - -"Boxer Hall did fine," went on Tom. "I give them credit for that. I wish -we'd started at rowing years ago. It's a shame it was so neglected at -Randall." - -"It was dandy of those old grads to think to put us in the way of it -once more," went on Sid. "We'll have to pass them a vote of thanks." - -Thus talking the boys went into the gymnasium, whence they emerged a -little later, glowing, and feeling the spring and buoyancy of youth. - -"Hello, what's this?" asked Phil, as they entered their room, and saw -some letters on the table. - -"From the girls!" cried Tom, as he saw a certain hand-writing. - -"Here, you've got mine!" declared Frank, making a grab for the epistle -in Sid's hand. - -"Beg your pardon old man--so I have. I'll trade," and soon the four lads -were busy perusing four notes. - -"They're going to have a dance," spoke Tom. "A week from to-night. Will -we go? I guess yes! That is, I don't think we have any date for that -evening." - -"If I have I'll break it," said Sid, quickly. - -"Listen to the old misogynist--him as wouldn't used to speak to a girl!" -cried Phil. "Oh, what a change! What a change!" - -"Dry up!" commanded Sid, making a reach for his chum, who nimbly escaped -by leaping behind the sofa. - -"Say, this is pretty indefinite," went on Tom. "They just ask us to -come, and don't say who's to take who, or anything like that." - -"And there are a new lot of fellows at Fairview," said Frank. "I move -that we go over and make sure of our girls. I don't want to get left." - -"I should have thought Ruth would be more definite," put in Phil. "But -say, we've got time to run over and back before grub. Come on." - -Regardless of the fact that they had just come in from a hard row, they -soon got into their "semi-best suits," as Sid called them, and hurried -to the trolley that would land them at the co-educational institution. - -"There are the girls!" exclaimed Tom, who, being in the lead, as he and -his chums crossed the campus a little later, saw the four; Ruth, Madge -Tyler, Mabel Harrison and Helen Newton. - -They paired off--as they always did--and soon were walking in different -directions. Tom was with Ruth Clinton, and after the matter of the dance -had been settled, and she had agreed to accompany him, as doubtless the -other girls had done for the other lads, the tall pitcher, with a glance -at his pretty companion remarked: - -"New pin, Ruth? Where did you get it?" and he looked at her -collar-fastening. - -"Hush!" she exclaimed, looking quickly around. "Don't tell Phil!" - -"Why not?" Tom wanted to know. "Doesn't he want you to have jewelry?" - -"Yes, but listen, you remember that dear old-fashioned brooch I used to -wear? The one with the secret spring in the back, that, when you pressed -on it, showed a little picture of me. Do you remember that?" - -"Do I? I should say I did! And how you dropped it at a dance once, and I -had to crawl down under the palms in the conservatory to get it." - -"And you in your dress suit, poor boy!" and Ruth laughed. "I should say -you might well remember it. But, Tom, this is serious," and she grew -grave at once. "I've lost that brooch!" - -"Lost it--how?" - -"Or, rather, it's been stolen, and I don't dare tell Phil. You know the -clasp was broken, or something was the matter with it. That's the reason -it fell off that time you had to hunt for it." - -"And did it drop again? Tell me where, and I'll search until----" - -"No, Tom, it wouldn't do any good," and Ruth sighed. - -"Why not?" - -"Because it's been stolen!" - -"Stolen!" - -"Yes. Listen. I feel dreadfully about it. You know it was a gift from -my grandmother. She is a dear, old-fashioned lady, and she has lots of -lovely old-fashioned jewelry. She always said she disliked the present -styles, and when she gave me that pin she made me promise to wear it, -and never be ashamed of it, even if it was a century old. - -"Of course I promised, for the pin _was_ a beauty. And grandmother -always said that if I took good care of it, and wore it whenever I went -out, she would leave me her lovely string of pearls. Of course I would -have worn the pin without that. And now it's been taken!" - -"Taken! By someone here at college?" - -"Hush, not so loud! I gave it to a jeweler, a Mr. Farson, in -Haddonfield, to repair the clasp, and I just got word from him to-day -that it was taken. So I had to buy another pin to fasten my collar with, -and I'm so afraid Phil will notice it; or that grandmother may hear -about it! She'll say I'm careless." - -"Did Farson have your brooch?" cried Tom. - -"Yes. Why?" - -"And did he tell you how it was taken?" - -"Well, he said it was taken with a lot of other things that he had -collected from his customers to repair. He offered to get me another, -but of course I never can get one like that." - -"Say!" exclaimed Tom, greatly excited. "Your pin must have been in that -box he left in his motor-boat, when the craft was wrecked on Crest -Island and when the Boxer Hall cups were taken. By Jove! This brings -that robbery home to me all right!" and Tom looked strangely at Ruth. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -ON CREST ISLAND - - -"What do you mean?" cried the girl, impressed by Tom's strange manner. - -"Why, didn't you hear? This jeweler had been going about collecting -work for repairing, and left a lot of it in a box in his boat. Then -he was called away suddenly, and remained away over night. A flood -came up, swept his boat away, wrecked it on Crest Island, and we four -fellows found it there. But the jewelry case was empty. Didn't you hear -that--and about the Boxer Hall cups?" - -"I believe I did," answered Ruth, slowly. "But I did not know then, that -my brooch was in that box. Oh, Tom, do you suppose it could be on Crest -Island?" - -"I don't know, Ruth. The box was empty when we found it, and we think -someone located it before we did, and rifled it." - -"Oh, Tom, my dear pin! If grandmother hears I've lost it she'll never -forgive me--and then her pearls, too; not that I care so much about -them, but this pin was given her by her husband, when they were -courting, and she thought the world of it. It was made abroad, of a -peculiar pattern, and never could be replaced. It was an heirloom, and -she must have thought a lot of me to let me take it. - -"Oh, I just can't bear to tell her it is gone! Maybe we can find it. -Perhaps it is on the island yet. Maybe it dropped from the box. Tell me; -was Phil along when you found the box?" - -"Yes, but of course he didn't know that anything of yours was in it." - -"Then please don't tell him. He might think I ought to tell grandmother -about it--he's so peculiar. And I _will_ tell her, if worse comes to -worst, and I can't get it back. But, oh, Tom! do you suppose it could be -on the island?" and she looked eagerly at him. - -"If it's there I'll find it!" declared the tall pitcher, perhaps with -more zeal than discretion. - -"And don't you tell a soul!" - -"I won't," he promised. - -"Could you take me with you, Tom? I'd like to help you hunt for it." - -"Of course," he said, promptly. "The weather is getting fine now. We'll -row over to the island some day, and make a search. But that pin isn't -going to be easy to find." - -"No, I realize that, Tom. But it will make me feel better to help look -for it. Oh, how careless of that jeweler to leave his things in the -boat!" - -"It was, in a way, but he could not tell he was going to be summoned -away, nor that the flood would come. I feel sorry for him." - -"So do I, but--I want my brooch back," and Ruth smiled at Tom. "Now -don't say anything, and don't notice my new pin--at least in front of -Phil," she stipulated. "If I can get the old one back, then it will -be time enough to tell him. Oh, here he comes now, with Madge. Yes, I -think the dance will be perfectly fine!" exclaimed Ruth, in loud tones, -to change the conversation for the benefit of her brother and Madge. -Tom took his cue instantly, and the four were soon engaged in a lively -conversation, Ruth, meanwhile, telegraphing signals to Tom with her -eyes, while she arranged a bit of her lace collar over the new pin, so -that her brother would not notice it. - -Plans for the dance being duly made, the boys took a regretful -departure. But it was high time, for Miss Philock sent one of the -teachers to Ruth and the girls, to tell them that visiting hours were -over. - -"Until the next time!" called the girls, as the boys walked off. - -"And, Tom," whispered Ruth, "don't forget." - -"I'll not!" he promised. - -"Hello, what's up between you and Sis?" asked Phil, quickly. - -"Oh, we're just arranging a little expedition," was the answer of his -chum. - -But Tom could not carry out his plan of taking the girl to Crest Island -the next day. It rained, and baseball practice was ordered in the cage -at the gymnasium. - -As I do not, in this book, intend to devote much space to baseball at -Randall (seeing that I have fully discussed several games in other books -of this series), it is sufficient to say that all of our friends played -on the varsity nine, together with some new students, and that Randall -bade fair to win the championship at this time. Which she later did, -though not without hard work. - -Then came several days of practice in the eight-oared shell, and in -the four, the double, and singles, which had, in the meanwhile, been -received. There was much enthusiasm, and Mr. Lighton had to press in -as coaches some post-graduate students who knew rowing fairly well. -But he himself gave his time to the eight. A number of other lads had -been tried in it, and among those who had taken the first practice spin -several shifts in position were made. - -But at last a fine, warm, sunny Spring day came, and Tom, after an early -lecture one afternoon, arrayed himself in a costume suitable for rowing, -and, with some cushions under his arm, set off for the boathouse. - -"Whither away?" asked Phil, as he surveyed his chum. - -"Oh, out for a row," and Tom strove to make his voice indifferent. - -"With cushions; eh? Want any company?" - -"No, thanks, old man. No offense, of course," he hastened to add, -"but----" - -"None taken!" exclaimed Phil. "Guess I'll go get a girl myself." - -As Tom neared the boathouse he met Sid and Frank. - -"Want me to pull an oar?" asked the former, as he saw the tall pitcher. - -"No. I can manage," and Tom proceeded to get out a light boat. - -"I say, old man," put in Frank, with a wink at Sid. "Lend me one of -those cushions; will you. I'm going----" - -"You're going to get one of your own!" interrupted Tom. "I need these." - -"You mean the lady does," added Sid, with a laugh. "Go on, you old -deserter. We'll be going out in the shell, later." - -"Will you?" exclaimed Tom. "I wonder if I'd better--Oh, go and be hanged -to you!" he added. "I'll get practice enough," and he got into the boat -and rowed away. - -"Wonder where he's going?" spoke Frank. - -"Give it up," replied Sid. "Let's find Phil, and get ready for a spin." - -Meanwhile Tom made good time to Fairview, and found Ruth awaiting him, -he having previously telephoned to her to be in readiness. - -"Oh, Tom, I wonder if we will have any luck?" she exclaimed, as they set -off, her three girl chums watching her curiously. - -"I hope so," he answered, "but, really, I can't hold out much. A brooch -is so small, and Crest Island is rather large. But we'll look near the -place where the box lodged. The pin may still be there." - -It was not a short row to Crest Island, but Tom did not mind it. Indeed -he was rather sorry when the place was reached. - -He lost no time in proceeding to the spot where he and his chums had -picked up the jewelry box. The place seemed just the same, with no -evidence of any other visitors. It was rather early for the Summer -crowds to come, and none of the several cottages had opened. - -The two spent some time in making a careful search, beginning at the -point where the wrecked boat had been found, and working along both -shores--that is, after a search at the spot where the box had been -picked up. But no brooch rewarded their efforts. - -"I guess you'll have to wait until the other things are located," said -Tom. "Your pin may be among them." - -"Let's walk on a little farther," proposed Ruth. "I want to look at -Madge Tyler's cottage." - -"Has Madge a cottage here?" asked the lad, in surprise. - -"Her people have taken one for the Summer. Madge has invited us girls to -spend several weeks with her. Where are you boys going this vacation?" - -"To Crest Island!" replied Tom promptly, though, a moment before, he had -had not the slightest idea. - -"Oh, you're just _saying_ that!" challenged Ruth. - -"No, really I'm not!" he insisted. "If you girls are going to cottage -here, I don't see why we can't camp. Other fellows do." - -"Oh, it would be nice, of course," she admitted, as they strolled along. -"There's the Tyler place," called Ruth a little later. "I recognize the -description. Isn't it lovely?" - -"Fine!" agreed Tom. "And that looks like a good camping place," and he -indicated a spot not far off. - -They soon gave up looking for the lost brooch, which, as Ruth said, was -like searching for a needle in a haystack. They strolled some distance -on the island, admiring the Summer cottages that would soon be open, and -then turned back. - -Not far from the spot where Tom and his chums had found the rifled -jewelry box Tom saw a sort of shack, or small hut, off between the trees. - -"I wonder whose that is?" he ventured. "Let's go take a look." - -"It doesn't seem very inviting," returned Ruth. "Perhaps some boatmen -live there." - -The shack was deserted, but a look through the grimy windows showed that -it probably had an occupant, for there were some dishes on a table, some -pans on a rusty stove, and, in through another room, could be seen some -bunks. - -"Probably a caretaker for the cottages," suggested Ruth, as she rested -her hand on a window-sill, and idly pulled out some threads that had -caught in a splinter. "Rather a strange sort of caretaker," she went on, -"who wears silk--see, these are silk threads," and she held up a number, -brightly colored. - -"Where did you get those?" asked Tom, and the girl started at the -strange note in his voice. - -"On the window sill," she explained. "Why?" - -"Oh--nothing," was his answer, but she noted that he took the threads -from her, and carefully put them in a card case. "They might do to make -a fishing fly with," he explained, after a pause. - -"Oh," she said. - -They strolled around to the front door of the building to find it -locked. - -"There's someone's card," remarked Ruth, as she touched a bit of -pasteboard with the toe of her shoe. "Maybe it was on the door, telling -at what hour the person who lives here would return." - -"Maybe," agreed Tom, stooping to pick it up. "I'll fasten it back again. -I wonder who does live here?" - -Idly he turned the card over. Then he started in surprise, for the name -that met his eyes was: - - _Reginald Boswell_ - -"Who is it?" asked Ruth. "Anyone I know?" - -"I--I fancy not," answered Tom, still staring at the card. "I wonder how -that got here?" he mused. "And I wonder who lives in this shack?" and -putting the bit of pasteboard in his pocket, he swung around. - -"I guess we'd better be getting back," he said to Ruth. "It's getting -late, and it's a bit of a pull. I'm sorry we couldn't find your brooch." - -"So am I," she admitted, with a sigh. "But it can't be helped. Oh, _how_ -can I tell grandmother?" - -She took Tom's arm, as the way was rough. They had not gone many feet -before they heard someone approaching, tramping through the underbrush. - -"Who can that be?" asked the girl. - -"I don't know--we'll look," whispered Tom. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE GAY HANDKERCHIEF - - -"Who are you--what you do here?" - -The question was snapped out at Tom and Ruth as they stood near the -shack. A man had come to an abrupt halt as he emerged from the bushes -and faced them; something of fear, Tom thought, mingled with anger -showing on his face. It was this man whom they had heard approaching, a -man clad in ordinary garments, yet with an indefinable foreign air about -him--an air that was accentuated by his words and inflection. He was -dark of skin, swarthy, and when he smiled, which he did a moment after -his rather harsh words of greeting, his very white teeth showed beneath -a small black moustache. A Spaniard Tom put him down for, or a Mexican. -The latter guess proved correct, as the lad learned afterward. - -"You come here to--to--pardon, senor, I am forgetting my manners," went -on the fellow with a bow, and a sharp glance at Ruth. "You are here -perhaps to look at cottages--you and your charming bride." - -Ruth drew in her breath sharply, and a rosy glow suffused her face. She -did not look at Tom, who chuckled audibly. - -"I--I'll never speak to you if you do that again," said the girl, in a -low voice. - -"Do what?" asked Tom, innocently enough. - -"Laugh at--at what he said," and she still blushed, and refused to look -up. - -"Pardon, senor," went on the man. "No offense, but----" - -"That's all right," said Tom easily, master of himself now, but -wondering much who the man might be. "We were just looking around. Some -friends of ours have a cottage here--the Tylers----" - -"Oh, yes. Then you are very welcome. In fact you would be welcome -anyhow, as this island is more or less of the public--what you say, I -have not the very good English?" and he looked questioningly at them. - -"Oh, you mean that it is open to the public." - -"That is so, yes, senor, and senorita. You are interested in my poor -abode here--yes?" - -"Oh, we were just looking around," explained Tom. "We did peep in. No -harm, I hope." - -"None at all, senor." - -"I'm from Randall," the pitcher went on. "Miss Clinton is from Fairview." - -"Oh, you are fellow students then?" - -"Not exactly--say, rather--rivals," and Tom looked at Ruth and laughed. -The blush had somewhat subsided. - -"Ah, I comprehend. I am Rafello Mendez, at your service, senor." - -"My name is Parsons," went on Tom. "Sorry I haven't a card," and he -thought of the one he had picked up, which he had quickly thrust into -his pocket at the sound of approaching footsteps. - -"I am what you call the take-care man around here," went on Mendez. "I -am the take-care man of the cottages--not all--some." - -"The 'take-care' man," murmured Tom. "It sounds like the bugaboo-man." - -"Oh, he means the care-taker," exclaimed Ruth. "I understand. You look -after the property while the cottagers are away; isn't that it?" and she -smiled at the man, who bowed low and answered: - -"The senorita has said it. I am the take-care man." - -"But I thought old Jake Blasdell had that job," said Tom. "I know he -used to be here. But I never knew he had this shack, though I haven't -been much on this part of the island." - -"Senor Blasdell did was the take-care man," explained Mendez. "But he -was took sick, and had to leave, and a friend got me the place. Me, I -used to be of the sheep take-care in my country--Mexico, but I long for -this country and I come. I do what you call a business on the edge." - -"On the edge?" murmured Tom. - -"Yes, senor, on the edge. Or maybe you say on the point. You see he -is like this: I am the take-care man for the cottages in place of -Senor Blasdell in Winter. In Summer I am the cut-the-grass-man or the -garden-man, what you like. Then, besides, in addition, on the edge I -sell things in my store which it is unfortunately not open now, or I -should show the senorita some pretty things. The store I do on the -edge--or maybe on the point, I know not how you say," and he shrugged -his shoulders expressively. - -"Oh, he means on the side!" cried Ruth. "Don't you understand, Tom? -He is a caretaker, and at odd times he sells things to the Summer -cottagers." - -"The senorita has said it," went on Mendez. "It is on the side, not on -the edge--pardon!" - -"What do you sell?" asked Tom, curiously. - -"Everything. Things from the country. Of a specialty I have the -beautiful Mexican push-work, senorita." - -"Push-work, that's another new one," said Tom. - -"I guess he means Mexican drawn-work," explained Ruth with a smile. -"Some of it is very beautiful. He ought to do a good business here in -the Summer." - -"I should, if I had all customers like the senorita," said the man with -a bow to Ruth, again showing his white teeth in an expansive smile. "I -am covered with confusion that I can show her none now. But it is all -put away. Perhaps, though, if you wait----" - -"No, we must be moving on!" interrupted Tom. "It is getting late. And so -you live here all Winter?" - -"Yes, senor. This little hut was part of the place where Senor Blasdell -used to stay. It was donated to me. I moved it here when I succeeded -Senor Blasdell, and added to it. It is very comfortable. I have been -over to the main land for some supplies, and when I come back I see you. -At first I am suspicious, for which I ask your pardon. You are always -welcome, the senor and senorita," and again he bowed. - -"Thanks, Mr. Mendez," said Tom, rather carelessly, for somehow he did -not like the fellow. "We may see you this Summer. Some of us fellows may -camp here." - -"Then I shall be pleased to show you some fine Mexican leather work. -Perhaps a lariat, spurs, bridles, and some fine silver work for the -pretty senoritas, is it not?" and the fellow smiled genially. - -"Good-bye!" called Tom. "Come along, Ruth. I'll have to hit up the oars -going home or I'll have you so late that you'll get on the bad books of -the Ogress." - -"Oh, I'm there already," she replied, as she nodded to the Mexican, who -bowed low in farewell. "All our crowd is, but we don't mind. Now, Tom, -did you really mean what you said about going to camp on Crest Island -this Summer?" - -"I do, if I can get the other fellows to do it. I know they will, too, -for we'll be near our rowing shells, and we can have the best kind of -practice." - -"Oh, is _that_ the only reason you want to come here?" and she looked -archly at him. - -"Why, isn't that----" he began and then a light dawned on him. - -"I guess we wouldn't come if you girls weren't to be here," he added, -quickly. "When I tell the fellows that, I know it will cinch matters. -Oh, we'll come all right." - -They reached their boat, embarked, and Tom was soon sculling away from -the island. - -"Queer chap--that Mendez," remarked the youth after a bit. - -"Isn't he?" agreed Ruth. - -"I didn't know those Mexicans were so thrifty," the rower went on. -"Being a 'care-take' man and doing Mexican 'push-work' on the 'edge'. -Pretty good; eh?" - -"Yes," laughed Ruth. "I can see where we girls will spend a great deal -of our time this Summer." - -"So can I," declared her companion, boldly. "With us fellows." - -"Oh, you're not at all conceited; are you?" - -"I didn't know it," went on Tom, tantalizingly. "But say, do you know I -didn't much like that fellow, for all his fine airs." - -"Why not, pray? I thought him quite polite." - -"He was--altogether too polite," murmured the lad, with a little more -force than seemed necessary. "I don't like foreigners, anyhow." - -"Well, I could forgive anyone, even a foreigner, if I could get back my -brooch," sighed Ruth. "I don't know what I'm going to do about it." - -"It is too bad," agreed Tom. "Now, Ruth, we won't say anything about -what happened to-day, and if you promise not to tell, I'll whisper a -secret." - -"Oh, Tom, of course I won't tell--you know that!" and she looked -reproachfully at him. - -"Of course--I was only joking. Well, we four fellows are trying to do a -little detective work, and recover the stolen jewelry." - -"You are?" - -"Yes, and if we do we may get back your brooch." - -"Oh, I hope you do!" and she clapped her hands in spontaneous delight. -"Do you think you will, Tom?" - -"Hard to tell, Ruth. There aren't many clues to work on. At least there -weren't until to-day----" - -"Oh, did you find some to-day, Tom? Tell me, I'm so fascinated with -detective work! Did you really see some clue that escaped me?" - -"Ahem! Detectives never talk about their cases, or tell about their -clues!" he exclaimed, with exaggerated gravity. - -"Tom Parsons!" - -"Well, really, I don't know whether I did find a clue or not, Ruth. I'm -going to think about it over night. If you can help me I won't hesitate -to call on you." - -"Will you, really, Tom? That's good of you. And now I'm afraid you'll -have to row a little faster. It _is_ getting quite late." - -"All right," agreed the lad, as he bent to the oars. As he rowed his -thoughts went to the card in his pocket and to the strands of silk from -the gay handkerchief. - -Fortunately Ruth was not so late that Miss Philock found fault. Tom -proved himself a good rower, though after he had said good-bye he took -the course easy on the way to Randall. - -"Some sculling," he told himself, as he tied up the boat and, in the -dusk of the late Spring evening, walked toward his room. "This ought to -stand me in good stead for the eight. My muscles are hardening," and he -felt of his biceps. He was in extraordinarily good training from his -baseball work. - -As he was about to enter the building where he and his chums had their -rooms, he saw Boswell approaching. Tom's mind flashed to the card he had -picked up at the shack. - -"I wonder what he could have been doing there?" the tall pitcher mused. -"If Mendez didn't have his store open and his stock ready for sale, how -could Bossy have bought any? And, if he didn't go there to buy anything, -why did he go at all? I give it up." - -There was no time for further speculation just then, as the rich lad, -with a nod, addressed Tom. - -"Where were you?" he asked with an air of familiarity that Tom rather -resented in a Freshman. "We had a fine row in the eight. I'm almost sure -of bow, and Lighton may shift me to stroke, or number seven." - -"Yes?" questioned Tom indifferently, yet resolving to make a brave -struggle not to let this usurper put him out of his place in the boat. - -"Sure thing. I'm coming on fine, and I've got a dandy scheme for keeping -in trim this Summer." - -"Yes?" - -"Yes. Our folks are going to take a cottage on Crest Island, and----" - -"You are?" and Tom fairly exploded the words. - -"Surest thing you know, though it's a beastly slow and unfashionable -place. We usually go to the shore. We have one cottage there, and -another in the White Mountains, but I persuaded dad to take one at Crest -for the Summer, just so I could be near the water here and get familiar -with the course we'll row next Fall. Nothing like knowing the course, -old man, really." - -"No, I suppose not," and Tom's mind was busy with many things. With -Boswell on the island, matters might not be so pleasant as he had -anticipated. - -"That's right. I'm going to get a professional coach, too." - -"You are?" Tom's voice was still indifferent, but Boswell did not notice -it. - -"Sure thing. When I go in for a thing I go in hard, and I'm going into -this rowing game for keeps." - -"Well, I hope we all do," and Tom tried to be pleasant as he turned away. - -"See you later," murmured the Freshman, in a patronizing tone, and, as -he turned aside he drew from his pocket a gaudy handkerchief. At the -sight of it Tom stared, for it was the same pattern as the strip of -silk found near the looted jewelry box. Tom stared at it intently as the -rich lad flourished it. - -"By Jove!" suddenly exclaimed Boswell, "I've got that torn handkerchief -again," and he held it up, showing where a strip had evidently been -ripped from it. "I've got two," he explained, "and this one got torn -the other day. I thought I laid it aside, but, in my hurry, I must have -grabbed it up." - -"How--how'd you tear it?" asked Tom, when he could trust his voice. - -"Oh, it caught on a nail down at the boathouse, and a piece was ripped -off." - -"Why--why couldn't you have it sewed on?" asked Tom. - -"What? Carry a mended handkerchief? I guess not. Anyhow the piece fell -in the water and floated away. Hope you'll be in the eight next time we -practice, though I may get your place." - -"Maybe," answered Tom, and he did not take the trouble to designate -which clause the word modified. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE FIRST BREAK - - -"Say, where in the name of Diogenes's lantern have you been, Tom?" - -"Yes, come in you musty old deserter, and give an account of yourself. -You've been away so long that you must have forgotten the counter-sign." - -"It was a girl, fellows--I can smell the perfumery!" - -Thus Sid, Phil and Frank greeted the advent of our hero into the common -room, soon after he had left Boswell. Tom's brain had been so busy with -so many thoughts, after the sight of that torn handkerchief, that he had -eaten scarcely any supper, though his appetite just before that had been -of the best. - -"Shove over; can't you?" was all Tom said to Phil, who was stretched out -on the old sofa. - -"Sure I can. What's the matter? Got a grouch!" - -"No, but I'm dead tired." - -"Be careful how you flop," warned Sid, as he watched with anxiety Tom's -preparations to sit down. "That sofa doesn't gain strength with age--it -isn't like cheese in that respect." - -"Where were you?" asked Phil, as Tom managed to find a resting place -without bringing forth from the sofa more than a protesting groan, and a -series of squeaks. - -"Ruth and I were out for a row," said Tom shortly, knowing that the -truth would out sooner or later, and having nothing to conceal. - -"Oh, ho!" exclaimed Sid. - -"Where'd you go?" asked Phil, with brotherly interest. - -"Crest Island. That's what kept me so long. I got her home in good -season though, and rowed slow the rest of the way." - -"Crest Island!" exclaimed Frank. "Did you find any more clues, Tom?" - -The tall pitcher hesitated. He was in two minds about what had taken -place that afternoon. Should he tell his chums the secret he thought -he had discovered, and get their opinions in working it out? Or should -he play a lone hand? A moment's thought convinced him. He would tell -all--that is, all save Ruth's secret. That he had no right to divulge. - -"Well?" asked Frank, as his chum hesitated. "Did you find anything, -Tom?" - -"I sure did, fellows," and he tossed on the table the card of Boswell, -and the strands of silk. - -For a moment no one spoke, and then Sid, picking up the card remarked: - -"This looks suspicious, Tom. Did you and Bossy quarrel over a girl, -and go to Crest Island to have a duel? It begins to look that -way--exchanging cards and all that." - -"We didn't exchange cards," said Tom shortly. "I found that card near a -shack where a caretaker lives. And, by the way, fellows, we're going to -camp on Crest Island this Summer." - -"We are?" cried Phil. - -"I like the nice, easy way he has of laying out our vacation plans for -us," remarked Sid. - -"Just as if he was our manager," added Frank. - -"Well, I only thought it would be handy if we want to practice rowing," -went on Tom, holding back the other reason. "We could get a boat, and -drop down to college here every day or so, take out the shell and have a -spin. If we want to beat Boxer Hall we've got to do some tall hustling, -and practice like all get-out!" - -"Oh, I fancy I can practice rowing on Crystal Lake, where our folks -intend taking a cottage," said Sid. "No Crest Island for mine!" - -"The girls are going to cottage there," went on Tom, with a fine -appearance of indifference. "Madge Tyler's folks have a neat little -shack there, and Ruth, Helen and Mabel are going to spend some time -with her." - -"They are!" cried Frank. - -"Why didn't you say so at first?" asked Sid, indignantly. - -"I--er--I guess I can fix it to camp there," spoke Phil, just as if he -had never intended spending his vacation at any other place. - -"Oh, you fellows were so sure you knew your own business that I didn't -want to butt in," went on the pitcher. "But, boys, what do you think of -that?" and he indicated the card and silk. - -"It's the same material," spoke Frank after a bit, as he compared the -shreds Tom had pulled from the window-sill of the shack on the island, -with the torn strip found near the looted jewelry box. - -"And what would you say if I told you that Bossy had a handkerchief of -that same pattern, with a strip torn off?" asked Tom, slowly. - -"Has he?" asked Frank, looking sharply at his chum. - -"He has." - -"Then, by crimps! He's the fellow who has the cups and jewelry!" cried -Sid. - -"Go easy," advised Phil. "That's the worst of you--always jumping to -conclusions." - -"And why shouldn't I, when I can land on 'em as easily as I can on this -one? Isn't it as plain as can be?" - -"Not altogether. We'd make fine specimens of ourselves if we went and -accused him on this evidence. You say, Tom, that you found this card -near the Mexican's shack?" - -"Yes. And the shreds of silk there, too. It looks to me as if Bossy had -been there to buy a handkerchief. Two of 'em, if we're to believe him. -The Mexican probably has them as well as his 'push-work' as he calls -it," and he told all the circumstances of the visit to the island, -omitting only the search for Ruth's brooch. - -"I guess that part is right," admitted Frank. "I mean about Bossy going -there to buy one of these gay handkerchiefs. But just because he did -doesn't make him guilty. In fact, what object would he have in taking -some trophy cups that he could get very little for if they were melted -up, and nothing for, if he tried to sell them as they were? No one -would buy them, for on the face of them they show what they are. Some -were engraved with the Boxer Hall fellows' names. And the other jewelry -wasn't so very valuable. Bossy wouldn't have any object in taking that. -He's got more money now, than is good for him." - -"He might have been gambling, and gotten short of cash, and been afraid -of asking his folks," suggested Sid, remembering an ordeal he had gone -through in having a relative under similar circumstances, as I related -in "Batting to Win." - -"I don't believe it," declared Frank. "To my mind I'd sooner suspect -this Mendez. He seems a fishy sort of character." - -"Oh, I think he's straight," declared Tom. "I made some inquiries about -him while I was having grub. It seems some of the fellows here have been -buying stuff of him--last year when he was traveling around the country. -He bears a good reputation, and Hendell's father, who owns part of Crest -Island, was telling me that the property owners looked up his record -well before they let him succeed old Jake Blasdell as caretaker." - -"Hum!" mused Frank. "It doesn't look as easy as it did at first, in -spite of these clues, Tom." - -"That's right. Say, I'm not as much of a detective as I thought. I -wonder if that jeweler could be double-crossing us?" - -"What do you mean?" asked Sid. - -"I mean could he have lost the box of jewelry overboard before his boat -was carried away by the flood? If he did, he could make up the story -that he left it in the locker, and that someone else got it when the -boat was wrecked." - -"That's possible, though not probable," admitted Frank. "Fellows, my -advice is that we put these things away, and forget all about them -to-night. In the morning we may see matters clearer. I've got to do -some boning anyhow. Put 'em away, Tom." - -Soon only the ticking of the fussy, little alarm clock was heard, -mingled with the rattle of paper as books were leafed or as the lads -wrote out their lessons. Even the clock stopped after a bit, and the -sudden silence was so startling that Phil exclaimed: - -"She's run down! Hope nothing's the matter with her," and he picked up -the timepiece with an anxious face. - -"Probably got toothpickitis," suggested Tom. "Give it a shake." - -Phil did so, with the result that a piece of toothpick did fall out, and -then the clock went on ticking again. - -"That's better," sighed Phil, though often he had objected to the -incessant noise. "It would be like losing an old friend if that went -back on us." - -He settled into the depths of one of the old armchairs, Sid being in -another, while Frank, who had succeeded to the sofa stretched out -luxuriously on that, having ousted Tom, who, on a stool drawn up to the -table, was making an ancient war map that was to be used in class the -next day. - -Morning brought no clearer view to the puzzling problem of the clues to -the missing jewelry, and, having all agreed to keep silent about the -matter, the lads laid aside the articles and hurried to chapel. In the -several days that followed nothing new in that line developed. - -There came several baseball contests, in which Tom and his chums -distinguished themselves. The long vacation was approaching, and more -or less "boning" had to be done if the lads intended to pass their -examinations. All these things, with the rowing practice, kept them busy -so that Tom, as was the case with the others, had little chance to see -the girls. - -The other second-hand rowing craft were made good use of, and those who -were to go in the four were practically picked. So were the singles and -doubles, though of course a change might be made in the Fall, when new -material would come to Randall. - -All eyes, and most of the interest, however, was on and in the eight. -On this Randall built her hopes of becoming champion of the river and -lake league. Though when word came of the fast time made by Boxer Hall -and Fairview in their practice spins, there were doubtful shakes of the -head, for Randall was nowhere near as good. - -Then came the annual Boxer Hall-Fairview races. It was about an even -thing between the two colleges, until it came time for the eight-oared -contest. There was even a tub race, and the boys at Randall decided to -have one when it came time for them to take part in the regatta. - -But Boxer won the eight with ease over Fairview, and when Mr. Lighton, -who with most of those who had practiced in Randall's big shell, -witnessed the exciting finish, he shook his head. - -"We've got to do some tall hustling," he remarked, "and make some -changes. I'll start in on them to-morrow." - -There was a larger number than usual at practice on Sunny River the next -day. All Randall seemed to be at the boathouse. Adjoining the old one a -start had already been made on erecting the new structure, presented by -the alumni. Word had been received that the new shells would be ready in -ample time for the Fall races. - -"Young men!" exclaimed Coach Lighton, as the eight was slipped into the -water, "I'm going to make some radical changes in the crew, and I want -none of you to feel sore, because, you know, it is for the good of the -college. We have not been rowing well, of late, and there are several -faults to correct. The boat hangs a bit, and is a trifle heavy by the -stern. She drags. I know one reason for this, it is my own weight, and -so I am going to suggest that you now try one of yourselves as coxswain. -I am a little too 'beefy' for the place. - -"Jerry Jackson, you take the tiller ropes. You've had more practice than -any of the others, and you're too light to hope to be at the oars." - -"All right," agreed Jerry, cheerfully. After all it was an honor to -steer the eight. - -"Simpson, you'll stay at stroke, and, Parsons, I'm going to send you -back a bit. No offense, but you're not quite quick enough in picking up -the stroke. I think it's your baseball arm that's at fault. Molloy, you -take Parsons' place, and Tom will go number three. From three, Henderson -will go to bow. He's about the right weight for there when we get -Jackson in as coxswain. And, Jerry, you'll want to shift your seat a bit -aft, to make up for the extra weight they've been carrying in me. That -will make a good change, I think." - -There was some murmuring over the changes, and obviously nearly all were -pleased. Molloy especially, for he had been fretting lest he be kept out -of the eight. As for Tom he was rather glad, on the whole, that he did -not have the responsibility of picking up Frank's stroke, for it was a -responsibility, and it was telling on him. He had begun to realize that -his baseball pitching had made him a bit awkward in one arm. - -"Say, where do I come in?" suddenly asked Boswell. "I was at bow, and -now--I'm nowhere, Mr. Lighton." - -"I'll work you in another crew, Boswell," said the coach, sharply. - -"But I want to be in the varsity." - -"This isn't the varsity any more than any other collection of eight -rowers is. The varsity isn't picked yet, and won't be until the Fall." - -"Well, this looks very much like the varsity to me," sneered Boswell. -"All the fellows in it are on the varsity nine----" - -"That'll do you!" said the coach, snappily. - -"Then I'm not to row at bow?" - -"Not in this eight." - -"Then I don't row at all!" and, with a fierce glance at the selected -rowers, the rich lad turned sharply and walked off to the dressing rooms. - -"The first break," murmured Tom. - -"Take your places," spoke the coach, quietly. "I'm going to follow you -in the launch. Jackson, make 'em do as you tell 'em!" - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -A FRIENDLY BRUSH - - -There was a small motor-boat, the property of the rowing association -at Randall, having been acquired since the new interest in racing, and -several times Mr. Lighton had used it to coach the lads in the fours, -singles or doubles, running alongside of them. He now proposed to make -use of it to coach the eight, since this was the first time (save for a -few practice runs of short length) that he had not acted as coxswain. -In the latter tries Jerry Jackson had steered, and, as he owned a -motor-boat of his own, which he ran every Summer, he was an apt pupil. - -Little was said of the changes made, until the shell was well out in -the river, and then Phil, who was, in the new arrangement, next to Tom, -remarked: - -"How do you like it, and what do you think of it?" - -"I think Bossy was a calf to show his temper that way, and I like it -here better than in the stern. I can row better when I don't have to -worry about picking up Frank's stroke." - -"Say, but he's a peach at it!" exclaimed Sid, admiringly, from his place -at bow oar. - -"Silence in the bows!" came the sharp command of Jerry Jackson. - -"Listen to him," spoke Bricktop, who was at number seven. - -"That won't do, boys!" came the sharp voice of the coach, as he ran his -little launch up alongside. "If you're not going to accord to Jackson, -while he is in the position of coxswain, the same respect you gave me, -you might as well give up rowing now and for all. You can't talk and -row. You need too much breath for the latter. So if you want to talk, -and gibe the coxswain, then the place for you is on shore." - -"Right!" exclaimed Sid. "I'll be good." - -"Same here," came from Tom. - -"I beg your pardon, coxswain," said Phil. - -Bricktop Molloy, grinning while the sweat ran down from his forehead, -outlined in red hair, into his eyes, whispered: - -"What you say, goes!" - -And then Bricktop, being as loyal a Randallite as there was, proceeded -to row as he had never before, while Frank set a killing stroke. The -little lesson was not wasted. - -Running along in the launch, by means of which he could keep close to -the shell, Mr. Lighton gave valuable advice. He could do it to better -advantage now that he was not in the boat. - -"Cut 'em down some," advised the coach, after Frank's little spurt. -"About twenty-eight a minute will do now. We'll try a ten-mile bit -to-day." - -Some of the lads felt their hearts sink at this. Eight had been the -limit so far, but they realized that they were in for a grilling, and -they stiffened their backs to it. - -"Row out your strokes," went on the coach. "Use every ounce of strength -you have, and remember that your muscular force, applied at the -beginning, does ten times the work as if you put it in at the end. Keep -together. Get the oars in the water at the same time, and out together. - -"Feather a bit higher--the water is rough to-day and you don't want to -splash. Try to imagine you are all a part of one man rowing in a small -boat. Make your oars rise and fall together. They're a bit ragged now." - -With such good advice did the coach urge on the lads, and they responded -nobly. In a short time, though the rowing had gone a bit awkwardly at -first, there was a noticeable improvement. - -As Mr. Lighton had said, the boat had been a bit heavy aft, and had -dragged. With his weight gone, and with a lighter coxswain, and with the -other changes, there was great improvement. Instead of hanging in the -water the shell seemed to glide through it at a steady rate. There was -no jerking progress, but a steady onward movement, the perfection of -rowing. - -"Get a little more into the finish of the stroke!" called the coach -at one point. "You must get the beginning of the stroke with the body -only, but finish with the arms and shoulders. Send your elbows past your -sides. Drop your shoulders, but keep up your heads and chests." - -Thus he corrected fault after fault, until on the return from that row -not a lad but felt he had made great improvement. They were all grateful -for the change, even Tom, who had been shifted from the post of most -honor, next to the stroke. Of course, Boswell, who, like Achilles, -sulked in his room, could not be expected to be happy. - -"It wasn't a fair thing," he declared to his chum, Elwood Pierce. "I -ought to have been kept at bow, or they might have made me stroke." - -"That's right, old chap," agreed Elwood. "But what can you expect of -such beastly rotters? It wouldn't be that way over in Oxford." - -Rumor had it that Pierce had tried to enter Oxford, but had failed -miserably. He always declared that the English climate did not agree -with him. - -The Randall eight was within a few miles of their boathouse when the -rowers saw approaching around the bend of the stream the Fairview eight, -swinging along at a good pace. Instantly there came into the minds of -all the same thought. - -Mr. Lighton who was alongside, must have realized it, for he called out: - -"I won't mind if you have a brush with them, if they're willing. But -don't get too excited or anxious over it." - -"Ready!" called Jerry Jackson. - -Not get excited! As well tell a racehorse not to gallop when he hears -the pit-pat of hoofs behind him. The hearts of all quickened. - -On came the Fairview eight out for a final practice spin. Their season -was over, but they were keeping in training for the races in the Fall. - -"Want a brush?" asked Jerry of Roger Barns, who was coxswain. - -"Sure!" came the reply. "And we'll give you a start." - -"We don't want it!" snapped Tom. "Even terms or nothing!" - -"That's right!" murmured Frank, as he took a tighter grip on his oar. - -The two eights were now on even terms. Mr. Lighton, with a final nod of -encouragement, steered his craft out of the way. - -"Give way, boys!" cried Jerry, as he grasped the tiller lines. - -"Show 'em how we row, even if Boxer Hall did beat us!" called Roger. - -With eager strokes the lads took up the race, and, though it was but a -friendly brush it meant more to Randall than any realized, save those -thinly-clad lads in the shell. It was their first chance to see what -they could do against a formidable rival. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE LONG VACATION - - -"Come on now, fellows! Hit her up!" exclaimed Jerry Jackson, in a low -voice. - -"No, not yet!" whispered Frank, as he bent forward in his place at -stroke until he was nearer the lad at the tiller ropes. "Feel 'em out -first, Jerry. Don't go breaking our hearts in the first mile. We've got -a good ways to go in this little race, and the spurt will come toward -the end, if I'm not mistaken. It would be pie for them if we rowed -ourselves out, and then they would simply spurt past us. They're older -hands at it than we are." - -"I guess you're right, Frank," admitted Jerry, who took the advice in -good part. - -He had not been acting as coxswain long enough to feel resentment that -his orders were not obeyed. He realized, also, that the lads at the oars -had all the work to do, and, as it was not a regular race, when the -coxswain had to be the general, it was no more than fair that the ones -who had to do the labor should have a voice in saying how it was to be -done. - -"Wait until we--get into a--good swing. Let us pull at--this stroke--for -a while," went on Frank, speaking rather jerkily, and whispering every -time his head came close to Jerry, in leaning forward to make his -stroke. "Watch 'em, and when--you think we can spurt--then give--the -word." - -"All right," assented the coxswain. He looked over at the Fairview -shell, and noted that Roger Barns, the coxswain, was closely regarding -the Randall eight. - -"They're sizing us up," thought Jerry. "Well, we may not be such a -muchness now, but by Hector! When we start in regular training this -Fall, if we don't make 'em sit up and notice which side their tea -is buttered on I'm a Dutchman, and that's no wallflower at a dance, -either!" and Jerry shut his lips firmly and felt delicately of the -tiller lines, shifting the rudder slightly to learn that the shell was -in good control. She responded to the lightest touch, being indeed a -well-built craft and as light as a feather, though with sufficient -stiffness--that quality always hard to get in a frail shell. - -The two racing machines were now moving swiftly along, being about on -even terms. Now and then, seemingly in response to a signal from their -coxswain, the Fairview lads would hang back a bit, allowing the Randall -shell to creep up. Evidently it was a little trick, played with the -hope that Randall would spurt, and give her rivals an opportunity to -sweep ahead of them in splendid style, thus winning the impromptu race. -If such was the intention Randall did not bite at the bait, for Frank, -in a few whispered words to Jerry, advised him not to signal for a -quicker stroke. - -"Say, is this a race or a crocheting party?" grumbled big Dutch -Housenlager. "Vat you t'ink, Kindlings." - -"I'm thinking that--I'm--getting winded," panted Dan Woodhouse. - -"Silence up there!" exclaimed Jerry, sharply. "It isn't a talking match, -whatever else it is! You'll get all the race you want pretty soon. We're -coming to a good stretch and I think they'll hit it up there. Be ready -for the word, fellows." - -"Say, boys, he talks; but he won't let us!" complained Bricktop, winking -at Jerry. - -"That means you!" insisted the coxswain. He glanced ahead. The launch -with the coach had speeded off and was some distance up the river now, -evidently waiting for the finish of the little brush. - -The talk in the Randall eight had been carried on in low tones, for -sounds carry wonderfully clear over water, and the lads, realizing -this, did not want their rivals to hear them. - -Jerry stole another glance at the Fairview eight, and, unconsciously, -probably, nearly every Randall man did likewise. The result was some -uneven and ragged rowing, and a bit of splashing. - -"Eyes in the boat!" came the sharp command from the little coxswain. - -"Oh, you tyrant!" breathed Bricktop Molloy, but his smile took the sting -from the words. - -An instant later Jerry detected a movement in the rival shell. - -"The spurt is coming!" he reasoned. "We must be ready for it!" - -He hesitated but an instant, and then, as he noted Roger Barns -straighten up slightly in his coxswain seat, and take a fresh grip on -the tiller ropes, Jerry called: - -"Ready boys! Hit her up. Thirty to the minute!" - -At once the Randall shell shot forward almost as though raised from the -water, for the oars caught evenly and every man fairly lifted himself -from his seat, to urge the craft ahead. - -"Come on, now!" cried Jerry. "Keep it up!" - -He swayed his body to indicate the time of the stroke, and he was -pleased to note that all the lads in the shell were rowing in unison. -The blades of the oars dipped well--not too deeply--and the feathering, -while it might have been better, was fair for a raw crew. Jerry stole -one look over to the Fairview eight, and noted that he had not been -mistaken. They, too, had spurted at the same time. Randall had not been -caught napping. - -For several minutes this kept up, and Fairview could not seem to shake -off her rival, and shoot ahead. Then a command could be heard given in -that shell. What it was Jerry could not catch, but he saw the time of -the Fairview rowers quicken. - -"Can you stand another stroke or two, boys?" he asked in a low voice. - -Frank nodded without speaking. Indeed his breath, as well as the breath -of his companions, was all needed for the work. - -"A little livelier," ordered Jerry, and he added two more strokes to the -minute. - -Of course the effect was not so great as before, but it told, and -Fairview, which had begun creeping ahead, was held in check by Randall. - -Another minute passed, and then the superior training and practice of -Fairview told. Slowly she forged ahead, and nothing the Randall lads -could do could prevent it. They were at their limit now, or at least -the limit to which Jerry dared push them. With straining eyes he shot a -quick glance across, and noted with despair that Fairview was a good -quarter of a length ahead. Another minute and she was a half. - -"One more stroke!" pleaded the coxswain, and Frank nodded desperately. -Slowly Randall began creeping up again, but it could not last. - -And then came a narrow turn in the river, a rather dangerous place with -cross currents. - -"Easy all!" called Roger Barns, and his crew ceased rowing. It was a -signal that the impromptu race was over. - -"Easy all!" commanded Jerry, with a sigh that they had not won. But at -that Fairview was only a scant quarter of a length in advance. Randall -had been beaten, but not by much. - -"Congratulations!" called Roger to his rival steersman. "You're coming -on, Randall." - -"Oh, we'll beat you in the Fall," retorted Jerry, cheerfully. - -"We'd have walked away from you if it hadn't been the tail end of the -season," declared Hadfield Spencer, the Fairview stroke. "We're not in -training." - -"Oh, don't crawl," said the coxswain. "They rowed a good race." - -And this was praise indeed, from no mean rival, and from the coxswain of -a crew that had given Boxer Hall, the river champions, a hard race. - -"Well done, boys! Well done!" exclaimed Coach Lighton, as he came -puffing up in his launch. "You did better than I expected you would. -Fairview, we'll be ready for you in the Fall." - -"We'll take you on all right," replied Roger Barns, with a genial laugh. - -"And you steered exceedingly well, Jackson," went on the coach, as the -Fairview shell pulled off. "I was afraid you would spurt too soon, but -you held yourself well in." - -"I was watching the other fellows," said Jerry. - -"That's the way to do," was the comment. "Now take it easy to the float." - -There was talk all through Randall that night of the performance of the -eight. - -"I think we have just the right crew now," confided the coach to Dr. -Churchill, when he went to dine with the venerable head of Randall. - -"Ah, I am exceedingly glad to hear that. It will be a source of -gratification to the alumni who have so generously provided for the -racing material. And you say our boys nearly won from Fairview? How many -innings did the game go? What was the score, and did Parsons pitch?" - -"Ah--er--my dear Doctor,--er--we were talking about the crew," said the -coach, delicately. - -"Oh, yes, so we were," admitted the good doctor, in some confusion. -"I was thinking of football, was I not? And so we have a good crew. -Hum! Very well. I am so occupied with my translations of those Assyrian -tablets that I fear my mind wanders at times." - -At times! Ah, Dr. Churchill, more often than "at times" did your mind -wander! But what of that? It was keen enough on all occasions, though -running in various channels, as many an old graduate will testify. - -The practice at Randall went on. There were sore hearts, but it could -not be helped when the lads who thought they should be picked for the -tentative crews, or for the singles, were passed by. For Mr. Lighton was -impartial, and insisted on only the best no matter at what cost. - -Perhaps sorest of all was Boswell, he who had been displaced from what -had come to be regarded as the varsity eight, though, as the coach -pointed out, there might be changes in the Fall. Boswell was ordered -into what was termed the "second" eight, but refused to go. - -"I may not row at all," he said loftily to his crony, Pierce. "Or I may -go in the singles." - -"I would," suggested the latter. "My word! A man's his own boss in a -single." - -"I'll think of it," replied Boswell. - -Examinations came, with all their grilling and nerve-racking tendencies, -and were more or less successfully gotten through with by our friends -and their chums. Then came the long vacation. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -OFF FOR CAMP - - -"See you soon again, old man!" - -"Yes, we'll get together in a couple of weeks. I've got to spend some -time with the folks." - -"I'll write when I have the camp site all arranged for." - -"And don't forget to plan for plenty of grub!" - -"I want a soft cot, anyhow." - -"Say, what about the girls? I suppose there's no doubt about their -going to Crest Island?" and Sid Henderson, who asked this question, -interpolating it among half a dozen others, as well as amid numerous -interjections, looked anxiously at Tom, as the four chums were saying -good-bye preparatory to dispersing for the vacation. - -"Of course they'll go," declared Tom. "I had a letter from Ruth -to-day----" - -"You did?" cried Phil. "I'll have to have a little seance with Sis. She -writes to you oftener than she does to me, of late. Tom, you rascal, -take care!" and he shook a warning finger at his chum. - -"And hark to Siddie, would you!" mocked Frank. "Sid's so anxious about -the girls that he won't play if they don't come; will you Siddie?" - -"I'll play my fist on your nose, you old allosaurus!" cried Sid, as he -made an unsuccessful reach for his tormentor. - -Books had been put away in the study of our heroes. The armchairs had -been covered with dust-cloths, as had the creaking old sofa; the alarm -clock had been wrapped in cotton, and put on the shelf. Its tick would -not be heard until September. It would have a vacation, too. - -Randall College began to take on a deserted air, but there was still -some activity around the boathouse. The shells were to be kept ready for -use--the eights, the fours and the singles. For Mr. Lighton had urged -all, who could, to come, if only for an occasional spin on the river to -keep in condition. - -As we know, our friends had arranged to camp on Crest Island, and from -there, as they had a boat, they could take a run down to Randall, and -get in a four for practice. If they could get four others, and someone -to act as coxswain, they would also row in the eight, they told the -coach. - -"An excellent plan," he declared. "It will give us a good crew for the -eight in the Fall, I'm sure." - -"The only drawback about Crest Island," said Phil, "is that Bossy is -going there. He'll be an unmitigated nuisance, if I'm any judge of human -nature." - -"Especially if he does as he says he will, and takes to practicing in a -single," added Tom. - -"But the island is big enough," added Sid. - -"Even if the cottage his folks have taken is near the Tylers'," put in -Frank, with a grin. - -"Is it?" asked Sid, eagerly. - -"It sure is." - -"Then he'd better look out!" declared Sid. - -"What's the matter? Afraid he'll take your girl?" asked Tom, with a -laugh. But Sid did not reply. - -Nothing more had been discovered about the missing jewelry, nor had Tom -and his chums been able to follow the clues which they had stumbled -upon. The torn handkerchief, the empty jewelry box, the shreds of silk, -had been put away, together with Boswell's card. Mendez, the Mexican, -had been seen around Haddonfield several times since Tom and Ruth had -met him on the island, and he seemed to be selling his wares, there -being little need of his remaining on the island as caretaker all day. -Whenever he met Tom, he was very polite, but our hero cared no more for -the swarthy man than he had at first. - -"He's altogether too nice," decided our hero, though he realized this -was nothing against the man. Certainly there seemed to be nothing to -point suspicion to him, any more than to Boswell, and the four chums did -not dare make an untoward move. It was too risky, Frank said. - -As for the Boxer Hall lads, though some might have held a faint thought -that their Randall rivals were responsible for the loss of the cup -trophies, no one said so in that many words. Still many Randallites felt -that a grim suspicion hung over the college, caused by the unfortunate -fact that Tom and his chums had been first on the ground when the -articles were discovered to be gone from the wrecked boat. - -"Hang it all!" exclaimed Tom, as he and his chums were about to separate -for the vacation, to meet soon again, "I wish we could get on the trail -of that stuff, and the man who took it!" - -"So do I!" added Frank. "Well, maybe something will turn up this Summer." - -As for Ruth, she had successfully kept her secret with Tom. If her girl -friends noticed the absence of her old brooch they said nothing. - -Mr. Farson, the jeweler, fretted much over his loss, but it did no good. -He even increased the reward, to no more purpose. It all remained a -mystery. He did not even know as much as the boys did about the affair, -and, for their own reasons, the students kept silent. - -Our four heroes dispersed to their homes, to meet warm welcomes there. -Then came preparations for going camping on Crest Island. The Tyler -cottage was opened by some of the servants and put in shape for Summer -occupancy. Madge wrote to Ruth, Mabel and Helen, bidding them get ready -to come when she sent word. - -Tom spent a week or two at the shore, "recuperating," as he put it, from -the hard study incidental to the examinations. - -"I guess, more than likely, it's to rest from the hard work of pulling -in that shell," said his father, grimly. - -Frank Simpson went on a short trip to his beloved California, and Phil -and Sid put in two weeks at various Summer resorts. - -Finally the time came to go to camp. Tom, who was in charge of most of -the arrangements, sent out letters to his chums bidding them assemble at -his home, as he was nearest to Randall College. - -And, one fine morning, with their baggage gathered, and with their -camping paraphernalia sent on ahead, they departed. - -"Off for Crest Island, and the mystery!" exclaimed Tom. - -"Not so loud!" cautioned Frank. - -"Say, rather," interpolated Sid, "off for Crest Island and--the girls!" - -"Hark to the lady-killer!" mocked Phil. "Talk about your Beau Brummels!" - -"Punch him for me, Tom," besought the badgered one. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE OLD GRADUATE - - -"Say, did you think to bring any spoons, Tom?" - -"What about the condensed milk?" - -"And say, Tom, this isn't a good brand of coffee!" - -"What made you get all canned corn? Why didn't you include some beans, -Tom?" - -"Say, if I've got to eat coffee with my fingers I'm going to quit right -now!" - -"Look here, Tom! Didn't I say I wanted a soft cot? You've given me one -as hard as a board. I won't stand for it!" - -You can easily imagine the scene. The boys had arrived in camp, and were -just unpacking. The tents--sleeping and dining--had been erected after -much labor, and with the aid of Senor Mendez, who courteously offered -his services. - -"And for the love of the seven wonders of the world, Tom, what made you -buy this brand of canned chicken?" demanded Sid, who was opening a case. - -Tom Parsons put down the blanket he was taking out of a trunk. He strode -to the middle of the tent, put his hands on his hips, surveyed his three -chums, and began: - -"Say, look here, you fellows! I've done most of the work around this -outfit. I saw to it that the baggage didn't go astray when you chaps -were trying to flirt with those pretty girls in the train! I ordered all -the eats, and most of the other stuff. I got Mendez to give us a hand, -though none of you wanted me to. I've looked after everything from A to -Z and you fellows have been loafing. And now you jump on me because I -didn't get mock-turtle soup instead of mulligatawny. You don't like the -kind of coffee, and I suppose you'll faint if you don't have condensed -milk. - -"Say, don't you want finger bowls? Will you have paper napkins, or -just the plain fringed style? Do you want your shaving water hot every -morning, and what time shall I have the 'bawth' ready? Are your nails -manicured? If not, I guess I can find time to do that. Would you like -silk pajamas, or will linen do? And if there's anything more that you -confounded dudes want in this camp--just get it yourselves--I'm done! -DONE! Do you hear? I'm through!" and, fairly shouting the words Tom -stalked out of the tent and went and sat down on a log near the edge of -Lake Tonoka. - -The other three stared at each other in amazement. The rebellion of -their chum had come like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. - -"Er--what did--what did we do?" faltered Sid. - -"Did you ever hear the like?" came from Phil. - -"He's mad all right--clear through," spoke Frank. "I guess we have been -rather piling it on." - -"It's the first time I ever knew Tom to act like this," said Phil, -soberly. - -"He has done a lot of work," put in Sid. - -"And we have been finding a deal of fault," added Frank. - -"How can we square him?" asked Phil. - -"You go out and talk to him, Frank," proposed Sid. - -"No, I've got a better scheme than that," came from the Big Californian. -"Let's finish slicking up in here ourselves, go on and get grub -ourselves, and then invite him in. He'll see we didn't mean all we said, -then." - -"Good idea," declared Phil. - -"We'll do it," agreed Sid. - -Thereupon, paying no more attention to the justly sulking lad by the -water's edge, the three chums shortly had the sleeping tent in some kind -of shape. An oil stove had been brought, and on this some coffee was -soon steaming away, while the appetizing odor of ham and eggs wafted -itself over the camp. - -Through it all Tom never turned his head, nor did his companions speak -to him. He must have heard what was going on, but he never acknowledged -it. With merry whistles his chums drove away the suggestion of gloom. - -"Grub's ready!" came the announcement of Frank, as he walked over toward -Tom. "Wilt your most gracious majesty deign to partake of our humble -fare?" and he dropped on one knee, and offered to Tom, on a plate, a -slice of bread. - -For a moment the tall pitcher held out against the envoy, and then a -faint smile broke over his face. - -"If you fellows are done finding fault," he said, "I'll come in and -help. But I don't like to do all the work, and then have it rubbed in -the way you chaps did." - -"That's right, we did lay it on a bit thick," admitted Frank, contritely. - -"And I got a bit hot under the collar," spoke Tom, confessing in his -turn. - -"Come on and eat," urged Frank. "The stuff is getting cold. It isn't -such bad coffee after all." - -"I paid enough for it," retorted Tom. - -And thus the little cloud was blown away. Soon all were eating merrily. -The meal being finished, they began to get the cots in shape, for it -was drawing on to afternoon. - -The boys had two large tents, one for eating, and the other for sleeping -in, and lounging during the day. A smaller one served as kitchen and -storeroom. - -By evening they were in good shape, and accepted an invitation to take -supper at one of the cottages, the owner of which with his wife and -daughters, had learned that the boys were friends of the Tylers, who had -not yet arrived. - -"Well, now for a good snooze!" exclaimed Tom, as they got back to their -tent that night, having spent a pleasant evening with the Prudens. - -"Did you bring any mosquito netting?" asked Phil. "If you didn't I----" - -"Silence!" warned Frank. "A certain amount of mosquito bites will do us -good--put ginger into us for the rowing game." - -"All right--all right!" cried Phil, quickly. "I didn't mean that," and -he looked quickly at Tom, fearing a return of the morning outbreak. - -"When are the girls coming?" asked Sid, as he began to get ready to turn -in. - -"What do you care?" asked Tom, quickly. "Didn't I see you trying to hold -the hand of that youngest Miss Pruden under the table?" - -"Oh, fie!" cried Frank. - -"I was not!" cried Sid, indignantly. "She had lent me her ring, and it -was so small I couldn't easily get it off again. She was trying to help -me." - -"Say, when you tell 'em, tell 'em good and big!" laughed Tom. "'When are -the girls coming?' Say, you're a nice one, you are, and----" - -Tom ducked in time to avoid the shoe Sid threw at him. - -"Easy, fellows," cautioned Phil. "There are other people on the island -besides us, and they may want to go to sleep." - -"Then make him dry up!" demanded Sid. - -"I'll be good," promised Tom. "But when you hold hands don't be afraid -to admit it. I----" - -The other shoe came in his direction with such poor aim that the candle -was knocked over, the lanterns not yet being in service. - -"Cheese it!" warned Frank. "You'll have the place on fire. Light a -match, somebody." - -All began groping about in the dark tent. - -"Oh, for the love of tripe!" suddenly exclaimed Tom. - -"What's the matter?" asked Phil. - -"I stuck my foot in the water bowl!" exclaimed the lad. "It was on the -floor. I'm as wet as a duck." - -"Serves you right!" declared Sid vindictively. - -"'Be good, sweet lad, and let who will be clever,'" misquoted Phil with -a chuckle. - -But finally order was restored, and our friends fell into a deep sleep. - -"Well, what's doing to-day?" asked Sid, after breakfast. - -"I vote we take a trip down to college, and see if any of the fellows -are there rowing," proposed Frank. "If we can't scare up enough to make -the eight, we can take out one of the fours." - -"Second the motion," came from Tom, and the others agreed, too. - -They rowed down leisurely, being a bit stiff, not only from their -unusual exertions in making camp, but also because they were out of -practice. But finally Randall was reached, and, to their disappointment, -they found only one or two lads there, practicing in the singles. They -all declined to take a try in the eight, as they were going in for the -sculling races. Anyhow, there would not have been enough for an eight -with a coxswain. - -"We'll have to take a four," said Tom, with a sigh. "Frank, you'll have -to steer, as you can do it better than any of us." - -A four-oared shell, as I explained, and as doubtless most of you know, -is steered by a mechanical arrangement, worked by the feet of one of the -rowers. - -Soon the four chums were pulling down the river, gaining in skill each -moment, as the memory of what Coach Lighton had said recurred to them. - -They rowed a good distance, and then drew up at a private float and -got out to stretch their legs. As they were about to put off again, an -elderly man, with a pleasant face, approached and asked: - -"From Boxer Hall?" - -"From Randall," replied Tom. - -"Ah, yes, I noticed you rowing in. I think you might improve your stroke -a little if you would feather differently. You don't turn your hands -quite at the proper time." - -"You must be an old oarsman?" said Tom. - -"Well, I've been in the game. I used to row at Cornell years ago. -Pierson is my name." - -"Are you _that_ Pierson?" cried Frank, remembering the name as that of -one of the best scullers Cornell ever turned out. - -"I'm afraid I am," was the smiling answer. - -"Say," burst out Sid. "Would you mind watching us a bit, and telling us -our mistakes? We're new at it, as you probably noticed," he went on, -"and Randall is just getting into the water sports. We want to beat -Boxer Hall. Can you give us a few points?" - -"Where are you staying?" asked Mr. Pierson. - -"On Crest Island--we're camping there." - -"So! Well, as it happens, I have friends there, and I have been invited -to spend part of the Summer there. If I come I shall be glad to tell you -what I know of rowing, and coach you a bit. It is the best sport in the -world!" and Mr. Pierson's eyes sparkled as though he would like to get -in the shell himself. - -"That will be fine!" exclaimed Tom. "We shall look for you." - -They talked a little longer, the old oarsman giving them some good -advice about training. Then he bade them good-bye, and walked off up the -hill leading from the river. - -The boys got in the shell again, intending to row to Randall, and then -back to their camp. - -As they neared the college float, and noted the activity of the men -building the new boathouse, Sid exclaimed: - -"Look who's here!" - -"Who?" asked Tom. - -"Bossy, by all that's tragic! He's just taking out a single shell. I -wonder if he's going to the island?" - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE GIRLS - - -Rowing on up to the float, the four chums took their shell out of the -water just as Boswell got his in. He looked over at them, and nodded in -what he evidently meant to be a friendly fashion, but which he succeeded -in making only patronizing. - -"Out for a row?" he asked, needlessly. - -"Just a bit of practice," answered Sid. - -"And you're going in for the same thing, I see," added Phil. - -"Yes, I've gone a bit stale since I was here last. I just came back -to-day, and I thought I'd take a little row before I went up to our -cottage on the island." - -"He's going there all right, then," murmured Tom. - -"Are you fellows in camp yet?" asked Boswell. - -"Yes," replied Frank. "We haven't got settled yet, we'll soon be in -shape." Then, with an effort, he went on: "Drop in and see us--when you -get a chance." - -Phil administered an unseen but none the less swift kick to his chum. - -"What'd you want to go and do that for?" he asked, in a whisper. It was -safe since Boswell was busy rattling the oars in his shell and could not -hear distinctly. - -"I couldn't do any less," retorted Frank. "It would look pretty raw not -to ask him." - -"I hope he doesn't accept," murmured Sid, and, the next moment the rich -lad replied: - -"Thanks, but I don't expect to get much time for calling. I'm going -to be pretty busy with my sculling, and I expect a friend or two up. -Besides, I never did like a tent. It always seems so musty to me. I much -prefer a cottage." - -"Thank the kind Fates for that!" murmured Tom. - -Boswell got in the shell, and rowed off, rather awkwardly, the four -thought, but then they had yet to see themselves row, though, truth to -tell, they were becoming more expert every day. - -"I'm going to have a professional oarsman coach me," Boswell threw to -them over his shoulder as he sculled off. "I expect to be in good trim, -soon. As long as you fellows didn't want me in the eight, I'm going to -win in the singles, just to show you what I can do." - -"We never said we didn't want you in the eight!" declared Frank. "In -fact I thought you did as well at bow as anyone. It was the coach's -doings." - -"All right," replied Boswell. "It doesn't matter. I rather think I -prefer this, on the whole. And I'm going to win, too!" he boasted. - -"Good! We hope you do!" exclaimed Tom. Then, to his chums he added: -"Come on, let's get back to the island and enjoy it before he starts his -monkey business there. I wonder when his cottage opens?" - -"I saw a woman and a man working around there to-day, just before we -left," volunteered Sid. - -"Then Bossy's folks must be coming soon--more's the pity--I mean as far -as he is concerned," put in Phil. "His folks may be decent enough, but -he's the limit." - -"I suppose he and that English pal of his--Pierce--will be drinking tea -every afternoon at five o'clock," said Tom. "They'll have their cakes -and Young Hyson out on the lawn, and--Oh, 'slush, isn't it fierce! A -bally rotter, dontcherknow!'" - -"The Knockers Club will please come to order!" exclaimed Frank, in mock -seriousness. - -"Say, I guess we have been piling it on pretty thick," admitted Tom, -with a grin. "Let's get in our old tub, and pull back. It's my turn to -rest this trip." - -Laughing and joking, with occasional references to the proper way to -handle an oar, and some talk of the offer of Mr. Pierson to coach them, -the lads rowed back to their camp. They spent the next two days in -getting the place in better shape. - -"For exhibition purposes," Sid explained. "The girls might come to lunch -some day." - -"Say, he's got girls on the brain!" complained Phil. "Duck him, Tom, you -aren't doing anything." - -But Sid discretely got out of the way. - -A day later the Boswell family arrived at the island. There were several -servants--almost too many for the simple cottage--and Mr. and Mrs. -Boswell, in addition to their son. It was hard to see from whom the lad -inherited his unpleasant mannerisms, for both his parents were of the -old-fashioned school of gentlemen and ladies, with exceedingly kind -hearts. Boswell had evidently been spoiled, unless he did the spoiling -process himself, which was more than likely. - -When Mr. Boswell learned that some of his son's college mates were on -the island, he paid a formal call on them, and invited them to the -cottage. They promised to come--some time. - -"When Bossy isn't home, I hope," murmured Sid. - -Pierce, Boswell's English chum, arrived that same week, and after -that our friends saw little of the rich lad. He and his friend were -generally off together in a boat rowing or fishing. - -Then another personage made his appearance, an athletic-looking man, -whom Boswell introduced as his "trainer." Then began the instruction in -sculling. Tom and the others heard and saw some of it. - -"He's teaching him a totally different stroke than we row," said Sid. "I -wonder if it can be right?" - -"I'll stick to Lighton's method," declared Frank. - -"Yes, for it's the same as that used by Mr. Pierson," added Tom. "It's -good enough for us." - -The Cornell oarsman had paid a visit or two to the lads in their camp, -coming from where he was stopping on the mainland, as his friend, whom -he expected to visit on the island, had not yet opened his cottage. - -Mr. Pierson gave the boys some good advice, and getting into the shell -several times, practiced what he preached. He had not forgotten his -early skill, and his illustrations were valuable. - -"He can pull a good stroke yet," declared Frank, one day, following some -spirited instruction and practice. Mr. Pierson had left, promising to -devote more time to the boys later on. - -"He sure must have been a wonder in his day," declared Tom. - -It was one morning just after the lads had finished breakfast, and were -getting their camp in shape for the day, preparatory to going for a row, -that Tom made a momentous discovery. - -He had been to the spring for a pail of water, and, on his return -he noticed on the porch of the Tyler cottage a number of trunks and -suitcases. Then a flutter of dresses caught his eye, and he heard a -chorus of musical laughter. - -"The girls have come!" cried Tom, and he raced for his own camp, as he -had on a pair of old trousers and a disreputable sweater, and wanted to -get in more presentable shape for making them welcome. - -"The girls have come!" he cried, springing into the midst of his chums -with such force that he spilled half the water. "The girls have come!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -AT PRACTICE - - -"Did you see 'em?" - -"Are they all there?" - -"What about Helen Newton?" - -"Say, where's my brown suit?" - -"Has anyone seen my purple tie?" - -"Give me those shoes, Sid! Who said you could take 'em, anyhow--my best -ones?" and Phil fairly upset his chum in order to rescue the footgear -that had been taken without his permission. - -I presume the reader can understand the meaning of the expressions -which open this chapter. They had to do directly with Tom's startling -announcement, and who said which or what does not matter. Sufficient -to state that Sid, Phil and Frank thus overwhelmed Tom with the above -questions. - -"I didn't see any of 'em," went on Tom, when he could get his breath. -"But I heard her laugh----" - -"Heard who laugh?" demanded Phil. - -"Your sister." - -"I thought you said they _all_ came!" reproached Sid. - -"So I did, and so they have. Do you think one girl would have four -trunks and four suitcases?" asked Tom, in indignant justification. - -"They might--I have known of such," said Frank. "But are you sure -they're all here?" - -"Of course. Didn't I hear 'em all laugh? Anyhow, Madge must be here, or -Ruth wouldn't be at the cottage. And if two of 'em are there the other -two are, too." - -"That's no reason at all," said Phil, firmly. "This will have to be -investigated. Where's my clean shirt? I'm going to see my sister!" and -he strode into the tent. - -"It's the first time Phil was ever so thoughtful of his sister, -fellows. I guess we'd better all get togged up a bit," said Frank, and -the activities, that had begun when Tom came in with the news (which -activities had ceased momentarily while the glad tidings were being -confirmed), were again resumed. - -"Glad rags," as the lads slangily designated their habiliments, other -than the ones in which they worked about the camp, were soon being -donned, and a little later the boys were on their way to the Tyler -cottage. - -"I wonder how long they're going to stay?" said Sid. - -"As long as we do, I hope," said Tom. "There they are!" - -"All four of 'em, sure enough," added Phil. - -"You were a good guesser, Tom, old man." - -"Oh, leave it to your Uncle Dudley!" declared Tom, puffing out his -chest. "Little Willie knows what he's about." - -"Hello, boys!" called Madge Tyler, as she caught sight of the advancing -four. - -"Welcome to our city," added Ruth, as she threw a kiss to--her brother. -At least Tom said so, when they accused him later of intercepting it, -and Tom ought to know. - -"Glad you're here." - -"Isn't this place lovely?" - -"Where is your boat?" - -"Have you a motor?" - -"Are you going to invite us to lunch in the tent?" - -These questions and comments were bandied back and forth among the boys -and girls, no one caring very much who said what, so glad were they to -see each other, and exchange greetings and experiences. - -"We girls just came up this morning," explained Madge. "We didn't wait -for mother, and father has some tiresome business to look after so he -couldn't come. But I just said that Jeanette, our maid, was chaperone -enough, and so we came. I guess the man on the boat thought we had -baggage enough." - -"But he was nice about it," added Ruth. - -"Yes, after I gave him a quarter," explained Helen. - -"Oh, you dear! Did you really tip him?" asked Madge. - -"Certainly--he--er--well, he seemed to expect it," and the boys laughed -at her naive explanation. - -"Won't you come in?" invited Madge. "It isn't much of a cottage, and we -can't even offer you a cup of tea, for we're all out, and I had to send -Jeanette for some." - -"Don't worry about that," remarked Phil. - -"We've got all the food we can eat over at the tent," went on Tom. - -All entered the charming little cottage, and the boys told of their -experiences since coming to camp, while the girls detailed the -happenings of their journey that morning. - -A small steamer, making regular trips about the lake, had left them and -their baggage at the island, which was beginning to be quite a Summer -resort. A new store had recently been built on the place, and provided a -variety of articles, including foodstuffs for the cottagers. - -"There's a boat or two with this cottage," explained Madge. "We'll have -to get them in the water to soak up, I suppose, and then we girls will -give you boys some lessons in rowing; won't we, girls?" - -"We might try," said Ruth, drily. - -"Your boats are in the water, I think," said Sid. "I saw that Mexican -'take-care' man, as he calls himself, at them the other day, caulking up -some cracks." - -"That's good," retorted Madge. "I know father wrote on to have this -done, but I've been so busy, getting ready to come here, that I forgot -to ask if it had been attended to. I wish we had a motor-launch, but -father is so old-fashioned, if I must say it, that he won't hear of it." - -"Haven't you boys a launch?" asked Helen. - -"No," replied Tom, "but perhaps we can hire one," and he looked at Ruth, -who had been trying to signal him when the Mexican's name was mentioned. - -"That's a good idea," declared Phil. "We'll see about it this afternoon." - -Then Jeanette, the maid, having come from the store with the tea, the -boys took their leave, to allow the girls time to change into more -comfortable and camp-like garments, and also to enjoy their beverage. - -"We'll see you after lunch," called Phil. - -"We'd ask you to stay," spoke Madge, "but really we haven't quite found -ourselves yet. Later on----" - -"Come on over to our tent," invited Sid. - -"No, thank you," laughed the young hostess. "Some other time. We have -to unpack our dresses, or they'll get wrinkled." - -The boys thought lunch time would never pass, but it did, though they -made a hasty meal of it. Then they hurried back to the cottage, and -a little later four pairs of young persons were strolling in four -different directions over the beautiful island. - -"Oh, Tom!" exclaimed Ruth. "I've been just wild to get you alone for a -moment to ask if you've found out anything about my brooch?" - -"Not a thing, Ruth, I'm sorry to say. In fact the whole business is at a -standstill. We had some suspicions, but they didn't lead anywhere, and -we're up against a stone wall so far in the game." - -"Well, perhaps something may develop," she said with a sigh. "I hope so, -for I'm afraid every day some of my folks will discover that I'm not -wearing the brooch. When I went to bid grandmother good-bye I wore a -large bow tie, so she couldn't see the place where the pin ought to have -been, but wasn't. Isn't it dreadful to be so deceitful?" - -"Not at all," Tom hastened to assure her. "It isn't your fault, and, as -you say, something may develop." - -They strolled on, as did the others, and the afternoon seemed -wonderfully short. - -I note, in looking back over some pages I have written, that I headed -this chapter "At Practice," and really I meant to devote considerable -space to detailing the doings of Tom and his chums in the shell, under -the guidance of Mr. Pierson. But I find that the girls have taken up -such a large proportion of my available space that I have not much left -for rowing matters. And, in fact, the boys found themselves in the same -predicament. After all, I suppose, it is not an unforgivable crime. - -Tom and his chums kept promising themselves, from day to day, after the -arrival of the girls, that they would buckle down to hard work in the -shell, but each day saw them over at the cottage as early as decency and -good manners would allow, and the same thing kept them there as late as -possible. - -They hired a small gasoline launch, that was continually getting out of -order, and stopping out in the middle of the lake. They had to be towed -in so frequently that they became very well known. But it was all the -more fun. - -"There's something about this launch that you don't often find," -remarked Frank, one day when they had been drifting helplessly about. - -"And it's a good thing you don't," added Tom. - -"What I meant," said Frank, "was that it never gets monotonous. The same -thing never happens twice." - -"I should say not," declared Sid. "Everything on the old tub has -broken one time or another, from the old cups to the piston rings, -and everything from the spark coil to the batteries has given out! -Monotonous? I should say nixy!" - -Yet the boys did practice. Frank grew desperate when a week had gone by -without their getting into the shell, and he spoke to such advantage, -dwelling on the necessity of keeping in condition, that the others -agreed with him. So they left the girls to their own devices one -morning, and rowed down to college. - -They found quite a number of their chums there, and considerable -practice was going on. Mr. Lighton had paid one of his flying visits and -was giving the lads some instruction. - -Our friends told him of Mr. Pierson's offer, and the coach said: - -"You could not do better, boys, than to follow his advice. I wish we -could get him to come to Randall in the Fall." - -"Maybe he will," suggested Sid. "We'll ask him." - -Mr. Lighton said he had word from Bricktop Molloy, and one or two of -the others, that they were getting in some practice during the Summer -vacation. - -"I hope we have a good eight when college opens again," he concluded, as -Tom and his chums rowed off in the four-oared shell. - -Mr. Pierson was staying on the island now, and for the next few days -he was with the boys considerably, giving them valuable advice. They -kept at practice, setting aside certain hours for it, and manfully -withstanding the temptation of going off on little excursions with the -girls. - -So far as solving the mystery of the missing jewelry was concerned, no -progress was made, though the boys talked about it often. The faint -suspicions against the Mexican and Boswell were still maintained, but -that was all. - -As for Boswell, he and his English friend and his "trainer," as he -called the athlete, kept pretty much to themselves. Mendez was the same -over-polite Mexican as before. He opened his store, and did a good -business, our friends patronizing him to some extent--partly to get a -look inside his place. But, though their eyes were used to the best -advantage, they saw nothing that would aid them in their quest. - -"But I'll get Ruth's brooch back yet!" declared Tom, to himself. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -"SENOR BOSWELL" - - -"Shoulders back a little more! Heads up! Don't feather quite so high. -That's all right to do when there are little choppy waves, that would -cause splashing, but in calm water the lower you feather the less you -have to raise the spoon of the oar. Of course don't do any 'riffling.' -That holds back the boat. When I see you in an eight, with a coxswain, -so you don't have to think about steering, I can tell better how you -will do." - -This was Mr. Pierson giving some coaching advice to the four boys, who -were out in the shell. He was following them in the launch owned by his -friend, at whose cottage he was visiting. - -"I'm wondering if I'll have wind enough for a four-mile race, pulling -even thirty to the minute?" said Sid. - -"And we may have to hit it up to thirty-two or three," put in Tom. - -"Don't worry about those things now," advised the Cornell graduate. -"They will work themselves out when you get in training. Of course -you're not training now, and that makes a difference. My chief anxiety -at present is to get you in the way of taking the proper stroke, to -teach you how to sit, how to slide in the moving seats, how to bring -your whole weight where it will do the most good, and how to depend on -the toe stretchers. Your wind will take care of itself when you get down -to hard practice. If it doesn't--well, you can't row in an eight, that's -all." - -The old graduate glanced sharply at the lads, and, noting a look of -anxiety on their faces, he hastened to add: - -"But I'm sure it will come out all right. Don't think about it. Now -then, hit up the stroke a little." - -And so he accompanied them over the course, giving them advice almost -invaluable, which they could have obtained in no other way. The boys -appreciated it deeply. - -Camp and cottage life on Crest Island was endless delight to the -boys, even with the hard practice they put in occasionally. I say -"occasionally" advisedly, for they did not forget, nor did Mr. Lighton -or Mr. Pierson want them to forget, that they were on their vacations. -Truth to tell, the girls took much of the time of our heroes. And -this was as it should be. We can never be young but once, if I may be -pardoned that bit of philosophy in a story book--a bit that is not -original by any means. - -"Well, thank our lucky stars, we don't have to grind away in the boat -to-day!" exclaimed Sid one morning, as he got up ahead of the others, -for it was his turn to prepare breakfast. - -"That's right," called Tom, in a sleepy voice from his cot, as he turned -over luxuriously amid the scanty coverings, for the night had been warm. -"I vote we get the launch in running order, if that's possible, and take -the girls off for a picnic." - -"Second the motion," exclaimed Sid, "with the amendment that the girls -provide, and put up, the lunch." - -"We'll pay for it, if they put it up," said Frank. - -"That's better," remarked Phil. "I'll tip Sis off, and I guess they'll -do it." - -Behold then, a little later, the eight young persons, lively and gay, in -the wheezy and uncertain launch, voyaging over the lake toward a distant -dell of which they knew, on the mainland, where they proposed to picnic -for the day. - -They ate the lunch which the girls had put up in dainty fashion, sitting -on a broad, flat rock near the edge of the lake, with the wind rustling -in the trees overhead, and the birds flitting here and there. - -"Isn't it glorious here?" mused Sid. - -"Gorgeous!" declared Madge. "It's just a perfect day." - -"'O, perfect day!'" began Phil. - -"Cut out the poetry," interrupted Tom. "There's a little snake crawling -toward you, old man." - -"Oh!" screamed four shrill voices, and there was a hasty scramble, until -the snake was discovered to be only a tiny lizard, which the girls -declared to be "just as bad." - -Then came saunterings two-by-two off in woodland glades until it was -time to think regretfully of returning to the island, for the shadows -were lengthening. - -It was just as they were about to start off in the little gasoline -launch, which, strange to say, had been behaving wonderfully well that -day, that they saw Mendez, the Mexican, rowing toward them in a small -boat. He seemed in much of a hurry. - -"Senors and senoritas!" he hailed them. "Wait a moment, I pray of you." - -"Gracious--I hope nothing has happened at home!" exclaimed Madge Tyler, -for her mother was not at the cottage. - -"Perhaps it's a telegram for some of us," suggested Ruth. "Oh, dear, I -do hope I don't have to go home." - -They all regarded the approaching Mexican curiously. - -"Pardon," he began with a smile that showed all his white teeth, "but I -seek Senor Boswell. Is he with you?" - -"With us? No," answered Tom. "He doesn't train in with our crowd." - -"Most likely he's having tea on the lawn, and talking about 'beastly -rotters,'" suggested Sid. - -"Oh, Sid!" exclaimed Ruth. "He isn't such a bad sort." - -"Oh, do you know him?" asked Tom, quickly. - -"He called one evening," explained Madge, while just the faintest -suggestion of a blush suffused her pretty face. "He and Mr. Pierce." - -"They did!" exclaimed Phil, looking keenly at his sister. - -"Hush!" she exclaimed. "Silly boy. Don't make a scene!" - -"Senor Boswell--is he not here?" went on the Mexican, and there was -anxiety in his voice. "I was inform that he come off on a boat, and in -this direction. I see your launch moored here, and I am of the belief, -perhaps, that he may be here. Is it not?" and again he smiled. - -"No, he isn't here, and we haven't seen him," said Tom. - -"Pardon, senors and senoritas," said the Mexican, bowing as well as he -could in his small boat. "I shall look farther. I have the honor to bid -you good afternoon," and he rowed away, up the lake. - -"What do you suppose he wanted of Boswell in such a hurry?" asked Sid in -a low voice of Tom, as they were getting in the launch. - -"Give it up," was the answer, but Tom was doing some hard thinking just -about that time. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -JEALOUSY - - -"We've got to do some pulling to-morrow," remarked Frank, as they rowed -toward the island. "Mr. Pierson said he'd show us a new wrinkle or two." - -"And we want to begin to hit up the speed a bit," added Tom. - -"That's right," agreed Phil, who was fussing with the motor, that missed -every now and then. - -"But say!" exclaimed Sid. "I thought we were going to take the girls -down to watch some of the other fellows row opposite college to-morrow?" -and there was a rueful look on his face. - -"Well, I know we did speak of that," said Tom, "but----" - -"The implied invitation is declined with thanks," broke in Ruth. "We -girls simply have to do some house-cleaning to-morrow. The cottage is a -perfect sight, and it's sweet of Madge not to have found fault before." - -"Oh, it's nothing of the sort!" declared the young and pretty hostess. -"Don't decline on that account." - -"No, don't!" besought Sid. - -"But we really must stay home," declared Mabel. "I know we have upset -things terribly, and tossed our belongings about until I'm sure that -poor maid must be distracted picking things up. Besides, Mr. Tyler is -coming up to-morrow and I know your mother will want the place in some -sort of decent shape, Madge. We must stay and help." - -"Indeed, yes," echoed Helen Newton. - -"Too bad!" declared Phil. - -"Besides, it's all you boys' fault that it is so upset," went on Ruth. - -"How do you make that out?" demanded Tom. - -"Why you're always coming along, begging us to go out with you, and -you're always in such a hurry that we can't wait to pick up things. So -there!" - -"Any reason, even if it's a poor one," remarked Frank, drily. - -They glided along for some time, and then the motor suddenly stopped. - -"Now what's wrong?" asked Frank. - -"I knew something would happen if Phil didn't stop monkeying with it," -declared Tom. - -"Monkey yourself!" retorted the lad who had been acting as engineer. -"All I did was to screw the spark plug in a bit tighter, and shut the -pet-cock." - -"Then you probably cracked the porcelain on the spark plug, and there's -a short circuit," spoke Frank. "Here, let me take a look, and see what -the trouble is," and as Frank had been successful in times past, when -the others had failed, they made room for him at the motor. - -He looked it over a moment, and then, seeing that the switch was on, -gave the flywheel a couple of turns. There was only an apologetic wheeze. - -"He knows so much about motors," sarcastically murmured Tom to Ruth. - -"He knows enough to turn on the gasoline, at any rate, and not try to -run the motor with what's in the carburetor," snapped back Frank, as -he opened the cock in the pipe leading from the tank in the bow. "Who -started this motor, anyhow?" - -"I did," confessed Tom, the tables thus being turned against him. - -"Next time turn on the gas," repeated Frank. "It's one of the first -things to do in running a motor-boat, sonny. You may write the word -gasoline twenty-five times before you go to sleep to-night," and all -joined in the laugh against poor Tom. - -"Huh! I supposed it was always kept turned on," he said in defense. - -"The carburetor leaks a little, so I always shut the gas off at the -tank," explained Sid. "I guess I forgot to mention it." - -"And I can easily guess why," spoke Frank, with a significant glance at -the pretty girl beside whom his chum was sitting. - -"Well, it's another little wrinkle--one of a number--we've learned about -the boat," spoke Tom, when they were once more under way. - -"All good things have to come to and end, I suppose," remarked Sid, -when they had landed and were bidding the girls good-bye. "But we hope -there'll be more excursions." - -"You can always ask us--at least as long as we're here," said Mabel. -"Though I'm afraid we'll have to go next week. It's been perfectly -lovely of Madge to keep us this long----" - -"Indeed you're not going so soon!" declared the hostess. "Why, you -haven't been here any time at all yet, and when you do go I'll be so -lonesome----" - -"So will we!" chorused the lads. "Don't go," and the girls laughingly -promised to stay as long as possible. - -True to their determination, the lads went out in the four-oared shell -the next day, with Mr. Pierson in the launch to coach them. He put them -through some stiff practice, and increased the stroke to a number where -the boys were almost on the point of protesting. But they realized that -they needed it, though they were glad to stop when the word was given. - -"A few days of that will put you in the way of bettering your wind," -said the old college graduate, with a whimsical smile. I have spoken of -him as an "old" graduate, but, in point of fact he was not at all an -elderly man. I merely used "old" in a comparative sense. - -"I wonder what's the matter with Boswell?" ventured Sid, as they rowed -the shell back to the college float, and prepared to motor back in the -launch. "I haven't seen him out practicing to-day." - -"That's right," agreed Tom. "And say, did it strike any of you as queer -the way that Mexican was looking for him?" - -"Somewhat," admitted Frank. - -"There must be something between them," went on Tom. "I wonder if, after -all, it can have anything to do with the missing jewelry?" - -"What makes you think so?" asked Phil. - -"I don't know that I do, very definitely. But that Mendez was certainly -anxious to find Bossy, though for what reason I can't even guess. -Wouldn't it be queer if Bossy had found those cups and other things, and -gotten rid of 'em through the Mexican, after he found he had carried the -joke too far?" - -"I believe you," replied Frank. "But it's pretty far-fetched to my way -of thinking. I'd hate to believe that any Randall man would be guilty of -such a thing." - -"So would I," added Phil. - -"Oh, well, I only mentioned it as a supposition," said Tom, in -self-defense. "Anyhow, Bossy sure does practice hard in his single. I -guess that trainer of his knows his business." - -"Yes, he's a good trainer," admitted Frank. "I've heard of him, but it's -pretty near the limit for a fellow to have a private trainer. It's too -much like putting on lugs." - -"It is that," said Phil. "And I suppose, when we get back in the Fall, -about all we'll hear will be Bossy and his shell." - -"I wonder if he has a chance to win?" asked Tom. "They have some expert -scullers at Boxer Hall." - -"Well, they ought to have; look how long they've been at it," retorted -Frank. - -"I'll be rather glad to get back to college again," went on the tall -pitcher. "This loafing life is good, but I'm anxious to get in the -eight." - -"So am I," came from Sid, "but it's sport here," and he looked toward -the island they were approaching, probably thinking of the girls. So far -the four chums had not been able to get five others, one the coxswain, -with them so that they could row in the eight-oared shell. But the four -gave them sufficient practice, Mr. Pierson thought, since, after all, -it was a matter of the stroke, and could be acquired in one craft as -well as in another. - -Meanwhile, a little scene was taking place near the Tyler cottage, -that, had our friends beheld it--or, rather one of our friends in -particular--might have caused some trouble. - -The girls were kept busy with some light housework, helping Mrs. Tyler -and the maid, after the boys left. Then, having put their rooms in -order they attired themselves in fresh gowns and walked off toward the -water. Near the cottage Boswell occupied, the four young ladies met the -rich lad and his English chum. The two were out for a walk, and, as -the youths stopped to chat for a moment with Madge, whom they had met -formally, she could do no less than halt a moment with the other girls, -who had been introduced to the lads. - -"Come down and I'll take you out in my launch," invited Boswell. "I've -just got a new one, and it's quite fast." - -"Oh, come on!" cried Ruth, impulsively. "That one Phil and the boys have -is so slow, and something is always happening to it." - -"My word! I should say so!" laughed Pierce. - -"But we declined an invitation to go out with--our boys," said Mabel -Harrison, in a low voice. - -"Oh, well," spoke Ruth. "They had to go to practice anyhow, and we -won't be long. Come on." - -It was a delightful day, and the invitation was hard to resist. Behold -then, as a Frenchman would say, behold then, a little later, the four -pretty girls in Boswell's launch, with himself and Pierce making -themselves as agreeable as they knew how. And to give them their due, -they knew how to interest girls, and were deferential and polite in -their demeanor. - -"Your pin is coming unfastened," remarked Boswell to Ruth, as they were -speeding along, and he motioned to a bit of lace at her throat--lace -caught up with a simple gold bar clasp. - -"Oh, thank you," she answered, as she fastened it, and then she blushed, -and was angry at herself for doing it. - -"Where is that lovely old-fashioned brooch you used to wear?" asked -Madge, looking at her chum. - -"Oh--er--I wouldn't wear it out in a boat, anyhow," said Ruth, blushing -redder than before. "I--I might lose it. See, wasn't that a fish that -jumped over there!" and she pointed to the left, glad of a chance to -change the subject. - -"Yes, and a jolly big fellow, too!" declared Pierce. "Why can't we get -up a fishing party, and take you girls?" he asked. "My word, it would -be jolly sport! We could take our lunch, and have tea in the woods, a -regular outing, dontcherknow." - -"That's the ticket!" exclaimed Boswell. "Will you girls come?" and he -looked particularly at Ruth. - -"I don't know," she replied and then, in the spirit of mischief, she -added: "I'll ask my brother. Perhaps he'd like to come. He is a good -fisherman." - -"Oh--er--it wasn't so much about the fish that I was thinking," spoke -Pierce, a bit dismayed, and then he dropped the subject. - -"Are you fond of old-fashioned jewelry?" asked Boswell, in a low voice -to Ruth. "I mean old brooches and the like?" - -"Yes--why?" asked Ruth rather startled. - -"Oh, I only just wanted to know. I'm a bit that way myself. My mother -has a very old brooch that I gave her. I mean it was old when I came -across it and bought it. I'll borrow it some day and let you see it." - -Ruth murmured a polite rejoinder, scarcely knowing what she did say, -and then, as one of the lake steamers approached rather dangerously -close to the launch, there was a moment of excitement aboard both craft, -for Pierce, who should have been steering, had neglected it for the -agreeable task of being polite to Mabel Harrison. - -But nothing more than a scare resulted. When matters had quieted down, -the talk turned into another channel, and Ruth was glad to keep it there. - -The topic of the brooch, she thought, was a rather dangerous one for -her, since she wanted to keep from her friends, and especially from Tom -and her folks, the knowledge of the missing pin. She was hoping against -hope that it would be found. She wondered what Boswell meant by his -reference, but did not dare ask him. - -The ride was a pleasant one, though the girls--all of them--felt that -they had, perhaps, been just a bit mean toward their boy chums. Still, -as Madge had said, Tom and his friends did have practice. - -"We better go back now," said Ruth, after a bit. "It has been -delightful, though." - -"And the engine didn't break down once," added Helen. - -"Oh I don't get things that break," spoke Boswell, with an air of pride. -"But you don't want to go in so soon; do you?" - -"We must," insisted Madge, and, rather against their wishes, the boys -turned back. - -As Fate would have it, the new launch got to the Boswell dock just as -the craft containing Tom and his chums hove in sight. Their wheezy boat -puffed slowly along, and as it was steered in toward the dock they had -improvised near their tent, the boys saw Boswell and his chum helping -the girls out. Then Boswell walked alongside Ruth, seeming to be in -earnest conversation with her. - -"Say, would you look at that!" cried Sid. "The girls were out with those -chaps!" - -"And after refusing to come with us!" went on Frank. - -"I like their nerve!" declared Phil. - -Tom said nothing, but there came a queer look in his eyes. - -"Well, I suppose we're not the only fellows on the island," spoke Frank, -philosophically. "We couldn't expect them to stay in, waiting for us to -come back, on such a fine day as this." - -"But they said they were going to be busy," objected Sid. - -"Oh, well, I guess what they had to do could be dropped and picked up -again, when there was a launch ride in the offing," went on the Big -Californian. "We'll call around after supper and take 'em out. There's -going to be a glorious moon." - -"Fine!" cried Sid. But when evening came, and the others attired -themselves more or less gaily, ready for a call, Tom did not doff his -old garments. - -"What's the matter, sport; aren't you coming?" asked Sid. - -"Nope." - -"Why not? Ruth won't want to go unless you're there." - -"I don't care. I'm not going. I don't feel like it." - -"Oh, come on." - -"Nope." - -"What shall I tell her?" asked Sid, looking to see that Phil and Frank -had gone on ahead. - -"Nothing," and Tom began filling a lantern, this being one of his duties -that week. - -Sid stood regarding his chum for a moment, and then without a word, but -with a suggestive shrug of his shoulders, went out. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A STRANGE CONFERENCE - - -"You missed it, old man; we had a dandy time," remarked Frank, when he, -together with Sid and Phil, drifted into the sleeping tent some time -later. - -"That's right, Tom," added Sid. "The cake was good." - -"And the lemonade, too," added Phil. - -"Um!" sleepily grunted Tom. Or was he only simulating sleep? - -"And the girls were jolly," went on Frank. - -"And Ruth wanted to know why you hadn't come," proceeded Sid, keeping up -the chorus of description. - -"Oh, let me go to sleep," growled Tom. - -"Bossy and his chum blew in, but they didn't stay long," added Phil. "I -guess they didn't expect to find us there." - -"Was Boswell there?" demanded Tom, sitting up on his cot. - -"Sure," retorted Sid, at the same time giving Frank a nudge in the ribs -as much as to say: "There's where the shoe pinches." - -"I've got a headache," said Tom, only half truthfully. "I guess that row -in the hot sun was a little too much for me to-day." - -"Can we do anything for you?" asked Frank, trying to make his voice -sound anxious. - -"No, I'll sleep it off," and turning with his face toward the tent wall, -Tom proceeded to slumber--or pretend to. - -It was two days after this when Tom and Ruth met. He had studiously -avoided calling at the Tyler cottage, though the other boys went over -each evening. Tom gave some excuse, and each time Sid and the others -came in at night they would remark about the good time they had had. - -"You're missing it," declared Phil, winking at his chums. "Boswell is -filling in your place fine." - -"Was he there again?" snapped Tom. - -"Sure thing. He and Sis seem to get on well together, though I don't -care for the chap. Still he isn't such a bad sort as I thought at first." - -As a matter of fact Boswell had not called since that first evening, but -Phil guessed Tom's secret, and wickedly and feloniously egged it on. - -"What's the matter, Tom; why haven't you called?" asked Ruth with -perfect sincerity when she and the tall pitcher did meet, following -some busy days devoted for the most part by the boys to rowing practice. -"I wanted to ask you about something?" - -"I--er--I've been busy," he said, trying to make himself believe that. -Ruth didn't. "Besides," he blurted out, with a school-boy mannerism that -he hated himself for disclosing, "I thought Mr. Boswell could keep you -interested." - -"Tom Parsons!" and Ruth's eyes flashed dangerously. - -"He seems to be quite a steady caller," he stumbled on, growing more and -more confused and uncomfortable. He felt more childish than ever, and I -am not saying he was not. "I didn't know whether there'd be room for me -and----" - -"Tom, I don't think that's fair of you," and Ruth was plainly hurt. "Mr. -Boswell has only been over one evening, when the other boys were there, -and----" - -"Only once?" cried Tom. - -"That's all. The same evening of the day when we were out in his launch. -I couldn't help talking to him then, and if you think----" - -"I don't think anything!" broke in Tom. "I've been a chump. They said -he'd been over there every night. Oh, wait until I get hold of your -brother!" - -"Did Phil say that?" - -"He did." - -"Then I'll settle with him, too. But, Tom, I wanted to ask if you -thought there was any chance of finding my brooch?" - -"I don't know, Ruth. It begins to look rather hopeless." - -"That's what I thought, and, as long as I'm not going to get it back I -may as well admit that it is gone. I can't go on deceiving people this -way, even in so small a matter. I suppose it was careless of me to let -the clasp get broken in the first place. I put it on in a hurry one day, -and strained it. And in the second place, I suppose I ought to have -given it to a more reliable jeweler. - -"But that Mr. Farson called at the college one day soliciting repair -work to do. He said he had some from Boxer Hall, so I thought he was all -right, and let him take my pin. I'm sorry now." - -"Yes, it is too bad," assented Tom, "but it can't be helped. I don't -really believe, Ruth, that there's any use looking on this island for -the pin. I have been keeping my eyes open for it, but I'm beginning to -think that it's like hunting for the proverbial thimble in the straw -pile." - -"You mean needle in the haystack." - -"Well, it's the same thing. I never can get those proverbs straight. The -only hope is that we might, some day, discover who took the things, and -your brooch might be recovered. But it's a pretty slim chance, now that -all our clues seemed to have failed." - -"That's what I thought. So I guess I'll confess and brave grandmother's -wrath. But, oh! I know she'll never leave me her lovely pearls!" - -"Maybe someone else will," suggested Tom. "Will you come down to the -store and have some soda water? He's got in a fresh lot, I believe." - -"I will, Tom, for I'm thirsty enough to drink even the lemon-pop Mr. -Richards sells. Come on," and the two walked on, the little cloud that -had come between them having blown away. But Ruth said nothing about -Boswell's promise to show her his mother's old-fashioned brooch. Perhaps -she thought he had forgotten the matter, and, she reasoned, there was no -need of awakening Tom's jealousy. - -It was after Tom had parted from Ruth, with a promise to call that -evening with the other boys, that, walking along the island shore, -taking a short cut to the camp, he heard voices coming from the -direction of the water. He looked through the screen of bushes, and saw -Boswell and the Mexican caretaker, sitting in a boat not far from shore. -The college lad was handing Mendez something, and by the sun's rays Tom -caught the glitter of gold. At the same time a puff of wind brought -their voices plainly to him, the water aiding in carrying the tones. - -"Do you think you could get an old-fashioned pin like that?" Boswell was -asking. "You know something about jewelry; don't you?" - -"Of a surety, senor. But this would be hard to duplicate. It is very -old." - -"I know, but I want one like that, or as near it as possible. Can't you -get one the same place you got that?" - -"No, senor, that was the only one there was, and when I sell him to you -for your respected mother I regret that I can get no more of him." - -"Where did you get that?" asked Boswell, as he took back from the -Mexican what Tom could now see was some sort of breastpin. - -"Why do you ask, senor?" retorted the man, quickly. - -"Oh, nothing special. Why, you act as though you thought that I was -going to accuse you of stealing it." - -"Never, senor!" exclaimed the man quickly. "I get this from a friend, -and I sell it to you for very little more than I paid." - -"Oh, it was cheap enough," went on the lad. "I'm not kicking. Only I'd -like to get another. I knew mother would like this, and she did. She -loves old-fashioned things." - -"And you want another for one who also loves of the time that is -past--is that it, senor?" - -"You've guessed it, Mendez. But keep mum about it. I want to surprise -her." - -Then the wind, blowing in a contrary direction, carried the voices away, -and Tom kept on, having only halted momentarily. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -IN THE SHACK - - -"Jove!" murmured Tom, as he hurried on, "what have I stumbled upon?" - -For the time being his thoughts were in a whirl, for like a flash it had -come to him that the pin he had seen being handled by Mendez and Boswell -was Ruth's missing brooch. - -"I couldn't get close enough for a good look, but it sure was an -old-fashioned pin, from their talk, and it looked like the one I've seen -Ruth wear. The one with the secret spring." - -He walked on a little farther. - -"Now what's to be done?" he asked himself. "I guess I'll sit down and -think this thing out." - -Rapidly Tom went over in his mind what he had seen and heard. - -"This seems to let Boswell out of it," he murmured. "And I'm glad of -it--for the honor of Randall," and Tom thought of the events that had -taken place some time ago, when the honor of Randall seemed to be -threatened, events which I have narrated in the book of that title. - -"If Boswell bought the pin of Mendez, then it must be the Mexican who is -the man we're after," Tom went on. "He deals in jewelry, though most of -it is that filigree silver stuff that I don't fancy. And Boswell wants -Mendez to get him another old-fashioned pin like the one he already has. -I wonder who for?" - -But Tom did not wonder long on this point. - -"The insolent puppy!" he exclaimed, clenching his fists. "If he tries to -give Ruth a pin I'll----" - -And then he calmed down, for he realized that, aside from the ethics, or -good taste of the matter, Boswell had as much right to present Ruth with -a token as had he himself. - -"I guess I'd better reason along a new line," he told himself. "I'll -have to let the boys know about this, and----" - -Then, like a flash something else occurred to him. - -"No, I can't do that," he said. "Phil isn't supposed to know that -Ruth has lost her pin--that is, not yet. It would be too bad if the -grandmother were to turn cranky, because of the loss of the brooch, and -give her pearls to someone else--at least until I can buy Ruth some -pearls myself--and that's a long way off, I'm afraid," thought Tom, -ruefully. - -"No, I've got to play this hand alone," he went on. "I can't bring the -fellows in--just yet. And I must tell Ruth not to admit that she has -lost her brooch--at least, not yet. I may be able to get it back for -her. The idea of Boswell having it--at least, I think it's the same one. - -"And then by Jove! If Mendez had the brooch he has the other stuff that -was in the jewelry box--the Boxer Hall cups and so on. Tom Parsons, -you've stumbled on the solution of the mystery, I do believe. And you've -got to work it out alone, for if you tell any of the fellows Ruth's -secret will come out. Now, how are you going to do it?" - -He pondered on the matter, and the first thing he decided on was that -Ruth must be warned not to admit her loss. - -"I'll attend to that right away," murmured the lad. - -"Why, Tom, is anything the matter?" asked Ruth, when he saw her, a -little later, at the Tyler cottage. - -"Well, yes, something, but----" - -"Oh, is Phil hurt?" and she clasped her hands. - -"No, nothing like that. What made you think something was up, Ruth?" - -"Because your face told me. What is it?" - -"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't tell--just yet--that you haven't your -brooch." - -"Oh, Tom! Do you mean you think you can get it back?" - -"I think so, but I'm not sure. But don't say anything." - -"I won't. Oh! I'm only too glad not to have to admit it, though I'm -afraid it's only postponing the fatal day. But what have you found?" - -"I can't tell you Ruth--just yet. I've got quite a problem to work out. -Later on I may need your help." - -"Why, can't some of the boys?--oh, I see, you're keeping my secret for -me. That's fine of you!" - -"Just wait--that's all," was Tom's final advice. In the exuberance of -his youth he imagined, that, should it prove that Boswell had bought -Ruth's pin from the Mexican, the brooch could, by some means or other, -be recovered. - -"And now I am up against it," he went on, still communing with himself, -after he had left Ruth. "I can't get the boys to help me, so I've got to -go alone. And what's the first thing to be done?" - -There were several points that needed clearing up. - -"In the first place," reasoned Tom, "if Mendez had the brooch, which -was in the jewel box, he has, or had, the other things. The question -is--has he them yet? If he sold Boswell the pin he may have sold the -other articles. I guess the only thing for me to do is to try and get in -his shack--when he's not home. It would be a ticklish piece of work to -stumble in there, and be searching about, and have him find me. I wonder -if I can get in when he's out? He does go out quite often." - -Tom went on to camp, and his absentmindedness caused his chums no little -wonder, until Sid exclaimed: - -"Oh, it's all right--Tom's got the symptoms." - -"What symptoms?" demanded our hero. - -"The love symptoms. A lovers' quarrel made up is worse than falling in -at first. Look out!" for Tom had shied a shoe at his tormentor. - -"Practice to-day," announced Frank, the next morning. "Mr. Pierson said -he'd be over early and we've got to go down and get the shell. He's -going to put us through a course of sprouts to-day." - -"All right," yawned Tom, with a fine appearance of indifference. "But -I've got to mix the stuff for cake if I'm going to bake it." He had -promised to show his skill in pastry-making. "So if you fellows will go -down and get the shell I'll be ready when you come back." - -"Three of us can't row a four-oared shell," protested Sid. - -"Well, tow it up by the launch, then. I'm not going to have the cake -spoiled." - -"That's right," declared Frank. "The cook is a sacred person. We'll tow -up the shell," and they went off, never suspecting their chum. - -And how Tom had dissembled! The making of the cake, he knew, had only -been a subterfuge, for he had made up his mind he would buy one at the -store, and offer some excuse to his chums that the camp-made one had -"fallen" which, I believe, is the technical word to use when the top -of a cake displays a tendency to lie on the bottom of the pan, and not -stand up properly. I was once a camp cook, and some of my friends are -still alive to bear witness against me. - -Now what Tom planned was this: As soon as his chums were out of the way -he decided to enter the Mexican's shack, having learned the evening -before, by skillful questioning, that Mendez had some work to do around -a distant cottage, and would be away all morning. - -"And we'll see what I can find there," murmured Tom, as he set out. - -It was an easy matter to enter the shack, at least that part where the -Mexican lived. The store section was closed, but Tom knew there was an -entrance to it through the main shack. - -A carelessly-fastened window gave admittance, and soon after his chums -had departed to get the shell (which was kept now in the new college -boathouse, that structure having been nearly completed), Tom found -himself inside the shack. - -He began rummaging about, taking care not to unduly disturb objects. Tom -was looking in a trunk, that appeared to contain some clothing, as well -as some of the Mexican drawn-work, and some silks and satins, when he -heard a noise outside. - -"Someone is coming!" he whispered. "I've got to hide!" and he made a -dive under the cot. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE PAWN TICKETS - - -"Well, I'm certainly going to be in a nice pickle if that's Mendez -coming back," thought Tom, as he gave the blanket on the cot a -surreptitious pull to better conceal his person. "I guess I was seven -kinds of a chump to come here. I ought to have told the fellows, and -then one of them could have done sentry duty for me. As it is, if anyone -comes in here I'm as good as caught. A nice story it will make, too--a -Randall man found in a caretaker's shack." - -He listened intently, and heard the approaching steps pause outside the -door. Then came a key rattling in the lock. - -"Just my luck," murmured Tom. "It's Mendez coming back. That job didn't -last as long as I thought it would, or else he's forgotten something. -Whew! If he sees me there'll be a fight all right. He'll take me for a -burglar, sure, or else he'll know why I'm here. I wonder if all Mexicans -carry knives? There isn't much here for a fellow to defend himself -with." - -Tom peered out from under the cot, and made up his mind, if worst came -to worst, that he would roll out, and grab up the heavy stove poker he -saw. - -"That will make a pretty good club," he reasoned. "Hang it all! why -didn't I tell the fellows? If this Mendez does me up he may hide my body -here, and the fellows will never know what became of me. I ought to have -told them--and yet I did it this way to keep Ruth's secret. I meant it -for the best." - -Again Tom listened. The fumbling at the lock of the door continued. - -"If that's Mendez he doesn't seem to know how to open his own door," -mused Tom. "Maybe he's got the wrong key." - -This seemed to be so, for there was a jingling as of several keys, and -then a voice was heard to mutter. Tom started in his hiding place under -the cot. - -"That's not the voice of Mendez!" he exclaimed. "What am I up against?" - -A wild idea came to him. - -"Maybe some of our fellows got wise to the same thing I did, and they're -trying to get in here," he thought. "If they see me there'll be a -surprise," and he smiled grimly. - -The unknown person outside the shack seemed to be trying a number of -keys, one after the other, in the lock. At the same time there was an -impatient muttering. - -"That's not Mendez," decided Tom. "And from the voice it's none of our -fellows, either. I wonder if it can be Boswell?" - -The complications that might ensue if it was the rich student, who -seemed to be sharing some secret with the Mexican, kept Tom busy -thinking for a few seconds, and then his attention was further drawn -toward the person outside. - -"Hang it all!" exclaimed a voice in nasal tones--plainly the voice of -an elderly man--"he's got some newfangled kind of a lock on here, and I -can't get in. I wonder if a window is open?" - -There was the rattle of a bunch of keys being returned to a pocket, and -then the sound of footsteps coming around to the side of the shack. - -"He's going to try my game," thought Tom. - -"Well if it isn't Mendez it's someone who hasn't any more right in here -than I have, and I'm not in so much danger. But who can it be?" - -There was a struggle at the window, the sound of a fall, as if the -attempt to enter had failed. Then came muttered words of anger and pain, -and they were followed by the sound of feet beating a tattoo on the side -of the shack. - -"He's scrambling up to the window," thought Tom, pulling the cot -blankets farther down. A moment later someone dropped down inside the -shack, and remained quietly in the middle of the floor, as though taking -a survey of the place. - -"Humph! It ain't much changed from when I was here last," a voice -said, and Tom peered out from beneath a cautiously-raised blanket. The -identity of the unexpected visitor startled him. - -"Old Jake Blasdell!" murmured Tom, in a whisper. "The former caretaker! -What in the world does he want here? I thought he had cleared out of -these diggings." - -[Illustration: "OLD JAKE BLASDELL!" MURMURED TOM, IN A WHISPER.] - -Blasdell, for it was he, stood in the middle of the room of the shack -where Mendez cooked, ate and slept--did everything, in fact, save -conduct his small store, which was an addition. - -"It's better than when I had it," Blasdell murmured, for, as I have -said, when Mendez succeeded the former caretaker he had moved the -shack from the place where Blasdell had built it, and had considerably -improved it. "Much better," went on the old man. "Them Mexicans ain't -so lazy as I've heard. Lucky for me I knowed of that window that didn't -close very tight or I mightn't have gotten in. And lucky I happened to -see Mendez as I did, and learned that he would be away all day. Now I'm -in here where can I hide 'em. I don't dare carry 'em around with me much -longer. Folks is beginning to suspect. And I'll take away that piece I -left here, too." - -"What in the world am I stacking up against?" thought the puzzled Tom. -He looked out eagerly. Blasdell's back was turned toward the cot, but -the old man did not appear to have anything to hide. - -"Can he be out of his mind?" thought Tom. - -He heard the man fumbling about, but from his position could not see -what he was doing, and Tom dared not put out his head from under the cot. - -"There, I guess nobody'll think of lookin' for 'em there," went on the -old man. "I s'pose mebby I ought t' destroy 'em, but they may come in -useful some time or other. I'll leave 'em here, and take away that -trinket." - -Then came a sound as if the man had stepped down off a chair, or bench. -Tom wished he could see what he had done, but at least he knew that -something had been hidden on that side of the room were the stove was. - -"Now I wonder if I can get out of the consarned window?" the man -murmured. Tom heard him cross the room, and, after a struggle, there -came the sound of a jump on the earth outside. - -"He's gone!" murmured Tom, as he listened to the retreating footsteps. -Then he scrambled out from under the cot, and began making a hasty -search of the room. - -If he had hoped to find Ruth's pin, the cups from Boxer Hall or any of -the missing jewelry, Tom was disappointed. He made a thorough, but -quick, search, not only in the shack proper, but in the store, though he -knew Blasdell had not gone in there. - -"What could he have hidden?" thought Tom. "I've got to get out of here -soon, or the fellows will be waiting for me." - -He saw a small wooden clock on the mantle over the stove. An idea came -to him. - -"Maybe that clock hides a secret hole in the wall," he thought. Stepping -on a chair he moved the timepiece. As he did so the door came open, and -in the lower part, where swung the pendulum, he saw several bits of -paper. There was no hole in the wall, but, wonderingly Tom picked up the -papers. Then he started. - -"Pawn tickets!" he cried, "and some of them for silver cups! I'm on the -trail at last!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -TWO MISSING MEN - - -"Well, what do you know about that?" - -"So that's where you sneaked off to when we went after the shell?" - -"And that's why you didn't bake the cake?" - -Tom's three chums gave expression to these sentiments as they looked -over the bunch of pawn tickets he had brought away with him from the -Mexican's shack. A hasty glance through them had shown Tom that none was -for a brooch, and realizing that he could still keep Ruth's secret, he -had decided to tell his friends the whole story. Which he did, keeping -back only as much as was necessary not to let them know of Ruth's loss. - -He related how he had overheard a "certain" conversation between Boswell -and the Mexican, hurrying over that part of the story so they might not -ask what the talk was about. Then he told of his own and Blasdell's -visits to the shack. - -"Say, this beats anything I ever heard of!" declared Frank. - -"That's right, but what did the old beggar hide--if anything?" asked Sid. - -"The pawn tickets, of course," declared Phil. - -"I'm not sure of that, of course," spoke Tom. - -"I didn't see him, for I couldn't look out far enough from under the -cot. But he was certainly on that side of the room. And he didn't hide -the cups and jewelry, for they're in pawn, as these tickets show. So it -must have been the tickets." - -"Then if he had the tickets he took the stuff!" declared Sid. - -"Not necessarily," objected Frank. "The Mexican and this Blasdell may be -in partnership in crime. Either or both may have taken the jewelry, and -Blasdell may have pawned it. Anyhow, I think this lets Boswell out, and -I'm glad of it." - -"So am I!" exclaimed Tom, and yet he wondered what the rich student -and the Mexican could have in common, and he wondered about the -old-fashioned brooch he had seen flashing in the sun, when the two -talked in the boat. Also he wondered what Boswell wanted of another like -it. In fact Tom was doing considerable wondering, and it was a puzzle in -the solution of which he could not ask his chums' aid. - -"So that's why you wanted us to go get the shell, and leave you here; is -it?" asked Phil. - -"Yes, I wanted time to investigate, and I didn't want you fellows to -give me the ha ha! if nothing came of it." - -"But lots did come of it!" declared Frank. "We can clear ourselves of -the faint suspicion that I believe Boxer Hall thinks hangs over us, -and we can get them back their trophy cups, and the other people their -jewelry." - -"Yes, I suppose the pawnbroker can be made to give up stolen stuff," -said Tom. He was puzzling his brains to think of some reason why Ruth's -brooch was not pawned with the other things. Recalling the list of -missing articles, given out when the jeweler offered the reward, it was -seen that all were represented by the pawn tickets, save Ruth's trinket. - -"They're made out in the name 'A. Smith,'" said Phil, as he scrutinized -the bits of paper. "Might be a blacksmith for all you can tell--probably -a fake name. And the pawnbroker's place is in Munroe," he went on, -naming a town about twenty-five miles away. - -"Well," spoke Tom, "I suppose the thing to do is to go there, see the -police, get the stuff, and return it to the jeweler. Then he can do as -he likes with it." - -"Incidentally we'll collect the reward," declared Sid. - -"We'll donate it to the new racing association," suggested Frank. -"Wouldn't it be a joke, if we did take that part of the reward offered -by Boxer Hall, and use it to help beat them in the race!" - -"Sort of adding insult to injury," suggested Tom. "But I'm thinking we -ought to let the Boxer Hall lads know about these tickets, and that -there's a prospect of them getting back their trophies." - -There were two opinions about this. Tom and Sid were one side, while -Frank and Phil held it would be better to first get the stuff and then -let Boxer Hall know. - -"'There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip,' you know, Tom," said -the Big Californian. "Not meaning a pun, either. But there may be some -complications and it may take some time to get the stuff away from the -pawnbroker. A delay would only fret all those who have lost things, and -would be unpleasant for us. Get the stuff first, I say, and then hand it -around." - -And in the end this idea prevailed. - -"Well, I can see where we get in precious little practice to-day," -remarked Tom. "I think we'd all better go to Haddonfield and give these -tickets to Mr. Farson. Let him get the police busy." - -"All right, we're with you," said Phil. "But we need the practice, for -it won't be long now before we're back at college." - -"What about arresting Blasdell and the Mexican?" asked Sid. - -"Let the jeweler attend to that," suggested Frank. - -Without telling the girls of their discovery, the boys went to town in -their launch, which, for a wonder, did not break down. Frank declared it -was because he had put in a new set of batteries. - -That Mr. Farson was astonished, is putting it mildly. He could not thank -the boys enough. Privately, to Tom, who managed to get him a word in -secret, the jeweler said he could not account for Ruth's pin not being -represented by a ticket. - -"But I'll look all through that pawnbroker's stock for it," he said. - -Mr. Farson decided that they would first go to Munroe and get the cups -and jewelry, and later see about causing the arrest of the guilty -person, or persons. - -"The pawnbroker would have to identify the thief, anyhow," he explained. -"Now you boys go back to the island and stay there. I'll hire an auto -and go to Munroe. As soon as I get back I'll run over and let you know -how I make out. Oh, this is good news for me!" - -"What became of Blasdell after he jumped out of the shack, Tom?" asked -Phil. - -"How could I tell? I was under the cot." - -"That's so. And he doesn't seem to be around these diggings any more. -He just showed up with these pawn tickets, and then lit out again. And -to think he was the fellow who had the stuff all the while!" - -"He or Mendez," said Tom. "I'm not sure which. It's queer that Blasdell -should come all the way back to hide the tickets in the shack. I heard -him speak of getting something that belonged to him, but I don't know -what it was." - -They argued the matter, but could come to no agreement. Going back to -their island camp, they found time for a little practice in the shell, -Mr. Pierson coaching them. Then they waited impatiently for the return -of the jeweler. - -"I wonder what Mendez will think when he gets back and finds his place -has been ransacked?" suggested Sid. - -"He won't know it," declared Tom. "I was mighty careful, and Blasdell -wasn't inside more than a few minutes. Let's take a stroll around there, -and size it up." - -"No, keep away," decided Frank. "It might make trouble. Let's wait until -Mr. Farson comes." - -It was nearly dusk when they saw a small launch approaching the island, -and they recognized the jeweler as one of the occupants. - -"He doesn't seem very joyous," remarked Tom. "He isn't waving his hat, -or anything like that." - -Somehow his words brought a feeling of doubt to his chums, yet they -could not tell why. Nearer came the launch. It drew up to the little -dock the boys had made. - -"Well?" queried Tom, nervously. "How did you make out?" - -"Not at all," was the surprising reply. - -"What! Didn't you get the things?" demanded Phil. - -"No. The pawnbroker closed out his place of business last week, and the -store is vacant." - -For a moment no one spoke. Then Frank said: - -"But look here. You know a pawnbroker has to be licensed. He can't go -out of business that way. He may move, but he has to let people know -about it. And he can't dispose of their things inside of a year, either. -That man had no right to do that." - -"I don't know about his rights," said the jeweler, "but the fact remains -that he has skipped out. He may have taken the cups and jewelry with him -for all I know. The police say he was a sort of 'fence' through which -stolen property was often disposed of. He's been arrested several times, -but nothing could be proved against him." - -"What did you do?" asked Sid. - -"The police in Munroe promised to try and trace him. I'm going to have -circulars printed, too, and sent to other cities, asking for news of -this pawnbroker." - -"Say, this is tough, to almost get the stuff and then lose it!" remarked -Phil. "It's a good thing we didn't tell the Boxer Hall lads." - -"That's what," declared Tom. - -"Fellows, I've got an idea!" exclaimed Sid. - -"Chain it so it doesn't get away," advised Frank. - -"I say let's go to that Mexican's shack, and see if we can get anything -out of him," went on Sid. "We got on the trail there, and he must be -mixed up in it some way. Come on, Mr. Farson, you've got a right to -question him." - -"I believe I will!" decided the jeweler, and he followed the lads toward -the shack, through the lengthening shadows. - -"I guess he isn't home," remarked Tom, as they saw no light in the place. - -"Knock and see," suggested Phil. - -A tap on the door brought no response. Tom peered a bit closer. - -"The place isn't closed," he exclaimed. He pushed open the door. Someone -struck a match. Then came an exclamation of surprise from all. - -For there was evidence that Mendez had hastily fled. The room was in -confusion, things being scattered about, and a look into the store -showed that everything he had had for sale had been removed. Mendez was -missing, as was the pawnbroker and the jewelry. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -BACK AT RANDALL - - -"This is the limit!" - -"Where could he have gone?" - -"He smelt a rat all right--he's sure mixed up in this business." - -"And the quiet way he sneaked off! Let's find out if anyone saw him go." - -Thus the chums exclaimed as the queer situation dawned upon them. Mr. -Farson, too, was surprised, and did not know what to make of it. - -"I think I will devote all my efforts to locating the pawnbroker," he -said. "If I get the stuff back that belongs to other persons, I don't -care so much about an arrest." - -"But we'd like to solve the mystery, seeing that we had a hand in it," -said Tom. "I wonder where Mendez could have gone?" - -But no one knew--no one had seen him go. Later that evening, when the -young men, after the jeweler had gone to his store, made inquiries of -the owner of the cottage where the Mexican had been working all that -day, they were told by a servant that a boy, coming in a boat, had -brought a message to the caretaker. He had seemed surprised, and had -hurried off, leaving his work partly finished, promising to return. But -he did not, and that was the last seen of him--at least for the time -being. - -Evidently he had taken alarm at something, had hurried to the shack, -hastily packed up his belongings, and fled in a boat. In fact the -rowboat he generally used was missing. - -As far as it went there was nothing criminal in his actions. There was -no direct connection between him and the missing jewelry. He bore a good -reputation among the cottagers, and had always done his work well. He -was honest in his dealings, and his word could be taken in regard to the -things he sold. Some of the cottagers even owed him for work performed. - -"It's another mystery connected with this strange affair," said Tom, as -he and his chums turned in for the night. "We may get to the bottom of -it some day." - -"I hope so," murmured Frank. "We've been doing more detective work than -rowing of late. We'll have to buckle down from now on. College opens in -three weeks." - -Of course the flight of Mendez was known to the girls, as well as to all -others on the island, but the circumstances connected with it, and the -finding of the pawn tickets, was kept a secret. - -I say from all, but that is not quite correct. Tom did tell Ruth all, -and they both puzzled over the fact that there was no ticket for the -brooch. But Tom did not tell Ruth what he had overheard between Boswell -and Mendez. - -"It might be Ruth's brooch that Boswell bought of Mendez, for his -mother," reasoned Tom. "If Ruth thought so she might make a fuss and -insist on having it back. Then, again, it might not be hers, and that -would make trouble. I've got to investigate a little more before I tell -her." - -The Boswell family closed up their cottage the next week, and left for -their mountain home, where the rich lad and his parents were to spend -the rest of the vacation. - -Our boys put in some hard practice in the shell, once or twice getting -enough rowers so that they could use the eight. Mr. Pierson gave them -valuable coaching. - -Then, on his advice, they gave themselves up to a good rest, and the -enjoyment of camp life. - -"You'll want a week or two when you don't see an oar," he explained. -"There is such a thing as overdoing it. And you will soon be back at -college you say, and begin hard training. So take a rest now." - -And the boys did, though their "rest" consisted chiefly in giving the -girls a good time. The wheezy little launch was worked to the limit. - -Then came the approach of the college season. Several cottages on the -island were closed. The girls said farewell to Madge, for they must -spend some time with their own folks, and one day Tom remarked: - -"Say, fellows, let's break camp. It's no fun here without the girls." - -"That's right," agreed Sid, and so the tents were struck, and our heroes -went their several ways to enjoy what was left of their vacation before -again gathering at Randall. And in that time nothing new developed about -the missing cups and jewelry. Nor was any word heard of the pawnbroker -or Mendez. - - * * * * * - -"Hello, there's Dutch Housenlager, bigger than ever!" - -"Yes, and there's Bricktop redder than ever. I say, Brick!" - -"Hello, Parsons, you look as brown as a berry. What have you been doing -with yourself?" - -"Camping." - -"You look it. I was at the shore--beastly hot, too!" - -"Say, isn't the new boathouse swell?" - -"Nothing like it. Oh, it's going to be great at Randall this Fall." - -"Over this way, Henderson! Where's Phil and Frank?" cried Tom. - -"I don't know. I just got in. Have you been up to the room?" - -"No, I just landed, too. Have you fed your face?" - -"Not since I got here. Let's grub and then we'll open up the place. Hi, -there, Snail! How's the night work?" - -"Oh, so-so," replied Sam Looper, re-christened "Snail," because of his -slowness, and his propensity for night prowling. - -"Here come the Jersey twins!" - -"That's right. I hope Jerry makes a good coxswain in the varsity eight," -went on Tom. "We need him." - -"Hear you did some practicing this Summer," remarked Dutch, as he -playfully dug his elbow into Tom's ribs. - -"We did. I'm anxious to get hold of an oar again. Have the new shells -come?" - -"I haven't heard. We'll inquire. I saw Mr. Lighton a bit ago." - -It was the opening of Randall College for the Fall term, and our -friends, as well as their chums, had returned not only to lessons but -to sports as well--cross-country running, football--ever glorious -football--and now and chiefly, rowing, for the regatta was to be held -before the big battles of the gridiron took place. - -"Come on!" cried Tom, as he spied his three chums. "Let's slip up to our -room and talk things over." - -This was after a more or less hurried meal had been eaten. - -"And we sure have lots to talk about," remarked Sid. "But let's get -through with it and take a run up to Fairview. I guess----" - -"You guess the girls are there--that's what you guess!" interrupted Tom. -"Hark to him, fellows. Isn't he the limit!" - -And then, linking arms, the four inseparables strolled across the -campus, through groups of students, toward their room. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -THE NEW SHELLS - - -"Say, aren't they beauts!" - -"All to the cream!" - -"Nothing like 'em ever seen on this river before!" - -"And look at the eight! Isn't that a peach?" - -"Easy there, Housenlager, that isn't a ferry-boat!" and Jerry Jackson -kept the big lad from stepping into the new eight-oared shell. The other -exclamations, as may easily be surmised, came from the college lads as -they gathered about the new float and boathouse, in front of which were -the new craft that had been put in the water that day. It was a week or -so after the opening of Randall, and matters were shaping themselves up -in some kind of order. - -"Two fours, four singles, two doubles and the eight!" remarked Tom. -"Say, that committee of old grads certainly did themselves proud all -right!" - -"They sure did," agreed Sid. - -"And this boathouse can't be beat!" added Phil, as he and the others -inspected the new structure. - -"I only hope that same thing applies to our boats," remarked the Big -Californian, grimly. "There'll be something coming to us if they can't -be beaten." - -"Let's get in and have a trial," suggested Sid. "Come, we've got enough -for two eights--one crew in the old shell and one in the new. We'll find -out if she's stiff enough." - -"Better wait until Mr. Lighton gives the word," suggested Tom. "They'll -want to soak up a bit, anyhow, being new; and our weight might open up -the seams too much." - -In fact the boats had only been in the water since that morning, a -committee of the rowing association superintending their removal from -the freight station on trucks. - -The letter announcing that they were on their way had been received -some little time before, and the advent of the rowing craft was eagerly -waited. Then had come a simple ceremony, when a committee of the -presenting graduates had formally turned over the boathouse and outfit -to Randall College. - -"Well, we'll have to organize soon, pick out a coxswain and captain, and -arrange for hard training," said Tom. - -"Yes, there isn't much time between now and the football season," -agreed Frank. "Boxer Hall and Fairview will want to wind up the rowing -game as early as they can. It's been a double drill for them, since they -raced in the Spring. Next Spring we'll get in the game with them." - -"Here comes Mr. Lighton," suggested Sid. "Maybe he'll have something to -say," and he indicated the coach coming down toward the boathouse. - -"Well, boys, how do you like them?" asked Mr. Lighton, as he indicated -the new craft. - -"Swell!" - -"Peachy!" - -"Pippy!" - -These were only a sample of the many expressions of approval. - -"I guess I'll slip in one of those singles and have a try at it," -remarked Boswell, starting for the dressing rooms to change into rowing -costume. - -"No, don't, please--not just yet," said Mr. Lighton. "I want to look -them over first, to see if there are any flaws. You can take out one of -the old ones." - -"Say, you don't seem to want me to do anything in the boating line!" -exclaimed the rich lad. "You shifted me out of the eight, and now you -don't want me to practice in a single. I tell you I know something about -a boat--I've done as much work this Summer as those fellows," and he -indicated Tom and his three chums. - -"That's all right," responded Mr. Lighton, quietly. "I'm not denying -that, but I want you to understand that I did not shift you out of the -eight without good reason, and there is still time for you to try to -make good--even yet." - -"No, I'm going to stick to the single--and I'm going to win!" snapped -Boswell. - -"Good--I hope you do," assented the coach. "Now, boys, we've got to get -together, select a captain for the varsity, also the coxswain, as well -as officials, and rowers for the other boats. It won't do to go at this -slip-shod fashion. What do you say to a meeting to-night to select the -officials?" - -"Good!" came the general cry, and then matters were talked over at -length. As far as arrangements with Boxer Hall and Fairview were -concerned, they had been practically completed in the Spring. All that -remained was the selection of the day for the regatta, the marking of -the course, the settlement of rules, which would be practically the same -as those governing Boxer Hall and Fairview, and the selecting of the -officials. - -The other two colleges had very little to do to get ready for the -races, but Randall had considerable. However, under the guidance of Mr. -Lighton, affairs soon shaped up. - -There was some wire-pulling in regard to the election of a varsity -captain, but the choice eventually fell upon Frank Simpson, who pulled -stroke. It met with general approval, for all liked the Big Californian, -and no one who had been tried at stroke did anywhere nearly as well as -did he. For coxswain the choice fell upon Jerry Jackson--in fact there -was no opposition, for many who might have liked to try for it, felt -that they were not equal to the responsibility. But Jerry seemed to fit -in there naturally. He was just the right weight, Mr. Lighton said; he -had a certain delicacy, yet firmness, in steering, and he could use -judgment. - -As for the singles, their disposition was simple. A number of lads -signified their desire to enter into a competition among themselves, the -best to be picked to meet Boxer Hall and Fairview contestants. Boswell -was to be one who would enter the elimination trials, and he accepted -the responsibility with an air of confidence that caused much secret -amusement, and no little disgust. Snail Looper also expressed a desire -to try, as did a number of others. - -In the doubles a number of new lads, with whom we are not immediately -concerned, entered, and as for the fours, some juniors and sophomores, -together with a few freshmen, made up three combinations, the best one -of which was to meet the rivals. - -"As for the eight," said Mr. Lighton, "which craft, in a measure will -be regarded as the main varsity boat, we now have two crafts--the old -one and the new. I suggest that there be elimination trials, and several -friendly races between the two crews. - -"In this way not only will you get practice, but you will have -experience in pulling against another boat, which will stand you in good -stead. - -"I have also to announce that Mr. Pierson, whom some of you know as the -old Cornell oarsman, has kindly consented to help me in coaching you. We -will draw up a set of training rules, and I expect every man to follow -them faithfully. Otherwise there is no use in going into this thing. -Remember the condition of this magnificent gift to Randall was that she -should prove herself a victor." - -"And she will!" cried Tom, while the others echoed his words. - -There remained a few other preliminaries to arrange, and minor officials -to select, and then the meeting of the athletic committee ended. - -"Oh, I say!" cried Phil, at the conclusion. "I wonder if it's too late -to go see the girls?" - -"Guess not," agreed Tom. "I'm with you." - -"Same here," echoed Frank and Phil, and they hurried to catch a trolley -for Fairview Institute. - -As they walked up the steps to the building where the young ladies were -permitted to receive visitors, they saw a lad standing there. Just as -Tom was about to ring the bell, the door opened, and a maid announced to -the waiting lad: - -"Miss Clinton can see no one." - -"She is out, do you mean?" - -"I do not know. That was the message Miss Philock told me to give you." - -"Oh, all right," and, turning so that the light from the hall shone on -his face, the countenance of Boswell was disclosed to our friends. - -"Oh!" he exclaimed blankly, as he recognized them. Then looking at Tom -he added: - -"Perhaps you'll have better luck than I did, Parsons!" - -"Perhaps," admitted Tom, drily. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -"ROW HARD!" - - -The four chums watched Boswell go down the steps and get into a waiting -auto, the maid, meanwhile, regarding them half curiously, for she knew -them well, from frequent visits. - -"Some class to him," remarked Sid. - -"Yes, he's finding his way here all right," added Tom. - -"Well, it's a free country," added Phil. "He came to see Ruth, if I'm -any judge." - -"And got turned down," added Frank. - -"I wonder if the girls are really out?" ventured Tom. - -"I'll see if the young ladies are in," remarked the maid. She did not -have to ask which young ladies were meant. - -She returned shortly to say that, while it was almost too late for -visitors, Miss Philock had consented that the four chums could see their -friends for ten minutes. - -"Say, what's gotten into the old Ogress--she's so pleasant to us?" Sid -wanted to know. - -"Probably this is the calm before the storm," suggested Phil. "We may be -turned down after this, the same as Boswell was." - -"I wonder what he wanted?" mused Tom. - -"Oh, probably to ask the best way to darn socks without tying a string -around the hole," suggested Frank, with delicate sarcasm. - -"Here come the girls!" exclaimed Tom, and the murmur of voices bore out -his remark. - -While the conversation that followed was probably of intense and -absorbing personal interest to those who took part in it, there was -not enough of general interest to warrant me setting it down here. -Sufficient to say that all sorts of matters, from the coming regatta to -the opening of the football season, were discussed, and commented upon. -Needless to say the Fairview girls, with commendable loyalty, declared -that their college was going to be the champions of the gridiron and -river. - -Tom found chance for a quiet word with Ruth just before the ringing -of a warning bell announced that visiting hours were nearly over. She -explained that it was a surprise to her when Boswell called, and she and -her chums decided not to meet him. - -"I haven't found out anything more about your pin," Tom said. "That is, -I haven't located it," for he did not want to go into details about the -missing pawnbroker and Mendez. Nothing more had been heard of either. - -"Too bad," Ruth declared. "I suppose, though, I might as well keep quiet -about the loss of it until some one of my folks notice that it's gone," -she said. "It will be time enough then to confess, though I suppose I'll -be in for a wigging from grandmother for keeping still about it so long." - -"Yes, it can't do any harm to keep quiet now," decided Tom, "and -something may turn up at any minute." - -"Then you really have some hope, Tom?" - -"Yes--a little," he admitted. "But I can't talk about it, Ruth. It -involves others." - -"Oh, tell me Tom! I'll keep it a secret!" she pleaded. - -"No, really I can't," he said, and though she made it rather hard for -him, he kept to his resolve. - -"It is time your friends left, young ladies!" announced the rather -rasping voice of Miss Philock, a little later. "I have been lenient with -you to the extent of ten minutes, but now I must insist." - -"Thank you for your kindness," exclaimed Phil, with a low bow. "We -greatly appreciate it." - -"I am glad that you do," declared the preceptress, not allowing a smile -to change the hard contour of her face. Poor Miss Philock! Doubtless -she did not have a happy time of it, and her responsibilities must have -weighed on her. It is not an easy task to be the dragon, guarding a -number of pretty girls, when two colleges for young men are not far off. -And Miss Philock did her duty, however unpleasant it was. - -Tom was awakened that night, shortly after one o'clock. At least he -judged it to be about that hour, for he dimly recalled hearing a distant -clock booming out twelve; then he had fallen into a doze, and it could -not have been over an hour later when a noise and movement in the main -apartment, out of which all their rooms opened, roused him. - -"Wonder who that is?" he thought, sleepily. "Maybe we did a little too -much to-day, and some of the boys can't rest. I'll take a look." - -He raised himself upon his elbow, but, though he had a partial view of -the sitting room from that position, he could see no one. The scuffling -of feet on the carpet, however, and the faint rattle of paper, told that -someone was up and about. - -Softly Tom put his legs over the edge of the bed, so that it would not -creak, for, somehow, he had a faint suspicion that perhaps the person -in the other room might not be one of his chums, and, in that case, he -wanted to be prepared. - -Gently he stepped out until he stood in the door of his own room, and -had a view of the main apartment. Then he saw a white-robed figure -standing looking out of the window that gave a view of the campus, over -which a faint moon was then shining. - -"That looks like Sid," thought Tom. "I wonder if he's getting spoony--or -loony or moony? Maybe he couldn't sleep and got up to change the current -of his thoughts. Well, shall I go out and keep him company, or----" - -Tom reconsidered the matter a moment. - -"No," he thought, "if I go out there, and we get to chinning, even in -whispers, it will rouse Frank and Phil, and then we'll all be wide -awake. And the land knows we need all the sleep we can get. I can find -my way to dreamland without being sung to, anyhow." - -For a moment he watched the figure by the window. It was Sid, Tom felt -sure of that, though night-garments, be they pajamas or the more prosaic -shirts, do not make for identifying individuals. There is little of -character to them. - -Then the figure by the window turned partly toward Tom, but, as the face -was in the shadow, the watching lad could not see it plainly. The figure -approached the table, on which was a litter of paper, where the lads had -been doing some studying earlier in the evening. - -"By Jove!" thought Tom. "Old Sid is writing poetry--or he has been -courting the muse! This is rich! He can't sleep and he gets up in the -night to jot down a verse or two. That's it! And about a girl, too, I'll -wager! Oh, Sid!" and he chuckled silently. "I'll rig you for this in the -morning! Loony, spoony, moony Sid! This is rich!" and Tom doubled up -with silent mirth. - -The figure continued to approach the table, and from the other rooms the -deep, regular breathing told of sound sleepers. Then the figure began -fumbling with papers and Tom saw a pencil taken up. - -"How the mischief can he see to write in the dark?" the watcher wondered. - -But that was evidently not the intention. For, after hesitating a few -seconds over the table, the white-clad figure turned and went out of the -door into the hall. - -"Well, what do you make of that?" Tom asked himself. "He has got 'em -bad! Sneaking out to some other room to write his slushy poetry. He's -the limit! Wait until we get at him in the daylight--there won't be any -loony-moon then. But I should think he'd want to put on a bath robe. It -isn't the warmest night of Summer," added Tom to himself, being aware of -a distinctly chilly feeling about his legs. - -"Wait!" he counseled with himself. "I'll find out about this. I'll just -follow him and give him a scare. I'll catch him with the goods." - -Pausing to make sure that none of the others were awake, and waiting to -give Sid a chance to get a little way down the corridor, Tom slipped -out of the door, his feet encased in a pair of bath slippers, that -lent themselves better to soft movement than not, for they avoided the -scuffling that always goes with bare soles. - -Tom reached the corridor, and, looking down it, saw at the farther end -the white-robed figure. - -"He made good time all right," Tom mused. "Where can he be going to -though, in that rig? Oh, probably to the reading room," and Tom recalled -the large room at the end of the hall, a sort of library fitted up for -the use of the dwellers of the dormitory--a room seldom used by the way, -for the lads preferred the seclusion of their own apartments. - -"Maybe he's looking for a rhyming dictionary," thought Tom. "That's it. -I'm on to his game now." - -Tom thought he understood it all. Sid, who used to care nothing for the -girls--indeed having a veritable aversion for them--had, of late, been -quite different, as Tom and all the others saw and knew. There was one -in particular--and it would not be fair for me to mention her name--one -in particular about whom Sid, if he did not talk, thought much. - -"And he's going to finish out some poem he began, and got stuck with," -decided Tom. "Probably he knows we'd rig him if we saw him writing that -Valentine stuff. - -"A rhyming dictionary though. I don't see what he needs of that. -Love, dove, above--you true--eyes of blue. Heart--part--die, -sigh--moon--soon--spoon--no, not that. But hair--fair--ever -there--thine--mine--valentine. There you are, done without the aid of -a net, and with nothing concealed up my sleeve," mused Tom, shivering -slightly as a chilling breeze from the corridor not only crept up his -arm, but over other parts of his anatomy. - -The figure ahead of him glided on, and Tom followed. Then, instead of -turning into the library, it mounted a flight of stairs that led to the -rooms above, where other students slept. - -"For cats' sake!" thought Tom. "What is Sid up to anyhow? Is he going -to snare someone else in on this game? Or is he playing some trick? The -bell in the tower! Jove, if he dares to ring that at this hour!" - -For, when the new dormitory had been built, a bell had been hung in an -ornate corner tower, though it pealed forth but seldom, being more of an -ornament. Still it could be rung if desired. - -"That's what old Sid is up to!" decided Tom. "He must be going daffy. -He's sure to be caught, for Simond has a room up there, and he's a light -sleeper." Simond being one of the new teachers, who had been assigned -to this dormitory as a sort of moral-policeman. He was, however, a -well-liked instructor. - -"I wonder how it would be for me to tip Sid off not to do it?" thought -Tom. "If he does jingle the chimes they'll say we all had a hand in it, -and it will be bad for the bunch. I guess I'll call him off. No use -going too far for a joke." - -Tom was about to sprint forward, when, to his surprise, the figure -turned and entered one of the student's rooms, the door opening -noiselessly and closing again as silently. - -"Well, what do you know about that?" asked Tom of himself. "Who rooms -there, I wonder? And what is Sid going in there for? Can it be that -he isn't up to dashing off a fervid love poem himself, and has to get -someone else, under the cover of night, to do it for him?" - -Tom came to a halt, some distance from the door that had opened and -closed, and remained gazing down the corridor. He seldom came up here, -and did not know which students occupied the different rooms. And, as -the corridor was long, and as Tom was looking down it on an angle, he -could not be exactly sure which door had opened, they being all alike, -and many without numbers. - -"I'll just stay here and wait," he decided. "He can't stay in there very -long," and then Tom began to wish he had slipped on his bath robe, for -he was getting more and more chilly each minute. - -"Hang it all! Why doesn't he come out?" he asked himself half a dozen -times. "I'm not going to stay here all night." - -But even at that, while calling himself all sorts of a foolish person, -Tom remained. - -"It's too good a joke to pass up!" he decided. "I'll surprise Sid when -he comes out. Poetry! Bah! We'll write a love verse for him!" - -Several minutes passed. Tom moved about, and began to do some exercises -with his arms, to bring up his circulation. He was striking out -vigorously, feeling in quite a glow, when his elbow, as he drew back his -arm, came in sharp contact with the door behind him. Unaware of it, he -had been standing in front of some portal while he waited. - -"Oh, for cats' sake!" thought Tom, in grim despair as the sound boomed -out with startling distinctness in that dim and silent corridor. "Now -I have gone and done it. I guess I'd better pass up Sid and his poem, -and get back to my little bed. I wonder if I can make it before someone -sticks out his noddle, and wants to know what I'm doing here?" - -With this thought in mind he started to glide away, but he was too late. -The door he had banged with his elbow suddenly opened, and a voice -demanded in peremptory tones: - -"Well, what is it?" - -"Great Scott!" gasped Tom. "It's Simond!" for the countenance of the -instructor was thrust from the half-opened portal. - -"Well?" went on the rather grim voice, as Tom hesitated. "You knocked." - -"It--it was an accident," stammered Tom. - -"Oh. Then you don't want me?" - -"No, sir." - -"Is anything the matter?" - -"No, Mr. Simond." - -"Then what are you doing up on this floor? You're Parsons, aren't you?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"And you room on the floor below?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Then what are you doing up here at this hour of the night; knocking at -my door?" - -"I--er--it was an accident, you see. I was--I was exercising." - -"Exercising?" There was a note of incredulity in the voice. - -"Yes, exercising." - -"What for?" Cold sarcasm now took the place of surprise. - -"To keep warm." - -"Look here, Parsons!" exclaimed the instructor. "You may think this is a -joke, but----" - -"No, sir; it's no joke. I was exercising to keep warm. Arm exercising -you know, and my elbow banged your door--I didn't know I was so close." - -"I see. Well, are you warm now?" - -"Oh, yes, sir." Indeed Tom was in a veritable rosy glow. - -"But what was the necessity of getting cold?" went on Mr. Simond, and -Tom became aware that others were listening to the talk, for he could -hear doors down the hall cautiously opened, and faint snickers of -laughter here and there. - -Tom was in a quandary. He did not want to tell the real object of coming -upstairs as he had, for it would only make trouble for Sid. - -And yet if he kept silent he would be put down for having tried to play -some prank on his own account. Still if Sid had "gotten away" with -whatever he had attempted, and it seemed so, for no sound came from the -neighborhood of the room he had entered--in that case Tom could not -bring him into the game. - -"I guess I've got to take my medicine," thought Tom. - -"Well?" demanded Mr. Simond in a cold voice. - -"I--I just came up here for a--for a walk," explained Tom. "I--er--I -couldn't sleep, and----" - -"I see. You thought if you came and waked me up that you _could_ sleep; -is that it?" - -"Oh, not at all, Mr. Simond." He could be funny when he wanted to, -thought shivering Tom. "I--er--I was just going back to bed," he -explained lamely, for that was true enough. - -"Very well, then you'd better go _now_," concluded Mr. Simond. "And -don't knock on any more doors, or I shall have to look further into the -matter. Good-night!" - -"Good-night!" gasped Tom, surprised to be let off thus easily. "It was -all a mistake, I assure you," he added, as he glided away. - -"Well, don't _repeat_ the mistake," was the grim injunction of the -instructor, as he closed his door, and Tom vowed that he would not--at -least that night. - -"I'm a chump!" he told himself as he hurried back to his room. "I might -better have let Sid grind out his mushy poetry in peace, and gotten my -sleep. Now I may be in for a lecture to-morrow." - -As he entered the room he saw, grouped in the middle of the apartment, -his three chums. The sight of Sid, with Phil and Frank, caused Tom to -halt. - -"Where in thunder have you been?" demanded Phil. "We were just going to -get up a searching party for you." - -"That's right," came from Sid. "What do you mean by chasing out at this -hour?" - -"What do _you_ mean, I guess it is!" exclaimed Tom. "I've been chasing -you, Sid." - -"Chasing me? What rot is that?" - -"It's all right. I woke up when I heard you moving about in here, -followed you out to the corridor. You were going to write a poem, you -know." - -"Say, am I crazy or is he?" demanded Sid, appealing to the others. -"Writing poetry?" - -"Yes; weren't you?" asked Tom, beginning to think he had more of a -mystery on his hands than he had at first suspected. - -"Worse and more of it," murmured Frank. - -"Do you mean to tell me?" demanded Tom, "that you didn't sneak out of -here a while ago, and go to one of the rooms on the next floor?" and he -looked defiantly at Sid. - -"I certainly won't tell, or admit, anything of the kind, because it -isn't so," replied Sid. "Admitting that I had, will you kindly explain -how _I_ could be here when _you_ came in; in that case?" - -"That's so," admitted Tom, scratching his head in perplexity. "Unless," -he added as an afterthought, "unless you came down the back stairs, when -I was chinning with Simond." - -"Chinning with Simond?" demanded Phil. "Do you mean to say you were -caught by him?" - -"Yes. I banged on his door." - -"Banged on his door?" - -"Yes, by accident. You see I was exercising to keep warm." - -The three paused and looked at each other. Clearly they did not -understand. - -"Look here, Tom," began Frank in a gentle, soothing voice. "How long -have you been this way? Did it come on suddenly, or are you subject to -these fits? Have you seen a doctor? Don't you think we'd better wire -your folks? Maybe if you lie down it will wear off. Isn't it sad, and -him so young, too!" and he sighed in mock distress. - -"Look here, you chump!" cried Tom indignantly. "You think I'm stalling; -don't you? But I'm not. Here's how it happened," and he told of the -circumstances, and of his suspicions against Sid. - -"And while I was waiting for him--as I thought--to come out of that room -upstairs," he went on, "I got chilly. So I exercised. My elbow banged on -Simond's door, and he opened the oak. Then I had to explain." - -"That's a rich one!" declared Phil. - -"He must have thought you were crazy!" said Frank. - -"Exercising at that hour of the night!" exclaimed Sid. "This is too good -to keep!" and he laughed outright. - -"Not so loud," cautioned Phil, "or we'll rouse the place. Anything else, -Tom?" - -"Isn't that enough? But say, Sid, are you sure you weren't out?" - -"Of course I am. Ask Phil and Frank. They woke me up in bed." - -"That's right!" chorused the two. - -"I heard a noise," explained Phil, "and woke up. I was just in time to -see you going out of the room, Tom, and----" - -"That was when I was after Sid," Tom explained. - -"You mean you thought it was me," put in Sid. - -"Well, have it that way if you like. But if it wasn't you I chased, who -was it?" demanded Tom, after the manner of one propounding a difficult -riddle. - -"That's up to you to find out," spoke the Big Californian. "Are you sure -you _did_ see and follow someone, Tom?" - -"Of course I am. Do you think I'm crazy?" - -"I don't know," was Frank's simple remark. - -"There's something wrong," went on Sid, "but we can't get to the bottom -of it now. If there was someone in our room we want to know it." - -"Well, there was," declared Tom, positively. "_I_ know it!" - -"Anyhow, I saw you going out," resumed Phil. "I wondered what was up, -but I thought maybe you felt sick, and was going to the medicine -cabinet at the end of the corridor. So I went back to bed, and when you -didn't return in ten minutes I roused Sid and Frank." - -"And you found Sid in bed?" demanded Tom. - -"Sleeping like a babe--the result of an innocent conscience. Was it -not?" asked Sid, with an air of virtue. - -"Yes, little one," came from Phil, with a bow. - -"Then we all speculated on what could be the matter with you," added -Frank. - -"And we were about to organize a relief expedition, with six months' -supply of rations, and start out," was Sid's contribution. - -"When in you came prancing as though you had been out for a -constitutional," concluded Phil. - -"Telling us that you had been _exercising_," commented Sid, -sarcastically. "Talk about following _me_ in a suspicious manner, I -rather think the dancing slipper is on the other foot, my friend." - -"Well, this gets me!" confessed Tom, blankly. - -"Then it's the second time you've been gotten at this night," declared -Frank. "For Simond had you first." - -"Oh, he was decent about it," Tom said. "I don't believe anything will -come of it. I'm going to get to bed. It's as cold as Greenland here," -and he made a dive for his room. - -"What time is it, anyhow?" asked Sid with a yawn. "Did we take the -toothpick out of the alarm clock, I wonder?" - -The three of them glanced toward the table where the timepiece was wont -to tick. It was the custom to wind and set it before going to bed, -the last one to retire being charged with the duty of removing the -toothpick, which was used to silence the ticking that annoyed the chums -when they were studying. - -"Why--why--it's gone--gone!" gasped Tom, halting on his way to his room. - -"That's right!" chorused the others. - -"Tom Parsons, is this your joke?" demanded Sid, sternly. - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean did you take that clock away for a joke, and then, when you got -caught, made up that fake story about chasing me?" - -"I--did--not!" exclaimed Tom in such a manner that they could not help -believing him. - -"Then where is it?" demanded Frank. - -There was silence for several seconds, while the white-clad figures -regarded one another. Then Tom burst out with: - -"I have it!" - -"I thought you did," said Sid significantly. - -"No, you gump! I mean I have the solution. It was that chap who was in -here, and whom I took for you, Sid. He has our clock. I'll get it back!" - -Tom was about to rush out into the corridor, when Frank laid a -restraining hand on his shoulder. - -"Hold on, son," he began mildly. "There's been enough running around for -one night. It won't be healthy, for one thing, to do any more, for it -is beastly cold. And, for another, there is no use in running our heads -into a noose. Simond was decent, you say, Tom, and there's no sense in -putting it on him--rubbing it in, so to speak. We'll just lay low until -morning and then we'll get our clock. You say you know where it is?" - -"Well, I saw the fellow that was in here enter some room on the floor -above. I couldn't pick it out exactly, but I can come pretty near it." - -"That'll be all right. Who do you think it was?" - -"Dutch Housenlager!" declared Tom. - -"He doesn't room up there," retorted Phil. - -"Well, he may have slipped in some room up there to throw me off," said -Tom. - -"More likely it was Jerry Jackson," was Frank's opinion. "He was poking -fun at the clock yesterday." - -"As long as he doesn't poke anything more than fun at it, all right," -said Phil. "We're the only ones licensed to use toothpicks and -battle-axes on it." - -"Poor old clock," sighed Sid. "It does get abused, but still it is a -faithful friend. Remember the time that duffer--what was his name--took -out some of the wheels to make some machine he was crazy over? Remember -that?" - -"I should say so!" exclaimed Tom. "But this chap wasn't satisfied with a -single wheel--he wanted the whole works. I wonder who it could be?" - -"I shouldn't wonder but what the Snail had a hand in this," opined Phil. -"He's so fond of roaming about nights." - -"He stays over in the North dormitory now," declared Frank. "Besides, he -wouldn't get in here at this hour of the morning--at least I think it -must be near morning. The doors are locked after hours, you know. No, it -was someone from here all right, who took that clock." - -"And the nerve of 'em!" exclaimed Phil. - -"And to think Tom took that lad--whoever he was--for me," put in Sid. -"Did he really look like me?" - -"He sure did." - -"Maybe it was Bean Perkins," suggested Frank. - -"No, Bean wouldn't do a trick like that. He couldn't keep quiet enough," -declared Tom. "He'd want to give a class yell or sing a song in the -middle of it, and that would give it away. Say, but I have a scheme -though." - -"Out with it, and then let's get to bed," yawned Frank. - -"We won't say anything about this," spoke Tom, "and----" - -"Not say anything about it!" cried Sid. "Well, I guess we will! Think -we're going to let our clock disappear, and keep mum over it? I guess -not!" - -"I didn't mean that," explained Tom. "I meant that we'd not come out -boldly, and admit that we didn't know enough to keep our clock from -being taken. But to-morrow--at chapel--or whenever we can, we'll just -sneak up back of Dutch, the Jersey twins, or whoever else we suspect, -and say 'clock' to them. That will make the guilty one start, and we'll -have our man." - -"I see--a sort of detective stunt," remarked Frank. - -"Sort of," admitted Tom. - -"How would it do to make a noise like a tick," suggested Phil. - -"Say, I'm not joking," exclaimed Tom. - -"Neither am I," asserted Phil. "But let's be real mysterious about it, -and we'll get the guilty one so much more easily." - -"Oh, don't be silly!" snapped Tom, who, truth to tell, was getting a bit -short-tempered. - -"I'm not!" - -"Yes, you are!" - -"Say, let's all get back to bed, and fight this out in the morning," -suggested Frank, and they took his advice, though it was but a troubled -sleep that any of the four got the rest of that night. - -Talking it over by daylight they decided that Tom's plan might not be so -bad. Accordingly, they put it into practice. - -"Clock!" suddenly exclaimed Sid, as he slid up behind Dutch Housenlager -after chapel. "Tick-tock!" - -"Tag. You're it!" quickly responded Dutch. "What's the signal?" - -"You're not guilty, I see," spoke Sid, with a sigh. - -"Of course not. What's the answer?" - -"Someone took our clock last night." - -"Oh, that battered chronometer? Say, do you know what I thought?" - -"Couldn't guess it." - -"That you were trying to initiate me into a new secret society, and that -you were practicing the password--tick-tock!" - -"Nothing doing. Say, Dutch, if you hear of anyone who has it, tip me -off, will you?" - -"I sure will," and then, to show how much in earnest he was, Dutch -tripped Sid up and deposited him on the grass of the campus. - -Nor was Tom, or his other two chums any more successful. Each time they -tried the surprise plan on any suspect they received an answer that told -they were on the wrong track. - -And then, most unexpectedly, the clock came back, as it had done once -before. Wallops, the messenger, brought it. - -"I found it down in the furnace room," he explained. "It was on top of -one of the boilers." - -"Well, for the love of tripe!" cried Tom. "How in the world did it get -there?" - -"Our unknown visitor put it there," declared Frank. "Maybe he thought -we were on his track, and he took this method of getting rid of the -damaging evidence." - -And they had to let it go at that--at least for the time being, for all -their inquiries came to naught. - -"Everyone who wants to try for the varsity eight come down to the river -this afternoon," was the notice Captain Simpson posted on the bulletin -board the next day. He and the coach had had a conference, and it was -decided to try and definitely settle on the crew for the first boat. -Then the second choice could be made, and some practice races arranged. - -In order to be absolutely fair, Mr. Lighton and Mr. Pierson shifted -about those who had been rowing together. I mean Tom and the seven lads -with whom he was more closely associated than with any others--Sid, -Phil, Bricktop Molloy, Frank, Holly Cross, Dutch, and Kindlings. Jerry -was kept as coxswain in the new boat, but Tom, Phil, Holly and Dutch -were sent out in the old one, with Bean Perkins for steersman, while -four lads who had not been given much practice were imported into the -new shell with Frank, Sid, Kindlings and Bricktop Molloy. - -"Now, boys, see what you can do!" urged the coach. - -It was the first time the new shell had been tried, and it was found -fully up to expectations. But it was a little differently made from the -old one, and this made the lads a bit awkward in it. However, they rowed -fairly well, though in a short trial race the old shell came out ahead. - -"We'll do some more shifting," decided Mr. Lighton, and he and Mr. -Pierson tried different combinations, but still separating the eight -lads who had rowed together from the start. - -This was kept up for some days, the lads all, meanwhile, being on -training. But when a week had passed, and the old and new boats had -see-sawed back and forth, first one winning and then the other, Mr. -Lighton shook his head in doubt. - -"Something is wrong," he said. "We'll never be able to pick a varsity -crew of either of them. We need a consistent winner." - -"That is right," agreed Mr. Pierson. "Why not try the same eight you -had at first--the four lads whom I coached this Summer, and their four -intimate friends? I fancy they would do better together in the new boat." - -"We'll try it," assented the coach. - -The result was an improvement at once. Even with the awkwardness of the -new shell as a handicap, Tom and his seven friends at once opened water -between their craft and the other one. And it was not surprising when -you consider that they had had considerable practice together, and had -played baseball and football through several college seasons. - -"I think that's the varsity crew all right," declared Mr. Pierson, after -watching the test. - -"I agree with you--unless something unforeseen occurs," said Mr. -Lighton. "Now we must give some attention to the others in the fours, -singles and doubles." - -Practice in these craft had been going steadily on, and in time the -crews that were to try to make Randall the champion were picked, -subject, of course, to change, a number of substitutes being arranged -for. - -Word came that the Boxer Hall and Fairview varsity crews in the -different shells were doing hard work. They had the advantage of not -having to pick new and somewhat green crews. But the spirit of Randall -was not affected by this. - -"Now, boys!" exclaimed Mr. Lighton one afternoon, when the two eights -had gone out for a practice race. "I want you to do your best. Row -hard! Try to imagine you're in a race. Row hard, everybody!" - -"There may be a race if those fellows will consent to a brush with us," -said Bricktop to Frank, as he looked down the river and saw the Boxer -Hall eight approaching. "I wonder if we can chance it--to see which of -our boats would win." - -"I guess so," assented Frank. - -"Silence in the boat!" cried Coxswain Jackson. "Save your breath to row -with!" - -"Sure he's getting to be a regular fussing martinet!" declared Bricktop, -with a smile. - -"Silence in the boat!" commanded Jerry again, and he meant it. Meanwhile -the Boxer Hall eight came sweeping on. Would she give Randall an -impromptu race? - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -A BRUSH WITH BOXER - - -"What do you think about it, boys?" called Mr. Lighton, from the launch -where he and Mr. Pierson were sitting to do the coaching as they glided -along. "Do you want to try it?" - -"Sure thing!" answered Tom. - -"Of course," assented Pete Backus, from the second eight. - -"All right. Just row along then, and don't make any allusion to a race," -advised Mr. Lighton. "If they want to pick up and come in, let them. -Only--don't let them win!" he added, significantly. "Even if it is only -a friendly brush." - -"Let them win! I should say not!" declared Frank. "Be ready to pick me -up quick now, fellows, when Jerry gives the word to spurt." - -"Aye, aye, sir!" echoed Bricktop Molloy, from his position behind the -stroke oar. - -"And say, we don't want to let those fellows do us, either," went on -Percy Pineford, coxswain of the second eight. "Let's beat the varsity -and Boxer Hall, too." - -"If we can," remarked Harry Chapin, who was at stroke. - -"We can if you'll pull hard enough and fast enough," retorted the -coxswain. - -"Naturally. That's as easy as _pons asinorum_ to say, but not so easy to -do," commented number six--Billie Burden. - -"Say, if you lads want to have any breath left for rowing you'd better -stop talking," commented the coach, and after that there was silence in -the varsity as well as in the second eight. - -On came Boxer Hall, and not a Randall lad but envied their long, -powerful stroke, so evenly done, and with such seeming power back of it. -But Boxer Hall had been turning out winning crews for several years, and -they had had much practice. - -But, with all that, as Mr. Lighton and Mr. Pierson watched the two crews -of Randall, out of whose numbers they hoped would come a varsity winner, -the head coach remarked: - -"Our boys do very well." - -"Very well indeed," responded the Cornell man. "In fact I like their -stroke better than that of Boxer Hall's. It is likely to last longer, -and is not so tiring. Our boys feather better, too." - -"Yes, thanks to your instruction this Summer to Tom Parsons and his -three chums. Four good rowers in a boat help to put it in the champion -class." - -If it was the intention of Boxer Hall to indulge in a race with our -friends the river champions gave no intention of it at this time. They -rowed on slowly, being some distance down the stream. The water was wide -at this point, and there was room for several craft abreast, even with -the long oars in the outriggers which set well out over the gunwales. - -"Watch out for a sudden spurt," advised Frank, in a low voice to Jerry, -who nodded in his coxswain's seat, and got the tiller ropes in a firm -grasp. - -Boxer Hall was known to be foxy, and if she could creep up on her rival, -and, by a sudden increase in the stroke, gain such an advantage that -Randall would find it hard to overcome the lead obtained, it would look -as though our friends were outclassed. But there were wise boys at -Randall, too. - -The two Randall eights--the old and the new--had separated to allow -Boxer Hall to come between them, if it was her desire to have a friendly -brush. At first it seemed as though Boxer would decline, but, at the -last moment, the course of the boat was changed, and she shot straight -for the open water between the other two craft. - -"Now for it!" murmured Jerry in a low voice. "Be ready, fellows!" - -Hardly had he spoken when, at a shout from their coxswain, the Boxer -rowers suddenly increased their stroke. They had waited until almost on -even terms with the other two boats, and evidently hoped to catch our -friends unawares. - -But they reckoned without their host, for Jerry and his fellow coxswain -gave the order to increase, and the sixteen lads responded nobly. - -Only for an instant did Boxer Hall hold her advantage. She did shoot -ahead, but in a moment her two rivals were on even terms with her, and -there they hung for more than a minute. - -"Well, it didn't work--did it?" called Jerry over to Pinky Davenport, -who had succeeded Dave Ogden as coxswain of the Boxer eight. - -"What didn't work?" asked Pinky, innocently. - -"Oh, you didn't jump us," and Jerry laughed, for he saw by the confused -look on his rival's face, as well as on the countenances of the others -that their little trick--fair enough in its way--had been discovered. - -But if Randall hoped to have matters all her own way, or even remain on -even terms, she was much mistaken. For a time the impromptu brush had -all the appearances of a real race, and the three boats seemingly tried -as hard to win as though the championship of the river depended on it. - -Then the second eight began falling behind. The lads made a gallant -effort to keep up, but the grind was too much for them. - -"It's up to us now!" declared Jerry, in a low voice. "I'm going to push -you fellows!" and he set the stroke at a heart-breaking pace. - -His lads stood the "gaff" for a while, and then, noting the distress on -the faces of several, Jerry, much against his will, had to lower the -rapidity of the stroke. - -Boxer Hall had held pace with her rival, giving them stroke for stroke, -and now as Pinky saw his opponents in distress, he called for a quick -spurt. And to the credit of Boxer Hall, be it said that her men -responded in excellent style. They kept up the pace until, in a swirl of -water, they had passed the varsity Randall eight, leaving that and the -second craft behind. And then, to show that they had their nerve with -them, the Boxer Hall rowers did not let up for another minute, sending -their craft on at racing speed, even after they had won, and Randall was -resting on her oars, completely "tuckered out." - -It was a bad beating for Randall, and the faces of the two coaches as -they came up in their launch showed the disappointment they felt. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -FAINT HEARTS - - -"Pretty punk; wasn't it?" - -"Regular ice wagon as far as we were concerned." - -"I didn't think they had that spurt in 'em." - -"And yet we seemed to be rowing pretty well. I guess it takes more than -one season to make a winning eight." - -Silence followed these discouraging observations on the part of the four -inseparables as they sat in their room the evening following the beating -of the first and second shells by the Boxer Hall crew. There had been a -meeting of the coaches with the Randall rowers immediately after coming -off the water, and several plans had been talked over, involving a -shifting of the crews. But in the end it was decided to wait another day -or so. - -There was no disputing the fact that Randall had expected at least the -varsity boat to keep up to, if not beat, their rival. And they had -failed. It was a bitter pill to swallow, with the time of the regatta so -close at hand. - -"It sure was rotten," said Tom musingly, as he sat staring vacantly at -nothing. No one took the trouble to comment on his last remark. They had -about exhausted their stock of bitter reflections and observations. - -"Something's got to be done," went on Tom. Still no one answered him. -The fussy little alarm clock ticked on, as though trying to be cheerful -in the midst of all that gloom. It was as though it said: - - "Cheer--up--I'm--here-- - You'll--win--next--year!" - -"I wonder what we can do?" Tom mused on. - -Sid shifted uneasily in one of the easy chairs. Phil duplicated in the -other. Frank turned to a more comfortable position on the old sofa, -thereby bringing forth creaks, groans and vibrations of protest from the -ancient piece. Tom was trying to get used to an old steamer chair, that -had been picked up, with other relics, at an auction held by a retiring -senior the previous June, but as the chair had lost one leg, which had -been replaced by part of a Turkish rocker, and as the foot-rest had, in -some former day, been broken off and put back upside down, Tom's effort -to be at ease was more or less of a failure. - -"Something has got to be done!" went on the pitcher. Once more the -silence. - -"Say, for the love of tripe!" Tom finally burst out. "Have none of you -any tongues?" - -He sat up so suddenly that the steamer chair, probably rotted by too -much salt air on many voyages, collapsed, letting him down with a bump, -and raising a cloud of dust from the old rug. - -"Good!" cried Phil. - -"See if you can do it again," urged Sid. "Frank had his head turned, and -didn't see it all." - -"Yes, do," begged the Big Californian, chuckling. - -"Humph!" grunted Tom. "I thought I'd make you find your tongues -somehow--you bunch of mourners!" and he limped across the room, to lean -against the mantle, surveying the wreck of the chair. - -"Hurt yourself much?" asked Phil, solicitously. - -"A heap you fellows'd care," was the retort. - -"Think you can row?" Sid wanted to know. - -"What's the good of rowing if Boxer walks away from us like that?" -demanded Tom, fiercely. "That's what I've been putting up to you fellows -all evening, and you never opened your mouths. We're going to lose, I -can see that. What's the good of trying?" - -He was so bitter--it was so unlike Tom's usually cheery self--that his -chums looked at one another in some alarm. As the pitcher went to the -bathroom to get some arnica for a slight bruise that had resulted from -the chair's collapse, Sid murmured: - -"I guess Boswell has gotten on his nerves." - -"How Boswell?" asked Frank. - -"Ruth," Sid further enlightened him. - -"Don't you believe it," broke in Phil. "Sis wouldn't have anything to do -with Bossy, while Tom was around." - -"Talking about me?" suspiciously demanded the tall pitcher, entering the -room at that moment. - -"Oh, nothing serious," replied Phil, coolly. "We were just wondering -what gave you the grouch." - -"Grouch! Wouldn't anyone have a grouch if he'd practiced in the shell -all Summer, and rowed his heart out, only to be beaten by Boxer--and not -in a regular race, either? Wouldn't he?" - -"You're no worse off than the rest of us," declared Frank, sharply. "We -feel it just as badly as you do, Tom." - -"You don't act so. You've been sitting here as mum as oysters!" came -the bitter retort. It was the nearest in a long time Tom had come to a -breach with his chums. - -"What was the good of talking?" asked Sid. "Talking and shooting off a -lot of hot air isn't going to make the varsity eight the head of the -river; is it?" - -"No, but you might find some way of doing it if you said something, -instead of acting like Sphinxes," snapped Tom. - -"I wonder if that chair can be fixed?" broke in Phil, anxious to turn -the subject, for matters were being strained to the breaking point. "You -sure did come down with an awful crash, Tom. Poor old chair! I'm glad it -wasn't one of our good ones." - -"Good ones!" cried Tom, who had bid in the steamer affair at the -auction, much against the wishes of his chums. "Say, this has those -other ancient arks beaten a mile," and stooping over he began trying to -solve the twisted puzzle of the arms, legs and foot-rest that seemed to -have gotten into an inextricable tangle. - -"Oh, I give it up!" he cried, after several unsuccessful efforts. "We'll -let one of the janitors play doctor," and he laughed. - -"That sounds better!" exclaimed Phil. - -"It would sound better if we had won to-day," went on Tom. "Why in the -name of the binomial theorem couldn't we?" - -"The answer is easy," spoke Frank. "They've had more practice than we -have, they pull better, they have more power; three things that they -excel us in. What's the result? Power, practice and skill added together -equal a win." - -"But isn't there any way we can get those three things?" demanded Tom -fretfully. - -"Next year, maybe," assented Phil. - -"We've got to get 'em this year!" cried Tom, smiting his open palm with -his clenched fist. "I won't admit we can't get 'em. We've got to beat -Boxer Hall and Fairview, and we've got to get in condition in the next -two weeks! Do you fellows hear? We've got to double up on our work! -We--we----" - -"Hear! Hear!" broke in the voice of Bricktop Molloy, as he entered the -room at that moment. "What's all the row about? Tommy, me lad, you're -getting to be a regular orator, so ye are!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -THE REGATTA - - -"Come on in, Bricktop, and help us settle the row," invited Sid. - -"Row! I should say so!" cried the red-haired lad. "Who's been breakin' -up th' furniture?" and he dropped into his broadest brogue. - -"Tom here," laughed Frank. "He isn't satisfied with the way the eight -rowed to-day." - -"Faith! an' I guess none of us are," replied Bricktop. And then the five -students fell to discussing the matter from all viewpoints. Presently -Holly Cross dropped in, and then Kindlings, so with nearly the whole -varsity crew present the room was well filled. - -There were opinions _pro_ and _con_, there were periods of doubt, to be -succeeded by others of some hope. And the result of it all was that they -decided they had underestimated Boxer Hall's prowess, and would have to -"perk-up" and do more and harder practice in the time that was left. - -Communicating this decision to Mr. Lighton the next morning, the lads -found that he agreed with them. - -"Mr. Pierson and I have talked it over," he said, "and we have come to -the conclusion that to make a shift in the varsity eight now would be -fatal. We must stand or fall by what we have. It is too late now. And, -mind you, I am not so sure that even if there was more time that I would -make a shift. I'm certain, in my own mind, that we have a championship -boat. Now it's up to you lads to confirm my belief in you." - -"And we will!" cried Tom, a sentiment that was echoed by his chums. - -Then began at Randall a period of hard and exacting practice, such as -had never been known before. The two coaches were fairly overworked, for -by this time the first of the football squads was beginning to form. -Many of the rowing lads were to play on the gridiron, but they were -cautioned only to do light practice until after the regatta, as it would -not do to have them overtrained. - -The weather was exceptionally warm that September, just right for rowing -and a little too close for heavy football work, so in one way Randall -had an advantage as regards her crews. It was an advantage, though, -shared by her rivals, for both Boxer Hall and Fairview had made up their -separate minds to be champion of the river. - -Boxer Hall, to be sure, now held this title, having defeated Fairview -in the annual water sports in the Spring. But now with the new triple -league formed, the title of "champion" was more or less uncertain. Not -until this Fall regatta could it be definitely settled. - -It had been decided to follow the same rules and customs as obtained -between Boxer and Fairview. That is, there were to be a certain number -of races--singles, doubles, the four, and the eight-oared shells, and -the count was to be as follows: - -A total of twenty points was decided on. Winning the eight-oared contest -would count ten, the single shells would add two points, the double -would count as three and the four would secure five. So that it can -easily be seen that the winning of the eight-oared race meant much. Of -course if one college should come out ahead in the singles, doubles and -four-oared races she would have ten points, and should another win the -eight, the score would be tied. But the possibility of this was remote. - -In addition there was to be a tub race, which would not count in the -championship, but for which several prizes were offered. - -But if Randall worked hard, so did her rivals. From the other two -colleges came news of cross-country runs for the improvement of the wind -of the rowers. The training was reduced to a more scientific basis. -It was even rumored that Boxer Hall had imported a well-known physical -instructor to assist the coach. And Fairview had summoned a number of -old graduates, who had made their marks while at college, to assist in -turning out a championship crew or crews. - -Though the other races were regarded as important, most of the interest -centered in the eight. Little was heard but about this shell, which in -a way, perhaps, was unfair to the other rowers, who were practicing -faithfully. - -Much was heard about the advantage Boxer Hall and Fairview possessed, in -that they had been rowing on the river for years. In a measure this was -true, and Randall was under somewhat of a handicap in this respect. - -Yet, in another way, it was a good thing, for Randall came into the -game fresh, without any preconceived notions, and her boys had learned -what they knew from the ground up. They were not hampered by college -traditions as regards a certain stroke, and Mr. Lighton and Mr. Pierson -had developed a logical one--differing somewhat from either Boxer Hall's -or Fairview's--a combination of the two, modeled after the famous -Cornell stroke. - -And how Tom and his chums did work, train and practice! Lessons suffered -in a way, but the lads were well enough along in college now to know -that they could make them up that Winter. And Dr. Churchill, bless his -big heart! Dr. Churchill was not too inquiring. On one occasion Prof. -Emerson Tines went to the head of the school to complain that he would -have to condition a number of his Latin pupils unless their work showed -improvement. - -"And most of them, my dear Dr. Churchill," he said, "are of the boating -class. A lot of foolishness--a mere waste of time. It was bad enough -with baseball and football, but now that rowing has started, it is worse -than ever. I wish those old graduates had never made their gift!" - -"Tut! Tut! My dear Professor!" remonstrated Dr. Churchill. "Rowing is -a form of exercise that develops muscles never brought to the owner's -attention in any other way. I have been reading up on the subject since -the eleven has taken to the shell, and I find that the ancient Romans, -in their galleys, had rowing down to a perfection rarely attained -to-day. It is an ancient and honest sport, and I'm sure I hope our -nine will win the regatta," and then, good old soul, unaware that he -had mixed the football and baseball squads most woefully with the -crew, turned to his work on his dictionary, which to-be-famous work -had progressed as far as the Cha. to Dem. volume, and bade fair to be -completed in about fifty years, but Dr. Churchill did not think of that. - -The chums were all tired enough this night to sleep, as Sid put it, -without being rocked. They had retired early, for there was to be sharp -practice the next day. - -Lessons had been gone over, with as much attention as it was possible to -concentrate on them, considering all that was going on, the alarm clock -had been relieved of the "toothpick in its appendix," as Tom remarked, -and it was cheerfully ticking away. - -"Queer about that time the clock disappeared, when someone came in our -room, and you took him for me; isn't it, Tom?" asked Sid, as he got his -shaving apparatus in shape for quick use the next morning. - -"It sure is. We've never had another visit from the unknown." - -"And I hope we don't," put in Phil. - -"Say, did you hear the latest?" asked Frank, as he untied the string of -his shoe. - -"No, is there going to be another shift in the varsity boat?" asked Phil. - -"No, but a lot of the fellows have been missing little things from their -rooms; scarf pins and the like. And the funny part of it is that it's -all on the next floor of our dormitory. A regular epidemic, one of the -fellows was telling me." - -"Have we a kleptomaniac among us?" demanded Sid. - -"Maybe it's one of the new janitors," suggested Tom. "There's one that -has a bad eye." - -"Well, as long as they stay off this floor, we'll be all right," -asserted Sid. "Only we'd better keep our valuables locked up." - -"Anyhow, they can't take the old chairs and sofa," remarked Frank with a -chuckle. "They're too heavy." - -It seemed to be Tom's fate to see the end of the little happening, as it -had been his to note the beginning. Late that night he was awakened by -a noise in the main apartment. At first he paid no attention to it, and -then, as he heard the rustle of papers, he thought of the time he had -followed, as he thought, Sid, in the dark, cold corridors. - -"By Jove!" he exclaimed to himself, as he sat up without making the bed -creak. "He's at it again! And this time I'm going to find out who it is!" - -Softly he crept to the door of his room. He saw the same white-clad -figure as before, standing near the window. This time he knew it was not -Sid, although the two looked much alike. The only sound was the ticking -of the alarm clock. - -Then, as Tom watched, the figure approached the table once more. The -change in the tone of the ticking of the clock told Tom what had -happened. - -"He's got our clock!" thought Tom. "Here is where I catch him -red-handed, so to speak." - -The figure glided from the door into the hallway, and Tom followed, -pausing but a moment to make sure that his three chums were in their -beds. From their opened doors the sounds of three different styles of -breathing assured him of this. Then he glided on. - -Once more he followed the white-robed figure until it ascended the -stairs to the story above, but this time Tom was close behind when the -door opened. - -"Hold on there!" exclaimed Tom, as the portal was about to close, and -reaching forward he laid his hand on the shoulder of a student. "I'll -trouble you for our clock!" said Tom, sternly. - -Then he got one of the surprises of his life. With a startled cry the -lad he had grabbed turned about, and his widely opened eyes suddenly -changed their expression--changed so queerly that Tom knew he had the -solution of the mystery. - -"A sleep-walker!" he gasped, as he recognized Harry Johnson, one of the -Juniors who did not enter much into the sporting life of Randall. "He's -been doing this in his sleep!" - -"What--what is it--where--have I? Oh, I've been at it again!" gasped the -lad as he was aroused. "I beg your pardon, Parsons. Hope I haven't done -anything very bad this time." - -"Nothing but our clock, old man. Are you in the habit of doing this?" - -"Not often, though the spell does come on me once in a while. It's a -relic of my childhood days. And so I went to your room and took your -clock?" - -"Yes. This is the second time. Do you recall the first?" - -"Not in the least. And yet I must have done so if you saw me. Probably -some night later I went down in the cellar with it and put it on the -furnace. Say, I'm mighty sorry." - -"That's all right. Better lock your door after this." - -"I will. Come in, and tell me what a fool I made of myself." - -Tom, who had on a warm bath robe this time, consented, and in a whisper -related the details of the first occurrence. Johnson was contrite, and -admitted that it must have been he who had taken the clock, though in -his waking hours he recalled nothing of it. - -"It must have been the tick that attracted me," he explained. "Well, I -guess I'd better take some treatment. Have a glass of ginger ale?" - -"Don't care if I do, though it's breaking training." - -As Johnson got a bottle from a closet he uttered an exclamation of -surprise. - -"Look here!" he called to Tom. "Where did these things come from?" and -in the bottom of a little case, where the bottles had been, he pointed -to a collection of things. - -"By Jove!" cried Tom. "I've solved the other mystery! You've been taking -this stuff in your sleep!" - -And so poor Johnson had. There was found all the articles missing from -the rooms of various students. Johnson had, in his sleep, entered and -taken them, concealing them in a closet, and, in his waking hours, -forgetting about them. They were returned the next morning, with -suitable apologies, and the matter was quietly dropped, for the students -all understood how it could have happened. Johnson consulted a doctor, -and was soon cured of his propensity to night wanderings. - -"Well, I'm glad I solved the mystery, since I started it," remarked Tom -the next morning. - -Day after day passed, and the crews of the eights, as well as the other -rowers, fairly lived on the river. The weather was remarkably fine, -which was in their favor. Day after day the practice and training were -kept up, and the coaches were faithful. A number of the old graduates -who had been instrumental in providing the gift, came to Randall, and -offered suggestions, some of which, being valuable, were adopted. - -And then the natural result followed all this hard work. The time of -the eight, especially, began to improve. The boys rowed with more snap -and vigor. They could stand the "gaff" better, and when Jerry Jackson, -sitting crouched up in his coxswain's seat, called for a spurt, there -were not so many "bellows to mend" in the shape of panting lads, as -there had been. - -"We're coming on!" cried Mr. Lighton proudly, at the close of an -exciting brush between the first and second boats one day, when the -varsity had won. "We're coming on!" - -"If we can only keep it up," breathed Frank, who, being captain of the -eight, as well as stroke, felt his responsibility. - -"Oh, we'll do it, old man," declared Tom, and he succeeded in infusing -some of his spirit into his chums. The faint hearts of the weeks before -had become strong. - -"But you boys needn't think you are going to win!" declared Ruth, when -the four lads called on the four girls about a week prior to the date -set for the regatta. "We have a championship crew in the eight, if -nowhere else." - -"Never!" cried Tom. "We're going to win the eight if we lose everything -else; eh, fellows?" - -"That's what!" his chums chorused. - -"Anyhow, I'm glad of one thing," remarked Ruth, in a low voice to Tom, -"Phil is so interested in this rowing game that he hasn't said a word -about my lost brooch. The other day I had on the new pin I bought to -take its place, and he stared at it without making a remark. But, oh, -Tom! I wonder if we'll ever find it?" - -"It doesn't look so--not now," replied Tom, mournfully. - -"Never mind," she consoled him. "We did our best." - -"And lost out by a narrow squeak," thought Tom to himself, recalling the -pawn tickets and other clues that had gone for naught. The police had -not been able to get a trace of either Mendez or Blasdell, nor had the -missing pawnbroker been found. - -Finally the great day came. The last practice had been held, the lads, -not only of Randall, but at the rival colleges, were "trained to the -minute." The coaches had made their last appeals. - -"Well, fellows, to-morrow tells the tale," said Frank to his seven -chums, on the night before regatta-day. They had all met in the -gymnasium for a final conference with Mr. Lighton, and had partaken of a -light lunch. - -"I'm as nervous as a cat," declared Sid. - -"Don't you dare be!" exclaimed the captain of the eight. "But if you -must be--be it now, and steady up for to-morrow. Now off to bed, and -everybody sleep soundly." - -And then regatta-day broke--calm, with a bright sun overhead, a hint -of Fall coolness in the air that sent a little tingle through the -blood--just the day for the races. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -A CLOSE FINISH - - -"Come on now, fellows, hit her up again! All together and I want every -man to sing! Ready now!" and Bean Perkins, the official cheer-leader, -the "shouter" of Randall, signalled with his megaphone to his cohorts -who were lined up near the boathouse, in and around which the -various crews or single-shell men were gathered. "Tear it out now!" -commanded Bean, and that glorious old Latin song--"_Aut Vincere, Aut -Mori!_"--"Either We Conquer or We Die!" welled out over the river. It -was the song that, time and again, had urged Randall on to victory. -Would it once more? - -"When are we going to start?" asked Tom, as he walked back and forth on -the float, clad in rowing togs, as were a score of others, for a number -of substitutes had been provided. - -"Don't get nervous now, old man," advised Frank. "The shell will be in -the water soon, and then we'll go down to the starting point. They're -going to run off all the other races first, you know. We're last. We've -got more than hour yet. Better get on a sweater and a blanket, you might -be chilly. You fellows do the same thing," he commanded, to his crew. - -"I wish we were going in first--and get it over with," said Sid. "This -waiting----" - -"Say, cut it out!" cried Frank. "If you fellows want to have a case of -nerves go off by yourselves somewhere. I want to watch the other races." - -"I think our fellows have a good chance in the four," said Dan Woodhouse. - -"We've got a good chance in everything--do you hear that, me boy?" cried -Bricktop, in his rich brogue. "We're going to win everything! Just -because you're in the eight you mustn't be selfish." - -"I'm not, only----" - -"Here comes our four!" interrupted Frank. "A cheer for 'em, boys!" and -the echoes vibrated as the rallying cry went forth. - -"Come on now, fellows," cried Bean, dancing about, the colors of Randall -on his megaphone fluttering in the wind. "All yell-- - - "We can row you on the water, - We can race you on the land. - We can wallop you at football - And at baseball beat the band! - -"That's us--Randall!" and the song and cry sent the members of the -four-oared crew rejoicing on their way. They were Joe Jackson--Jerry's -twin brother--Bert Trendell, Pete Backus and Sam Terry. - -Early in the season Bean Perkins had been picked for the four, but he -had not made good. Anyhow, he declared, he could help Randall more with -yelling than any other way, and many agreed with him, for Bean was -certainly a "shouter." - -The river presented a gay scene. It was fairly covered with boats, until -it seemed an impossibility that a race could be held. But the course had -been marked off, and soon the boats of the officials would patrol the -water-pathway and clear it. - -Owing to the different lengths of the various races, several starting -points had been selected, and the races had been timed so that the -crowds could get from one to the other to watch the beginning if they -desired. Of course the eight-oared race was the longest--three miles in -this case, since the course of the river, narrowing as it did at several -points, did not offer any longer course at any place available to the -colleges. And three eight-oared shells take up considerable room abreast. - -Launches, rowboats, and a sailboat or two, made up the craft holding the -spectators. In addition the banks of the river, for a mile or more, -were gay with those who had come to witness the aquatic sports. The -finish of all the races was to be at the Randall boathouse. This had -been decided by lot, and our friends had been lucky. They were glad, -too, since they could offer the hospitality of their new building -to their rivals. And, in a way, Fairview and Boxer were glad, as -their boathouses were rather ancient, and could accommodate only a -comparatively few guests, while Randall's was large and roomy. - -Fairview and Boxer Hall had their crews or individual rowers nearly all -assembled. A few were not yet on hand, and some of the shells had not -yet arrived. But all was in readiness for the three-cornered four-oared -shell contest. - -"Say, who's going to win?" challenged Tom of Ruth, for the girls, as you -may well suppose, had been provided with choice places by our friends, -where they could see all the finishes well. - -"Who's going to win?" repeated Madge Tyler. "Why, we are, of course! See -our colors?" and she flaunted them in Tom's face. - -He looked at Ruth, and beneath a bow of the ribbon of the hues of -Fairview, Tom caught a glimpse of his own college colors--a tiny bow. -Ruth saw his glance, smiled and--blushed. - -"You may win some, but the eight comes to us!" declared Sid. - -"Oh, aren't we the sure ones, though!" mocked Helen Newton. - -"Wait until it's all over," advised Mabel Harrison. - -"They're going to start!" suddenly cried Madge, as the three four-oared -shells moved off down the stream. - -"No, they're only going to the starting point," said Frank. "This is -only a mile race, and they decided to row down to it instead of being -towed, so as to get a little warm-up practice. I thought it would be a -good thing for our crew to row down to the start, but Mr. Lighton says -he has provided a launch for us, and the shell will be towed." - -"I wish it was all over," murmured Tom. - -"So do I," agreed Ruth, in a low voice. - -"Come on now, boys! Another song!" demanded Bean Perkins, and the -strains welled forth. - -"Three cheers for Boxer Hall!" came the demand, and it was given with a -will. - -"Three big ones for Fairview!" called an adherent of that co-educational -institution. - -The four-oared crews, selected after much elimination work, were -approaching their starting point. They were out of sight of those at -the boathouse now, and it would be a little time before they appeared, -rowing to the finish line. - -The band began to play. There was gay laughter and talk, and some -nervous walking about by those lads who were to race next. The course -had been cleared, though now and then some craft would trespass on it, -to be hustled out of the way by the official boats. - -It seemed an almost interminable time before the shout sounded: - -"Here they come!" - -There was a craning forward by all. Many who had fieldglasses used them. -Ruth produced a pair. - -"Who's leading?" begged Tom, in an agony of doubt. - -"Fairview!" she replied. - -"No, really?" and he almost grabbed the binoculars from her hands. -"That's right," he admitted, grimly. "But our boys are pulling strong." - -"If they can only win!" breathed Sid. - -"Keep still!" commanded Phil, whose nerves, as were those of his chums, -were at a tension. - -Cheers began to drift along the shore, coming from the crowds lining the -banks. - -"Randall has pulled up!" cried Sid. "Our boys are rowing strong!" - -"They've got a ways to go to finish," murmured Tom. "Oh, if they can -last it out!" - -Randall had a good lead now, and it was seen that Fairview was splashing -badly. It developed later that two of her four-oared crew were -overtrained--they could not stand the heart-breaking strain at the -finish. - -"Come on, you Randall! Come on!" was the cry. - -"Boxer's creeping up!" - -"No, Randall's taken a spurt!" - -Conflicting were the cries. The boats were see-sawing now. They were -getting nearer and nearer to the finish line. The crowds leaned forward. -Pandemonium broke loose. All three colleges were being cheered. - -"It's going to be a tie!" yelled Phil, as he pointed to the Boxer and -Randall shells, now almost bow and bow. "A dead heat! Fairview is out of -it!" - -"Come on, boys!" implored Tom, stretching out his hands as though to -pull their shell forward. - -There came a momentary hush. Then a great roar broke out. - -"Boxer! Boxer Hall wins! Wow, look at that spurt!" - -And, with sinking hearts, our friends watched their rival's shell dart -over the line, a winner by a bare quarter of a length--but still a -winner. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -THE TUB RACE - - -Randall's adherents seemed stunned at first. They had been so sure of -winning when the two fours swept up to the finish line, with Randall so -close to Boxer, that, when victory was snatched from their very grasp, -it seemed hard indeed. No one knew what to do, while the victors rested -on their oars, justifiable smiles of triumph on their faces. - -As for the losers, they hung their heads dejectedly, and that tears of -mortification came into their eyes is not to their shame. - -Then Tom Parsons found himself, and cried out: - -"Three cheers for Boxer Hall! It was a good win!" - -"That's right," echoed Sid Henderson. - -And the cheers were given, none the less hearty because they came from -the defeated side. - -"Clear the course!" came the command from the judges' boat, and then -came the formal announcement of Boxer winning. She had five points to -her credit now. - -The Fairview lads, in the bitterness of their hearts, for they realized -that it was overtraining, and, in a way, over-confidence that had made -them third, rowed up to the float, disembarked and walked away in -silence--at least there was silence until Bean Perkins yelled: - -"Three cheers for Fairview--she knows how to take a licking the same as -Randall!" - -And at once the river echoed the cheers. - -"Well, you did us that time, Boxer!" went on Bean. "But our time will -come--we're going to do you in the eight." - -"Not if we know it," retorted Pinky Davenport. - -"Oh, I'm so sorry--for you, Tom," breathed Ruth, as the tall pitcher -stood close beside her on the balcony of the boathouse. "Does it bother -you much?" - -"Well, of course I'd like to have seen our four win," he replied, "but -it doesn't bother me. It only makes me mad. We'll win that eight if we -have to break every oar." - -"Don't do that, Tom, old man," advised Frank, who heard this last. -"Breaking an oar is worse than catching a crab. It will lose us the race -sure. Be moderate." - -"It's hard, after all the work we did," complained Sid. - -"But look at it," put in Phil. "We beat Fairview, and that's something -for a green crew to do." - -"So we did!" exclaimed Sid, brightening up. - -"Awfully sweet of you to remind us of it," said Madge, making a little -bow. - -"Oh--er--I didn't mean it that way," stammered Sid. "I didn't think." - -"We'll forgive you," spoke Mabel, gently. - -The single races were to have come next, but at the last moment it was -discovered that one of the outriggers on the shell to be used by the -Boxer Hall contestant was split, so a halt was called until he could get -out one of the spare Randall boats. Then he was allowed a half hour to -"get acquainted with his craft," this being generously allowed by the -other two colleges. - -"The tub race! Have the tub race now!" came the general cry, and as none -of the other competitors wished to fill in the vacant time, and as the -tub race would not count in points, it was decided to advance that on -the program. - -Accordingly, a number of washtubs, of good size, which had been -provided, were brought forward. There were to be two contestants from -each college, making six that would compete for first and second prizes, -in the shape of silver cups. - -Snail Looper and Dutch Housenlager were to represent Randall, Dutch -being the only regular rower who dared to brave the laughter of the -crowd. - -"Why shouldn't I?" he demanded, when questioned. "It'll be fun, and it -will keep me from thinking of the big race. Besides, I think it will be -good exercise, and I'm heavy enough to weight my tub down in the water, -and that's a point. It won't turn so easily." - -"Well, don't strain yourself, that's all," counseled Mr. Lighton. "We -don't want any slip-up in the eight-oared race just because you want -some fun." - -"Oh, sure, I'll be careful!" promised Dutch, making a playful grab for -Sid, who jumped back, thereby nearly upsetting an elderly gentleman who -was sitting near the edge of the balcony to see the sports. - -"Careful! Careful!" he exclaimed testily. - -"Look out what you're doing, Dutch!" warned Tom. "He's one of the -committee that gave us this rowing outfit. He'll get you down on his bad -books if you don't look out." - -"Just my luck!" cried Dutch, ruefully. - -"Tub racers this way!" cried the starter. "Lively now!" - -With but a single paddle to propel them on, the six lads, amid much -laughter, took their places in the tubs. They were to paddle to a stake -boat, about half way across the river, turn there, and come back. - -Anyone who has seen a tub race knows how almost impossible it is to -prevent the craft from whirling about. It doesn't seem to want to -advance in a straight line. This was the case here, and when the lads -started off it was only to go swirling madly about in concentric circles. - -"Go the other way!" was shouted at them. - -"Yes, reverse--you'll get dizzy!" - -"Waltz me around again, Dutchy!" called Tom to Housenlager. - -"You watch!" he shouted back. "I'm going to win!" - -And it did seem as though he had a good chance. Whether it was his -weight, or the way in which he used the paddle, was not manifested, but -he certainly forged ahead. - -He managed to turn the stake-boat first, though Snail Looper was a close -second. Boxer Hall was out of it in this race, her two representatives -seemingly not able to do much. But the two Fairview lads were pressing -Dutch and Snail closely. - -"Here I come! Here I come!" cried Dutch, as, amid increased laughter, -the four lads neared the finishing line close to the float. But he did -not see how near one of the Fairview lads was to him. - -Then one of the latter tubs collided with that of Dutch. He uttered a -surprised exclamation, turned to look, and his paddle slipped from his -grasp. - -[Illustration: THEN ONE OF THE LATTER TUBS COLLIDED WITH THAT OF DUTCH.] - -"Come back here!" yelled he, making a grab for it. - -Alas for Dutch! He over-balanced himself, or perhaps he was dizzy from -the whirling. At any rate overboard he went with a splash. - -"There! I knew something would happen!" cried Mr. Lighton, in vexed -tones, as he saw the accident, and he hurried down to see that Dutch -quickly changed to dry rowing togs, for the tub racers had worn their -light garments. - -Meanwhile Snail Looper came steadily on, finishing first, with a -Fairview lad second. - -"First win for Randall!" yelled a Boxer Hall adherent. "You fellows had -better stick to tubs!" - -"Wait!" murmured Tom. "This may put Dutch in just the right trim to pull -the race of his life." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -BOSWELL'S CHANCE - - -"How about you, Dutch?" asked Tom eagerly, as he hurried up to his -dripping chum, while others followed. The lads in rowing costumes did -not hesitate to crowd close, while the other spectators, and there were -many on the float, rather held back, for Dutch, in the exuberance of his -mirth, was shaking himself like a Newfoundland dog, scattering drops all -over. - -"Fine and dandy!" was the answer of the big lad. "I just needed a bath." - -"Look here!" exclaimed Mr. Lighton, somewhat sternly, "you had better -get a good rub-down, and put on some dry togs. Have you any dry ones -here?" - -"No, but----" - -"He can take mine, I guess I'm not going to get a chance to row," -spoke Harry Morton, a Freshman, and he smiled gamely in spite of the -disappointment he must have felt, for he had practiced hard, as a -substitute. - -"Good!" exclaimed Mr. Lighton, and he gave Morton a look that meant -much. "Hurry now, Housenlager." - -"Did you see me tumble in?" demanded Dutch, with a cheerful grin. - -"Yes," assented Tom, somewhat sharply. "Quit your fooling now. We'll be -in the race soon." - -As the lad whose outrigger had delayed the race for single shells was -not satisfied with the boat provided for him, another was gotten out. -This further delayed matters, and it was decided to run off the doubles -in the meanwhile. The singles would follow and then would come the great -eight-oared contest, on which so much depended. - -"Now boys, go in and win!" pleaded Mr. Lighton, to George Carter and Ben -Blake, who were to uphold the honor of Randall in the doubles. "Remember -about keeping on your course. If you are in your own water you're all -right. Once you get off the course, and there's an accident, you'll have -to abide by it. And pull hard! Save your breath for the spurt that is -sure to come. And look out for Boxer. They're straining every nerve to -beat us in every event to-day. They want to prove that it isn't possible -to make rowers in a single season, and I want you to prove that it can -be done. It's up to me--in a way--but I want you to do your share. Will -you?" - -"We sure will!" cried Blake. "Eh, Carter?" - -"Surest thing you know," assented the other. - -"Remember, Blake, you're the bowman," went on the coach. "Mind your -steering. That new mechanical contrivance on this boat works very well. -It's delicate, though. The least touch of your foot will shift the -rudder. And give your orders so Carter can hear you, but don't waste too -much breath doing it." - -"Carter, mind your stroke. You may offset the change of the rudder if -you pull too hard or too easy. Now go ahead--and may the Fates be kind -to you. Randall needs those three points." - -The three pair-oar boats moved off to the starting point and the crowd -prepared to watch another exciting contest. Dutch had gone into the -dressing rooms, accompanied by one of the trainers, who was directed to -give him a rub-down. Tom followed, and as he went in he passed Boswell, -who was also headed in the same direction. - -"I guess they don't ever intend the singles to be rowed," remarked the -rich lad, with some disgust in his tones. "Here I've been fiddling -around just because that chump from Boxer Hall can't get a shell to suit -him. Why didn't they look over their outriggers before they came?" - -"Oh, they'll be ready soon," spoke Tom. Boswell had, as you may have -assumed, been picked to uphold the Randall end in the singles. To do -him justice he had trained hard and well, and had been faithful. He -was not a favorite, chiefly because he boasted so much, and talked so -incessantly of his "private trainer," and other "possessions." - -"I'm going to get a handkerchief for my neck," explained Boswell, as he -approached his locker. "The sun's hotter on the back of my neck than I -thought it was." - -Tom passed on, paying no more attention to the single sculler. The tall -pitcher was chiefly concerned to see that Dutch did no more "cutting -up," and dropped the horseplay with which he was wont to amuse himself -at all times. - -"His monkey business may cost us the race," thought Tom, a bit angrily. - -But Housenlager managed to contain himself, and was soon in dry rowing -togs again. He and Tom lingered in the dressing rooms of the boathouse -until someone called for the loser of the tub races to come out. Tom -followed slowly, and, as he did so, he passed Boswell, who was restoring -some of his garments to the locker, having tied a silk handkerchief -about his neck. It was the same gaudy-hued one that had a strip torn -from it, and, at the sight, Tom's memory went back to the hut on Crest -Island, to Ruth's lost brooch, and to the robbery. - -"Well, I hope we get off soon," remarked the rich lad. He was stuffing -something into the pocket of his trousers. The garments fell from a -hook, and dropped to the floor. As they did so something fell from them -and rolled over, stopping at Tom's feet. He stooped to pick it up, and -to his surprise he saw that it was a gold brooch. His wonder grew as -he noticed that it was exactly like the one Ruth had described to him -as missing, and similar in pattern to the one he had often seen her -wear--an old-fashioned pin, heavy and massive in design. - -"Thanks," began Boswell, holding out his hand for it. - -Tom held it back. He glared at Boswell. - -"Where--where did you get that?" exclaimed Tom. - -"Well, I don't know that it's any of your affair," was the rather cool -reply. - -"Well, I intend to make it mine! Do you know to whom that pin belongs?" - -"Yes, to me, and I'll trouble you to hand it over." - -"Wait!" exclaimed Tom. "Wait, Boswell. That pin isn't yours, and you -know it." - -"Well, I like your nerve! Whose is it?" - -"Ruth Clinton's!" blurted out Tom. - -"Ruth Clinton's?" cried Boswell. "She never saw that pin. I--I intended -giv--look here, Parsons, what business of yours is this, anyhow? I know -you and Miss Clinton are----" - -"You let her name alone!" cried Tom, fiercely. "As for her never seeing -this pin before--look here!" - -He pressed on the secret spring in the back--a trick Ruth had taught -him. A tiny panel of gold flew open, disclosing the girl's photograph -beneath it. - -"There!" cried Tom. "I suppose that got there by magic. Ruth never saw -it; eh, Boswell? I don't know what to think of this--of you. You must -have heard about the jewel robbery--of the missing Boxer Hall cups. And -now you have this pin----" - -"Stop!" cried Boswell. "If you dare, Parsons, say that I----" - -"Ready for the singles! Boswell, are you there?" called a voice at the -door of the dressing room. "Hurry out--Boxer wins the doubles!" - -The two lads, almost ready to come to blows, started. This was news -indeed. - -"Randall loses in the doubles!" cried Tom, aghast. - -"Yes," went on Joe Jackson, who had come to call Boswell. "Carter broke -an oar near the finish line, and it was all up then. It's tough luck, -for our boat was leading." - -"Fate seems to be against us!" thought Tom, bitterly. Boswell was -staring at him and at the gold brooch, which he still held. - -"Look here!" blurted out Tom. "I know more than you think I do. I saw -you and Mendez in the boat one day. You had a gold brooch then--you were -talking about old-fashioned jewelry." - -"Wait--stop!" burst out Boswell. "I'll talk to you about this. I'll tell -you----" - -"Boswell, they're waiting for you!" interrupted Joe. "The race is -called. For the love of tripe win it! Randall sure is in the soup -to-day. Win!" - -"I will!" cried the rich lad. "I can't stop now!" he cried to Tom, as he -hurried out. "You keep that pin. I'll explain later. The man I got it -from may be around here yet!" - -"You'd better guess I'll keep this pin!" murmured Tom. "As for an -explanation, you'll have some tall talking to do to convince me. I begin -to see how things are now!" - -Boswell ran out. There was a cheer from the float--from the crowds along -the river bank. - -"Come on, Tom!" cried Joe. "You and your crew are next. Oh, for the love -of Randall win that race! Boxer Hall has eight points now--the four and -the double. But if we win the eight and the single we'll have twelve, -and be the champions." - -"Then we'll win!" cried Tom, desperately, as he clasped Ruth's brooch in -his hand and raced out. As he came from the dressing rooms he heard Bean -Perkins yelling: - -"All together now, boys! The 'Conquer or Die' song, and sing it as if -you meant it. Randall is nearing the finish!" - -Blake and Carter, bitter over the unforeseen accident that had robbed -them of victory, were getting out of their shell. Boswell and the -others, in the singles were being sent off after brief instructions. Tom -looked at his rival, and many thoughts came to him. - -The crowd was now so dense on the float, and on the stairway leading to -the balcony, that Tom could not make his way up to tell Ruth the good -news--that he had her brooch. He made the effort, but it was next to -impossible. - -"Come on, Tom!" called Frank, behind him. "Mr. Lighton wants the crew of -the eight in the dressing room for a last conference. Oh, cats! But the -time is getting close." - -"Don't get nervous, you chump!" exclaimed Dutch. "Look at Kindlings, as -cool as an icehouse." - -Elation, worry, wonder and apprehension were Tom's mingled feelings as -he followed his chums and the coach. What Mr. Lighton said he hardly -comprehended. But the coach impressed on the lads the necessity for -coolness, the need of a spurt at the right time, and then the keeping up -of the stroke until the bow of the boat had crossed the finish line. - -Boswell, rowing with the others to the start, was almost upset in his -mind as was Tom. - -"So, he thinks I stole that pin--all the jewelry, I expect!" he mused. -"What can I do? What shall I do? I wonder where in the world Mendez is? -If I could only find him----" - -"Mind where you're going, Randall!" called a sharp voice, and Boswell -changed his course, that had threatened to cut into the Fairview shell. - -Boswell and the others reached the starting line. There they got into -position, the last word was given, there was a moment of suspense, and -the warning gun was fired. Then came the final signal, and they were off. - -Three backs bent to the stroke, six oars took the water, there was a -swirl of foam and bubbles. Tiny whirlpools formed at the ends of the -spoons, and the single race was under way. - -"Oh, if I can only win--if I can only win!" thought Boswell. - -And the lads from Boxer Hall and Fairview thought the same thing. - -It was half way to the finishing mark. Boswell was rowing well, and was -maintaining the slight lead he had. Casting a glance over his shoulder -to note his course, his eyes swept the crowd on the river bank, near -which he was. A face seemed to stand out from among the others. - -"Mendez! Mendez!" cried Boswell. "Mendez, go to the Randall boathouse -at once! I need you there! A whole lot is at stake! There's a hundred -dollars in it for you from me! Go, do you hear! The Randall boathouse! -Get there as soon as you can! I'll meet you after this race! Do you -hear?" and Boswell fairly screamed the words. - -"Yes, senor, I hear," replied the Mexican. "I go," and he started off on -the run, for Boswell's manner was such that it carried conviction with -it. And then Boswell set himself to the race again. But he had hesitated -just a moment--just a fatal moment--and the next instant, with the lads -in them picking up their strokes, the Fairview and Boxer Hall shells -passed him. - -"I'm done for!" murmured Boswell. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -MENDEZ EXPLAINS - - -"Come on, Boswell!" - -"Row hard!" - -"You've got to row!" - -"It's your last chance!" - -Thus his mates encouraged the Randall lad in the single shell, as -the three craft swept on up to the finish line in front of the new -boathouse. But it was not to be. Boswell pulled with all his strength. -Never had there been seen a better exhibition on Sunny River, but it -was too late. His little hesitation when he had called to Mendez--the -excited state of his mind, in wondering at Tom's accusation--all -contributed to his defeat. The slight delay was fatal. - -"Oh, row! Row!" implored Bean Perkins. "Give him a song, fellows!" and -that grand Latin chorus of the ancients pealed out. - -But it was not to be. Fairview was leading, with Boxer second and poor -Boswell third. And in this order they finished, giving Fairview her -first win of the day, and Boxer her first defeat. As for Randall, once -more she tasted bitterness. - -"Three cheers for Boswell!" called someone, and, though he was no -favorite, no one could withhold from the measure of praise due him for -his plucky effort. Few knew what had contributed to his defeat. Even -his rivals, hearing him call to the man on the bank, only thought him -shouting to some friend, and thought how foolish he was thus to waste -his precious time and energy. But it was none of their business, and so -they rowed on to defeat him. - -"Never mind!" consoled Mr. Lighton. "You rowed the best you could, -Boswell, I have no doubt. It was a fair race." - -"I--I could have won," he panted, and there were some smiles from those -who thought it but part of his usual boastfulness. But Boswell paid no -attention to them. He was seeking out Tom Parsons, and the Mexican. - -"Get ready for the eight-oared race now," directed some of the -officials. "Randall, is your crew ready?" - -"All ready," answered Mr. Lighton. - -"Ready," answered Pinky Davenport, for Boxer Hall. - -"All ready," assented Roger Barns, for Fairview. - -Boswell made his way through the press of rowers and spectators, -whispered comments following him. But he paid no attention. - -Into the dressing room he strode, where the crew of the eight were just -finishing a little conference with their coxswain, Jerry Jackson. - -"Parsons, a word with you!" exclaimed Boswell, rather haughtily. - -"As many as you like--after the race," said Tom, coldly. He still held -clenched in his hand the brooch. He made up his mind to get it to Ruth -before he went off in the launch that was to take him and his mates to -the starting point. He had no pocket in which to put it, he could not -row holding it, and he wanted to conceal it from Phil. - -"No, now!" snapped Boswell. "Something unexpected came up as I was on -the course. I think it is due to me to allow me to explain how I came by -that----" - -"Here!" exclaimed Tom, anxious that Phil should not listen. "Make it -brief. I can't understand what you have to explain, though." - -"You'll soon know--someone else will explain, too. He will be here -shortly." - -"Ready for the eight! Ready for the eight!" came the summons from -without. - -"Get together, fellows!" called Captain Frank Simpson. "And for the love -of Randall row as you never rowed before." - -"Don't hang back when I call for the spurt," added the coxswain. - -"Ready for the eight! Ready for the eight!" again came the summons. - -"Come on!" ordered Frank once more, looking over to where Tom and -Boswell were standing, apart from the others. - -"Get a move on, Parsons," directed Dutch. "If we win you'll be the first -over the line, being in the bow. Come on." Tom had again been made bow -oar. - -"No, wait a minute!" implored Boswell. "I want to say something, -Parsons." - -"Won't after the race do? I can't listen now. Besides I've got to give -Ruth----" - -"It's about her I want to explain. Hang it, man, it won't take a second." - -"Is Boswell in there?" called someone at the door of the dressing room. - -"Yes--yes!" eagerly assented the rich lad. - -"There's a fellow out here wants to see you," went on one of the -rubbers. "Some sort of a foreigner. Says you told him to come here -and----" - -"Yes! Yes! Let him in!" cried Boswell. "It's someone I want to see!" - -There was a little stir about the doorway and a man strolled in. - -"Senor Boswell," he began, "you have sent for me, and----" - -"Mendez!" gasped Tom. - -"Mendez!" echoed Sid, Frank and Phil. - -"Yes, Mendez," spoke Boswell. "Now, Parsons, I think he'll tell you that -I bought that brooch from him. Show him the pin!" - -"I--er--" began the tall pitcher, and then realizing that concealment -from Phil was no longer possible, he held out the trinket. - -"Ruth's brooch!" cried her brother. "How in the world did you get it? -What does it all mean?" - -"It's a long story," said Tom. "We haven't time for more than a fraction -of it. Boswell had the pin. He says----" - -"I say I bought it of Mendez, and he'll tell you the same thing!" -interrupted the rich lad. "Did I not?" and he appealed to the Mexican. -"Didn't you bring this to me to-day?" - -"Senor Boswell is right," assented the foreigner. "I have sold many -things to Senor Boswell. He say for me to look for an old-fashioned -brooch for him, like one his mother has, and he show me a jewel of the -respected Mrs. Boswell, which I have also procure for him. I get this -other one from Senor Blasdell, from whom I take over the take-care work -on Crest Island." - -"Blasdell!" cried Tom. "Did he sell you this brooch, Mendez?" - -"The senor says what is correct." - -"But where did _he_ get it?" - -"I don't know." - -"Look here, Mendez," burst out Tom, "do you know anything about the -Farson jewel robbery--about the Boxer Hall cups--about the pawn tickets? -Do you?" - -"On my honor, senor, no!" and the man bowed low. He seemed at ease, and -to be speaking the truth. - -"But why did you leave the island so suddenly?" - -"Ah, senor, I will tell you. I will confess. In my country we do -not--that is, we who are of my class--we do not consider it a crime to -smuggle--ah, well, a few cigars. I was guilty of that here. I smuggle -some here and I sell them in my little store on what you call--er--the -edge, is it not?" - -"The side," murmured Phil. - -"Yes, I thank the senor. I sell smuggled cigars on the side. It is not a -great crime, I think. But one day word comes to me in the hands of a boy -from a friend, that the government of your country is about to squeeze -me--am I right?" - -"I guess you mean 'pinch'--arrest," suggested Sid. - -"Yes, that is it. I am to be pinched--Oh, what a language! Now I have no -desire to be pinched, for what I, personally, do not consider a crime. -So I flee--I vamoose. I go, and take all I can with me. Then, later, -when it has all been blown up----" - -"Blown over," suggested Frank. - -"Blown over, yes, I thank you. When it is all blown over I come back. -I have no more smuggled cigars. I am not in danger of being pinched. I -come back to open my little store, and be the take-care man on Crest -Island. - -"As for the gold pin, some time after I leave, so that I may not be -pinched, I meet in New York the Senor Blasdell. He greet me kindly and -say to me do I not want to buy of him a gold pin. I deal in jewelry on -the edge--I mean side--and I remember that Senor Boswell have commission -me for an old-fashioned pin. I think I have just what he want. I buy it -from Senor Blasdell, and bring it to Senor Boswell at his college here. -That is all," and he bowed to all. - -"That's how I got the pin," said Boswell, coldly, looking at Tom. "I -hope you are satisfied." - -"Of course," murmured Tom. "But I don't understand. Where is Blasdell? -Where is that rascally pawnbroker? Where is the rest of the jewelry, and -the Boxer Hall cups?" - -"Say, what are you anyhow, Tom--a riddle reader?" demanded Dan Woodhouse. - -"What is all this Chinese puzzle about, anyhow?" asked Jerry Jackson. -"If we're going to row to-day----" - -"Faith we'd better be gettin' at ut!" cried Bricktop, with a twinkle in -his blue eyes. - -"Where's the Randall eight?" cried the voice of Mr. Lighton. "Why aren't -you out here? We're waiting." - -"We're coming!" exclaimed Tom. "Fellows," he added, turning to the four -of the crew who were not in on the secret, "we'll explain later. I'll -see you after the race," he called to Boswell. - -"As you please," was the cool answer. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -THE GREAT RACE - - -"Are you all ready, boys?" inquired Mr. Lighton. - -"My throat's as dry as a limekiln," said Bricktop. - -The eight, in their shell, were at the starting point, having gone down -in the launch, while the spider-like boat was towed. On either side of -them were the Boxer and the Fairview eights, with their crews as eager -to get off as were our friends. - -"Take a slice of lemon," went on the coach, producing one, and a knife -from his launch. "Anybody else have one? Hold the pieces in your mouth," -he advised. - -Several of the lads accepted bits of the citrous fruit. - -"Are your oarlocks all right--and the stretchers?" went on the coach. - -Everyone tested his own, and no complaint was forthcoming. Mr. Pierson, -who had remained faithful to the last, said something in a low voice to -Mr. Lighton. - -"Yes," assented the head coach, adding: "Don't forget to keep your eyes -in the boat, whatever you do. Your coxswain will watch the other craft, -and tell you when to spurt. This is important--eyes in the boat and no -talking. You've got to row!" - -For the other crews, their coaches and advisers were speaking the last -words to the nervous lads. From time to time those in the Boxer Hall or -the Fairview eight looked over at their rivals. Randall was to take the -middle course, an advantage that had come to them by lot. - -Tom and his three chums wanted desperately to talk about the dramatic -scene enacted in the boathouse just before they had started, but there -was no chance. They had hurried away, and in the launch, on the trip -down, Mr. Lighton held their attention. Tom had managed to slip up -to Ruth, and hand her the brooch just before leaving. That she was -surprised is putting it mildly. - -"Oh, Tom! Where on earth did you get it?" she had cried. "I--I could hug -you for this!" and her eyes sparkled. - -"We'll postpone the hugging until after the race! Just cheer for our -boat!" - -"I will. Oh, Tom, my dear old brooch! Can't you tell me how you got it?" - -"Not now--later--I haven't time. See you after the race!" and he had run -off to join his mates. - -"How much longer?" asked Frank, as he shifted himself on his sliding -seat. - -"Not much, I guess," replied Mr. Lighton, looking at his watch. -"About----" - -A shot boomed out from the starter's boat. - -"There goes the warning gun," the coach interrupted himself. "A minute -more. Take it easy at the start, boys. It isn't a hundred-yard dash, -remember. The hard work will come at the end. Steady all--eyes in the -boat--row hard--and--win!" - -And, with these final words, Mr. Lighton steamed off in his launch, the -other coaches also leaving their crews to themselves. - -The race was to be down stream, and, in order to make an even start, the -stern of each shell had been made fast to an anchored boat in the middle -of the river. At the signal the retaining ropes were to be loosed, and -the race would start. Eager ears waited for the final signal. - -"Get ready boys!" called Jerry Jackson, his eyes on his watch, which he -had fastened before him. "You've got about fifteen seconds more." - -There were sharp intakings of breath, and the young coxswain, glancing -at his crew, noted with satisfaction that the slight tendency toward -nervousness, exhibited by some, had disappeared. They were all cool and -eager. - -Crack! came the report of the starting gun. - -On the instant the retaining cables were loosed, and twenty-four oars -seemed to take the water as one. It was a good, clean, even start. - -To bring the finish opposite the boathouse, it had been necessary to go -down the stream some distance, and there were few spectators gathered -there. - -But such as were there gave forth a hearty cheer, and the yells of the -three colleges were given in turn, for some loyal-hearted lads had -sacrificed their chances to see the finish, that they might cheer the -start. - -"Steady, fellows, steady," counseled Jerry, in a low voice, as he -noticed a tendency to hurry. "It isn't time to hit up the pace. They're -both keeping even with us," he added. - -Then began a steady grind. A leaning forward of the bodies, with hands -well out over the toes, the dipping of the blades of the oars into the -water, and then that tremendous pull of sixteen sturdy arms, shoulders -and trunk--the pushing of sixteen muscular legs, the rising off the -seats to get all the weight possible on the oar at the point of leverage -where it would do the most good. - -Over and over again was this repeated. Over and over again, with the -eyes of seven of the men on the back of the man in front of him timing -the movement, and with the eyes of the stroke on the coxswain, to catch -the slightest signal. - -Stroke after stroke--movement after movement, one just like the -other--twenty-eight to the minute, Jerry having started them off with -that minimum. - -And what Randall was doing, so was Fairview and Boxer Hall, in the same -degree. - -The first mile was passed, with the net result that all three shells -were on even terms, albeit one or the other had forged ahead slightly, -not because either one had quickened the pace so much consciously -as that they had done so unconsciously, and there was, of course, a -difference in the muscular power at times. - -They were half way over the second mile--half the course had been rowed. - -Frank Simpson, watching Jerry, saw the little coxswain shoot a quick -glance toward the Boxer Hall boat, and then stiffen in his seat. - -"Hit it up!" cried Jerry, and he gave the signal for a thirty-per-minute -stroke. But, even as he did Frank, risking something by taking his eyes -off the coxswain, looked across the lane of water. - -He saw the Fairview boat shoot ahead, while, the next instant the -Randall shell, urged onward by the increased stroke, tried to minimize -the advantage gained. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS - - -"Here they come, boys! Get ready!" yelled Bean Perkins, wildly waving -his megaphone. "Here they come!" - -"Oh wow!" shouted Joe Jackson. "For the love of Caesar tell us who's -ahead." - -"It's hard to see from here. But I think----" - -"Oh, who cares what you _think_?" interrupted a lad. "Don't give us any -false information." - -"Get ready boys!" cried Bean again. "The college cheer when they get -opposite the old boathouse, and then the 'Conquer or Die' song. We've -got to pull 'em on!" - -All was excitement. A hundred voices mingled in expressions of hopes and -fears. The rival college cheers blended into one riotous conglomeration -of sound. The three shells were sweeping on to victory--victory for just -one! - -"Oh, Madge!" cried Ruth. "I daren't look. Here, you take the field -glasses, and tell me who's ahead." - -Her own college colors slipped from her dress unheeded, and there was -disclosed the tiny knot of Randall's maroon and yellow. - -"Ruth!" expostulated Mabel, as she pointed to the traitorous hues. - -"I don't care!" replied Ruth, as her hand went to where her restored -brooch was at her throat. - -"Who's ahead?" demanded Helen Newton, as Madge peered through the -glasses. - -"Fairview!" - -"What?" - -"She is! She is! Oh, girls, Fairview is going to win!" - -"Who--who is second?" demanded Mabel. - -"Randall!" came the reply. - -Then there was silence. The girls looked at one another. What they -thought, who shall say? - -On came the three shells. The cheers increased. There was a din of horns -and rattles. The band played madly--no one knew what the tune was--and -cared less. - -"Steady all!" cried Jerry, as he noticed a tendency to quicken. "Steady -all!" - -On came the Randall shell. Just a little to her rear was Boxer -Hall, struggling desperately and with breaking hearts to offset the -disadvantage of overtraining and over-confidence. For that is just what -it amounted to. It looked hopeless for them now. - -As for Fairview, she had maintained the lead she had unexpectedly gained -over Randall, and the eager--almost bursting--hearts in the boat hoped -that the co-educational college could row it out unto the end. But there -was no disguising the fact to themselves that they were rowing against -such a rival as they had never before met. - -For a moment after Jerry had given the word to increase the stroke, his -chums thought that he would keep them on that for a hundred yards or so, -and then hit up the pace still faster. But he did not. Instead, coolly -and calmly, he glanced critically at the Fairview shell, and kept on at -the same rate. - -"Hang it all, why doesn't he give the word to spurt?" thought Frank, as -his broad back rose and fell to the measured rhythm. "We can do it!" - -But Jerry was a wise little coxswain. Not for nothing had he spied out -the course, so that he knew every foot of it, and by marks previously -noted, he could tell exactly how far they were from the finish mark. - -Nearer and nearer to it came the eight-oared shells. Boxer Hall was -struggling hard to pull up, but for once she had met her match--two, in -fact, for it was easy now to see that the race, barring accidents, lay -between Randall and Fairview. - -"And, oh! May we win!" prayed Tom and his chums. And they could not -understand why Jerry would not put them at their limit. True, their -hearts were pumping at an abnormal rate, their muscles strained as they -never had before, and their breath came labored, and went out gaspingly. - -And then, when Coxswain Jerry, with his eager eyes, saw a certain old -gnarled tree on the river bank, and when he had noted that Fairview had -added another stroke per minute, then and not until then did he give the -word. - -He had slid down into his seat, feeling the tiller lines as a horseman -feels with the reins the mouth of his pet racer. Gently, as if the shell -were some delicate machine, did Jerry guide her on the course. Now the -time had come! - -Up he sat, like one electrified. Through the megaphone strapped to his -mouth came the words: - -"Row, boys! Row as you never rowed before! Put all you can to the -stroke. I call for thirty-three! Give it to 'em! Give it to 'em!" - -It seemed as though the Randall shell was suddenly galvanized into -action. Reaching forward over their toes, eight sturdy backs bent for -the stroke. Then it came. - -A pull that seemed to lift the frail shell from the water--a pull that -strained on the outriggers--a pull that made the stout oars creak and -bend! A stroke that sent the water swirling aft in rings, circles, -whirlpools and a smother of foam! A stroke that told! - -"Row! Row!" screamed Jerry. - -Daring another glance, Frank, at stroke, saw the Fairview boat seemingly -at a standstill. But it was not so. It was that Randall had shot up to -her. - -From the shores, from the boathouse, from the other craft, came a riot -of sound--shouts, yells, the tooting of horns, the clatter of rattles. - -There was a veritable flower garden of waving colors. The shrill voices -of the girls mingled with the hoarser shouts of the men and boys. -Whistles blew, and dogs barked to add to the din. - -"Row! Row!" Jerry fairly screamed. - -"Pick it up, boys!" pleaded the Fairview coxswain. He had not thought -that his rivals had this spurt in them. - -"Can't you do it? Can't you get up to them?" begged Pinky Davenport, of -his Boxer lads, and there were unashamed tears in his eyes as he made -his last appeal. But Boxer was "all in." - -"Now boys, now!" shouted Jerry. "It's your last chance! A hundred yards -more--only three hundred feet! Row! Row! We must win." - -"Don't let 'em pass us!" came from the Fairview coxswain. "A few -strokes--only a few more!" - -The boats were even! Pandemonium had now broken loose. The band was -drowned out by shouts. Ruth found herself hammering Madge on the back, -and shouting--she knew not what--in her ear. Madge was crying--she did -not know why. - -As for the Randall lads, they were mere machines. There was no more -thought left in them. They saw nothing, but each man in front of him -viewed his fore-man's back--Frank could not see the face of Jackson, but -he could hear his rasping voice. - -"Row! Row!" - -How Frank heaved! How he dug at the giving water at the end of his -blade as though he would tear it from the river and fling it aloft in a -rainbow arch. - -And how Bricktop Molloy took up the stroke, his honest Irish face wet -with sweat--his red hair plastered down on his forehead. Back and forth -he bent. After him came Holly Cross picking up the stroke masterly--then -Kindlings--good old Kindlings with something of the fire of his name in -his sturdy muscles--then Housenlager--all the desire for horseplay gone -from him. Then Sid, who had been shifted back to Number Three almost at -the last moment. Then Phil, and then Tom. - -And how they rowed! Surely the ancient gods--surely even Hercules at his -twelve labors--never toiled more Titanically than these eight rowers. -No galley slave, chained to the oar, with the vessel on fire above him, -with the shrieks of the dying in his ears, the stench of Greek fire in -his nostrils, ever rowed more desperately. - -"Row! Row!" screamed Jerry. - -"Row! Row!" echoed Roger Barns. - -The finish line was but a hundred feet away. Slowly, oh, so slowly, did -the Randall boat creep up on her rival. - -Now she was past! Another electric thrill went through Jerry. - -"Row! Row!" he screamed, and his voice was hoarse. His hands, tense and -gripped, were clasped so tightly on the tiller ropes, that afterward -they had to loosen them for him. The muscles had gone dead, but he -steered with the skill of a veteran. - -It grew black before Tom's eyes. He felt that his lungs were bursting. -Frank knew that if he dipped the oar in the water again he would not -have strength to pull it out. - -But, somehow he did! - -And then with one last spurt, a spurt that seemed to wrench the very -roots of their hearts, a pull that seemed to tear their very muscles -loose, the lads in the Randall shell sent their boat over the finish -line a winner--a winner by half a length--a winner! They were the -eight-oared victors! - -And, as they realized this--as it came to them--their eyes that saw not -lighted up--their faces, seamed and lined with the contracted muscles, -broke into smiles, and then Tom toppled over on his oar, and Frank fell -weakly back on Molloy. - -"Easy there, me lad, easy," panted Bricktop. "It's all over. You -collapsed at the right minute! Oh, wow, but I'm thirsty!" - -Jerry Jackson was struggling with the tiller lines wound about his -nerveless hands. Ready chums loosed them, and helped him from the shell -onto a boat, the crew having recovered sufficiently to put their broad -blades out on the water to steady the shell. - -And then, following the hush that came after the hysterical outburst -which greeted the winners, came floating over the heads of the great -throng: - -"_Aut Vincere! Aut Mori!_" - -But Randall had conquered, though she had nearly died. - - * * * * * - -Somehow the crew heard the cheers for themselves, for their coach and -for the plucky little coxswain. Somehow they managed to cheer Fairview -and Boxer Hall, and then they were hurried into the dressing rooms. - -"I knew you could do it! I knew you could do it!" cried Mr. Lighton, -capering about like a boy. "I knew we could make a rowing crew in one -season with the material we had." - -"Faith, an' ye did, me lad!" declared Bricktop, while Housenlager feebly -punched Tom in the ribs, a bit of horseplay that our hero was too tired -to resent. - -"Someone to see Mr. Parsons!" called Wallops, the college messenger, who -was helping out at the boathouse. He peered into the anteroom of the -dressing apartments. - -"I can't see anyone now," declared Tom. "Who is it?" - -"He says his name is Farson, and----" - -"The jeweler!" cried Tom. "Show him in!" and he came from under a shower -and grabbed up some garments. "There must be something doing!" he added -to Sid and Phil, who had heard the words. - -Somewhat bewildered by the athletic throng about him, the jeweler -entered. - -"Where are you, Mr. Parsons?" he asked. - -"Here!" cried Tom. "What is it?" - -"Everything! I have just received word from the police that they have -arrested that pawnbroker. He has all the Boxer Hall cups, and most -of the other jewelry. Nearly everything is recovered. All but that -old-fashioned brooch you told me about. That he says he never had." - -"And he's right," added Tom. "I recovered that. But who took the things?" - -"Blasdell. The island caretaker took them out of my box when the boat -landed on the island, and disposed of them. Then he hid the pawn tickets -in the shack, taking away the brooch he had previously hidden there. - -"Blasdell has been arrested too. He has made a full confession. He and -the pawnbroker have been in with a bad set, and were planning other -crimes. But I will soon have nearly everything back. I thought you might -be glad to know, so I came here as soon as I heard. I had to wait until -after the race, though." - -"We are glad to hear the news," spoke Frank. "So Mendez is not in it -after all." - -"No, the confessions of the others completely clear him. I must go tell -the Boxer Hall boys the good news." - -"And it is almost as good news to us as to them," said Tom, as he went -in to finish dressing. - -The regatta was over. Randall, in spite of heavy odds and in spite of -losing all but one race, was proclaimed champion of the Tonoka Lake -League. - -"But we'll do you next year!" prophesied Pinky Davenport. "I think the -loss of our cups was a hoodoo to us." - -"Maybe," admitted Tom. "But next year is--well, next year, and we're -not greenies any more." - -"I guess you never were," admitted his rival. - -"And now let's go see the girls, and tell them how sorry we are that we -beat them," proposed Sid. - -If the girls felt badly they did not show it much. - -"What I can't understand," said Phil, a little later, when he and his -chums, and his sister and her chums were talking it all over at a little -supper in Haddonfield, "what I can't understand is how Boswell knew Ruth -had lost her pin, and wanted to give her another." - -"He didn't know it--stupid!" exclaimed Ruth, with a blush. "Only Tom -knew it." - -"But Boswell was going to give you a pin." - -"Oh, can't a fellow give a girl a pin without knowing that she has lost -one or you making a fuss over it?" asked Sid. - -"But--but----" faltered Phil. - -"He heard that I was fond of old-fashioned jewelry," explained Ruth, -blushing, "and I suppose, instead of--er--well--say candy, he hunted -up an old-style pin. He had bought one for his mother from Mendez, and -wanted one for me. It was lucky that Blasdell did not pawn my pin with -the other stuff. Instead he sold it to Mendez, who, in turn, sold it to -Mr. Boswell, and Tom--well, Tom did the rest." - -"And you were without grandmother's pin all that while, and never let -on!" cried Phil. "Oh, you're a sly one, Sis!" - -"And the colored handkerchiefs, and Boswell were useless as clues," went -on Sid. "They were just false alarms. But I wonder why Mendez was so -anxious to see Boswell that day we went on our little picnic?" - -"Mendez explained that," said Tom. "He had had some intimation that his -selling of smuggled cigars was likely to be dangerous, and, as Boswell -had bought some he wanted to talk about it, and get his advice. That was -all. It seems that when Boswell and the Mexican were together on the -island one day Mendez cut his finger and Boswell tore off a strip of the -silk handkerchief. Boswell told me that." - -"And I guess that explains everything," remarked Phil. "I want some more -ice-cream. We've broken training now, you know." - -And so the merry little party feasted and laughed and softly sang their -college songs until the girls protested that they must get back, or Miss -Philock--well, various opinions were expressed about that lady. - -"Stop that infernal clock!" grunted Tom, a little later, as he lay half -asleep on the old sofa in the common room. - -"Stop it yourself," murmured Phil, sprawled in one easy chair, while -Frank occupied another. Sid had declared himself done up after the -race, and had gone to bed. From his room he murmured in a sleepy voice: - -"Sounds like Jerry calling--'Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!' doesn't it?" - -"Cut it out!" said Phil. "I don't want to see an oar for six months -again." - -"It will be pigskin punts from now on," spoke Tom, as he returned from -jabbing a toothpick into the clock's interior, and turned over to doze -again. - -"And then good old Winter!" exclaimed Frank. "I say, fellows, what's -the matter with getting up some iceboat races," and he galvanized into -uprightness. - -"Talk about it to-morrow," sleepily murmured Sid, but the suggestion -bore fruit, as you may learn by reading the next volume of this series, -to be called "Rivals of the Ice; A Story of Winter Sports at College." -It will tell how, after a strenuous football season, the lads formed an -ice league, for skating, hockey playing, and ice-yacht racing. - -Outside the college there was singing and the building of bonfires -to celebrate the victory of the crew. But in their room, four of the -eight-oared victors dozed dreamily on, living over again in fancy that -strenuously-fought-out race which they had so labored over. And there, -for a time, we will leave them. - - -THE END - - - - -THE COLLEGE SPORTS SERIES - -BY LESTER CHADWICK - -_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in Colors_ - -_=Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid=_ - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. Chadwick has played on the diamond and on the gridiron himself._ - - - 1. THE RIVAL PITCHERS - _A Story of College Baseball_ - -Tom Parsons, a "hayseed," makes good on the scrub team of Randall -College. - - - 2. A QUARTERBACK'S PLUCK - _A Story of College Football_ - -A football story, told in Mr. Chadwick's best style, that is bound to -grip the reader from the start. - - - 3. BATTING TO WIN - _A Story of College Baseball_ - -Tom Parsons and his friends Phil and Sid are the leading players on -Randall College team. There is a great game. - - - 4. THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN - _A Story of College Football_ - -After having to reorganize their team at the last moment, Randall makes -a touchdown that won a big game. - - - 5. FOR THE HONOR OF RANDALL. - _A Story of College Athletics_ - -The winning of the hurdle race and long-distance run is extremely -exciting. - - - 6. THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS - _A Story of College Water Sports_ - -Tom, Phil and Sid prove as good at aquatic sports as they are on track, -gridiron and diamond. - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -SEA STORIES FOR BOYS - -BY JOHN GABRIEL ROWE - -_Large 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Colored jacket_ - -_=Price per volume, $1.00 Net=_ - -[Illustration] - -_Every boy who knows the lure of exploring and who loves to rig up huts -and caves and tree-houses to fortify himself against imaginary enemies -will enjoy these books, for they give a vivid chronicle of the doings -and inventions of a group of boys who are shipwrecked and have to make -themselves snug and safe in tropical islands where the dangers are too -real for play._ - - - 1. CRUSOE ISLAND - -Dick, Alf and Fred find themselves stranded on an unknown island with -the old seaman Josh, their ship destroyed by fire, their friends lost. - - - 2. THE ISLAND TREASURE - -With much ingenuity these boys fit themselves into the wild life of the -island they are cast upon in storm. - - - 3. THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT - -Their ship and companions perished in tempest at sea, the boys are -adrift in a small open boat when they spy a ship. Such a strange -vessel!--no hand guiding it, no soul on board,--a derelict. - - - 4. THE LIGHTSHIP PIRATES - -Modern Pirates, with the ferocity of beasts, attack a lightship -crew;--recounting the adventures that befall the survivors of that -crew--and--"RETRIBUTION." - - - 5. THE SECRET OF THE GOLDEN IDOL - -Telling of a mutiny, and how two youngsters were unwillingly involved in -one of the weirdest of treasure hunts,--and--"THE GOLDEN FETISH." - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - - --Printer, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently - corrected. - - --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS*** - - -******* This file should be named 42403.txt or 42403.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/4/0/42403 - - - -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. 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