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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..58a1e6b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51079 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51079) diff --git a/old/51079-0.txt b/old/51079-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c40c7fb..0000000 --- a/old/51079-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8055 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall, by Clarence Young - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall - Or The Motor Boys as Freshmen - -Author: Clarence Young - -Release Date: January 30, 2016 [EBook #51079] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - -[Illustration: AS BOB CROSSED HOME PLATE WITH HIS RUN, JERRY WAS NOT -FAR BEHIND HIM.] - - - - - ----_The Motor Boys_---- - - - NED, BOB AND JERRY - AT BOXWOOD HALL - - Or - The Motor Boys as Freshmen - - - BY - - CLARENCE YOUNG - - AUTHOR OF “THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES” - “THE RACER BOYS SERIES” “THE - JACK RANGER SERIES,” ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - NEW YORK - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY - - - - -BOOKS BY CLARENCE YOUNG - -12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. - -=Price, per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.= - - -=THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES= - - THE MOTOR BOYS - THE MOTOR BOYS OVERLAND - THE MOTOR BOYS IN MEXICO - THE MOTOR BOYS ACROSS THE PLAINS - THE MOTOR BOYS AFLOAT - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC - THE MOTOR BOYS IN STRANGE WATERS - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE PACIFIC - THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS - THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES - THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE OCEAN - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE WING - THE MOTOR BOYS AFTER A FORTUNE - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE BORDER - THE MOTOR BOYS UNDER THE SEA - THE MOTOR BOYS ON ROAD AND RIVER - - -=THE MOTOR BOYS--SECOND SERIES= - - NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL; - Or, The Motor Boys as Freshmen - - -=THE JACK RANGER SERIES= - - JACK RANGER’S SCHOOLDAYS - JACK RANGER’S WESTERN TRIP - JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL VICTORIES - JACK RANGER’S OCEAN CRUISE - JACK RANGER’S GUN CLUB - JACK RANGER’S TREASURE BOX - - -=THE RACER BOYS SERIES= - - THE RACER BOYS - THE RACER BOYS AT BOARDING SCHOOL - THE RACER BOYS TO THE RESCUE - THE RACER BOYS ON THE PRAIRIES - THE RACER BOYS ON GUARD - THE RACER BOYS FORGING AHEAD - - - COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY - - -=Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall= - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. THE OVERTURNED AUTO 1 - II. A FAMILY CONFERENCE 10 - III. THE RACE 20 - IV. THE DECISION 29 - V. GOOD NEWS 37 - VI. BOXWOOD HALL 46 - VII. OFF TO COLLEGE 53 - VIII. PROFESSOR SNODGRASS 61 - IX. THE PROFESSOR’S SHOES 70 - X. A COOL RECEPTION 79 - XI. THE PROFESSOR’S DILEMMA 87 - XII. IN THE GYMNASIUM 97 - XIII. THE BANG-UPS 105 - XIV. THE INITIATION 113 - XV. CAUGHT 124 - XVI. A COLLISION 132 - XVII. THE AEROPLANE 140 - XVIII. THE POSTPONED EXAMINATION 148 - XIX. THE BOXWOOD PICTURE 160 - XX. “WHO TOLD?” 167 - XXI. THE COASTING RACE 175 - XXII. THE ICE BOAT 183 - XXIII. SPRING PRACTICE 191 - XXIV. A SCRUB GAME 199 - XXV. A VARSITY LOSS 207 - XXVI. DISSENSIONS 214 - XXVII. THE ROOTERS INSIST 220 - XXVIII. IN THE TENTH 228 - XXIX. MR. HOBSON 235 - XXX. THE WINNING GAME 240 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -MY DEAR BOYS: - -With this volume begins a new series of adventures for the “Motor -Boys.” Under the title “Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall; Or, The -Motor Boys as Freshmen,” I have had the pleasure of writing for you -the various happenings that took place when the three young men, whose -activities you have followed for some time, entered a new field. - -The fathers of Ned Slade and Bob Baker, and the mother of Jerry -Hopkins, in consultation one day, decided that the young men were -getting a bit too wild and frivolous. - -“It is time they settled down,” said their parents, “and began to think -of growing up. Let’s send them to college!” - -And to the college of Boxwood Hall our heroes were sent. It was a -surprise to them, but it turned out to be a delightful surprise, and -one of the reasons was that their old friend, Professor Snodgrass, now -an enthusiastic collector of butterflies, was an instructor at Boxwood. - -Of what took place at the college, of the hazing, the initiation, the -queer developments following an automobile rescue, of how the motor -boys gradually overcame an unfair prejudice, and how they helped to -win a baseball victory--for all this I refer you to the following -pages. The titles of the second series will include the names Ned, Bob -and Jerry, in various activities, and while they will still use their -motors, in auto, boat or airship, those machines will be of secondary -consideration. - -And with this explanation, and with the hope that you will accord this -book the same welcome you have given my other writings, I remain, - - Sincerely yours, - - CLARENCE YOUNG. - - - - -NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE OVERTURNED AUTO - - -“What do you reckon it’s all about, Jerry?” - -“Well, Bob, you’re as good a guesser as I am,” came the answer from -the young man who was at the wheel of a touring car that was swinging -down a pleasant country road, under arching trees. “What do you say it -means?” - -“I haven’t the least idea, unless it’s some business deal. Ned, why -don’t you say something, instead of sitting there like a goldfish being -admired by a tom-cat?” and Bob Baker, who sat beside Jerry Hopkins, the -lad at the wheel, turned to his chum in the rear seat of the car. - -“Say something!” exclaimed Ned Slade. “I’m as much up in the air about -it as you fellows are. All I know is that my dad, and yours, and -Jerry’s mother, are having a confab.” - -“And a sort of serious confab at that,” added Bob. “Look out there, -Jerry!” he cried suddenly. “You nearly ran over that chicken,” and -he involuntarily raised his hand toward the steering wheel as a -frightened, squawking and cackling hen fluttered from under the front -wheels of the automobile, shedding feathers on the way. Then Bob -remembered one of the first ethics of automobiling, which is never to -interfere with the steersman, and he drew back his hand. - -“A miss is as good as a mile,” remarked Jerry coolly, as he brought the -car back to a straight course, for he had swerved it to one side when -he saw the chicken in the path. “But I agree with you, Bob, that the -conference going on at my house, among our respected, and I might as -well say respectable, parents does seem to be a serious one. However, -as long as we can’t guess what it’s about there’s no use in worrying. -We may as well have a good time this afternoon. Where shall we go?” - -“Let’s go to Wallace’s and have a bite to eat,” put in Bob. - -“Why, we only just had lunch!” exclaimed Ned, with a laugh. - -“Maybe you fellows did, but I wouldn’t call it a lunch that I got -outside of--not by a long shot! Mother isn’t at home, it was the girl’s -day out and I had to forage for myself.” - -“Heaven help the pantry, then!” exclaimed Jerry. “I’ve seen Bob -‘forage,’ as he calls it, before; eh, Ned?” - -“That’s right. He did it at our house once, and say! what mother said -when she came home--whew!” and Ned whistled at the memory. - -“I wasn’t a bit worse than you were!” cried Bob, trying to lean back -and punch his chum, but the latter kept out of reach in the roomy -tonneau. “Anyhow, what has that got to do with going to Wallace’s now? -I’m hungry and I don’t care who knows it.” - -“Well, don’t let that fat waiter at Wallace’s hear you say that, or -he’ll double charge us in the bill,” cautioned Jerry. “They sure do -stick on the prices at that joint.” - -“Then you’ll go there?” asked Bob eagerly. - -“Oh, I s’pose we might as well go there as anywhere. Does it suit you, -Ned?” - -“Sure. Only I can’t imagine where Bob puts it all. Tell us, Chunky, -that’s a good chap,” and he patted the shoulder of the stout lad who -sat in front of him. - -“Tell you what?” asked Bob, responding to the nickname that had been -bestowed on him because of his stoutness. - -“Where you put all you eat,” went on Ned with a laugh. “You know it is -impossible to make two objects occupy the same space at the same time. -And if you’ve eaten one lunch to-day, and not two hours ago, where are -you going to put another?” - -“You watch and see,” was all the answer Bob made. “Hit her up a bit, -Jerry. There’s a stiff hill just ahead.” - -“That’s right. I forgot we were on this road. Well, then it’s settled. -We’ll go to Wallace’s and let Bob eat,” and having ascended the hill, -he turned off on a road that led to a summer resort not many miles from -Cresville, the home town of the three lads. - -“Aren’t you fellows going to have anything?” asked Bob. “You’ll eat; -won’t you?” - -“Oh, for cats’ sake, cut out the grub-talk for a while!” begged Ned. -“Say, what about that conference, anyhow? Does any one know anything -about it?” - -“All I know,” said Jerry, “is that I asked mother to come out for an -auto ride this afternoon, and she said she couldn’t because your dad, -Ned, and Bob’s too, were coming over to call.” - -“Did you ask her what for?” - -“No, but I took it for granted it was something about business. You -know mother owns some stock in your father’s department store, Ned.” - -“Yes, and she deposits at dad’s bank,” added Bob, whose father, Andrew -Baker, was the president of the most important bank in Cresville. “I -guess it must be about some business affairs.” - -“I don’t agree with you,” declared Ned. - -“Why not?” Jerry demanded. “When mother said she couldn’t come out I -hustled over and got you fellows, and here we are. But what’s your -reason for thinking it isn’t business, Ned, that has brought our folks -together at my house?” - -“Because of some questions my father asked me this morning.” - -“Serious questions?” Bob interrogated. - -“Well, in a way, yes. He asked me what I’d been doing lately, what you -fellows had been doing, and he wanted to know what my plans were for -this winter.” - -“What did you tell him?” inquired Jerry, slowing down as he came to the -crest of another hill. - -“Oh, I said we hadn’t decided yet. I didn’t tell him we had talked over -making a tour of the South, for we hadn’t quite decided on it; had we?” - -“Not exactly,” responded Jerry. “And yet the South is the place when -winter comes. I guess we might do worse.” - -“Well, I didn’t say anything about that,” went on Ned, “because, if I -had, dad would have wanted to know all the particulars, and I wasn’t in -a position to tell him.” - -“Is that all he asked you that makes you think the conference may be -about us, instead of business?” Bob inquired. - -“No, that wasn’t quite all. He asked me about that trouble we got into -last week.” - -“Oh, do you mean about the time we were pulled in for speeding?” asked -Jerry with a laugh. - -“That’s it,” assented Ned. “Only it isn’t going to be anything to grin -at if dad finds out all about it--that we nearly collided with the hay -wagon while trying to pass that roadster. Say, but it was some going! -We fractured the speed limits in half a dozen places.” - -“But we beat the roadster!” exclaimed Jerry. “That fellow didn’t know -how to drive a car.” - -“You’re right there. And, for a second or two, I thought you were -going to make a mess of it,” said Ned, referring to an incident that -had happened about a week previously when the boys, out on the road in -their car, had accepted an impromptu challenge to race, with what might -have been disastrous results. - -“It was a narrow squeak,” admitted Jerry. - -“And the nerve of that farmer, setting the constable after us!” cried -Bob. “Just because we wouldn’t let him rob us of ten dollars to make up -for a scratch one of his horses got from our mud guard.” - -“I sometimes think we might have come out of it better if we had given -the hayseeder his ten,” said Jerry, reflectively. “It cost us fifteen -for the speed-fine as it was. We’d have saved five.” - -“And is that what your father was asking about?” asked Bob. - -“Words to that effect--yes,” replied Ned. - -“Wonder how he heard about it?” - -“It wasn’t in the paper,” reflected Jerry. “I looked all over for an -account of it, but didn’t see any.” - -“No, it wasn’t in the paper,” said Ned, “but dad hears of more things -than I think he does, I guess.” - -“We have been speeding it up a bit lately,” observed Jerry in a -reflective tone. - -“Just a little,” admitted Ned, with a half smile. - -The three chums were clean-cut, healthy-looking lads, and it needed but -a glance into their clear faces to tell one that whatever “speeding” -they had been doing was in a literal sense only, and was not in the way -of dissipation. They were fun-loving youths, and, like all such, the -excitement of the moment sometimes got the better of them. - -“And so you think the conference may have something to do with us; is -that it, Ned?” asked Jerry, after a moment or two of silence. - -“I have an idea that way--yes, from what dad said, and from what he -wanted to know about our future plans. We’re mixed up in it somehow, -that’s as sure as turkey and cranberry sauce.” - -“That sounds like Chunky!” laughed Jerry. - -“Well, what’s the idea?” demanded the stout youth. “I mean--what do -you think will happen, Ned?” - -“Well, you know we have been going a pretty lively gait lately, nothing -wrong, of course, but a sort of butterfly existence, so to speak.” - -“Butterfly is good!” exclaimed Jerry. “You’d think we were a trio of -society girls.” - -“Well, I mean we haven’t really done anything worth while,” went on -Ned. “And it’s my idea that my dad, and yours, Bob, and Jerry’s mother, -who is as good a dad as any fellow could want--I think they are going -to put the brakes on us.” - -“How do you mean?” Jerry demanded. - -“Oh, make us cut out some of the gay and carefree life we’ve been -living. Settle down and----” - -“Get married?” laughed Jerry. - -“Not much!” cried Bob. “Not if I can help it!” - -“Of course not,” put in Ned. “I mean just settle down a bit, that’s -all.” - -They swung around a curve in the road, and as they did so they saw a -powerful roadster coming toward them, driven by a man who was the sole -occupant. He was speeding forward at a fast clip. - -“That fellow had better settle down!” exclaimed Jerry. “He’s going too -fast to make this turn, and this bank is one of the most dangerous -around here.” - -The boys themselves had safely taken the turn, and come past the steep -embankment on which it bordered, but the man in the roadster was -approaching it. - -“He isn’t slowing down,” said Ned. - -“Better yell at him,” suggested Bob. “Maybe he doesn’t know the road.” - -“Look out for that turn!” cried Jerry, as the man passed them. - -It is doubtful if he heard them. Certainly he did not heed, for he -swung around the turn at full speed. A moment later the boys, who had -drawn to one side of the road, in order to give the man plenty of room -to pass, looked back. - -They saw the speeding roadster leave the highway and plunge down the -bank, turning over and pinning the driver underneath. - -“There he goes!” cried Jerry, jamming on the brakes. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -A FAMILY CONFERENCE - - -Jerry had put on the brakes so hard that the rear wheels were locked, -and they slid along a foot or more, skidding until the automobile came -to a stop on one side of the road. Then the three lads leaped out, and -started back toward the scene of the accident. - -“She’s on fire!” cried Bob, as he pointed to curling smoke arising from -the overturned roadster. - -“And the man’s under it!” yelled Ned. - -“Keep moving!” shouted Jerry. “We’ve got to do something!” - -Fortunately, the car was a light one, and it was tilted at such an -angle that the combined strength of the three lads on the higher side -served to turn it upright once more. The fire was under the bonnet, the -covers of which were jammed and bent. - -The boys had expected to find a very seriously injured man beneath -the car, but, to their surprise, when they righted the machine, the -driver, somewhat dusty and dirty, crawled out and stood up, a few -scratches on his hands and face alone showing where he was injured, -though it was evident from the manner in which he rubbed one arm that -it had been at least bruised. - -There came a larger puff of smoke from beneath the car’s bonnet, and a -flash of flame showed. - -“Carburetor’s on fire!” cried Ned. - -“Got an extinguisher?” asked Jerry of the man. - -He shook his head, being either too much out of breath or too excited -over his narrow escape to talk. - -“I’ll get ours!” shouted Ned, as he raced back toward their machine, -climbing up the bank, down which the boys had rushed to the rescue. - -Jerry and Bob forced up the bent and jammed covers of the engine, and -disclosed the fact that the fire, so far, was only in the carburetor, -which had become flooded with gasoline when the car turned over. - -In a few seconds Ned was back with the extinguisher, and when a -generous supply of the chemicals it contained had been squirted on the -blazing gasoline, the fire went out with a smudge of smoke. - -“That was a narrow escape for me, boys,” said the man, and his voice -shook a little. “I thought sure I was done for when I felt the car -leaving the road. I tried to bring it back, but the turn was too much -for me, and over I went.” - -“This is a dangerous turn,” commented Jerry. “There ought to be a -warning sign put up here.” - -“We called to you,” Bob told him. - -“I didn’t hear you,” the man said. “Boys, I want to thank you!” - -He seemed overcome for a moment. Then he went on. - -“Mere thanks, of course, do not express what I mean. You saved my life. -I don’t believe I could have gotten out of the car alone. My legs were -held down, and so was one arm. I’d have burned to death if you hadn’t -been here.” - -“Well, we’re glad we were here,” Jerry said. “Are you much hurt?” - -“Nothing worth speaking about. Some bruises and scratches. I certainly -did have a lucky escape. My name is Hobson--Samuel Hobson,” and he drew -a card from his pocket, handing it to Jerry. “I was driving a bit too -fast, I guess, but I was in a hurry to get the express at Wrightville. -I’m on my way West, on important business, and the only way to make -connections is to go to Wrightville to get the fast train. So I started -in my car, intending to leave it at the garage in Wrightville. I’m -afraid I’ll miss the train now.” - -“Oh, I guess you’ve got time to make it,” said Jerry, with a look at -his watch. “Wrightville is only three miles from here. But I’m afraid -you can’t make it in your car.” - -“I guess you’ve said it,” admitted Mr. Hobson, after a quick -inspection. “I can’t run my car until it’s been in the repair shop. -It’ll be hard to get it back on the road, too,” he went on, as he -looked at the steep bank down which he had rolled in the machine. “And -I _must_ get that train!” he exclaimed anxiously. - -“I reckon we can get you to the train all right in our car,” said Bob. -“We’re not in any special hurry--only out for a little ride. We’ll take -you to the station.” - -“Surely!” added Jerry. “If you feel well enough to take the ride.” - -“Oh, I’m all right!” protested Mr. Hobson. “I had presence of mind -enough to get out of the way of the steering wheel as I felt myself -going over. I’ll be very much obliged if you will take me to the depot. -It is extremely important that I get my train for the West. But about -my car--I’ll have to leave it here, I guess.” - -“Nobody can run it, that’s sure,” Ned remarked. “And if you were going -to leave it at the garage in Wrightville you could tell the man there -to come out here and get it, and tow it in for repairs.” - -“That’s so, I could do that,” admitted Mr. Hobson. “I don’t know that -I’ll have time, if I make my train, to tell the garage people, though.” - -“We can do that for you,” offered Jerry. “We’ll tell the garage man -after we leave you at the depot.” - -“Will you, boys? I’ll be a thousand times obliged to you if you will! -I wouldn’t miss that train for a good deal. Just tell the garage man -to come and get my car. I’ll settle all expenses with him when I come -back, which will be in a couple of weeks. - -“And now, if you don’t mind, I’ll get in your car and let you take me -to Wrightville. It’s very kind of you. I thought I was in for a streak -of bad luck when my machine went over with me, but this seems to be a -turn for the better.” - -Leaving the wrecked car where it was, Jerry and his chums went back to -their machine with Mr. Hobson, giving their names on the way. It was a -short run to Wrightville, but Mr. Hobson, who did not have any too much -time to begin with, only just made the train as it was. - -“Good-bye, boys!” he called, as he swung aboard the express, waving his -hand to them. “See you again some time, I hope.” - -And it was under rather strange circumstances when Mr. Hobson once more -confronted our heroes. - -“Well, now to tell the garage man, and then for the eats!” exclaimed -Bob as they rode away from the railroad station. “I’ve got more of an -appetite than ever. That little excitement seemed to make me hungry.” - -“It doesn’t take much to make _you_ hungry,” commented Jerry. “But we -might as well eat here as to go on to Wallace’s. That would take half -an hour.” - -“Yes, let’s eat here,” acquiesced Chunky, and Ned assenting, that plan -was agreed upon. - -“Mr. Hobson? Oh, yes, I know him,” the garage man said when the story -of the wrecked car had been told. “He often passes through here. Just -leave it to me. I’ll go out and get his machine, tow it in and fix it -up. I know the place all right. That sure is a bad turn. I guess he -never had been on that road before. But I’ll get his car right away.” - -“Then we can eat,” said Bob, with a sigh of relief. - -While the three boys were making for a restaurant, there was taking -place back in Jerry’s home the family conference, the knowledge of -which had, in a measure, rather disturbed the three chums. For though -they knew that it was going on, they could only guess at the object, -which seemed to be rather important. - -And, in a sense, it was. - -That morning Mr. Aaron Slade, the head of the largest department store -in Cresville, a town not far from Boston, had called on Mr. Andrew -Baker, the banker. - -“Andrew,” Mr. Slade had said (for he and the banker were old friends), -“what are we going to do with our boys?” - -“That’s just the question which has been puzzling me,” said Mr. Baker. - -“They are the finest fellows in the world,” went on Mr. Slade, “and so -is their chum, Jerry Hopkins. But, to tell you the truth, Andrew, I’m a -bit worried about Ned.” - -“And I am about Bob. Not that he’s done anything wrong, but he is -getting too wild. I’m afraid they’ve been allowed too much freedom, -what with their auto, their motor boat, and airship. I thought, at the -time, it was good for them to go off by themselves, and learn to depend -on their own efforts, as they certainly did many times. But now I’m -beginning to think differently.” - -“So am I,” admitted his friend. “Take that little incident last week--I -was telling you about it, I guess--how they raced with some fellow on -the road, and nearly collided with a hay wagon.” - -“Yes, I heard about it. Well, boys will be boys, I suppose, but I’ve -made up my mind that mine will have to settle down a little more.” - -“The same here. But how can we do it?” - -For a moment the two business men remained in thought. Then Mr. Slade -said: - -“I’ll tell you what we’d better do, Andrew. Let’s go and have a talk -with Mrs. Hopkins. She’s one of the most capable, efficient and -level-headed women I know. That’s one reason why I sold her some stock -in my store. Her son Jerry is such a chum of our boys that I’ve no -doubt she feels about as we do, for Jerry is into the same scrapes and -fun that our boys get into. Let’s go and have a talk with Mrs. Hopkins.” - -“I’m with you!” the banker exclaimed. “I’ll call her on the ’phone and -see if it’s convenient for us to run out there.” - -A few moments’ talk over the wire apprised Mrs. Hopkins of what was in -the air, and she invited the two gentlemen to call. - -That is the reason Mrs. Hopkins did not go motoring with Jerry. So -Jerry took his two chums, who were made aware of the family conference -in that fashion. - -“Well, gentlemen,” said Mrs. Hopkins, when the matter had been fully -explained to her, and Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker had each expressed the -idea that their sons were in need of a little taming down, “I feel -about it as you do. I wish Jerry were not quite so lively and fond of -such exciting adventures. But now we have arrived at that decision, -what’s to be done?” - -“The very question I asked!” exclaimed Mr. Slade. - -“Send ’em to college!” proposed Mr. Baker, after a moment’s thought. “A -good, strict, up-to-date college is the place for them. They’d have to -buckle down to hard work, but there would be enough of athletic sport -to give them an outlet for their energies. Send the boys to college! -How does that idea strike you?” - -“It might be the very thing,” answered Mrs. Hopkins thoughtfully. -“The boys have a pretty good education as it is from the Academy and -from their private studies, but of late they have been allowed to run -a little too freely. I should say college would be the best thing in -the world for them. Some difficult studies would give their too active -brains something more than adventures to feed on, and I have faith -enough in the boys to be sure they would strive to do well--to excel in -their studies as they have excelled in quests, races and other things -in which they have taken part.” - -“I am glad you agree with me,” said Mr. Baker. “How about you, Aaron?” -and he looked across at Ned’s father. - -“I’m of the same opinion,” was the answer. - -“Good!” exclaimed Mr. Baker. “Well, now that is settled, which college -shall it be? There are several good ones in this section of New -England, but the question is whether they are just those best fitted -for our boys.” - -“How about a military academy?” asked Mr. Slade. “They’d get good -discipline there.” - -Mrs. Hopkins shook her head. - -“I haven’t a word to say against militarism, except that I think war -a terrible thing,” she said. “I believe in preparedness, too, but I -don’t fancy a military school for Jerry. I’m afraid there would be a -little too much discipline at first, when the boys have been used to so -little.” - -“Perhaps you are right,” said Mr. Slade. “I am not very much in favor -of it myself.” - -Several colleges were mentioned at the family conference, but nothing -definite was decided on, and it was agreed to meet again in a day or -so. Meanwhile the catalogues of several institutions could be sent for -to judge which college would be best suited to the boys. - -“A very capable woman,” commented Mr. Slade, as he and his friend left -Mrs. Hopkins’s house. - -“Very. And I am glad we have come to this decision about our boys.” - -“So am I. I wonder how the boys will take it.” - -“It’s hard to tell. We won’t say anything to them about it for a while.” - -“No,” agreed Mr. Slade. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE RACE - - -“Well, I feel better,” announced Bob Baker, with a satisfied sigh as he -arose from the restaurant table. - -“I should think you would!” commented Jerry. “You ate as much as the -two of us,” and he nodded at Ned. - -“I did not!” cried the indignant Chunky. “I’ll leave it to the waiter.” - -“Oh, don’t call public attention to a thing like that,” put in Ned. -“Let it go. Come on out and finish our ride. It’s too nice to be -staying inside, even in a restaurant.” - -It was a beautiful fall day. The fierceness of the summer heat had -gone, but the tang of late fall had not yet come, and it was perfect -weather for automobile riding. - -Jerry and his chums were soon in the car once more, this time Ned -taking the wheel. They drove out past the place where Mr. Hobson had -met with his accident--an accident with a most fortunate outcome--and -there the boys saw some men from the garage engaged in pulling the -disabled car up the bank. - -“That was some tumble!” called one of the men, as the boys paused to -look on. - -“You’d have thought so if you’d seen it,” agreed Jerry. - -It was just getting dusk when the three lads reached Jerry’s home. - -“I’ll drive you chaps home, and put up the car,” he said, for the -automobile, though owned jointly by the lads, was kept in a garage -owned by Mrs. Hopkins. - -“What are you going to do to-night?” asked Ned, as he was set down at -his residence. - -“Nothing special,” Jerry replied. - -“Let’s go to the movies,” suggested Bob. “They’ve got some Southern -travel scenes, according to the bills outside, and if we go down South -this winter we may see some of the places where we expect to be thrown -on the screen.” - -“I’d just as soon,” agreed Jerry, and Ned nodded his assent. - -“I’ll come over to your house, Ned, after supper,” Bob went on, “and -Jerry can call there for us.” - -“All right,” Jerry assented, and then he swung the car in the direction -of his home. - -“Did you have a nice ride?” his mother asked him. - -“Fine!” he exclaimed. “Saved a man’s life, too!” - -“More adventures!” Mrs. Hopkins exclaimed, thinking of the conference -that afternoon. - -“No, it was the other way around,” Jerry explained. “Mr. Hobson had the -adventure, we just rescued him from it,” and he told of the overturned -automobile. - -“Such reckless driving!” his mother murmured. “I hope you boys don’t -run your car so fast.” - -“Oh, no!” exclaimed Jerry virtuously. “I wonder if she could have meant -anything by that?” he asked himself as his mother went out of the -room. “But I don’t believe she heard about that hay wagon. I hope not, -anyhow.” - -“Jerry! there’s a letter for you on the mantel,” his mother called back -to him as she went upstairs. - -“Wonder who it’s from,” mused the tall lad. It was in a long envelope, -without any return designation, and Jerry’s name and address were -typewritten, so he could not guess the sender, as he might have done -had it been in script. - -“Some advertisement,” the lad went on, somewhat disappointed, as he -drew out a booklet. With it was a letter, and when Jerry had glanced at -the signature, before reading the epistle, he cried in delight. - -“Why, it’s from Professor Snodgrass! What in the world is he up to -now?” - -Readers of the former books of this series concerning Ned, Bob and -Jerry (volumes which will be mentioned more at length later) will -remember Professor Uriah Snodgrass, a most earnest scientist. His quest -after rare bugs and queer animals furnished our heroes with more than -one adventure, and took them into various queer places. - -“Professor Snodgrass!” went on Jerry. “I haven’t heard from him in a -long while. I wonder where he is now?” - -A glance at the top of the letter showed him. - -The epistle was dated from Fordham, a New England city, and at the top -of the page, in embossed letters, was the name “Boxwood Hall.” - - “Dear Jerry,” the letter read, “no doubt you will be surprised - to hear that I have been appointed instructor of zoology, among - other subjects, at Boxwood Hall.” - -“Surprised is no name for it!” murmured Jerry, reading on. - - “For some time the faculty has been trying to induce me to - settle down here, but I have preferred to roam about, completing - my collection of beetles. As that is about finished, I have - decided to accept the chair here. It is an excellent college, - and there are a number of fine students here, but I shall miss - the trips I used to take with you boys. Perhaps, though, during - the vacations, I may be able to be with you for a time. I am - making a collection of butterflies that are to be found in this - section of New England. I have a number of fine specimens - mounted, but as winter is approaching there will be little - further chance to add to my collection until the spring. - - “I am sending you one of the Boxwood Hall catalogues, thinking you - may be interested in it. If you are ever in this neighborhood, - please come to see me. I am sure you will like it here. I - understand there are good football and baseball teams here, and - if you get here this fall, on one of the many trips you take, - you may see a good game. I don’t know much about such things - myself. Please give my regards to your mother, and remember me - to Ned and Bob.” - -“Well, what do you know about that!” exclaimed Jerry. “Professor -Snodgrass at Boxwood Hall! I’ve heard of that college, and it’s a good -one. Well, I guess he’ll miss chasing around the country after bugs, -but the college certainly has one good instructor! I must tell the -boys.” - -“Any news in your letter, Jerry?” asked Mrs. Hopkins at the supper -table that evening. - -“Professor Snodgrass has taken the chair of zoology at Boxwood Hall,” -he replied. And then Mrs. Hopkins was called to the telephone, so Jerry -had no chance to mention the catalogue he had received. - -A little later he went with his chums to the moving picture show, -telling them the news of the professor. At Ned’s house, after the show, -the boys looked at the catalogue, which contained many half-tone cuts -of the college buildings and grounds. - -“Seems to be a nice place all right,” commented Bob. - -“Where is it?” asked Ned. - -“It’s about a mile outside of Fordham,” said Jerry, who had glanced -through the prospectus. “I didn’t know, before, what a large place -Boxwood Hall was. See, it’s located right on Lake Carmona, and they -have a boathouse on the college grounds. Lake Carmona is one of the -prettiest in New England, they say, though I’ve never seen it.” - -“I was at the upper end of it once,” Ned stated, “but I didn’t get near -Boxwood. And so the dear old professor has settled down. Well, we sure -did have good times with him!” - -“That’s right!” agreed Jerry. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to run up and -see him.” - -“I hope so,” remarked Bob. “Look! Here’s the professor’s name in the -list of the faculty,” and he pointed it out in the catalogue. “He’s -got half the letters of the alphabet after it, too.” - -This was not strictly true, though Professor Snodgrass had received -many degrees from prominent colleges for his scientific work. He -had written several books, too, on various subjects connected with -“bugology,” as the boys called it. - -After some discussion of the new position which had been accepted by -their friend, the professor, and some reminiscent talk of the times -they had spent with him, Jerry and Bob went to their respective homes, -agreeing to go for another automobile ride on the morrow. - -“Well, what shall we do now?” asked Jerry of his chums one afternoon, -several days after the receipt of the letter from Professor Snodgrass. -“I don’t just fancy any more autoing for the present.” - -“What’s the matter with a ride in the motor boat?” asked Bob, for the -boys owned one. It was kept in the boathouse near the residence of Mrs. -Hopkins. - -“Suits me,” agreed Ned, while Bob began: - -“We can drop down the river to Anderson’s place and----” - -“Get something to eat,” cut in Jerry. - -“I didn’t say so!” Bob cried. - -“No, but you thought it all right. Come on.” - -The boys started for Jerry’s home, and at the foot of the long, green -lawn that led up to the front porch Ned cried: - -“I’ll race you to the front steps to see who pays for the ice cream -sodas. Last man there pays!” - -“All right!” assented Jerry. - -“Give me a start,” begged Bob. - -“Go on!” yelled Jerry. “You’re not so fat as all that. We start even.” - -“I’m entitled to a handicap,” insisted Bob. - -The boys were laughing and shouting, and making considerable noise. - -Bob insisted that he would not race unless he was given the advantage -he claimed because of his stoutness, and finally Ned and Jerry agreed, -letting Bob have his “head start.” - -“Are you ready?” yelled Jerry. - -“Let her go!” shouted Ned. - -“Go!” cried Bob, and the three lads raced toward the piazza. - -Ned and Jerry cut down Bob’s lead in a short time, and Jerry, by reason -of slightly longer legs, soon passed Ned. They all three approached the -porch, Jerry and Bob reaching it at the same moment. They were both -going so fast they could not stop, and a moment later Bob tripped and -would have fallen had he not given a jump up in the air, and landed on -the porch. Then he slipped, and fell with a bang, spinning along the -piazza floor, while Jerry and Ned, laughing and shouting, jumped up -after him. Then, seizing him, one by each foot, they pulled him the -length of the smooth porch, which had no railing. - -[Illustration: THEY PULLED BOB THE LENGTH OF THE SMOOTH PORCH.] - -“Whoop! That was some race!” yelled Ned. - -“And I beat!” declared Bob. - -“Go on! You did not! You were disqualified by falling!” declared Jerry. -“I’m the champion!” and he executed a clog dance on the veranda. - -At that moment the front door opened, and there stood Mrs. Hopkins, -while behind her were Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker. Mrs. Hopkins did not -smile, and there were rather serious expressions on the faces of the -two gentlemen. - -“Oh, was it you making all the noise, Jerry?” his mother asked. - -“I guess we did our share,” admitted Ned, a little sheepishly. - -“Come in, boys,” said Mr. Baker. “We have an announcement to make to -you.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE DECISION - - -“Looks as if something was up,” whispered Bob to Ned, as the three -chums slid into the house. - -“That’s what it does,” agreed Ned. “I guess Mrs. Hopkins thought we -were making too much of a racket on her front stoop.” - -“We did raise a sort of row,” commented Jerry, tossing his hat on a peg -of the rack. “But mother doesn’t care an awful lot about that. She’s -heard noise before. There’s something else in the wind, believe me!” - -Mrs. Hopkins, with the fathers of Bob and Ned, had withdrawn from -the hall into the library, where they could be heard in low-voiced -conversation. - -“I wonder what the game is,” came from Ned. “Another family conference! -Did you know they were going to have it, Jerry?” - -The tall lad shook his head. - -“Unless it’s about us I can’t imagine what it’s for,” he said. “But I -reckon it does concern us. Well, we’ll have to take our medicine, I -suppose.” - -“Come in, boys,” called Mrs. Hopkins. “What we have to say concerns you -as much as it does us.” - -Rather sheepishly Ned, Bob and Jerry filed into the library, and took -seats. Mrs. Hopkins was seated at a table with her two guests, and on -this there appeared to be a pile of books, over which a newspaper was -thrown, as though to conceal them from view, temporarily at least. - -“Seems to me you young men might be a little more quiet in approaching -a lady’s house,” remarked Mr. Slade, looking at his son; and his voice -was not as good-natured as usual. - -“Oh, well, Dad,” came the response, “you see we just had a little race, -to decide who’d buy the ice cream sodas, and we did make rather a -strenuous finish of it, I guess.” - -“I should say so!” exclaimed Mr. Baker, looking at his son. “I thought -it was a mad-dog chase at least, banging up on the steps that way. But -it only goes to show that it’s high time we took some action in your -cases.” - -“That’s right,” put in Mr. Slade, with a vigorous nod. - -The three chums looked wonderingly at one another. - -“Surely they can’t be going to punish us just for a little prank like -that,” thought Jerry. His mother looked at him and smiled. - -“Well, I don’t mind a little noise,” she said. “But I really think -it is time something was done to subdue the lads a little. They are -getting a bit too much out of hand.” - -“We haven’t acted a bit too soon,” murmured Mr. Slade. - -“I only hope it isn’t too late,” added the banker. - -Once more the chums looked wonderingly at one another, and then Ned, -addressing his father, burst out with: - -“Say, Dad, what’s it all about, anyhow? What’s up? Are we on trial just -because we made a racket over a foot race?” - -“We’ll apologize to Mrs. Hopkins, if you want us to,” Bob said. - -“Oh, no, my dear boy, no apology is required!” Jerry’s mother made -haste to say. “While you did make considerable noise, that isn’t the -reason we called you in to hear our decision about a certain matter. -Of course the way you all acted just now bears out what we have -been fearful of for some time back, and that is--perhaps one of you -gentlemen can explain better than I,” she finished with a nod toward -Mr. Baker and Mr. Slade. - -There was a momentary hesitation on the part of each of them, while the -looks of wonder, not unmixed with apprehension, deepened on the faces -of the chums. Then Mr. Slade said: - -“Well, boys, it amounts to this. For some time we have been noticing -your conduct. Not that you have done anything wrong or improper, but -you haven’t done exactly what is right, either. You are getting on in -years, in fact you are young men now, and boys no longer, so it is time -you acted like young men.” - -“If that race just now----” broke in Ned. - -“Oh, it isn’t altogether that!” his father made haste to say. “That -is only one straw that shows which way the wind is blowing. You are -entirely too frivolous, and when I say that I include you, Jerry, and -you, Bob, with the permission of your parents.” - -“Yes, I agreed with Mr. Slade,” murmured Mrs. Hopkins. - -“And I,” added the banker. - -“So we have called you in to acquaint you with our decision,” the -department store proprietor went on. “And I want to say that we did not -arrive at it hastily. We have had several conferences on the matter, as -we wanted to be fair and just to all of you, and we wanted to do our -duty. Now perhaps you have something to say, Mr. Baker, before we tell -the boys what is in store for them.” - -“Looks serious,” Jerry formed the words with his lips to Ned, but did -not emit a whisper. - -Ned nodded gloomily. - -“Well, Aaron, you’ve said about all there is to say on the subject,” -began the banker slowly. “I might add that I think our boys have -had plenty of good times and strenuous adventures. There can be no -complaint on their part about that. And, boys, I want to say that you -must now settle down and prepare to make real men of yourselves. You -are boys no longer--you must prepare to accept the responsibilities of -life. Have you anything to add, Mrs. Hopkins?” - -“Nothing except that I fully agree with you gentlemen. And I think -what we are about to do will be for the best interests of all of us, -especially of our boys. We are proud of them in spite of the fact that -they are sometimes a little too careless, and we want to continue to be -proud of you, boys. Tell them what we have decided to do, Mr. Slade.” - -“It is this,” said the department store keeper, as he removed the -newspaper from the pile of books, or rather, pamphlets. “We are going -to send you boys to some college or military academy, where, under -stricter discipline than any to which you have hitherto been subjected, -you will be able to develop your characters.” - -“Sent away to college!” exclaimed Jerry. - -“Military academy!” echoed Bob. - -“Strict discipline!” murmured Ned. - -There was silence for a moment, and then Mr. Baker went on: - -“That is the conclusion we have arrived at after giving the matter -serious thought. It will be the best thing in the world for you young -men--boys no longer--to go away to some college. You will have regular -hours and regular studies, which you have not had in the past two -years. Not that you are backward, for you have kept yourselves well -informed, and your travels have been helpful, in a measure. But you -need regularity, and you are going to get it. - -“Now we have here,” he went on, “catalogues from several institutions -of learning. They are all good, as far as we can tell, and any one of -them would suit me as a place for my boy. We have not quite made up our -minds which one to choose. We want you all to go to the same one.” - -“I should say, yes!” cried Jerry. - -“We don’t want to be impertinent,” added Ned, “but we couldn’t think of -going to separate colleges. We must be together.” - -“Sure!” echoed Bob. - -“Well, we are very glad we can give in to you on that point,” said Mr. -Slade, smiling. - -“Now we will proceed to the further discussion, which you interrupted -with your strenuous foot race,” said Mr. Baker, “and we will let you -help us decide which college you will attend. Now here is a catalogue -that interests me,” and he held up one of a well-known college. - -There was quite a lengthy discussion, in which the boys joined, telling -what they knew, or had heard, of certain institutions. Some they flatly -refused to consider at all. Toward others they were more favorably -inclined. - -“Now here is one I should like to see you attend,” said Mr. Slade, -holding up another prospectus. “It is----” - -He was interrupted by an exclamation from Jerry, who rushed from the -room. - -“Why! what in the world is the matter with him?” asked Mrs. Hopkins in -surprise. - -No one answered, and before they could indulge in any speculation Jerry -was back again, waving over his head a catalogue similar to those on -the table. - -“If we have to go to college,” he said, “and I guess we do, this is -the one we’d like you to pick out--Boxwood Hall! Let us go there! It’s -a dandy place, according to the catalogue, and it has a good standing -from a scholastic and athletic standpoint. Let us go to Boxwood Hall, -where our old friend, Professor Snodgrass, is a teacher.” - -“Boxwood Hall?” murmured Mr. Slade, questioningly. - -“Professor Snodgrass,” said Mr. Baker, reflectively. - -“He sent me this catalogue,” Jerry went on, “though when I got it I -hadn’t the least notion in the world that I would go there. Let me -read you the professor’s letter”; and this he did. - -Mr. Slade picked up the Boxwood Hall catalogue and glanced at the -illustrations of the various buildings. - -“It looks like a nice place,” he said. - -“It sure does!” exclaimed his son, looking over his father’s shoulder. -“We would like it there.” - -“And there are some well known names on the faculty, aside from that of -Professor Snodgrass,” went on Mr. Slade. - -“Professor Snodgrass,” murmured Mr. Baker. “He’s the scientist who so -often went with you boys on your trips, gathering queer bugs and so on.” - -“He’s the one!” Jerry remarked. “Say, fellows, will you ever forget -the time he saw a bug on the railroad track, and almost got under the -locomotive to capture the insect.” - -“That’s right,” chorused Ned and Bob. - -“That’s the one objection to Boxwood Hall,” resumed Mr. Baker. “I’m -afraid instead of studying, you boys will be going off on bug-hunting -trips with Professor Snodgrass. I guess we’d better decide on some -other college.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -GOOD NEWS - - -Blank looks replaced those of pleasant anticipation on the faces of -Ned, Bob and Jerry. Slowly they glanced at one another, then Ned burst -out with: - -“Say, Dad, that’s all wrong! Don’t be so hard on us. If we have to -go to college the best one in the world for us will be Boxwood Hall, -because we’ll have such a good friend in Professor Snodgrass.” - -“And we won’t go off bug hunting with him--at least not very often,” -said Jerry. “We won’t have time, nor will he. And you can see by -his letter that he’s done with bugs. He’s making a collection of -butterflies now.” - -“That’s just as bad,” said Mrs. Hopkins, with a smile at her son. -“Butterflies will lead you farther afield.” - -“There won’t be many more butterflies this year,” Ned remarked. “Though -I suppose there may be a few late ones up around Fordham that the -professor will bag in his net. But, really, we won’t waste any time on -them. Let us go to Boxwood Hall, and we’ll buckle down to hard study.” - -“We can go in for athletics though; can’t we?” asked Bob. “They have a -swell football eleven and a dandy baseball nine at Boxwood Hall.” - -“Oh, we haven’t any objections to sports, if you don’t go in for them -too heavily,” said Mr. Baker. “What do you say?” and he glanced at the -department store proprietor and at Mrs. Hopkins. “Shall we let the boys -have their way?” - -“Let’s consider it farther,” suggested Mr. Slade. “We’ll write to--let -me see--Dr. Anderson Cole is the college president,” he went on, -referring to the catalogue. “We’ll write to him and see what sort of -arrangements can be made.” - -“We could start in with the fall term,” observed Jerry. “Boxwood -doesn’t open as early as some of the other colleges.” - -“We’ll see about it,” said his mother. - -“I’ll write the letters,” offered the banker. “My stenographer isn’t -overworked, and I will get her at them the first thing in the morning. -And I guess that ends the conference, for the time being,” he concluded. - -“Then may we go?” asked his son. “We are going out in the motor boat.” - -“Yes, run along,” said Mrs. Hopkins. “Jerry, let Mr. Baker have the -catalogue the professor sent. He’ll need to refer to it for his -letters.” - -A little later the three chums were hastening toward the house where -their motor boat was kept. - -“Say! won’t it be great if we can go to Boxwood?” exclaimed Bob. - -“The finest thing ever!” declared Jerry. “It will do us good to see the -professor again.” - -“So that’s what all this confabbing business on the part of our -respected parents was about,” commented Ned. “I hadn’t any idea it -would turn out this way.” - -“Nor I,” admitted Jerry. “I thought something was in the wind along the -line of making us settle down, but I was afraid mother might be going -to make me go to work. Not that I would mind work,” he made haste to -add, “but I’m not quite ready for it.” - -“I thought maybe they were going to take the car, the boat and the -airship away from us,” observed Bob, for our heroes, as their friends -who have read about them in previous books know, did have a fine -airship, in which they had gone through many adventures. - -“That would be a hardship,” said Jerry. “But going to college isn’t -half bad. I’m glad they decided on it. I guess a little discipline and -settling down will be good for all of us. It’s a lucky thing Professor -Snodgrass sent me that catalogue. If I hadn’t had that to spring on ’em -they might have packed us off to some place where we wouldn’t have a -friend to our names.” - -“They may yet,” suggested Bob half gloomily. “They may decide against -Boxwood Hall.” - -“I don’t believe so,” remarked Jerry. “I sort of think they’re -favorably disposed toward it, for it is a first-class place. And -say! why, we can take our motor boat there!” he cried. “There’s Lake -Carmona--a dandy place for a boat.” - -“But it will soon be winter,” objected Ned, “and the lake will freeze -over.” - -“That’s all right,” declared Jerry. “It will be some time before -freezing weather sets in, and there’ll be lots of time to take trips -on the lake. We’ll have to store the boat over winter, of course, but -she’ll be there in the spring. We’ll take the _Neboje_ with us.” - -The _Neboje_ (the name being made up of the first two letters of Ned, -Bob and Jerry) was a new craft. It was smaller than the last boat the -boys had bought, and they often preferred it, as it was easier to -handle. It was so arranged that they could sleep and cook on board, and -make short cruises on lake or river. - -“Sure, take the boat!” exclaimed Bob. “And why can’t we take the auto -too?” - -“We could, I guess,” conceded Jerry. “The only thing is, though, that -the fellows at Boxwood may think we’re putting it on rather thick.” - -“I guess not,” said Ned. “If we took our airship they might. But some -of them are sure to have cars themselves, and with the lake so near it -would be a wonder if there wasn’t one or two motor boats owned by the -students. We’ll take her along.” - -“That is, if we go,” observed Jerry with a smile. - -“Oh, we’ll go!” declared Bob, as they reached the boathouse. - -“Got enough gasoline?” asked Jerry, as he took the tarpaulin cover off -the _Neboje_. - -“Plenty,” announced Bob, looking at the gauge. “We’ll only go for a -little run, as I want to get back in time for----” - -“Grub!” broke in Ned with a laugh, and then he had to dodge the bailing -sponge which the stout youth threw at his head. - -Ned caught the sponge and threw it back at Bob, but with such poor aim -that it struck Jerry in the face, and, being wet, it was not the most -desirable object in the world to receive in that fashion. - -“Here! What are you doing?” roared Jerry, wiping his dripping face. -“I’ve had my bath this week. Cut out the rough stuff!” - -“I didn’t mean that,” came from Ned. “It was Bob’s fault.” - -“It was not! You threw it!” - -“You chucked it first.” - -“Well, I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t ragged me about my eating. And I -wasn’t going to say anything about grub, either. I meant I wanted to -get home early so I could talk more to dad about Boxwood Hall.” - -“Go on! You’re going to see a girl!” scoffed Jerry. - -Bob flared up again, but quiet was finally restored and, the boathouse -doors having been thrown open, Ned pressed the button of the -self-starter and the _Neboje_ swung out into the river which ran near -the Hopkins’ house. - -As the chums, comfortably seated in their craft, were getting under -way, they heard a hail. - -“Hold on, boys--wait a minute--got something to tell you--don’t go away -without me--it’s great news--come on back--slow down--turn off the -gasoline--shut off the spark--swing her around--whoop!” - -“No need to look to tell who that is,” Jerry remarked. - -“Yes, it’s Andy Rush,” said Bob, as he glanced at a small and very much -excited boy who was dancing about on the dock. - -“Come back and get me!” he begged. - -“Shall we?” asked Ned, who was steering. - -“Oh, yes, I guess so,” assented Jerry. “Andy’s all right if he does -talk like a gasoline motor.” - -“I wonder what news he has,” ventured Bob. - -Ned swung the boat about, and Andy, whom my older readers will -remember, got aboard. He was panting from his rapid-fire talk. - -“What’s the news?” asked Bob. - -“It’s about Noddy Nixon,” said Andy Rush, when he had gotten back his -breath. - -“Then it isn’t good news,” averred Jerry, for in the past Noddy had -made much trouble for the three chums. - -“No, it isn’t good news,” said Andy. “He’s hurt somewhere out West. He -ran his automobile into another one, and now he’s in a hospital.” - -“Well, I don’t wish Noddy any bad luck, for all he did us several mean -turns,” remarked Jerry. “But he never did know how to handle a car--he -was too reckless. Is he badly hurt, Andy?” - -“Well, he won’t die, but it will be a good while before he’ll be well. -A friend of my mother’s, who lives out West, wrote her about Noddy, -knowing he used to live here.” - -“I hope he never comes back here to live,” Ned remarked. “We can easily -get along without him.” - -“So say we all of us!” chimed in Bob. - -The boys enjoyed the little motor boat trip, though Andy Rush, as -usual, talked so much and so fast that Jerry said he gave him a -headache. - -“Here, earn your passage,” the tall youth finally cried. “Polish -some of the brass rail. That will give you a safety-valve,” and Andy, -perforce, had to obey. - -It was several days after this that Bob Baker came hurrying over to the -Hopkins house. - -“Good news!” cried the stout youth. - -“What about?” asked Jerry. - -“Dad has had a letter from President Cole, of Boxwood Hall, and -everything is so satisfactory that dad has decided I am to go there. -Hurrah!” - -“Hurrah yourself!” retorted Jerry. “What about Ned and me?” - -“It’s all right. I just left Ned, and his father says if Mr. Baker is -satisfied he’ll be, so Ned can go. It rests with your mother whether -you can, Jerry.” - -“Oh, I’m sure mother will say yes! I’ll tell her! Say! this is -great--all three of us to go to Boxwood Hall! Wow!” and Jerry did a -clog dance that brought his mother to the door of her room to learn the -cause of the excitement. - -She readily gave her consent to the Boxwood Hall project for Jerry, and -later that day there was another conference of the parents. There had -been considerable correspondence between Mr. Baker and President Cole, -and the banker was more than satisfied with the showing made by the -college. - -“I think it will be just the place for the boys,” he declared, “and I -will write to President Cole, informing him they will be on hand soon -after, if not at, the opening of the fall term. We shall have to get -them ready, I suppose.” - -“That won’t take long,” Jerry said. “Now I’ll write to Professor -Snodgrass, and tell him we’ll soon be with him.” - -Thus the matter was decided. The names of Ned, Bob and Jerry were -formally entered for admission to Boxwood Hall, and their standing in -their studies was such that they had to take but few examinations. - -In the letter to Professor Snodgrass Jerry explained how it had all -come about, and he thanked the little scientist for having sent the -catalogue. - -“Only for that,” Jerry wrote, “we might have been packed off to some -place where we wouldn’t have liked it at all. I’m afraid we won’t get a -chance to go hunting butterflies with you, much as we would like it.” - -In reply Jerry had another letter from the bug-collector. Professor -Snodgrass wrote that there would be plenty of chance for him to have -outings with the boys. - -“That’s fine!” cried Jerry. “Hurrah for Boxwood Hall!” - -And his chums echoed the exultant cry. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -BOXWOOD HALL - - -Imagine a great, green, grassy bowl, nestled snugly amid a succession -of green hills, set, more or less regularly, in a circle. And at the -bottom of the great, green, grassy bowl, which is miles across, imagine -further a silvery sheet, irregular in outline and sparkling in the sun. - -Up on one of the sides of the green, grassy bowl, where it leveled out -into a sort of plateau, is a group of dull, red buildings, their maroon -color contrasting pleasingly with the emerald tint of the surroundings. -Across the tip of another hill lay a country town, and from a vantage -point one could see a railroad, like a shiny snake, winding its way up -to the town, stopping there, in the shape of a station, and then going -on across the valley. - -The town is that of Fordham--a city some called it. It was in New -England, about half way between Boston and New York. The green bowl -was Fordham valley, and the shining, glittering bottom of it was Lake -Carmona, a beautiful sheet of water, some miles in extent. - -The group of red buildings was Boxwood Hall with which we shall soon -concern ourselves, and which was very much in the minds of Ned, Bob -and Jerry at this moment, as it had been for some time. The college -buildings were about a mile, or, say a mile and a half to be exact, -from the Fordham railroad station, and were practically on the shore of -Lake Carmona, for the college owned the land running down to the lake, -and had on it a boathouse and a dock. But the buildings themselves lay -back a quarter of a mile from the water, and this quarter of a mile, -somewhat less in width, formed the college campus--one not surpassed -anywhere. - -Upon this campus, strolling about here and there this fine fall day, -was a group of lads attired in the more or less exaggerated costumes -effected by college youth the world over. - -“Say, fellows, I’ve got news for you!” cried Frank Watson, who, as one -could tell by the manner he used toward some of the other students, was -a sophomore. “Great news! Come here, Bill Hamilton--Bart Haley--you -too, Sid Lenton and Jim Blake. Come here and listen to me.” - -“What’s the matter now?” asked Bill Hamilton, a flashily dressed lad. -“Has some one left you money?” - -“I wish some one had,” remarked Frank. - -“Same here,” drawled Bart Haley. “I never knew how much a fellow could -spend until I came here. I’m up against it hard!” - -“No, it isn’t money,” remarked Frank. “It’s worse than that. What do -you know about this. There’s a bunch of new fellows coming here in a -week or so, and they’re about the limit--or at least I think they’ll be -that.” - -“What do you mean?” asked Bart, slightly interested. - -“This. There are three fellows coming into the freshman class. And from -what I hear they have been around pretty much, so they’ll probably be -fresher than usual and will try to run things here to suit themselves. -The know-it-all class, so to speak.” - -“Who are they?” asked Bart. - -“How’d you hear about this?” demanded Sid Lenton. - -“They are--let me see. I jotted down their names so’s we’d have ’em -handy to use in case we had to. Here they are--Jerry Hopkins, Bob Baker -and Ned Slade. They’re from Cresville, and they’re going to bring their -auto with them. Fawncy now!” and Frank assumed a mocking air and tone. - -“I asked you how you heard it,” came from Sid again. - -“Professor Snodgrass told me. He’s a friend of theirs, it seems, and he -sent one of them a college catalogue. That’s how they came to be wished -on to us. It seems that Professor Snodgrass, who isn’t a bad sort by -the way, used to travel about with the Motor Boys, as their friends at -home call them,” said Frank, sarcastically. - -“Motor boys?” repeated Bart Haley. - -“Yes, that’s what they used to call themselves. Think of that--motor -boys!” - -“Why was that?” asked Sid. - -“Oh, because they did a lot of motoring. Had motor cycles first, it -appears, then they got an auto, then a motor boat, and then they even -had a submarine!” - -“Get out! You’re stringing us!” cried several. - -“No, it’s straight!” declared Frank. He sat down on the grass and -continued: “Why, some fellow even wrote a book--two or three of them I -guess--about these same motor boys. When Professor Snodgrass told me -they were coming here I pumped him for all he was worth. Thinks I to -myself, if we’re going to have fellows like that here, who sure will -try to walk over us, the more I know about them the better. - -“So he told me all he knew, which was a lot. It seems he used to go -off on bug-hunting expeditions with them in the auto, the boat or the -airship.” - -“Airship!” cried Jim Blake. “You don’t mean to say they had an airship, -do you?” - -“That’s what the professor said.” - -“Oh, he’s daffy! I’ll never believe that. They may have had an auto and -a motor boat--I’ve got one of them myself,” said Bill Hamilton. “But an -airship--never!” - -“Well, we’ll find out about that later,” declared Frank. “Anyhow, some -fellow did write about the motor boys. He made up a story of how they -went overland, and even down into Mexico.” - -“Mexico!” exclaimed Harry French. - -“Yes, Mexico. And there they discovered a buried city, or something -like that. The professor made a big find there--some new kind of bug I -guess. And then there’s a book telling how these motor boys went across -the plains, and how they first went cruising in their motor boat. They -were on the Atlantic, on the Pacific, and in the strange waters of the -Florida Everglades. Some trip, believe me!” - -“Do you s’pose it’s all true?” some one asked. - -“The professor says so, and you know what a stickler he is,” responded -Frank. - -“Well, if that’s the case, these fellows sure will try to put it all -over us,” declared Sid. - -“They may try, but they won’t succeed,” declared Frank, and there was -a vindictive ring to his voice. “But this isn’t all. Ned, Bob and -Jerry--the motor boys--did go above the clouds in some sort of motor -ship, according to the professor. They went across the Rockies, and out -over the ocean. Then they went after some kind of a fortune, and even -helped capture some Canadian smugglers up on the border. And it’s all -in books, too. - -“And, as I said, according to Mr. Snodgrass, these lads went down in a -submarine. I didn’t believe that at first, but he told me of the things -he saw and the specimens he caught, so I guess it’s true enough. - -“Now they’re coming here. They got back from a long trip on road and -river just before Professor Snodgrass came here to teach, and they had -such lively times that their folks packed them here for us to look -after,” and Frank grinned. - -“Oh, we’ll look after ’em all right!” cried Sid. - -“That’s what we will,” added Bart Haley. - -“If they try to run things here they’ll find that they’re running -themselves into the ground,” declared Jake Porter. - -The group of students around Frank nodded assent. The boys were, as has -been said, sophomores, and most of them were on the baseball nine. - -“I wonder if they’ll go out for football?” asked Ted Newton, captain of -the eleven. “We need some good material.” - -“You wouldn’t have new fellows--butters-in like these three--on the -team; would you?” asked Frank. - -“Well, they’d be eligible for the varsity under the rules here, which -are different from those of most colleges. I wouldn’t turn any fellow -down just because he’d had some adventures. Cracky! I’d like a taste of -them myself!” - -“I tell you these motor boys will be impossible!” cried Frank. “You’ll -see! They’ll think they’re the whole show, and that we don’t amount to -anything. We can haze them and then we can sit on ’em good and proper, -and that’s what I say let’s do!” - -“I’m with you,” drawled Bill Hamilton. - -“Are they rich?” asked Sid. - -“I s’pose they are,” admitted Frank, “or they couldn’t afford to do all -they have done. But that won’t make any difference to me. I’m going to -snub ’em and sit on ’em, for they’ll be sure to try to run things.” - -“That’s right!” agreed some of his cronies. “We’ll show these motor -boys a thing or two at Boxwood!” - -Thus, without having seen our heroes, the coterie led by Frank Watson -decided on a verdict against them--a verdict that was destined to cause -no end of trouble. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -OFF TO COLLEGE - - -Ned, Bob and Jerry were not able to enter Boxwood Hall the first week -of the fall term. They had expected to, and had begun to prepare -for that. But some minor difficulties cropped up in regard to their -entrance examinations, and they were obliged to pass certain tests -which were arranged for by President Cole with the principal of the -Cresville Academy, where the boys had been in attendance. - -Finally, their previous work in their studies was found to be -satisfactory, and, as Frank Watson informed his chums, the three chums -were to enter the freshman class. - -While the boys were busy with their examinations, their parents--the -mothers especially--were busy preparing their sons’ outfits. - -“It’s worse than when we went overland,” complained Ned, when he had -been obliged to pass judgment on suits, caps, underwear and other -wearing apparel--the outfit he was to take to college with him. - -“Oh, well, it’ll soon be over,” was Jerry’s consoling suggestion. - -“The worst of it is,” said Bob, “we may be all out of date with our -clothes when we get to Boxwood and see what the fellows there are -wearing. We may have to get a lot of new things.” - -“Nothing more than a cap or two, I guess,” Jerry said. “We’ll wait -about them until we get there, and find out what kind the fellows are -sporting. We’ll wear our auto caps until then.” - -“Auto caps!” cried Bob. “They won’t look good in the train.” - -“Who said anything about a train?” asked Jerry. - -“Why, aren’t we going to Fordham by train?” - -“Didn’t you tell him about it?” asked the tall lad of Ned. - -“No, Jerry, I forgot.” - -“What’s the game?” inquired Bob. - -“Why, Ned and I talked it over,” said Jerry, “and we decided it would -be a good stunt, as long as we’re going to take our car to college with -us, to motor down in it instead of going by train. I supposed he had -told you, but I guess there was so much going on that he forgot about -it.” - -“That’s right,” affirmed Ned. - -“Motor down!” Bob exclaimed. “That will be swell! We can do it easily -in a day, and we can take along our----” - -“Lunch!” cut in Ned, taking care to have Jerry between him and Bob. - -“Oh, you make me tired!” exclaimed the stout lad. “I was going to say -take our trunks along, and save a lot of bother with the expressman.” - -“That’s so,” Jerry said. “Let Chunky alone, Ned. He’s all right, even -if he does eat five times a day.” - -“Now you’re picking on me!” laughed Bob. “Well, go as far as you like, -I can stand it if you can.” - -“Say, I’ll tell you what we might do,” cried Ned, as he and his chums -got into their car for a spin out into the country, as it was a day or -so yet before they would depart for Boxwood Hall. - -“What?” asked Jerry. - -“We might write to Professor Snodgrass, and ask him what sort of duds -the fellows wear there. Then we’d know what to get and save doubling -up.” - -“Do you mean that?” asked Jerry, with a queer look at his chum. - -“Of course I do. Why not?” - -“You ought to know the professor by this time,” remarked the tall lad -with a laugh. “He doesn’t know any more about clothes than a bat!” - -“I should say not!” chimed in Bob, who was, as his friends said, “some -nifty little dresser.” “The professor would get styles all mixed up -with his bugs and butterflies,” went on the stout lad. “He’d tell us -that the fellows were wearing sweaters with double-jointed legs, and -trousers with stripes running around them like that queer beetle he got -when we were down in Mexico. He’d have just about that much idea of -what we wanted to know.” - -“I guess you’re right,” assented Ned. “I didn’t think about that. We’ll -just settle the clothes question when we get there.” - -They motored along a pleasant country road, talking of many things, but -chiefly of their coming stay at Boxwood Hall, and what they would do -when they got there. - -“I hope we can room together,” said Ned. - -“We’ll have connecting rooms,” Jerry said. “Mother wrote to the matron, -a Mrs. Eastman, and she wrote back that there were three nice rooms in -the main dormitory of Borton we could have. So mother clinched them for -us. Mother’s a bit fussy about rooms, and I guess I’m glad she is.” - -“Say, that will be swell all right!” exclaimed Bob. - -“All to the merry!” chimed in Ned. - -A little farther along they passed the place where they had put out the -automobile fire some time previously. - -“I wonder what ever became of Mr. Hobson--was that his name, the -fellow we saved?” asked Ned, musingly. - -“That was it--Samuel Hobson,” affirmed Jerry. “Didn’t I tell you I had -a card from him?” - -“No,” replied his chums. - -“Well, I had. A souvenir card from San Francisco. He’s out there on -business, but expects to come East again. He said he’d write a letter -when he had time. Sent his regards to all of you.” - -“It’s a wonder he wouldn’t drop us a line,” grumbled Bob. - -“He apologized for that,” explained Jerry. “Said he’d lost your -addresses, and asked me to send them on.” - -“Well, make mine Boxwood Hall,” said Ned. - -“Same here,” came from Bob. - -Several busy days followed in which last preparations were made. The -boys’ plan to motor to Boxwood Hall was agreed to by the parents. As -the car was a roomy one there was space in it for their trunks, as well -as for themselves, and, thus taking their baggage, they would save -themselves considerable trouble. - -The boys had looked up the best route to take, and though the trip was -something over a hundred and fifty miles, they figured that by making -an early start they could reach the college in the late afternoon. - -“And it’ll be a whole lot better than traveling in a stuffy train, -fellows,” said Bob. - -Professor Snodgrass had been written to again by the boys, who told of -their automobile trip, and they mentioned the time they expected to -arrive. In reply the little scientist said he would be on the lookout -for them, and he again expressed his pleasure that they were going to -be near him. - -“He’s as jolly as a young fellow himself,” declared Jerry. - -The morning for the start came, and after a substantial breakfast, -at least on the part of Bob, our heroes took their places in the big -touring car. - -“Now boys,” said Mr. Slade, who, with Mr. Baker, had come to the home -of Mrs. Hopkins to see the three off, “remember that you are not going -to college for fun.” - -“But we can have a little; can’t we, Dad?” asked Ned. - -“Yes, of course. I want you all to have a good time within reason. But -you must all buckle down to hard work too. As we said before, you’ve -had more than your share of strenuous adventures. Leave some for the -other fellows. You must prepare to take your places as men in the world -soon, and a good education is the best preparation.” - -“I agree with what Mr. Slade says,” added the banker. “We don’t want to -be too preachy, but, boys, dig in hard now, and let us all be proud of -you.” - -“I’m sure we shall be,” said Mrs. Hopkins, and there was a smile on her -face, though she found it rather hard to let Jerry go for such a long -time. Still he was used to being away from home, and his mother knew he -could take care of himself, as could his chums. - -Good-byes echoed and re-echoed as Jerry started the motor and, throwing -in the gears, let the clutch slip into place. Hands were waved, and -then our three heroes swung down the road on their way to college. It -was a momentous occasion for them. - -“Good-bye, fellows--wish I were going--don’t forget to write--send me -tickets--football game--maybe I can come--it’ll be great--hope you play -and win every game--good-bye!” - -It was Andy Rush, of course, and the little chap ran alongside the -automobile for a few feet as he delivered his rapid-fire remarks. - -“I wonder what will happen to him when he goes to college,” mused Bob. - -“He’ll have to dictate his recitations into a phonograph,” said Jerry, -“and when the prof wants to listen he’ll have to run it at half speed, -or he wouldn’t catch a word.” - -“Oh well, Andy’s all right. He’s done us lots of good turns,” declared -Ned. - -“That’s right,” agreed his chums. - -Little of incident marked their morning trip, save that Ned and Bob -had a discussion as to which was the best place to eat, a dispute that -ended when Jerry picked out an altogether different restaurant, and -stopped the car in front of it. - -After a brief rest they were on their way again. Now they were in -unfamiliar country, and several times they had to stop to ask which -road to take, as the road map seemed faulty. - -“We’re not going to get there before dark at this rate,” said Bob, -as he looked at his watch, and noted a sign-board which stated that -Fordham was still many miles away. - -“Oh, well, we’ve got good headlights,” Jerry said. - -It clouded up about four o’clock, and at five was so dark that the -headlights had to be set aglow. At a cross-road Jerry stopped the car. - -“Hop out, Ned, and see which turn to take,” he said. - -Ned, with a pocket flashlight, examined the board. - -“Say, this is queer!” he exclaimed. - -“What is?” asked Bob. - -“Why, one of these roads goes to Lawrenceville and the other to -Ogdenburg. We’ve come the wrong way, fellows. Fordham isn’t anywhere -around here!” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -PROFESSOR SNODGRASS - - -Momentary silence followed the rather disconcerting remark made by Ned -after his discovery. Then Jerry asked: - -“Are you sure about that? Look around. Maybe there’s another sign-board -somewhere else that gives information about Fordham.” - -“This is the only one there is,” declared Ned, flashing his light -about, “and it doesn’t intimate that such a place as Fordham even -exists.” - -“Then we must have come the wrong road!” exclaimed Bob. - -“Oh, fine! How’d you guess it? That’s a brilliant head you have!” said -Ned, rather sarcastically. - -“Well, it isn’t my fault,” observed Bob. “I wasn’t guiding the car.” - -“No, I s’pose it’s up to me,” admitted Jerry. “Though I’m sure I took -the turn that last fellow we asked told us to take.” - -“Yes, you did all right,” agreed Ned. “It was that farmer who -misdirected us. I beg your pardon, Bob, for jumping at you that way. -But it makes me mad to think we’ve gotten on the wrong road, and we -won’t get to Boxwood until after supper.” - -“Getting hungry?” asked Jerry. “That’s Chunky’s role, you know.” - -“Roll or bread--I’d be glad of either,” said Ned. “Yes, I am hungry. I -didn’t eat as much lunch as you fellows did. Now go ahead, Bob, and lay -it into me. I deserve it.” - -Bob reached under the rear seat and held up a package. - -“I’ll lay this into you, Ned,” he laughed. - -“What is it?” asked the complaining one. - -“Grub! Sandwiches, cake and so on.” - -“Grub!” Jerry exclaimed. “Where’d you get it?” - -“Oh, I had the waiter in the restaurant put it up for me. I thought we -might get hungry before supper, but I didn’t think we would get lost. -It’ll come in handy, won’t it?” - -“It’ll come in stomachicly, to coin a new word,” declared Ned. “Chunky, -if ever I say anything again about your eats, just you remind me of -this occasion.” - -“All right,” agreed the stout youth. - -“Well, we won’t starve, that’s sure,” Jerry said. “But the question is -which road are we to take?” - -“Neither one of these, I vote,” said Bob. “They don’t go where we want -to go. I say, let’s go back until we get to another cross highway, and -that may have a sign on that we didn’t notice before which will direct -us to Fordham.” - -“I guess Bob’s right,” conceded Jerry. “Back we go.” - -“And we can eat on the way,” Bob went on; and neither of his chums -joked him this time. - -Somewhat disappointed and chagrined at the outcome of their automobile -trip, or rather, at the prospective outcome, the boys put back. They -had counted on arriving at Boxwood Hall in some “style” with their big -car. Not that the three chums cared so much about showing off, but they -felt they had a right to make a certain impression, since, according to -present plans, they were to remain at the college for some time. - -But now they would arrive after dark, and they would be met by strange -professors and college officials (all save Professor Snodgrass), they -would be late for supper, and would have no chance to view the college -until morning. - -“Hang that farmer, anyhow!” murmured Jerry. - -“I wish he had to go without his suppers for a week,” added Ned. - -“Oh, we’re not so badly off,” declared Bob, as he was munching a -sandwich. - -“Bob wouldn’t want any one condemned to go without food,” said Jerry. -“Well, I suppose it was my own fault in a way. I should have consulted -the map after that fellow told us which turn to take. We’ll know better -next time.” - -“There’s a house,” remarked Ned. “Suppose we inquire there.” - -“No!” decided Jerry. “That’s a farmer’s house, and I won’t trust any -more farmers. I’ll go on back to the last turn we made. There’s a -garage not far from there, and they’ll know the road, that’s sure.” - -It was not a long ride back to the place where Jerry felt they had made -the wrong turn, and a few minutes more took them to the garage. But it -was now quite dark. - -“Fordham--um, yes,” said the garage man, reflectively. “I should say -you _did_ take the wrong turn!” - -“Well, please tell us how to take the right one,” begged Jerry. - -“The right one happens to be a left one,” said the man with a laugh. -Then he gave them the proper directions, and said they ought to be at -Boxwood Hall in about an hour. - -“Come on!” cried Ned, as they started away once more. “On with the -dance!” - -“Speaking of dances, I wonder if they ever have any at the college?” -asked Bob, reflectively. - -“Sure they do!” exclaimed Ned, who of late had taken up fox-trotting. -“Didn’t the catalogue say that all proper facilities were given for the -best social life. And what is social life, I’d like to know, without a -dance now and then?” - -“I guess you’ll get your share of it,” remarked Jerry, his eyes on -the road ahead, for it was an unfamiliar one to him, and, though the -garage man had said it was a fine, straight highway, Jerry was taking -no chances. The powerful electric lights made a fine illumination far -ahead. - -Now it might have been reasonably expected that Fate, if you choose -to call it such, having dealt our heroes one blow, would refrain from -giving them another, at least for a while. But it was not to be. - -About a half hour after having left the garage they came to an -obstruction across the road. It was in the form of a big sawhorse such -as is used in cities to block streets when repair work is being done. -From the barrier hung a red lantern. - -“Hello! What does this mean?” asked Jerry, bringing the car up with a -screeching of brakes. - -“Looks like danger,” observed Bob. - -“There’s some kind of a sign,” said Ned. “I’ll get out and read it.” - -With his pocket flashlight he inspected a placard that was tacked on -the big sawhorse. - -“It says the bridge just ahead is being repaired, and can’t be used,” -Ned called back to his chums. “And it says to go back half a mile, and -take the road to the left.” - -“Well, if this isn’t luck!” cried Jerry. “Will we ever get to Boxwood -Hall?” - -“There’s no help for it,” remarked Ned. “We can’t go over a dangerous -bridge, that’s sure. The only thing to do is to go back. It won’t delay -us much, as the road the sign mentions isn’t a five minutes’ ride back.” - -“No, but it may take us on a roundabout way,” objected Jerry. “That’s -what I’m thinking of. But I guess it’s the only thing we can do. I -reckon the garage man didn’t know about the bridge.” - -So back they turned for the second time, and, following the directions, -they took the road to the left, speeding along as fast as they dared. - -“Who proposed this auto trip, anyhow?” grumbled Ned. - -“I did,” confessed Jerry. “But I guess it would have been better to -have come by train, and have had a chauffeur bring our car on later. -I’m sorry, fellows, that----” - -“Oh, it’s all right,” Ned hastened to say. “I was only joking. I don’t -know what’s the matter with me to-night. I seem to be on the outs all -around.” - -“It’s your liver,” said Jerry with a laugh. “I don’t hold it against -you.” - -“Fox-trotting is good for it,” observed Bob. - -“Good for what?” demanded Ned. - -“Sluggish and torpid livers. I guess that’s what you’ve got.” - -“Get out!” laughed Ned. “I only have one liver.” - -They sped along, and presently a new moon showed above the horizon, -shining now and then through the masses of scudding clouds. The road -was good, and Jerry had turned the wheel over to Ned, as the latter had -not driven much that day, and Jerry was rather tired from the strain. - -They came to the top of a little hill, and saw, not far away, a group -of buildings revealed in the moonlight. - -“There she is!” exclaimed Bob. “There’s Boxwood Hall!” - -Jerry and Ned peered at the structures. - -“It doesn’t look like the pictures,” declared Ned, dubiously. - -“Just what I was going to say,” remarked Jerry. “It doesn’t look a bit -like Boxwood Hall.” - -“What else could it be?” asked Bob. - -“I don’t know, unless some of the buildings have been destroyed since -that catalogue came out. But if that had happened Professor Snodgrass -would have told us,” Ned declared. - -“Well, we’ll see in a few minutes,” observed Jerry. - -They motored on until they came to where a gateway at the roadside led -up to the group of buildings they had noticed, and then, in the glare -of their headlights they read over the arch: - - KENWELL MILITARY ACADEMY - -For a moment no one spoke. Then Jerry burst out with: - -“Well, what in the world is happening to us?” - -“We’re jinxed!” cried Ned. - -Bob said nothing. - -“Why don’t you add to the general hilarity?” asked Jerry. - -“Well, I--I’m--stumped!” murmured the stout lad. - -“If that’s all you can think of to say you might better have kept -still,” laughed Ned. “We sure have been up against it to-day!” - -“About as bad luck as we ever had,” admitted Jerry. “Still it might be -worse.” - -“The worst is yet to come,” quoted Bob, with a laugh. They all joined -in, for, after all, there was a funny side to the whole thing. - -“Did that sign where the red lantern was say the left road went to -Fordham?” asked Jerry. - -“No, it didn’t say that,” admitted Ned. “But it didn’t say anything -about any other road. There wasn’t any choice.” - -“Well, I’m going to get this straight now,” said Jerry, in a determined -tone. “I’m going up to that academy and get them to draw us a plan of -the right road to take. No more mistakes for me!” - -“Here’s some one coming now,” remarked Bob. Into the glare of the -headlights came a man. He stepped to one side, to get out of the too -brilliant illumination. - -“Excuse me, sir,” said Jerry, “but we are trying to find Boxwood Hall, -near Fordham. Can you direct us to it?” - -“Boxwood Hall! Of course I can. I am an instructor there, but I have -had the misfortune to----” - -Something in the voice caused the boys to give a simultaneous shout of: - -“Professor Snodgrass! It’s Professor Snodgrass!” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE PROFESSOR’S SHOES - - -Ned, Bob and Jerry tumbled out of the automobile in such haste that it -might have been called a “dead heat,” to use a sporting term. They made -a rush for the little man standing at the side of the road near the -path of light from the automobile lamps. - -“Professor Snodgrass!” cried Jerry. - -“Is it really you?” demanded Ned. - -“Our good luck has started!” was Bob’s contribution to the general fund. - -As for the little man in the road, he did not seem to know what to do -or say. - -“I beg your pardons, young gentlemen,” he said. “Are you students from -Boxwood Hall, or from the military academy here? I see you have a -machine, and if you are from Boxwood Hall I would ask that----” - -“We’re not _from_ Boxwood, but we want to _go_ there!” cried Jerry. -“Don’t you know us, Professor Snodgrass? Take a look!” - -He whirled the little man around into the light so he could look at -the three chums. Then a great change came over the professor’s face. - -“Why--why--why, it’s the motor boys!” he cried. “Ned, Bob and Jerry! -Bless my soul! But I _am_ glad to see you! What are you doing here? I -thought you were coming to Boxwood Hall, and I find you at the gates of -the military academy.” - -“It’s all a mistake, Professor! It’s all a mistake! It’s all wrong!” -laughed Jerry. “It’s too long a story to tell now, but we’ll give it to -you by degrees. We’ve been ever since the early morning traveling from -Cresville here, and more things have happened than you could shake a -stick at. But how comes it you are over here?” - -“You may well ask that,” returned Professor Snodgrass. “I have had my -troubles too. I set off this afternoon to gather a few specimens of -_lepidoptera_----” - -“Leopards!” exclaimed Bob. “I didn’t know there were any around here. -Did they break out of a circus?” - -“Oh, my dear boy!” exclaimed Professor Snodgrass. “You must brush up -on your Greek if you are to be one of my pupils. _Lepidoptera_ is -formed of two Greek words, meaning a scale, or husk, and a wing, and by -_lepidoptera_ we mean butterflies and moths.” - -“Now will you be good?” murmured Jerry. - -“I had heard of a certain rather rare variety of moth which had been -seen in this vicinity,” went on the professor, “and though it was -rather late in the year to hope to get a specimen, I set off this -afternoon with my specimen box and net, having finished my class work. -I came over from Fordham to the town of Bundton by train. Bundton is -the nearest station to the military academy, and about fifteen miles -from Fordham. - -“But though I tramped all over the fields, and even ventured into -a swamp, where this moth is said to be sometimes seen, I was -unsuccessful. Not a one did I see. And I stayed so late that I missed -the last train back to Fordham, since the summer schedule has been -withdrawn. So I started to walk, hoping I might find a garage on my way -where I could hire a car. I had no idea of meeting you boys, though -I remember now this is the day you said you would arrive. It is most -unfortunate! - -“I mean it is unfortunate that I did not get the moth I was after, but -I am very glad I met you boys. If you will kindly take me into your car -I can put you on the shortest and most direct road to Fordham, which -I am as anxious to reach as are you, for I have some work to do in -preparation for to-morrow’s lessons.” - -“Say! this is the best yet!” cried Bob. “To think of meeting you this -way! We’d about given up, and were going to ask the direction from -some one in Kenwell Academy. Sort of asking aid and comfort of the -enemy. I suppose they are the enemies of Boxwood Hall, when it comes to -sports; aren’t they, Professor?” - -“Rivals, not enemies,” answered the little scientist. “Yes, they -play against our boys. I believe their football nine is to meet our -basketball eleven soon.” - -The boys laughed. - -“What is the matter?” asked the professor. - -“Nothing,” answered Jerry. “How are you, anyhow, Professor Snodgrass?” - -“My health has been excellent, thank you. I like it very much at -Boxwood, and I think you will also. I am very glad you came. And now, I -think, we had better start. I should have been back hours ago, but it -could not be helped. I had forgotten about the change in the trains, -and I counted on getting for the return trip one that I have often -taken.” - -“What’s that you have in your hand, Professor?” asked Ned, observing -that the little scientist carried a pair of overshoes in one hand -in addition to his specimen box which was slung on a strap over his -shoulder, and his butterfly net, which he carried in the other hand. - -“In my hand? Oh, my overshoes, of course. Why, how careless of me! And -my feet are soaking wet! I brought my rubbers with me in my specimen -box, thinking I might need them in the swamp. And it was very wet! - -“I took them out, to put them on, and, just then, I saw what I thought -was a new kind of butterfly. I rushed for it, but it was only a leaf.” - -“And you have been carrying your rubbers in your hand ever since?” -asked Bob. - -“I--I fear I have,” answered the collector, looking down at his wet and -soggy shoes. “It is very careless of me. But I dare say they will dry -out on the ride to Boxwood Hall. How fortunate that I should have met -you!” - -“Best piece of luck in the world!” cried Jerry. “Now, come on, -Professor, and we’ll make short work of the distance. Fifteen miles I -think you said it was to Fordham?” - -“That is by railroad,” was the reply. “It’s a little longer by road, as -we have to skirt Lake Carmona. But if I know anything about you motor -boys I know you won’t be long.” - -“Indeed not!” cried Ned. - -“Do you think we’ll be too late for supper?” asked Bob, and neither of -his chums rebuked him. - -“Well, I’m afraid it is a little late for the usual meal,” said the -professor. “But I can invite you into my own residence and we will dine -together. I shall like that above all things. Don’t worry about eating, -Bob.” - -“I won’t now, Professor,” and the stout youth sighed in relief. - -They went back to the automobile, the boys looking with some curiosity -at the lighted buildings of the military academy. - -“That’s some place!” exclaimed Ned. - -“Yes, it is considered a very good school,” the professor said, “but -they are absolutely _nil_ when it comes to zoology. They do not -give half the proper attention to it. At Boxwood Hall it is made a -specialty, though I have also to lecture on other subjects. And now -boys, tell me all about yourselves and your adventures.” - -“First take off your wet shoes,” directed Jerry, as Professor Snodgrass -entered the tonneau of the automobile. “You can wrap your feet in some -blankets. It’s quite chilly to-night.” - -“Thank you,” answered the professor. “I might, that is very true. I -will do as you say.” - -He removed his sodden foot gear and then, as Jerry turned the -automobile around, and set off on the road, directed by the professor, -the boys took turns in telling of the happenings of the day, which were -many and varied. - -On his side, Professor Snodgrass mentioned many points about Boxwood -Hall, and answered, as best he could, questions regarding the nine, the -eleven, the basket ball five and other lines of sport, for which the -college was noted. - -“What sort of fellows shall we meet?” Ned demanded. - -“Oh, a very fine class,” the professor replied. “We have many sons -of wealthy parents here, as well as others, less well off in worldly -goods, but who are fine students. You’ll like it here.” - -“I’m sure we shall!” exclaimed Jerry, and his chums murmured their -assent. - -The boys could gather little idea of the nature of the country round -Boxwood Hall, as the darkness had fallen. But Professor Snodgrass knew -the roads well, as he said. All summer he had tramped them in search of -butterflies and moths, which was his latest “fad,” if what to him was a -serious matter may be so termed. - -“Here we are!” exclaimed the little scientist, as he told Ned to make a -certain turn. “Up this road, and then to the left, and you’ll be near -my house. I have a whole cottage to myself, and a most excellent cook.” - -“Good!” murmured Bob. - -“So you had better come in to supper with me,” went on the professor. -“Afterward, I will take you in and introduce you to Dr. Cole, and Mr. -Wallace Thornton, the proctor, with whom you will register. Then you -will be shown to your rooms, and can meet some of the boys.” - -“Maybe we’d better put that off until morning,” suggested Jerry. - -“Just as you like,” agreed the scientist. - -As the automobile rolled on the three chums had a glimpse of many -buildings scattered over the green campus, which sloped down to the -shores of Lake Carmona. It was too dark for the boys to see much, but -what they had a glimpse of made them, more than ever, inclined to like -the place. - -“It’s going to be great!” murmured Ned. - -“That’s what!” agreed Bob. - -“And when we get our motor boat here,” added Jerry, as he looked toward -the lake, “we will have _some_ times--believe me!” - -“This is my residence,” put in the professor, indicating a small, red, -brick building covered with ivy, as the boys could see in the glare of -the automobile lamps. “Not all of the faculty have separate dwellings, -but my zoological collections are so large that I needed plenty of -room, so I was assigned to this house. It is very comfortable.” - -“Where can we leave the auto?” asked Jerry. - -“Oh, there is a garage on the premises, though I have no car. You may -keep yours there if you like.” - -“Fine!” said Jerry. - -For the time being they left the machine in the road, and proceeded up -the gravel walk. Jerry noticed that the professor seemed to be hobbling -in a peculiar manner. - -“Did you hurt your feet in the swamp?” the tall lad asked. - -“Hurt my feet? No, not that I know of. Ah--I see! Bless my soul! I’ve -forgotten to put on my shoes that I took off to dry. I was wondering -what hurt me.” - -Jerry had hard work to keep from roaring with laughter. For the -professor, in his socks, was walking over the sharp gravel, carrying -his shoes and overshoes in one hand, and his butterfly net in the -other. His face was a picture as he looked down at his feet in the -illumination of the incandescent lamp on his front porch. - -“Bless my soul!” he murmured again. “I am getting very forgetful, I’m -afraid.” - -“He’s not getting it--he’s _got_ it!” murmured Bob. - -“Come in, boys, come in!” went on the professor, as he stepped off the -gravel to the softer grass. “We’ll have a nice supper and a long talk.” - -“Ah!” murmured Bob. - -“It’s the supper he’s thinking of, not the talk,” said Ned to Jerry. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -A COOL RECEPTION - - -Professor Snodgrass had said his was a roomy house, and so it was as -regards the house itself. But there was not much room in it, as the -boys soon saw, for even the hall was filled with boxes, cases and other -receptacles for holding what Ned, Bob and Jerry rightly guessed to be -specimens of bugs, butterflies and other objects dear to the heart of -the enthusiastic scientist. - -“Make yourselves right at home, boys,” urged the professor, as they -went in. He put away his butterfly net and the specimen box he carried -over his shoulder, and then called: - -“Mrs. Gilcuddy! Mrs. Gilcuddy!” - -“Yes, yes! What is it?” asked a voice from the kitchen. - -“We will have company to supper, Mrs. Gilcuddy,” went on the professor. -“Put on three extra plates.” - -A pleasant-faced woman came into the dining room. - -“And you might take these,” the professor went on, holding out his wet -shoes to her. “They’ll need drying.” - -“Oh, if you haven’t been and done it again!” she cried, raising her -hands in dismay. “You’ll catch cold, Professor.” - -“Oh, I think not,” he said mildly. “These young gentlemen, friends of -mine, made me take off my shoes and wrap my feet in a blanket. They are -really quite warm now. Sit down, boys. Mrs. Gilcuddy will soon have -supper ready. Sit down.” - -“I’d like to know where they’re going to sit!” exclaimed the -housekeeper. “Every chair in the place holds some of your specimens, -Mr. Snodgrass.” - -“We’ll clear some of them away,” offered Jerry. “We’ve been with the -professor before.” - -He started to lift an accumulation of boxes off one of the chairs, but -the little scientist, dropping the shoes, which Mrs. Gilcuddy had not -taken, cried: - -“Look out, Jerry! Handle that gently. That contains some of my choicest -specimens of _Argynnis atalantis_.” - -“What’s that?” asked Jerry. “A new kind of fish?” - -“It is the mountain silverspot butterfly,” the professor explained. “I -was all day getting two specimens. I wouldn’t lose them for the world. -Bring me my slippers, Mrs. Gilcuddy, and I’ll clear off the chairs -myself,” and this he did after some confusion. - -“Well, boys, now you’re here, let me say how glad I am to see you all,” -said Professor Snodgrass, when the three chums had made themselves -ready for the supper which could be smelled cooking in the kitchen. “I -am very glad you came.” - -“So are we,” echoed Bob, his eyes on the door leading to the kitchen. - -During the meal there was much talk. The professor told what he had -been doing since he had last seen the boys; while, on their part, they -related their experiences and the doings which had led to their being -sent to Boxwood Hall. - -“You’ll like it here,” declared the scientist. “We have some of the -most scholarly minds of the country at this college. You will gain -knowledge that will be of unsurpassed value to you.” - -“That’s all very well,” replied Ned, “but we came here to have a little -fun, too, Professor. Are there any lively students here?” - -“Why, yes, I believe so,” was the answer, given somewhat doubtfully -though. “Some were too lively, I believe, for we had a faculty meeting -yesterday to decide what had best be done about some of the young -gentlemen who screwed shut the door of one of the instructor’s rooms so -he could not get out in time to attend his classes.” - -“That sounds encouraging.” - -“That’s right,” echoed Ned. - -“And speaking of lively students,” put in Mrs. Gilcuddy, who seemed -to be more than an ordinary servant, “you might mention, Professor, -that the boys put a cow up on your front porch where the poor creature -couldn’t get down until part of the railing was cut away.” - -“Did they do that?” asked Jerry eagerly. - -“I--I believe they did,” admitted the scientist. - -“Better and better!” murmured Ned. “I can see we are going to like it -here. There are some live ones.” - -“There’s one thing about it,” observed Bob in a low voice to his chums, -after the meal, while the professor had gone to put on a dry pair of -shoes, “she sure is some cook!” - -“Who?” asked Jerry. - -“The professor’s housekeeper, Mrs. Gilcuddy. I hope he invites us over -often, in case we don’t find the commons good.” - -“Oh, I guess the college food will be all right,” said Ned. - -At Boxwood Hall, as at other colleges, some of the students ate in -“commons,” or in the college dining rooms, the expense being added to -their tuition bills. Others preferred to board in private families, -while some formed “eating clubs.” Our friends had decided, for the time -being at least, to dine at the college table. - -“Now, if you’ll come with me,” the professor said as he came down -stairs, “I’ll take you over to the proctor, Mr. Thornton, and introduce -you, so that you may register and be shown to your rooms. Are you -ready?” - -“Yes, but--er--do you think you had better go that way?” asked Jerry, -smiling at the instructor. - -“What way? Why, is anything wrong?” - -The professor looked at his hands. He was carrying his collar and -necktie. - -“Bless my soul!” he exclaimed. “I did forget to put them on; didn’t I? -I was wondering where I had put my specimen of _Neonympha eurytus_, or -little wood-satyr butterfly. I wanted to show it to Professor Axton. I -must have mislaid it. But never mind now. I’ll look for it later.” - -He put on his collar and tie and accompanied the boys out of doors. The -clouds had somewhat cleared away now and the new moon illumined the -campus and silvered the surface of Lake Carmona. The boys looked about -them at the groups of college buildings. - -“It is a dandy place!” murmured Jerry softly. - -“It sure is,” agreed his chums. - -The boys found Proctor Thornton to be a rather stern-looking gentleman, -who seemed to be on the alert and with an air as if he were constantly -saying, or thinking: - -“Now it doesn’t make any difference how innocent you look, I know you -have either been up to some mischief or are going to make some. I won’t -accept any excuses. I know boys and you can’t deceive me.” - -“But maybe he’s all right for all that,” said Bob to his chums, as they -came away after registering. - -“He doesn’t _look_ very promising,” declared Ned. - -“But I guess we can make out as well as the rest of the boys,” came -from Jerry. - -Professor Snodgrass had left them in Mr. Thornton’s office, the -scientist stating he had some work to prepare for the morrow, and would -see the boys in the morning. The proctor had gone out to look for Mrs. -Eastman, who was the matron in charge of the dormitory where the boys -would sleep. Mr. Thornton wanted her to take Ned, Bob and Jerry to -their rooms, and the discussion about him took place during his absence. - -“This way, if you please, young gentlemen,” he called a little later. -“You will be assigned to classes to-morrow.” - -Mrs. Eastman proved to be a motherly-looking woman, and the boys took a -liking to her at once. - -“New students, eh?” she remarked pleasantly. - -“Just arrived, after an all day try at getting here,” said Jerry. - -“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Have you had supper?” - -They told her of the professor’s hospitality. - -“Here are your rooms,” she informed them, as she stopped in a corridor -on the second floor. “You’ll find the rules on cards tacked to each -door. The rooms connect.” - -“Say, these are all right!” - -“Couldn’t be better!” - -“We’ll have good times here all right!” - -Thus exclaimed Ned, Bob and Jerry as they were ushered into their new -quarters. The rooms, though small, were tastefully furnished, and our -heroes had materials in their trunks to decorate them as college rooms -should be decorated, according to the accepted usage. - -Mrs. Eastman had hurried away, after promising to have the boys’ -baggage brought from their automobile by one of the porters, and while -waiting for their trunks the trio walked through the three connecting -rooms, making their selection. Jerry took the middle apartment, with -Bob on the left and Ned on the right. - -As the porter left, having deposited the trunks, Jerry saw a door on -the opposite side of the corridor open, and a lad’s head was thrust -out. His room was well lighted, and two other students could be seen in -with him. He looked curiously across at the newcomers. - -“Hello you over there!” he exclaimed. “What’re your names?” - -Jerry informed him. There was a moment of silence, while the youth in -the door seemed to be reporting to his friends. Jerry heard the words -“motor boys.” - -“Let’s go over and make friends with them,” suggested Ned. “They may be -sophomores, but I guess they won’t haze us the first night.” - -“All right,” Jerry agreed, while Bob nodded his assent. - -The head of the lad looking out from the room across the hall was drawn -in, and the door closed. Our heroes walked across the corridor, noting -that on the portal was a card bearing the names Frank Watson, Bart -Haley and William Hamilton. Jerry tapped on the door. - -“Who’s there?” - -“We just came in,” Jerry said. “We’re from across the hall. We were -speaking to you a moment ago. We’d like to have a talk.” - -Sounds of whispering could be heard, and then the voice that had first -spoken said in no friendly tones: - -“We’re too busy to talk now. You’ll have to wait. Come around some -other time.” - -Our three heroes looked at one another. - -“Well, if this isn’t a cool reception I’d like to know what is,” said -Ned in a low voice. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE PROFESSOR’S DILEMMA - - -Slowly Ned, Bob and Jerry returned to their rooms. They did not speak -for a moment, but sat down and looked at one another. Then Ned burst -out with: - -“Well, what do you know about that?” - -“I hope all the fellows at Boxwood won’t be like those in there,” added -Bob. - -“I can’t understand it,” remarked Jerry. “We didn’t do or say anything -out of the way; did we?” - -“I can’t see how we did,” returned Ned. “I guess they’re plain snobs, -that’s all, and the less we have to do with them the better.” - -“They don’t seem to _want_ us to have anything to do with them,” came -from Bob. - -“The idea of not even opening the door,” went on Jerry. “I should think -the older students ought to make the new ones feel at home.” - -“Let’s go out for a walk,” proposed Bob. “It’s early yet and the rules -say we don’t have to be in until eleven,” and he glanced at the card -on the back of the door. - -“Yes, let’s take a walk,” agreed Jerry. “We can fix up our rooms -to-morrow.” - -They strolled across the campus, noting the various groups of college -buildings, where the other dormitories were located, the different -“schools” where various specialties were taught, the gymnasium, and the -president’s house, which was rather a pretentious one. - -“Yes, it sure is a nice place--but I don’t like the only specimens of -students we’ve yet come in contact with,” remarked Ned. - -“There’s the diamond over there,” said Bob, after a pause, as he -indicated the baseball field. “Let’s go and take a look at it.” - -“The football gridiron would be more in keeping now,” suggested Jerry. - -As they were walking along a path that led between two of the -buildings, a voice hailed them: - -“Hello there, freshies! What do you mean by trespassing on the sophs’ -walk. Get off there!” - -The three chums stopped, and looked around. In the light of a lamp, one -of many that glowed on the college grounds, they saw a lad hastening -toward them. - -“What’s the matter with you fellows?” he demanded. “Don’t you know no -freshies are allowed here?” - -“No, we didn’t know it,” said Jerry. “We’ve just arrived, and we’re not -on to all the rules yet.” - -“We tried to get some one to put us wise,” put in Ned, “but we got -snubbed for our pains.” - -“Is that so?” asked the other, in some surprise. “That doesn’t sound -like the Boxwood Hall spirit.” - -“It’s so all the same,” added Bob. - -“Who was it?” asked the lad who had hailed the three. - -Our heroes paused for a moment. - -“Excuse me,” the other continued quickly. “I shouldn’t have asked you -that. But I’m telling you no freshmen are allowed on this walk. College -custom, you know.” - -“Oh, that’s all right,” Jerry said, good-naturedly. “We’ll move on.” - -“My name’s Newton,” said the lad who had made the objection. “Edward -Newton--but they all call me Ted. Shake!” - -He extended his hand and while this form of welcome was being gone -through with Ned, Bob and Jerry introduced themselves. - -“Oh, I know your names all right,” declared Ted. “We’ve heard about -you.” - -“Nothing out of the way, I hope?” came from Bob. - -“No,” was the rather hesitating answer. “You’ve been pretty well -discussed by a certain crowd on account of some of the things the -professor said you fellows had done. Did you really do all that?” - -“We’d have to know what Professor Snodgrass said about us,” remarked -Jerry. - -“I’ll tell you some time. But this is what I want to know. I’m captain -of the eleven, and I want to know if you play football?” - -“We haven’t in some time,” admitted Ned. - -Ted Newton shook his head. - -“Then there’s no use putting you in at this stage,” he said. “I’m -sorry, too, for you look husky. I need some experienced players. I’ve -got enough candidates in the beginner’s class. Well, it can’t be -helped. You know here we let freshmen play on the varsity.” - -“So we’ve heard,” replied Jerry. - -“We play baseball,” said Bob. - -“That’s out of my line,” Ted replied. “I play a little, but Frank -Watson is captain of the nine.” - -“Frank Watson!” exclaimed Jerry. “He rooms across the hall from us in -Borton.” - -“Then you have good rooms, for that dormitory is the newest and best at -Boxwood Hall.” - -“What sort of fellow is this Watson?” asked Ned, who, in common with -his chums, had taken a sudden liking to genial Ted Newton. “The reason -I ask is,” went on Ned, “that a little while ago we went across to his -room to ask him to put us wise to the ropes, but he didn’t even open -his door. Told us to call later, though he, or some of the fellows with -him called to us when our trunks were being put in. What sort of boy is -he?” - -“Well, he’s a queer sort of chap at times,” was the slow answer from -the football captain. “He’s quite an athlete, and a good baseball -player. Only he’s rather headstrong, and I’m not telling tales out of -school, for he admits it himself. Yes, Frank has a will of his own, and -it isn’t altogether his fault, either.” - -“How’s that?” inquired Bob. - -“Well, Frank’s father died when he was a small chap, and his mother -was too indulgent with him. I know his folks. His family and mine are -distantly related, and we come from the same town. Frank’s mother let -him have his own way too much, and as he got older and found out he -could have what he wanted by insisting on it, why he insisted, and it -wasn’t altogether good for him. - -“He got into bad company and was on the road that doesn’t lead to any -particular good, though I won’t say that Frank was actually bad. Then -his mother married again, and it made all the difference in the world -to Frank.” - -“How was that?” Jerry inquired. - -“Well, Frank’s stepfather proved to be just the right kind of man to -take Frank in charge. And he did it, too, just in time. The best part -of it is that Frank really loves his new parent. - -“When his stepfather saw which way Frank was drifting, he took him -away from his companions, and sent him here. It has been the making of -Frank, headstrong as he is. He’s getting some of it taken out of him -here, but he can stand the loss of more,” went on Ted. “He came here -as a freshman and was well hazed. Now he’s a soph, and he has a lot of -friends.” - -“But is that any reason why he should turn the cold shoulder to us?” -asked Ned. “Just because we’re freshmen?” - -“No,” admitted Ted slowly. “It isn’t. Frank ought to have had the -decency to put you wise to what you wanted to know, even if he didn’t -care to make friends.” - -“Is there any reason why he shouldn’t care to make friends?” asked Bob. -“Not that we want to force ourselves on him,” he added. - -“Well, I did hear a little talk about him and his crowd saying they -were afraid you fellows might come here with--well, if you’ll excuse me -for mentioning it--with swelled heads, is about the best way I can put -it.” - -“Swelled heads!” cried Jerry. “What in the world have we to puff out -our chests over?” - -“Well, it’s those things you did--having so many adventures you know. -Did you really go up in an airship and down in a submarine, the way -Professor Snodgrass tells?” - -“Why, yes, we did,” said Ned. “But that’s nothing. Any one could have -done the same things we did.” - -“Say, you sure have seen life!” exclaimed Ted admiringly. “But I guess -that’s all that ails Frank. He thought you might try to lord it over us -here, I guess.” - -“He’s away off!” declared Jerry. - -“I can see he is,” admitted Ted. “But, as I told you, Frank is -headstrong. Once he gets a notion it’s hard to get it out of him.” - -“I don’t know that we shall take the trouble to make him change his -mind,” remarked Jerry. “If he wants to think that way about us, let -him. We can get along without him.” - -“Sure you can!” agreed Ted. “Don’t let it worry you any. There are -plenty of other fellows in Boxwood Hall. Are you all settled?” - -“No, we haven’t put up any of our stuff,” said Ned. - -“Are you in our dormitory?” Bob inquired. - -“No, I live at the Bull--that’s the junior frat house you know. Drop -over and see me some time.” - -“We will,” promised the three, and then, as Ted hurried on, explaining -that he was due at a class meeting, Ned remarked: - -“Well, _he’s_ some sort of a chap, _he_ is! I like _him_!” - -“So do I!” added Bob. - -“Quite a contrast to Frank Watson,” added Jerry. - -After strolling about the college grounds a little longer our friends -went back to their rooms. The door of the apartment across the hall, -which had the three names on it, was closed, but from within came the -sounds of talk and laughter. - -“They seem to be having a good time,” observed Bob, rather wistfully. - -“Yes,” agreed Ned. “I meant to ask Newton about those other two--Bart -Haley and Will Hamilton. I wonder if they’re like Frank Watson?” - -“Most likely,” argued Jerry. “They’re roommates all right, and they -must be congenial or they wouldn’t be together. Well, we don’t need to -worry.” - -They sat down to talk matters over, but soon the talk was punctuated -with yawns, for the day had been a wearying one with the long -automobile trip. - -“I vote for bed!” suddenly cried Jerry, and his motion was seconded -twice. - -Coming out of their rooms the next morning to go to chapel, Ned, Bob -and Jerry saw Frank Watson and his two chums leaving their apartment -across the hall. Our three heroes bowed, having agreed to give the -others every chance to make advances. But only by the merest of cold -nods did Frank and his friends acknowledge the salute. - -“I guess he doesn’t want to be friends,” said Jerry, a little later. -“Well, I guess we can make out all right without him.” - -Being assigned to classes, making out their lecture schedules and -attending to other details, pretty well occupied the time of the three -chums until late afternoon. And then, having nothing else to do, they -walked down to the lake. Several of the students were out on it in -rowboats, and there was one motor craft. - -“We’ll certainly have to send for the _Neboje_,” said Bob. - -“That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “I’ll write to-day.” - -“What do you say to a row,” asked Ned. “There’s a place where we can -hire a boat.” - -A man had a concession from the college to let out boats, though many -of the students owned their own craft, and Ned, Bob and Jerry were -soon sculling over the lake. In one boat they saw Ted Newton and some -friends, and the football captain nodded in a friendly way. - -“Football practice in an hour,” he called. “Come over and watch.” - -“We will,” promised Jerry. - -They rowed some distance down the lake and went ashore in a wooded -tract. - -“I wish we’d bought some candy back there at the boathouse,” remarked -Bob. - -“Oh, chew on some bark,” advised Jerry with a laugh. - -The three boys strolled on through the woods, until, coming to a little -clearing, they heard cries. - -“What’s that?” asked Ned. - -“Sounds like some one shouting for help,” remarked Jerry. - -“That’s what it is!” declared Bob. “It’s over this way. Come on!” - -They ran in the direction of the sound, and a moment later came upon a -queer sight. - -Professor Snodgrass was partly on one side and partly on the other of -a heavy barbed-wire fence. His clothing was caught in several places -on the sharp points, and it was he who was calling, while he waved his -butterfly net at the boys to attract their attention. - -“Come and get me loose!” he cried. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -IN THE GYMNASIUM - - -Professor Snodgrass was so entangled between two strands of the barbed -wire that it took the united efforts of Ned, Bob and Jerry to extricate -him. Even then they did not do it without tearing his clothes. - -“How did it happen, Professor?” asked Jerry. “Did a bull chase you?” - -“No,” was the answer. “I was after a particularly choice specimen of -the _Vanessa milberti_, a butterfly the larva of which feeds upon the -nettle plant. I wished to make some experiments, and I needed this -butterfly. I have never seen it in this vicinity so late in the season.” - -“Did you get it?” asked Bob. - -“I am sorry to say I did not.” - -“What happened?” Ned interrogated. - -“The fence,” replied the professor rather grimly. “The butterfly, and -a beauty it was, was just beyond the fence. There was no time to climb -it, had I considered myself able to do so. I reached my arm, with the -net, through between two wires, and, just as I was going to make the -capture, my foot slipped and I came down on the barbs. Then, when -I tried to get up, those above me caught in my coat and I was held -there. The butterfly got away, and I was obliged to call for help. It -is fortunate you happened along, for few students come to these woods, -though there are several interesting plants and trees growing here, -that well repay study.” - -“We only happened here by chance,” remarked Ned. - -“Well, I am very glad you did,” replied the professor. “I am very sorry -to have lost that butterfly,” and he looked around in vain for the -beautiful creature, which is sometimes called Milbert’s tortoise shell. - -“You ought to be sorry you tore your clothes,” observed Ned. - -“Why, so I have!” the professor exclaimed, as though that had just -occurred to him. “Mrs. Gilcuddy will be sure to say something to me -about it too,” he added. “Well, it can’t be helped,” and he shrugged -his shoulders resignedly. - -For a little while the professor roamed about in the little clearing, -looking in vain for more specimens of butterflies. He found none, but -he captured some bugs which he seemed to prize highly, though the boys -were not much interested. - -“You’d better come back in our boat, Professor,” was Ned’s invitation. -“It’s a long walk back to the college around the shore.” - -“Thank you, I shall be glad of the water trip. I can then pin up some -of these tears, perhaps, so Mrs. Gilcuddy will not notice them.” - -And that is what Professor Snodgrass tried to do on the way back in the -boat. Using some of the pins which he carried with him to impale his -butterfly specimens on the stretching boards, as he sometimes did when -afield without waiting to get back to his laboratory, he endeavored to -so conceal the rents in his garments that the sharp-eyed, but lovable, -housekeeper would not notice them. - -Ned, Bob and Jerry helped by turns, though it cannot be said that the -combined result was very satisfactory from a sartorial standpoint. - -“You can’t notice them very much now; can you?” asked the professor, -turning slowly about on the dock so the boys could observe him. - -“Well, a few show,” said Ned, truthfully enough. - -“I--I think I’ll stay out until it gets dark,” said the little -scientist, who seemed to stand in some awe of his housekeeper. “Then -she won’t see them, and I can send the suit to the tailor in the -morning.” - -“That might be a good idea,” agreed Jerry, trying not to laugh. - -What the outcome of the professor’s accident was the boys did not -learn, as they plunged into a series of busy times that afternoon -and did not see the little scientist for several days except at the -lectures they had with him in one period. - -“Let’s go and watch the football practice,” suggested Jerry after they -had left Mr. Snodgrass at the dock, repeating his determination to -stay out until darkness had fallen so he might escape the eyes of his -housekeeper. - -“That’s a go,” agreed Bob. Ned nodded assent. - -The varsity and the scrubs were hard at work on the gridiron when -the three chums reached the grounds. Ted Newton was working his men -strenuously, while the coaches were first begging the scrubs to hold -the varsity in order to develop a good offense, and alternating -that with fierce demands for the varsity to rip up the unfortunate -substitutes. - -“I sort of wish I was in there,” remarked Jerry, as he saw the snappy -playing. “It’s great.” - -“We can go in for it next year,” suggested Bob. “It’s better to start -on baseball in the spring and get worked up to football.” - -“Look at that fellow go!” cried Ned, as one of the scrubs intercepted -a forward pass, and dashed down the line fifty yards for a touchdown -against the varsity. - -“He is a good one,” commented Jerry. “Wonder what his name is.” - -“That’s Chet Randell,” volunteered a lad standing near our three -friends. “He’ll make the varsity if he does that trick many times.” - -“He deserves to,” said Ned. - -“Randell,” murmured Bob. “Say, that’s the fellow who has the room next -to mine. I saw his name on the door.” - -“Oh, are you fellows from Borton?” asked their informant, naming the -dormitory in which Ned, Bob and Jerry roomed. - -“That’s us,” said Bob. - -“Randell’s a beaut drop kicker,” went on the other, who said his name -was Tom Bacon. “Trouble is though, we’ve got too many kickers on the -varsity. We want more men who can hit the line, and Chet is a little -too light for that. But if he can smear up many of the varsity’s -forward passes that way he may make the team. Kenwell Military has the -forward pass down fine.” - -“Do we play them?” asked Jerry. - -“Yes, baseball and football,” answered Tom. “You’re the new fellows--the -motor boys--aren’t you?” - -“Yes, but we don’t use that name much any more,” returned Bob. - -“We’ve heard about you,” went on Tom, but he smiled and did not seem to -hold what Jerry and his chums had done against them, as Frank Watson -did. - -When the practice ended and the team and scrubs came off the field -Bob found himself near the lad who had made the touchdown with the -intercepted forward pass. - -“Excuse me,” began the stout lad, “but that was a beaut play of yours.” - -“Glad you liked it,” was the cordial retort. “Oh, say, I guess I’ve -seen you before!” went on Chet. “You room next to me?” he questioned. - -“Yes, and these are my friends. We only got here last night.” - -“Glad to meet you,” said the player genially. “We’ve got a good crowd -in Borton, and we’ll have some swell times when we get going. A good -crowd, yes!” - -“All but that Frank Watson and his bunch,” thought Bob. - -They had a glimpse of Frank and his chums on the football field, but -were not near them. - -“Can’t you drop in and see us this evening?” was Jerry’s invitation. “I -suppose we can do here what’s done at other colleges--sneak in a little -feed now and then?” - -“Oh, yes, it can be did!” laughed Chet. “But Proc Thornton sure is -strict, and he turns up when least expected. But I’ll have to decline. -I’m on training table you know.” - -“That’s so,” admitted Jerry. “I’d forgotten about that.” - -“Come around to the gym to-night,” suggested the football player. -“We’re going to have a little practice at the dummy. You fellows look -as though you liked athletics.” - -“We do,” admitted Bob. “We’ll be there.” - -They had brought their gymnasium suits with them, as a certain amount -of physical culture was obligatory at Boxwood Hall; and that evening, -when they went to the gymnasium, Bob, Ned and Jerry were assigned to a -certain division, and after watching the football squad at work, they -went in for their turns. - -The strenuous adventures our heroes had gone through with in the past -had given them good muscles and bodies particularly well adapted for -athletic work. They were not finished performers in gymnasium work, -though, as they very soon discovered, though they did not lack the -nerve, which is needed in many of the exhibitions on the parallel bars, -the rings, the rope, or the trapeze. - -The instructor was showing the boys how to slide down a rope head first -without the use of the hands, by passing the cable between the thighs -and over the shoulder, under the chin. - -“Now you try it,” said the instructor to Frank Watson, who was in the -class with our friends. - -“I’d rather not,” said the headstrong youth. “I strained my leg a -little in the pole vault yesterday, and I don’t want to lame myself.” - -“I’ll do it!” eagerly exclaimed Jerry, who was next to Frank in line, -though the latter had not even taken the trouble to bow, much less to -speak. - -“Very well, Hopkins. Try what you can do.” - -Jerry seemed to have caught the knack of it at once. He came down the -rope in fine style, and was complimented by the director. - -“That’s what I like to see!” the coach exclaimed. “See if any of you -can equal that,” and he glanced in the direction of Frank. - -“Trying to show off; aren’t you?” sneered Frank, as Jerry took his -place in line again. “I thought you fellows would be up to something -like that when I heard about you. We haven’t much use for such as you -motor boys at Boxwood Hall,” and his voice trailed off into a sneer. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE BANG-UPS - - -Jerry shot a glance at the lad who seemed deliberately trying to -antagonize him. A hot reply was on the lips of the tall lad, but he -held it back. - -“No, I’ll give him another chance,” thought Jerry. “There’s no use in -stirring up a row just because he wants to be nasty.” - -Bob and Ned heard what Frank had said, but no one else appeared to have -caught the words, and Jerry’s two chums wondered why he did not retort -to the unnecessary and unfair remark. But Jerry explained later. - -“Now then, young gentlemen, try the horse,” ordered the director. “It -will be good practice for you in football and baseball. Lively now!” - -The “horse” is a leather-covered affair, resembling a horse in that it -has four legs but not otherwise. It is a sort of padded sawhorse more -than anything else. - -By means of a handle, fixed in about the place where the saddle would -be on a real horse, the athlete jumps on, over and astride the horse. -This the boys in the Boxwood Hall gymnasium proceeded to do, lining up -and taking turns. - -In this Frank showed considerable ability, while Jerry was not so good -at it, making, in fact, a rather awkward appearance. And when it came -Bob’s turn there was a real disaster, though a harmless one. - -[Illustration: FRANK SHOWED CONSIDERABLE ABILITY.] - -The stout lad made a rush for the horse, but missed getting hold of the -handle. He shot over the horse, slid on the smooth leather padding and -went down on the floor with a bang. He looked about him with such a -comical look on his face that the instructor and the other boys burst -into laughter. - -“Well, Baker, you’re not training for clown-work in a circus,” remarked -the instructor. “Try it again.” - -Bob joined in the laugh, and when he took his place in the line for -another attempt he heard Frank say sneeringly: - -“Well, there are some things the fresh motor boys can’t do, it seems.” - -“Oh, cut it out,” advised Bob with a forced grin. “We don’t claim to be -anything like what you seem to think we are.” - -“Don’t get into a row,” advised Jerry in a low voice. - -“If he insults me I--I’ll punch him!” declared Ned in a whisper. - -“No you won’t,” contradicted Jerry. - -“If he wants to--let him try it!” said Frank, quickly. “That’s a game I -like to play.” - -“Silence over there!” called the director, sharply, while Ned and Frank -glared at one another. - -Ned made no awkward breaks, so there was no excuse for Frank’s making -any of his slurring remarks, and the remainder of the gymnasium -practice went off without further incident. - -“Say, I wonder what’s got into him?” asked Bob, as he and his chums -were proceeding toward the dormitory after the practice. “He seems just -to hate us--he and those fellows he goes with. I wonder why?” - -“He hasn’t any real excuse,” said Jerry, “but I imagine it is just as -he says. Frank and his chums are afraid we’ll try to show off, because -Professor Snodgrass told them about our various adventures. I never -thought they’d be held against us.” - -“Nor I,” added Ned. “But this Watson is going to make trouble, I can -see that. And the sooner the better.” - -“Why?” asked Bob. - -“To have it over with. We’ll have to fight him.” - -“Oh, I guess not,” said Jerry. “We’ll try and not roil him.” - -“But why should we go out of our way to take insults, just because -this fellow doesn’t like us?” asked Ned. - -“Remember we’re freshmen,” said Bob. - -“That’s all right. The other sophs don’t pick on us the way he and his -bunch do. I’m not going to stand it!” - -“Go slow,” advised Jerry. - -For a week or more after this there were no open clashes between Frank -and his cronies and our three chums. On occasions, as they passed in -the hall, Frank, Bart and Bill would laugh sneeringly or pass some -slurring remark, but that was the extent of it. On the other hand -Jerry, Bob and Ned made friends among the other lads in the various -classes. - -And right here the point might be emphasized once more that at Boxwood -Hall there was not the sharp line drawn against freshmen in athletics -and other matters that there is in some of the other colleges. - -It is true that the freshmen were hazed and not allowed to appear on -certain parts of the campus sacred to the sophomores, juniors and -seniors. And there were some strictly class societies in which the -membership was limited. But there were also secret organizations which -were made up indiscriminately of members of all four classes. - -In athletics, as has been said, there was also no tight line drawn. In -big colleges, of course, freshmen are not eligible for the varsity, -but at Boxwood Hall, where there was a limited number of students, in -order to increase the available supply of players the freshmen were -drawn upon. Thus it was that the nine and eleven had freshmen on, as -well as sophomores, juniors and seniors. Nor were the freshmen obliged -to refrain from residence in dormitories where their “betters” were -housed, though there were some fraternity houses sacred to certain -classes alone. - -Football practice went on, and the more our three friends watched it, -the more they wished they had made themselves fit to be candidates for -the eleven. But it was too late now. - -“I’m going to get into it next season though!” declared Jerry, while -Ned and Bob echoed his words. “It’s great!” - -This was on one of the occasions when Boxwood Hall played an old-time -rival and won in a hard-fought battle. Another time she was not so -successful, and lost to a college she had always beaten. - -“But if we win from the military academy, I won’t have any regrets,” -declared Ted Newton. “That’s the bunch I want to beat!” - -“You’re going to get yours all right to-night,” was the word passed to -Ned, Bob and Jerry one afternoon, following a lecture on zoology. - -“Our what?” asked Ned. - -“Hazing,” was the answer. - -“Well, we’ll take all that’s coming,” said Bob. “We’ve got to expect -it, I suppose.” - -“And you may get more than you expect,” the informer went on. - -It was rather a rough hazing, for our heroes were hauled out of their -rooms by a crowd of the sophomores, headed by Frank Watson, and made -to do all sorts of ridiculous things, one of which was to stand in the -public square in Fordham and eat cream puffs and chocolate eclaires -with their hands tied behind their backs. - -Then, in this state, with smeared faces, they were obliged to appear at -a moving picture show, marching up and down the aisles while the lights -were turned up. - -As a climax they were ducked in the campus fountain basin and then -pelted with more or less over-ripe fruits and vegetables as they were -allowed to return to their rooms. - -“Whew!” gasped Bob, “we are some sights.” - -They were indeed, their suits being ruined. But they had taken the -precaution to wear old ones, thanks to the tip. - -“Well, I’m glad it’s over,” remarked Jerry. - -“Same here,” added Ned. “And when our boat comes we’ll have some good -times to make up for this hazing.” - -The _Neboje_ arrived and was launched on Lake Carmona. The possession -of the motor boat brought new friends to our heroes, and they took many -of their college chums on short cruises, once remaining out all night -because of engine trouble when they reached the upper end of the lake. - -Proctor Thornton had it in mind to punish severely the luckless ones, -but when Jerry explained matters, and when Professor Snodgrass had put -in a good word for the boys they were excused, but warned not to take -such chances again. - -“Say, fellows, don’t you want to join the Bang-Ups?” asked George Fitch -one day of Ned, Bob and Jerry. This was when George had been taken out -for a motor boat ride. - -“The Bang-Ups?” asked Ned. “Is that something good to eat?” - -“It’s a secret fraternal society,” answered George, looking carefully -about to make sure he was not overheard. “It’s the most exclusive in -the college, but freshmen are eligible when voted in. I’ll propose you -if you like.” - -“Sure, we’d like it!” declared Bob. - -“There’s one thing, though,” went on George. “The initiation is a -pretty stiff one. Lots of the fellows get hurt--not badly, of course, -but some.” - -“You can’t scare us that way,” laughed Jerry. “We’ve been in some -pretty tight places ourselves.” - -“We’ll take a chance,” added Bob. - -“Does Frank Watson and his crowd belong?” Ned demanded. - -“Oh, yes,” was the reply. - -“They’ll never vote to let us in.” - -“It’ll take more than their votes to keep you out, though, as a rule, -the elections have been unanimous. But it takes ten black ballots to -turn a candidate down, and at best Frank and his crowd number nine.” - -At the next meeting of the Bang-Ups the names of our friends were -proposed. And Frank Watson, Bart Haley, Bill Hamilton and several -others opposed them. - -But George Fitch, Chet Randell, Lem Ferguson and, best of all, Ted -Newton, the football captain, championed the cause of our friends -to such advantage that they were elected, only seven votes against -them--not the necessary number. - -“Of course, I’d like to have had it unanimous,” said George, in telling -Jerry about the matter afterward. “But don’t let that worry you, and -perhaps Frank will change his tactics toward you.” - -“I don’t care much whether he does or not,” Jerry remarked. “I wish -there weren’t any feeling against us, especially as I know there is no -cause for it, but the Bang-Ups is worth getting into, even if we didn’t -make it unanimously.” - -“Glad you think so,” remarked George. “And now comes the initiation.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE INITIATION - - -Made up, as it was, of members of all four classes in Boxwood Hall, the -Bang-Ups was the largest secret society in the institution. It had a -fraternity house of its own, not as elaborate as that of the Bull, the -junior society, nor as large as the Ivy Vine, the exclusive house of -the lordly senior society, but it was a very fine place for all that. - -“I’m glad we’re going to be members,” said Jerry, talking over their -election as they strolled past the fraternity house one afternoon. - -“So am I,” added Bob. “We’ll have a nice place to spend our evenings.” - -“I’m glad, too,” remarked Ned, “even though Frank and his cronies -aren’t friendly with us.” - -“I wonder what they’ll do at the initiation?” ventured Bob. - -“Oh, don’t get nervous,” replied Jerry. “We’ll live through it.” - -“Well, I wish it were over,” the stout lad went on. - -“It will be, to-night,” said Ned. - -Attendance at one of Professor Snodgrass’s lectures later that -afternoon brought the work of our three friends to a close for the day, -but when they were leaving the room the little scientist beckoned to -Jerry. - -“Have you anything special to do from now until supper time?” he asked. - -“No,” was the answer. - -“Then could you take me in your auto to Fox Swamp, near the town of -Fairview? It is only about twenty miles, and if I know anything about -the speed of you boys you can easily do it.” - -“Of course we’ll take you!” exclaimed Jerry. “Are you going after a -fox?” - -“No, that is only a local name for a tract of land, which isn’t at -all swampy, though it used to be. One of my students, an enthusiastic -collector of butterflies, reported to me that he saw some _Vanessa -antiopa_, sometimes called the Mourning Cloak, or Camberwell Beauty, -over there the other day. They are the butterflies that have brown -wings, with spots of blue and an outer band of yellow, but there is a -rare variety in which the yellow band broadens out, and reaches almost -to the middle of the wings. Only two or three such sports, as they are -called, are known; but I hope I may find one. I have plenty of the -ordinary variety of this butterfly, but I would like to get a sport -or, as some collectors call them, ‘freaks’ or ‘aberrations.’” - -“We’ll be glad to go with you,” Bob told him. “But I wouldn’t know one -butterfly from another.” - -“You should take more interest in zoology,” chided Professor Snodgrass. -“Still I cannot complain of you boys, for you have often helped me to -get some very rare specimens.” - -The automobile was brought out of the professor’s garage, where it was -kept, and in it the four were soon speeding toward Fairview. Fox Swamp -lay beyond the town, and on the way, after passing through the town, -stopping on Bob’s request for some ice cream, the boys saw a large -tract, with buildings which looked as though it might be a place where -fairs were held. - -“That’s what it is,” Professor Snodgrass informed the boys. “There is -a big fair held there every year, generally toward the end of October. -This year, I understand, there is to be an exhibition of aeroplanes.” - -“We’ll have to take that in,” declared Jerry. - -“Here’s the place,” announced the scientist, as they passed along a -road, on either side of which was a patch of woodland. “Here is where I -hope to find one of the freak _Vanessa antiopa_.” - -“We’ll come with you and help look for it, but you’ll have to tell us -what to look for,” suggested Jerry. - -“Well, call to me whenever you see any kind of butterfly,” the -professor said, “and I can tell if it is one that I want.” - -Leaving the automobile at the edge of the road, they went into the -swamp, though, as Professor Snodgrass had said, it was not at all wet. -They scattered, yet keeping within sight of one another, and then began -the search for the butterfly. - -At first none was seen, though the professor managed to get a green bug -which he designated by some long Latin name, and said it was a great -find. - -Then Bob, who had gone deeper into the woods than the others, suddenly -called: - -“Here you are! Here, Professor! Here’s a butterfly with big yellow -bands on its wings!” - -“Watch him! Don’t let him get away! I’ll be there in a minute!” eagerly -cried the little scientist. - -“Shall I catch him under my hat?” asked Bob. - -“No! Oh no! Never do that! You would crush the wings. I must get him in -the net. I’m coming!” - -Professor Snodgrass ran toward Bob, who stood near a bush, intently -gazing at some object on it. With his long-handled net the professor -raced forward. And then something happened. - -His foot slipped, the handle of the net caught on a tree branch, and -then went between his legs. The result may be imagined. The professor -fell down full length, and there was a cracking sound when the handle -of the net broke. - -Ned and Jerry rushed forward to pick up the unfortunate little -scientist, and Bob also turned away from the bush to lend his aid. But -Professor Snodgrass saw Bob’s action, and raising himself to his knees, -he cried: - -“Don’t move, Bob! Don’t stir! Don’t take your eyes off that butterfly. -It’s just what I’ve been seeking for many years. Watch him! I’m not -hurt. I can get up myself.” - -This he did, springing to his feet with the nimbleness of a boy, and -without any aid from Ned or Jerry. - -“Are you hurt?” asked the tall lad. - -“Not a bit. The ground was soft.” - -“Your net’s broken,” Ned informed him. - -“That’s nothing!” cried Professor Snodgrass eagerly, as he again ran -forward. “It’s only the handle, and I can fit a new one on. It is long -enough as it is now. Is the Camberwell beauty there yet, Bob?” - -“Yes, Professor, but I don’t call it much of a beauty. There it is--on -that branch,” and he pointed out some object to the scientist. - -The latter made a quick movement with his net, and brought it back to -him with a sweeping motion. Then he eagerly peered within the folds of -the mesh. A disappointed look came over his face, and he sighed deeply. - -“Isn’t that the kind you want?” asked Bob. “It’s yellow.” - -“It’s only a yellow leaf,” said the professor, showing it in his hand. - -“All that work for nothing!” cried Jerry. “Breaking the professor’s net -handle, tripping him up and all, for a yellow leaf. What’s the matter -with your eyes, Bob?” - -“Why--er--it looked like a butterfly!” insisted the stout lad. - -“Never mind,” said the professor soothingly. “You meant all right, and, -for the moment, I myself was deceived.” - -Bob expressed his contrition, and redoubled his efforts to find what -the professor sought, but to no end. The _Vanessa antiopa_ seemed to -have deserted Fox Swamp. - -“Ah, here’s a butterfly. Sure, this time!” cried Bob a little later. -“I’m not sure it’s the kind you want, but I know it isn’t a leaf, -Professor.” - -The scientist hurried to the spot where Bob stood, and this time there -was no accident. But again came a look of disappointment to the face of -Professor Snodgrass. - -“Isn’t that a butterfly?” asked Bob. “See, it’s moving away. Why don’t -you get it?” for the professor did not move his net. - -“It’s a moth, not a butterfly,” said the scientist, “and I have enough -of that variety.” - -“A moth!” exclaimed Ned. “It looked just like a butterfly.” - -“Some moths are hard to distinguish from butterflies,” the professor -went on. “They are quite different in their habits, however. -Butterflies fly by day, and like the sunshine. Moths, on the other -hand, are night-flying insects, though there are exceptions to both -rules.” - -“How can you tell a butterfly from a moth?” Jerry asked with interest. - -“The best way, for an amateur, is to tell by the antennæ, or feelers. -In a butterfly the feelers are thread-like, and have a small knob, or -club, on the end, and naturalists give them the name _rhopalocera_, -formed of two Greek nouns, one meaning a ‘club’ and the other a ‘horn.’ - -“Moths have all sorts of antennæ, or feelers, and we naturalists -call them _heterocera_, which is made up of two Greek words, one -meaning ‘all sorts,’ and the other (keras) a horn, as in the case of -butterflies. So then we have these definitions: Moths are _lepidoptera_ -having _all sorts_ of feelers, except those that are knob-shaped on -the end, while butterflies are _lepidoptera_ which have _only_ feelers -which end in knobs. Though in some tropical countries there are moths -with feelers just like those of a butterfly. But I forgot I was not in -the class room,” and Professor Snodgrass ended his little lecture. - -“Go on, we like it!” exclaimed Ned, so while they were hunting for the -rare specimen of the butterfly, Mr. Snodgrass told the boys more about -the beautiful insects. - -“I’ve a good notion to make a collection myself,” said Jerry. - -“I wish you would,” returned the professor. “Though it is a little late -to start this season. Begin with me next spring.” - -“I will,” declared the tall lad. - -They had to give up the unavailing search and return to Boxwood Hall, -reaching there just in time for supper. - -“Where have you fellows been?” demanded George Fitch. “Don’t you know -this is the night you are to be initiated into the Bang-Ups?” - -“Sure we know it!” said Bob. - -“I thought you had skipped out--afraid of the ordeal,” said Tom Bacon. - -“Nothing like that,” came from Jerry, as he told the boys where they -had been. - -“Got your nerve with you?” George demanded. - -“Why?” inquired Ned. - -“Oh, you’ll need it all right,” was the laughing response. “The word -has gone around and there’ll be a gladsome crowd to assist you through -the portals and into the inner sanctum.” - -“Go as far as you like,” said Jerry, with a laugh. “I think they’re -trying to bluff us,” he confided later to Ned and Bob. - -George Fitch escorted Ned, Bob and Jerry to the fraternity house of the -Bang-Ups. They were admitted to a room, beyond the door of which could -be heard talking and laughter. - -“You’ll soon be one of us,” George said. “I’ll leave you now. Better -take off your clothes--that is, all except your underwear, and put on -these,” and he handed the boys bath robes. “There’s some rough work, -and there’s no use spoiling a good suit.” - -“That’s right,” agreed Jerry, and they proceeded to invest themselves -in the robes. - -“Well, I wonder what’s next,” remarked Ned, as they waited in the room -which George had left. “How long do we stay here?” - -The question was answered a moment later, for the door opened, showing -nothing but a vast black expanse beyond. Then a figure, which seemed -to be a living skeleton, advanced. The three chums saw at once that -the effect was produced by a black cloak on which had been drawn the -outlines of a skeleton in phosphorous paint. - -“Are ye the fearsome candidates?” asked the figure, in a deep voice. - -“Candidates, but not fearsome,” answered Jerry. - -“Silence!” came the sharp order. “Answer yea and nay, but no more.” - -“Aye,” responded Jerry. - -“Then follow me and we shall see if ye are able to stand the test of -fire, of water, and of death. If so be ye may prove worthy members -of our ancient and secret order. If not ye shall be cast into outer -darkness. Advance!” - -The skeleton figure turned and walked into the black void. Ned, Bob and -Jerry followed, being able to see only a little way into the room by -the light in the one where they had donned the bath robes. But, even as -they turned, this light went out, and they were left in total darkness, -with only the phosphorus glow to guide them. - -“Follow me!” came in solemn tones from the skeleton one. - -The three walked onward, but there were obstructions in the way, and -though the glowing figure in front avoided them, our heroes were not so -fortunate. In turn Jerry, Ned and Bob stumbled over something and went -down heavily. - -“Hang it all!” muttered Ned, rubbing his shins. - -“Silence!” came the sharp command. “The path to the Olympian heights is -rough, but ye are not worthy if ye fall discouraged. Follow on!” - -Those had been no gentle falls that had come to the three chums, but -with repressed groans over aching bones and skinned knuckles and knees -they went on. The glow in front of them was their only guide, and, for -all they really knew, the skeleton was their only companion in that -dark room. But Jerry fancied he could hear the breathing of many, and -did not doubt that the room was filled with students who were taking -part in the initiation. - -“Be careful, we may fall again,” whispered Ned. He hoped his voice was -not heard, but the glowing figure again commanded: - -“Silence!” - -Hardly had he spoken than the three initiates, who were walking -together, arm in arm, suddenly became aware of a void beneath their -feet, and a moment later they felt themselves falling. Then they -plunged into a tank of icy water, sinking down until it closed over -their heads. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -CAUGHT - - -Ned, Bob and Jerry were each good swimmers, and instinctively they held -their breath as they fell into the water and struck out--but for where -they knew not, for all about them was still as black as night, and even -the phosphorous glow had vanished. - -“Cæsar’s aunt!” spluttered Bob, when he could get his head above water. -“What happened?” - -“It’s part of the initiation,” said Jerry. - -“Say, but this water’s cold!” came from Ned shiveringly. - -“Silence!” was shouted, and with the word the lights flashed up and -the boys found themselves in a tank, from which the water was rapidly -running, as they could see by the lowering level. They looked about -them. Standing up on the edge of the tank stood a figure in pure white, -with head and body covered with a long cloak. - -“Come up from the tank and put on these,” the figure said, indicating -some dry underwear, towels and other robes on chairs at the edge of -the tank. - -The lights went out for an instant, and when they went up again there -was no one in the room but the three chums, and the tank was almost -empty. They were standing on the bottom of it. They saw some steps -which led up out of the tank, and going up these they changed to dry -garments. - -Once more the lights went out, and when they glowed again there stood a -figure in red. - -“Ye are to be blindfolded, candidates,” came in deep tones, “and now -for the test by blood. Ye have well withstood the test by water. That -by fire is yet to come.” - -Ned, Bob and Jerry allowed themselves to be blindfolded and were once -more led forward. They could tell that lights were glowing in the room -now, for faint gleams came under the blinding cloths. And there were -subdued whisperings, denoting that there were many in the apartment. - -“Hold out your right arms,” came the command. The boys obeyed. They -could feel their sleeves being pulled up, and a moment later there was -a sharp pain. They could feel that their skin had been pricked, though -only enough to permit a drop of blood to flow. - -“Ouch!” cried Bob involuntarily. - -“Silence!” came the command. “And for that _you_ must be punctured -again.” - -This time Bob grimly tightened his lips and said nothing. - -The initiates suddenly felt a sensation as though a sharp knife had -been drawn across their arms, and a voice said: - -“Hold a basin. They are flowing well.” - -The three chums might have imagined that they really had been cut, but -they knew something of initiations, and they realized that a piece of -ice drawn over the skin may feel like a knife, while water dripping -into a basin has the same sound as blood. So they were not at all -alarmed. - -“They are standing the blood-test well,” said a solemn voice. “And now -for the test by fire.” - -“That may not be so nice,” mused Jerry. “I hope they don’t scorch us -too much.” - -Blindfolded they were led onward. They could feel an increase of -temperature, and they heard the roaring of flames. - -“Are the irons hot, Keeper of the Sacred Fire?” a voice asked. - -“They are, Most Noble President.” - -“’Tis well. Seal the candidates that we may always know them!” - -For an instant Bob, Ned and Jerry shrank back as they felt hot irons -brought near their faces. There was a tingling sensation, and then a -burning and itching. Jerry knew what had happened. - -A warm iron had been brought near them that they might feel the heat. -Then they were touched with a piece of ice, and some cow-itch rubbed on -them. Cow-itch is a powder which stings like nettles, and is painful -while it lasts. The more one rubs it the worse it burns. - -“Keep your hands away from it,” advised Jerry in a low voice to his -chums. - -“Silence!” came the command. - -There was a pause, and then a voice went on: - -“They have been tested by fire, by water and by blood. So far all is -well. Now for the merriment!” - -Before the three candidates could move they were seized and their hands -bound behind them. - -“Run the course!” came the command, and they were pushed forward. The -chums started off. - -“Faster! Faster! Run, don’t crawl!” was shouted at them, and run they -did. - -All sorts of things happened to them. They fell down, and got up. They -stumbled and were buffeted on all sides. Nor were the blows gentle, -some in fact being staggering ones. - -That the buffetings were too rough was evidenced when one of the unseen -initiators called out sharply: - -“Here, cut some of that out! We don’t want to lame ’em.” - -“I’ll do as I please!” was the retort, and Jerry was sure the last -speaker was Frank Watson. - -“He’s taking advantage of us now and making his blows as hard as -possible,” thought Jerry, “but we won’t squeal.” - -Nor did he, while Bob and Ned also bore it all bravely. - -The initiation, while rough, was not unduly so for a secret society, -and the three chums had been through worse experiences. - -Finally, after they had rolled down some sort of inclined way -plentifully sprinkled with bumps, and had been tossed up in a blanket, -they were led together to some spot, and a voice said: - -“’Tis well! Are ye now ready to subscribe to the sacred rolls, and -swear forever to hold inviolate the secret of our noble order of -Bang-Ups? Answer!” - -“We are!” chorused Ned, Bob and Jerry. - -“’Tis well. Loose their bonds and let them sign the sacred scrolls in -their own blood.” - -The bonds were loosed, the cloths taken from their eyes, and the three -candidates found themselves in a big, brilliantly lighted room, while -about them stood their laughing fellow students. - -That is, all were smiling save Frank Watson, Bart Haley and Bill -Hamilton, and they looked sneeringly at our heroes. - -“Take the oath and sign in blood,” went on Harry French, a senior, who -was the president of the society. - -A drastic oath was administered, and then pens were handed the three -chums, first having been dipped in some red fluid, whether blood or not -was not certain. Probably it was not. - -“Well, how did you like it?” asked George Fitch, grinning as he came up -to shake hands with the initiates. - -“Oh, it might have been worse,” said Jerry, philosophically. - -“That ducking surprised me,” admitted Bob. - -“It generally does,” chuckled the president. “But get on your clothes, -and we’ll have a little feed.” - -A jolly time followed; jolly to Jerry and his chums from the fact that -Frank and his two particular cronies went away. Afterward our heroes -learned that the initiation had been made unusually severe, especially -the pummeling to which they were subjected by Frank, Bart and Bill. - -“Oh, well, we stood it, so what’s the use of kicking?” remarked Jerry -resignedly. - -Now full-fledged members of the Bang-Ups, a name which was well in -keeping with the initiatory process, Bob and his companions found that -they had many more friends, and they began to enjoy life more fully at -Boxwood Hall. - -The football season was now in full swing, and several games had -been played. Our friends attended, and “rooted” to the best of their -ability. - -On many occasions they invited their new friends to go out in their -automobile or in the motor boat, occasionally taking Professor -Snodgrass, who still kept up a search for bugs, though butterflies had -vanished until the spring. - -“Do you know what I think we ought to do?” said Bob one day, as he -stretched out on a couch in Jerry’s room. - -“I can pretty near guess,” ventured Ned, who was helping Jerry hang -up a set of boxing gloves in artistic fashion, over a pair of crossed -foils. “Hasn’t it something to do with eats, Bob?” - -“Yes, but not for me alone, so don’t get fresh. But lots of the other -fellows have feeds in their rooms, even if it is against the rules, so -I don’t see why we can’t.” - -“There’s no good reason,” admitted Jerry. “What are rules against eats -for if not to be broken? I’m in with you, Bob.” - -“So am I,” agreed Ned. “We could have a swell feed here, as we can use -the three rooms as one.” - -“Then let’s do it,” Jerry said. “We’ll leave it to Bob to buy the grub, -and we’ll all chip in. Go as far as you like, Chunky.” - -“And we’ll ask some of the crowd in,” added Ned. - -“Sure,” assented Jerry. - -Now midnight lunches, or any other sort, in the students’ rooms were -strictly prohibited at Boxwood Hall, which made it all the more joyful -to elude “Thorny,” the proctor, and the other college officials, and -have them. Bob smuggled in the eatables, and the invitations were -given, and one evening several forms might have been observed quietly -making their way to Borton, and up to the rooms of Bob, Ned and Jerry. - -There is no need to describe what took place. If a boy has never taken -part in one he has imagined them. There were sandwiches galore, pies, -cake, bottles of olives and various tinned dainties. - -“Say, this is all to the mustard!” exclaimed Ted Newton, who had -accepted an invitation, in spite of his football training. - -The feasting began. Keyholes had been stuffed with paper, the windows -had been darkened and every precaution taken. Nevertheless, just as the -feast was about over, there came a knock on the door. - -Ned stood up to switch off the lights. But it was too late. A key -grated in the lock, the door was suddenly thrown open, and there stood -Proctor Thornton, a grim smile on his face. - -“Well, young gentlemen, you seem to be having a good time,” he said. -“You will kindly give me your names and go to your own rooms. Hopkins, -Baker, Slade--report to me to-morrow morning, and we will visit Dr. -Cole together!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -A COLLISION - - -Astonishment and chagrin were plainly written on the faces of the -midnight revelers. The proctor stood looking at them with a mocking -smile. It had been some time since he had made such a “haul” as -this--captured so many violaters at once. - -For themselves the boys said nothing. There was nothing they could say. -They had been “caught with the goods,” and there had been so little -warning that none of the food could be slid under beds or desks--gotten -out of the way in the fashion best adapted to the circumstances. - -“Remember, Slade, Baker, Hopkins--report to me directly after chapel in -the morning,” the proctor went on. “I have the names of the others, and -their cases will be considered separately. Leave now!” - -Ingloriously the guests slunk away, the proctor watching them go. Then, -with a curt nod to Bob, Ned and Jerry, he left them to clear away the -remains of the feast--though there was not much uneaten, as may well be -imagined. - -As the echoes of the proctor’s feet died away down the corridor, Jerry -shut the door and turned to face his companions. - -“Well, what do you think of that?” he asked. - -“I think mighty little of it,” Ned remarked, sarcastically. “Mighty -little.” - -“How’d he get in on us so quickly?” Bob demanded, as he stood with -spoon in hand over the chafing dish containing the second smoking Welsh -rarebit, almost ready to be spread on the toast. “Wasn’t the door -locked?” - -“Sure it was!” Jerry answered. “But he opened it with a key as soon as -he knocked. Only for that we might have had time to get the lights out -and some of the stuff hid.” - -“That’s right,” agreed Ned. “It was tough luck, all right.” - -Puzzling over how their natural enemy had thus been able to steal -such a silent march upon them, wondering what the outcome would be, -and not a little abashed at the inglorious outcome of their first -entertainment, the three boys cleared away the remains of the feast and -tumbled into bed. - -But with all their troubles their sleep was not interfered with, and -they awoke as usual in the morning with just a few minutes left in -which to slip, somehow, into their clothes and rush to chapel, getting -in with a number of other latecomers, just as the doors were closing. - -It is to be feared that the minds of Bob, Ned and Jerry were very -little on the devotional exercises and singing, this state of feeling -being shared by the other culprits, who did not have a very pleasant -prospect before them. - -“Wonder what proxy will do to us,” mused Bob, as, with his two chums, -he walked toward the office of the proctor. - -“He’s pretty fierce, I hear,” remarked Ned. - -“I like the looks of him,” declared Jerry. “He’s got a good eye, and he -must remember that he was young once himself.” - -“It doesn’t take some of ’em long to forget it,” said Bob. “Well, I -guess we can take our medicine.” - -The proctor received them gravely, grimly and with a half smile at -their predicament. Beyond a cool “good-morning!” he said nothing as he -accompanied them to the office of Dr. Cole, a white-haired, scholarly -looking gentleman, the ideal college president. - -Jerry fancied there was a commiserating look on Dr. Cole’s face as he -glanced at the boys. He must have known what they were there for, and -if he did not the proctor was not slow in giving the information. - -“Hum, yes. More midnight lunches, eh?” said Dr. Cole musingly. “Yes, -you are right, Mr. Thornton, the practice must be stopped. I am sorry, -young gentlemen, but you know the rules. You will be deprived of -liberty for a week, and do the usual number of extra lines of Virgil. -And don’t let it happen again.” - -Jerry fancied there was a smile under the beard of the president, but -perhaps he was mistaken. - -Being deprived of liberty meant that the luckless ones would not be -allowed off the college grounds, not allowed to go to the village, to -go boating--in short to be prisoners of a sort. And the writing of the -extra Latin lessons was a task in itself. It was “stiff” punishment, -and the boys realized it. The proctor smiled grimly at them. - -“What did you fellows get?” asked Bob of some of their guests, when -they were comparing notes later in the day. - -“Just lines,” answered Chet Randell, meaning that they had only to -write out some extra Latin. The givers of the feast were thus punished -more than the guests, which perhaps was worked out on the theory that -those who provided the entertainment had put temptation in the way of -others. - -“Say, I wonder how he happened to hear about what we were doing?” asked -Bob. “I’m sure no one saw me smuggle the eats in.” - -“And we had everything dark,” added Ned. - -“Oh, I guess Thorny has his own ways of finding out,” contributed -Jerry. “What gets me, though, is how he happened to have the key to my -room. I thought I had the only one there was, and it’s a patent lock. -An ordinary key wouldn’t open it. Did he ever do that before when he -busted up a spread--open the door and walk in?” - -“I never heard of it,” said Newt Ackerson, a senior. “He always knocked -and demanded admission. Then there was time to slip the stuff away and -jump into bed.” - -“I have an idea how he _might_ have got hold of a key,” said George -Fitch, “and also how he happened to know all about what was going on.” - -“How?” inquired Jerry. - -“Well, you know Frank Watson used to have the room where you are, -Jerry. He chummed with Bart Haley and they each had a key.” - -“What’s that got to do with the proctor?” asked Jerry. - -“Well, Frank doesn’t like you fellows any too well, though why I can’t -see for the love of sour apples. Anyhow, he’s got a grudge against you. -Now what was to hinder him from dropping a hint to the proctor that -there was something doing in your rooms last night? And, also, what was -to stop Frank from slipping the proc the extra key so he could get in -and catch you with the goods?” - -Silence followed the pronouncement of this ingenious theory, and then -Ned burst out with: - -“That’s it! That’s how it happened! The sneak!” - -“Now go a bit easy,” advised Jerry. “I’d want pretty good proof before -I’d believe any fellow would squeal on another in that way--and slip a -key to the proctor.” - -“Well, I believe Frank did it,” declared Ned. - -“So do I,” concurred George. And while some expressed their belief to -that effect, others were doubtful. Ned, however, was firm in his belief -that Frank was guilty. - -“And I’m going to tell him so to his face, and offer to punch it for -him,” he declared. - -“Better be careful,” advised Jerry. - -“So had he,” murmured Ned. - -The more the three chums thought of what George had told them, the more -they became convinced (Jerry and Bob, for Ned was already satisfied) -that Frank must have reported them. - -“It was a mean trick!” declared Ned. “Keeping us in bounds for a week!” -he continued. - -“Well, a week will soon pass, and we did have a good feed,” returned -Bob philosophically. - -The idea spread through the college, as such ideas will, that Frank was -the informer, and he did not take the trouble to deny it. The three -Cresville chums learned more about him than they had known before. -For one thing, they found out that Frank was studying zoology under -Professor Snodgrass, though the student confided to his friends that he -fairly hated the study. - -“Then what makes him take it?” asked Jerry. - -“Well, it seems his stepfather wanted him to. Frank is very fond of his -stepfather, and does everything he asks, even to that. He’s quite a -different boy since his mother married again. It was a good thing for -Frank.” - -“Well, I’m glad he likes somebody, even if it’s a stepfather,” said Ned. - -The punishment week passed, though it was the longest our three heroes -had ever known, and finally they were restored to liberty. - -“And now for a trip on the lake!” exclaimed Ned. “We’ll make the old -_Neboje_ hum!” - -“Let’s go down to Simpson’s and have a good feed!” proposed Bob. -“Thorny can’t molest us there.” - -And once again Bob’s chums found no fault with his proposal to eat. The -boys hurried down to the boathouse, and soon had their craft out on the -sparkling lake, inviting a few of their friends to go with them. - -Simpson’s was another boathouse some miles from the college, and a -recognized students’ rendezvous. Ned, Bob, Jerry and their guests found -several gay parties gathered at the resort, and one of the parties was -made up of Frank Watson, Bart Haley and Bill Hamilton. - -“There’s the sneak now,” murmured Ned. “I’ve a good notion to tell him -what I think of him.” - -“No, you won’t,” said Jerry calmly. “Don’t make a scene.” - -As the _Neboje_ was approaching the college boathouse after the spread -Ned, who was steering, saw the _Avis_, which was Frank’s boat, also -heading toward the landing place. - -“Look out you don’t run into him,” cautioned Jerry. - -“It’s his place to look out,” returned Ned. “I’m on the right course.” - -The motor boats came closer together, and it was seen that the _Avis_ -was headed directly for the _Neboje_. - -“Look out where you’re going!” cried Bob. - -Frank, who was steering, gave no sign that he heard. He kept on his -course. - -“Steer out, Ned,” ordered Jerry. “He’s too headstrong to give in.” - -Ned was angry, but not foolish, and he swung the wheel over. But it was -too late. The _Avis_, which had not swerved, came swiftly on, and her -sharp bow struck the _Neboje_ squarely amidships, cutting a deep gash -and dangerously careening the craft of our heroes. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE AEROPLANE - - -“Look out!” yelled Bob, though why, he could not have told. It was too -late for that advice. - -“What do you mean--running us down?” fiercely demanded Ned. - -The _Neboje_, after heeling well over, swung back, and slowly came to -an even keel, while the _Avis_, under a reversed engine, backed away. - -“You did that on purpose!” cried Ned, shaking his fist at Frank, who -did not seem at all put out by the accident. “You don’t know any -more about steering a boat than a cow!” went on Ned. “You did this -deliberately, and you’ll pay for it, too.” - -“You got in my way,” said Frank coolly. “You saw the course I was -steering. I had a right to it. You should have gone to port.” - -“That’s how little you know about boating,” said Jerry as calmly as -he could under the circumstances. “It was you who should have steered -over.” - -Frank did not reply to this, but again started his boat for the landing -place. Ned, who had shut off the engine when he saw that a collision -was inevitable, started it again, and went on to the place where the -_Neboje_ was usually moored. - -“You’d better take some steering lessons,” shouted Ned after Frank. -“But then it’s what I’d expect of a fellow who would squeal on others -about a feed, and hand the proc the key to the room.” - -“Who says I did that?” cried Frank, leaping out of his boat and running -to where Ned stood on the dock. - -“I do!” answered Ned truculently, “and I’m ready to back it up!” He -began taking off his coat, an example followed by Frank. - -“You can’t fight here,” said Ted Newton, stepping in between the angry -youths. “If you want to have it out, do it regularly.” - -“Oh, I’ll do it!” cried Ned. - -“And you’ll find me there!” added Frank with a sneer. “I’ll make you -take back what you said.” - -“And I’ll make you pay for damaging our boat!” retorted Ned. - -The details of the fight that followed in the secluded place appointed -by college custom for such affairs may be passed over. Suffice it to -say that Ned and Frank were evenly matched, and each received about the -same amount of punishment--black eyes being administered to both, with -various cuts and bruises. - -And the fight did not settle either point. Ned refused to take back -what he had said to Frank about the key. Nor would Frank pay for the -damage to the _Neboje_, though the damage was not as great as had -originally been feared. - -So matters stood about where they were at first, with this exception, -that there was more bad blood between our heroes and Frank and his -chums. - -But in spite of this Ned, Bob and Jerry were finding life at Boxwood -Hall very much to their liking. It is true they had enemies, -principally those of Frank’s set, and they had rivals, as might be -expected. But they also made many friends. What boys would not who were -as manly and as jolly as the Cresville chums, and who had, moreover, -a fine car and a motor boat? The latter had been repaired and many a -jolly trip our friends had in her. - -They also went on outings in the machine, Professor Snodgrass going -along occasionally, to look for late fall insects. One day the little -scientist, learning that Bob, Ned, Jerry and Tom Bacon were going in -the direction of Fox Swamp, mentioned the fact that he wanted to go -there also, to see if he could not find a certain species of very large -beetle, which, at this time of the year, burrowed into the ground, -there to remain until warm weather came again. - -“Come along,” said Jerry, who was at the wheel; and they were soon -speeding in the direction of Fairview. - -“This is some way to come to college!” exclaimed Tom, enthusiastically. -“A motor boat and a car would make college worth while to anyone.” - -“And Boxwood Hall is a dandy place!” exclaimed Ned. - -As they passed the fair grounds, scenes of activity were noted. - -“Looks as though something was going on,” remarked Bob. - -“There is,” said Tom. “The fair opens to-morrow, and there’s going to -be an aeroplane flight. I’m coming over.” - -The other boys expressed their intention of doing the same. On their -arrival at the swamp Professor Snodgrass enlisted the aid of the lads -in looking for the large beetle. - -“If you see some round holes in the ground, with a little heap of earth -on two sides of it, you may know the beetle is there,” he said. - -“Why _two_ heaps of earth?” asked Ned. “There is only one when ants dig -out their chambers under ground.” - -“That is one of the peculiarities of this beetle,” said the little -scientist, as he mentioned the Latin name. “It burrows into the ground, -and brings up the excavated earth, putting it in two almost exactly -even piles. Just why, we have never been able to learn.” - -The boys scattered, to look for beetle holes, for they liked the -professor and were always glad to help him in his scientific work, -especially when it was of an odd turn, such as this. - -“Here’s a hole--I’ve found one!” cried Ned, and Professor Snodgrass, -hurrying over, confirmed the discovery. - -“The beetle is working down there now,” he said. “You can tell that by -the freshness of the piles of earth.” The boys saw that there were two -little earth-piles, just as the scientist had said. Professor Snodgrass -knelt down over the hole. - -“What are you going to do?” Jerry asked. - -“Get the beetle,” was the answer. - -The professor inserted his two fingers in the opening, and began -feeling about. Suddenly a queer look came over his face, and he uttered -an exclamation. - -“Did you get the beetle?” asked Bob. - -“Er--yes, I--I think so,” was the hesitating answer. “Or perhaps it -would be more correct to say that the beetle has _me_. My! how he -pinches!” - -The professor pulled up his fingers, and clinging to one of them was a -large, black beetle, which had drawn blood. - -“Look at that, would you!” cried Bob. “I wouldn’t want one of them to -get on me.” - -“They _have_ rather powerful mandibles,” admitted the professor. “If -one of you will hand me my cyanide bottle I’ll get rid of this fellow.” - -Jerry handed over a large-mouthed bottle which the scientist had placed -with his specimen box a little distance from him. The bottom of the -flask was filled with plaster of Paris, in which was mixed cyanide -of potassium. This gives off a very poisonous gas. Insects dropped -into the bottle die painlessly. The professor held the beetle, still -clinging to his finger, down inside the bottle, and in a few seconds -the queer, burrowing insect dropped to the bottom of the bottle, which -the professor corked. - -“A very successful capture,” he remarked. “Now for another.” - -“Do you mean to say you are going to put your fingers down another hole -and run the chance of getting bitten?” asked Jerry. - -“Oh, I don’t mind a little bite like this,” said Professor Snodgrass, -putting some peroxide on the punctures. “I must have another beetle.” - -“And he got it, too!” said Jerry, telling about the incident afterward, -“or rather, the beetle got him again, on another finger.” - -The professor was enthusiastic over his specimens, even though the -bites poisoned him so that his fingers swelled up, and he could not -write for a week. But he said it was worth all the pain. - -“Well, shall we take in the fair?” asked Jerry of his chums the next -day after lunch. - -“Sure thing!” cried Ned. “I want to see if they have anything new in -aeroplanes.” - -“They’ll have to go some to beat the motor ship we had,” observed Bob. -“But we’ll have some fun, anyhow. Let’s make up a crowd and go in the -machine.” - -This was agreed to, and with Tom Bacon, George Fitch, Ted Newton and -Chet Randell, the boys set off for Fairview that afternoon, “cutting” -some lectures in order to make the trip. - -The fair grounds were a lively place, for tents and booths had been -put up over night, and, gaily decorated with flags and bunting, made a -pleasing picture that bright October day. - -“There’s the aeroplane over there!” cried Ned, as they went to the -parking place with their automobile. - -“Two of ’em!” added Bob. “They’re just the ordinary type, though. -Nothing like what we had.” - -“Did you fellows really have an aeroplane?” asked Tom. - -“Sure we did!” answered Jerry. - -“These have self-starters,” remarked Ned, as he and the others -inspected the aeroplanes. - -“And they carry double,” added Bob. - -There was a big crowd around the air craft, for it had been announced -that a race was about to take place. Jerry and his chums saw Frank -Watson and his crowd near the biplanes, and Frank, looking at our -heroes, said sneeringly, and loudly enough to be heard by them: - -“This is the kind of machine the motor boys said they had. Humph! I -don’t believe they’d dare go up in a balloon!” - -“The cad!” muttered Ned. “I’ll show him!” - -“Now quiet down,” ordered Jerry. “If you don’t----” - -At that moment one of the aviators stepped forward and addressed the -throng. - -“Is there any one here who has been up in an aeroplane, and who is -willing to go up again?” the man asked. “My partner has failed to -arrive, and we can’t have the race unless I take some one up with me. -Will any one volunteer?” - -Ned Slade stepped forward. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE POSTPONED EXAMINATION - - -The aviator looked over the crowd, at first not appearing to have seen -Ned. Then the lad spoke. - -“I’ll go up with you,” he said, “if you think I’m the right weight to -balance properly. If not my two friends here----” and he motioned to -Jerry and Bob. - -“Do you know anything about aeroplanes?” asked the man. - -“A little,” admitted Ned, modestly. - -“Have you ever been up in one?” - -“More than once.” - -“It’s all a bluff!” sneered Frank from where he stood. “He daren’t go -up in that machine.” - -“You--you----” began Ned angrily, and then his better sense made him -keep silent. - -“I’ll take you up in a minute if you’ve had any experience at all, and -aren’t afraid,” said the aviator. - -“Afraid!” laughed Ned. Then he mentioned some of the meets he and his -chums had attended and taken part in, winning some races. Bob and -Jerry confirmed this. - -“Oh, if you were at _those_ meets you sure are an old hand at the -game!” said Mr. Perdy, the aviator. “I was at one myself, but I don’t -recall you. Yes indeed, Slade, I’ll take you up and glad to do it. -Without a partner I can’t pull off this race, as one of the conditions -is that each machine shall carry two persons. In fact, they won’t -balance well without a double load, though I have gone up with a bag of -sand.” - -“Are you going high?” asked Ned. “Will I need a heavier coat?” for as -all know, it is very cold in the upper air currents. - -“We’re not going high, not more than a mile or two,” was the reply. -“But I can get you my partner’s big ulster. I can’t imagine why he -isn’t on hand. His train must be late. However, you’ll do very nicely. -Do you know how to steer, and manage the engine--well, if anything -happens?” he asked in a low voice. - -Ned nodded, and a helper ran off to get the overcoat and a cap for the -young aviator. - -“I wish I’d volunteered,” said Bob. - -“Same here,” murmured Jerry. “It would be like old times to be in the -clouds. Next year we’ll bring our aeroplane here.” - -The other students, as well as the crowd in general, were looking -curiously at Ned. - -“He sure has got nerve,” declared Ted Newton. - -“He’ll back out at the last minute,” sneered Frank. - -Ned heard but did not answer. - -The two aviators who were to go up in the other machine had been -getting it ready. It was now wheeled to the starting line with the one -in which Ned and Mr. Perdy were to make the ascent. Ned got into the -big ulster and drew the cap down over his head. He took his place in -the seat beside Mr. Perdy and waved his hand to his chums. - -“See you later, boys,” he called, as though starting off in an -automobile. - -“He’s really going up!” - -“Say, that’s nerve all right!” - -“I didn’t think he’d do it!” - -“I wonder what Frank Watson thinks now.” - -These were some of the remarks from the crowd. - -“So, it wasn’t a bluff after all; was it, Jerry?” asked Ted Newton. - -“Of course not. I told you we’d gone up many times before. I’ll bring -our motor ship here next season, and prove that we have one.” - -“That will be great! It’s almost as good as football.” - -“All ready?” asked Mr. Perdy of Ned. - -“Sure. Any time you are. Let her go!” - -“I thought you said he’d back out, Frank,” observed Bart Haley to his -chum. - -“Well, he may yet. I don’t count much on the spunk of those fellows who -call themselves motor boys,” and there was a sneer in Frank’s voice. - -The other aviator and his partner announced that they were ready. They -took their places, and a moment later, when the judges gave the signal, -the switches of the self-starters were thrown over and with a rattle -and bang the motors began to revolve the propellers. - -Rapidly the big wooden blades spun around until they had speed enough -to move the aeroplanes over the smooth ground. Then, like two big -birds, the craft left the earth together, sailing upward on a long -slant. - -“Ever do the spiral?” yelled Mr. Perdy into Ned’s ear. - -He nodded in affirmation. - -“I’ll try it going up,” went on the aviator and he began climbing -toward the clouds in corkscrew fashion. - -Down below the crowd was shouting and cheering, for some of them -had never seen an aeroplane before. But to many of the students of -Boxwood Hall the machines were not new, though to have one of their -fellow-members ascend in one was something out of the ordinary. - -“I wish I had nerve enough to do that!” exclaimed Tom Bacon. - -“Same here,” murmured Chet Randell. “It must be great.” - -“I was a bit scared at first,” confessed Bob. “But I soon got used to -it.” - -“And he had as good an appetite up in the air as he did on the ground!” -cried Jerry. - -“Oh, quit!” begged the stout lad. - -“Did you really eat on your aeroplane, Chunky?” asked George Fitch. - -“Eat? Say, we couldn’t live on _air_ you know,” answered Chunky. - -“Our biggest craft was a combined dirigible balloon and aeroplane,” -Jerry explained. “We went on long trips in it, and were off the earth -for days at a time.” - -“Say, that sure was great!” cried Tom. - -Meanwhile, all eyes were on the two aeroplanes, which were becoming -smaller and smaller the higher up they went towards the clouds. - -“Well, he didn’t back out; did he?” asked some one of Frank. - -“Oh, dry up!” was the snarled answer. - -“He took to it like a duck to water,” observed Tom Bacon, speaking of -Ned. “I wonder if he’ll win the race.” - -“He’s won ’em before,” put in Jerry, “but he’s not running the machine -now.” - -The race was going on in the air, but as previous books concerning the -motor boys have so fully gone into the subject of aeronautics, the -details of the race will not be set down here, for it was an ordinary -one as compared to some in which Ned, Bob and Jerry had taken part. -Suffice it to say, that after circling around several times over the -fair grounds, keeping outside the pylons, as the upright posts marking -the course were called, the two air craft made ready for the finish. - -So far, it had been a pretty even contest, but when the time came for -the last round and the descent, Mr. Perdy yelled to Ned: - -“I’m going to try to beat him. I think I can strike a better current of -air down below, where there is less resistance.” - -“Go ahead,” Ned assented. - -Instantly the aeroplane shot downward, and then, checking it, the pilot -sent it forward. A glance upward showed that he had gained a little on -his rivals. - -“Take the wheel and bring her down,” suggested Mr. Perdy; and Ned did, -the guiding apparatus being made so that it could be shifted from one -side to the other. - -Swift as a bird Ned sent the craft downward. He was approaching the -finish line. - -“We’re going to beat!” he told himself. - -He was now near the earth, and to check his sudden descent he threw -up the rudder a little, to cause the down-shooting craft to rise. This -acted as a brake. - -A moment later Ned let his craft down, and it ran along on the wheels -over the finish line, several lengths in advance of the other. - -“Ned Slade wins!” - -“Hurrah for him!” - -“Hurrah for Boxwood Hall!” - -“Ned did it!” - -Of course Mr. Perdy would have won had he been steering, but he chose -to let the honor come to Ned, and the lad appreciated it. - -“Great work, old man!” - -“That was clever!” - -“You sure have nerve!” - -Thus cried Ned’s chums as they crowded around him, clapping him -on the back and seeking to shake hands. He was overwhelmed with -congratulations. - -“That was fine!” said Mr. Perdy. “You sure do know aeroplanes! You’re -not open for an engagement, are you? I have several dates booked -for the South this winter, and if my partner isn’t going to attend -to business any better than he did to-day, I’d like to make some -arrangements with you.” - -“Thank you, but I’m going to stay at Boxwood Hall,” answered Ned. - -Jerry and Bob, joining Ned, looked over to where Frank Watson had been -standing. But he was gone. - -“I guess he had enough,” observed Tom Bacon. - -The other attractions at the fair did not interest the college lads -very much, and as there were to be no more flights that day the crowd -of boys, including our friends and those who had come in the automobile -with them, made their way back, stopping in Fordham at the “Band-Box” -for some soda-water and other like refreshments. Little else was talked -of but Ned’s flight. - -“I never knew it could be so easy,” said Lem Ferguson. - -“You’ve got to get used to it, of course,” Ned remarked. “Otherwise, -there’s nothing to it.” - -“I guess Frank will keep his mouth closed after this,” observed Tom -Bacon. - -“He doesn’t worry me,” announced Ned. - -Cold weather was approaching. The mornings were chilly and the nights -chillier. It was November, and football had the call. The Boxwood Hall -team was doing well, and preparing for the annual contest with the -military academy. - -“And we’re going to win, too!” declared Ted Newton. - -“I hope so,” cried Jerry. - -Bart Haley was one of the star halfbacks on the eleven, but there was -a danger that he would fall below the standard in studies, and not -be allowed by the faculty to take part in the annual Thanksgiving day -contest with Kenwell. This would be a big loss to Boxwood Hall. - -As the time for the big contest approached, the standing of Bart became -so uncertain that his companions, and especially Ted Newton, were -worried. - -“I can make it all right,” announced Bart one night to a group of boys, -our three heroes being among the crowd. “I can make it all right if I -don’t flunk in chemistry to-morrow.” - -“Then you’re not going to flunk!” cried the football captain. “We’ll -coach you now, and coach you good and hard.” - -Thereupon those who were well up in that subject began to try to -hammer into Bart’s brains the needful knowledge that would insure him -a passing mark in the chemistry tests which would take place the next -day. It was a rather important examination, and if Bart failed to make -the required average in it he would not be eligible for the eleven, and -could not play against Kenwell. - -“And we need him,” said Ted. - -But Bart’s worst study was chemistry. He simply could not remember the -different symbols, try as his friends did to drill them into his head. -They worked far into the night with him, but in the morning, Bart met -Jerry, with whom, of late, he had become much more friendly than was -Frank with any of our three heroes. - -“It’s no use, Jerry,” said Bart, perhaps more chummy because of his -trouble than otherwise he would have been. “I know I’m going to flunk -in chemistry.” - -“You mustn’t!” Jerry insisted. - -“I can’t help it. I can’t tell now whether H₂SO₄ is oxylic acid -or oxygen.” - -“It’s neither,” said the tall lad. “It’s sulphuric.” - -Bart groaned. - -“That’s the way it is,” he said. - -“Look here!” cried Jerry, suddenly. “We want to win that game, and the -team depends on you. If the examination could be postponed you wouldn’t -have to take it until after Thanksgiving.” - -“And then I wouldn’t care half as much if I flunked,” said Bart, “for -this is the last and most important game of the year. But they won’t -put off the exam.” - -“Maybe they’ll have to,” said Jerry, mysteriously. “I might persuade -them.” - -“How can you do it?” - -“I’ll tell you,” and Jerry and Bart went off to a secluded place -together, much to the wonderment of Frank, who could not imagine why -his crony had suddenly become so chummy with one of the boys whom -Frank and his chums had voted to snub. - -But if poverty makes strange bedfellows, the desire to win a football -game may make a fellow forget a contract he has entered into, -especially when such an agreement is not altogether in good taste. -Bart was beginning to like Jerry in spite of the efforts Frank made to -prevent this. And when Jerry made his proposition, Bart cried: - -“Say, if you can do that I’ll be your friend for life! If we can -postpone the examination I’ll be all right, for I’m just at passing -mark now. But if I flunked in chemistry I wouldn’t be.” - -“Leave it to me,” said Jerry. “What time is the exam?” - -“Two this afternoon, and I’m going to spend every second from now to -then boning away.” - -“You needn’t,” Jerry assured him. “There won’t be a chemistry test -to-day.” - -And there was not. When the class assembled in the room to wait for -Professor Baldwin to come in to give the examination, they waited a -long time. No professor appeared, though usually he was very prompt. -Some of the boys looked wonderingly at one another, but they were on -an honor system, and had promised not to speak after entering the -examination room. They kept their word. - -An hour passed, and no chemistry professor appeared to conduct the -test. As it was partly oral, his presence was needed. - -Finally, Proctor Thornton, who made it his business to visit each -class room, some time during the progress of an examination, entered -the room. He looked in surprise at the seated students in the -semi-darkness, and he noted the absence of Professor Baldwin. - -“Where is the dean?” asked the proctor. - -“He hasn’t been here, sir,” answered Jake Porter. - -“This is very strange. Wait here a moment, and I will inquire.” - -The proctor was gone a short time, during which the hopes of Bart and -his friends rose high. There was hardly time for an examination now, -and to-morrow would be a holiday. - -The proctor came back. - -“I am very sorry, young gentlemen,” he said, “but Professor Baldwin is -not to be found. The examination is postponed. You may go.” - -And not even the proctor’s presence could restrain the cheer that -echoed through the room. - -“Hurrah, Bart!” cried his friends, as they hurried out. “You play -against Kenwell to-morrow.” - -“I guess I do,” admitted Bart with a grin. - -“But what happened to Baldy?” asked several. - -Bart slowly winked his eye. - -“Ask Jerry Hopkins,” he replied. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE BOXWOOD PICTURE - - -But there was no need to ask Jerry what had happened to the chemistry -professor. Soon after the relieved youths poured out of the examination -room they observed, coming along the street and stopping in front of -the house of Professor Snodgrass, an automobile containing that little -scientist, Professor Baldwin and Jerry himself. - -“Dear me!” exclaimed Professor Snodgrass, looking at his watch, “we -have been gone a long time. I had no idea it was so late, and I had -some research work I wanted to do.” - -Something seemed to strike Professor Baldwin suddenly. - -“Late!” he exclaimed, also looking at his watch. “So it is late. I -had--let me see--I had something special on for this afternoon. Where -is my memorandum book?” - -He consulted it, and a look of consternation came over his face. - -“Well, well!” he cried. “I was to have conducted a chemistry -examination this afternoon, but I forgot all about it. Pshaw! How -forgetful I am becoming! It is too late, now, though,” he added with a -sigh. “Too late!” - -Jerry Hopkins smiled, and had it not been so near dusk Bart and some of -the others would have seen him winking at them. - -“How ever did you manage it?” asked Bart, becoming exceedingly friendly -with Jerry all of a sudden. “Did you kidnap Baldy?” - -“Well, you _might_ call it that,” admitted Jerry. “But he himself -helped some. This is the way it was. I knew you had to play on the -team, and you told me you would surely flunk in chemistry. So I argued -that the only way to do was to have the exam postponed. - -“Now, if there is one professor here that is as absent-minded and -forgetful as Professor Snodgrass, it is the dean. And I happened to -know something else about them. They hold radically different views on -fossil shell formations. In fact, they come about as near to quarreling -on that subject as two such delightful old gentlemen ever do come. So -I knew if I could get them started on a discussion about fossils they -might keep it up and the dean forget all about the passage of time. I -also knew that I had to get the dean away from the college, or, even in -the midst of a hot discussion, something might break in on it to remind -him of the exam. - -“Now I happened to know where there was a bed of fossils over near Fox -Swamp. So I got a few specimens, and took them to Professor Snodgrass, -pretending to be puzzled on a point concerning them. I mildly differed -with him in some of his statements, and said that Professor Baldwin -held different views, which, by the way, he did. He wouldn’t agree with -Professor Snodgrass in a thousand years, so I knew I was safe. - -“I pretended to be very much interested and puzzled, and I suggested -that it would be a good thing if Professor Snodgrass and Professor -Baldwin would accompany me to Fox Swamp, where we could go into the -matter more thoroughly.” - -Jerry paused to chuckle. - -“Go on,” urged Bart. “What happened?” - -“Well, they fell into the trap as easily as Chunky here can eat pie. -I brought around the machine, got them in and off we went for the -swamp. When I got them to the fossil bed, wild horses couldn’t have -pulled them away, for I’d unearthed some new specimens. And then the -fun began. The two professors went at each other with pet theories for -weapons, and pointed out minute indications in geology that I had never -dreamed of. I was completely out of it, so I wandered off in the woods -and waited for them to finish. - -“I guess they would have been at it yet, only they dug up a queer kind -of rock that stumped them both to tell what it was, and they yelled for -me to hurry with them back to the college so they could look it up in -the dictionary--or whatever book they use for such things. - -“And there you are, boys. We just got back, and it’s up to you chaps to -provide some amusement for me in return for listening to a lot of dry -rock-talk all afternoon, besides losing my fun.” - -“Oh, we’ll take care of you all right!” laughed Bart. “That sure was -one dandy little trick! It worked like a charm. Shake!” - -Bart and Jerry clasped hands in a most friendly fashion, to the no -small disgust of Frank. - -“Great work, Jerry!” - -“This will go down in college history!” - -“The best ever!” - -Thus Jerry’s chums congratulated him. - -“Say, don’t let it get out--I mean my part in it!” begged Jerry. “I’d -be jugged if it were known.” - -“Oh, we’ll keep it dark,” promised Bart. “The faculty will never know.” - -It is hard to say whether this state of affairs existed long, but -one is inclined to think that some, at least the proctor, must have -suspected. But he could do nothing, for Professor Baldwin had remained -away of his own accord. And he was the dean. - -“Say, why do you want to get so thick with that Jerry Hopkins?” asked -Frank of Bart that evening. - -“Because he did me a big favor. I’d never have been able to play in the -game to-morrow if he hadn’t held that exam off the way he did.” - -“Um,” was all Frank said. - -That Thanksgiving Day game with Kenwell was a good one, though at -first, when the military lads rolled up two touchdowns and a goal -against Boxwood Hall, it looked black for the latter. And then Bart -cut loose, and in each of the second, third and fourth quarters made a -touchdown, while another was scored on a forward pass, and thus Boxwood -Hall humbled her ancient enemy. - -“That’s the way!” - -“Whoop her up!” - -“We’ve beat ’em, boys!” - -“Three cheers for Bart Haley!” - -They were given riotously. - -“Three cheers for Jerry Hopkins!” - -There was no apparent reason why they should be given, for Jerry was -not on the team. - -But they were given with resounding echoes, for the story of how Jerry -had saved Bart to the team was all over the school by then. Only one -lad refrained from joining in the cheers for Jerry, and he was Frank -Watson. - -“Oh, forget your grouch,” suggested Bill Hamilton. “Jerry and his -chums aren’t such bad fellows, Frank.” - -“I’ve got my own opinion,” was the answer of the headstrong lad. - -There was a great celebration that night over the football victory, and -if there were midnight lunches, Proctor Thornton did not surprise any -of the feasters. Perhaps he purposely kept away. - -Life went on at Boxwood Hall. It became too cold for motor boating, and -the _Neboje_ was hauled out, for the lake would soon be frozen over. -But the automobile was kept in use. - -The Christmas holidays came, bringing a vacation which enabled the -motor boys to go home, where they had glorious times. - -It was a week after their return to Boxwood Hall, and the new year’s -schedule of lessons was under way. President Cole, on the reassembling -of the college classes, had made a plea for harder mental work, and -most of the boys were buckling down to their lessons, at least for a -time. - -Bob, Ned and Jerry were sitting in their rooms, or rather, in Jerry’s -room, one evening, studying. Finally Jerry flung his book away from -him, upsetting a tumbler of water over Bob, who yelled out: - -“What does that mean?” - -“It means I’ve just thought of something,” said Jerry. - -“Well, I wish you’d keep such thoughts to yourself,” grumbled the stout -lad, as he sopped up the water. - -“What’s the idea?” asked Ned. - -“This,” replied Jerry. “Things have been too slow around here of late. -Everything has a flat taste. We are getting into a rut. No one has -brought a cow, or even a goat, into a class room.” - -“I was a goat in French to-day,” declared Ned. “I couldn’t get a single -verb right. But go on.” - -“Merely this,” said Jerry. “Let’s do something.” - -“What?” asked Bob. - -“You know the Boxwood picture that hangs in chapel; don’t you?” - -“That big oil portrait of Ebenezer Boxwood, founder of the college?” -Ned inquired. - -“Yes,” nodded Jerry. “That’s the sacred cow I refer to. Now what is the -reason we can’t take that picture and hang it where all who wish may -admire it? Say hoist it up on the flagpole, where it can be seen. It -hangs in such a dark corner in chapel that the full beauties of it are -not brought out. On the flagpole they could be seen.” - -“You mean to hang the sacred Boxwood Hall picture on the pole?” asked -Ned. - -“I do,” said Jerry. - -“Who’ll do it?” asked Bob. - -“We will,” said Jerry, calmly. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -“WHO TOLD?” - - -For a moment Bob and Ned gazed silently at their tall chum. Then they -spoke. - -“Take the Boxwood picture?” gasped Ned. - -“And put it on the flagpole?” added Bob. - -“Why not?” asked Jerry. “Worse, or better, jokes, as you choose to call -them, have been perpetrated here. It beats taking a goat up to a class -room, or taking the knob off a prof’s door so he can’t get out to make -you flunk.” - -“But it doesn’t beat taking two of the highbrows off and making them -forget to come back,” chuckled Ned. - -“Maybe not,” admitted Jerry, with a smile. “That was some little trick, -if I do say it myself.” - -“It sure was!” agreed Bob. - -“But about this picture,” went on the tall lad. “Are you going to help -me get it, or not?” - -“Just us three?” asked Ned. - -“That’s enough,” said Jerry. “The more you have in a game like that, -the more danger there is in getting found out. We three can do it -alone.” - -“All right,” said Bob, smiling. “I’m with you.” - -“Same here,” added Ned. “But how are we going to do it?” - -“Oh, I have it all planned,” Jerry told his chums. “We’ll wait until it -gets a little later, and then we’ll go into chapel by the little side -door near Martin’s house.” (Martin was the janitor who looked after -chapel.) “He hardly ever locks the door,” went on Jerry, “but if he -does I have some extra keys that I think will work. We can sneak in -there, take the picture off the wall, slip around back of the gym and -up to the flagpole. No one goes there at night. The flag will be down, -and the halyards will be in the little box on the pole. That isn’t -locked. All we’ll have to do will be to fasten the picture to the ropes -and hoist it up, fasten the ropes and get back to our own little beds. -Of course, we’re taking a chance in being out of the dormitory after -hours, but that’s done every night, and at worst it means only some -extra lines.” - -“But if we’re caught out, and they find the picture up on the pole in -the morning, won’t they suspect us?” asked Ned. - -“You don’t suppose we’ll be the _only_ ones out to-night; do you?” -asked Jerry. “They won’t suspect us any more than they will any one -else.” - -“It’s taking a risk,” objected Bob. - -“Of course it is!” admitted his tall chum. “What would be the fun if -there were no risk?” - -“We shan’t damage the picture any; shall we?” Ned demanded. - -“Not a scratch, if we can help it,” promised Jerry. “We’ll just hoist -it up and leave it where a good view can be had of it. Are you game?” - -Again Bob and Ned said they were. They were mildly excited, too. As -Jerry had stated, matters had been a bit dull at Boxwood Hall of late. -Nothing of interest had been done, save that a few of the old-time -jokes--“standardized plays”--Jerry called them, had been executed. The -boys welcomed any sort of change. - -Jerry went carefully over all the details with his chums. - -“We’ll have to work quickly,” he told them. “And I’ll lay out the work -so each one of us will have just certain things to do. And do ’em -fast--that’s the word--fast!” - -The boys waited until it was near the hour when lights must be -extinguished and every student, who had not permission to remain out, -must be in his room. Then, with a final word of instruction, Jerry -led his chums forth. As he left his room he took up a black robe they -sometimes used in the automobile when it was chilly. - -“What’s that for?” asked Ned. - -“To throw over the picture. The gold frame might shine when we passed -some lamp and give the game away. I’ll cover it with this robe.” - -“Good idea,” said Bob. - -Carefully and cautiously the three chums made their way to the chapel. -It stood well away from the other college buildings. The only structure -near it was the cottage of Martin, the janitor, an elderly man fond of -a pipe and a book after supper, so there was little danger of his being -abroad. At this hour it was dark and deserted. - -“Got your keys?” whispered Bob. - -“Yes,” answered Jerry, in the same low voice. “But maybe I won’t need -’em.” - -As they neared the chapel, and swung around to the side where the door -leading to the vestry was, a black form rushed out of the bushes toward -them. - -“What’s that?” exclaimed Ned, nervously. - -“Martin’s dog. Keep still!” commanded Jerry. “Here, Jack, lie down! Go -back!” he ordered. - -The dog, which had not barked, was a friend of every lad in the -college. He fawned upon the three plotters and then, satisfied that -they did not want to romp with him, Jack went back to his kennel. - -“Got out of that easy,” commented Jerry. - -Cautiously they ascended the steps and tried the door. - -“Open,” announced Jerry. “I won’t have to use the keys. Come on in, and -don’t stumble over a chair or any of the kneeling benches.” - -They entered the dark vestry and closed the door behind them. - -“Bear cats and little kittens!” muttered Ned. “It’s as black as a -bottle of ink.” - -“I’ve got a flashlight,” announced Jerry, producing a pocket electric -lamp. By its light the boys made their way out of the vestry, up on the -platform and over to where the picture hung. - -“Got to have a ladder to reach it,” announced Bob. - -“Put one of the big pulpit chairs on top of another and we can reach -it,” said Jerry. “I figured that out when I was here this morning.” - -“Big head!” ejaculated Ned. - -Jerry was right about the chairs, and on this rather shaky pyramid, -while Ned and Bob steadied it, Jerry reached up and lifted down the -picture, no easy task, for it was in a heavy gold frame. - -The Boxwood picture was one of the treasures of the institution; not -because of its intrinsic worth, but because of the associations. - -The Reverend Doctor Ebenezer Boxwood, to give him his proper title, -had founded the college as a religious school, and the chapel was one -of the first buildings erected. He had been a clergyman of great -scholarly attainments, and a natural instructor. - -Gradually, like many others of its kind, Boxwood Hall broadened, -and became a college in which the divinity side was less and less -emphasized each year, though the institution still conferred the degree -of Doctor of Divinity upon those who wished it, and who passed the -necessary tests. - -So it was that the faculty of the college revered the picture of the -founder, even though the boys did not. For, of course, none of the -present undergraduates had known the Rev. Dr. Ebenezer Boxwood. - -“Now hustle!” advised Jerry, when the picture was safely down. “Put -back the chairs, and we’ll cut out of here.” - -This was soon done, and, with the picture covered with the black -robe, the conspirators, first looking about to make sure they were -unobserved, sneaked out the side door, and made their way toward the -flagpole. - -Here was where the greatest danger of detection lay, for they were out -in the open, and though the flagpole was not near any of the buildings -it was in a conspicuous place on the campus, and the boys might be -observed by some passing professor. - -However, luck seemed to be with them, and they quickly made the flag -halyards fast to the picture and hoisted it up to the top of the pole, -making sure the fastenings were secure so the portrait would not fall. - -[Illustration: THEY MADE THE FLAG HALYARDS FAST TO THE PICTURE AND -HOISTED IT UP.] - -“Well, I guess that’s some nifty little trick,” chuckled Jerry, as they -hurried back to their rooms. - -“It’ll make ’em sit up and have gravy on their eggs all right,” added -Ned. - -Chuckling over the success of their plot, the three chums prepared to -go to bed, for it was a little past the hour for lights to be out, and -they did not want any suspicion to attach to them. - -So sound and healthful was the sleep of Ned, Bob and Jerry that it -seemed but a few minutes from the time they crawled into their beds -until their alarm clocks rattled in the morning, and they sprang up. -For they “cut things pretty fine,” to quote Jerry, and only gave -themselves just enough time to jump into their clothes and run for -chapel. - -As they scudded across the campus, arranging ties on the route, they -looked across to the flagpole, where they saw a group of students -gathered about, gazing up at the suspended portrait. - -“It’s working!” chuckled Jerry. - -The final bell rang, and the students about the pole rushed to chapel. - -“Some little trick--that of yours!” exclaimed Tom Bacon, with a laugh. - -There was no time for further talk as they had to go to their seats, -and there an air of subdued excitement testified to the success of the -trick. - -The doors were closed, Dr. Cole arose as usual, but the usual -announcement, that of an invitation to all present to take part in the -morning prayer, was wanting. - -“Young gentlemen, I regret to mention to you, what the most of you -probably know, that the portrait of our revered founder is not in its -usual place,” Dr. Cole said in his deep voice. - -“And before we go on with the devotional exercises this morning I will -request Hopkins, Baker and Slade to proceed to the flagpole, where they -shamelessly hung the portrait, and bring it back!” - -There was a gasp of astonishment, and the three chums looked guiltily -at one another. - -“Go at once!” sternly ordered Dr. Cole. - -Amid the smiles of their fellow students Jerry, Ned and Bob filed out -of chapel. - -And when they reached the pole they saw a card tacked on it, just below -where the halyards were made fast, and the card read: - - “This picture was placed here by - - “Jerry Hopkins, - - “Ned Slade, - - “Bob Baker.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE COASTING RACE - - -Astonishment, surprise, chagrin and anger are some of the words that -might be used to describe the feelings of Ned, Bob and Jerry as they -looked at the accusing card. - -“Who put it there?” - -“How did they find it out?” - -“Somebody must have seen us!” - -Thus spoke the three. - -The card was typewritten, so there was no ready clue to its author. - -“Which of the fellows have typewriting machines?” asked Ned. - -“Oh, a dozen. You can’t tell that way,” answered Bob. - -“I’m going to make a try,” declared Ned, vindictively. “I’ve heard that -each typewriting machine has some peculiarity, and I may be able to -trace this one. - -“If I do find out the sneak who gave us away what I won’t do to him -won’t be worth doing,” Ned went on. “The idea of spoiling a perfectly -good joke this way! It’s a shame, and I’ll wager a lot it was that -Frank Watson!” - -“There you go again!” cried Jerry. “Jumping at conclusions.” - -“I’ll jump on his head if I get a chance,” muttered Ned. - -Then they lowered the picture and carried it back to the chapel, amid -the grins of their companions and the stern looks of the members of -faculty. Such a sacrilege had rarely, if ever before, been committed. -Each professor seemed grave and angry, save Professor Snodgrass, and -he looked at the boys with sympathy. He would have helped them if he -could, but it was beyond his power. - -“You may set the portrait down against the wall where it belongs,” -announced Dr. Cole. “I will have the janitor hang it later.” - -In the prayer that followed, Dr. Cole made reference to the “misguided -and rash spirit of youth,” from which he asked that all might be -delivered. - -“He means us!” whispered Bob. - -“Shut up!” retorted Ned, fiercely. “Don’t I know it!” - -It is feared that our heroes--shall I call them that now, I -wonder?--did not fully enter into the devotional spirit that morning. -Nor, for that matter, did many of the others. - -When the chapel exercises were over, Dr. Cole again arose. - -“Hopkins, Slade and Baker will be excused from classes to-day,” the -president announced, “and they will report at my office in half an -hour.” - -He gave the signal of dismissal. - -“Say, you fellows sure have nerve all right!” exclaimed George Fitch, -as a group of students gathered about Ned, Bob and Jerry when they came -out of chapel. - -“That’s what!” added Tom Bacon. - -“But why you wanted to give yourselves away is more than I can figure -out,” came from Harry French. - -“Getting the picture was sure some nifty little stunt,” commented Chet -Randell, “but sticking that card on was only inviting trouble. Did you -think they wouldn’t believe it?” - -“Say, when you fellows get through talking, I’ll have something to -say!” Ned broke in, rather sarcastically. “We did get the picture, I -may as well admit that, for I suppose we gave ourselves away in chapel -when Proxy made the crack. But we weren’t foolish enough to go and -advertise the fact. Some fellow squealed on us, just as some one did at -the time of our feed. And when I find out who it was I’m going to make -it so hot for him he’ll leave college.” - -Frank Watson was passing at the time, but neither by look nor word did -he show that he was concerned, though Ned had gazed in his direction, -and had made his voice purposely loud. - -“Do you mean him?” asked Newt Ackerson, nodding toward Frank. - -“I’m not saying all I mean,” retorted Ned. - -“No, you’d better not,” cautioned Jerry. “Never mind, we’ve got to take -our medicine.” - -“More leave-stopping, I suppose,” groaned Bob. - -“If you’re not suspended, you’ll be getting off lucky,” commented Ted -Newton. - -While the other students hurried, more or less willingly, to their -different lectures and classrooms, Ned, Bob and Jerry strolled over -toward the office of the president. - -They were admitted by Dr. Cole’s secretary, a young man studying for -the ministry, who ushered them into the office, and gave them chairs. -The three chums did not feel much like talking, so they sat in glum -silence, waiting for Dr. Cole to come in. They were beginning to think -their offence was graver than they had imagined it. Suspension had not -occurred to them. But, on the other hand, they had not figured on being -found out. Something was wrong. - -“Frank might have heard us talking about it from his room,” said Ned in -a low voice. “His transom is right opposite yours, Jerry, and voices -carry easily in that corridor, I’ve noticed. It’s a regular sound-box.” - -“I don’t know what to think,” Jerry said. “We’re found out, that’s -sure.” - -“And I’ll find out who squealed,” declared Ned, taking the card out of -his pocket to gaze at it. Then Dr. Cole came in, and Ned quickly put -away the bit of evidence. - -“Young gentlemen, before I say what I intend to, I wish to be perfectly -fair and just to you,” began the president. “Did you, or did you not -put the picture on the flagpole. Answer me on your honor as gentlemen -and students at Boxwood Hall.” - -There was a moment of silence, and then Jerry spoke in a low voice. - -“We did it, Dr. Cole,” he said. - -“So I was informed.” - -Ned just ached to ask who had been the informant, but he knew he did -not dare. - -Dr. Cole seemed to be thinking deeply, and then he began to speak. - -He gave the boys a straight-from-the-shoulder talk--a good, manly -lecture, in which he explained to them why he regarded their offense -seriously. They might have played other pranks that would not have -had such a possible effect as the irreparable damage of the founder’s -picture. If that had been torn it would have been a grave loss. - -And from that Dr. Cole went into a general exposition of boyish pranks -in general. It was a talk along the same lines as had been given to the -boys by their parents before they were sent to Boxwood Hall. They were -reminded that they were now growing up, and should give some evidences -of it. - -Ned, Bob and Jerry, rather angry at first that they had been caught, -and filled with perhaps righteous indignation against the informer, -began to see matters in a different light. They were rather ashamed of -themselves, and Jerry frankly admitted that the entire idea was his, -and that he had persuaded Bob and Ned to join him. In view of that fact -he asked that he alone be punished. - -“No,” said Dr. Cole. “I can’t do that. But I will make yours the -heaviest, for I think you deserve it. You are older than your chums, -not much it is true, but a little, and they look to you as to a natural -leader. You should lead them along different lines.” - -And then came the punishment. It was heavy, but justly so. There was -to be a period of confinement to the college grounds, longest in the -case of Jerry, and there was also prohibition to take part in any games -or amusements, or to attend their fraternity meetings for a certain -period. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Ned as they emerged from the president’s office, -“that was bitter medicine all right.” - -“Well, I guess we deserve it,” observed Jerry. - -“But we _did_ stir things up,” Bob said, with a smile. - -“Yes, we stirred up a hornet’s nest,” remarked Ned. “And I’d like to -get it around the ears of the fellow who told--Frank it was, to my way -of thinking.” - -“You’ll have your own troubles proving it,” remarked Jerry. - -The three chums spent a miserable time when they were on probation, so -to speak, unable to join in the fun the others had. And though the time -of Bob and Ned was up before that of Jerry, the two refused to accept -their restored privileges, and stuck to their chum, not going anywhere -he could not go. - -Perhaps it was this that led Dr. Cole to shorten Jerry’s term of -punishment, for on the night following a big snow storm, when half the -college was out on the hill on big bobsleds, coasting, word was sent to -Jerry that he was given back his full privileges. - -Just outside the college grounds was a long hill, most excellent for -coasting, and it was the custom at Boxwood Hall to have impromptu -bobsled races for class and school championships. Ned, Bob and Jerry -had bought a big bobsled from a former student, and they had done some -coasting earlier in the season. - -“But this is the best yet!” cried Ned. “The hill is in prime shape. -We’ll get up a race.” - -Laughing, shouting, calling to one another, the three chums, now -restored to full rights of collegeship, hastened out with their -companions to the coasting place. - -It was a bright moonlight night, and many of the boys and girls from -Fordham were on the hill. - -“Get up a party and we’ll see if we can’t have a race,” suggested Jerry -to his chums. - -Getting up a party for the fine, big bobsled was easy. There were soon -more than enough to fill it. As the three chums were getting the sled -to the top of the hill ready for a start, Frank Watson came along -dragging his bobsled, which was slightly larger than that Jerry was -going to steer. Frank had his party made up, in it being Bart Haley and -Bill Hamilton. - -“Want a race, Jerry?” asked Bart, good-naturedly. - -Without thinking, for the minute, of the feeling against Frank, Jerry -answered: - -“Yes!” - -“Come on then!” cried Bart. “The losers buy the hot chocolates!” - -Frank nodded his assent. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE ICE BOAT - - -Fordham Hill was over a mile long, and it was so wide that several big -bobsleds could go down abreast. Thus a race could be going on, and -independent coasting could be indulged in at the same time. - -“Let me steer, Jerry,” begged Ned, for the tall lad had taken his place -at the wheel. - -“Why do you want to steer?” - -“I want to beat that sneak, that’s why! He thinks he’s all there is, -with his bunch of girls from town. I’m going to beat him!” - -“All right,” Jerry assented. “Only look out for yourself, that’s all. -I’ve heard of Frank’s bob. It’s a fast one, and he knows how to handle -it. Ours is a bit stiff.” - -“Oh, I’ll beat him all right. You get the crowd aboard.” - -It was perhaps but natural that Ned should wish to win against his -enemy, and Frank was Ned’s enemy rather than that of either Bob or -Jerry. - -“Pile on! Get your places!” yelled Bart. “Here’s where we win the hot -chocolates!” - -“Get ready, boys!” called Jerry, who went to the rear of the bobsled, -there to handle the brake lever. For the big bobsleds had brakes--a -sort of spike that dug down in the snow and retarded the progress of -the sled. Frank’s bobsled was similarly equipped, and Bill Hamilton was -to be the brakesman. - -A number of girls from Fordham, whom Jerry, Ned and Bob had met at -dances, took their places on the sled of our heroes. There were about -the same number of boys as girls on Frank’s coaster also. - -Several lads volunteered to push off, and for a time there was more -interest in the race than in the other coasting. - -“All ready?” asked Bart of Jerry, from the rear where he sat. - -“All ready,” Jerry answered. - -“Push!” cried Bart. - -“Push!” echoed Jerry. - -The boys behind the two bobsleds exerted their strength, and the long -coasters, with their loads of laughing, shouting and merry boys and -girls, began to move slowly. Once over the crest of the hill they -gathered momentum, until they were shooting down the moonlit streak of -ice and snow at ever increasing speed. - -In places water had been poured over the snow, and this in freezing had -added a glair that increased the speed of the sleds. - -A coasting race is a peculiar one. Given two sleds of exactly the same -size, with equally polished runners, and with weights nearly the same, -start them at the same time, and one will get to the bottom of the hill -ahead of the other. - -Try it again, and the results may be reversed. Just why this is so it -is hard to say, unless it is that the winning sled may, without the -knowledge of the rider, strike more slippery places than the other. Of -course, weight has something to do with it, once the sleds are started, -the more heavily laden one acquiring greater momentum. But sometimes -even that may not count. - -The bobsled of our heroes and that of Frank Watson were about evenly -weighted, but, as Jerry had said, the steering gear of theirs was a -little stiff, while their rival had a new sled in excellent condition. - -“But we’ll beat him,” said Ned to Bob, who sat behind him. - -“I hope so,” agreed Chunky. - -So far the sleds were on even terms, almost in a straight line with one -another. Then, as the slope of the hill became steeper, Frank gradually -forged ahead. - -“He’s going to win,” said Bob. - -“The race isn’t over yet,” muttered Ned, yet he was a bit doubtful now -as to the outcome. - -“Come on there! Come on!” shouted those on Frank’s sled to those on the -other. “Come on, we’re leaving you behind!” - -“We’re coming!” shrilly cried the girls on the second bobsled. - -“We’ll tell them that when we reach the bottom of the hill,” answered -their rivals. - -Farther and farther ahead forged Frank’s sled. It was half a length -in the lead now, and though Ned tried to pick out the smoothest and -slipperiest places, he could not gain anything. - -Then, suddenly, without any apparent reason for it, unless it was that -it came to a glair in the ice, Frank’s bobsled shot swiftly ahead, -until, in a few seconds, it was leading by two lengths. - -“Oh you hot chocolates!” taunted the leaders, laughingly. - -And then, still apparently for no reason, Frank sent his sled, which -was on the right of Ned’s, diagonally across the course, in front of -the sled behind, a rather dangerous proceeding. - -“What’s he doing that for?” cried Ned. “Brakes there, Jerry, or we’ll -run into him!” - -Jerry jammed down the brakes, and only just in time, for their bobsled -seemed suddenly to acquire new speed, and it almost crashed into the -one ahead. - -There was a scraping in the hard snow, which flew up in a shower -behind, and several of the girls screamed. Then Ned cried: - -“All right! Off brakes! Now we’ll beat him!” - -For Ned saw on the course Frank had chosen to abandon, a long stretch -of hard, icy snow, and he knew that his vehicle could acquire speed and -momentum over there. - -In a moment he steered for it, so that the positions of the sleds were -reversed, Ned’s being on the right hand side going down. - -On and on raced the sleds. That of the three chums was rapidly -overtaking the rival coaster. - -“Frank thought he’d get on an icier place by cutting across that way,” -said Ned to Bob. “But he missed his guess. We’re going to win now.” - -“I wish I could think so.” - -“We are; you watch!” - -And as Bob and the others behind him looked, they saw Ned skillfully -hold to the icy course. It gave them more speed, which seemed to be -constantly on the increase. They were now so close to Frank’s bob that -he dared not cut across again, had he so desired. - -“Here we go!” cried Ned, as, having passed over a place where loose -snow retarded them a bit, they shot out on to a spot that was solid -ice. “Here’s where we win!” - -And win they did. For a moment later the bottom of the slope was -reached with Ned’s bobsled well in advance, and as there was only a -straight course left on which to bring up, there was no chance for -Frank to acquire further speed. - -“We win! We win!” cried the boys on Ned’s vehicle, as they got off when -the sled came to a stop. “We win!” - -“Oh you hot chocolates!” shrilled the girls at their less lucky -companions. - -“Does whipped cream go with it, Bart?” asked one of the winning girls. - -“Well, seeing that you whipped us, so to speak, I guess it does,” -admitted Frank’s chum. The latter said nothing, but there was a glum -look on his face as he got up from the steering wheel. He was a poor -loser. - -“As headstrong as ever,” thought Jerry. “I wish something would happen -to change him. If he keeps on holding a grudge against us this way we -won’t stand any chance on the baseball nine, for, as captain, Frank has -nearly all the say there.” - -With shouts and laughter the victors chaffed the vanquished, and then -they made their way to the Band Box, the most popular confectionery -and ice cream store in Fordham, and there hot chocolates and cake were -provided by the losers for their more fortunate rivals. - -It was a good-natured, jolly crowd, all save Frank, and he was -pleasant enough with every one but the three Cresville chums. - -“Why don’t you fellows mix in with them a bit?” asked Jake Porter of -Frank, Bart and Bill a little later. - -“Because I don’t want to,” said Frank. “We agreed that they’d try to -run things here, and they have. They’re too fresh. And you were one of -those, Jake, to agree to snub ’em. Now you’re sticking up for ’em.” - -“I know; but I’ve found out they aren’t half bad. They’re real jolly.” - -“I like Jerry all right,” confessed Bart. “He did me a good turn. Maybe -it’s time to make better friends with them, Frank.” - -“Not for me! You fellows can do what you like!” exclaimed the -headstrong youth. - -“Ned and Bob are all right, too,” said Bill Hamilton. “I was broke the -other day and Bob lent me some money.” - -“And you took it?” asked Frank, sharply. - -“Of course. Why not?” - -“Why didn’t you come to me?” - -“You weren’t around, and I wasn’t going to cut off my nose to spite my -face. I think maybe we made a mistake, Frank.” - -“Well, I don’t. I’ll not make friends with ’em!” - -The coasting was over, and as the boys returned to college with their -sled, Jerry remarked: - -“Well, you did beat him, Ned. It was a clever piece of work.” - -“I’d like to beat him more ways than one, the cad!” - -“You’ll never get anywhere feeling that way about Frank.” - -“I don’t want to get anywhere with _him_. I want to be in a position to -prove he gave away the picture game and then I’ll go for him.” - -There came a thaw. The snow disappeared, and there followed a period of -warmer weather and rain. Then it became cold again, so cold that Lake -Carmona was frozen over solidly, and there was the best skating that -had been enjoyed in years, so some of the older students declared. - -Ned, Bob and Jerry were on the ice one afternoon enjoying the sport, -when Jerry, who had been quiet for some time, burst out with: - -“I think I’ll do it if you fellows will go in with me.” - -“What’s he talking about now?” asked Bob. - -“Oh, this is all right,” Jerry went on. “I was thinking aloud, I guess. -I heard of a fellow who has an ice-boat for sale up the lake. What do -you say to our buying it, or hiring it, and having some fun? It’s lots -of sport.” - -“Let’s go and see the ice-boat first,” suggested Ned practically. - -“Come on,” cried Jerry. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -SPRING PRACTICE - - -“Well, what do you think of her?” - -Jerry asked the question of his two chums a little later as they stood -looking at the odd craft. - -“She’s big enough,” commented Ned, gazing up at the tall mast. - -“Can she go?” asked Bob. - -“You ought to see her! She’s won more races than any boat of her class -on this lake,” said the owner, a Mr. Brown, who was going to move away -and wanted to sell the craft. - -“May we give it a trial?” asked Jerry. - -“Certainly. I’ll take you out in it to-morrow and show you how to run -it.” - -“I’ll be glad of that,” Jerry said. “I’ve handled one a few times, but -I’m not an expert.” - -Satisfactory terms for the purchase of the _Petrel_ were made should -she prove satisfactory on trial, and the next day Ned, Bob and Jerry -went to Mr. Brown’s place. There was a good wind blowing, not enough, -the owner of the _Petrel_ explained, to get any real speed out of her, -but enough to show of what she was capable. - -“And if I’m going to learn I’d rather do it in a wind that isn’t a -gale,” Jerry remarked. - -The ice-boat had a sort of open cockpit, in which five or six might -sit, or sprawl over the side if necessary, when it was desired to keep -the weight well out on one runner, to prevent the boat from capsizing. - -“Say, this is great!” cried Bob, as they went skimming over the ice. - -“Do you like it?” asked Jerry. - -“I sure do!” - -“I’m in for it, too,” added Ned. “Show me how to steer and manage the -sail.” - -Mr. Brown proved to be an adept instructor, and the boys soon caught on -to the knack of handling the swift craft, though they needed practice. - -“Here comes the _Jack Frost_,” said Mr. Brown, nodding toward another -ice-boat down the lake. “We’ll have a little race with her. Mr. Carson -owns her, and he beat me the last time, though I think I can win now, -for my boat is better in a light wind than his.” - -A friendly challenge was at once accepted by Mr. Carson, and the two -graceful craft lined up for a race. They were on a part of the lake -where there were no skaters and no other boats. - -Then came a pretty exhibition. Even at first with her rival, the -_Petrel_ soon forged ahead, and then Mr. Brown let the boys take turns -at the tiller. - -They did well, too, and at the finish line the _Petrel_ was several -lengths in advance. - -“Well, you had the edge on me this time!” called Mr. Carson -good-naturedly, as he came up in the wind. “But I’ll beat you next.” - -“We’ll take you up!” called Jerry. “It’s going to be our boat from now -on.” - -“Then you’ll take her?” asked Mr. Brown. - -“Sure!” Jerry answered, his chums echoing an assent. - -The arrangements were completed the following day, and the motor boys -became possessed of a new craft. Though once, years before, they had -made an ice-boat for use on the river at home, which was not much of a -success, however. - -In the days that followed Ned, Bob and Jerry spent as much time as they -could on the ice, either in the boat or on skates. But the ease of -gliding along without any exertion, the swiftness of the motion and the -sport of it caused them to use the _Petrel_ oftener than they did their -skates. - -And so the winter wore on. - -There had been a thaw, a rain and a freeze, and there were indications -that an early spring was on the way. - -“Which, being the case,” remarked Ned, as he and his chums sat in -Jerry’s room one day, “I think I will get out my baseball glove, and -see if it needs sewing.” - -“It’s too soon to do that,” remarked Jerry. “Come on down to the ice. -Let’s take out the _Petrel_. We may not have another chance.” - -“I’m with you,” agreed Ned. - -“Same here,” echoed Bob. - -On the way to the lake the three chums met Frank, Bart and Bill. - -“Where are you going?” asked Bart, who, with Bill, was becoming more -and more friendly with our heroes. - -“Out in the ice-boat,” answered Jerry, and then, seeing an eager look -on Bart’s face, the tall lad added: “Come along. It may be the last -ride of the winter.” - -“I’m with you!” Bart exclaimed. “Do you mean all of us?” - -Jerry did not hesitate a moment in answering: - -“Yes, sure!” - -“I’ll come,” said Bill. - -Frank, with a sneer on his face, turned aside. - -“You freshmen with your boats and things make me tired!” he complained -as he walked away. - -“Don’t be a chump,” advised Bart in a low voice. - -“You mind your own business!” snapped Frank. - -His two friends paused a moment, as though undecided, and then walked -along with Jerry and the others. - -“He’s as pig-headed as they make ’em,” commented Bart. “I never saw his -beat!” - -“Um!” grunted Ned, but what he thought he did not say. - -Up and down the lake sailed the _Petrel_, and as the sun was declining, -Bob called to Jerry: - -“Head her down to Simpson’s and we’ll have something to eat.” - -“That listens good,” laughed Bart. - -“Oh, eating is my strong point!” Chunky confessed. - -The ice-boat was skimming down the lake, when there suddenly sounded a -boom like the report of a cannon. - -“What was that?” called Ned. - -“The ice cracked,” Jerry answered. “It often does that after a thaw. I -guess----” - -“Look out!” yelled Bill. “There’s open water just ahead!” - -A big crack had opened in the ice, just in front of the ice-boat, and -before Jerry could steer to one side the _Petrel_ plunged in. - -“Jump!” yelled Jerry, casting aside the mainsheet. - -As the boat splashed into the cold water the boys, leaping free of -her, went in also, but on either side. - -Jerry saw his two chums and Bill strike out as they hit the water, but -he also had a glimpse of Bart throwing up his hands with a gesture of -despair, and in a flash it came to Jerry. - -“Bart can’t swim!” - -The lad had so confessed some time ago, admitting he had a terror of -being in the water, though not afraid to go out in a boat. - -Jerry launched himself through the ice-cold element and grasped Bart by -the collar. Holding him up with one hand, he swam toward the ice-boat, -which had turned over on one side. It was floating and would support -them all for a time. - -Ned, Bob and Bill had already reached the craft, but Bart was -struggling frantically. - -“I--I can’t swim!” he gasped, spluttering the words as water got in his -mouth. - -“Keep still!” cried Jerry. “I’ll save you!” - -This he did. By dint of hard work he managed to get Bart to the -ice-boat and put his arms over it. - -“Hold on!” panted Jerry. “Help’s coming.” - -Another ice-boat and several skaters who had seen the accident were -hurrying to the rescue. Help was given promptly, fence rails and ropes -from the other boat being secured to assist the boys out of the water. - -Then, dripping wet, and shivering with cold, they were hurried to -Simpson’s, where hot blankets and hot drinks promptly administered were -used to prevent pneumonia. - -“You--you saved my life, Jerry,” said Bart, earnestly, when they were -sitting before a warm fire, waiting for a conveyance to take them back -to Boxwood Hall. “I--I won’t forget it.” - -“Oh, that’s all right,” said Jerry, sincerely. “I’m glad I saw you in -time, and I remembered you said you couldn’t swim. You’d better learn -this summer.” - -“I’m going to!” was the fervent response. - -No ill effects, save slight colds for Ned and Bart, followed the -immersion. The ice-boat was recovered and put away for the season, as -the ice broke up the next day and a long spring thaw set in. - -Ned, Bob and Jerry buckled down to hard work, or at least fancied they -did, and occasionally they played some trick or joke, but were not -caught again. - -Ned kept on the “typewriter trail,” as he called it, but with no -success, and he was not able to fasten any guilt on Frank. After the -ice-boat accident Bart and Bill were more than ever friendly with the -three chums, Bart especially, and when Frank remonstrated, Bart said: - -“What would you do to the fellow who saved your life, or the life of -some one you cared for?” - -Frank could not answer, and turned aside. But he did not make friends. - -The winter, not necessarily of discontent, passed and spring came. -There had been practice of a sort in the indoor baseball cage when one -day a notice was posted on the gymnasium bulletin board to this effect: - - _Candidates for the varsity nine will report on the field this - afternoon for spring practice._ - -“Hurrah! That’s the ticket!” cried Jerry. - -“That means us all right,” added Bob. - -“It’ll feel good to get a bat in your hands out in the open,” commented -Ned. - -There were days of hard practice, and Ned, Bob and Jerry were assured -by several of their chums that they stood a good chance to make the -first team. - -“How about it, Frank?” asked Jerry one day, after sharp work, in which -the team on which our heroes played won from the tentative varsity, -mainly by the skillful playing of the three motor chums. Jerry resolved -to take the bull by the horns. “How about it? Have we a chance on the -varsity?” - -“Not in a hundred years while I’m captain!” was the cutting reply. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -A SCRUB GAME - - -Ned Slade, who stood near Jerry, heard what was said. He took a step -forward, but the tall lad put out a restraining hand. And, as Ned -looked at his chum, Jerry shook his head in negation. - -“What’s the matter with you?” demanded Ned, when Frank had walked out -of hearing distance. “Why don’t you let me soak him a good one?” - -“Because it would have been a bad one,” answered Jerry. “It would only -have made matters worse. I want to play on the varsity nine and so do -you and Bob, and----” - -“Yes, and if we let this sneak Frank have his way we’ll never get on,” -interrupted Ned. “If you’d let me mix it up with him it would take some -of the starch and pig-headedness out of him, and he’d have to let us -play.” - -“No,” and Jerry shook his head, “that would only make matters worse. -He’d be more set in his ways than ever. You leave it to me.” - -“What are you going to do?” Bob wanted to know. “It doesn’t seem that -there’s anything to do.” - -“All we can do for a while is to wait,” Jerry said. “You see Bart and -Bill, who used to be as much against us as Frank is, are friendly with -us now. And we’ve won over a good many others of Frank’s cronies. Not -that we ever did anything that they shouldn’t be friendly with us, but -it just happened so. It was all because Professor Snodgrass made the -mistake of telling too much about us in advance. I can see that. He -didn’t exactly boast of what we’d done, but it sounded so to some of -the boys, and we’ve got to live down that reputation. - -“We’re doing it, too, and I wouldn’t have the dear old professor know, -for the world, what a pickle he innocently got us into. We’ll just -wait, and it will come around all right, I’m sure.” - -“Well, I’m not!” exclaimed Ned, who was in an angry mood. “I’m for -giving Frank a good walloping, and bringing him to his senses.” - -“How is it he has such a control where the varsity nine is concerned?” -asked Bob. - -“Well, as I get the story,” said Jerry, “Frank put the nine on its -feet. When he came here Boxwood Hall wasn’t much of anywhere as regards -baseball. Now Frank is a good player--a crackerjack! I’ll give him -credit for that, pig-headed as he is. He’s a natural born player and -manager, and he took hold of the nine and pulled it out of the mud. He -helped with money, too, bought new uniforms and all that. Naturally, he -was made captain and manager, and, in a way, coach too.” - -“Why didn’t they make him the whole team while they were about it?” -asked Ned, sarcastically. - -“Well, I guess it did come pretty near amounting to that,” laughed -Jerry. “Anyhow, he demanded, so I heard, and was given the right to -say who should and should not play on the varsity. In his capacity as -captain and manager he retains that right. If he doesn’t want a fellow -to play, that fellow keeps on the scrub or sits on the bench.” - -“And he doesn’t want us to play,” remarked Ned, bitterly. - -“It doesn’t seem so,” agreed Jerry. “But we’ll wait.” - -“It’s a funny state of affairs,” remarked Bob, “where one fellow can -run the whole varsity nine and say who shall and who sha’n’t play.” - -“Yes, it is,” admitted the tall chum. “But in this case it has worked -out well, for Boxwood Hall won the championship last year, which it -never did before, and defeated the military academy two out of the -three games which are an annual feature. So that’s why the fellows let -Frank have his way. They knew he made the nine, and he’s making good -with it yet. It isn’t that we can play better than the fellows on it, -it’s just that I want to be on the varsity.” - -“So do I!” chimed in Ned and Bob. - -“And we’ve just got to wait until Frank either changes his mind, or -until we can show that we can play so much better than some of the -regulars that there’ll be a demand that we go in,” finished Jerry. “Now -let’s go for a ride and forget our troubles.” - -Ned was still bitter against Frank, though, and did not see why the -three chums could not be put on the varsity. - -As the three were riding off, Professor Snodgrass, equipped with his -net and specimen box, hailed them. - -“My first butterfly hunt of the season!” he called to the boys. “I’m -after some _Argynnis cybele_ specimens, which appear with the first -violets.” - -“Come with us,” said Jerry. “Do you want to go to any particular place?” - -“No, only to the nearest patch of woods where violets may be found. -I haven’t any good specimens of the _Argynnis_, and I am anxious -to secure some,” the little scientist explained as he entered the -automobile. - -“What does it look like?” asked Jerry. “We don’t want you to be making -stabs at colored leaves, which you’ll do if we let Bob do the looking.” - -“I can tell a butterfly as well as you!” retorted the stout youth. - -“The _Argynnis cybele_,” said Professor Snodgrass, “is sometimes called -the great spangled Fritillary. In color it is a sort of light brownish -yellow, with brown and yellow spots, and the under sides of the wings -are heavily silvered. The caterpillars hibernate as soon as hatched, -and live that way all winter. In the spring they feed up, and turn into -butterflies about the time the first violets appear. I hope we shall -get some to-day.” - -“We’ll help you look,” Ned promised. - -Arriving at the patch of woods, they all got out of the automobile and -began searching. - -“Here are some violets,” called Jerry after a while. - -“Then perhaps there may be a butterfly near them,” the professor -answered, hastening over toward the tall lad. “Yes, there’s one!” he -cried, his trained eyes seeing it before any of the others. “Wait now -until he lights, and I’ll have him!” - -The professor stood with poised net. One foot went into a puddle of -water, but he did not seem to mind that. Then, with a sweep of his net -he captured the beautiful specimen, and soon transferred it to his -cyanide bottle. - -“Excellent! Excellent!” murmured Professor Snodgrass. “I would not have -missed this for anything. But I--er--something seems to be the matter,” -he went on in puzzled tones. - -“The matter? Where?” asked Ned. - -“With one of my feet. It seems so cold. Can it be frost bitten?” and he -looked down at the ground. The boys did too, and broke out into peals -of laughter. For the professor was still standing with one foot in -the puddle of cold water, a fact to which he had been oblivious while -engaged in capturing and putting away the butterfly. - -“You ought to wear rubber boots,” Jerry said. “Shall we take you back -to get a dry shoe?” - -“No, it isn’t as cold as it was at first, and I want to get another -specimen.” - -He had good luck, for he secured two more, and then consented to be -driven back to the cottage. - -“Same old professor,” remarked Jerry. - -“That’s what,” agreed Bob. - -Baseball practice went on for several days, and the varsity was getting -in good shape, while the scrub, or second team, under the captaincy of -Tom Bacon, was making shifts and changes, trying to get the best lads -fitted to the right positions. - -There was no trouble about Ned, Bob and Jerry making the scrub. They -played good ball, and Ned was picked for pitcher, while Jerry was on -first and Bob at shortstop. - -“First varsity-scrub game of the season to-morrow,” was the announcement -on the gymnasium board one afternoon. - -“And we’ll see if we can’t do ’em up!” exclaimed Ned. “We’ll show Frank -Watson that he isn’t such a much.” - -“We’ll beat ’em if we can,” agreed Jerry. - -The two nines ran out on the diamond which had been put in fine shape. -A crowd of students swarmed out to watch the first practice game of the -season and to get a line on the work of the varsity. - -“Play hard now, fellows!” - -“Soak ’em in, Ned!” - -“Don’t fan out varsity!” - -“Watch for double steals, Jerry!” - -Thus called the student spectators. - -“Play ball!” called the umpire, after the warm-up practice. The scrubs -were to bat first, and Gene Flarity was up. - -The game commenced. It was not remarkable for brilliant playing on -either side, but Ned, Bob and Jerry, determined to show their mettle, -worked so hard, and Ned and Jerry teamed it to such good advantage that -the score was soon tied, which had not happened to the varsity in a -long while. - -“And here’s where we beat ’em!” exclaimed Ned, when the ninth inning -came, and he was at bat. Ned made a good hit. It was safe for two bags, -and when Chet Randell duplicated, after one man fanned out, Ned came in -with the winning run. That is, it would be if he could hold the varsity -hitless. - -And he did. He struck out the first man, while the second singled and -was caught napping at first. - -“Come on now, boys, we want to get this game!” cried Frank. He was at -bat, and with two out, there was but a slim chance. But Frank was a -pinch hitter, and he faced Ned with a sneer. - -“You won’t win the game!” thought Ned, bitterly. - -He sent in a swift ball, and it looked as though it was going to hit -Frank, who moved back just a trifle. - -“Strike!” howled the umpire. - -“I’ve got your number all right,” exulted Ned. - -Frank hit the next one, but it was a foul which the catcher made -desperate efforts to get. - -“And you’re out!” Ned whispered to himself, as he sent in a beautiful -curve, which completely fooled the batter. - -“You’re out!” echoed the umpire. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -A VARSITY LOSS - - -“What do you know about that?” - -“Varsity beaten the first game!” - -“The scrubs win!” - -“Say, that Ned Slade sure can pitch!” - -“And did you see Bob scoop up that hot grounder and get it to first?” - -“Well, the varsity didn’t really get warmed up.” - -“That home run of Sid Lenton’s was a peach, though!” - -These were some of the comments that could be heard as the students -filed off the diamond after the sensational finish of the practice game. - -“Well, you did us,” said Bart Haley, with a smile at Jerry. - -“But we’ll do you next time,” added Bill Hamilton. - -“Well, I hope you do,” admitted Jerry. “We want the varsity to beat its -other college opponents, and we scrubs are willing to be beaten if that -comes about.” - -Frank did not join in the talk, but there was a sullen look on his -face. Clearly he did not fancy being beaten, especially when it was -due to the work of Ned primarily, and to his own failure to hit, -secondarily. - -“Great work, boys! Great!” ejaculated Tom Bacon, captain of the scrubs. -“That was a peach of a pick-up of yours, Bob.” - -“Thanks.” - -“And you certainly pulled down that high one I threw you, Jerry,” added -George Fitch, who, at third, had caught a bouncing ball and heaved it -over to first, but so high that Jerry had to jump for it, narrowly -missing the spheroid. But he put out his man. - -“Some little curve you’ve got, to fool Frank,” said Lem Ferguson to Ned. - -“Oh, he’s not such a hitter.” - -“He’s considered pretty good, and his average is the best on the team,” -declared George. “Oh, Frank is a good player, even if there are some -things about him some fellows don’t like.” - -The first practice game, in which the varsity went down to defeat even -by so small a margin, was the talk of the college that night. Still, it -was not so important as the fact would have been later in the season. -The boys had not quite settled into their stride. - -Frank called a meeting of the team, and he “laid down the law,” as -Bart said afterward. Frank insisted that there must be more snappy -playing, nor did he excuse himself for missing Ned’s curve. - -“I played rotten, fellows, I admit that,” he said, “but so did you, and -we’ve got to do better or Kenwell will walk all over us.” - -“They’ve got a dandy team, I hear,” said Bill Hamilton. “Some new -fellows have come on, and they’ve got a pitcher----” - -“So have we,” interrupted Frank. “I’ll back Jim Blake against any man -they have when Jim gets warmed up.” - -“Thank you!” laughed Jim, making a bow. - -“But we’ve all got to play harder,” declared Frank. “If the scrub beats -us again--well, they mustn’t, that’s all, if we have to ‘bean’ some of -their best men.” - -“Meaning those motor boy fellows, as you call them?” asked Jake Porter. - -“I’m not mentioning any names,” retorted Frank. “Only play hard, that’s -all.” - -There was another practice game two days later, and though the scrub -did its best to beat the varsity, the second nine was beaten six to -ten. Ned, Bob and Jerry were a trio of strength, but they lacked -support at critical moments, and though Ned did not allow many hits, -those that were made off him were well placed. - -“This is more like it,” said Frank to his lads, as they walked off the -field. “They only beat us the other time by a fluke.” - -“A fluke! Huh!” exclaimed Ned. “We’ll have a few more of those same -flukes served up to you soon.” - -“Don’t start anything,” begged Jerry, in a low voice. - -The varsity was playing good ball, though there was room for -improvement, and Frank realized it. He was a good captain and manager, -though his stubbornness was not of any benefit to him nor the team. - -The time was approaching for the first game of the three with Kenwell. -This would take place on the grounds of the military academy. The -second game would be played at Boxwood Hall, and the third, if it were -needed, would be played at either place, to be decided by lot. - -Meanwhile, the varsity team played other nines, winning some games -and losing a few, on the whole maintaining its reputation. But the -other games did not count in the opinion of the lads as much as did -the annual contests with Kenwell. That was the event looked forward to -almost as much as was a world series. The two institutions had long -been rivals. - -The scrub nine, compared to the number of games played against other -scrubs, won more than the varsity. For there were several small -colleges and preparatory schools in the neighborhood of Fordham, and, -as these had second nines, contests were arranged with them running -through the spring. - -The day before the first of the Kenwell-Boxwood games Ned, Bob, Jerry -and the other members of the scrub nine, played the Kenwell scrub, and -beat them ten to five on the military academy grounds. - -“Now let the varsity duplicate and we’ll say we’ve got a good team,” -declared Tom Bacon. - -“Oh, we’ll win; don’t worry!” prophesied Frank. - -A big crowd of Boxwood Hall rooters went to Kenwell to see the first -of the three contests. A big auto-stage conveyed the team, and in the -automobile of our heroes as many of the scrubs as could find room went -along to cheer for their team. - -It was a perfect day, and there was a large crowd on hand. The rival -cheer leaders got their cohorts going early, and songs and battle cries -were wafted back and forth across the field. The boys from the academy, -in their natty uniforms, made a pretty picture, and there were a number -of girls and women present, so the grounds, with the vari-colored hats -and dresses of the feminine contingent, held a brilliant assemblage. - -Frank and Captain Oscar Durand, the latter of Kenwell, held a -consultation, submitted batting lists, and flipped the coin. Frank won -and chose to bat last, naturally. - -“Play ball!” directed the umpire, as there came a hush in the singing -and cheering. - -“Don’t I wish I were in the game!” exclaimed Ned, who with his two -chums and others sat among the loyal rooters. - -“So do I,” echoed Bob. - -“Well, we may yet. The season isn’t half over,” remarked Jerry. - -The play started. There was nothing remarkable about it at first. For -a few innings there was a sort of pitchers’ battle, and some pop flies -were knocked by both sides. - -“The boys are beginning to get on to each other’s curves,” said Bob. - -Then came a break. Jim Blake served up a slow ball to Ford Tatum, the -Kenwell catcher, who banged it out for a three bagger. And Durand, the -captain, with a two sack beauty, brought the man in with a run that -put the military lads ahead. That started things going. Several other -players got hits off Jim, and the inning ended finally with the Kenwell -lads four runs ahead. - -“It’s all over but the shouting,” commented Ned. - -“We may have a chance,” Jerry returned. - -“Sock” Burchell, the Kenwell pitcher, had good curves and a fast ball. -For the next two innings he held the Boxwood Hall lads to a single -hit. Not a run came in. Then Frank knocked a homer which brought the -crowd to its feet and sent new hope thrilling through the veins of the -college team and its coherents. - -Whether Frank’s sensational run made him lose his head, or whether he -tried desperate measures, was not disclosed. At any rate, he directed -the game wrongly from then on. He gave signals for hits and runs when -he should not have done so, and while at first base, coaching, gave a -wrong direction to a runner which caused him to be thrown out at second. - -Then the fielders began muffing balls, the first baseman dropped one he -should have held, and when the Boxwood Hall boys came up to bat for the -last time they had a margin of six runs to overcome. - -“The fat’s in the fire now,” sighed Bob. - -And so it was. One man singled, but that was all. The next went out on -a foul tip, and “Sock” struck out the two following. - -Boxwood Hall had lost. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -DISSENSIONS - - -Dejected and discouraged, but still bravely giving a cheer for their -victorious rivals, the Boxwood Hall team left the field. The military -rooters were singing their songs, but the blue and yellow pennants of -the defeated ones drooped sadly. - -“They didn’t do a thing to us, did they?” said Bart, somewhat -cheerfully under the circumstances. - -“Well, they mightn’t have done so much if you hadn’t muffed that long -fly,” snapped Frank, for Bart had done that. - -“The sun----” he began. - -“Same old excuse,” sneered the captain. “You’d better get a pair of -green goggles.” - -“I didn’t think you were going to tell me to try for that steal,” -observed the lad who had been caught at second. - -“You should have had your wits about you!” complained Frank, though -really it was his fault that the misplay had been made. - -“We’ve got to do a whole lot better if we want the championship,” said -Jake Porter. - -“Guess you’d better get another pitcher,” remarked Jim. “I couldn’t -seem to get ’em over to-day.” - -“Well, I’ve seen you do better,” admitted Frank, with less bitterness -in his voice than he had used toward the others. “But you sure have got -to perk up, and so have the rest of us. We want the next two games, and -we’ve got to get ’em!” - -“So say we all of us!” chanted Bart. “Say, Frank, why don’t you give -Jerry, Ned or Bob a show in the next game?” he asked. “They have been -doing some swell playing against the other scrub nines, and you know -what a tussle they gave us.” - -“It might be a good idea to put them in a couple of games,” added Bill. -“I’m not saying anything against Jim,” he went on, “but Ned sure has a -swift ball.” - -“Those fellows don’t play on the varsity while I’m captain,” said Frank -sullenly. “They’ve got too good an opinion of themselves now, and if -they played on the first team they’d think they owned the college. They -can’t come in!” - -“That’s right!” cried some of Frank’s closest friends. “With their auto -and their boat they’ll think they’re too good for Boxwood after a bit.” - -“They can play ball all right, and better than some of us,” declared a -centre fielder who had muffed a ball, letting in a run. “And when I say -that I include myself,” he admitted frankly. “I did rotten work to-day.” - -“You’re right, you did!” snapped Frank. “And don’t let it happen again.” - -“If I do, will you put in one of the three inseparables?” was the -question, for so Ned, Bob and Jerry were called at times. - -“Not in a hundred years!” cried Frank. - -“Oh, give ’em a chance!” pleaded some, including Bart and Bill. - -“Don’t you do it! Too much swelled head!” insisted others. - -From this discussion there came a dissension among some members of the -nine, as well as among the supporters of the team. The three chums were -made the subject of a not very pleasant discussion, and they begged -those who favored their playing to desist. But Bart and Bill led a -faction which insisted that our heroes be allowed to play. - -But Frank was stubborn and refused to consider the matter. - -“Our nine is all right as it is,” he said. “Just because we lost one -game to Kenwell doesn’t mean we’ll lose more. I’m not going to change -my mind. Those fellows can’t play on the varsity, and that settles -it,” and he banged his bat down hard on the floor of the auto-truck in -which the defeated team was returning. - -The subject was dropped for the time being, and was not mentioned to -Frank again for several days by those favoring Jerry and his chums. But -those opposed to them, on no good grounds whatsoever, nagged Frank into -keeping firm in his determination. - -The baseball season waxed. Because of the playing of Jerry, Ned and Bob -the scrub nine won game after game, succumbing only to teams much their -superior. They were doing much better than the varsity, which lost -a number of games to institutions it had beaten easily the previous -years. But there were still the two games with Kenwell, and by getting -both of these the reputation of Boxwood could be maintained. - -“But the team is in a slump,” said Bart. “It’s in a slump, and Frank -knows it.” - -“Only he’s too pig-headed to admit it,” agreed Bill Hamilton. “If he -would let those motor boys in even for a couple of easy games, it would -show what they can do and inspire confidence.” - -“Yes, and it would give the regulars a rest,” went on Bart. “That is -what some of us need--a rest. We’re overtrained, and it’s showing. -Kenwell will walk away with us next time, you see.” - -“I hope not, but I’m afraid so,” agreed Bill. - -But when once more Frank’s closest friends ventured to plead with him -for the three chums he got so angry that they decided it was no use. - -Thus matters stood about a week before the second game with the -military academy. - -“Fellows, I’ve a feeling in my bones that something is going to -happen,” remarked Bob one afternoon, as he tossed aside the book he had -been trying to study, while Ned was plunking away at a banjo on which -he announced he was going to become an expert player. - -“What is going to happen?” asked Jerry. “Are you going to bang Ned over -the head or put your foot through that perfectly rotten instrument he’s -torturing?” - -“I’d like to see him try it!” exclaimed Ned, but he took the precaution -to retreat to his own room, for they were in Jerry’s, as usual. - -“No, I rather like that music,” Bob said. “It is so soothing.” - -“Soothing!” howled Jerry. “I’d rather live next to a boiler factory! -But if it isn’t that, Bob, what is it? Tell us, Mr. Endman, what am -gwine t’ happen?” and Jerry imitated a negro minstrel. - -“Let’s have another feed happen,” suggested the stout lad. “It’s been -a long while since we’ve done anything but play ball. Let’s have a -spread.” - -“And get caught again?” asked Ned. “Not for mine!” - -“We won’t get caught,” said Bob. “We’ve been so noble and upright -lately that the proc won’t suspect us. And I don’t believe any one will -squeal now. We haven’t done anything worth mentioning since the picture -racket. By the way, Ned, have you found out who wrote the card that -gave us away?” - -“No, but I’m on the track. I’ve eliminated all but two typewriters now. -It was written on either one of them. I’ve had specimens of writing -from every machine in the building but two.” - -“And whose are those?” asked Jerry. - -“Frank Watson’s and Proxy’s--or the one his clerk uses.” - -“Great fish-cakes!” cried Bob. “You don’t suspect Proxy; do you?” - -“Of course not. It may have been his clerk, but I don’t guess so. The -only other one is Frank, and I’ll get the goods on him yet!” - -“Well, about the feed,” resumed Bob, “shall we have it?” - -“Sure! Go ahead!” assented Jerry. “Things have been a bit dull of late.” - -“Count me in,” added Ned. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -THE ROOTERS INSIST - - -Word was quietly passed around that another feast was to be given by -the three chums, and invitations to it were eagerly looked for. - -“That Chunky sure does know how to get up an eat-fest,” said Gene -Flarity. “Too bad the last one was spoiled.” - -“Oh, it wasn’t exactly spoiled,” observed George Fitch. “We had most of -the stuff put away inside us when the proc came in. But I don’t think -any one will squeal this time.” - -“If they do, and it proves to be Frank, he ought to be run out of -college,” declared Gene. “It’s a shame the way he snubs those fellows.” - -“So it is,” agreed George. “Well, we’ll hope for the best.” - -“And we’ll get it, if Chunky has the ordering of the eats,” chuckled -Gene. “He was telling me he was going to make a chicken pie in that -electric chafing dish.” - -“Good!” exclaimed George. “Chunky is sure some little cook!” - -To the surprise of Ned, Bob and Jerry, who quietly passed word around -about the prospective surreptitious lunch, members of the varsity nine -whom they asked, refused. - -“I’d like to come, first-rate,” said Jake Porter, “but you see Frank -has forbidden us.” - -“You mean he won’t let you come just because we’re giving it?” asked -Ned. “Solidified scuttle-butts! but that is carrying it a long way.” - -“No, it isn’t because it’s _you_,” Jake hastened to add. “I’m not even -sure he knows you’re going to give it, unless you asked him.” - -“There wouldn’t be any use asking him,” Bob said. - -“Well then, it’s because it’s the night before the second Kenwell -game,” Jake explained. “Frank says any of the varsity who feed up and -stay out late the night before the game can’t play. So I’m not going to -take a chance.” - -“Oh, well, that’s all right,” Jerry said. “We don’t want to spoil the -team’s chances. We haven’t any ourselves, so we’re going to feed up.” - -“Oh, I don’t suppose it makes an awful lot of difference,” said Jake. -“I can play just as well after a supper as before. But you know what -Frank is. Once he gets a notion in his head it’s hard to get it out. So -I’m taking no chances.” - -“Can’t blame you for that,” remarked Ned. “And we sure do know what -Frank is!” - -Somewhat to the surprise of the hosts Bart and Bill agreed to come to -the feast. - -“We don’t care what Frank says,” declared Bart. “I want to have some -fun, and we’ll get it in your rooms. It won’t make a bit of difference -about the game. But don’t let Frank know we’re coming, or he might be -pig-headed enough to keep us out.” - -“We won’t say a word,” promised Bob. - -“But how are you going to get in without his knowing it, seeing that -you’re bunking with him?” asked Jerry. - -“Oh, we can slip out on some excuse or other,” Bill said. “I’m not -going to let him slave-drive me much longer.” - -“You can’t get into our rooms without his seeing you,” went on Jerry. -“He’s likely to come out in the hall any minute.” - -“Hush! Whisper!” exclaimed Bart, with a wink. “The fire escape! There’s -one outside Ned’s window; isn’t there?” - -“Sure!” Ned cried. “I never thought of that.” - -“We’ll crawl up the fire escape from the outside,” went on Bart, “and -you be ready to let us in your window.” - -“But it may be risky going back that way,” cautioned Bob. “The moon -won’t be up when you come in, but it will be shining directly on the -ladder when the party breaks up.” - -“Oh, going out will be easy,” declared Bill. “You can let us slip -out of your rooms into the corridor. We can go down it a way on our -tiptoes and come back flat-footed so Frank will hear us. He’ll think -we’re coming back from a trip to town, where we can intimate that we’re -going.” - -“Any way you like,” said Jerry. - -The night of the feast came. It was the night before the second big -game with Kenwell. - -To the rooms of our friends came those invited to the feast. All but -Bart and Bill arrived in the usual way, stepping softly along the -corridor. If Frank, in his den across the hall, knew that a feast was -going on he gave no sign. Not a light showed over the transom. - -“He went out before we did,” said Bart when he and Bill arrived by way -of the fire escape. “I guess we’ve got him fooled all right.” - -“I hope so,” returned Jerry. - -“And now for the chicken pie!” said Bob, when some of the other things -had been passed around and the fun was under way. - -“‘Hurrah for the fun, is the pudding done? Hurrah for the pumpkin -pie!’” quoted Bart. - -“Not so loud!” cautioned Bob, turning the electric current on in the -chafing dish. - -“Circulate the olives, somebody!” - -“Who’s holding those cocoanut macaroons?” - -“Somebody’s got a mortgage on the chocolate cake!” - -“Say, but this is a good feed, Chunky!” - -Thus came the comments, mostly in whispers, though now and then a laugh -would break out which would be quickly hushed. - -“Smells good, Chunky,” said Bill, when the stout lad took the cover off -the chafing dish. - -“I hope it is,” Bob remarked, carefully inspecting his concoction. “I -guess it’s done.” - -“Then hurry up and dish it out and we’ll beat it,” Bart said. “I don’t -want Frank to get suspicious.” - -Bart and Bill were served with the chicken pie and were about to begin -eating, when there came a knock on Jerry’s door. - -“Caught again!” exclaimed Ned. - -“Who--who’s there?” faltered Bob, while Jerry reached up and switched -off the lights. - -“It’s Frank Watson,” was the unexpected answer. “Open the door.” - -Wondering what was in the wind Jerry turned on the incandescents, while -Ned swung open the portal which he unlocked. - -“Are Bart and Bill here?” demanded Frank, haughtily, not coming in. “I -thought so,” he went on, as he caught sight of the two members of the -varsity. “I told you fellows to cut this out,” he went on. “I don’t -object to a little fun, but you know it’s the night before a big game, -and I don’t want you trying to play with stomach-aches. Come on out -now!” he ordered, harshly. - -It was, perhaps, within his right as captain and manager, and Bart and -Bill realized it. - -“Can’t we finish this pie?” asked Bart. - -“No! You’re in training, the same as the rest of us. I’m not breaking -mine, and you shouldn’t yours. It isn’t fair.” - -“Will you come in?” asked Jerry. - -“No!” Frank fairly snapped. “And you fellows come out!” - -Bob wanted to ask how Frank knew of the presence of the two varsity men -in the room, but did not think it wise. After all, it was not hard for -Frank to guess, since he could not have been unaware of the fact that a -supper was in progress across the hall. - -Bart and Bill went out. - -“I don’t suppose you have any objections to the rest of our guests -remaining, have you?” asked Jerry, slightly sarcastically. - -“No!” Frank answered shortly. He went into his own room, followed by -Bart and Bill. - -“I guess he won’t squeal,” said Ned. “We’ll finish the feed.” - -It was the day of the second game with Kenwell. A big crowd surged in -the stands around the diamond at Boxwood Hall. The rival rooters sang, -yelled and cheered, and there was a riot of college and academy colors. - -“Is Frank going to let Bart and Bill play?” asked Jerry. - -“I haven’t heard,” replied Ned. He, as well as Jerry, Bob and other -members of the scrub, were in baseball suits, for a game with the -Kenwell scrub would follow the main contest. - -But a little later when the Boxwood Hall varsity ran out of the -dressing room it was seen that Bart and Bill had not been penalized. - -“Play ball!” - -Again sounded that thrilling and inspiring call. - -At first it seemed that the Boxwood Hall team had a good chance. But -Kenwell was more on edge, and slipped over two runs the first inning, -while the college lads had only a goose egg. - -“Oh, it’s early yet,” said Jerry, who sat with the other scrubs. - -But when it came Boxwood Hall’s turn they could do little against -“Sock” Burchell’s pitching, finding him only for fouls. - -It was in the fourth inning that the real break came. The score was -three to one in favor of the academy. And then it was that the military -lads cut loose. - -They literally pounded Jim Blake out of the box, and though Frank raged -around, and did his best, it was too much for him. The man on first -missed two easy balls, and as for the short stop he let three easy -grounders get past him. The academy brought in five runs that inning -and it looked to be all up with Boxwood Hall. - -And then the rooters took a hand. - -“Get a pitcher!” - -“Put somebody in without a glass arm!” - -“Get a new man on first!” - -“Where’d that short stop learn to play ball?” - -“Frank, you’ve got to do something!” cried Bart to his chum when -Kenwell was finally put out. - -“What can I do? The team’s playing rotten.” - -“I know. But put in some fellows who can play. There’s Hopkins, Slade -and Baker. You know they can play. They may pull us out of the hole and -we might win with Ned’s pitching. Put ’em in!” - -“No!” - -From the crowd of rooters came the demands. - -“What’s the matter with Jerry Hopkins?” - -“Can’t Ned Slade curve ’em over?” - -The crowd was becoming unruly. Several shouted unpleasant names at -Frank. - -“You’re a peach of a captain!” - -“Better put the three in,” advised Bill Hamilton. “They’ll put some pep -in the team.” - -Frank’s face showed his anger. He hesitated, while the roar from the -crowd increased. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -IN THE TENTH - - -“Play ball!” - -“Go on with the game!” - -“We can’t stay here all day!” - -These and other calls were coming not only from the mere spectators of -the game, but from the students of the military academy who had come to -root for their side. Some of the Boxwood Hall boys, especially those -who liked Jerry and his chums, and who did not have much use for the -high-handed methods of Frank Watson, added their voices to the din. - -“Better put ’em in,” suggested Bart, nodding toward our heroes, who, in -their uniforms, sat on the scrub bench, not a little embarrassed by the -attention they were attracting. - -“You mind your own----” began Frank angrily, when Oscar Durand, the -captain of the Kenwell team, stepped forward. - -“Say,” he remarked in his slow, good-natured drawl, “go on and put in -all the new men you want to. We don’t care. We’ll play a whole new -team if you say so. Only do something, and don’t delay the game.” - -Frank still hesitated. It was clear that he hated to give in to the -boys whom he so disliked, but still he was enough of a ball player to -realize that unless something were done Boxwood Hall would go down to -defeat. - -“Play ball!” came the insistent cries from the stands. - -Ted Newton, the football hero of the school, hastened out to the sullen -baseball captain. - -“Put the three in, Frank,” he said. “It’s your only chance.” - -Ted was chairman of the athletic advisory board, and he had much -influence. Frank felt that his position was a shaky one. - -“All right,” he said, sullenly. “I’ll let ’em play. Come on, -Hopkins--Slade--Baker!” he called. “Get in the game.” - -“Am I to pitch?” asked Ned. - -“I suppose so.” - -“And I hope you do better than I did,” remarked Jim Blake -good-naturedly. He was enough of a real sport to put the team ahead of -himself. - -“I ought to have a little warm-up practice before I go in,” Ned -suggested. - -“Get over there and practice,” said Frank. “We’re at bat now, and Jake -Porter can catch for you. No, I’d better do it myself, as I’m going to -be behind the plate.” - -Frank was a good catcher, and it must be admitted that he had not been -at fault so far in the contest. It was the other players. And once -he had made up his mind to play our three heroes, he did not do it -half-heartedly. - -He did not act in a friendly manner toward Ned, but in practice he put -forth his best efforts, and urged the new pitcher to do his best to -“sting them in,” which Ned did. - -“Now, boys, we’re out to win!” exclaimed Frank, when Charlie Moore went -up to bat to open the fifth inning, Kenwell having won the toss, and, -as usual, chosen to go up last. - -The mere fact that Ned, Bob and Jerry had been put in the game seemed -to have inspired confidence at once, for Charlie, who was a notoriously -poor hitter, singled for the first time in a long while, and went to -first amid cheers. And when Jerry knocked a three bagger, bringing -Charlie in, and adding to the slender score of Boxwood Hall, there was -a riot of cheers on the stands opposite those occupied by the military -lads. Then another single by Sid Lenton brought in Jerry, and made the -score eight to three, in favor of Kenwell. - -“Oh, I guess we’ll pull up all right,” said Jim Blake, from his -position in retirement. - -“There’s a lot to do yet,” Ted Newton reminded him. “The game is a good -way from being in the ice-box, as far as Boxwood Hall is concerned. But -those three fellows are going to help a lot.” - -Two runs that inning was all the rivals of the academy could bring in, -the succeeding batters being pitched out by “Sock.” But when Boxwood -took the field for the last half of the fifth there was a different -atmosphere. Boxwood Hall’s team had “tightened up,” and the same might -be said of the military academy players, for they realized they had to -meet some snappy players. - -“Hold ’em down, Ned,” begged Bob, as he went to his position at -shortstop. - -“I will,” promised Ned. - -“And don’t you make any wild throws, Chunky,” cautioned the tall lad on -first. - -“You watch me,” Bob remarked. - -However, for all his promise, he nearly brought disaster in the next -few minutes of play. For a bounding ball came his way, and though he -scooped it up in a clever catch that earned him applause, he threw it -so high to Jerry that the tall lad had to leap in the air, and spear it -down with one hand. - -That he got it was due not only to luck, but to efficient playing, and -as he came down on the bag with one foot just in time to catch the -runner out, a yell of approval arose from the crowd. - -Everything did not go as well as that, though, for one of the fielders -missed an easy fly, thereby being indirectly responsible for letting in -a run, making Kenwell nine. But that was all they got that inning--Ned -pitching some wonderful ball, and retiring two men in succession -without letting them even foul. - -“Well, at that rate, we won’t beat ’em,” said Bob, gloomily, as his -side came in to bat. “We’ve got four more innings to play, and if we -get two runs each inning that will make eight for us, or a total of -eleven. They’ve got nine now, and one run in each of the four left will -make them thirteen----” - -“Which is unlucky,” broke in Jerry. - -“I’d like to be unlucky that way,” said Ned. “Well, we’ll hope for the -best.” - -It did look a little more hopeful when, instead of two, Boxwood Hall -got three runs that inning, making their tally six, as against nine. - -“We’ve got a chance!” exclaimed Frank, and he seemed to smile at Jerry -and his chums. But he did not offer them a friendly word. - -There was much excitement now. Both teams were “playing their heads -off,” and the rooters, the cheerers and the coherents on either side -were sending out song after song, and yell after yell. If Boxwood Hall -could win the game it meant that she would have an even chance for the -local championship, for a third game with Kenwell would have to be -played. - -It was in the ninth inning that Boxwood Hall tied the score. For by -dint of wonderful playing on the part of the whole team, and by a -thrilling exhibition of pitching on the part of Ned, Kenwell had been -allowed only two more runs, making their score eleven, and now, in -their half of the ninth, Jerry and his chums had tied it. - -“If we can hold ’em down the remainder of this inning, it will mean -another chance,” cried Bob. “We’ll have to play ten innings.” - -And a ten inning game it proved to be. For not a Kenwell lad got -farther than second base. - -Up to the plate in the tenth inning came Bob. He was not a sure hitter, -but he got his base on balls, and the crowd started gibing the academy -pitcher. But he tightened up and struck out the next man. Then came -Jerry. - -“Another three bagger!” begged the Boxwood lads. Jerry smiled -confidently and let the first ball go by. - -“Strike!” snapped out the umpire. - -“Oh you robber!” howled the crowd. - -The next was a ball, and the next--well, they talk about it yet at -Boxwood Hall. For Jerry with all his might and main smote the horsehide -spheroid squarely on the “nose” and then he ran. And Bob spun around -the bases too. - -“Home run! Home run! Home run!” yelled the wild lads. - -The ball Jerry knocked went deep into centre field, and the frantic -fieldsman raced back after it. On and on ran Jerry. Ahead of him sped -Bob. And as Bob crossed home plate with his run, Jerry was not far -behind him. Nor was the ball a great way off, for it thumped into the -hands of Ford Tatum, the catcher, with a vicious thump. But the umpire -cried “Safe!” and Boxwood Hall had two more runs. - -The score was thirteen to eleven, and only one man was out. But that -was the best Boxwood Hall could do. “Sock” disposed of his next two -rivals in short order. - -“And now if we can hold ’em down--hold ’em down!” murmured Jerry as -they went to the field, and Kenwell came up for its last raps. - -It looked like another break when Ned gave two men their base on balls, -but then his nerve asserted itself. Amid a riot of calls, designed to -disconcert him, he stood his ground, and he and Frank put up a game -that made a new record for efficiency. For not a man got a hit in the -last half of the tenth, and a goose egg went up in that frame for -Kenwell, while the score stood - - Boxwood Hall, 13. - Kenwell, 11. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -MR. HOBSON - - -Boxwood Hall had won the second game of the important series in the -tenth inning. It was game and game--a third one would be necessary to -decide the championship. And as the rooters of the victorious side -realized this, and as they thought of what snap and ginger Ned, Bob -and Jerry had put into the team at the crucial moment, there came glad -shouts and cries. - -The winning team had cheered its losing rivals, and in turn, to show -their sporting spirit, the military lads had responded. Then out on the -diamond swarmed the Boxwood Hall rooters. - -“Oh you Jerry Hopkins!” - -“Oh you Bob Baker!” - -“Three cheers for Ned Slade, our peerless pitcher!” called one -enthusiast. - -The cheers were given with a will, and the boys thronged around our -three heroes, patting them on the back, hugging them, trying to shake -hands with them and lead them about in a wild snake dance. - -Ted Newton saw a dark and scowling look on Frank Watson’s face. He did -some quick thinking. - -“Three cheers for our captain!” he called. “The pluckiest baseball -captain Boxwood Hall ever had.” - -And the cheer that followed brought a smile even to Frank’s dour -face. Ted had guessed rightly--that Frank was getting jealous of the -popularity of the three chums, and Ted did not desire this, for he -wanted to see all enmity wiped out. - -“Great work, old man!” exclaimed Jim Blake, the deposed pitcher, as he -shook hands with Ned. “I was certainly off form to-day.” - -“Well, maybe you’ll be all right next time,” said Ned. - -The celebration over the victory proceeded, yells, cheers and songs -being intermingled. The vanquished hastened away, not a little -down-hearted, for after their decisive victory in the first game they -had looked for a walkover in the second one. And they would have found -it only for the timely playing of Ned, Bob and Jerry. - -One might have thought that he would have given credit where it was -due, but Frank did not. He did not approach the three lads he had -publicly said he would make eat humble pie. - -“Say, old man, don’t you think it’s about time you made up?” asked -Bart, linking his arm in that of Frank as he walked with him off the -diamond. - -“Make up with whom?” - -“With Jerry and his friends. They pulled us out of a hole to-day, -and----” - -“I’m willing to admit that,” broke in Frank. “I’ll give them all the -credit in the world for playing ball, but, personally, I don’t care to -have anything to do with them.” - -“That’s no way to feel,” added Bill Hamilton. - -“What is it to you how I feel?” snapped Frank. “You let me alone! I’m -willing to have them play on the team, because they can put up a good -game. But beyond that I won’t go!” - -Frank was as obstinate as ever. Bart and Bill were about to give up, -for the time being, the attempt to reconcile Frank to the three chums, -when Ted Newton, having overheard what was going on, took a hand. - -“Frank, you’re all wrong in this,” said the football hero, as he and -Bart and Bill, with the baseball captain walked off to one side. -“You’re making a big mistake!” - -“Well then, let me make it!” exclaimed Frank, angrily. “I wish you’d -let me alone! I know my own business. I know what I’m going to do. I -say I won’t be friends with those fellows, and I won’t. That’s all -there is to it.” - -Ted shrugged his shoulders, and did not know what to answer. At this -moment, off among a little group of lads, a voice was heard saying: - -“There he is--right over there!” - -A hand pointed to where Frank stood disputing with Bart, Bill and Ted, -and a man, detaching himself from those who had evidently been giving -him directions, approached the baseball captain. - -“Hello, Frank!” he cried in jolly tones, holding out his hand. “I hear -you just won a big game.” - -“Oh, hello, Dad!” Frank cried, his face lighting up with surprised -pleasure, in strange contrast to the former looks that disfigured it. -“Say, I wish you could have been here. It was great! We’ve tied Kenwell -now. When’d you arrive?” - -“Just a little while ago. I had a blowout and it delayed me, otherwise -I’d have been here, as I wrote you.” - -The two linked arms and walked away, showing mutual affection more like -two brothers or chums than any other relationship. - -“That’s Frank’s stepfather,” said Bart. “They surely are fond of each -other.” - -“Frank would do anything for him, so I’ve heard him say,” remarked -Bill. “But there’s no use trying to get Frank to do anything about -Jerry and his chums.” - -“No, I guess not,” agreed Ted. - -Frank and his stepfather, walking toward college, saw three lads -approaching them. It was Ned, Bob and Jerry, and just now Frank would -have preferred not to encounter them. - -Frank made as if to turn to one side, but his stepfather, taking a -second look at our heroes, exclaimed: - -“Hold on a moment, son. I know those lads!” - -“Know them?” gasped Frank. - -“Yes. Hello there!” he cried. “Aren’t you Jerry Hopkins, Ned Slade and -Bob Baker?” - -For a moment neither of the three chums answered. Then looks of -recognition came over their faces. - -“Mr. Hobson!” Jerry fairly shouted. “Mr. Hobson!” - -“I thought so,” went on Frank’s stepfather, laughing. “I’ve got a -pretty good memory for faces. I never expected to see you at Boxwood -Hall. Frank, you know these lads, of course?” - -“I--er--I--that is--Oh, yes, of course.” - -Frank was ill at ease. But his stepfather, Mr. Hobson, went on, not -seeming to notice. - -“Frank,” he said, “I want you to shake hands with three of the -pluckiest lads in the world. When I had an accident some time ago--when -my auto left the road, rolled down a bank, pinned me under it and then -got on fire--these lads raised it off me and got me out in time to save -my life. Shake hands with Ned, Bob and Jerry, Frank, and thank ’em for -your dad’s life.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -THE WINNING GAME - - -Frank Watson’s face was a study in emotions as he stood beside his -stepfather, confronting Ned, Bob and Jerry. He tried to speak, but, for -a moment, could not. - -“You boys must have shaken hands a lot of times already,” went on Mr. -Hobson, “but shake again, Frank, and I will too, for it isn’t every day -I have my life saved, you know,” and he laughed, though there was deep -feeling in his words. - -“They saved your life?” asked Frank hesitatingly. - -“That’s what they did--from my burning auto. And they put out the fire, -too, and saved the machine. I got it back from the garage all right, -Jerry,” he went on. “Much obliged to you.” - -Frank held out his hand toward the tall lad. - -“Fellows, I--I--er--I guess I’ve been just a plain cad,” Frank -confessed with a shame-faced air. “Will you shake?” - -“Of course!” cried Jerry heartily, and their hands met in a firm -clasp. In turn Ned and Bob shook hands with the baseball captain. - -“What does it mean?” asked Mr. Hobson. “Weren’t you boys--Didn’t you -know one another--and playing on the college nine?” he cried. - -“It’s a long story, Dad,” broke in Frank. “Come up to my room--you too, -Jerry, Ned and Bob,” he went on, “and we’ll talk it out. I’ve been a -big fool, I guess, but I’m done now. Come on.” - -He linked one arm with Jerry, the other with Mr. Hobson, while the -latter held on to Ned and Ned to Bob, and in this fashion they marched -off the baseball field. - -“Well, what do you know about that?” cried Bart, seeing what had -happened. - -“Frank has made up with the three inseparables!” exclaimed Bill. - -“It’s the best thing that could have happened, but I don’t know how it -came about,” added Ted Newton. - -The story of the reconciliation was soon known all through the college. - -Meanwhile, up in Frank’s room, a scene was taking place that brought -out many feelings and emotions. Mr. Hobson told Frank all about the -rescue, and then Frank, brushing aside his stubborn will and pride, -told of the wrong impression he had conceived regarding our heroes and -of his holding aloof from them. - -“Well, well!” exclaimed Mr. Hobson. “I guess it’s a good thing I came -along. I wrote you, Frank, about three lads getting me out of a bad -predicament, but I didn’t give you all the particulars, for I was too -busy to write much, traveling all over the West.” - -“And you never mentioned their names,” said Frank. - -“No, I guess I didn’t.” - -“And we never knew Mr. Hobson was your stepfather,” added Jerry. “In -fact, we never heard that your stepfather’s name was Hobson.” - -“No, I guess I was too uppish to let you hear much of me,” returned -Frank, with a laugh. “But it will be different from now on. We’ll be -friends; won’t we?” - -“Sure!” chorused Jerry and Bob, as they shook hands all around. - -“But you won’t squeal on us any more when we have a midnight spread, or -hoist the sacred picture on the flagpole; will you?” Ned demanded. - -Frank’s face flushed. - -“I did squeal on you about that first spread, and I gave the proctor -the key,” he confessed, “and I’m mighty sorry I did it. I was just mad. -But I didn’t squeal about the picture!” - -“You didn’t?” cried Ned. “Then who did?” - -“I don’t know,” Frank replied, “but I don’t believe it was any of the -fellows.” - -“I’ll find out,” Ned declared. - -There was an impromptu celebration of the victorious nine that evening, -and Proctor Thornton was conveniently absent. Mr. Hobson was a guest of -honor, and Frank, in a graceful speech, admitted his error in regard to -the three chums, and announced that hereafter they would be his closest -friends. - -“And will they play in the last game against Kenwell?” some one asked. - -“That’s what they will!” Frank answered, heartily. - -“Then we’ll cinch the championship!” - -Nothing outside the college routine happened in the following week at -Boxwood Hall; but Frank and the three chums let their friendship grow, -and the reconciliation meant much to both sides. Never before had the -spirit of the college so manifested itself. - -Mr. Hobson announced that he would stay to see the deciding game -between Boxwood and Kenwell, which would take place on the Boxwood Hall -grounds, they having won the toss. - -“Luck sure is with us,” said Frank to Jerry when this matter had been -settled. “Now we’ve got a week to do some hard practicing, and we must -work hard, for we want to beat ’em bad.” - -“We’ll do our best,” Jerry answered. - -Seldom before had there been such a baseball team at Boxwood. Ned, -Bob and Jerry seemed to fit right in the places of the lads who were -deposed, at least temporarily, to make room for them. And the best of -it was that there was no ill feeling. The lads who were not allowed to -play rooted just as hard for the team as before. - -Kenwell, it was said, was strengthening her nine, and the final -game was likely to prove an exciting and hard one. Meanwhile, the -talk of the college, when it was not about baseball, was about the -reconciliation between Frank Watson and the chums. - -It was the day of the great game. The stands on the Boxwood Hall -diamond were filled with students, girls, men and women, for it was a -big attraction, this championship contest, and drew from all over the -neighborhood. - -Song after song welled from the rival factions. Cheer followed cheer. -There were cheers for the clashing teams, and for the individual -players. There were cheers for the rival captains, and “skyrockets,” -and “locomotives” without number. - -Out on the field ran the Boxwood Hall nine and the substitutes, to be -received with yells of gladness. Then came the Kenwell lads, and they, -too, were riotously welcomed. - -There was some batting and pitching practice, and it was noted that -Kenwell was “warming” up a new twirler. - -“They’re out to do us,” murmured Frank. “Do your best, Ned!” - -“I sure will, Cap!” - -“Play ball!” called the umpire. - -Only for a few minutes did it look bad for Boxwood Hall. This was in -the third inning. Up to this time neither side had scored. Then two -pinch hitters were sent in, who found Ned to the extent of two runs, -putting the military lads that much ahead of scoreless Boxwood Hall. - -“Things aren’t breaking right,” murmured the Boxwood Hall rooters. - -“Just you wait,” advised Ted Newton. - -The break came when “Sock” Burchell was replaced by the new man. Either -he was not a good pitcher, or his rivals were on to his curves, for -Boxwood Hall saw her opportunity and grasped it, and she tallied seven -runs in that inning. - -From then on it was a walkover for Frank’s team. Kenwell fought -staunchly every inch of the way, but when the first half of the ninth -inning ended, with the military lads at the bat and the score fourteen -to four against them, the struggle was over. Boxwood Hall had won the -championship, and in the main it was due to the sensational work of -Ned, Bob and Jerry. For at a critical moment Jerry had pulled off a -double play that seemed to take the heart out of his opponents. - -“’Rah for Boxwood Hall!” - -“Boxwood Hall wins!” - -“The championship is ours!” - -Out on the field swarmed the rooters to surround and cheer the team. -Frank clasped the hand of Jerry Hopkins. - -“Great work, old man!” he cried. - -“It was great work all around!” declared Ted Newton. - -And so it was. - -Once more cheer followed cheer, yell succeeded yell, and song -echoed song, as the victorious ones paraded about the field, while -the vanquished silently withdrew. Never before had Boxwood Hall so -decisively beaten its ancient rival. - -It marked the practical end of the baseball season, for spring was -merging into summer, and the long vacation was at hand. - -There was a feast that night, given by Frank to the team, for training -was over, and among the first names proposed for a toast by the captain -were those of Ned, Bob and Jerry. - -“Three good cheers for the motor boys!” cried Frank, and the room -echoed with the sound that followed. - -It was a week after the big game when Ned, his face showing his -excitement, came mysteriously to his two chums. - -“I’ve found it! I’ve found it!” he cried. - -“Found what?” asked Jerry. - -“The typewriter on which the note that gave us away about the picture -stunt was printed.” - -“You have? Whose was it?” asked Bob. - -“The proctor’s! Look, there’s a specimen of work from his machine and -here’s the card with our names on it.” - -Ned laid them down side by side, and, as he told how he had secured -the sample by the use of a little subterfuge, his two chums noted the -similarity of slight marks in letters that seemed to prove the point. -And, a little later, it was proved positively. - -For the proctor sent for our heroes one day. - -“I understand you think that a certain student here gave information -to the faculty to the effect that you three took down the founder’s -picture. Never mind how I found it out, but do you hold that belief?” -he asked. - -“We did,” answered Ned, “but we don’t now.” - -“I am glad of it,” the proctor said, “for it was I who saw you. As I -was too late to prevent your carrying your prank to completion to save -Dr. Boxwood’s portrait from desecration, I wrote the note and put it on -the flagpole.” - -“We know that, too,” said Ned. - -“How did you find it out?” asked the proctor. - -“We respectfully decline to tell,” and Ned bowed, smiling. - -The proctor hesitated a moment. - -“Very well. But don’t try such tricks again.” - -“And so that mystery is solved,” observed Jerry, as they came out of -the office. “I wonder what will happen next?” - -And what did will be related in our next volume, to be called, “Ned, -Bob and Jerry on a Ranch; Or, The Motor Boys Among the Cowboys.” - -“Boys, I want to congratulate you on your basketball victory,” said -Professor Snodgrass, some days after the diamond championship had been -decided. “I understand that the eleven did well.” - -“Yes,” answered Jerry, trying not to laugh, “we did.” - -“Well,” remarked Bob a few days after this, as he lay sprawling on a -couch in his room, “this is no fun, fellows. Let’s do something.” - -“What?” asked Jerry from his apartment where he and Ned were playing -checkers. - -“Let’s go eat!” broke in Ned. - -“Exactly!” agreed Bob, and Ned had to dodge the book the stout lad -heaved at him. - -But they presently went off to the dining hall, and there we will take -leave of Ned, Bob and Jerry. - - -THE END - - - - -THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES - -By LESTER CHADWICK - -_12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 80 cents, postpaid._ - -[Illustration] - - BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS - _or The Rivals of Riverside_ - -Joe is an everyday country boy who loves to play baseball and -particularly to pitch. - - - BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE - _or Pitching for the Blue Banner_ - -Joe’s great ambition was to go to boarding school and play on the -school team. - - - BASEBALL JOE AT YALE - _or Pitching for the College Championship_ - -Joe goes to Yale University. In his second year he becomes a varsity -pitcher and pitches in several big games. - - - BASEBALL JOE IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE - _or Making Good as a Professional Pitcher_ - -In this volume the scene of action is shifted from Yale college to a -baseball league of our central states. - - - BASEBALL JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE - _or A Young Pitcher’s Hardest Struggles_ - -From the Central League Joe is drafted into the St. Louis Nationals. A -corking baseball story all fans will enjoy. - - - BASEBALL JOE ON THE GIANTS - _or Making Good as a Twirler in the Metropolis_ - -How Joe was traded to the Giants and became their mainstay in the box -makes an interesting baseball story. - - - BASEBALL JOE IN THE WORLD SERIES - _or Pitching for the Championship_ - -The rivalry was of course of the keenest, and what Joe did to win the -series is told in a manner to thrill the most jaded reader. - - - BASEBALL JOE AROUND THE WORLD - _or Pitching on a Grand Tour_ - -The Giants and the All-Americans tour the world, playing in many -foreign countries. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._ - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -THE DAVE DASHAWAY SERIES - -By ROY ROCKWOOD - - Author of the “Speedwell Boys Series” and the “Great Marvel - Series.” - -12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid. - -Never was there a more clever young aviator than Dave Dashaway. All -up-to-date lads will surely wish to read about him. - -[Illustration] - - DAVE DASHAWAY THE YOUNG AVIATOR - _or In the Clouds for Fame and Fortune_ - -This initial volume tells how the hero ran away from his miserly -guardian, fell in with a successful airman, and became a young aviator -of note. - - - DAVE DASHAWAY AND HIS HYDROPLANE - _or Daring Adventures Over the Great Lakes_ - -Showing how Dave continued his career as a birdman and had many -adventures over the Great Lakes, and how he foiled the plans of some -Canadian smugglers. - - - DAVE DASHAWAY AND HIS GIANT AIRSHIP - _or A Marvellous Trip Across the Atlantic_ - -How the giant airship was constructed and how the daring young aviator -and his friends made the hazardous journey through the clouds from the -new world to the old, is told in a way to hold the reader spellbound. - - - DAVE DASHAWAY AROUND THE WORLD - _or A Young Yankee Aviator Among Many Nations_ - -An absorbing tale of a great air flight around the world, of adventures -in Alaska, Siberia and elsewhere. A true to life picture of what may be -accomplished in the near future. - - - DAVE DASHAWAY: AIR CHAMPION - _or Wizard Work in the Clouds_ - -Dave makes several daring trips, and then enters a contest for a big -prize. An aviation tale thrilling in the extreme. - - - CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - --Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in - bold by “equal” signs (=bold=). - - --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 of Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall, by -Clarence Young - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL *** - -***** This file should be named 51079-0.txt or 51079-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/0/7/51079/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall - Or The Motor Boys as Freshmen - -Author: Clarence Young - -Release Date: January 30, 2016 [EBook #51079] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="600" height="699" alt="cover" title="cover" /> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 382px;"> -<a id="image01"> - <img src="images/image01.jpg" width="382" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_234">AS BOB CROSSED HOME PLATE WITH HIS RUN, JERRY WAS NOT -FAR BEHIND HIM.</a></div> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi subtitle">——<i>The Motor Boys</i>——</p> - - -<h1>NED, BOB AND JERRY<br /> -AT BOXWOOD HALL</h1> - -<p class="noi subtitle">Or<br /> -The Motor Boys as Freshmen</p> - -<p class="p4 noic">BY</p> - -<p class="noi author">CLARENCE YOUNG</p> - -<p class="noi works">AUTHOR OF “THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES”<br /> -“THE RACER BOYS SERIES” “THE<br /> -JACK RANGER SERIES,” ETC.</p> - - -<p class="p4 noic">ILLUSTRATED</p> - - -<p class="p4 noic">NEW YORK<br /> -<span class="author">CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY</span></p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="adpage"> -<div class="adbox"> -<p class="noic adauthor">BOOKS BY CLARENCE YOUNG</p> - -<p class="noic">12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="noic"><b>Price, per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.</b></p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p class="noic adauthor"><b>THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES</b></p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS OVERLAND</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS IN MEXICO</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS ACROSS THE PLAINS</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS AFLOAT</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS IN STRANGE WATERS</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE PACIFIC</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE OCEAN</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE WING</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS AFTER A FORTUNE</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE BORDER</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS UNDER THE SEA</li> -<li class="hang">THE MOTOR BOYS ON ROAD AND RIVER</li> -</ul> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p class="noic adauthor"><b>THE MOTOR BOYS—SECOND SERIES</b></p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL;<br /> -Or, The Motor Boys as Freshmen</li> -</ul> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p class="noic adauthor"><b>THE JACK RANGER SERIES</b></p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">JACK RANGER’S SCHOOLDAYS</li> -<li class="hang">JACK RANGER’S WESTERN TRIP</li> -<li class="hang">JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL VICTORIES</li> -<li class="hang">JACK RANGER’S OCEAN CRUISE</li> -<li class="hang">JACK RANGER’S GUN CLUB</li> -<li class="hang">JACK RANGER’S TREASURE BOX</li> -</ul> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p class="noic adauthor"><b>THE RACER BOYS SERIES</b></p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">THE RACER BOYS</li> -<li class="hang">THE RACER BOYS AT BOARDING SCHOOL</li> -<li class="hang">THE RACER BOYS TO THE RESCUE</li> -<li class="hang">THE RACER BOYS ON THE PRAIRIES</li> -<li class="hang">THE RACER BOYS ON GUARD</li> -<li class="hang">THE RACER BOYS FORGING AHEAD</li> -</ul> -</div> - -<p class="p2 noic"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1916, by<br /> - Cupples & Leon Company</span></p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p class="noic"><b>Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall</b></p> -</div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<col style="width: 20%;" /> -<col style="width: 70%;" /> -<col style="width: 10%;" /> -<tr> - <th class="smfontr">CHAPTER</th> - <th class="tdl"></th> - <th class="smfontr">PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">I.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">The Overturned Auto</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">II.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">A Family Conference</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">10</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">III.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">The Race</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">20</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IV.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">The Decision</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">29</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">V.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">Good News</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">37</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VI.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Boxwood Hall</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">46</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Off to College</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">53</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VIII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Professor Snodgrass</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">61</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IX.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">The Professor’s Shoes</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">70</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">X.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">A Cool Reception</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">79</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XI.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">The Professor’s Dilemma</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">87</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">In the Gymnasium</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">97</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">The Bang-Ups</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">105</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIV.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">The Initiation</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">113</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XV.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">Caught</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">124</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVI.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">A Collision</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">132</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">The Aeroplane</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">140</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVIII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">The Postponed Examination</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">148</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIX.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">The Boxwood Picture</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">160</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XX.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">“Who Told?”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">167</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXI.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">The Coasting Race</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">175</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">The Ice Boat</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">183</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXIII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">Spring Practice</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">191</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXIV.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">A Scrub Game</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">199</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXV.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">A Varsity Loss</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">207</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXVI.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">Dissensions</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">214</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXVII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">The Rooters Insist</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">220</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXVIII.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">In the Tenth</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">228</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXIX.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">Mr. Hobson</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">235</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXX.</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">The Winning Game</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">240</td> -</tr> -</table> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - - -<div class="blockquot"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations"> -<tr><td class="tdl"><a href="#image01">AS BOB CROSSED HOME PLATE WITH HIS RUN, JERRY WAS NOT FAR BEHIND HIM.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl"><a href="#image02">THEY PULLED BOB THE LENGTH OF THE SMOOTH PORCH.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl"><a href="#image03">FRANK SHOWED CONSIDERABLE ABILITY.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl"><a href="#image04">THEY MADE THE FLAG HALYARDS FAST TO THE PICTURE AND HOISTED IT UP.</a></td></tr> -</table> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>INTRODUCTION</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">My Dear Boys</span>:</p> - -<p>With this volume begins a new series of adventures -for the “Motor Boys.” Under the title -“Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall; Or, The -Motor Boys as Freshmen,” I have had the pleasure -of writing for you the various happenings that -took place when the three young men, whose activities -you have followed for some time, entered -a new field.</p> - -<p>The fathers of Ned Slade and Bob Baker, and -the mother of Jerry Hopkins, in consultation one -day, decided that the young men were getting a -bit too wild and frivolous.</p> - -<p>“It is time they settled down,” said their parents, -“and began to think of growing up. Let’s -send them to college!”</p> - -<p>And to the college of Boxwood Hall our heroes -were sent. It was a surprise to them, but it -turned out to be a delightful surprise, and one of -the reasons was that their old friend, Professor -Snodgrass, now an enthusiastic collector of butterflies, -was an instructor at Boxwood.</p> - -<p>Of what took place at the college, of the hazing, -the initiation, the queer developments following -an automobile rescue, of how the motor -boys gradually overcame an unfair prejudice, and -how they helped to win a baseball victory—for -all this I refer you to the following pages. The -titles of the second series will include the names -Ned, Bob and Jerry, in various activities, and -while they will still use their motors, in auto, boat -or airship, those machines will be of secondary -consideration.</p> - -<p>And with this explanation, and with the hope -that you will accord this book the same welcome -you have given my other writings, I remain,</p> - -<p class="noic">Sincerely yours,</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Clarence Young</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="noi title">NED, BOB AND JERRY -AT BOXWOOD HALL</p> -</div> - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<small>THE OVERTURNED AUTO</small></h2> - - -<p>“What do you reckon it’s all about, Jerry?”</p> - -<p>“Well, Bob, you’re as good a guesser as I am,” -came the answer from the young man who was -at the wheel of a touring car that was swinging -down a pleasant country road, under arching trees. -“What do you say it means?”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t the least idea, unless it’s some business -deal. Ned, why don’t you say something, -instead of sitting there like a goldfish being admired -by a tom-cat?” and Bob Baker, who sat -beside Jerry Hopkins, the lad at the wheel, turned -to his chum in the rear seat of the car.</p> - -<p>“Say something!” exclaimed Ned Slade. “I’m -as much up in the air about it as you fellows are. -All I know is that my dad, and yours, and Jerry’s -mother, are having a confab.”</p> - -<p>“And a sort of serious confab at that,” added<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -Bob. “Look out there, Jerry!” he cried suddenly. -“You nearly ran over that chicken,” and -he involuntarily raised his hand toward the steering -wheel as a frightened, squawking and cackling -hen fluttered from under the front wheels of -the automobile, shedding feathers on the way. -Then Bob remembered one of the first ethics of -automobiling, which is never to interfere with the -steersman, and he drew back his hand.</p> - -<p>“A miss is as good as a mile,” remarked Jerry -coolly, as he brought the car back to a straight -course, for he had swerved it to one side when -he saw the chicken in the path. “But I agree -with you, Bob, that the conference going on at -my house, among our respected, and I might as -well say respectable, parents does seem to be a -serious one. However, as long as we can’t guess -what it’s about there’s no use in worrying. We -may as well have a good time this afternoon. -Where shall we go?”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go to Wallace’s and have a bite to eat,” -put in Bob.</p> - -<p>“Why, we only just had lunch!” exclaimed Ned, -with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you fellows did, but I wouldn’t call it -a lunch that I got outside of—not by a long shot! -Mother isn’t at home, it was the girl’s day out -and I had to forage for myself.”</p> - -<p>“Heaven help the pantry, then!” exclaimed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span> -Jerry. “I’ve seen Bob ‘forage,’ as he calls it, -before; eh, Ned?”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. He did it at our house once, -and say! what mother said when she came home—whew!” -and Ned whistled at the memory.</p> - -<p>“I wasn’t a bit worse than you were!” cried -Bob, trying to lean back and punch his chum, but -the latter kept out of reach in the roomy tonneau. -“Anyhow, what has that got to do with going to -Wallace’s now? I’m hungry and I don’t care -who knows it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t let that fat waiter at Wallace’s -hear you say that, or he’ll double charge us in the -bill,” cautioned Jerry. “They sure do stick on -the prices at that joint.”</p> - -<p>“Then you’ll go there?” asked Bob eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I s’pose we might as well go there as -anywhere. Does it suit you, Ned?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. Only I can’t imagine where Bob puts -it all. Tell us, Chunky, that’s a good chap,” and -he patted the shoulder of the stout lad who sat -in front of him.</p> - -<p>“Tell you what?” asked Bob, responding to the -nickname that had been bestowed on him because -of his stoutness.</p> - -<p>“Where you put all you eat,” went on Ned -with a laugh. “You know it is impossible to make -two objects occupy the same space at the same -time. And if you’ve eaten one lunch to-day, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> -not two hours ago, where are you going to put -another?”</p> - -<p>“You watch and see,” was all the answer Bob -made. “Hit her up a bit, Jerry. There’s a stiff -hill just ahead.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. I forgot we were on this road. -Well, then it’s settled. We’ll go to Wallace’s -and let Bob eat,” and having ascended the hill, he -turned off on a road that led to a summer resort -not many miles from Cresville, the home town of -the three lads.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t you fellows going to have anything?” -asked Bob. “You’ll eat; won’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, for cats’ sake, cut out the grub-talk for a -while!” begged Ned. “Say, what about that conference, -anyhow? Does any one know anything -about it?”</p> - -<p>“All I know,” said Jerry, “is that I asked -mother to come out for an auto ride this afternoon, -and she said she couldn’t because your dad, -Ned, and Bob’s too, were coming over to call.”</p> - -<p>“Did you ask her what for?”</p> - -<p>“No, but I took it for granted it was something -about business. You know mother owns some -stock in your father’s department store, Ned.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and she deposits at dad’s bank,” added -Bob, whose father, Andrew Baker, was the president -of the most important bank in Cresville. “I -guess it must be about some business affairs.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t agree with you,” declared Ned.</p> - -<p>“Why not?” Jerry demanded. “When mother -said she couldn’t come out I hustled over and -got you fellows, and here we are. But what’s -your reason for thinking it isn’t business, Ned, -that has brought our folks together at my house?”</p> - -<p>“Because of some questions my father asked me -this morning.”</p> - -<p>“Serious questions?” Bob interrogated.</p> - -<p>“Well, in a way, yes. He asked me what I’d -been doing lately, what you fellows had been doing, -and he wanted to know what my plans were -for this winter.”</p> - -<p>“What did you tell him?” inquired Jerry, slowing -down as he came to the crest of another hill.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I said we hadn’t decided yet. I didn’t -tell him we had talked over making a tour of the -South, for we hadn’t quite decided on it; had -we?”</p> - -<p>“Not exactly,” responded Jerry. “And yet the -South is the place when winter comes. I guess -we might do worse.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I didn’t say anything about that,” went -on Ned, “because, if I had, dad would have wanted -to know all the particulars, and I wasn’t in a -position to tell him.”</p> - -<p>“Is that all he asked you that makes you think -the conference may be about us, instead of business?” -Bob inquired.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, that wasn’t quite all. He asked me about -that trouble we got into last week.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, do you mean about the time we were -pulled in for speeding?” asked Jerry with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“That’s it,” assented Ned. “Only it isn’t going -to be anything to grin at if dad finds out all about -it—that we nearly collided with the hay wagon -while trying to pass that roadster. Say, but it -was some going! We fractured the speed limits -in half a dozen places.”</p> - -<p>“But we beat the roadster!” exclaimed Jerry. -“That fellow didn’t know how to drive a car.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right there. And, for a second or two, -I thought you were going to make a mess of it,” -said Ned, referring to an incident that had happened -about a week previously when the boys, out -on the road in their car, had accepted an impromptu -challenge to race, with what might have -been disastrous results.</p> - -<p>“It was a narrow squeak,” admitted Jerry.</p> - -<p>“And the nerve of that farmer, setting the constable -after us!” cried Bob. “Just because we -wouldn’t let him rob us of ten dollars to make up -for a scratch one of his horses got from our mud -guard.”</p> - -<p>“I sometimes think we might have come out -of it better if we had given the hayseeder his ten,” -said Jerry, reflectively. “It cost us fifteen for the -speed-fine as it was. We’d have saved five.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And is that what your father was asking -about?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Words to that effect—yes,” replied Ned.</p> - -<p>“Wonder how he heard about it?”</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t in the paper,” reflected Jerry. “I -looked all over for an account of it, but didn’t -see any.”</p> - -<p>“No, it wasn’t in the paper,” said Ned, “but -dad hears of more things than I think he does, I -guess.”</p> - -<p>“We have been speeding it up a bit lately,” observed -Jerry in a reflective tone.</p> - -<p>“Just a little,” admitted Ned, with a half smile.</p> - -<p>The three chums were clean-cut, healthy-looking -lads, and it needed but a glance into their clear -faces to tell one that whatever “speeding” they -had been doing was in a literal sense only, and -was not in the way of dissipation. They were fun-loving -youths, and, like all such, the excitement of -the moment sometimes got the better of them.</p> - -<p>“And so you think the conference may have -something to do with us; is that it, Ned?” asked -Jerry, after a moment or two of silence.</p> - -<p>“I have an idea that way—yes, from what dad -said, and from what he wanted to know about our -future plans. We’re mixed up in it somehow, -that’s as sure as turkey and cranberry sauce.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds like Chunky!” laughed Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the idea?” demanded the stout<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -youth. “I mean—what do you think will happen, -Ned?”</p> - -<p>“Well, you know we have been going a pretty -lively gait lately, nothing wrong, of course, but a -sort of butterfly existence, so to speak.”</p> - -<p>“Butterfly is good!” exclaimed Jerry. “You’d -think we were a trio of society girls.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I mean we haven’t really done anything -worth while,” went on Ned. “And it’s my idea -that my dad, and yours, Bob, and Jerry’s mother, -who is as good a dad as any fellow could want—I -think they are going to put the brakes on us.”</p> - -<p>“How do you mean?” Jerry demanded.</p> - -<p>“Oh, make us cut out some of the gay and carefree -life we’ve been living. Settle down and——”</p> - -<p>“Get married?” laughed Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Not much!” cried Bob. “Not if I can help -it!”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” put in Ned. “I mean just -settle down a bit, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>They swung around a curve in the road, and -as they did so they saw a powerful roadster coming -toward them, driven by a man who was the -sole occupant. He was speeding forward at a -fast clip.</p> - -<p>“That fellow had better settle down!” exclaimed -Jerry. “He’s going too fast to make this -turn, and this bank is one of the most dangerous -around here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p> - -<p>The boys themselves had safely taken the turn, -and come past the steep embankment on which it -bordered, but the man in the roadster was approaching -it.</p> - -<p>“He isn’t slowing down,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“Better yell at him,” suggested Bob. “Maybe -he doesn’t know the road.”</p> - -<p>“Look out for that turn!” cried Jerry, as the -man passed them.</p> - -<p>It is doubtful if he heard them. Certainly he -did not heed, for he swung around the turn at full -speed. A moment later the boys, who had drawn -to one side of the road, in order to give the man -plenty of room to pass, looked back.</p> - -<p>They saw the speeding roadster leave the highway -and plunge down the bank, turning over and -pinning the driver underneath.</p> - -<p>“There he goes!” cried Jerry, jamming on the -brakes.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<small>A FAMILY CONFERENCE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Jerry had put on the brakes so hard that the -rear wheels were locked, and they slid along a -foot or more, skidding until the automobile came to -a stop on one side of the road. Then the three lads -leaped out, and started back toward the scene of -the accident.</p> - -<p>“She’s on fire!” cried Bob, as he pointed to -curling smoke arising from the overturned roadster.</p> - -<p>“And the man’s under it!” yelled Ned.</p> - -<p>“Keep moving!” shouted Jerry. “We’ve got -to do something!”</p> - -<p>Fortunately, the car was a light one, and it was -tilted at such an angle that the combined strength -of the three lads on the higher side served to turn -it upright once more. The fire was under the -bonnet, the covers of which were jammed and -bent.</p> - -<p>The boys had expected to find a very seriously -injured man beneath the car, but, to their surprise, -when they righted the machine, the driver,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -somewhat dusty and dirty, crawled out and stood -up, a few scratches on his hands and face alone -showing where he was injured, though it was evident -from the manner in which he rubbed one arm -that it had been at least bruised.</p> - -<p>There came a larger puff of smoke from beneath -the car’s bonnet, and a flash of flame -showed.</p> - -<p>“Carburetor’s on fire!” cried Ned.</p> - -<p>“Got an extinguisher?” asked Jerry of the -man.</p> - -<p>He shook his head, being either too much out -of breath or too excited over his narrow escape -to talk.</p> - -<p>“I’ll get ours!” shouted Ned, as he raced back -toward their machine, climbing up the bank, down -which the boys had rushed to the rescue.</p> - -<p>Jerry and Bob forced up the bent and jammed -covers of the engine, and disclosed the fact that -the fire, so far, was only in the carburetor, which -had become flooded with gasoline when the car -turned over.</p> - -<p>In a few seconds Ned was back with the extinguisher, -and when a generous supply of the -chemicals it contained had been squirted on the -blazing gasoline, the fire went out with a smudge -of smoke.</p> - -<p>“That was a narrow escape for me, boys,” said -the man, and his voice shook a little. “I thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -sure I was done for when I felt the car leaving -the road. I tried to bring it back, but the turn -was too much for me, and over I went.”</p> - -<p>“This is a dangerous turn,” commented Jerry. -“There ought to be a warning sign put up here.”</p> - -<p>“We called to you,” Bob told him.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t hear you,” the man said. “Boys, I -want to thank you!”</p> - -<p>He seemed overcome for a moment. Then he -went on.</p> - -<p>“Mere thanks, of course, do not express what -I mean. You saved my life. I don’t believe I -could have gotten out of the car alone. My legs -were held down, and so was one arm. I’d have -burned to death if you hadn’t been here.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re glad we were here,” Jerry said. -“Are you much hurt?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing worth speaking about. Some bruises -and scratches. I certainly did have a lucky escape. -My name is Hobson—Samuel Hobson,” -and he drew a card from his pocket, handing it -to Jerry. “I was driving a bit too fast, I guess, -but I was in a hurry to get the express at Wrightville. -I’m on my way West, on important business, -and the only way to make connections is to -go to Wrightville to get the fast train. So I -started in my car, intending to leave it at the -garage in Wrightville. I’m afraid I’ll miss the -train now.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess you’ve got time to make it,” said -Jerry, with a look at his watch. “Wrightville is -only three miles from here. But I’m afraid you -can’t make it in your car.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’ve said it,” admitted Mr. Hobson, -after a quick inspection. “I can’t run my car until -it’s been in the repair shop. It’ll be hard to get -it back on the road, too,” he went on, as he looked -at the steep bank down which he had rolled in the -machine. “And I <em>must</em> get that train!” he exclaimed -anxiously.</p> - -<p>“I reckon we can get you to the train all right -in our car,” said Bob. “We’re not in any special -hurry—only out for a little ride. We’ll take you -to the station.”</p> - -<p>“Surely!” added Jerry. “If you feel well -enough to take the ride.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m all right!” protested Mr. Hobson. -“I had presence of mind enough to get out of -the way of the steering wheel as I felt myself -going over. I’ll be very much obliged if you will -take me to the depot. It is extremely important -that I get my train for the West. But about my -car—I’ll have to leave it here, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Nobody can run it, that’s sure,” Ned remarked. -“And if you were going to leave it at -the garage in Wrightville you could tell the man -there to come out here and get it, and tow it in -for repairs.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s so, I could do that,” admitted Mr. -Hobson. “I don’t know that I’ll have time, if I -make my train, to tell the garage people, though.”</p> - -<p>“We can do that for you,” offered Jerry. -“We’ll tell the garage man after we leave you at -the depot.”</p> - -<p>“Will you, boys? I’ll be a thousand times -obliged to you if you will! I wouldn’t miss that -train for a good deal. Just tell the garage man -to come and get my car. I’ll settle all expenses -with him when I come back, which will be in a -couple of weeks.</p> - -<p>“And now, if you don’t mind, I’ll get in your -car and let you take me to Wrightville. It’s very -kind of you. I thought I was in for a streak of -bad luck when my machine went over with me, -but this seems to be a turn for the better.”</p> - -<p>Leaving the wrecked car where it was, Jerry -and his chums went back to their machine with -Mr. Hobson, giving their names on the way. It -was a short run to Wrightville, but Mr. Hobson, -who did not have any too much time to begin with, -only just made the train as it was.</p> - -<p>“Good-bye, boys!” he called, as he swung -aboard the express, waving his hand to them. -“See you again some time, I hope.”</p> - -<p>And it was under rather strange circumstances -when Mr. Hobson once more confronted our -heroes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, now to tell the garage man, and then -for the eats!” exclaimed Bob as they rode away -from the railroad station. “I’ve got more of -an appetite than ever. That little excitement -seemed to make me hungry.”</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t take much to make <em>you</em> hungry,” -commented Jerry. “But we might as well eat -here as to go on to Wallace’s. That would take -half an hour.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, let’s eat here,” acquiesced Chunky, and -Ned assenting, that plan was agreed upon.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hobson? Oh, yes, I know him,” the -garage man said when the story of the wrecked -car had been told. “He often passes through -here. Just leave it to me. I’ll go out and get -his machine, tow it in and fix it up. I know the -place all right. That sure is a bad turn. I guess -he never had been on that road before. But I’ll -get his car right away.”</p> - -<p>“Then we can eat,” said Bob, with a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p>While the three boys were making for a restaurant, -there was taking place back in Jerry’s home -the family conference, the knowledge of which -had, in a measure, rather disturbed the three -chums. For though they knew that it was going -on, they could only guess at the object, which -seemed to be rather important.</p> - -<p>And, in a sense, it was.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p> - -<p>That morning Mr. Aaron Slade, the head of -the largest department store in Cresville, a town -not far from Boston, had called on Mr. Andrew -Baker, the banker.</p> - -<p>“Andrew,” Mr. Slade had said (for he and -the banker were old friends), “what are we going -to do with our boys?”</p> - -<p>“That’s just the question which has been puzzling -me,” said Mr. Baker.</p> - -<p>“They are the finest fellows in the world,” went -on Mr. Slade, “and so is their chum, Jerry Hopkins. -But, to tell you the truth, Andrew, I’m a -bit worried about Ned.”</p> - -<p>“And I am about Bob. Not that he’s done -anything wrong, but he is getting too wild. I’m -afraid they’ve been allowed too much freedom, -what with their auto, their motor boat, and airship. -I thought, at the time, it was good for them -to go off by themselves, and learn to depend on -their own efforts, as they certainly did many times. -But now I’m beginning to think differently.”</p> - -<p>“So am I,” admitted his friend. “Take that -little incident last week—I was telling you about -it, I guess—how they raced with some fellow on -the road, and nearly collided with a hay wagon.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I heard about it. Well, boys will be -boys, I suppose, but I’ve made up my mind that -mine will have to settle down a little more.”</p> - -<p>“The same here. But how can we do it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p> - -<p>For a moment the two business men remained -in thought. Then Mr. Slade said:</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what we’d better do, Andrew. -Let’s go and have a talk with Mrs. Hopkins. -She’s one of the most capable, efficient and level-headed -women I know. That’s one reason why -I sold her some stock in my store. Her son Jerry -is such a chum of our boys that I’ve no doubt she -feels about as we do, for Jerry is into the same -scrapes and fun that our boys get into. Let’s -go and have a talk with Mrs. Hopkins.”</p> - -<p>“I’m with you!” the banker exclaimed. “I’ll -call her on the ’phone and see if it’s convenient -for us to run out there.”</p> - -<p>A few moments’ talk over the wire apprised -Mrs. Hopkins of what was in the air, and she invited -the two gentlemen to call.</p> - -<p>That is the reason Mrs. Hopkins did not go -motoring with Jerry. So Jerry took his two -chums, who were made aware of the family conference -in that fashion.</p> - -<p>“Well, gentlemen,” said Mrs. Hopkins, when -the matter had been fully explained to her, and -Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker had each expressed -the idea that their sons were in need of a little -taming down, “I feel about it as you do. I wish -Jerry were not quite so lively and fond of such -exciting adventures. But now we have arrived at -that decision, what’s to be done?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The very question I asked!” exclaimed Mr. -Slade.</p> - -<p>“Send ’em to college!” proposed Mr. Baker, -after a moment’s thought. “A good, strict, up-to-date -college is the place for them. They’d have -to buckle down to hard work, but there would be -enough of athletic sport to give them an outlet -for their energies. Send the boys to college! -How does that idea strike you?”</p> - -<p>“It might be the very thing,” answered Mrs. -Hopkins thoughtfully. “The boys have a pretty -good education as it is from the Academy and -from their private studies, but of late they have -been allowed to run a little too freely. I should -say college would be the best thing in the world -for them. Some difficult studies would give their -too active brains something more than adventures -to feed on, and I have faith enough in the boys -to be sure they would strive to do well—to excel -in their studies as they have excelled in quests, -races and other things in which they have taken -part.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad you agree with me,” said Mr. -Baker. “How about you, Aaron?” and he looked -across at Ned’s father.</p> - -<p>“I’m of the same opinion,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“Good!” exclaimed Mr. Baker. “Well, now -that is settled, which college shall it be? There -are several good ones in this section of New England,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -but the question is whether they are just -those best fitted for our boys.”</p> - -<p>“How about a military academy?” asked Mr. -Slade. “They’d get good discipline there.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Hopkins shook her head.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t a word to say against militarism, except -that I think war a terrible thing,” she said. -“I believe in preparedness, too, but I don’t fancy -a military school for Jerry. I’m afraid there -would be a little too much discipline at first, when -the boys have been used to so little.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you are right,” said Mr. Slade. “I -am not very much in favor of it myself.”</p> - -<p>Several colleges were mentioned at the family -conference, but nothing definite was decided on, -and it was agreed to meet again in a day or so. -Meanwhile the catalogues of several institutions -could be sent for to judge which college would be -best suited to the boys.</p> - -<p>“A very capable woman,” commented Mr. -Slade, as he and his friend left Mrs. Hopkins’s -house.</p> - -<p>“Very. And I am glad we have come to this -decision about our boys.”</p> - -<p>“So am I. I wonder how the boys will take -it.”</p> - -<p>“It’s hard to tell. We won’t say anything to -them about it for a while.”</p> - -<p>“No,” agreed Mr. Slade.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<small>THE RACE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Well, I feel better,” announced Bob Baker, -with a satisfied sigh as he arose from the restaurant -table.</p> - -<p>“I should think you would!” commented Jerry. -“You ate as much as the two of us,” and he -nodded at Ned.</p> - -<p>“I did not!” cried the indignant Chunky. “I’ll -leave it to the waiter.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t call public attention to a thing like -that,” put in Ned. “Let it go. Come on out and -finish our ride. It’s too nice to be staying inside, -even in a restaurant.”</p> - -<p>It was a beautiful fall day. The fierceness of -the summer heat had gone, but the tang of late -fall had not yet come, and it was perfect weather -for automobile riding.</p> - -<p>Jerry and his chums were soon in the car once -more, this time Ned taking the wheel. They -drove out past the place where Mr. Hobson had -met with his accident—an accident with a most -fortunate outcome—and there the boys saw some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -men from the garage engaged in pulling the disabled -car up the bank.</p> - -<p>“That was some tumble!” called one of the -men, as the boys paused to look on.</p> - -<p>“You’d have thought so if you’d seen it,” -agreed Jerry.</p> - -<p>It was just getting dusk when the three lads -reached Jerry’s home.</p> - -<p>“I’ll drive you chaps home, and put up the -car,” he said, for the automobile, though owned -jointly by the lads, was kept in a garage owned -by Mrs. Hopkins.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do to-night?” asked -Ned, as he was set down at his residence.</p> - -<p>“Nothing special,” Jerry replied.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go to the movies,” suggested Bob. -“They’ve got some Southern travel scenes, according -to the bills outside, and if we go down South -this winter we may see some of the places where -we expect to be thrown on the screen.”</p> - -<p>“I’d just as soon,” agreed Jerry, and Ned -nodded his assent.</p> - -<p>“I’ll come over to your house, Ned, after supper,” -Bob went on, “and Jerry can call there for -us.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Jerry assented, and then he swung -the car in the direction of his home.</p> - -<p>“Did you have a nice ride?” his mother asked -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Fine!” he exclaimed. “Saved a man’s life, -too!”</p> - -<p>“More adventures!” Mrs. Hopkins exclaimed, -thinking of the conference that afternoon.</p> - -<p>“No, it was the other way around,” Jerry explained. -“Mr. Hobson had the adventure, we -just rescued him from it,” and he told of the overturned -automobile.</p> - -<p>“Such reckless driving!” his mother murmured. -“I hope you boys don’t run your car so fast.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no!” exclaimed Jerry virtuously. “I wonder -if she could have meant anything by that?” -he asked himself as his mother went out of the -room. “But I don’t believe she heard about that -hay wagon. I hope not, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“Jerry! there’s a letter for you on the mantel,” -his mother called back to him as she went upstairs.</p> - -<p>“Wonder who it’s from,” mused the tall lad. -It was in a long envelope, without any return -designation, and Jerry’s name and address were -typewritten, so he could not guess the sender, as -he might have done had it been in script.</p> - -<p>“Some advertisement,” the lad went on, somewhat -disappointed, as he drew out a booklet. -With it was a letter, and when Jerry had glanced -at the signature, before reading the epistle, he -cried in delight.</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s from Professor Snodgrass! What -in the world is he up to now?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p> - -<p>Readers of the former books of this series concerning -Ned, Bob and Jerry (volumes which will -be mentioned more at length later) will remember -Professor Uriah Snodgrass, a most earnest scientist. -His quest after rare bugs and queer animals -furnished our heroes with more than one adventure, -and took them into various queer places.</p> - -<p>“Professor Snodgrass!” went on Jerry. “I -haven’t heard from him in a long while. I wonder -where he is now?”</p> - -<p>A glance at the top of the letter showed him.</p> - -<p>The epistle was dated from Fordham, a New -England city, and at the top of the page, in embossed -letters, was the name “Boxwood Hall.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“Dear Jerry,” the letter read, “no doubt you -will be surprised to hear that I have been appointed -instructor of zoology, among other subjects, -at Boxwood Hall.”</p></div> - -<p>“Surprised is no name for it!” murmured Jerry, -reading on.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“For some time the faculty has been trying to -induce me to settle down here, but I have preferred -to roam about, completing my collection -of beetles. As that is about finished, I have decided -to accept the chair here. It is an excellent -college, and there are a number of fine students<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -here, but I shall miss the trips I used to take with -you boys. Perhaps, though, during the vacations, -I may be able to be with you for a time. I am -making a collection of butterflies that are to be -found in this section of New England. I have a -number of fine specimens mounted, but as winter -is approaching there will be little further chance -to add to my collection until the spring.</p> - -<p>“I am sending you one of the Boxwood Hall -catalogues, thinking you may be interested in -it. If you are ever in this neighborhood, please -come to see me. I am sure you will like it here. -I understand there are good football and baseball -teams here, and if you get here this fall, -on one of the many trips you take, you may -see a good game. I don’t know much about -such things myself. Please give my regards to -your mother, and remember me to Ned and -Bob.”</p></div> - -<p>“Well, what do you know about that!” exclaimed -Jerry. “Professor Snodgrass at Boxwood -Hall! I’ve heard of that college, and it’s a good -one. Well, I guess he’ll miss chasing around the -country after bugs, but the college certainly has -one good instructor! I must tell the boys.”</p> - -<p>“Any news in your letter, Jerry?” asked Mrs. -Hopkins at the supper table that evening.</p> - -<p>“Professor Snodgrass has taken the chair of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -zoology at Boxwood Hall,” he replied. And then -Mrs. Hopkins was called to the telephone, so -Jerry had no chance to mention the catalogue he -had received.</p> - -<p>A little later he went with his chums to the -moving picture show, telling them the news of -the professor. At Ned’s house, after the show, -the boys looked at the catalogue, which contained -many half-tone cuts of the college buildings and -grounds.</p> - -<p>“Seems to be a nice place all right,” commented -Bob.</p> - -<p>“Where is it?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“It’s about a mile outside of Fordham,” said -Jerry, who had glanced through the prospectus. -“I didn’t know, before, what a large place Boxwood -Hall was. See, it’s located right on Lake -Carmona, and they have a boathouse on the college -grounds. Lake Carmona is one of the prettiest -in New England, they say, though I’ve never -seen it.”</p> - -<p>“I was at the upper end of it once,” Ned stated, -“but I didn’t get near Boxwood. And so the dear -old professor has settled down. Well, we sure -did have good times with him!”</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” agreed Jerry. “Maybe we’ll -get a chance to run up and see him.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” remarked Bob. “Look! Here’s -the professor’s name in the list of the faculty,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -and he pointed it out in the catalogue. “He’s -got half the letters of the alphabet after it, too.”</p> - -<p>This was not strictly true, though Professor -Snodgrass had received many degrees from prominent -colleges for his scientific work. He had -written several books, too, on various subjects -connected with “bugology,” as the boys called it.</p> - -<p>After some discussion of the new position -which had been accepted by their friend, the professor, -and some reminiscent talk of the times -they had spent with him, Jerry and Bob went -to their respective homes, agreeing to go for another -automobile ride on the morrow.</p> - -<p>“Well, what shall we do now?” asked Jerry -of his chums one afternoon, several days after -the receipt of the letter from Professor Snodgrass. -“I don’t just fancy any more autoing for the present.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with a ride in the motor -boat?” asked Bob, for the boys owned one. It -was kept in the boathouse near the residence of -Mrs. Hopkins.</p> - -<p>“Suits me,” agreed Ned, while Bob began:</p> - -<p>“We can drop down the river to Anderson’s -place and——”</p> - -<p>“Get something to eat,” cut in Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t say so!” Bob cried.</p> - -<p>“No, but you thought it all right. Come on.”</p> - -<p>The boys started for Jerry’s home, and at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -foot of the long, green lawn that led up to the -front porch Ned cried:</p> - -<p>“I’ll race you to the front steps to see who -pays for the ice cream sodas. Last man there -pays!”</p> - -<p>“All right!” assented Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Give me a start,” begged Bob.</p> - -<p>“Go on!” yelled Jerry. “You’re not so fat -as all that. We start even.”</p> - -<p>“I’m entitled to a handicap,” insisted Bob.</p> - -<p>The boys were laughing and shouting, and making -considerable noise.</p> - -<p>Bob insisted that he would not race unless he -was given the advantage he claimed because of -his stoutness, and finally Ned and Jerry agreed, -letting Bob have his “head start.”</p> - -<p>“Are you ready?” yelled Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Let her go!” shouted Ned.</p> - -<p>“Go!” cried Bob, and the three lads raced toward -the piazza.</p> - -<p>Ned and Jerry cut down Bob’s lead in a short -time, and Jerry, by reason of slightly longer legs, -soon passed Ned. They all three approached the -porch, Jerry and Bob reaching it at the same -moment. They were both going so fast they -could not stop, and a moment later Bob tripped -and would have fallen had he not given a jump -up in the air, and landed on the porch. Then he -slipped, and fell with a bang, spinning along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -piazza floor, while Jerry and Ned, laughing and -shouting, jumped up after him. Then, seizing -him, one by each foot, <a href="#image02">they pulled him the length -of the smooth porch</a>, which had no railing.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;"> -<a id="image02"> - <img src="images/image02.jpg" width="380" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_28">THEY PULLED BOB THE LENGTH OF THE SMOOTH PORCH.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>“Whoop! That was some race!” yelled Ned.</p> - -<p>“And I beat!” declared Bob.</p> - -<p>“Go on! You did not! You were disqualified -by falling!” declared Jerry. “I’m the champion!” -and he executed a clog dance on the veranda.</p> - -<p>At that moment the front door opened, and -there stood Mrs. Hopkins, while behind her were -Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker. Mrs. Hopkins did -not smile, and there were rather serious expressions -on the faces of the two gentlemen.</p> - -<p>“Oh, was it you making all the noise, Jerry?” -his mother asked.</p> - -<p>“I guess we did our share,” admitted Ned, a -little sheepishly.</p> - -<p>“Come in, boys,” said Mr. Baker. “We have -an announcement to make to you.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<small>THE DECISION</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Looks as if something was up,” whispered -Bob to Ned, as the three chums slid into the house.</p> - -<p>“That’s what it does,” agreed Ned. “I guess -Mrs. Hopkins thought we were making too much -of a racket on her front stoop.”</p> - -<p>“We did raise a sort of row,” commented -Jerry, tossing his hat on a peg of the rack. “But -mother doesn’t care an awful lot about that. -She’s heard noise before. There’s something else -in the wind, believe me!”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Hopkins, with the fathers of Bob and -Ned, had withdrawn from the hall into the library, -where they could be heard in low-voiced conversation.</p> - -<p>“I wonder what the game is,” came from Ned. -“Another family conference! Did you know they -were going to have it, Jerry?”</p> - -<p>The tall lad shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Unless it’s about us I can’t imagine what it’s -for,” he said. “But I reckon it does concern us. -Well, we’ll have to take our medicine, I suppose.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Come in, boys,” called Mrs. Hopkins. “What -we have to say concerns you as much as it does -us.”</p> - -<p>Rather sheepishly Ned, Bob and Jerry filed into -the library, and took seats. Mrs. Hopkins was -seated at a table with her two guests, and on this -there appeared to be a pile of books, over which -a newspaper was thrown, as though to conceal -them from view, temporarily at least.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me you young men might be a little -more quiet in approaching a lady’s house,” remarked -Mr. Slade, looking at his son; and his -voice was not as good-natured as usual.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, Dad,” came the response, “you see -we just had a little race, to decide who’d buy the -ice cream sodas, and we did make rather a strenuous -finish of it, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“I should say so!” exclaimed Mr. Baker, looking -at his son. “I thought it was a mad-dog chase -at least, banging up on the steps that way. But it -only goes to show that it’s high time we took some -action in your cases.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” put in Mr. Slade, with a vigorous -nod.</p> - -<p>The three chums looked wonderingly at one another.</p> - -<p>“Surely they can’t be going to punish us just -for a little prank like that,” thought Jerry. His -mother looked at him and smiled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t mind a little noise,” she said. -“But I really think it is time something was done -to subdue the lads a little. They are getting a -bit too much out of hand.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t acted a bit too soon,” murmured -Mr. Slade.</p> - -<p>“I only hope it isn’t too late,” added the banker.</p> - -<p>Once more the chums looked wonderingly at -one another, and then Ned, addressing his father, -burst out with:</p> - -<p>“Say, Dad, what’s it all about, anyhow? -What’s up? Are we on trial just because we -made a racket over a foot race?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll apologize to Mrs. Hopkins, if you want -us to,” Bob said.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, my dear boy, no apology is required!” -Jerry’s mother made haste to say. “While you -did make considerable noise, that isn’t the reason -we called you in to hear our decision about a certain -matter. Of course the way you all acted just -now bears out what we have been fearful of for -some time back, and that is—perhaps one of you -gentlemen can explain better than I,” she finished -with a nod toward Mr. Baker and Mr. Slade.</p> - -<p>There was a momentary hesitation on the part -of each of them, while the looks of wonder, not -unmixed with apprehension, deepened on the faces -of the chums. Then Mr. Slade said:</p> - -<p>“Well, boys, it amounts to this. For some time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -we have been noticing your conduct. Not that -you have done anything wrong or improper, but -you haven’t done exactly what is right, either. -You are getting on in years, in fact you are young -men now, and boys no longer, so it is time you -acted like young men.”</p> - -<p>“If that race just now——” broke in Ned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it isn’t altogether that!” his father made -haste to say. “That is only one straw that shows -which way the wind is blowing. You are entirely -too frivolous, and when I say that I include you, -Jerry, and you, Bob, with the permission of your -parents.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I agreed with Mr. Slade,” murmured -Mrs. Hopkins.</p> - -<p>“And I,” added the banker.</p> - -<p>“So we have called you in to acquaint you with -our decision,” the department store proprietor -went on. “And I want to say that we did not arrive -at it hastily. We have had several conferences -on the matter, as we wanted to be fair and -just to all of you, and we wanted to do our duty. -Now perhaps you have something to say, Mr. -Baker, before we tell the boys what is in store for -them.”</p> - -<p>“Looks serious,” Jerry formed the words with -his lips to Ned, but did not emit a whisper.</p> - -<p>Ned nodded gloomily.</p> - -<p>“Well, Aaron, you’ve said about all there is to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -say on the subject,” began the banker slowly. “I -might add that I think our boys have had plenty -of good times and strenuous adventures. There -can be no complaint on their part about that. And, -boys, I want to say that you must now settle down -and prepare to make real men of yourselves. You -are boys no longer—you must prepare to accept -the responsibilities of life. Have you anything -to add, Mrs. Hopkins?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing except that I fully agree with you -gentlemen. And I think what we are about to do -will be for the best interests of all of us, especially -of our boys. We are proud of them in spite of -the fact that they are sometimes a little too careless, -and we want to continue to be proud of you, -boys. Tell them what we have decided to do, -Mr. Slade.”</p> - -<p>“It is this,” said the department store keeper, -as he removed the newspaper from the pile of -books, or rather, pamphlets. “We are going to -send you boys to some college or military academy, -where, under stricter discipline than any to -which you have hitherto been subjected, you will -be able to develop your characters.”</p> - -<p>“Sent away to college!” exclaimed Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Military academy!” echoed Bob.</p> - -<p>“Strict discipline!” murmured Ned.</p> - -<p>There was silence for a moment, and then Mr. -Baker went on:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That is the conclusion we have arrived at -after giving the matter serious thought. It will -be the best thing in the world for you young men—boys -no longer—to go away to some college. -You will have regular hours and regular studies, -which you have not had in the past two years. -Not that you are backward, for you have kept -yourselves well informed, and your travels have -been helpful, in a measure. But you need regularity, -and you are going to get it.</p> - -<p>“Now we have here,” he went on, “catalogues -from several institutions of learning. They are -all good, as far as we can tell, and any one of them -would suit me as a place for my boy. We have not -quite made up our minds which one to choose. -We want you all to go to the same one.”</p> - -<p>“I should say, yes!” cried Jerry.</p> - -<p>“We don’t want to be impertinent,” added Ned, -“but we couldn’t think of going to separate colleges. -We must be together.”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” echoed Bob.</p> - -<p>“Well, we are very glad we can give in to you -on that point,” said Mr. Slade, smiling.</p> - -<p>“Now we will proceed to the further discussion, -which you interrupted with your strenuous foot -race,” said Mr. Baker, “and we will let you help -us decide which college you will attend. Now here -is a catalogue that interests me,” and he held up -one of a well-known college.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was quite a lengthy discussion, in which -the boys joined, telling what they knew, or had -heard, of certain institutions. Some they flatly -refused to consider at all. Toward others they -were more favorably inclined.</p> - -<p>“Now here is one I should like to see you attend,” -said Mr. Slade, holding up another prospectus. -“It is——”</p> - -<p>He was interrupted by an exclamation from -Jerry, who rushed from the room.</p> - -<p>“Why! what in the world is the matter with -him?” asked Mrs. Hopkins in surprise.</p> - -<p>No one answered, and before they could indulge -in any speculation Jerry was back again, -waving over his head a catalogue similar to those -on the table.</p> - -<p>“If we have to go to college,” he said, “and -I guess we do, this is the one we’d like you to pick -out—Boxwood Hall! Let us go there! It’s a -dandy place, according to the catalogue, and it has -a good standing from a scholastic and athletic -standpoint. Let us go to Boxwood Hall, where -our old friend, Professor Snodgrass, is a teacher.”</p> - -<p>“Boxwood Hall?” murmured Mr. Slade, questioningly.</p> - -<p>“Professor Snodgrass,” said Mr. Baker, reflectively.</p> - -<p>“He sent me this catalogue,” Jerry went on, -“though when I got it I hadn’t the least notion in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -the world that I would go there. Let me read -you the professor’s letter”; and this he did.</p> - -<p>Mr. Slade picked up the Boxwood Hall catalogue -and glanced at the illustrations of the various -buildings.</p> - -<p>“It looks like a nice place,” he said.</p> - -<p>“It sure does!” exclaimed his son, looking over -his father’s shoulder. “We would like it there.”</p> - -<p>“And there are some well known names on the -faculty, aside from that of Professor Snodgrass,” -went on Mr. Slade.</p> - -<p>“Professor Snodgrass,” murmured Mr. Baker. -“He’s the scientist who so often went with you -boys on your trips, gathering queer bugs and so -on.”</p> - -<p>“He’s the one!” Jerry remarked. “Say, fellows, -will you ever forget the time he saw a bug -on the railroad track, and almost got under the -locomotive to capture the insect.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” chorused Ned and Bob.</p> - -<p>“That’s the one objection to Boxwood Hall,” -resumed Mr. Baker. “I’m afraid instead of studying, -you boys will be going off on bug-hunting trips -with Professor Snodgrass. I guess we’d better -decide on some other college.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<small>GOOD NEWS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Blank looks replaced those of pleasant anticipation -on the faces of Ned, Bob and Jerry. Slowly -they glanced at one another, then Ned burst out -with:</p> - -<p>“Say, Dad, that’s all wrong! Don’t be so hard -on us. If we have to go to college the best one -in the world for us will be Boxwood Hall, because -we’ll have such a good friend in Professor -Snodgrass.”</p> - -<p>“And we won’t go off bug hunting with him—at -least not very often,” said Jerry. “We won’t -have time, nor will he. And you can see by his -letter that he’s done with bugs. He’s making a -collection of butterflies now.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just as bad,” said Mrs. Hopkins, with -a smile at her son. “Butterflies will lead you farther -afield.”</p> - -<p>“There won’t be many more butterflies this -year,” Ned remarked. “Though I suppose there -may be a few late ones up around Fordham that -the professor will bag in his net. But, really, we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -won’t waste any time on them. Let us go to Boxwood -Hall, and we’ll buckle down to hard study.”</p> - -<p>“We can go in for athletics though; can’t we?” -asked Bob. “They have a swell football eleven -and a dandy baseball nine at Boxwood Hall.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we haven’t any objections to sports, if -you don’t go in for them too heavily,” said Mr. -Baker. “What do you say?” and he glanced at -the department store proprietor and at Mrs. Hopkins. -“Shall we let the boys have their way?”</p> - -<p>“Let’s consider it farther,” suggested Mr. -Slade. “We’ll write to—let me see—Dr. Anderson -Cole is the college president,” he went on, referring -to the catalogue. “We’ll write to him and -see what sort of arrangements can be made.”</p> - -<p>“We could start in with the fall term,” observed -Jerry. “Boxwood doesn’t open as early -as some of the other colleges.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll see about it,” said his mother.</p> - -<p>“I’ll write the letters,” offered the banker. “My -stenographer isn’t overworked, and I will get her -at them the first thing in the morning. And I -guess that ends the conference, for the time being,” -he concluded.</p> - -<p>“Then may we go?” asked his son. “We are -going out in the motor boat.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, run along,” said Mrs. Hopkins. “Jerry, -let Mr. Baker have the catalogue the professor -sent. He’ll need to refer to it for his letters.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p> - -<p>A little later the three chums were hastening -toward the house where their motor boat was -kept.</p> - -<p>“Say! won’t it be great if we can go to Boxwood?” -exclaimed Bob.</p> - -<p>“The finest thing ever!” declared Jerry. “It -will do us good to see the professor again.”</p> - -<p>“So that’s what all this confabbing business on -the part of our respected parents was about,” -commented Ned. “I hadn’t any idea it would -turn out this way.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I,” admitted Jerry. “I thought something -was in the wind along the line of making -us settle down, but I was afraid mother might be -going to make me go to work. Not that I would -mind work,” he made haste to add, “but I’m not -quite ready for it.”</p> - -<p>“I thought maybe they were going to take the -car, the boat and the airship away from us,” observed -Bob, for our heroes, as their friends who -have read about them in previous books know, did -have a fine airship, in which they had gone through -many adventures.</p> - -<p>“That would be a hardship,” said Jerry. “But -going to college isn’t half bad. I’m glad they decided -on it. I guess a little discipline and settling -down will be good for all of us. It’s a lucky -thing Professor Snodgrass sent me that catalogue. -If I hadn’t had that to spring on ’em they might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -have packed us off to some place where we -wouldn’t have a friend to our names.”</p> - -<p>“They may yet,” suggested Bob half gloomily. -“They may decide against Boxwood Hall.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe so,” remarked Jerry. “I sort -of think they’re favorably disposed toward it, for -it is a first-class place. And say! why, we can -take our motor boat there!” he cried. “There’s -Lake Carmona—a dandy place for a boat.”</p> - -<p>“But it will soon be winter,” objected Ned, -“and the lake will freeze over.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” declared Jerry. “It will be -some time before freezing weather sets in, and -there’ll be lots of time to take trips on the lake. -We’ll have to store the boat over winter, of -course, but she’ll be there in the spring. We’ll -take the <i>Neboje</i> with us.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Neboje</i> (the name being made up of the -first two letters of Ned, Bob and Jerry) was a -new craft. It was smaller than the last boat the -boys had bought, and they often preferred it, as -it was easier to handle. It was so arranged that -they could sleep and cook on board, and make -short cruises on lake or river.</p> - -<p>“Sure, take the boat!” exclaimed Bob. “And -why can’t we take the auto too?”</p> - -<p>“We could, I guess,” conceded Jerry. “The -only thing is, though, that the fellows at Boxwood -may think we’re putting it on rather thick.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I guess not,” said Ned. “If we took our airship -they might. But some of them are sure to -have cars themselves, and with the lake so near it -would be a wonder if there wasn’t one or two -motor boats owned by the students. We’ll take -her along.”</p> - -<p>“That is, if we go,” observed Jerry with a -smile.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll go!” declared Bob, as they reached -the boathouse.</p> - -<p>“Got enough gasoline?” asked Jerry, as he took -the tarpaulin cover off the <i>Neboje</i>.</p> - -<p>“Plenty,” announced Bob, looking at the gauge. -“We’ll only go for a little run, as I want to get -back in time for——”</p> - -<p>“Grub!” broke in Ned with a laugh, and then -he had to dodge the bailing sponge which the -stout youth threw at his head.</p> - -<p>Ned caught the sponge and threw it back at -Bob, but with such poor aim that it struck Jerry -in the face, and, being wet, it was not the most -desirable object in the world to receive in that -fashion.</p> - -<p>“Here! What are you doing?” roared Jerry, -wiping his dripping face. “I’ve had my bath this -week. Cut out the rough stuff!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean that,” came from Ned. “It was -Bob’s fault.”</p> - -<p>“It was not! You threw it!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You chucked it first.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t ragged -me about my eating. And I wasn’t going to say -anything about grub, either. I meant I wanted -to get home early so I could talk more to dad -about Boxwood Hall.”</p> - -<p>“Go on! You’re going to see a girl!” scoffed -Jerry.</p> - -<p>Bob flared up again, but quiet was finally restored -and, the boathouse doors having been -thrown open, Ned pressed the button of the self-starter -and the <i>Neboje</i> swung out into the river -which ran near the Hopkins’ house.</p> - -<p>As the chums, comfortably seated in their craft, -were getting under way, they heard a hail.</p> - -<p>“Hold on, boys—wait a minute—got something -to tell you—don’t go away without me—it’s -great news—come on back—slow down—turn -off the gasoline—shut off the spark—swing her -around—whoop!”</p> - -<p>“No need to look to tell who that is,” Jerry -remarked.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s Andy Rush,” said Bob, as he glanced -at a small and very much excited boy who was -dancing about on the dock.</p> - -<p>“Come back and get me!” he begged.</p> - -<p>“Shall we?” asked Ned, who was steering.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I guess so,” assented Jerry. “Andy’s -all right if he does talk like a gasoline motor.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I wonder what news he has,” ventured Bob.</p> - -<p>Ned swung the boat about, and Andy, whom -my older readers will remember, got aboard. -He was panting from his rapid-fire talk.</p> - -<p>“What’s the news?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“It’s about Noddy Nixon,” said Andy Rush, -when he had gotten back his breath.</p> - -<p>“Then it isn’t good news,” averred Jerry, for -in the past Noddy had made much trouble for -the three chums.</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t good news,” said Andy. “He’s -hurt somewhere out West. He ran his automobile -into another one, and now he’s in a hospital.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t wish Noddy any bad luck, for all -he did us several mean turns,” remarked Jerry. -“But he never did know how to handle a car—he -was too reckless. Is he badly hurt, Andy?”</p> - -<p>“Well, he won’t die, but it will be a good while -before he’ll be well. A friend of my mother’s, -who lives out West, wrote her about Noddy, -knowing he used to live here.”</p> - -<p>“I hope he never comes back here to live,” Ned -remarked. “We can easily get along without -him.”</p> - -<p>“So say we all of us!” chimed in Bob.</p> - -<p>The boys enjoyed the little motor boat trip, -though Andy Rush, as usual, talked so much and -so fast that Jerry said he gave him a headache.</p> - -<p>“Here, earn your passage,” the tall youth finally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -cried. “Polish some of the brass rail. That -will give you a safety-valve,” and Andy, perforce, -had to obey.</p> - -<p>It was several days after this that Bob Baker -came hurrying over to the Hopkins house.</p> - -<p>“Good news!” cried the stout youth.</p> - -<p>“What about?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Dad has had a letter from President Cole, of -Boxwood Hall, and everything is so satisfactory -that dad has decided I am to go there. Hurrah!”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah yourself!” retorted Jerry. “What -about Ned and me?”</p> - -<p>“It’s all right. I just left Ned, and his father -says if Mr. Baker is satisfied he’ll be, so Ned can -go. It rests with your mother whether you can, -Jerry.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m sure mother will say yes! I’ll tell -her! Say! this is great—all three of us to go to -Boxwood Hall! Wow!” and Jerry did a clog -dance that brought his mother to the door of her -room to learn the cause of the excitement.</p> - -<p>She readily gave her consent to the Boxwood -Hall project for Jerry, and later that day there -was another conference of the parents. There had -been considerable correspondence between Mr. -Baker and President Cole, and the banker was -more than satisfied with the showing made by the -college.</p> - -<p>“I think it will be just the place for the boys,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -he declared, “and I will write to President Cole, -informing him they will be on hand soon after, -if not at, the opening of the fall term. We shall -have to get them ready, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“That won’t take long,” Jerry said. “Now I’ll -write to Professor Snodgrass, and tell him we’ll -soon be with him.”</p> - -<p>Thus the matter was decided. The names of -Ned, Bob and Jerry were formally entered for -admission to Boxwood Hall, and their standing -in their studies was such that they had to take -but few examinations.</p> - -<p>In the letter to Professor Snodgrass Jerry explained -how it had all come about, and he thanked -the little scientist for having sent the catalogue.</p> - -<p>“Only for that,” Jerry wrote, “we might have -been packed off to some place where we wouldn’t -have liked it at all. I’m afraid we won’t get a -chance to go hunting butterflies with you, much as -we would like it.”</p> - -<p>In reply Jerry had another letter from the bug-collector. -Professor Snodgrass wrote that there -would be plenty of chance for him to have outings -with the boys.</p> - -<p>“That’s fine!” cried Jerry. “Hurrah for Boxwood -Hall!”</p> - -<p>And his chums echoed the exultant cry.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<small>BOXWOOD HALL</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Imagine a great, green, grassy bowl, nestled -snugly amid a succession of green hills, set, more -or less regularly, in a circle. And at the bottom -of the great, green, grassy bowl, which is miles -across, imagine further a silvery sheet, irregular -in outline and sparkling in the sun.</p> - -<p>Up on one of the sides of the green, grassy -bowl, where it leveled out into a sort of plateau, -is a group of dull, red buildings, their maroon -color contrasting pleasingly with the emerald tint -of the surroundings. Across the tip of another -hill lay a country town, and from a vantage point -one could see a railroad, like a shiny snake, winding -its way up to the town, stopping there, in the -shape of a station, and then going on across the -valley.</p> - -<p>The town is that of Fordham—a city some -called it. It was in New England, about half way -between Boston and New York. The green bowl -was Fordham valley, and the shining, glittering<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -bottom of it was Lake Carmona, a beautiful sheet -of water, some miles in extent.</p> - -<p>The group of red buildings was Boxwood Hall -with which we shall soon concern ourselves, and -which was very much in the minds of Ned, Bob -and Jerry at this moment, as it had been for some -time. The college buildings were about a mile, or, -say a mile and a half to be exact, from the Fordham -railroad station, and were practically on the -shore of Lake Carmona, for the college owned the -land running down to the lake, and had on it a -boathouse and a dock. But the buildings themselves -lay back a quarter of a mile from the water, -and this quarter of a mile, somewhat less in width, -formed the college campus—one not surpassed -anywhere.</p> - -<p>Upon this campus, strolling about here and -there this fine fall day, was a group of lads attired -in the more or less exaggerated costumes effected -by college youth the world over.</p> - -<p>“Say, fellows, I’ve got news for you!” cried -Frank Watson, who, as one could tell by the manner -he used toward some of the other students, -was a sophomore. “Great news! Come here, -Bill Hamilton—Bart Haley—you too, Sid Lenton -and Jim Blake. Come here and listen to me.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter now?” asked Bill Hamilton, -a flashily dressed lad. “Has some one left -you money?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I wish some one had,” remarked Frank.</p> - -<p>“Same here,” drawled Bart Haley. “I never -knew how much a fellow could spend until I came -here. I’m up against it hard!”</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t money,” remarked Frank. “It’s -worse than that. What do you know about this. -There’s a bunch of new fellows coming here in a -week or so, and they’re about the limit—or at -least I think they’ll be that.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” asked Bart, slightly interested.</p> - -<p>“This. There are three fellows coming into -the freshman class. And from what I hear they -have been around pretty much, so they’ll probably -be fresher than usual and will try to run things -here to suit themselves. The know-it-all class, so -to speak.”</p> - -<p>“Who are they?” asked Bart.</p> - -<p>“How’d you hear about this?” demanded Sid -Lenton.</p> - -<p>“They are—let me see. I jotted down their -names so’s we’d have ’em handy to use in case -we had to. Here they are—Jerry Hopkins, Bob -Baker and Ned Slade. They’re from Cresville, -and they’re going to bring their auto with them. -Fawncy now!” and Frank assumed a mocking air -and tone.</p> - -<p>“I asked you how you heard it,” came from -Sid again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Professor Snodgrass told me. He’s a friend -of theirs, it seems, and he sent one of them a college -catalogue. That’s how they came to be -wished on to us. It seems that Professor Snodgrass, -who isn’t a bad sort by the way, used to -travel about with the Motor Boys, as their friends -at home call them,” said Frank, sarcastically.</p> - -<p>“Motor boys?” repeated Bart Haley.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s what they used to call themselves. -Think of that—motor boys!”</p> - -<p>“Why was that?” asked Sid.</p> - -<p>“Oh, because they did a lot of motoring. Had -motor cycles first, it appears, then they got an -auto, then a motor boat, and then they even had a -submarine!”</p> - -<p>“Get out! You’re stringing us!” cried several.</p> - -<p>“No, it’s straight!” declared Frank. He sat -down on the grass and continued: “Why, some -fellow even wrote a book—two or three of them -I guess—about these same motor boys. When -Professor Snodgrass told me they were coming -here I pumped him for all he was worth. Thinks -I to myself, if we’re going to have fellows like -that here, who sure will try to walk over us, the -more I know about them the better.</p> - -<p>“So he told me all he knew, which was a lot. It -seems he used to go off on bug-hunting expeditions -with them in the auto, the boat or the airship.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Airship!” cried Jim Blake. “You don’t mean -to say they had an airship, do you?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what the professor said.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s daffy! I’ll never believe that. They -may have had an auto and a motor boat—I’ve -got one of them myself,” said Bill Hamilton. -“But an airship—never!”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll find out about that later,” declared -Frank. “Anyhow, some fellow did write about -the motor boys. He made up a story of how they -went overland, and even down into Mexico.”</p> - -<p>“Mexico!” exclaimed Harry French.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mexico. And there they discovered a -buried city, or something like that. The professor -made a big find there—some new kind of bug I -guess. And then there’s a book telling how these -motor boys went across the plains, and how they -first went cruising in their motor boat. They were -on the Atlantic, on the Pacific, and in the strange -waters of the Florida Everglades. Some trip, -believe me!”</p> - -<p>“Do you s’pose it’s all true?” some one asked.</p> - -<p>“The professor says so, and you know what -a stickler he is,” responded Frank.</p> - -<p>“Well, if that’s the case, these fellows sure -will try to put it all over us,” declared Sid.</p> - -<p>“They may try, but they won’t succeed,” declared -Frank, and there was a vindictive ring to -his voice. “But this isn’t all. Ned, Bob and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -Jerry—the motor boys—did go above the clouds -in some sort of motor ship, according to the professor. -They went across the Rockies, and out -over the ocean. Then they went after some kind -of a fortune, and even helped capture some Canadian -smugglers up on the border. And it’s all -in books, too.</p> - -<p>“And, as I said, according to Mr. Snodgrass, -these lads went down in a submarine. I didn’t believe -that at first, but he told me of the things -he saw and the specimens he caught, so I guess it’s -true enough.</p> - -<p>“Now they’re coming here. They got back -from a long trip on road and river just before -Professor Snodgrass came here to teach, and they -had such lively times that their folks packed them -here for us to look after,” and Frank grinned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll look after ’em all right!” cried Sid.</p> - -<p>“That’s what we will,” added Bart Haley.</p> - -<p>“If they try to run things here they’ll find that -they’re running themselves into the ground,” declared -Jake Porter.</p> - -<p>The group of students around Frank nodded -assent. The boys were, as has been said, sophomores, -and most of them were on the baseball -nine.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if they’ll go out for football?” asked -Ted Newton, captain of the eleven. “We need -some good material.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t have new fellows—butters-in -like these three—on the team; would you?” asked -Frank.</p> - -<p>“Well, they’d be eligible for the varsity under -the rules here, which are different from those of -most colleges. I wouldn’t turn any fellow down -just because he’d had some adventures. Cracky! -I’d like a taste of them myself!”</p> - -<p>“I tell you these motor boys will be impossible!” -cried Frank. “You’ll see! They’ll think -they’re the whole show, and that we don’t amount -to anything. We can haze them and then we can -sit on ’em good and proper, and that’s what I say -let’s do!”</p> - -<p>“I’m with you,” drawled Bill Hamilton.</p> - -<p>“Are they rich?” asked Sid.</p> - -<p>“I s’pose they are,” admitted Frank, “or they -couldn’t afford to do all they have done. But -that won’t make any difference to me. I’m going -to snub ’em and sit on ’em, for they’ll be sure to -try to run things.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” agreed some of his cronies. -“We’ll show these motor boys a thing or two at -Boxwood!”</p> - -<p>Thus, without having seen our heroes, the coterie -led by Frank Watson decided on a verdict -against them—a verdict that was destined to cause -no end of trouble.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<small>OFF TO COLLEGE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry were not able to enter -Boxwood Hall the first week of the fall term. -They had expected to, and had begun to prepare -for that. But some minor difficulties cropped up -in regard to their entrance examinations, and they -were obliged to pass certain tests which were arranged -for by President Cole with the principal -of the Cresville Academy, where the boys had -been in attendance.</p> - -<p>Finally, their previous work in their studies was -found to be satisfactory, and, as Frank Watson -informed his chums, the three chums were to enter -the freshman class.</p> - -<p>While the boys were busy with their examinations, -their parents—the mothers especially—were -busy preparing their sons’ outfits.</p> - -<p>“It’s worse than when we went overland,” complained -Ned, when he had been obliged to pass -judgment on suits, caps, underwear and other -wearing apparel—the outfit he was to take to -college with him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, well, it’ll soon be over,” was Jerry’s consoling -suggestion.</p> - -<p>“The worst of it is,” said Bob, “we may be all -out of date with our clothes when we get to Boxwood -and see what the fellows there are wearing. -We may have to get a lot of new things.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing more than a cap or two, I guess,” -Jerry said. “We’ll wait about them until we get -there, and find out what kind the fellows are -sporting. We’ll wear our auto caps until then.”</p> - -<p>“Auto caps!” cried Bob. “They won’t look -good in the train.”</p> - -<p>“Who said anything about a train?” asked -Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Why, aren’t we going to Fordham by train?”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you tell him about it?” asked the tall -lad of Ned.</p> - -<p>“No, Jerry, I forgot.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the game?” inquired Bob.</p> - -<p>“Why, Ned and I talked it over,” said Jerry, -“and we decided it would be a good stunt, as long -as we’re going to take our car to college with us, -to motor down in it instead of going by train. I -supposed he had told you, but I guess there was -so much going on that he forgot about it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” affirmed Ned.</p> - -<p>“Motor down!” Bob exclaimed. “That will -be swell! We can do it easily in a day, and we -can take along our——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Lunch!” cut in Ned, taking care to have Jerry -between him and Bob.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you make me tired!” exclaimed the stout -lad. “I was going to say take our trunks along, -and save a lot of bother with the expressman.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” Jerry said. “Let Chunky alone, -Ned. He’s all right, even if he does eat five times -a day.”</p> - -<p>“Now you’re picking on me!” laughed Bob. -“Well, go as far as you like, I can stand it if you -can.”</p> - -<p>“Say, I’ll tell you what we might do,” cried -Ned, as he and his chums got into their car for -a spin out into the country, as it was a day or so -yet before they would depart for Boxwood Hall.</p> - -<p>“What?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“We might write to Professor Snodgrass, and -ask him what sort of duds the fellows wear there. -Then we’d know what to get and save doubling -up.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean that?” asked Jerry, with a queer -look at his chum.</p> - -<p>“Of course I do. Why not?”</p> - -<p>“You ought to know the professor by this time,” -remarked the tall lad with a laugh. “He doesn’t -know any more about clothes than a bat!”</p> - -<p>“I should say not!” chimed in Bob, who was, -as his friends said, “some nifty little dresser.” -“The professor would get styles all mixed up with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -his bugs and butterflies,” went on the stout lad. -“He’d tell us that the fellows were wearing sweaters -with double-jointed legs, and trousers with -stripes running around them like that queer beetle -he got when we were down in Mexico. He’d -have just about that much idea of what we wanted -to know.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re right,” assented Ned. “I didn’t -think about that. We’ll just settle the clothes question -when we get there.”</p> - -<p>They motored along a pleasant country road, -talking of many things, but chiefly of their coming -stay at Boxwood Hall, and what they would -do when they got there.</p> - -<p>“I hope we can room together,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“We’ll have connecting rooms,” Jerry said. -“Mother wrote to the matron, a Mrs. Eastman, -and she wrote back that there were three nice -rooms in the main dormitory of Borton we could -have. So mother clinched them for us. Mother’s -a bit fussy about rooms, and I guess I’m glad she -is.”</p> - -<p>“Say, that will be swell all right!” exclaimed -Bob.</p> - -<p>“All to the merry!” chimed in Ned.</p> - -<p>A little farther along they passed the place -where they had put out the automobile fire some -time previously.</p> - -<p>“I wonder what ever became of Mr. Hobson—was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -that his name, the fellow we saved?” asked -Ned, musingly.</p> - -<p>“That was it—Samuel Hobson,” affirmed Jerry. -“Didn’t I tell you I had a card from him?”</p> - -<p>“No,” replied his chums.</p> - -<p>“Well, I had. A souvenir card from San Francisco. -He’s out there on business, but expects to -come East again. He said he’d write a letter -when he had time. Sent his regards to all of -you.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a wonder he wouldn’t drop us a line,” -grumbled Bob.</p> - -<p>“He apologized for that,” explained Jerry. -“Said he’d lost your addresses, and asked me to -send them on.”</p> - -<p>“Well, make mine Boxwood Hall,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“Same here,” came from Bob.</p> - -<p>Several busy days followed in which last preparations -were made. The boys’ plan to motor to -Boxwood Hall was agreed to by the parents. As -the car was a roomy one there was space in it for -their trunks, as well as for themselves, and, thus -taking their baggage, they would save themselves -considerable trouble.</p> - -<p>The boys had looked up the best route to take, -and though the trip was something over a hundred -and fifty miles, they figured that by making an -early start they could reach the college in the late -afternoon.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And it’ll be a whole lot better than traveling -in a stuffy train, fellows,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>Professor Snodgrass had been written to again -by the boys, who told of their automobile trip, and -they mentioned the time they expected to arrive. -In reply the little scientist said he would be on the -lookout for them, and he again expressed his -pleasure that they were going to be near him.</p> - -<p>“He’s as jolly as a young fellow himself,” declared -Jerry.</p> - -<p>The morning for the start came, and after a -substantial breakfast, at least on the part of Bob, -our heroes took their places in the big touring -car.</p> - -<p>“Now boys,” said Mr. Slade, who, with Mr. -Baker, had come to the home of Mrs. Hopkins -to see the three off, “remember that you are not -going to college for fun.”</p> - -<p>“But we can have a little; can’t we, Dad?” -asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course. I want you all to have a good -time within reason. But you must all buckle down -to hard work too. As we said before, you’ve had -more than your share of strenuous adventures. -Leave some for the other fellows. You must prepare -to take your places as men in the world soon, -and a good education is the best preparation.”</p> - -<p>“I agree with what Mr. Slade says,” added the -banker. “We don’t want to be too preachy, but,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -boys, dig in hard now, and let us all be proud of -you.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure we shall be,” said Mrs. Hopkins, -and there was a smile on her face, though she -found it rather hard to let Jerry go for such a -long time. Still he was used to being away from -home, and his mother knew he could take care -of himself, as could his chums.</p> - -<p>Good-byes echoed and re-echoed as Jerry -started the motor and, throwing in the gears, let -the clutch slip into place. Hands were waved, -and then our three heroes swung down the road on -their way to college. It was a momentous occasion -for them.</p> - -<p>“Good-bye, fellows—wish I were going—don’t -forget to write—send me tickets—football game—maybe -I can come—it’ll be great—hope you -play and win every game—good-bye!”</p> - -<p>It was Andy Rush, of course, and the little chap -ran alongside the automobile for a few feet as he -delivered his rapid-fire remarks.</p> - -<p>“I wonder what will happen to him when he -goes to college,” mused Bob.</p> - -<p>“He’ll have to dictate his recitations into a -phonograph,” said Jerry, “and when the prof -wants to listen he’ll have to run it at half speed, -or he wouldn’t catch a word.”</p> - -<p>“Oh well, Andy’s all right. He’s done us lots -of good turns,” declared Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s right,” agreed his chums.</p> - -<p>Little of incident marked their morning trip, -save that Ned and Bob had a discussion as to -which was the best place to eat, a dispute that -ended when Jerry picked out an altogether different -restaurant, and stopped the car in front of it.</p> - -<p>After a brief rest they were on their way again. -Now they were in unfamiliar country, and several -times they had to stop to ask which road to take, -as the road map seemed faulty.</p> - -<p>“We’re not going to get there before dark at -this rate,” said Bob, as he looked at his watch, -and noted a sign-board which stated that Fordham -was still many miles away.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, we’ve got good headlights,” Jerry -said.</p> - -<p>It clouded up about four o’clock, and at five -was so dark that the headlights had to be set -aglow. At a cross-road Jerry stopped the car.</p> - -<p>“Hop out, Ned, and see which turn to take,” -he said.</p> - -<p>Ned, with a pocket flashlight, examined the -board.</p> - -<p>“Say, this is queer!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“What is?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Why, one of these roads goes to Lawrenceville -and the other to Ogdenburg. We’ve come -the wrong way, fellows. Fordham isn’t anywhere -around here!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -<small>PROFESSOR SNODGRASS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Momentary silence followed the rather disconcerting -remark made by Ned after his discovery. -Then Jerry asked:</p> - -<p>“Are you sure about that? Look around. -Maybe there’s another sign-board somewhere else -that gives information about Fordham.”</p> - -<p>“This is the only one there is,” declared Ned, -flashing his light about, “and it doesn’t intimate -that such a place as Fordham even exists.”</p> - -<p>“Then we must have come the wrong road!” -exclaimed Bob.</p> - -<p>“Oh, fine! How’d you guess it? That’s a brilliant -head you have!” said Ned, rather sarcastically.</p> - -<p>“Well, it isn’t my fault,” observed Bob. “I -wasn’t guiding the car.”</p> - -<p>“No, I s’pose it’s up to me,” admitted Jerry. -“Though I’m sure I took the turn that last fellow -we asked told us to take.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, you did all right,” agreed Ned. “It was -that farmer who misdirected us. I beg your pardon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -Bob, for jumping at you that way. But it -makes me mad to think we’ve gotten on the wrong -road, and we won’t get to Boxwood until after -supper.”</p> - -<p>“Getting hungry?” asked Jerry. “That’s -Chunky’s role, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Roll or bread—I’d be glad of either,” said -Ned. “Yes, I am hungry. I didn’t eat as much -lunch as you fellows did. Now go ahead, Bob, -and lay it into me. I deserve it.”</p> - -<p>Bob reached under the rear seat and held up -a package.</p> - -<p>“I’ll lay this into you, Ned,” he laughed.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” asked the complaining one.</p> - -<p>“Grub! Sandwiches, cake and so on.”</p> - -<p>“Grub!” Jerry exclaimed. “Where’d you get -it?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I had the waiter in the restaurant put it -up for me. I thought we might get hungry before -supper, but I didn’t think we would get lost. -It’ll come in handy, won’t it?”</p> - -<p>“It’ll come in stomachicly, to coin a new word,” -declared Ned. “Chunky, if ever I say anything -again about your eats, just you remind me of this -occasion.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed the stout youth.</p> - -<p>“Well, we won’t starve, that’s sure,” Jerry -said. “But the question is which road are we to -take?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Neither one of these, I vote,” said Bob. -“They don’t go where we want to go. I say, let’s -go back until we get to another cross highway, -and that may have a sign on that we didn’t notice -before which will direct us to Fordham.”</p> - -<p>“I guess Bob’s right,” conceded Jerry. “Back -we go.”</p> - -<p>“And we can eat on the way,” Bob went on; -and neither of his chums joked him this time.</p> - -<p>Somewhat disappointed and chagrined at the -outcome of their automobile trip, or rather, at -the prospective outcome, the boys put back. They -had counted on arriving at Boxwood Hall in some -“style” with their big car. Not that the three -chums cared so much about showing off, but they -felt they had a right to make a certain impression, -since, according to present plans, they were -to remain at the college for some time.</p> - -<p>But now they would arrive after dark, and they -would be met by strange professors and college -officials (all save Professor Snodgrass), they -would be late for supper, and would have no -chance to view the college until morning.</p> - -<p>“Hang that farmer, anyhow!” murmured -Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I wish he had to go without his suppers for a -week,” added Ned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’re not so badly off,” declared Bob, -as he was munching a sandwich.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Bob wouldn’t want any one condemned to -go without food,” said Jerry. “Well, I suppose it -was my own fault in a way. I should have consulted -the map after that fellow told us which -turn to take. We’ll know better next time.”</p> - -<p>“There’s a house,” remarked Ned. “Suppose -we inquire there.”</p> - -<p>“No!” decided Jerry. “That’s a farmer’s -house, and I won’t trust any more farmers. I’ll -go on back to the last turn we made. There’s a -garage not far from there, and they’ll know the -road, that’s sure.”</p> - -<p>It was not a long ride back to the place where -Jerry felt they had made the wrong turn, and a -few minutes more took them to the garage. But -it was now quite dark.</p> - -<p>“Fordham—um, yes,” said the garage man, reflectively. -“I should say you <em>did</em> take the wrong -turn!”</p> - -<p>“Well, please tell us how to take the right one,” -begged Jerry.</p> - -<p>“The right one happens to be a left one,” said -the man with a laugh. Then he gave them the -proper directions, and said they ought to be at -Boxwood Hall in about an hour.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” cried Ned, as they started away -once more. “On with the dance!”</p> - -<p>“Speaking of dances, I wonder if they ever have -any at the college?” asked Bob, reflectively.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sure they do!” exclaimed Ned, who of late -had taken up fox-trotting. “Didn’t the catalogue -say that all proper facilities were given for the -best social life. And what is social life, I’d like -to know, without a dance now and then?”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’ll get your share of it,” remarked -Jerry, his eyes on the road ahead, for it was an -unfamiliar one to him, and, though the garage -man had said it was a fine, straight highway, Jerry -was taking no chances. The powerful electric -lights made a fine illumination far ahead.</p> - -<p>Now it might have been reasonably expected -that Fate, if you choose to call it such, having -dealt our heroes one blow, would refrain from giving -them another, at least for a while. But it was -not to be.</p> - -<p>About a half hour after having left the garage -they came to an obstruction across the road. It -was in the form of a big sawhorse such as is used -in cities to block streets when repair work is being -done. From the barrier hung a red lantern.</p> - -<p>“Hello! What does this mean?” asked Jerry, -bringing the car up with a screeching of brakes.</p> - -<p>“Looks like danger,” observed Bob.</p> - -<p>“There’s some kind of a sign,” said Ned. “I’ll -get out and read it.”</p> - -<p>With his pocket flashlight he inspected a placard -that was tacked on the big sawhorse.</p> - -<p>“It says the bridge just ahead is being repaired,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -and can’t be used,” Ned called back to his chums. -“And it says to go back half a mile, and take the -road to the left.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if this isn’t luck!” cried Jerry. “Will -we ever get to Boxwood Hall?”</p> - -<p>“There’s no help for it,” remarked Ned. “We -can’t go over a dangerous bridge, that’s sure. The -only thing to do is to go back. It won’t delay us -much, as the road the sign mentions isn’t a five -minutes’ ride back.”</p> - -<p>“No, but it may take us on a roundabout way,” -objected Jerry. “That’s what I’m thinking of. -But I guess it’s the only thing we can do. I reckon -the garage man didn’t know about the bridge.”</p> - -<p>So back they turned for the second time, and, -following the directions, they took the road to the -left, speeding along as fast as they dared.</p> - -<p>“Who proposed this auto trip, anyhow?” -grumbled Ned.</p> - -<p>“I did,” confessed Jerry. “But I guess it -would have been better to have come by train, -and have had a chauffeur bring our car on later. -I’m sorry, fellows, that——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s all right,” Ned hastened to say. “I -was only joking. I don’t know what’s the matter -with me to-night. I seem to be on the outs all -around.”</p> - -<p>“It’s your liver,” said Jerry with a laugh. “I -don’t hold it against you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Fox-trotting is good for it,” observed Bob.</p> - -<p>“Good for what?” demanded Ned.</p> - -<p>“Sluggish and torpid livers. I guess that’s -what you’ve got.”</p> - -<p>“Get out!” laughed Ned. “I only have one -liver.”</p> - -<p>They sped along, and presently a new moon -showed above the horizon, shining now and then -through the masses of scudding clouds. The road -was good, and Jerry had turned the wheel over -to Ned, as the latter had not driven much that -day, and Jerry was rather tired from the strain.</p> - -<p>They came to the top of a little hill, and saw, -not far away, a group of buildings revealed in the -moonlight.</p> - -<p>“There she is!” exclaimed Bob. “There’s Boxwood -Hall!”</p> - -<p>Jerry and Ned peered at the structures.</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t look like the pictures,” declared -Ned, dubiously.</p> - -<p>“Just what I was going to say,” remarked -Jerry. “It doesn’t look a bit like Boxwood Hall.”</p> - -<p>“What else could it be?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, unless some of the buildings -have been destroyed since that catalogue came out. -But if that had happened Professor Snodgrass -would have told us,” Ned declared.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll see in a few minutes,” observed -Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p> - -<p>They motored on until they came to where a -gateway at the roadside led up to the group of -buildings they had noticed, and then, in the glare -of their headlights they read over the arch:</p> - -<p class="noi adauthor">KENWELL MILITARY ACADEMY</p> - -<p>For a moment no one spoke. Then Jerry burst -out with:</p> - -<p>“Well, what in the world is happening to us?”</p> - -<p>“We’re jinxed!” cried Ned.</p> - -<p>Bob said nothing.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you add to the general hilarity?” -asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Well, I—I’m—stumped!” murmured the stout -lad.</p> - -<p>“If that’s all you can think of to say you might -better have kept still,” laughed Ned. “We sure -have been up against it to-day!”</p> - -<p>“About as bad luck as we ever had,” admitted -Jerry. “Still it might be worse.”</p> - -<p>“The worst is yet to come,” quoted Bob, with -a laugh. They all joined in, for, after all, there -was a funny side to the whole thing.</p> - -<p>“Did that sign where the red lantern was say -the left road went to Fordham?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“No, it didn’t say that,” admitted Ned. “But -it didn’t say anything about any other road. -There wasn’t any choice.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I’m going to get this straight now,” said -Jerry, in a determined tone. “I’m going up to -that academy and get them to draw us a plan of -the right road to take. No more mistakes for -me!”</p> - -<p>“Here’s some one coming now,” remarked Bob. -Into the glare of the headlights came a man. He -stepped to one side, to get out of the too brilliant -illumination.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me, sir,” said Jerry, “but we are trying -to find Boxwood Hall, near Fordham. Can -you direct us to it?”</p> - -<p>“Boxwood Hall! Of course I can. I am an -instructor there, but I have had the misfortune -to——”</p> - -<p>Something in the voice caused the boys to give -a simultaneous shout of:</p> - -<p>“Professor Snodgrass! It’s Professor Snodgrass!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -<small>THE PROFESSOR’S SHOES</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry tumbled out of the automobile -in such haste that it might have been called -a “dead heat,” to use a sporting term. They made -a rush for the little man standing at the side of -the road near the path of light from the automobile -lamps.</p> - -<p>“Professor Snodgrass!” cried Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Is it really you?” demanded Ned.</p> - -<p>“Our good luck has started!” was Bob’s contribution -to the general fund.</p> - -<p>As for the little man in the road, he did not -seem to know what to do or say.</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardons, young gentlemen,” he -said. “Are you students from Boxwood Hall, or -from the military academy here? I see you have -a machine, and if you are from Boxwood Hall I -would ask that——”</p> - -<p>“We’re not <em>from</em> Boxwood, but we want to <em>go</em> -there!” cried Jerry. “Don’t you know us, Professor -Snodgrass? Take a look!”</p> - -<p>He whirled the little man around into the light<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -so he could look at the three chums. Then a great -change came over the professor’s face.</p> - -<p>“Why—why—why, it’s the motor boys!” he -cried. “Ned, Bob and Jerry! Bless my soul! -But I <em>am</em> glad to see you! What are you doing -here? I thought you were coming to Boxwood -Hall, and I find you at the gates of the military -academy.”</p> - -<p>“It’s all a mistake, Professor! It’s all a mistake! -It’s all wrong!” laughed Jerry. “It’s too -long a story to tell now, but we’ll give it to you by -degrees. We’ve been ever since the early morning -traveling from Cresville here, and more things -have happened than you could shake a stick at. -But how comes it you are over here?”</p> - -<p>“You may well ask that,” returned Professor -Snodgrass. “I have had my troubles too. I set -off this afternoon to gather a few specimens of -<i lang="el" xml:lang="el">lepidoptera</i>——”</p> - -<p>“Leopards!” exclaimed Bob. “I didn’t know -there were any around here. Did they break out -of a circus?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my dear boy!” exclaimed Professor Snodgrass. -“You must brush up on your Greek if you -are to be one of my pupils. <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">Lepidoptera</i> is formed -of two Greek words, meaning a scale, or husk, -and a wing, and by <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">lepidoptera</i> we mean butterflies -and moths.”</p> - -<p>“Now will you be good?” murmured Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I had heard of a certain rather rare variety -of moth which had been seen in this vicinity,” -went on the professor, “and though it was rather -late in the year to hope to get a specimen, I set -off this afternoon with my specimen box and net, -having finished my class work. I came over from -Fordham to the town of Bundton by train. Bundton -is the nearest station to the military academy, -and about fifteen miles from Fordham.</p> - -<p>“But though I tramped all over the fields, and -even ventured into a swamp, where this moth is -said to be sometimes seen, I was unsuccessful. -Not a one did I see. And I stayed so late that I -missed the last train back to Fordham, since the -summer schedule has been withdrawn. So I -started to walk, hoping I might find a garage on -my way where I could hire a car. I had no idea -of meeting you boys, though I remember now this -is the day you said you would arrive. It is most -unfortunate!</p> - -<p>“I mean it is unfortunate that I did not get -the moth I was after, but I am very glad I met -you boys. If you will kindly take me into your -car I can put you on the shortest and most direct -road to Fordham, which I am as anxious to reach -as are you, for I have some work to do in preparation -for to-morrow’s lessons.”</p> - -<p>“Say! this is the best yet!” cried Bob. “To -think of meeting you this way! We’d about given<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -up, and were going to ask the direction from some -one in Kenwell Academy. Sort of asking aid and -comfort of the enemy. I suppose they are the -enemies of Boxwood Hall, when it comes to -sports; aren’t they, Professor?”</p> - -<p>“Rivals, not enemies,” answered the little scientist. -“Yes, they play against our boys. I believe -their football nine is to meet our basketball eleven -soon.”</p> - -<p>The boys laughed.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter?” asked the professor.</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” answered Jerry. “How are you, -anyhow, Professor Snodgrass?”</p> - -<p>“My health has been excellent, thank you. I -like it very much at Boxwood, and I think you will -also. I am very glad you came. And now, I -think, we had better start. I should have been -back hours ago, but it could not be helped. I had -forgotten about the change in the trains, and I -counted on getting for the return trip one that I -have often taken.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that you have in your hand, Professor?” -asked Ned, observing that the little scientist -carried a pair of overshoes in one hand in addition -to his specimen box which was slung on a -strap over his shoulder, and his butterfly net, -which he carried in the other hand.</p> - -<p>“In my hand? Oh, my overshoes, of course. -Why, how careless of me! And my feet are soaking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -wet! I brought my rubbers with me in my -specimen box, thinking I might need them in the -swamp. And it was very wet!</p> - -<p>“I took them out, to put them on, and, just -then, I saw what I thought was a new kind of -butterfly. I rushed for it, but it was only a leaf.”</p> - -<p>“And you have been carrying your rubbers in -your hand ever since?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“I—I fear I have,” answered the collector, -looking down at his wet and soggy shoes. “It -is very careless of me. But I dare say they will -dry out on the ride to Boxwood Hall. How fortunate -that I should have met you!”</p> - -<p>“Best piece of luck in the world!” cried Jerry. -“Now, come on, Professor, and we’ll make short -work of the distance. Fifteen miles I think you -said it was to Fordham?”</p> - -<p>“That is by railroad,” was the reply. “It’s a -little longer by road, as we have to skirt Lake -Carmona. But if I know anything about you -motor boys I know you won’t be long.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed not!” cried Ned.</p> - -<p>“Do you think we’ll be too late for supper?” -asked Bob, and neither of his chums rebuked him.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m afraid it is a little late for the usual -meal,” said the professor. “But I can invite you -into my own residence and we will dine together. -I shall like that above all things. Don’t worry -about eating, Bob.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I won’t now, Professor,” and the stout youth -sighed in relief.</p> - -<p>They went back to the automobile, the boys -looking with some curiosity at the lighted buildings -of the military academy.</p> - -<p>“That’s some place!” exclaimed Ned.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is considered a very good school,” the -professor said, “but they are absolutely <em>nil</em> when -it comes to zoology. They do not give half the -proper attention to it. At Boxwood Hall it is -made a specialty, though I have also to lecture -on other subjects. And now boys, tell me all about -yourselves and your adventures.”</p> - -<p>“First take off your wet shoes,” directed Jerry, -as Professor Snodgrass entered the tonneau of the -automobile. “You can wrap your feet in some -blankets. It’s quite chilly to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” answered the professor. “I -might, that is very true. I will do as you say.”</p> - -<p>He removed his sodden foot gear and then, as -Jerry turned the automobile around, and set off on -the road, directed by the professor, the boys took -turns in telling of the happenings of the day, -which were many and varied.</p> - -<p>On his side, Professor Snodgrass mentioned -many points about Boxwood Hall, and answered, -as best he could, questions regarding the nine, the -eleven, the basket ball five and other lines of -sport, for which the college was noted.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What sort of fellows shall we meet?” Ned -demanded.</p> - -<p>“Oh, a very fine class,” the professor replied. -“We have many sons of wealthy parents here, as -well as others, less well off in worldly goods, but -who are fine students. You’ll like it here.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure we shall!” exclaimed Jerry, and his -chums murmured their assent.</p> - -<p>The boys could gather little idea of the nature -of the country round Boxwood Hall, as the darkness -had fallen. But Professor Snodgrass knew -the roads well, as he said. All summer he had -tramped them in search of butterflies and moths, -which was his latest “fad,” if what to him was a -serious matter may be so termed.</p> - -<p>“Here we are!” exclaimed the little scientist, -as he told Ned to make a certain turn. “Up this -road, and then to the left, and you’ll be near my -house. I have a whole cottage to myself, and a -most excellent cook.”</p> - -<p>“Good!” murmured Bob.</p> - -<p>“So you had better come in to supper with me,” -went on the professor. “Afterward, I will take -you in and introduce you to Dr. Cole, and Mr. -Wallace Thornton, the proctor, with whom you -will register. Then you will be shown to your -rooms, and can meet some of the boys.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe we’d better put that off until morning,” -suggested Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Just as you like,” agreed the scientist.</p> - -<p>As the automobile rolled on the three chums -had a glimpse of many buildings scattered over -the green campus, which sloped down to the -shores of Lake Carmona. It was too dark for -the boys to see much, but what they had a glimpse -of made them, more than ever, inclined to like -the place.</p> - -<p>“It’s going to be great!” murmured Ned.</p> - -<p>“That’s what!” agreed Bob.</p> - -<p>“And when we get our motor boat here,” added -Jerry, as he looked toward the lake, “we will -have <em>some</em> times—believe me!”</p> - -<p>“This is my residence,” put in the professor, -indicating a small, red, brick building covered with -ivy, as the boys could see in the glare of the automobile -lamps. “Not all of the faculty have separate -dwellings, but my zoological collections are -so large that I needed plenty of room, so I was -assigned to this house. It is very comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“Where can we leave the auto?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, there is a garage on the premises, though -I have no car. You may keep yours there if -you like.”</p> - -<p>“Fine!” said Jerry.</p> - -<p>For the time being they left the machine in the -road, and proceeded up the gravel walk. Jerry -noticed that the professor seemed to be hobbling -in a peculiar manner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Did you hurt your feet in the swamp?” the -tall lad asked.</p> - -<p>“Hurt my feet? No, not that I know of. Ah—I -see! Bless my soul! I’ve forgotten to put -on my shoes that I took off to dry. I was wondering -what hurt me.”</p> - -<p>Jerry had hard work to keep from roaring with -laughter. For the professor, in his socks, was -walking over the sharp gravel, carrying his shoes -and overshoes in one hand, and his butterfly net -in the other. His face was a picture as he looked -down at his feet in the illumination of the incandescent -lamp on his front porch.</p> - -<p>“Bless my soul!” he murmured again. “I am -getting very forgetful, I’m afraid.”</p> - -<p>“He’s not getting it—he’s <em>got</em> it!” murmured -Bob.</p> - -<p>“Come in, boys, come in!” went on the professor, -as he stepped off the gravel to the softer -grass. “We’ll have a nice supper and a long -talk.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” murmured Bob.</p> - -<p>“It’s the supper he’s thinking of, not the talk,” -said Ned to Jerry.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /> -<small>A COOL RECEPTION</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Professor Snodgrass had said his was a -roomy house, and so it was as regards the house -itself. But there was not much room in it, as the -boys soon saw, for even the hall was filled with -boxes, cases and other receptacles for holding -what Ned, Bob and Jerry rightly guessed to be -specimens of bugs, butterflies and other objects -dear to the heart of the enthusiastic scientist.</p> - -<p>“Make yourselves right at home, boys,” urged -the professor, as they went in. He put away his -butterfly net and the specimen box he carried over -his shoulder, and then called:</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Gilcuddy! Mrs. Gilcuddy!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes! What is it?” asked a voice from -the kitchen.</p> - -<p>“We will have company to supper, Mrs. Gilcuddy,” -went on the professor. “Put on three -extra plates.”</p> - -<p>A pleasant-faced woman came into the dining -room.</p> - -<p>“And you might take these,” the professor went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -on, holding out his wet shoes to her. “They’ll -need drying.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, if you haven’t been and done it again!” -she cried, raising her hands in dismay. “You’ll -catch cold, Professor.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I think not,” he said mildly. “These -young gentlemen, friends of mine, made me take -off my shoes and wrap my feet in a blanket. They -are really quite warm now. Sit down, boys. Mrs. -Gilcuddy will soon have supper ready. Sit down.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know where they’re going to sit!” -exclaimed the housekeeper. “Every chair in the -place holds some of your specimens, Mr. Snodgrass.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll clear some of them away,” offered -Jerry. “We’ve been with the professor before.”</p> - -<p>He started to lift an accumulation of boxes off -one of the chairs, but the little scientist, dropping -the shoes, which Mrs. Gilcuddy had not taken, -cried:</p> - -<p>“Look out, Jerry! Handle that gently. That -contains some of my choicest specimens of <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">Argynnis -atalantis</i>.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” asked Jerry. “A new kind of -fish?”</p> - -<p>“It is the mountain silverspot butterfly,” the -professor explained. “I was all day getting two -specimens. I wouldn’t lose them for the world. -Bring me my slippers, Mrs. Gilcuddy, and I’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -clear off the chairs myself,” and this he did after -some confusion.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys, now you’re here, let me say how -glad I am to see you all,” said Professor Snodgrass, -when the three chums had made themselves -ready for the supper which could be smelled cooking -in the kitchen. “I am very glad you came.”</p> - -<p>“So are we,” echoed Bob, his eyes on the door -leading to the kitchen.</p> - -<p>During the meal there was much talk. The -professor told what he had been doing since he -had last seen the boys; while, on their part, they -related their experiences and the doings which -had led to their being sent to Boxwood Hall.</p> - -<p>“You’ll like it here,” declared the scientist. -“We have some of the most scholarly minds of -the country at this college. You will gain knowledge -that will be of unsurpassed value to you.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all very well,” replied Ned, “but we -came here to have a little fun, too, Professor. -Are there any lively students here?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, I believe so,” was the answer, -given somewhat doubtfully though. “Some were -too lively, I believe, for we had a faculty meeting -yesterday to decide what had best be done -about some of the young gentlemen who screwed -shut the door of one of the instructor’s rooms so -he could not get out in time to attend his classes.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds encouraging.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s right,” echoed Ned.</p> - -<p>“And speaking of lively students,” put in Mrs. -Gilcuddy, who seemed to be more than an ordinary -servant, “you might mention, Professor, that -the boys put a cow up on your front porch where -the poor creature couldn’t get down until part of -the railing was cut away.”</p> - -<p>“Did they do that?” asked Jerry eagerly.</p> - -<p>“I—I believe they did,” admitted the scientist.</p> - -<p>“Better and better!” murmured Ned. “I can -see we are going to like it here. There are some -live ones.”</p> - -<p>“There’s one thing about it,” observed Bob in -a low voice to his chums, after the meal, while -the professor had gone to put on a dry pair of -shoes, “she sure is some cook!”</p> - -<p>“Who?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“The professor’s housekeeper, Mrs. Gilcuddy. -I hope he invites us over often, in case we don’t -find the commons good.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess the college food will be all right,” -said Ned.</p> - -<p>At Boxwood Hall, as at other colleges, some -of the students ate in “commons,” or in the college -dining rooms, the expense being added to their -tuition bills. Others preferred to board in private -families, while some formed “eating clubs.” -Our friends had decided, for the time being at -least, to dine at the college table.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now, if you’ll come with me,” the professor -said as he came down stairs, “I’ll take you over -to the proctor, Mr. Thornton, and introduce you, -so that you may register and be shown to your -rooms. Are you ready?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but—er—do you think you had better -go that way?” asked Jerry, smiling at the instructor.</p> - -<p>“What way? Why, is anything wrong?”</p> - -<p>The professor looked at his hands. He was -carrying his collar and necktie.</p> - -<p>“Bless my soul!” he exclaimed. “I did forget -to put them on; didn’t I? I was wondering where -I had put my specimen of <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">Neonympha eurytus</i>, -or little wood-satyr butterfly. I wanted to show -it to Professor Axton. I must have mislaid it. -But never mind now. I’ll look for it later.”</p> - -<p>He put on his collar and tie and accompanied -the boys out of doors. The clouds had somewhat -cleared away now and the new moon illumined -the campus and silvered the surface of -Lake Carmona. The boys looked about them at -the groups of college buildings.</p> - -<p>“It is a dandy place!” murmured Jerry softly.</p> - -<p>“It sure is,” agreed his chums.</p> - -<p>The boys found Proctor Thornton to be a -rather stern-looking gentleman, who seemed to be -on the alert and with an air as if he were constantly -saying, or thinking:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now it doesn’t make any difference how innocent -you look, I know you have either been up -to some mischief or are going to make some. I -won’t accept any excuses. I know boys and you -can’t deceive me.”</p> - -<p>“But maybe he’s all right for all that,” said -Bob to his chums, as they came away after registering.</p> - -<p>“He doesn’t <em>look</em> very promising,” declared -Ned.</p> - -<p>“But I guess we can make out as well as the -rest of the boys,” came from Jerry.</p> - -<p>Professor Snodgrass had left them in Mr. -Thornton’s office, the scientist stating he had some -work to prepare for the morrow, and would see -the boys in the morning. The proctor had gone -out to look for Mrs. Eastman, who was the matron -in charge of the dormitory where the boys -would sleep. Mr. Thornton wanted her to take -Ned, Bob and Jerry to their rooms, and the discussion -about him took place during his absence.</p> - -<p>“This way, if you please, young gentlemen,” -he called a little later. “You will be assigned to -classes to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Eastman proved to be a motherly-looking -woman, and the boys took a liking to her at once.</p> - -<p>“New students, eh?” she remarked pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“Just arrived, after an all day try at getting -here,” said Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Have you had supper?”</p> - -<p>They told her of the professor’s hospitality.</p> - -<p>“Here are your rooms,” she informed them, -as she stopped in a corridor on the second floor. -“You’ll find the rules on cards tacked to each -door. The rooms connect.”</p> - -<p>“Say, these are all right!”</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t be better!”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have good times here all right!”</p> - -<p>Thus exclaimed Ned, Bob and Jerry as they -were ushered into their new quarters. The rooms, -though small, were tastefully furnished, and our -heroes had materials in their trunks to decorate -them as college rooms should be decorated, according -to the accepted usage.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Eastman had hurried away, after promising -to have the boys’ baggage brought from their -automobile by one of the porters, and while waiting -for their trunks the trio walked through the -three connecting rooms, making their selection. -Jerry took the middle apartment, with Bob on -the left and Ned on the right.</p> - -<p>As the porter left, having deposited the trunks, -Jerry saw a door on the opposite side of the corridor -open, and a lad’s head was thrust out. His -room was well lighted, and two other students -could be seen in with him. He looked curiously -across at the newcomers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hello you over there!” he exclaimed. -“What’re your names?”</p> - -<p>Jerry informed him. There was a moment of -silence, while the youth in the door seemed to -be reporting to his friends. Jerry heard the words -“motor boys.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go over and make friends with them,” -suggested Ned. “They may be sophomores, but -I guess they won’t haze us the first night.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Jerry agreed, while Bob nodded -his assent.</p> - -<p>The head of the lad looking out from the room -across the hall was drawn in, and the door closed. -Our heroes walked across the corridor, noting that -on the portal was a card bearing the names -Frank Watson, Bart Haley and William Hamilton. -Jerry tapped on the door.</p> - -<p>“Who’s there?”</p> - -<p>“We just came in,” Jerry said. “We’re from -across the hall. We were speaking to you a moment -ago. We’d like to have a talk.”</p> - -<p>Sounds of whispering could be heard, and then -the voice that had first spoken said in no friendly -tones:</p> - -<p>“We’re too busy to talk now. You’ll have to -wait. Come around some other time.”</p> - -<p>Our three heroes looked at one another.</p> - -<p>“Well, if this isn’t a cool reception I’d like to -know what is,” said Ned in a low voice.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /> -<small>THE PROFESSOR’S DILEMMA</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Slowly Ned, Bob and Jerry returned to their -rooms. They did not speak for a moment, but -sat down and looked at one another. Then Ned -burst out with:</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you know about that?”</p> - -<p>“I hope all the fellows at Boxwood won’t be -like those in there,” added Bob.</p> - -<p>“I can’t understand it,” remarked Jerry. “We -didn’t do or say anything out of the way; did -we?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t see how we did,” returned Ned. “I -guess they’re plain snobs, that’s all, and the less -we have to do with them the better.”</p> - -<p>“They don’t seem to <em>want</em> us to have anything -to do with them,” came from Bob.</p> - -<p>“The idea of not even opening the door,” went -on Jerry. “I should think the older students -ought to make the new ones feel at home.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go out for a walk,” proposed Bob. “It’s -early yet and the rules say we don’t have to be in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -until eleven,” and he glanced at the card on the -back of the door.</p> - -<p>“Yes, let’s take a walk,” agreed Jerry. “We -can fix up our rooms to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>They strolled across the campus, noting the various -groups of college buildings, where the other -dormitories were located, the different “schools” -where various specialties were taught, the gymnasium, -and the president’s house, which was rather -a pretentious one.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it sure is a nice place—but I don’t like -the only specimens of students we’ve yet come in -contact with,” remarked Ned.</p> - -<p>“There’s the diamond over there,” said Bob, -after a pause, as he indicated the baseball field. -“Let’s go and take a look at it.”</p> - -<p>“The football gridiron would be more in keeping -now,” suggested Jerry.</p> - -<p>As they were walking along a path that led -between two of the buildings, a voice hailed them:</p> - -<p>“Hello there, freshies! What do you mean -by trespassing on the sophs’ walk. Get off there!”</p> - -<p>The three chums stopped, and looked around. -In the light of a lamp, one of many that glowed -on the college grounds, they saw a lad hastening -toward them.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with you fellows?” he -demanded. “Don’t you know no freshies are allowed -here?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, we didn’t know it,” said Jerry. “We’ve -just arrived, and we’re not on to all the rules -yet.”</p> - -<p>“We tried to get some one to put us wise,” -put in Ned, “but we got snubbed for our pains.”</p> - -<p>“Is that so?” asked the other, in some surprise. -“That doesn’t sound like the Boxwood -Hall spirit.”</p> - -<p>“It’s so all the same,” added Bob.</p> - -<p>“Who was it?” asked the lad who had hailed -the three.</p> - -<p>Our heroes paused for a moment.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me,” the other continued quickly. “I -shouldn’t have asked you that. But I’m telling -you no freshmen are allowed on this walk. College -custom, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s all right,” Jerry said, good-naturedly. -“We’ll move on.”</p> - -<p>“My name’s Newton,” said the lad who had -made the objection. “Edward Newton—but they -all call me Ted. Shake!”</p> - -<p>He extended his hand and while this form of -welcome was being gone through with Ned, Bob -and Jerry introduced themselves.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know your names all right,” declared -Ted. “We’ve heard about you.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing out of the way, I hope?” came from -Bob.</p> - -<p>“No,” was the rather hesitating answer.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -“You’ve been pretty well discussed by a certain -crowd on account of some of the things the professor -said you fellows had done. Did you really -do all that?”</p> - -<p>“We’d have to know what Professor Snodgrass -said about us,” remarked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you some time. But this is what I -want to know. I’m captain of the eleven, and I -want to know if you play football?”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t in some time,” admitted Ned.</p> - -<p>Ted Newton shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Then there’s no use putting you in at this -stage,” he said. “I’m sorry, too, for you look -husky. I need some experienced players. I’ve -got enough candidates in the beginner’s class. -Well, it can’t be helped. You know here we let -freshmen play on the varsity.”</p> - -<p>“So we’ve heard,” replied Jerry.</p> - -<p>“We play baseball,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>“That’s out of my line,” Ted replied. “I play -a little, but Frank Watson is captain of the nine.”</p> - -<p>“Frank Watson!” exclaimed Jerry. “He rooms -across the hall from us in Borton.”</p> - -<p>“Then you have good rooms, for that dormitory -is the newest and best at Boxwood Hall.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of fellow is this Watson?” asked -Ned, who, in common with his chums, had taken -a sudden liking to genial Ted Newton. “The -reason I ask is,” went on Ned, “that a little while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -ago we went across to his room to ask him to put -us wise to the ropes, but he didn’t even open his -door. Told us to call later, though he, or some -of the fellows with him called to us when our -trunks were being put in. What sort of boy is -he?”</p> - -<p>“Well, he’s a queer sort of chap at times,” -was the slow answer from the football captain. -“He’s quite an athlete, and a good baseball -player. Only he’s rather headstrong, and I’m -not telling tales out of school, for he admits it -himself. Yes, Frank has a will of his own, and -it isn’t altogether his fault, either.”</p> - -<p>“How’s that?” inquired Bob.</p> - -<p>“Well, Frank’s father died when he was a -small chap, and his mother was too indulgent -with him. I know his folks. His family and -mine are distantly related, and we come from -the same town. Frank’s mother let him have his -own way too much, and as he got older and found -out he could have what he wanted by insisting -on it, why he insisted, and it wasn’t altogether -good for him.</p> - -<p>“He got into bad company and was on the -road that doesn’t lead to any particular good, -though I won’t say that Frank was actually bad. -Then his mother married again, and it made all -the difference in the world to Frank.”</p> - -<p>“How was that?” Jerry inquired.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, Frank’s stepfather proved to be just the -right kind of man to take Frank in charge. And -he did it, too, just in time. The best part of it -is that Frank really loves his new parent.</p> - -<p>“When his stepfather saw which way Frank -was drifting, he took him away from his companions, -and sent him here. It has been the making -of Frank, headstrong as he is. He’s getting some -of it taken out of him here, but he can stand the -loss of more,” went on Ted. “He came here as a -freshman and was well hazed. Now he’s a soph, -and he has a lot of friends.”</p> - -<p>“But is that any reason why he should turn -the cold shoulder to us?” asked Ned. “Just because -we’re freshmen?”</p> - -<p>“No,” admitted Ted slowly. “It isn’t. Frank -ought to have had the decency to put you wise to -what you wanted to know, even if he didn’t care -to make friends.”</p> - -<p>“Is there any reason why he shouldn’t care to -make friends?” asked Bob. “Not that we want -to force ourselves on him,” he added.</p> - -<p>“Well, I did hear a little talk about him and -his crowd saying they were afraid you fellows -might come here with—well, if you’ll excuse me -for mentioning it—with swelled heads, is about -the best way I can put it.”</p> - -<p>“Swelled heads!” cried Jerry. “What in the -world have we to puff out our chests over?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, it’s those things you did—having so -many adventures you know. Did you really go -up in an airship and down in a submarine, the way -Professor Snodgrass tells?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, we did,” said Ned. “But that’s -nothing. Any one could have done the same things -we did.”</p> - -<p>“Say, you sure have seen life!” exclaimed Ted -admiringly. “But I guess that’s all that ails -Frank. He thought you might try to lord it -over us here, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“He’s away off!” declared Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I can see he is,” admitted Ted. “But, as I -told you, Frank is headstrong. Once he gets a -notion it’s hard to get it out of him.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know that we shall take the trouble -to make him change his mind,” remarked Jerry. -“If he wants to think that way about us, let him. -We can get along without him.”</p> - -<p>“Sure you can!” agreed Ted. “Don’t let it -worry you any. There are plenty of other fellows -in Boxwood Hall. Are you all settled?”</p> - -<p>“No, we haven’t put up any of our stuff,” said -Ned.</p> - -<p>“Are you in our dormitory?” Bob inquired.</p> - -<p>“No, I live at the Bull—that’s the junior frat -house you know. Drop over and see me some -time.”</p> - -<p>“We will,” promised the three, and then, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -Ted hurried on, explaining that he was due at a -class meeting, Ned remarked:</p> - -<p>“Well, <em>he’s</em> some sort of a chap, <em>he</em> is! I like -<em>him</em>!”</p> - -<p>“So do I!” added Bob.</p> - -<p>“Quite a contrast to Frank Watson,” added -Jerry.</p> - -<p>After strolling about the college grounds a little -longer our friends went back to their rooms. -The door of the apartment across the hall, which -had the three names on it, was closed, but from -within came the sounds of talk and laughter.</p> - -<p>“They seem to be having a good time,” observed -Bob, rather wistfully.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” agreed Ned. “I meant to ask Newton -about those other two—Bart Haley and Will -Hamilton. I wonder if they’re like Frank Watson?”</p> - -<p>“Most likely,” argued Jerry. “They’re roommates -all right, and they must be congenial or -they wouldn’t be together. Well, we don’t need -to worry.”</p> - -<p>They sat down to talk matters over, but soon -the talk was punctuated with yawns, for the day -had been a wearying one with the long automobile -trip.</p> - -<p>“I vote for bed!” suddenly cried Jerry, and -his motion was seconded twice.</p> - -<p>Coming out of their rooms the next morning to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -go to chapel, Ned, Bob and Jerry saw Frank -Watson and his two chums leaving their apartment -across the hall. Our three heroes bowed, -having agreed to give the others every chance to -make advances. But only by the merest of cold -nods did Frank and his friends acknowledge the -salute.</p> - -<p>“I guess he doesn’t want to be friends,” said -Jerry, a little later. “Well, I guess we can make -out all right without him.”</p> - -<p>Being assigned to classes, making out their lecture -schedules and attending to other details, -pretty well occupied the time of the three chums -until late afternoon. And then, having nothing -else to do, they walked down to the lake. Several -of the students were out on it in rowboats, and -there was one motor craft.</p> - -<p>“We’ll certainly have to send for the <i>Neboje</i>,” -said Bob.</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “I’ll write to-day.”</p> - -<p>“What do you say to a row,” asked Ned. -“There’s a place where we can hire a boat.”</p> - -<p>A man had a concession from the college to let -out boats, though many of the students owned their -own craft, and Ned, Bob and Jerry were soon -sculling over the lake. In one boat they saw Ted -Newton and some friends, and the football captain -nodded in a friendly way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Football practice in an hour,” he called. -“Come over and watch.”</p> - -<p>“We will,” promised Jerry.</p> - -<p>They rowed some distance down the lake and -went ashore in a wooded tract.</p> - -<p>“I wish we’d bought some candy back there at -the boathouse,” remarked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Oh, chew on some bark,” advised Jerry with -a laugh.</p> - -<p>The three boys strolled on through the woods, -until, coming to a little clearing, they heard cries.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“Sounds like some one shouting for help,” remarked -Jerry.</p> - -<p>“That’s what it is!” declared Bob. “It’s over -this way. Come on!”</p> - -<p>They ran in the direction of the sound, and a -moment later came upon a queer sight.</p> - -<p>Professor Snodgrass was partly on one side -and partly on the other of a heavy barbed-wire -fence. His clothing was caught in several places -on the sharp points, and it was he who was calling, -while he waved his butterfly net at the boys -to attract their attention.</p> - -<p>“Come and get me loose!” he cried.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /> -<small>IN THE GYMNASIUM</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Professor Snodgrass was so entangled between -two strands of the barbed wire that it took -the united efforts of Ned, Bob and Jerry to extricate -him. Even then they did not do it without -tearing his clothes.</p> - -<p>“How did it happen, Professor?” asked Jerry. -“Did a bull chase you?”</p> - -<p>“No,” was the answer. “I was after a -particularly choice specimen of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Vanessa milberti</i>, -a butterfly the larva of which feeds upon -the nettle plant. I wished to make some experiments, -and I needed this butterfly. I have never -seen it in this vicinity so late in the season.”</p> - -<p>“Did you get it?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to say I did not.”</p> - -<p>“What happened?” Ned interrogated.</p> - -<p>“The fence,” replied the professor rather -grimly. “The butterfly, and a beauty it was, was -just beyond the fence. There was no time to climb -it, had I considered myself able to do so. I -reached my arm, with the net, through between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -two wires, and, just as I was going to make the -capture, my foot slipped and I came down on the -barbs. Then, when I tried to get up, those above -me caught in my coat and I was held there. The -butterfly got away, and I was obliged to call for -help. It is fortunate you happened along, for -few students come to these woods, though there -are several interesting plants and trees growing -here, that well repay study.”</p> - -<p>“We only happened here by chance,” remarked -Ned.</p> - -<p>“Well, I am very glad you did,” replied the -professor. “I am very sorry to have lost that -butterfly,” and he looked around in vain for the -beautiful creature, which is sometimes called Milbert’s -tortoise shell.</p> - -<p>“You ought to be sorry you tore your clothes,” -observed Ned.</p> - -<p>“Why, so I have!” the professor exclaimed, as -though that had just occurred to him. “Mrs. Gilcuddy -will be sure to say something to me about -it too,” he added. “Well, it can’t be helped,” -and he shrugged his shoulders resignedly.</p> - -<p>For a little while the professor roamed about -in the little clearing, looking in vain for more -specimens of butterflies. He found none, but he -captured some bugs which he seemed to prize -highly, though the boys were not much interested.</p> - -<p>“You’d better come back in our boat, Professor,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -was Ned’s invitation. “It’s a long walk back -to the college around the shore.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, I shall be glad of the water trip. -I can then pin up some of these tears, perhaps, -so Mrs. Gilcuddy will not notice them.”</p> - -<p>And that is what Professor Snodgrass tried to -do on the way back in the boat. Using some of the -pins which he carried with him to impale his butterfly -specimens on the stretching boards, as he -sometimes did when afield without waiting to get -back to his laboratory, he endeavored to so conceal -the rents in his garments that the sharp-eyed, -but lovable, housekeeper would not notice them.</p> - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry helped by turns, though it -cannot be said that the combined result was very -satisfactory from a sartorial standpoint.</p> - -<p>“You can’t notice them very much now; can -you?” asked the professor, turning slowly about -on the dock so the boys could observe him.</p> - -<p>“Well, a few show,” said Ned, truthfully -enough.</p> - -<p>“I—I think I’ll stay out until it gets dark,” said -the little scientist, who seemed to stand in some -awe of his housekeeper. “Then she won’t see -them, and I can send the suit to the tailor in the -morning.”</p> - -<p>“That might be a good idea,” agreed Jerry, -trying not to laugh.</p> - -<p>What the outcome of the professor’s accident<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -was the boys did not learn, as they plunged into a -series of busy times that afternoon and did not -see the little scientist for several days except at the -lectures they had with him in one period.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go and watch the football practice,” suggested -Jerry after they had left Mr. Snodgrass -at the dock, repeating his determination to stay -out until darkness had fallen so he might escape -the eyes of his housekeeper.</p> - -<p>“That’s a go,” agreed Bob. Ned nodded assent.</p> - -<p>The varsity and the scrubs were hard at work -on the gridiron when the three chums reached -the grounds. Ted Newton was working his men -strenuously, while the coaches were first begging -the scrubs to hold the varsity in order to develop a -good offense, and alternating that with fierce demands -for the varsity to rip up the unfortunate -substitutes.</p> - -<p>“I sort of wish I was in there,” remarked Jerry, -as he saw the snappy playing. “It’s great.”</p> - -<p>“We can go in for it next year,” suggested Bob. -“It’s better to start on baseball in the spring and -get worked up to football.”</p> - -<p>“Look at that fellow go!” cried Ned, as one -of the scrubs intercepted a forward pass, and -dashed down the line fifty yards for a touchdown -against the varsity.</p> - -<p>“He is a good one,” commented Jerry. “Wonder -what his name is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s Chet Randell,” volunteered a lad standing -near our three friends. “He’ll make the varsity -if he does that trick many times.”</p> - -<p>“He deserves to,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“Randell,” murmured Bob. “Say, that’s the -fellow who has the room next to mine. I saw his -name on the door.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, are you fellows from Borton?” asked their -informant, naming the dormitory in which Ned, -Bob and Jerry roomed.</p> - -<p>“That’s us,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>“Randell’s a beaut drop kicker,” went on the -other, who said his name was Tom Bacon. -“Trouble is though, we’ve got too many kickers -on the varsity. We want more men who can hit -the line, and Chet is a little too light for that. -But if he can smear up many of the varsity’s forward -passes that way he may make the team. Kenwell -Military has the forward pass down fine.”</p> - -<p>“Do we play them?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Yes, baseball and football,” answered Tom. -“You’re the new fellows—the motor boys—aren’t -you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but we don’t use that name much any -more,” returned Bob.</p> - -<p>“We’ve heard about you,” went on Tom, but -he smiled and did not seem to hold what Jerry -and his chums had done against them, as Frank -Watson did.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p> - -<p>When the practice ended and the team and -scrubs came off the field Bob found himself near -the lad who had made the touchdown with the -intercepted forward pass.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me,” began the stout lad, “but that -was a beaut play of yours.”</p> - -<p>“Glad you liked it,” was the cordial retort. -“Oh, say, I guess I’ve seen you before!” went on -Chet. “You room next to me?” he questioned.</p> - -<p>“Yes, and these are my friends. We only got -here last night.”</p> - -<p>“Glad to meet you,” said the player genially. -“We’ve got a good crowd in Borton, and we’ll -have some swell times when we get going. A -good crowd, yes!”</p> - -<p>“All but that Frank Watson and his bunch,” -thought Bob.</p> - -<p>They had a glimpse of Frank and his chums on -the football field, but were not near them.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you drop in and see us this evening?” -was Jerry’s invitation. “I suppose we can do here -what’s done at other colleges—sneak in a little -feed now and then?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, it can be did!” laughed Chet. “But -Proc Thornton sure is strict, and he turns up when -least expected. But I’ll have to decline. I’m on -training table you know.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” admitted Jerry. “I’d forgotten -about that.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Come around to the gym to-night,” suggested -the football player. “We’re going to have a little -practice at the dummy. You fellows look as -though you liked athletics.”</p> - -<p>“We do,” admitted Bob. “We’ll be there.”</p> - -<p>They had brought their gymnasium suits with -them, as a certain amount of physical culture was -obligatory at Boxwood Hall; and that evening, -when they went to the gymnasium, Bob, Ned and -Jerry were assigned to a certain division, and after -watching the football squad at work, they went -in for their turns.</p> - -<p>The strenuous adventures our heroes had gone -through with in the past had given them good -muscles and bodies particularly well adapted for -athletic work. They were not finished performers -in gymnasium work, though, as they very soon -discovered, though they did not lack the nerve, -which is needed in many of the exhibitions on the -parallel bars, the rings, the rope, or the trapeze.</p> - -<p>The instructor was showing the boys how to -slide down a rope head first without the use of the -hands, by passing the cable between the thighs -and over the shoulder, under the chin.</p> - -<p>“Now you try it,” said the instructor to Frank -Watson, who was in the class with our friends.</p> - -<p>“I’d rather not,” said the headstrong youth. “I -strained my leg a little in the pole vault yesterday, -and I don’t want to lame myself.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’ll do it!” eagerly exclaimed Jerry, who was -next to Frank in line, though the latter had not -even taken the trouble to bow, much less to speak.</p> - -<p>“Very well, Hopkins. Try what you can do.”</p> - -<p>Jerry seemed to have caught the knack of it -at once. He came down the rope in fine style, -and was complimented by the director.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I like to see!” the coach exclaimed. -“See if any of you can equal that,” and -he glanced in the direction of Frank.</p> - -<p>“Trying to show off; aren’t you?” sneered -Frank, as Jerry took his place in line again. “I -thought you fellows would be up to something like -that when I heard about you. We haven’t much -use for such as you motor boys at Boxwood Hall,” -and his voice trailed off into a sneer.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /> -<small>THE BANG-UPS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Jerry shot a glance at the lad who seemed deliberately -trying to antagonize him. A hot reply -was on the lips of the tall lad, but he held it back.</p> - -<p>“No, I’ll give him another chance,” thought -Jerry. “There’s no use in stirring up a row just -because he wants to be nasty.”</p> - -<p>Bob and Ned heard what Frank had said, but -no one else appeared to have caught the words, -and Jerry’s two chums wondered why he did not -retort to the unnecessary and unfair remark. But -Jerry explained later.</p> - -<p>“Now then, young gentlemen, try the horse,” -ordered the director. “It will be good practice -for you in football and baseball. Lively now!”</p> - -<p>The “horse” is a leather-covered affair, resembling -a horse in that it has four legs but not otherwise. -It is a sort of padded sawhorse more than -anything else.</p> - -<p>By means of a handle, fixed in about the place -where the saddle would be on a real horse, the athlete -jumps on, over and astride the horse. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -the boys in the Boxwood Hall gymnasium proceeded -to do, lining up and taking turns.</p> - -<p>In this <a href="#image03">Frank showed considerable ability</a>, while -Jerry was not so good at it, making, in fact, a -rather awkward appearance. And when it came -Bob’s turn there was a real disaster, though a -harmless one.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 381px;"> -<a id="image03"><img src="images/image03.jpg" width="381" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_106">FRANK SHOWED CONSIDERABLE ABILITY.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>The stout lad made a rush for the horse, but -missed getting hold of the handle. He shot over -the horse, slid on the smooth leather padding and -went down on the floor with a bang. He looked -about him with such a comical look on his face -that the instructor and the other boys burst into -laughter.</p> - -<p>“Well, Baker, you’re not training for clown-work -in a circus,” remarked the instructor. “Try -it again.”</p> - -<p>Bob joined in the laugh, and when he took his -place in the line for another attempt he heard -Frank say sneeringly:</p> - -<p>“Well, there are some things the fresh motor -boys can’t do, it seems.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut it out,” advised Bob with a forced -grin. “We don’t claim to be anything like what -you seem to think we are.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t get into a row,” advised Jerry in a low -voice.</p> - -<p>“If he insults me I—I’ll punch him!” declared -Ned in a whisper.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No you won’t,” contradicted Jerry.</p> - -<p>“If he wants to—let him try it!” said Frank, -quickly. “That’s a game I like to play.”</p> - -<p>“Silence over there!” called the director, -sharply, while Ned and Frank glared at one another.</p> - -<p>Ned made no awkward breaks, so there was no -excuse for Frank’s making any of his slurring remarks, -and the remainder of the gymnasium practice -went off without further incident.</p> - -<p>“Say, I wonder what’s got into him?” asked -Bob, as he and his chums were proceeding toward -the dormitory after the practice. “He seems just -to hate us—he and those fellows he goes with. -I wonder why?”</p> - -<p>“He hasn’t any real excuse,” said Jerry, “but I -imagine it is just as he says. Frank and his chums -are afraid we’ll try to show off, because Professor -Snodgrass told them about our various adventures. -I never thought they’d be held against us.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I,” added Ned. “But this Watson is -going to make trouble, I can see that. And the -sooner the better.”</p> - -<p>“Why?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“To have it over with. We’ll have to fight -him.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess not,” said Jerry. “We’ll try and -not roil him.”</p> - -<p>“But why should we go out of our way to take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -insults, just because this fellow doesn’t like us?” -asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“Remember we’re freshmen,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right. The other sophs don’t pick -on us the way he and his bunch do. I’m not going -to stand it!”</p> - -<p>“Go slow,” advised Jerry.</p> - -<p>For a week or more after this there were no -open clashes between Frank and his cronies and -our three chums. On occasions, as they passed in -the hall, Frank, Bart and Bill would laugh sneeringly -or pass some slurring remark, but that was -the extent of it. On the other hand Jerry, Bob -and Ned made friends among the other lads in -the various classes.</p> - -<p>And right here the point might be emphasized -once more that at Boxwood Hall there was not -the sharp line drawn against freshmen in athletics -and other matters that there is in some of the other -colleges.</p> - -<p>It is true that the freshmen were hazed and -not allowed to appear on certain parts of the campus -sacred to the sophomores, juniors and seniors. -And there were some strictly class societies in -which the membership was limited. But there -were also secret organizations which were made -up indiscriminately of members of all four classes.</p> - -<p>In athletics, as has been said, there was also no -tight line drawn. In big colleges, of course, freshmen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -are not eligible for the varsity, but at Boxwood -Hall, where there was a limited number of -students, in order to increase the available supply -of players the freshmen were drawn upon. Thus -it was that the nine and eleven had freshmen on, -as well as sophomores, juniors and seniors. Nor -were the freshmen obliged to refrain from residence -in dormitories where their “betters” were -housed, though there were some fraternity houses -sacred to certain classes alone.</p> - -<p>Football practice went on, and the more our -three friends watched it, the more they wished they -had made themselves fit to be candidates for the -eleven. But it was too late now.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to get into it next season though!” -declared Jerry, while Ned and Bob echoed his -words. “It’s great!”</p> - -<p>This was on one of the occasions when Boxwood -Hall played an old-time rival and won in a -hard-fought battle. Another time she was not so -successful, and lost to a college she had always -beaten.</p> - -<p>“But if we win from the military academy, I -won’t have any regrets,” declared Ted Newton. -“That’s the bunch I want to beat!”</p> - -<p>“You’re going to get yours all right to-night,” -was the word passed to Ned, Bob and Jerry one -afternoon, following a lecture on zoology.</p> - -<p>“Our what?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hazing,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll take all that’s coming,” said Bob. -“We’ve got to expect it, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“And you may get more than you expect,” the -informer went on.</p> - -<p>It was rather a rough hazing, for our heroes -were hauled out of their rooms by a crowd of the -sophomores, headed by Frank Watson, and made -to do all sorts of ridiculous things, one of which -was to stand in the public square in Fordham and -eat cream puffs and chocolate eclaires with their -hands tied behind their backs.</p> - -<p>Then, in this state, with smeared faces, they -were obliged to appear at a moving picture show, -marching up and down the aisles while the lights -were turned up.</p> - -<p>As a climax they were ducked in the campus -fountain basin and then pelted with more or less -over-ripe fruits and vegetables as they were allowed -to return to their rooms.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” gasped Bob, “we are some sights.”</p> - -<p>They were indeed, their suits being ruined. -But they had taken the precaution to wear old -ones, thanks to the tip.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad it’s over,” remarked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Same here,” added Ned. “And when our boat -comes we’ll have some good times to make up for -this hazing.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Neboje</i> arrived and was launched on Lake<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -Carmona. The possession of the motor boat -brought new friends to our heroes, and they took -many of their college chums on short cruises, once -remaining out all night because of engine trouble -when they reached the upper end of the lake.</p> - -<p>Proctor Thornton had it in mind to punish severely -the luckless ones, but when Jerry explained -matters, and when Professor Snodgrass had put -in a good word for the boys they were excused, -but warned not to take such chances again.</p> - -<p>“Say, fellows, don’t you want to join the Bang-Ups?” -asked George Fitch one day of Ned, Bob -and Jerry. This was when George had been taken -out for a motor boat ride.</p> - -<p>“The Bang-Ups?” asked Ned. “Is that something -good to eat?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a secret fraternal society,” answered -George, looking carefully about to make sure he -was not overheard. “It’s the most exclusive in -the college, but freshmen are eligible when voted -in. I’ll propose you if you like.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, we’d like it!” declared Bob.</p> - -<p>“There’s one thing, though,” went on George. -“The initiation is a pretty stiff one. Lots of the -fellows get hurt—not badly, of course, but some.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t scare us that way,” laughed Jerry. -“We’ve been in some pretty tight places ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll take a chance,” added Bob.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Does Frank Watson and his crowd belong?” -Ned demanded.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“They’ll never vote to let us in.”</p> - -<p>“It’ll take more than their votes to keep you -out, though, as a rule, the elections have been -unanimous. But it takes ten black ballots to turn -a candidate down, and at best Frank and his crowd -number nine.”</p> - -<p>At the next meeting of the Bang-Ups the names -of our friends were proposed. And Frank Watson, -Bart Haley, Bill Hamilton and several others -opposed them.</p> - -<p>But George Fitch, Chet Randell, Lem Ferguson -and, best of all, Ted Newton, the football -captain, championed the cause of our friends to -such advantage that they were elected, only seven -votes against them—not the necessary number.</p> - -<p>“Of course, I’d like to have had it unanimous,” -said George, in telling Jerry about the matter afterward. -“But don’t let that worry you, and perhaps -Frank will change his tactics toward you.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care much whether he does or not,” -Jerry remarked. “I wish there weren’t any feeling -against us, especially as I know there is no cause -for it, but the Bang-Ups is worth getting into, -even if we didn’t make it unanimously.”</p> - -<p>“Glad you think so,” remarked George. “And -now comes the initiation.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /> -<small>THE INITIATION</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Made up, as it was, of members of all four -classes in Boxwood Hall, the Bang-Ups was the -largest secret society in the institution. It had a -fraternity house of its own, not as elaborate as -that of the Bull, the junior society, nor as large -as the Ivy Vine, the exclusive house of the lordly -senior society, but it was a very fine place for all -that.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad we’re going to be members,” said -Jerry, talking over their election as they strolled -past the fraternity house one afternoon.</p> - -<p>“So am I,” added Bob. “We’ll have a nice place -to spend our evenings.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad, too,” remarked Ned, “even though -Frank and his cronies aren’t friendly with us.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder what they’ll do at the initiation?” -ventured Bob.</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t get nervous,” replied Jerry. “We’ll -live through it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I wish it were over,” the stout lad went -on.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It will be, to-night,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>Attendance at one of Professor Snodgrass’s -lectures later that afternoon brought the work of -our three friends to a close for the day, but when -they were leaving the room the little scientist beckoned -to Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Have you anything special to do from now -until supper time?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“Then could you take me in your auto to Fox -Swamp, near the town of Fairview? It is only -about twenty miles, and if I know anything about -the speed of you boys you can easily do it.”</p> - -<p>“Of course we’ll take you!” exclaimed Jerry. -“Are you going after a fox?”</p> - -<p>“No, that is only a local name for a tract of -land, which isn’t at all swampy, though it used to -be. One of my students, an enthusiastic collector -of butterflies, reported to me that he saw some -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Vanessa antiopa</i>, sometimes called the Mourning -Cloak, or Camberwell Beauty, over there the other -day. They are the butterflies that have brown -wings, with spots of blue and an outer band of -yellow, but there is a rare variety in which the -yellow band broadens out, and reaches almost to -the middle of the wings. Only two or three such -sports, as they are called, are known; but I hope -I may find one. I have plenty of the ordinary variety -of this butterfly, but I would like to get a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -sport or, as some collectors call them, ‘freaks’ or -‘aberrations.’”</p> - -<p>“We’ll be glad to go with you,” Bob told him. -“But I wouldn’t know one butterfly from another.”</p> - -<p>“You should take more interest in zoology,” -chided Professor Snodgrass. “Still I cannot complain -of you boys, for you have often helped me -to get some very rare specimens.”</p> - -<p>The automobile was brought out of the professor’s -garage, where it was kept, and in it the four -were soon speeding toward Fairview. Fox Swamp -lay beyond the town, and on the way, after passing -through the town, stopping on Bob’s request -for some ice cream, the boys saw a large tract, -with buildings which looked as though it might be -a place where fairs were held.</p> - -<p>“That’s what it is,” Professor Snodgrass informed -the boys. “There is a big fair held there -every year, generally toward the end of October. -This year, I understand, there is to be an exhibition -of aeroplanes.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to take that in,” declared Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Here’s the place,” announced the scientist, as -they passed along a road, on either side of which -was a patch of woodland. “Here is where I hope -to find one of the freak <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Vanessa antiopa</i>.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll come with you and help look for it, -but you’ll have to tell us what to look for,” suggested -Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, call to me whenever you see any kind -of butterfly,” the professor said, “and I can tell -if it is one that I want.”</p> - -<p>Leaving the automobile at the edge of the road, -they went into the swamp, though, as Professor -Snodgrass had said, it was not at all wet. They -scattered, yet keeping within sight of one another, -and then began the search for the butterfly.</p> - -<p>At first none was seen, though the professor -managed to get a green bug which he designated -by some long Latin name, and said it was a great -find.</p> - -<p>Then Bob, who had gone deeper into the woods -than the others, suddenly called:</p> - -<p>“Here you are! Here, Professor! Here’s a -butterfly with big yellow bands on its wings!”</p> - -<p>“Watch him! Don’t let him get away! I’ll -be there in a minute!” eagerly cried the little scientist.</p> - -<p>“Shall I catch him under my hat?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“No! Oh no! Never do that! You would -crush the wings. I must get him in the net. I’m -coming!”</p> - -<p>Professor Snodgrass ran toward Bob, who -stood near a bush, intently gazing at some object -on it. With his long-handled net the professor -raced forward. And then something happened.</p> - -<p>His foot slipped, the handle of the net caught -on a tree branch, and then went between his legs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -The result may be imagined. The professor fell -down full length, and there was a cracking sound -when the handle of the net broke.</p> - -<p>Ned and Jerry rushed forward to pick up the -unfortunate little scientist, and Bob also turned -away from the bush to lend his aid. But Professor -Snodgrass saw Bob’s action, and raising himself -to his knees, he cried:</p> - -<p>“Don’t move, Bob! Don’t stir! Don’t take -your eyes off that butterfly. It’s just what I’ve -been seeking for many years. Watch him! I’m -not hurt. I can get up myself.”</p> - -<p>This he did, springing to his feet with the nimbleness -of a boy, and without any aid from Ned -or Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Are you hurt?” asked the tall lad.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit. The ground was soft.”</p> - -<p>“Your net’s broken,” Ned informed him.</p> - -<p>“That’s nothing!” cried Professor Snodgrass -eagerly, as he again ran forward. “It’s only the -handle, and I can fit a new one on. It is long -enough as it is now. Is the Camberwell beauty -there yet, Bob?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Professor, but I don’t call it much of a -beauty. There it is—on that branch,” and he -pointed out some object to the scientist.</p> - -<p>The latter made a quick movement with his -net, and brought it back to him with a sweeping -motion. Then he eagerly peered within the folds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -of the mesh. A disappointed look came over his -face, and he sighed deeply.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that the kind you want?” asked Bob. -“It’s yellow.”</p> - -<p>“It’s only a yellow leaf,” said the professor, -showing it in his hand.</p> - -<p>“All that work for nothing!” cried Jerry. -“Breaking the professor’s net handle, tripping him -up and all, for a yellow leaf. What’s the matter -with your eyes, Bob?”</p> - -<p>“Why—er—it looked like a butterfly!” insisted -the stout lad.</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” said the professor soothingly. -“You meant all right, and, for the moment, I myself -was deceived.”</p> - -<p>Bob expressed his contrition, and redoubled his -efforts to find what the professor sought, but to -no end. The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Vanessa antiopa</i> seemed to have deserted -Fox Swamp.</p> - -<p>“Ah, here’s a butterfly. Sure, this time!” cried -Bob a little later. “I’m not sure it’s the kind you -want, but I know it isn’t a leaf, Professor.”</p> - -<p>The scientist hurried to the spot where Bob -stood, and this time there was no accident. But -again came a look of disappointment to the face -of Professor Snodgrass.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that a butterfly?” asked Bob. “See, it’s -moving away. Why don’t you get it?” for the -professor did not move his net.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s a moth, not a butterfly,” said the scientist, -“and I have enough of that variety.”</p> - -<p>“A moth!” exclaimed Ned. “It looked just -like a butterfly.”</p> - -<p>“Some moths are hard to distinguish from butterflies,” -the professor went on. “They are quite -different in their habits, however. Butterflies fly -by day, and like the sunshine. Moths, on the other -hand, are night-flying insects, though there are exceptions -to both rules.”</p> - -<p>“How can you tell a butterfly from a moth?” -Jerry asked with interest.</p> - -<p>“The best way, for an amateur, is to tell by the -antennæ, or feelers. In a butterfly the feelers are -thread-like, and have a small knob, or club, on the -end, and naturalists give them the name <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">rhopalocera</i>, -formed of two Greek nouns, one meaning -a ‘club’ and the other a ‘horn.’</p> - -<p>“Moths have all sorts of antennæ, or feelers, -and we naturalists call them <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">heterocera</i>, which is -made up of two Greek words, one meaning ‘all -sorts,’ and the other (keras) a horn, as in the case -of butterflies. So then we have these definitions: -Moths are <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">lepidoptera</i> having <em>all sorts</em> of feelers, -except those that are knob-shaped on the end, -while butterflies are <i lang="el" xml:lang="el">lepidoptera</i> which have <em>only</em> -feelers which end in knobs. Though in some -tropical countries there are moths with feelers -just like those of a butterfly. But I forgot I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -not in the class room,” and Professor Snodgrass -ended his little lecture.</p> - -<p>“Go on, we like it!” exclaimed Ned, so while -they were hunting for the rare specimen of the butterfly, -Mr. Snodgrass told the boys more about -the beautiful insects.</p> - -<p>“I’ve a good notion to make a collection myself,” -said Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I wish you would,” returned the professor. -“Though it is a little late to start this season. Begin -with me next spring.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” declared the tall lad.</p> - -<p>They had to give up the unavailing search and -return to Boxwood Hall, reaching there just in -time for supper.</p> - -<p>“Where have you fellows been?” demanded -George Fitch. “Don’t you know this is the night -you are to be initiated into the Bang-Ups?”</p> - -<p>“Sure we know it!” said Bob.</p> - -<p>“I thought you had skipped out—afraid of the -ordeal,” said Tom Bacon.</p> - -<p>“Nothing like that,” came from Jerry, as he -told the boys where they had been.</p> - -<p>“Got your nerve with you?” George demanded.</p> - -<p>“Why?” inquired Ned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’ll need it all right,” was the laughing -response. “The word has gone around and -there’ll be a gladsome crowd to assist you through -the portals and into the inner sanctum.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Go as far as you like,” said Jerry, with a -laugh. “I think they’re trying to bluff us,” he confided -later to Ned and Bob.</p> - -<p>George Fitch escorted Ned, Bob and Jerry to -the fraternity house of the Bang-Ups. They were -admitted to a room, beyond the door of which -could be heard talking and laughter.</p> - -<p>“You’ll soon be one of us,” George said. “I’ll -leave you now. Better take off your clothes—that -is, all except your underwear, and put on these,” -and he handed the boys bath robes. “There’s -some rough work, and there’s no use spoiling a -good suit.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” agreed Jerry, and they proceeded -to invest themselves in the robes.</p> - -<p>“Well, I wonder what’s next,” remarked Ned, -as they waited in the room which George had left. -“How long do we stay here?”</p> - -<p>The question was answered a moment later, for -the door opened, showing nothing but a vast black -expanse beyond. Then a figure, which seemed to -be a living skeleton, advanced. The three chums -saw at once that the effect was produced by a black -cloak on which had been drawn the outlines of a -skeleton in phosphorous paint.</p> - -<p>“Are ye the fearsome candidates?” asked the -figure, in a deep voice.</p> - -<p>“Candidates, but not fearsome,” answered -Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Silence!” came the sharp order. “Answer yea -and nay, but no more.”</p> - -<p>“Aye,” responded Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Then follow me and we shall see if ye are able -to stand the test of fire, of water, and of death. -If so be ye may prove worthy members of our -ancient and secret order. If not ye shall be cast -into outer darkness. Advance!”</p> - -<p>The skeleton figure turned and walked into the -black void. Ned, Bob and Jerry followed, being -able to see only a little way into the room by the -light in the one where they had donned the bath -robes. But, even as they turned, this light went -out, and they were left in total darkness, with -only the phosphorus glow to guide them.</p> - -<p>“Follow me!” came in solemn tones from the -skeleton one.</p> - -<p>The three walked onward, but there were obstructions -in the way, and though the glowing figure -in front avoided them, our heroes were not -so fortunate. In turn Jerry, Ned and Bob stumbled -over something and went down heavily.</p> - -<p>“Hang it all!” muttered Ned, rubbing his shins.</p> - -<p>“Silence!” came the sharp command. “The -path to the Olympian heights is rough, but ye are -not worthy if ye fall discouraged. Follow on!”</p> - -<p>Those had been no gentle falls that had come -to the three chums, but with repressed groans over -aching bones and skinned knuckles and knees they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -went on. The glow in front of them was their -only guide, and, for all they really knew, the skeleton -was their only companion in that dark room. -But Jerry fancied he could hear the breathing of -many, and did not doubt that the room was filled -with students who were taking part in the initiation.</p> - -<p>“Be careful, we may fall again,” whispered -Ned. He hoped his voice was not heard, but the -glowing figure again commanded:</p> - -<p>“Silence!”</p> - -<p>Hardly had he spoken than the three initiates, -who were walking together, arm in arm, suddenly -became aware of a void beneath their feet, and -a moment later they felt themselves falling. Then -they plunged into a tank of icy water, sinking -down until it closed over their heads.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /> -<small>CAUGHT</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry were each good swimmers, -and instinctively they held their breath as they fell -into the water and struck out—but for where they -knew not, for all about them was still as black as -night, and even the phosphorous glow had vanished.</p> - -<p>“Cæsar’s aunt!” spluttered Bob, when he could -get his head above water. “What happened?”</p> - -<p>“It’s part of the initiation,” said Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Say, but this water’s cold!” came from Ned -shiveringly.</p> - -<p>“Silence!” was shouted, and with the word the -lights flashed up and the boys found themselves in -a tank, from which the water was rapidly running, -as they could see by the lowering level. They -looked about them. Standing up on the edge of -the tank stood a figure in pure white, with head -and body covered with a long cloak.</p> - -<p>“Come up from the tank and put on these,” -the figure said, indicating some dry underwear,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -towels and other robes on chairs at the edge of -the tank.</p> - -<p>The lights went out for an instant, and when -they went up again there was no one in the room -but the three chums, and the tank was almost -empty. They were standing on the bottom of it. -They saw some steps which led up out of the tank, -and going up these they changed to dry garments.</p> - -<p>Once more the lights went out, and when they -glowed again there stood a figure in red.</p> - -<p>“Ye are to be blindfolded, candidates,” came in -deep tones, “and now for the test by blood. Ye -have well withstood the test by water. That by -fire is yet to come.”</p> - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry allowed themselves to be -blindfolded and were once more led forward. -They could tell that lights were glowing in the -room now, for faint gleams came under the blinding -cloths. And there were subdued whisperings, -denoting that there were many in the apartment.</p> - -<p>“Hold out your right arms,” came the command. -The boys obeyed. They could feel their -sleeves being pulled up, and a moment later there -was a sharp pain. They could feel that their -skin had been pricked, though only enough to permit -a drop of blood to flow.</p> - -<p>“Ouch!” cried Bob involuntarily.</p> - -<p>“Silence!” came the command. “And for that -<em>you</em> must be punctured again.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span></p> - -<p>This time Bob grimly tightened his lips and said -nothing.</p> - -<p>The initiates suddenly felt a sensation as though -a sharp knife had been drawn across their arms, -and a voice said:</p> - -<p>“Hold a basin. They are flowing well.”</p> - -<p>The three chums might have imagined that they -really had been cut, but they knew something of -initiations, and they realized that a piece of ice -drawn over the skin may feel like a knife, while -water dripping into a basin has the same sound as -blood. So they were not at all alarmed.</p> - -<p>“They are standing the blood-test well,” said a -solemn voice. “And now for the test by fire.”</p> - -<p>“That may not be so nice,” mused Jerry. “I -hope they don’t scorch us too much.”</p> - -<p>Blindfolded they were led onward. They could -feel an increase of temperature, and they heard -the roaring of flames.</p> - -<p>“Are the irons hot, Keeper of the Sacred Fire?” -a voice asked.</p> - -<p>“They are, Most Noble President.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis well. Seal the candidates that we may -always know them!”</p> - -<p>For an instant Bob, Ned and Jerry shrank back -as they felt hot irons brought near their faces. -There was a tingling sensation, and then a burning -and itching. Jerry knew what had happened.</p> - -<p>A warm iron had been brought near them that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -they might feel the heat. Then they were touched -with a piece of ice, and some cow-itch rubbed on -them. Cow-itch is a powder which stings like nettles, -and is painful while it lasts. The more one -rubs it the worse it burns.</p> - -<p>“Keep your hands away from it,” advised Jerry -in a low voice to his chums.</p> - -<p>“Silence!” came the command.</p> - -<p>There was a pause, and then a voice went on:</p> - -<p>“They have been tested by fire, by water and -by blood. So far all is well. Now for the merriment!”</p> - -<p>Before the three candidates could move they -were seized and their hands bound behind them.</p> - -<p>“Run the course!” came the command, and -they were pushed forward. The chums started off.</p> - -<p>“Faster! Faster! Run, don’t crawl!” was -shouted at them, and run they did.</p> - -<p>All sorts of things happened to them. They -fell down, and got up. They stumbled and were -buffeted on all sides. Nor were the blows gentle, -some in fact being staggering ones.</p> - -<p>That the buffetings were too rough was evidenced -when one of the unseen initiators called out -sharply:</p> - -<p>“Here, cut some of that out! We don’t want -to lame ’em.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll do as I please!” was the retort, and Jerry -was sure the last speaker was Frank Watson.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He’s taking advantage of us now and making -his blows as hard as possible,” thought Jerry, “but -we won’t squeal.”</p> - -<p>Nor did he, while Bob and Ned also bore it all -bravely.</p> - -<p>The initiation, while rough, was not unduly -so for a secret society, and the three chums had -been through worse experiences.</p> - -<p>Finally, after they had rolled down some sort -of inclined way plentifully sprinkled with bumps, -and had been tossed up in a blanket, they were led -together to some spot, and a voice said:</p> - -<p>“’Tis well! Are ye now ready to subscribe to -the sacred rolls, and swear forever to hold inviolate -the secret of our noble order of Bang-Ups? -Answer!”</p> - -<p>“We are!” chorused Ned, Bob and Jerry.</p> - -<p>“’Tis well. Loose their bonds and let them -sign the sacred scrolls in their own blood.”</p> - -<p>The bonds were loosed, the cloths taken from -their eyes, and the three candidates found themselves -in a big, brilliantly lighted room, while about -them stood their laughing fellow students.</p> - -<p>That is, all were smiling save Frank Watson, -Bart Haley and Bill Hamilton, and they looked -sneeringly at our heroes.</p> - -<p>“Take the oath and sign in blood,” went on -Harry French, a senior, who was the president of -the society.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p> - -<p>A drastic oath was administered, and then pens -were handed the three chums, first having been -dipped in some red fluid, whether blood or not was -not certain. Probably it was not.</p> - -<p>“Well, how did you like it?” asked George -Fitch, grinning as he came up to shake hands with -the initiates.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it might have been worse,” said Jerry, -philosophically.</p> - -<p>“That ducking surprised me,” admitted Bob.</p> - -<p>“It generally does,” chuckled the president. -“But get on your clothes, and we’ll have a little -feed.”</p> - -<p>A jolly time followed; jolly to Jerry and his -chums from the fact that Frank and his two particular -cronies went away. Afterward our heroes -learned that the initiation had been made unusually -severe, especially the pummeling to which they -were subjected by Frank, Bart and Bill.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, we stood it, so what’s the use of -kicking?” remarked Jerry resignedly.</p> - -<p>Now full-fledged members of the Bang-Ups, a -name which was well in keeping with the initiatory -process, Bob and his companions found that they -had many more friends, and they began to enjoy -life more fully at Boxwood Hall.</p> - -<p>The football season was now in full swing, and -several games had been played. Our friends attended, -and “rooted” to the best of their ability.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - -<p>On many occasions they invited their new -friends to go out in their automobile or in the -motor boat, occasionally taking Professor Snodgrass, -who still kept up a search for bugs, though -butterflies had vanished until the spring.</p> - -<p>“Do you know what I think we ought to do?” -said Bob one day, as he stretched out on a couch -in Jerry’s room.</p> - -<p>“I can pretty near guess,” ventured Ned, who -was helping Jerry hang up a set of boxing gloves -in artistic fashion, over a pair of crossed foils. -“Hasn’t it something to do with eats, Bob?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but not for me alone, so don’t get fresh. -But lots of the other fellows have feeds in their -rooms, even if it is against the rules, so I don’t see -why we can’t.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no good reason,” admitted Jerry. -“What are rules against eats for if not to be -broken? I’m in with you, Bob.”</p> - -<p>“So am I,” agreed Ned. “We could have a -swell feed here, as we can use the three rooms -as one.”</p> - -<p>“Then let’s do it,” Jerry said. “We’ll leave it -to Bob to buy the grub, and we’ll all chip in. Go -as far as you like, Chunky.”</p> - -<p>“And we’ll ask some of the crowd in,” added -Ned.</p> - -<p>“Sure,” assented Jerry.</p> - -<p>Now midnight lunches, or any other sort, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -the students’ rooms were strictly prohibited at -Boxwood Hall, which made it all the more joyful -to elude “Thorny,” the proctor, and the other -college officials, and have them. Bob smuggled -in the eatables, and the invitations were given, and -one evening several forms might have been observed -quietly making their way to Borton, and -up to the rooms of Bob, Ned and Jerry.</p> - -<p>There is no need to describe what took place. -If a boy has never taken part in one he has imagined -them. There were sandwiches galore, pies, -cake, bottles of olives and various tinned dainties.</p> - -<p>“Say, this is all to the mustard!” exclaimed Ted -Newton, who had accepted an invitation, in spite -of his football training.</p> - -<p>The feasting began. Keyholes had been stuffed -with paper, the windows had been darkened and -every precaution taken. Nevertheless, just as the -feast was about over, there came a knock on the -door.</p> - -<p>Ned stood up to switch off the lights. But it -was too late. A key grated in the lock, the door -was suddenly thrown open, and there stood Proctor -Thornton, a grim smile on his face.</p> - -<p>“Well, young gentlemen, you seem to be having -a good time,” he said. “You will kindly give me -your names and go to your own rooms. Hopkins, -Baker, Slade—report to me to-morrow morning, -and we will visit Dr. Cole together!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /> -<small>A COLLISION</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Astonishment and chagrin were plainly written -on the faces of the midnight revelers. The -proctor stood looking at them with a mocking -smile. It had been some time since he had made -such a “haul” as this—captured so many violaters -at once.</p> - -<p>For themselves the boys said nothing. There -was nothing they could say. They had been -“caught with the goods,” and there had been so -little warning that none of the food could be slid -under beds or desks—gotten out of the way in -the fashion best adapted to the circumstances.</p> - -<p>“Remember, Slade, Baker, Hopkins—report to -me directly after chapel in the morning,” the proctor -went on. “I have the names of the others, -and their cases will be considered separately. -Leave now!”</p> - -<p>Ingloriously the guests slunk away, the proctor -watching them go. Then, with a curt nod to Bob, -Ned and Jerry, he left them to clear away the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -remains of the feast—though there was not much -uneaten, as may well be imagined.</p> - -<p>As the echoes of the proctor’s feet died away -down the corridor, Jerry shut the door and turned -to face his companions.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you think of that?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I think mighty little of it,” Ned remarked, -sarcastically. “Mighty little.”</p> - -<p>“How’d he get in on us so quickly?” Bob demanded, -as he stood with spoon in hand over the -chafing dish containing the second smoking Welsh -rarebit, almost ready to be spread on the toast. -“Wasn’t the door locked?”</p> - -<p>“Sure it was!” Jerry answered. “But he opened -it with a key as soon as he knocked. Only for -that we might have had time to get the lights out -and some of the stuff hid.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” agreed Ned. “It was tough -luck, all right.”</p> - -<p>Puzzling over how their natural enemy had -thus been able to steal such a silent march upon -them, wondering what the outcome would be, and -not a little abashed at the inglorious outcome of -their first entertainment, the three boys cleared -away the remains of the feast and tumbled into -bed.</p> - -<p>But with all their troubles their sleep was not -interfered with, and they awoke as usual in the -morning with just a few minutes left in which to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -slip, somehow, into their clothes and rush to -chapel, getting in with a number of other latecomers, -just as the doors were closing.</p> - -<p>It is to be feared that the minds of Bob, Ned -and Jerry were very little on the devotional exercises -and singing, this state of feeling being shared -by the other culprits, who did not have a very -pleasant prospect before them.</p> - -<p>“Wonder what proxy will do to us,” mused -Bob, as, with his two chums, he walked toward -the office of the proctor.</p> - -<p>“He’s pretty fierce, I hear,” remarked Ned.</p> - -<p>“I like the looks of him,” declared Jerry. “He’s -got a good eye, and he must remember that he -was young once himself.”</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t take some of ’em long to forget it,” -said Bob. “Well, I guess we can take our medicine.”</p> - -<p>The proctor received them gravely, grimly and -with a half smile at their predicament. Beyond a -cool “good-morning!” he said nothing as he accompanied -them to the office of Dr. Cole, a white-haired, -scholarly looking gentleman, the ideal college -president.</p> - -<p>Jerry fancied there was a commiserating look on -Dr. Cole’s face as he glanced at the boys. He -must have known what they were there for, and -if he did not the proctor was not slow in giving -the information.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hum, yes. More midnight lunches, eh?” said -Dr. Cole musingly. “Yes, you are right, Mr. -Thornton, the practice must be stopped. I am -sorry, young gentlemen, but you know the rules. -You will be deprived of liberty for a week, and -do the usual number of extra lines of Virgil. And -don’t let it happen again.”</p> - -<p>Jerry fancied there was a smile under the beard -of the president, but perhaps he was mistaken.</p> - -<p>Being deprived of liberty meant that the luckless -ones would not be allowed off the college -grounds, not allowed to go to the village, to go -boating—in short to be prisoners of a sort. And -the writing of the extra Latin lessons was a task -in itself. It was “stiff” punishment, and the boys -realized it. The proctor smiled grimly at them.</p> - -<p>“What did you fellows get?” asked Bob of -some of their guests, when they were comparing -notes later in the day.</p> - -<p>“Just lines,” answered Chet Randell, meaning -that they had only to write out some extra Latin. -The givers of the feast were thus punished more -than the guests, which perhaps was worked out on -the theory that those who provided the entertainment -had put temptation in the way of others.</p> - -<p>“Say, I wonder how he happened to hear about -what we were doing?” asked Bob. “I’m sure no -one saw me smuggle the eats in.”</p> - -<p>“And we had everything dark,” added Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess Thorny has his own ways of finding -out,” contributed Jerry. “What gets me, -though, is how he happened to have the key to my -room. I thought I had the only one there was, -and it’s a patent lock. An ordinary key wouldn’t -open it. Did he ever do that before when he -busted up a spread—open the door and walk in?”</p> - -<p>“I never heard of it,” said Newt Ackerson, a -senior. “He always knocked and demanded admission. -Then there was time to slip the stuff -away and jump into bed.”</p> - -<p>“I have an idea how he <em>might</em> have got hold of -a key,” said George Fitch, “and also how he happened -to know all about what was going on.”</p> - -<p>“How?” inquired Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Well, you know Frank Watson used to have -the room where you are, Jerry. He chummed -with Bart Haley and they each had a key.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that got to do with the proctor?” -asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Well, Frank doesn’t like you fellows any too -well, though why I can’t see for the love of sour -apples. Anyhow, he’s got a grudge against you. -Now what was to hinder him from dropping a -hint to the proctor that there was something doing -in your rooms last night? And, also, what -was to stop Frank from slipping the proc the -extra key so he could get in and catch you with -the goods?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p> - -<p>Silence followed the pronouncement of this ingenious -theory, and then Ned burst out with:</p> - -<p>“That’s it! That’s how it happened! The -sneak!”</p> - -<p>“Now go a bit easy,” advised Jerry. “I’d want -pretty good proof before I’d believe any fellow -would squeal on another in that way—and slip a -key to the proctor.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I believe Frank did it,” declared Ned.</p> - -<p>“So do I,” concurred George. And while -some expressed their belief to that effect, others -were doubtful. Ned, however, was firm in his -belief that Frank was guilty.</p> - -<p>“And I’m going to tell him so to his face, and -offer to punch it for him,” he declared.</p> - -<p>“Better be careful,” advised Jerry.</p> - -<p>“So had he,” murmured Ned.</p> - -<p>The more the three chums thought of what -George had told them, the more they became convinced -(Jerry and Bob, for Ned was already satisfied) -that Frank must have reported them.</p> - -<p>“It was a mean trick!” declared Ned. “Keeping -us in bounds for a week!” he continued.</p> - -<p>“Well, a week will soon pass, and we did have -a good feed,” returned Bob philosophically.</p> - -<p>The idea spread through the college, as such -ideas will, that Frank was the informer, and he -did not take the trouble to deny it. The three -Cresville chums learned more about him than they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -had known before. For one thing, they found -out that Frank was studying zoology under Professor -Snodgrass, though the student confided to -his friends that he fairly hated the study.</p> - -<p>“Then what makes him take it?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Well, it seems his stepfather wanted him to. -Frank is very fond of his stepfather, and does -everything he asks, even to that. He’s quite a different -boy since his mother married again. It -was a good thing for Frank.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad he likes somebody, even if it’s -a stepfather,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>The punishment week passed, though it was the -longest our three heroes had ever known, and -finally they were restored to liberty.</p> - -<p>“And now for a trip on the lake!” exclaimed -Ned. “We’ll make the old <i>Neboje</i> hum!”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go down to Simpson’s and have a good -feed!” proposed Bob. “Thorny can’t molest us -there.”</p> - -<p>And once again Bob’s chums found no fault -with his proposal to eat. The boys hurried down -to the boathouse, and soon had their craft out on -the sparkling lake, inviting a few of their friends -to go with them.</p> - -<p>Simpson’s was another boathouse some miles -from the college, and a recognized students’ rendezvous. -Ned, Bob, Jerry and their guests found -several gay parties gathered at the resort, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -one of the parties was made up of Frank Watson, -Bart Haley and Bill Hamilton.</p> - -<p>“There’s the sneak now,” murmured Ned. “I’ve -a good notion to tell him what I think of him.”</p> - -<p>“No, you won’t,” said Jerry calmly. “Don’t -make a scene.”</p> - -<p>As the <i>Neboje</i> was approaching the college -boathouse after the spread Ned, who was steering, -saw the <i>Avis</i>, which was Frank’s boat, also -heading toward the landing place.</p> - -<p>“Look out you don’t run into him,” cautioned -Jerry.</p> - -<p>“It’s his place to look out,” returned Ned. -“I’m on the right course.”</p> - -<p>The motor boats came closer together, and it -was seen that the <i>Avis</i> was headed directly for the -<i>Neboje</i>.</p> - -<p>“Look out where you’re going!” cried Bob.</p> - -<p>Frank, who was steering, gave no sign that he -heard. He kept on his course.</p> - -<p>“Steer out, Ned,” ordered Jerry. “He’s too -headstrong to give in.”</p> - -<p>Ned was angry, but not foolish, and he swung -the wheel over. But it was too late. The <i>Avis</i>, -which had not swerved, came swiftly on, and her -sharp bow struck the <i>Neboje</i> squarely amidships, -cutting a deep gash and dangerously careening the -craft of our heroes.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /> -<small>THE AEROPLANE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Look out!” yelled Bob, though why, he could -not have told. It was too late for that advice.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean—running us down?” fiercely -demanded Ned.</p> - -<p>The <i>Neboje</i>, after heeling well over, swung -back, and slowly came to an even keel, while the -<i>Avis</i>, under a reversed engine, backed away.</p> - -<p>“You did that on purpose!” cried Ned, shaking -his fist at Frank, who did not seem at all put out -by the accident. “You don’t know any more about -steering a boat than a cow!” went on Ned. “You -did this deliberately, and you’ll pay for it, too.”</p> - -<p>“You got in my way,” said Frank coolly. “You -saw the course I was steering. I had a right to it. -You should have gone to port.”</p> - -<p>“That’s how little you know about boating,” -said Jerry as calmly as he could under the circumstances. -“It was you who should have steered -over.”</p> - -<p>Frank did not reply to this, but again started -his boat for the landing place. Ned, who had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -shut off the engine when he saw that a collision -was inevitable, started it again, and went on to -the place where the <i>Neboje</i> was usually moored.</p> - -<p>“You’d better take some steering lessons,” -shouted Ned after Frank. “But then it’s what I’d -expect of a fellow who would squeal on others -about a feed, and hand the proc the key to the -room.”</p> - -<p>“Who says I did that?” cried Frank, leaping -out of his boat and running to where Ned stood -on the dock.</p> - -<p>“I do!” answered Ned truculently, “and I’m -ready to back it up!” He began taking off his -coat, an example followed by Frank.</p> - -<p>“You can’t fight here,” said Ted Newton, stepping -in between the angry youths. “If you want -to have it out, do it regularly.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll do it!” cried Ned.</p> - -<p>“And you’ll find me there!” added Frank with -a sneer. “I’ll make you take back what you said.”</p> - -<p>“And I’ll make you pay for damaging our -boat!” retorted Ned.</p> - -<p>The details of the fight that followed in the -secluded place appointed by college custom for -such affairs may be passed over. Suffice it to say -that Ned and Frank were evenly matched, and -each received about the same amount of punishment—black -eyes being administered to both, with -various cuts and bruises.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p> - -<p>And the fight did not settle either point. Ned -refused to take back what he had said to Frank -about the key. Nor would Frank pay for the -damage to the <i>Neboje</i>, though the damage was -not as great as had originally been feared.</p> - -<p>So matters stood about where they were at first, -with this exception, that there was more bad -blood between our heroes and Frank and his -chums.</p> - -<p>But in spite of this Ned, Bob and Jerry were -finding life at Boxwood Hall very much to their -liking. It is true they had enemies, principally -those of Frank’s set, and they had rivals, as might -be expected. But they also made many friends. -What boys would not who were as manly and as -jolly as the Cresville chums, and who had, moreover, -a fine car and a motor boat? The latter -had been repaired and many a jolly trip our -friends had in her.</p> - -<p>They also went on outings in the machine, Professor -Snodgrass going along occasionally, to look -for late fall insects. One day the little scientist, -learning that Bob, Ned, Jerry and Tom Bacon -were going in the direction of Fox Swamp, mentioned -the fact that he wanted to go there also, -to see if he could not find a certain species of very -large beetle, which, at this time of the year, burrowed -into the ground, there to remain until warm -weather came again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Come along,” said Jerry, who was at the -wheel; and they were soon speeding in the direction -of Fairview.</p> - -<p>“This is some way to come to college!” exclaimed -Tom, enthusiastically. “A motor boat -and a car would make college worth while to anyone.”</p> - -<p>“And Boxwood Hall is a dandy place!” exclaimed -Ned.</p> - -<p>As they passed the fair grounds, scenes of activity -were noted.</p> - -<p>“Looks as though something was going on,” -remarked Bob.</p> - -<p>“There is,” said Tom. “The fair opens to-morrow, -and there’s going to be an aeroplane -flight. I’m coming over.”</p> - -<p>The other boys expressed their intention of doing -the same. On their arrival at the swamp Professor -Snodgrass enlisted the aid of the lads in -looking for the large beetle.</p> - -<p>“If you see some round holes in the ground, -with a little heap of earth on two sides of it, you -may know the beetle is there,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Why <em>two</em> heaps of earth?” asked Ned. -“There is only one when ants dig out their chambers -under ground.”</p> - -<p>“That is one of the peculiarities of this beetle,” -said the little scientist, as he mentioned the Latin -name. “It burrows into the ground, and brings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -up the excavated earth, putting it in two almost -exactly even piles. Just why, we have never been -able to learn.”</p> - -<p>The boys scattered, to look for beetle holes, -for they liked the professor and were always glad -to help him in his scientific work, especially when -it was of an odd turn, such as this.</p> - -<p>“Here’s a hole—I’ve found one!” cried Ned, -and Professor Snodgrass, hurrying over, confirmed -the discovery.</p> - -<p>“The beetle is working down there now,” he -said. “You can tell that by the freshness of the -piles of earth.” The boys saw that there were -two little earth-piles, just as the scientist had said. -Professor Snodgrass knelt down over the hole.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do?” Jerry asked.</p> - -<p>“Get the beetle,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>The professor inserted his two fingers in the -opening, and began feeling about. Suddenly a -queer look came over his face, and he uttered an -exclamation.</p> - -<p>“Did you get the beetle?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Er—yes, I—I think so,” was the hesitating -answer. “Or perhaps it would be more correct -to say that the beetle has <em>me</em>. My! how he -pinches!”</p> - -<p>The professor pulled up his fingers, and clinging -to one of them was a large, black beetle, which -had drawn blood.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Look at that, would you!” cried Bob. “I -wouldn’t want one of them to get on me.”</p> - -<p>“They <em>have</em> rather powerful mandibles,” admitted -the professor. “If one of you will hand -me my cyanide bottle I’ll get rid of this fellow.”</p> - -<p>Jerry handed over a large-mouthed bottle which -the scientist had placed with his specimen box a -little distance from him. The bottom of the flask -was filled with plaster of Paris, in which was -mixed cyanide of potassium. This gives off a -very poisonous gas. Insects dropped into the bottle -die painlessly. The professor held the beetle, -still clinging to his finger, down inside the bottle, -and in a few seconds the queer, burrowing insect -dropped to the bottom of the bottle, which the -professor corked.</p> - -<p>“A very successful capture,” he remarked. -“Now for another.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say you are going to put -your fingers down another hole and run the chance -of getting bitten?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t mind a little bite like this,” said -Professor Snodgrass, putting some peroxide on -the punctures. “I must have another beetle.”</p> - -<p>“And he got it, too!” said Jerry, telling about -the incident afterward, “or rather, the beetle got -him again, on another finger.”</p> - -<p>The professor was enthusiastic over his specimens, -even though the bites poisoned him so that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -his fingers swelled up, and he could not write for -a week. But he said it was worth all the pain.</p> - -<p>“Well, shall we take in the fair?” asked Jerry -of his chums the next day after lunch.</p> - -<p>“Sure thing!” cried Ned. “I want to see if they -have anything new in aeroplanes.”</p> - -<p>“They’ll have to go some to beat the motor -ship we had,” observed Bob. “But we’ll have -some fun, anyhow. Let’s make up a crowd and -go in the machine.”</p> - -<p>This was agreed to, and with Tom Bacon, -George Fitch, Ted Newton and Chet Randell, the -boys set off for Fairview that afternoon, “cutting” -some lectures in order to make the trip.</p> - -<p>The fair grounds were a lively place, for tents -and booths had been put up over night, and, gaily -decorated with flags and bunting, made a pleasing -picture that bright October day.</p> - -<p>“There’s the aeroplane over there!” cried Ned, -as they went to the parking place with their automobile.</p> - -<p>“Two of ’em!” added Bob. “They’re just the -ordinary type, though. Nothing like what we -had.”</p> - -<p>“Did you fellows really have an aeroplane?” -asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Sure we did!” answered Jerry.</p> - -<p>“These have self-starters,” remarked Ned, as -he and the others inspected the aeroplanes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And they carry double,” added Bob.</p> - -<p>There was a big crowd around the air craft, -for it had been announced that a race was about -to take place. Jerry and his chums saw Frank -Watson and his crowd near the biplanes, and -Frank, looking at our heroes, said sneeringly, and -loudly enough to be heard by them:</p> - -<p>“This is the kind of machine the motor boys -said they had. Humph! I don’t believe they’d -dare go up in a balloon!”</p> - -<p>“The cad!” muttered Ned. “I’ll show him!”</p> - -<p>“Now quiet down,” ordered Jerry. “If you -don’t——”</p> - -<p>At that moment one of the aviators stepped -forward and addressed the throng.</p> - -<p>“Is there any one here who has been up in an -aeroplane, and who is willing to go up again?” -the man asked. “My partner has failed to arrive, -and we can’t have the race unless I take some one -up with me. Will any one volunteer?”</p> - -<p>Ned Slade stepped forward.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /> -<small>THE POSTPONED EXAMINATION</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The aviator looked over the crowd, at first -not appearing to have seen Ned. Then the lad -spoke.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go up with you,” he said, “if you think I’m -the right weight to balance properly. If not my -two friends here——” and he motioned to Jerry -and Bob.</p> - -<p>“Do you know anything about aeroplanes?” -asked the man.</p> - -<p>“A little,” admitted Ned, modestly.</p> - -<p>“Have you ever been up in one?”</p> - -<p>“More than once.”</p> - -<p>“It’s all a bluff!” sneered Frank from where -he stood. “He daren’t go up in that machine.”</p> - -<p>“You—you——” began Ned angrily, and then -his better sense made him keep silent.</p> - -<p>“I’ll take you up in a minute if you’ve had any -experience at all, and aren’t afraid,” said the aviator.</p> - -<p>“Afraid!” laughed Ned. Then he mentioned -some of the meets he and his chums had attended<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -and taken part in, winning some races. Bob and -Jerry confirmed this.</p> - -<p>“Oh, if you were at <em>those</em> meets you sure are -an old hand at the game!” said Mr. Perdy, the -aviator. “I was at one myself, but I don’t recall -you. Yes indeed, Slade, I’ll take you up and glad -to do it. Without a partner I can’t pull off this -race, as one of the conditions is that each machine -shall carry two persons. In fact, they won’t balance -well without a double load, though I have -gone up with a bag of sand.”</p> - -<p>“Are you going high?” asked Ned. “Will I -need a heavier coat?” for as all know, it is very -cold in the upper air currents.</p> - -<p>“We’re not going high, not more than a mile -or two,” was the reply. “But I can get you my -partner’s big ulster. I can’t imagine why he isn’t -on hand. His train must be late. However, -you’ll do very nicely. Do you know how to steer, -and manage the engine—well, if anything happens?” -he asked in a low voice.</p> - -<p>Ned nodded, and a helper ran off to get the -overcoat and a cap for the young aviator.</p> - -<p>“I wish I’d volunteered,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>“Same here,” murmured Jerry. “It would be -like old times to be in the clouds. Next year we’ll -bring our aeroplane here.”</p> - -<p>The other students, as well as the crowd in -general, were looking curiously at Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He sure has got nerve,” declared Ted Newton.</p> - -<p>“He’ll back out at the last minute,” sneered -Frank.</p> - -<p>Ned heard but did not answer.</p> - -<p>The two aviators who were to go up in the -other machine had been getting it ready. It was -now wheeled to the starting line with the one in -which Ned and Mr. Perdy were to make the ascent. -Ned got into the big ulster and drew the -cap down over his head. He took his place in -the seat beside Mr. Perdy and waved his hand to -his chums.</p> - -<p>“See you later, boys,” he called, as though starting -off in an automobile.</p> - -<p>“He’s really going up!”</p> - -<p>“Say, that’s nerve all right!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think he’d do it!”</p> - -<p>“I wonder what Frank Watson thinks now.”</p> - -<p>These were some of the remarks from the -crowd.</p> - -<p>“So, it wasn’t a bluff after all; was it, Jerry?” -asked Ted Newton.</p> - -<p>“Of course not. I told you we’d gone up many -times before. I’ll bring our motor ship here next -season, and prove that we have one.”</p> - -<p>“That will be great! It’s almost as good as -football.”</p> - -<p>“All ready?” asked Mr. Perdy of Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sure. Any time you are. Let her go!”</p> - -<p>“I thought you said he’d back out, Frank,” observed -Bart Haley to his chum.</p> - -<p>“Well, he may yet. I don’t count much on the -spunk of those fellows who call themselves motor -boys,” and there was a sneer in Frank’s voice.</p> - -<p>The other aviator and his partner announced -that they were ready. They took their places, -and a moment later, when the judges gave the -signal, the switches of the self-starters were -thrown over and with a rattle and bang the motors -began to revolve the propellers.</p> - -<p>Rapidly the big wooden blades spun around -until they had speed enough to move the aeroplanes -over the smooth ground. Then, like two -big birds, the craft left the earth together, sailing -upward on a long slant.</p> - -<p>“Ever do the spiral?” yelled Mr. Perdy into -Ned’s ear.</p> - -<p>He nodded in affirmation.</p> - -<p>“I’ll try it going up,” went on the aviator and -he began climbing toward the clouds in corkscrew -fashion.</p> - -<p>Down below the crowd was shouting and cheering, -for some of them had never seen an aeroplane -before. But to many of the students of Boxwood -Hall the machines were not new, though to -have one of their fellow-members ascend in one -was something out of the ordinary.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I wish I had nerve enough to do that!” exclaimed -Tom Bacon.</p> - -<p>“Same here,” murmured Chet Randell. “It -must be great.”</p> - -<p>“I was a bit scared at first,” confessed Bob. -“But I soon got used to it.”</p> - -<p>“And he had as good an appetite up in the air -as he did on the ground!” cried Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, quit!” begged the stout lad.</p> - -<p>“Did you really eat on your aeroplane, -Chunky?” asked George Fitch.</p> - -<p>“Eat? Say, we couldn’t live on <em>air</em> you know,” -answered Chunky.</p> - -<p>“Our biggest craft was a combined dirigible -balloon and aeroplane,” Jerry explained. “We -went on long trips in it, and were off the earth -for days at a time.”</p> - -<p>“Say, that sure was great!” cried Tom.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, all eyes were on the two aeroplanes, -which were becoming smaller and smaller -the higher up they went towards the clouds.</p> - -<p>“Well, he didn’t back out; did he?” asked some -one of Frank.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dry up!” was the snarled answer.</p> - -<p>“He took to it like a duck to water,” observed -Tom Bacon, speaking of Ned. “I wonder if -he’ll win the race.”</p> - -<p>“He’s won ’em before,” put in Jerry, “but he’s -not running the machine now.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> - -<p>The race was going on in the air, but as previous -books concerning the motor boys have so -fully gone into the subject of aeronautics, the details -of the race will not be set down here, for it -was an ordinary one as compared to some in which -Ned, Bob and Jerry had taken part. Suffice it to -say, that after circling around several times over -the fair grounds, keeping outside the pylons, as -the upright posts marking the course were called, -the two air craft made ready for the finish.</p> - -<p>So far, it had been a pretty even contest, but -when the time came for the last round and the -descent, Mr. Perdy yelled to Ned:</p> - -<p>“I’m going to try to beat him. I think I can -strike a better current of air down below, where -there is less resistance.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” Ned assented.</p> - -<p>Instantly the aeroplane shot downward, and -then, checking it, the pilot sent it forward. A -glance upward showed that he had gained a little -on his rivals.</p> - -<p>“Take the wheel and bring her down,” suggested -Mr. Perdy; and Ned did, the guiding apparatus -being made so that it could be shifted -from one side to the other.</p> - -<p>Swift as a bird Ned sent the craft downward. -He was approaching the finish line.</p> - -<p>“We’re going to beat!” he told himself.</p> - -<p>He was now near the earth, and to check his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -sudden descent he threw up the rudder a little, to -cause the down-shooting craft to rise. This acted -as a brake.</p> - -<p>A moment later Ned let his craft down, and it -ran along on the wheels over the finish line, several -lengths in advance of the other.</p> - -<p>“Ned Slade wins!”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah for him!”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah for Boxwood Hall!”</p> - -<p>“Ned did it!”</p> - -<p>Of course Mr. Perdy would have won had he -been steering, but he chose to let the honor come -to Ned, and the lad appreciated it.</p> - -<p>“Great work, old man!”</p> - -<p>“That was clever!”</p> - -<p>“You sure have nerve!”</p> - -<p>Thus cried Ned’s chums as they crowded -around him, clapping him on the back and seeking -to shake hands. He was overwhelmed with congratulations.</p> - -<p>“That was fine!” said Mr. Perdy. “You sure -do know aeroplanes! You’re not open for an engagement, -are you? I have several dates booked -for the South this winter, and if my partner isn’t -going to attend to business any better than he did -to-day, I’d like to make some arrangements with -you.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, but I’m going to stay at Boxwood -Hall,” answered Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<p>Jerry and Bob, joining Ned, looked over to -where Frank Watson had been standing. But -he was gone.</p> - -<p>“I guess he had enough,” observed Tom Bacon.</p> - -<p>The other attractions at the fair did not interest -the college lads very much, and as there were -to be no more flights that day the crowd of boys, -including our friends and those who had come in -the automobile with them, made their way back, -stopping in Fordham at the “Band-Box” for some -soda-water and other like refreshments. Little -else was talked of but Ned’s flight.</p> - -<p>“I never knew it could be so easy,” said Lem -Ferguson.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got to get used to it, of course,” Ned -remarked. “Otherwise, there’s nothing to it.”</p> - -<p>“I guess Frank will keep his mouth closed after -this,” observed Tom Bacon.</p> - -<p>“He doesn’t worry me,” announced Ned.</p> - -<p>Cold weather was approaching. The mornings -were chilly and the nights chillier. It was November, -and football had the call. The Boxwood -Hall team was doing well, and preparing for the -annual contest with the military academy.</p> - -<p>“And we’re going to win, too!” declared Ted -Newton.</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” cried Jerry.</p> - -<p>Bart Haley was one of the star halfbacks on -the eleven, but there was a danger that he would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -fall below the standard in studies, and not be allowed -by the faculty to take part in the annual -Thanksgiving day contest with Kenwell. This -would be a big loss to Boxwood Hall.</p> - -<p>As the time for the big contest approached, the -standing of Bart became so uncertain that his -companions, and especially Ted Newton, were -worried.</p> - -<p>“I can make it all right,” announced Bart one -night to a group of boys, our three heroes being -among the crowd. “I can make it all right if I -don’t flunk in chemistry to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Then you’re not going to flunk!” cried the -football captain. “We’ll coach you now, and -coach you good and hard.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon those who were well up in that subject -began to try to hammer into Bart’s brains the -needful knowledge that would insure him a passing -mark in the chemistry tests which would take -place the next day. It was a rather important examination, -and if Bart failed to make the required -average in it he would not be eligible for the -eleven, and could not play against Kenwell.</p> - -<p>“And we need him,” said Ted.</p> - -<p>But Bart’s worst study was chemistry. He -simply could not remember the different symbols, -try as his friends did to drill them into his head. -They worked far into the night with him, but in -the morning, Bart met Jerry, with whom, of late,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -he had become much more friendly than was -Frank with any of our three heroes.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use, Jerry,” said Bart, perhaps more -chummy because of his trouble than otherwise he -would have been. “I know I’m going to flunk in -chemistry.”</p> - -<p>“You mustn’t!” Jerry insisted.</p> - -<p>“I can’t help it. I can’t tell now whether -H₂SO₄ is oxylic acid or oxygen.”</p> - -<p>“It’s neither,” said the tall lad. “It’s sulphuric.”</p> - -<p>Bart groaned.</p> - -<p>“That’s the way it is,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Look here!” cried Jerry, suddenly. “We want -to win that game, and the team depends on you. -If the examination could be postponed you -wouldn’t have to take it until after Thanksgiving.”</p> - -<p>“And then I wouldn’t care half as much if I -flunked,” said Bart, “for this is the last and most -important game of the year. But they won’t put -off the exam.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe they’ll have to,” said Jerry, mysteriously. -“I might persuade them.”</p> - -<p>“How can you do it?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you,” and Jerry and Bart went off to -a secluded place together, much to the wonderment -of Frank, who could not imagine why his -crony had suddenly become so chummy with one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -of the boys whom Frank and his chums had voted -to snub.</p> - -<p>But if poverty makes strange bedfellows, the -desire to win a football game may make a fellow -forget a contract he has entered into, especially -when such an agreement is not altogether in good -taste. Bart was beginning to like Jerry in spite -of the efforts Frank made to prevent this. And -when Jerry made his proposition, Bart cried:</p> - -<p>“Say, if you can do that I’ll be your friend for -life! If we can postpone the examination I’ll be -all right, for I’m just at passing mark now. But -if I flunked in chemistry I wouldn’t be.”</p> - -<p>“Leave it to me,” said Jerry. “What time is -the exam?”</p> - -<p>“Two this afternoon, and I’m going to spend -every second from now to then boning away.”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t,” Jerry assured him. “There -won’t be a chemistry test to-day.”</p> - -<p>And there was not. When the class assembled -in the room to wait for Professor Baldwin to -come in to give the examination, they waited a -long time. No professor appeared, though usually -he was very prompt. Some of the boys looked -wonderingly at one another, but they were on an -honor system, and had promised not to speak -after entering the examination room. They kept -their word.</p> - -<p>An hour passed, and no chemistry professor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -appeared to conduct the test. As it was partly -oral, his presence was needed.</p> - -<p>Finally, Proctor Thornton, who made it his -business to visit each class room, some time during -the progress of an examination, entered the room. -He looked in surprise at the seated students in -the semi-darkness, and he noted the absence of -Professor Baldwin.</p> - -<p>“Where is the dean?” asked the proctor.</p> - -<p>“He hasn’t been here, sir,” answered Jake -Porter.</p> - -<p>“This is very strange. Wait here a moment, -and I will inquire.”</p> - -<p>The proctor was gone a short time, during -which the hopes of Bart and his friends rose high. -There was hardly time for an examination now, -and to-morrow would be a holiday.</p> - -<p>The proctor came back.</p> - -<p>“I am very sorry, young gentlemen,” he said, -“but Professor Baldwin is not to be found. The -examination is postponed. You may go.”</p> - -<p>And not even the proctor’s presence could restrain -the cheer that echoed through the room.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah, Bart!” cried his friends, as they hurried -out. “You play against Kenwell to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I do,” admitted Bart with a grin.</p> - -<p>“But what happened to Baldy?” asked several.</p> - -<p>Bart slowly winked his eye.</p> - -<p>“Ask Jerry Hopkins,” he replied.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a><br /> -<small>THE BOXWOOD PICTURE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>But there was no need to ask Jerry what had -happened to the chemistry professor. Soon after -the relieved youths poured out of the examination -room they observed, coming along the street and -stopping in front of the house of Professor Snodgrass, -an automobile containing that little scientist, -Professor Baldwin and Jerry himself.</p> - -<p>“Dear me!” exclaimed Professor Snodgrass, -looking at his watch, “we have been gone a long -time. I had no idea it was so late, and I had some -research work I wanted to do.”</p> - -<p>Something seemed to strike Professor Baldwin -suddenly.</p> - -<p>“Late!” he exclaimed, also looking at his watch. -“So it is late. I had—let me see—I had something -special on for this afternoon. Where is my -memorandum book?”</p> - -<p>He consulted it, and a look of consternation -came over his face.</p> - -<p>“Well, well!” he cried. “I was to have conducted -a chemistry examination this afternoon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -but I forgot all about it. Pshaw! How forgetful -I am becoming! It is too late, now, though,” he -added with a sigh. “Too late!”</p> - -<p>Jerry Hopkins smiled, and had it not been so -near dusk Bart and some of the others would have -seen him winking at them.</p> - -<p>“How ever did you manage it?” asked Bart, -becoming exceedingly friendly with Jerry all of -a sudden. “Did you kidnap Baldy?”</p> - -<p>“Well, you <em>might</em> call it that,” admitted Jerry. -“But he himself helped some. This is the way it -was. I knew you had to play on the team, and -you told me you would surely flunk in chemistry. -So I argued that the only way to do was to have -the exam postponed.</p> - -<p>“Now, if there is one professor here that is as -absent-minded and forgetful as Professor Snodgrass, -it is the dean. And I happened to know -something else about them. They hold radically -different views on fossil shell formations. In fact, -they come about as near to quarreling on that -subject as two such delightful old gentlemen ever -do come. So I knew if I could get them started -on a discussion about fossils they might keep it -up and the dean forget all about the passage of -time. I also knew that I had to get the dean away -from the college, or, even in the midst of a hot discussion, -something might break in on it to remind -him of the exam.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now I happened to know where there was a -bed of fossils over near Fox Swamp. So I got a -few specimens, and took them to Professor Snodgrass, -pretending to be puzzled on a point concerning -them. I mildly differed with him in some -of his statements, and said that Professor Baldwin -held different views, which, by the way, he -did. He wouldn’t agree with Professor Snodgrass -in a thousand years, so I knew I was safe.</p> - -<p>“I pretended to be very much interested and -puzzled, and I suggested that it would be a good -thing if Professor Snodgrass and Professor Baldwin -would accompany me to Fox Swamp, where -we could go into the matter more thoroughly.”</p> - -<p>Jerry paused to chuckle.</p> - -<p>“Go on,” urged Bart. “What happened?”</p> - -<p>“Well, they fell into the trap as easily as -Chunky here can eat pie. I brought around the -machine, got them in and off we went for the -swamp. When I got them to the fossil bed, wild -horses couldn’t have pulled them away, for I’d -unearthed some new specimens. And then the -fun began. The two professors went at each -other with pet theories for weapons, and pointed -out minute indications in geology that I had never -dreamed of. I was completely out of it, so I -wandered off in the woods and waited for them -to finish.</p> - -<p>“I guess they would have been at it yet, only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -they dug up a queer kind of rock that stumped -them both to tell what it was, and they yelled for -me to hurry with them back to the college so they -could look it up in the dictionary—or whatever -book they use for such things.</p> - -<p>“And there you are, boys. We just got back, -and it’s up to you chaps to provide some amusement -for me in return for listening to a lot of dry -rock-talk all afternoon, besides losing my fun.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll take care of you all right!” laughed -Bart. “That sure was one dandy little trick! It -worked like a charm. Shake!”</p> - -<p>Bart and Jerry clasped hands in a most friendly -fashion, to the no small disgust of Frank.</p> - -<p>“Great work, Jerry!”</p> - -<p>“This will go down in college history!”</p> - -<p>“The best ever!”</p> - -<p>Thus Jerry’s chums congratulated him.</p> - -<p>“Say, don’t let it get out—I mean my part in -it!” begged Jerry. “I’d be jugged if it were -known.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll keep it dark,” promised Bart. “The -faculty will never know.”</p> - -<p>It is hard to say whether this state of affairs -existed long, but one is inclined to think that -some, at least the proctor, must have suspected. -But he could do nothing, for Professor Baldwin -had remained away of his own accord. And he -was the dean.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Say, why do you want to get so thick with that -Jerry Hopkins?” asked Frank of Bart that evening.</p> - -<p>“Because he did me a big favor. I’d never have -been able to play in the game to-morrow if he -hadn’t held that exam off the way he did.”</p> - -<p>“Um,” was all Frank said.</p> - -<p>That Thanksgiving Day game with Kenwell -was a good one, though at first, when the military -lads rolled up two touchdowns and a goal against -Boxwood Hall, it looked black for the latter. -And then Bart cut loose, and in each of the second, -third and fourth quarters made a touchdown, -while another was scored on a forward pass, and -thus Boxwood Hall humbled her ancient enemy.</p> - -<p>“That’s the way!”</p> - -<p>“Whoop her up!”</p> - -<p>“We’ve beat ’em, boys!”</p> - -<p>“Three cheers for Bart Haley!”</p> - -<p>They were given riotously.</p> - -<p>“Three cheers for Jerry Hopkins!”</p> - -<p>There was no apparent reason why they should -be given, for Jerry was not on the team.</p> - -<p>But they were given with resounding echoes, -for the story of how Jerry had saved Bart to the -team was all over the school by then. Only one -lad refrained from joining in the cheers for Jerry, -and he was Frank Watson.</p> - -<p>“Oh, forget your grouch,” suggested Bill Hamilton.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -“Jerry and his chums aren’t such bad fellows, -Frank.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got my own opinion,” was the answer of -the headstrong lad.</p> - -<p>There was a great celebration that night over -the football victory, and if there were midnight -lunches, Proctor Thornton did not surprise any -of the feasters. Perhaps he purposely kept away.</p> - -<p>Life went on at Boxwood Hall. It became too -cold for motor boating, and the <i>Neboje</i> was -hauled out, for the lake would soon be frozen -over. But the automobile was kept in use.</p> - -<p>The Christmas holidays came, bringing a vacation -which enabled the motor boys to go home, -where they had glorious times.</p> - -<p>It was a week after their return to Boxwood -Hall, and the new year’s schedule of lessons was -under way. President Cole, on the reassembling -of the college classes, had made a plea for harder -mental work, and most of the boys were buckling -down to their lessons, at least for a time.</p> - -<p>Bob, Ned and Jerry were sitting in their rooms, -or rather, in Jerry’s room, one evening, studying. -Finally Jerry flung his book away from him, upsetting -a tumbler of water over Bob, who yelled -out:</p> - -<p>“What does that mean?”</p> - -<p>“It means I’ve just thought of something,” said -Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I wish you’d keep such thoughts to yourself,” -grumbled the stout lad, as he sopped up the -water.</p> - -<p>“What’s the idea?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“This,” replied Jerry. “Things have been too -slow around here of late. Everything has a flat -taste. We are getting into a rut. No one has -brought a cow, or even a goat, into a class room.”</p> - -<p>“I was a goat in French to-day,” declared Ned. -“I couldn’t get a single verb right. But go on.”</p> - -<p>“Merely this,” said Jerry. “Let’s do something.”</p> - -<p>“What?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“You know the Boxwood picture that hangs -in chapel; don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“That big oil portrait of Ebenezer Boxwood, -founder of the college?” Ned inquired.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” nodded Jerry. “That’s the sacred cow -I refer to. Now what is the reason we can’t take -that picture and hang it where all who wish may -admire it? Say hoist it up on the flagpole, where -it can be seen. It hangs in such a dark corner in -chapel that the full beauties of it are not brought -out. On the flagpole they could be seen.”</p> - -<p>“You mean to hang the sacred Boxwood Hall -picture on the pole?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“I do,” said Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Who’ll do it?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“We will,” said Jerry, calmly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a><br /> -<small>“WHO TOLD?”</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>For a moment Bob and Ned gazed silently at -their tall chum. Then they spoke.</p> - -<p>“Take the Boxwood picture?” gasped Ned.</p> - -<p>“And put it on the flagpole?” added Bob.</p> - -<p>“Why not?” asked Jerry. “Worse, or better, -jokes, as you choose to call them, have been perpetrated -here. It beats taking a goat up to a class -room, or taking the knob off a prof’s door so he -can’t get out to make you flunk.”</p> - -<p>“But it doesn’t beat taking two of the highbrows -off and making them forget to come back,” -chuckled Ned.</p> - -<p>“Maybe not,” admitted Jerry, with a smile. -“That was some little trick, if I do say it myself.”</p> - -<p>“It sure was!” agreed Bob.</p> - -<p>“But about this picture,” went on the tall lad. -“Are you going to help me get it, or not?”</p> - -<p>“Just us three?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“That’s enough,” said Jerry. “The more you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -have in a game like that, the more danger there -is in getting found out. We three can do it alone.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Bob, smiling. “I’m with you.”</p> - -<p>“Same here,” added Ned. “But how are we -going to do it?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I have it all planned,” Jerry told his -chums. “We’ll wait until it gets a little later, -and then we’ll go into chapel by the little side door -near Martin’s house.” (Martin was the janitor -who looked after chapel.) “He hardly ever locks -the door,” went on Jerry, “but if he does I have -some extra keys that I think will work. We can -sneak in there, take the picture off the wall, slip -around back of the gym and up to the flagpole. -No one goes there at night. The flag will be -down, and the halyards will be in the little box on -the pole. That isn’t locked. All we’ll have to -do will be to fasten the picture to the ropes and -hoist it up, fasten the ropes and get back to our -own little beds. Of course, we’re taking a chance -in being out of the dormitory after hours, but -that’s done every night, and at worst it means -only some extra lines.”</p> - -<p>“But if we’re caught out, and they find the picture -up on the pole in the morning, won’t they -suspect us?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“You don’t suppose we’ll be the <em>only</em> ones out -to-night; do you?” asked Jerry. “They won’t -suspect us any more than they will any one else.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s taking a risk,” objected Bob.</p> - -<p>“Of course it is!” admitted his tall chum. -“What would be the fun if there were no risk?”</p> - -<p>“We shan’t damage the picture any; shall we?” -Ned demanded.</p> - -<p>“Not a scratch, if we can help it,” promised -Jerry. “We’ll just hoist it up and leave it where -a good view can be had of it. Are you game?”</p> - -<p>Again Bob and Ned said they were. They were -mildly excited, too. As Jerry had stated, matters -had been a bit dull at Boxwood Hall of late. -Nothing of interest had been done, save that a few -of the old-time jokes—“standardized plays”—Jerry -called them, had been executed. The boys -welcomed any sort of change.</p> - -<p>Jerry went carefully over all the details with -his chums.</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to work quickly,” he told them. -“And I’ll lay out the work so each one of us will -have just certain things to do. And do ’em fast—that’s -the word—fast!”</p> - -<p>The boys waited until it was near the hour -when lights must be extinguished and every student, -who had not permission to remain out, must -be in his room. Then, with a final word of instruction, -Jerry led his chums forth. As he left -his room he took up a black robe they sometimes -used in the automobile when it was chilly.</p> - -<p>“What’s that for?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p> - -<p>“To throw over the picture. The gold frame -might shine when we passed some lamp and give -the game away. I’ll cover it with this robe.”</p> - -<p>“Good idea,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>Carefully and cautiously the three chums made -their way to the chapel. It stood well away from -the other college buildings. The only structure -near it was the cottage of Martin, the janitor, an -elderly man fond of a pipe and a book after supper, -so there was little danger of his being -abroad. At this hour it was dark and deserted.</p> - -<p>“Got your keys?” whispered Bob.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Jerry, in the same low voice. -“But maybe I won’t need ’em.”</p> - -<p>As they neared the chapel, and swung around -to the side where the door leading to the vestry -was, a black form rushed out of the bushes toward -them.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” exclaimed Ned, nervously.</p> - -<p>“Martin’s dog. Keep still!” commanded Jerry. -“Here, Jack, lie down! Go back!” he ordered.</p> - -<p>The dog, which had not barked, was a friend -of every lad in the college. He fawned upon the -three plotters and then, satisfied that they did -not want to romp with him, Jack went back to his -kennel.</p> - -<p>“Got out of that easy,” commented Jerry.</p> - -<p>Cautiously they ascended the steps and tried -the door.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Open,” announced Jerry. “I won’t have to -use the keys. Come on in, and don’t stumble over -a chair or any of the kneeling benches.”</p> - -<p>They entered the dark vestry and closed the -door behind them.</p> - -<p>“Bear cats and little kittens!” muttered Ned. -“It’s as black as a bottle of ink.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a flashlight,” announced Jerry, producing -a pocket electric lamp. By its light the -boys made their way out of the vestry, up on the -platform and over to where the picture hung.</p> - -<p>“Got to have a ladder to reach it,” announced -Bob.</p> - -<p>“Put one of the big pulpit chairs on top of -another and we can reach it,” said Jerry. “I figured -that out when I was here this morning.”</p> - -<p>“Big head!” ejaculated Ned.</p> - -<p>Jerry was right about the chairs, and on this -rather shaky pyramid, while Ned and Bob steadied -it, Jerry reached up and lifted down the -picture, no easy task, for it was in a heavy gold -frame.</p> - -<p>The Boxwood picture was one of the treasures -of the institution; not because of its intrinsic -worth, but because of the associations.</p> - -<p>The Reverend Doctor Ebenezer Boxwood, to -give him his proper title, had founded the college -as a religious school, and the chapel was one of the -first buildings erected. He had been a clergyman<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -of great scholarly attainments, and a natural -instructor.</p> - -<p>Gradually, like many others of its kind, Boxwood -Hall broadened, and became a college in -which the divinity side was less and less emphasized -each year, though the institution still conferred -the degree of Doctor of Divinity upon -those who wished it, and who passed the necessary -tests.</p> - -<p>So it was that the faculty of the college revered -the picture of the founder, even though the -boys did not. For, of course, none of the present -undergraduates had known the Rev. Dr. Ebenezer -Boxwood.</p> - -<p>“Now hustle!” advised Jerry, when the picture -was safely down. “Put back the chairs, and we’ll -cut out of here.”</p> - -<p>This was soon done, and, with the picture covered -with the black robe, the conspirators, first -looking about to make sure they were unobserved, -sneaked out the side door, and made their -way toward the flagpole.</p> - -<p>Here was where the greatest danger of detection -lay, for they were out in the open, and though -the flagpole was not near any of the buildings it -was in a conspicuous place on the campus, and -the boys might be observed by some passing professor.</p> - -<p>However, luck seemed to be with them, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -<a href="#image04">they</a> quickly <a href="#image04">made the flag halyards fast to the -picture and hoisted it up</a> to the top of the pole, -making sure the fastenings were secure so the portrait -would not fall.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 386px;"> -<a id="image04"> - <img src="images/image04.jpg" width="386" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_173">THEY MADE THE FLAG HALYARDS FAST TO THE PICTURE AND -HOISTED IT UP.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>“Well, I guess that’s some nifty little trick,” -chuckled Jerry, as they hurried back to their -rooms.</p> - -<p>“It’ll make ’em sit up and have gravy on their -eggs all right,” added Ned.</p> - -<p>Chuckling over the success of their plot, the -three chums prepared to go to bed, for it was a -little past the hour for lights to be out, and they -did not want any suspicion to attach to them.</p> - -<p>So sound and healthful was the sleep of Ned, -Bob and Jerry that it seemed but a few minutes -from the time they crawled into their beds until -their alarm clocks rattled in the morning, and they -sprang up. For they “cut things pretty fine,” to -quote Jerry, and only gave themselves just enough -time to jump into their clothes and run for chapel.</p> - -<p>As they scudded across the campus, arranging -ties on the route, they looked across to the flagpole, -where they saw a group of students gathered -about, gazing up at the suspended portrait.</p> - -<p>“It’s working!” chuckled Jerry.</p> - -<p>The final bell rang, and the students about the -pole rushed to chapel.</p> - -<p>“Some little trick—that of yours!” exclaimed -Tom Bacon, with a laugh.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was no time for further talk as they -had to go to their seats, and there an air of subdued -excitement testified to the success of the -trick.</p> - -<p>The doors were closed, Dr. Cole arose as usual, -but the usual announcement, that of an invitation -to all present to take part in the morning prayer, -was wanting.</p> - -<p>“Young gentlemen, I regret to mention to you, -what the most of you probably know, that the -portrait of our revered founder is not in its usual -place,” Dr. Cole said in his deep voice.</p> - -<p>“And before we go on with the devotional exercises -this morning I will request Hopkins, Baker -and Slade to proceed to the flagpole, where they -shamelessly hung the portrait, and bring it back!”</p> - -<p>There was a gasp of astonishment, and the -three chums looked guiltily at one another.</p> - -<p>“Go at once!” sternly ordered Dr. Cole.</p> - -<p>Amid the smiles of their fellow students Jerry, -Ned and Bob filed out of chapel.</p> - -<p>And when they reached the pole they saw a -card tacked on it, just below where the halyards -were made fast, and the card read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>“This picture was placed here by</p> - -<p class="ident">“Jerry Hopkins,</p> - -<p class="ident">“Ned Slade,</p> - -<p class="ident">“Bob Baker.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a><br /> -<small>THE COASTING RACE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Astonishment, surprise, chagrin and anger -are some of the words that might be used to describe -the feelings of Ned, Bob and Jerry as they -looked at the accusing card.</p> - -<p>“Who put it there?”</p> - -<p>“How did they find it out?”</p> - -<p>“Somebody must have seen us!”</p> - -<p>Thus spoke the three.</p> - -<p>The card was typewritten, so there was no -ready clue to its author.</p> - -<p>“Which of the fellows have typewriting machines?” -asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, a dozen. You can’t tell that way,” answered -Bob.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to make a try,” declared Ned, vindictively. -“I’ve heard that each typewriting machine -has some peculiarity, and I may be able -to trace this one.</p> - -<p>“If I do find out the sneak who gave us away -what I won’t do to him won’t be worth doing,” -Ned went on. “The idea of spoiling a perfectly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -good joke this way! It’s a shame, and I’ll wager -a lot it was that Frank Watson!”</p> - -<p>“There you go again!” cried Jerry. “Jumping -at conclusions.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll jump on his head if I get a chance,” muttered -Ned.</p> - -<p>Then they lowered the picture and carried it -back to the chapel, amid the grins of their companions -and the stern looks of the members of -faculty. Such a sacrilege had rarely, if ever before, -been committed. Each professor seemed -grave and angry, save Professor Snodgrass, and -he looked at the boys with sympathy. He would -have helped them if he could, but it was beyond his -power.</p> - -<p>“You may set the portrait down against the -wall where it belongs,” announced Dr. Cole. “I -will have the janitor hang it later.”</p> - -<p>In the prayer that followed, Dr. Cole made -reference to the “misguided and rash spirit of -youth,” from which he asked that all might be -delivered.</p> - -<p>“He means us!” whispered Bob.</p> - -<p>“Shut up!” retorted Ned, fiercely. “Don’t I -know it!”</p> - -<p>It is feared that our heroes—shall I call them -that now, I wonder?—did not fully enter into the -devotional spirit that morning. Nor, for that -matter, did many of the others.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p> - -<p>When the chapel exercises were over, Dr. Cole -again arose.</p> - -<p>“Hopkins, Slade and Baker will be excused -from classes to-day,” the president announced, -“and they will report at my office in half an hour.”</p> - -<p>He gave the signal of dismissal.</p> - -<p>“Say, you fellows sure have nerve all right!” -exclaimed George Fitch, as a group of students -gathered about Ned, Bob and Jerry when they -came out of chapel.</p> - -<p>“That’s what!” added Tom Bacon.</p> - -<p>“But why you wanted to give yourselves away -is more than I can figure out,” came from Harry -French.</p> - -<p>“Getting the picture was sure some nifty -little stunt,” commented Chet Randell, “but sticking -that card on was only inviting trouble. Did -you think they wouldn’t believe it?”</p> - -<p>“Say, when you fellows get through talking, I’ll -have something to say!” Ned broke in, rather -sarcastically. “We did get the picture, I may -as well admit that, for I suppose we gave ourselves -away in chapel when Proxy made the crack. -But we weren’t foolish enough to go and advertise -the fact. Some fellow squealed on us, just as -some one did at the time of our feed. And when -I find out who it was I’m going to make it so hot -for him he’ll leave college.”</p> - -<p>Frank Watson was passing at the time, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -neither by look nor word did he show that he was -concerned, though Ned had gazed in his direction, -and had made his voice purposely loud.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean him?” asked Newt Ackerson, -nodding toward Frank.</p> - -<p>“I’m not saying all I mean,” retorted Ned.</p> - -<p>“No, you’d better not,” cautioned Jerry. -“Never mind, we’ve got to take our medicine.”</p> - -<p>“More leave-stopping, I suppose,” groaned -Bob.</p> - -<p>“If you’re not suspended, you’ll be getting off -lucky,” commented Ted Newton.</p> - -<p>While the other students hurried, more or less -willingly, to their different lectures and classrooms, -Ned, Bob and Jerry strolled over toward -the office of the president.</p> - -<p>They were admitted by Dr. Cole’s secretary, -a young man studying for the ministry, who ushered -them into the office, and gave them chairs. -The three chums did not feel much like talking, -so they sat in glum silence, waiting for Dr. Cole to -come in. They were beginning to think their offence -was graver than they had imagined it. Suspension -had not occurred to them. But, on the -other hand, they had not figured on being found -out. Something was wrong.</p> - -<p>“Frank might have heard us talking about it -from his room,” said Ned in a low voice. “His -transom is right opposite yours, Jerry, and voices<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -carry easily in that corridor, I’ve noticed. It’s a -regular sound-box.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what to think,” Jerry said. -“We’re found out, that’s sure.”</p> - -<p>“And I’ll find out who squealed,” declared Ned, -taking the card out of his pocket to gaze at it. -Then Dr. Cole came in, and Ned quickly put away -the bit of evidence.</p> - -<p>“Young gentlemen, before I say what I intend -to, I wish to be perfectly fair and just to you,” -began the president. “Did you, or did you not -put the picture on the flagpole. Answer me on -your honor as gentlemen and students at Boxwood -Hall.”</p> - -<p>There was a moment of silence, and then Jerry -spoke in a low voice.</p> - -<p>“We did it, Dr. Cole,” he said.</p> - -<p>“So I was informed.”</p> - -<p>Ned just ached to ask who had been the informant, -but he knew he did not dare.</p> - -<p>Dr. Cole seemed to be thinking deeply, and -then he began to speak.</p> - -<p>He gave the boys a straight-from-the-shoulder -talk—a good, manly lecture, in which he explained -to them why he regarded their offense seriously. -They might have played other pranks that would -not have had such a possible effect as the irreparable -damage of the founder’s picture. If that -had been torn it would have been a grave loss.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<p>And from that Dr. Cole went into a general exposition -of boyish pranks in general. It was a talk -along the same lines as had been given to the boys -by their parents before they were sent to Boxwood -Hall. They were reminded that they were -now growing up, and should give some evidences -of it.</p> - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry, rather angry at first that -they had been caught, and filled with perhaps -righteous indignation against the informer, began -to see matters in a different light. They were -rather ashamed of themselves, and Jerry frankly -admitted that the entire idea was his, and that -he had persuaded Bob and Ned to join him. In -view of that fact he asked that he alone be punished.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Dr. Cole. “I can’t do that. But I -will make yours the heaviest, for I think you deserve -it. You are older than your chums, not -much it is true, but a little, and they look to you -as to a natural leader. You should lead them -along different lines.”</p> - -<p>And then came the punishment. It was heavy, -but justly so. There was to be a period -of confinement to the college grounds, longest in -the case of Jerry, and there was also prohibition -to take part in any games or amusements, or to -attend their fraternity meetings for a certain period.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Whew!” exclaimed Ned as they emerged from -the president’s office, “that was bitter medicine -all right.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess we deserve it,” observed Jerry.</p> - -<p>“But we <em>did</em> stir things up,” Bob said, with a -smile.</p> - -<p>“Yes, we stirred up a hornet’s nest,” remarked -Ned. “And I’d like to get it around the ears of -the fellow who told—Frank it was, to my way of -thinking.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll have your own troubles proving it,” -remarked Jerry.</p> - -<p>The three chums spent a miserable time when -they were on probation, so to speak, unable to join -in the fun the others had. And though the time -of Bob and Ned was up before that of Jerry, the -two refused to accept their restored privileges, and -stuck to their chum, not going anywhere he could -not go.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it was this that led Dr. Cole to shorten -Jerry’s term of punishment, for on the night following -a big snow storm, when half the college -was out on the hill on big bobsleds, coasting, word -was sent to Jerry that he was given back his full -privileges.</p> - -<p>Just outside the college grounds was a long hill, -most excellent for coasting, and it was the custom -at Boxwood Hall to have impromptu bobsled -races for class and school championships. Ned,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -Bob and Jerry had bought a big bobsled from -a former student, and they had done some coasting -earlier in the season.</p> - -<p>“But this is the best yet!” cried Ned. “The -hill is in prime shape. We’ll get up a race.”</p> - -<p>Laughing, shouting, calling to one another, the -three chums, now restored to full rights of collegeship, -hastened out with their companions to -the coasting place.</p> - -<p>It was a bright moonlight night, and many of -the boys and girls from Fordham were on the hill.</p> - -<p>“Get up a party and we’ll see if we can’t have -a race,” suggested Jerry to his chums.</p> - -<p>Getting up a party for the fine, big bobsled was -easy. There were soon more than enough to fill -it. As the three chums were getting the sled to -the top of the hill ready for a start, Frank Watson -came along dragging his bobsled, which was -slightly larger than that Jerry was going to steer. -Frank had his party made up, in it being Bart -Haley and Bill Hamilton.</p> - -<p>“Want a race, Jerry?” asked Bart, good-naturedly.</p> - -<p>Without thinking, for the minute, of the feeling -against Frank, Jerry answered:</p> - -<p>“Yes!”</p> - -<p>“Come on then!” cried Bart. “The losers -buy the hot chocolates!”</p> - -<p>Frank nodded his assent.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a><br /> -<small>THE ICE BOAT</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Fordham Hill was over a mile long, and it -was so wide that several big bobsleds could go -down abreast. Thus a race could be going on, -and independent coasting could be indulged in at -the same time.</p> - -<p>“Let me steer, Jerry,” begged Ned, for the tall -lad had taken his place at the wheel.</p> - -<p>“Why do you want to steer?”</p> - -<p>“I want to beat that sneak, that’s why! He -thinks he’s all there is, with his bunch of girls -from town. I’m going to beat him!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Jerry assented. “Only look out -for yourself, that’s all. I’ve heard of Frank’s -bob. It’s a fast one, and he knows how to handle -it. Ours is a bit stiff.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll beat him all right. You get the crowd -aboard.”</p> - -<p>It was perhaps but natural that Ned should -wish to win against his enemy, and Frank was -Ned’s enemy rather than that of either Bob or -Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Pile on! Get your places!” yelled Bart. -“Here’s where we win the hot chocolates!”</p> - -<p>“Get ready, boys!” called Jerry, who went to -the rear of the bobsled, there to handle the brake -lever. For the big bobsleds had brakes—a sort -of spike that dug down in the snow and retarded -the progress of the sled. Frank’s bobsled was -similarly equipped, and Bill Hamilton was to be -the brakesman.</p> - -<p>A number of girls from Fordham, whom Jerry, -Ned and Bob had met at dances, took their places -on the sled of our heroes. There were about -the same number of boys as girls on Frank’s -coaster also.</p> - -<p>Several lads volunteered to push off, and for -a time there was more interest in the race than in -the other coasting.</p> - -<p>“All ready?” asked Bart of Jerry, from the -rear where he sat.</p> - -<p>“All ready,” Jerry answered.</p> - -<p>“Push!” cried Bart.</p> - -<p>“Push!” echoed Jerry.</p> - -<p>The boys behind the two bobsleds exerted their -strength, and the long coasters, with their loads -of laughing, shouting and merry boys and girls, -began to move slowly. Once over the crest of -the hill they gathered momentum, until they were -shooting down the moonlit streak of ice and snow -at ever increasing speed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span></p> - -<p>In places water had been poured over the snow, -and this in freezing had added a glair that increased -the speed of the sleds.</p> - -<p>A coasting race is a peculiar one. Given two -sleds of exactly the same size, with equally polished -runners, and with weights nearly the same, -start them at the same time, and one will get to -the bottom of the hill ahead of the other.</p> - -<p>Try it again, and the results may be reversed. -Just why this is so it is hard to say, unless it is that -the winning sled may, without the knowledge of -the rider, strike more slippery places than the -other. Of course, weight has something to do -with it, once the sleds are started, the more heavily -laden one acquiring greater momentum. But -sometimes even that may not count.</p> - -<p>The bobsled of our heroes and that of Frank -Watson were about evenly weighted, but, as Jerry -had said, the steering gear of theirs was a little -stiff, while their rival had a new sled in excellent -condition.</p> - -<p>“But we’ll beat him,” said Ned to Bob, who sat -behind him.</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” agreed Chunky.</p> - -<p>So far the sleds were on even terms, almost in -a straight line with one another. Then, as the -slope of the hill became steeper, Frank gradually -forged ahead.</p> - -<p>“He’s going to win,” said Bob.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The race isn’t over yet,” muttered Ned, yet -he was a bit doubtful now as to the outcome.</p> - -<p>“Come on there! Come on!” shouted those on -Frank’s sled to those on the other. “Come on, -we’re leaving you behind!”</p> - -<p>“We’re coming!” shrilly cried the girls on the -second bobsled.</p> - -<p>“We’ll tell them that when we reach the bottom -of the hill,” answered their rivals.</p> - -<p>Farther and farther ahead forged Frank’s sled. -It was half a length in the lead now, and though -Ned tried to pick out the smoothest and slipperiest -places, he could not gain anything.</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, without any apparent reason -for it, unless it was that it came to a glair in the -ice, Frank’s bobsled shot swiftly ahead, until, in -a few seconds, it was leading by two lengths.</p> - -<p>“Oh you hot chocolates!” taunted the leaders, -laughingly.</p> - -<p>And then, still apparently for no reason, Frank -sent his sled, which was on the right of Ned’s, -diagonally across the course, in front of the sled -behind, a rather dangerous proceeding.</p> - -<p>“What’s he doing that for?” cried Ned. -“Brakes there, Jerry, or we’ll run into him!”</p> - -<p>Jerry jammed down the brakes, and only just -in time, for their bobsled seemed suddenly to acquire -new speed, and it almost crashed into the one -ahead.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was a scraping in the hard snow, which -flew up in a shower behind, and several of the -girls screamed. Then Ned cried:</p> - -<p>“All right! Off brakes! Now we’ll beat him!”</p> - -<p>For Ned saw on the course Frank had chosen -to abandon, a long stretch of hard, icy snow, and -he knew that his vehicle could acquire speed and -momentum over there.</p> - -<p>In a moment he steered for it, so that the positions -of the sleds were reversed, Ned’s being on -the right hand side going down.</p> - -<p>On and on raced the sleds. That of the three -chums was rapidly overtaking the rival coaster.</p> - -<p>“Frank thought he’d get on an icier place by -cutting across that way,” said Ned to Bob. “But -he missed his guess. We’re going to win now.”</p> - -<p>“I wish I could think so.”</p> - -<p>“We are; you watch!”</p> - -<p>And as Bob and the others behind him looked, -they saw Ned skillfully hold to the icy course. -It gave them more speed, which seemed to be constantly -on the increase. They were now so close -to Frank’s bob that he dared not cut across again, -had he so desired.</p> - -<p>“Here we go!” cried Ned, as, having passed -over a place where loose snow retarded them a -bit, they shot out on to a spot that was solid ice. -“Here’s where we win!”</p> - -<p>And win they did. For a moment later the bottom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -of the slope was reached with Ned’s bobsled -well in advance, and as there was only a straight -course left on which to bring up, there was no -chance for Frank to acquire further speed.</p> - -<p>“We win! We win!” cried the boys on Ned’s -vehicle, as they got off when the sled came to a -stop. “We win!”</p> - -<p>“Oh you hot chocolates!” shrilled the girls at -their less lucky companions.</p> - -<p>“Does whipped cream go with it, Bart?” asked -one of the winning girls.</p> - -<p>“Well, seeing that you whipped us, so to speak, -I guess it does,” admitted Frank’s chum. The latter -said nothing, but there was a glum look on his -face as he got up from the steering wheel. He -was a poor loser.</p> - -<p>“As headstrong as ever,” thought Jerry. “I -wish something would happen to change him. If -he keeps on holding a grudge against us this way -we won’t stand any chance on the baseball nine, -for, as captain, Frank has nearly all the say -there.”</p> - -<p>With shouts and laughter the victors chaffed the -vanquished, and then they made their way to -the Band Box, the most popular confectionery and -ice cream store in Fordham, and there hot chocolates -and cake were provided by the losers for -their more fortunate rivals.</p> - -<p>It was a good-natured, jolly crowd, all save<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -Frank, and he was pleasant enough with every one -but the three Cresville chums.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you fellows mix in with them a -bit?” asked Jake Porter of Frank, Bart and Bill -a little later.</p> - -<p>“Because I don’t want to,” said Frank. “We -agreed that they’d try to run things here, and they -have. They’re too fresh. And you were one of -those, Jake, to agree to snub ’em. Now you’re -sticking up for ’em.”</p> - -<p>“I know; but I’ve found out they aren’t half -bad. They’re real jolly.”</p> - -<p>“I like Jerry all right,” confessed Bart. “He -did me a good turn. Maybe it’s time to make better -friends with them, Frank.”</p> - -<p>“Not for me! You fellows can do what you -like!” exclaimed the headstrong youth.</p> - -<p>“Ned and Bob are all right, too,” said Bill -Hamilton. “I was broke the other day and Bob -lent me some money.”</p> - -<p>“And you took it?” asked Frank, sharply.</p> - -<p>“Of course. Why not?”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you come to me?”</p> - -<p>“You weren’t around, and I wasn’t going to -cut off my nose to spite my face. I think maybe -we made a mistake, Frank.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t. I’ll not make friends with ’em!”</p> - -<p>The coasting was over, and as the boys returned -to college with their sled, Jerry remarked:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, you did beat him, Ned. It was a clever -piece of work.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to beat him more ways than one, the -cad!”</p> - -<p>“You’ll never get anywhere feeling that way -about Frank.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to get anywhere with <em>him</em>. I want -to be in a position to prove he gave away the picture -game and then I’ll go for him.”</p> - -<p>There came a thaw. The snow disappeared, -and there followed a period of warmer weather -and rain. Then it became cold again, so cold that -Lake Carmona was frozen over solidly, and there -was the best skating that had been enjoyed in -years, so some of the older students declared.</p> - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry were on the ice one afternoon -enjoying the sport, when Jerry, who had -been quiet for some time, burst out with:</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll do it if you fellows will go in with -me.”</p> - -<p>“What’s he talking about now?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Oh, this is all right,” Jerry went on. “I was -thinking aloud, I guess. I heard of a fellow who -has an ice-boat for sale up the lake. What do -you say to our buying it, or hiring it, and having -some fun? It’s lots of sport.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go and see the ice-boat first,” suggested -Ned practically.</p> - -<p>“Come on,” cried Jerry.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</a><br /> -<small>SPRING PRACTICE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Well, what do you think of her?”</p> - -<p>Jerry asked the question of his two chums a -little later as they stood looking at the odd craft.</p> - -<p>“She’s big enough,” commented Ned, gazing -up at the tall mast.</p> - -<p>“Can she go?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“You ought to see her! She’s won more races -than any boat of her class on this lake,” said the -owner, a Mr. Brown, who was going to move -away and wanted to sell the craft.</p> - -<p>“May we give it a trial?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Certainly. I’ll take you out in it to-morrow -and show you how to run it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be glad of that,” Jerry said. “I’ve handled -one a few times, but I’m not an expert.”</p> - -<p>Satisfactory terms for the purchase of the <i>Petrel</i> -were made should she prove satisfactory on -trial, and the next day Ned, Bob and Jerry went -to Mr. Brown’s place. There was a good wind -blowing, not enough, the owner of the <i>Petrel</i> explained,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -to get any real speed out of her, but -enough to show of what she was capable.</p> - -<p>“And if I’m going to learn I’d rather do it in -a wind that isn’t a gale,” Jerry remarked.</p> - -<p>The ice-boat had a sort of open cockpit, in -which five or six might sit, or sprawl over the side -if necessary, when it was desired to keep the -weight well out on one runner, to prevent the boat -from capsizing.</p> - -<p>“Say, this is great!” cried Bob, as they went -skimming over the ice.</p> - -<p>“Do you like it?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I sure do!”</p> - -<p>“I’m in for it, too,” added Ned. “Show me -how to steer and manage the sail.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Brown proved to be an adept instructor, -and the boys soon caught on to the knack of handling -the swift craft, though they needed practice.</p> - -<p>“Here comes the <i>Jack Frost</i>,” said Mr. Brown, -nodding toward another ice-boat down the lake. -“We’ll have a little race with her. Mr. Carson -owns her, and he beat me the last time, though I -think I can win now, for my boat is better in a -light wind than his.”</p> - -<p>A friendly challenge was at once accepted by -Mr. Carson, and the two graceful craft lined up -for a race. They were on a part of the lake -where there were no skaters and no other boats.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then came a pretty exhibition. Even at first -with her rival, the <i>Petrel</i> soon forged ahead, and -then Mr. Brown let the boys take turns at the -tiller.</p> - -<p>They did well, too, and at the finish line the -<i>Petrel</i> was several lengths in advance.</p> - -<p>“Well, you had the edge on me this time!” -called Mr. Carson good-naturedly, as he came up -in the wind. “But I’ll beat you next.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll take you up!” called Jerry. “It’s going -to be our boat from now on.”</p> - -<p>“Then you’ll take her?” asked Mr. Brown.</p> - -<p>“Sure!” Jerry answered, his chums echoing an -assent.</p> - -<p>The arrangements were completed the following -day, and the motor boys became possessed of -a new craft. Though once, years before, they -had made an ice-boat for use on the river at home, -which was not much of a success, however.</p> - -<p>In the days that followed Ned, Bob and Jerry -spent as much time as they could on the ice, either -in the boat or on skates. But the ease of gliding -along without any exertion, the swiftness of -the motion and the sport of it caused them to use -the <i>Petrel</i> oftener than they did their skates.</p> - -<p>And so the winter wore on.</p> - -<p>There had been a thaw, a rain and a freeze, -and there were indications that an early spring -was on the way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Which, being the case,” remarked Ned, as he -and his chums sat in Jerry’s room one day, “I -think I will get out my baseball glove, and see if -it needs sewing.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too soon to do that,” remarked Jerry. -“Come on down to the ice. Let’s take out the -<i>Petrel</i>. We may not have another chance.”</p> - -<p>“I’m with you,” agreed Ned.</p> - -<p>“Same here,” echoed Bob.</p> - -<p>On the way to the lake the three chums met -Frank, Bart and Bill.</p> - -<p>“Where are you going?” asked Bart, who, -with Bill, was becoming more and more friendly -with our heroes.</p> - -<p>“Out in the ice-boat,” answered Jerry, and -then, seeing an eager look on Bart’s face, the tall -lad added: “Come along. It may be the last -ride of the winter.”</p> - -<p>“I’m with you!” Bart exclaimed. “Do you -mean all of us?”</p> - -<p>Jerry did not hesitate a moment in answering:</p> - -<p>“Yes, sure!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll come,” said Bill.</p> - -<p>Frank, with a sneer on his face, turned aside.</p> - -<p>“You freshmen with your boats and things -make me tired!” he complained as he walked -away.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a chump,” advised Bart in a low -voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You mind your own business!” snapped Frank.</p> - -<p>His two friends paused a moment, as though -undecided, and then walked along with Jerry and -the others.</p> - -<p>“He’s as pig-headed as they make ’em,” commented -Bart. “I never saw his beat!”</p> - -<p>“Um!” grunted Ned, but what he thought he -did not say.</p> - -<p>Up and down the lake sailed the <i>Petrel</i>, and -as the sun was declining, Bob called to Jerry:</p> - -<p>“Head her down to Simpson’s and we’ll have -something to eat.”</p> - -<p>“That listens good,” laughed Bart.</p> - -<p>“Oh, eating is my strong point!” Chunky confessed.</p> - -<p>The ice-boat was skimming down the lake, when -there suddenly sounded a boom like the report -of a cannon.</p> - -<p>“What was that?” called Ned.</p> - -<p>“The ice cracked,” Jerry answered. “It often -does that after a thaw. I guess——”</p> - -<p>“Look out!” yelled Bill. “There’s open water -just ahead!”</p> - -<p>A big crack had opened in the ice, just in front -of the ice-boat, and before Jerry could steer to one -side the <i>Petrel</i> plunged in.</p> - -<p>“Jump!” yelled Jerry, casting aside the mainsheet.</p> - -<p>As the boat splashed into the cold water the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -boys, leaping free of her, went in also, but on -either side.</p> - -<p>Jerry saw his two chums and Bill strike out -as they hit the water, but he also had a glimpse of -Bart throwing up his hands with a gesture of despair, -and in a flash it came to Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Bart can’t swim!”</p> - -<p>The lad had so confessed some time ago, admitting -he had a terror of being in the water, -though not afraid to go out in a boat.</p> - -<p>Jerry launched himself through the ice-cold -element and grasped Bart by the collar. Holding -him up with one hand, he swam toward the ice-boat, -which had turned over on one side. It was -floating and would support them all for a time.</p> - -<p>Ned, Bob and Bill had already reached the -craft, but Bart was struggling frantically.</p> - -<p>“I—I can’t swim!” he gasped, spluttering the -words as water got in his mouth.</p> - -<p>“Keep still!” cried Jerry. “I’ll save you!”</p> - -<p>This he did. By dint of hard work he managed -to get Bart to the ice-boat and put his arms over -it.</p> - -<p>“Hold on!” panted Jerry. “Help’s coming.”</p> - -<p>Another ice-boat and several skaters who had -seen the accident were hurrying to the rescue. -Help was given promptly, fence rails and -ropes from the other boat being secured to assist -the boys out of the water.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then, dripping wet, and shivering with cold, -they were hurried to Simpson’s, where hot blankets -and hot drinks promptly administered were -used to prevent pneumonia.</p> - -<p>“You—you saved my life, Jerry,” said Bart, -earnestly, when they were sitting before a warm -fire, waiting for a conveyance to take them back -to Boxwood Hall. “I—I won’t forget it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s all right,” said Jerry, sincerely. -“I’m glad I saw you in time, and I remembered -you said you couldn’t swim. You’d better learn -this summer.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to!” was the fervent response.</p> - -<p>No ill effects, save slight colds for Ned and -Bart, followed the immersion. The ice-boat was -recovered and put away for the season, as the ice -broke up the next day and a long spring thaw -set in.</p> - -<p>Ned, Bob and Jerry buckled down to hard -work, or at least fancied they did, and occasionally -they played some trick or joke, but were not -caught again.</p> - -<p>Ned kept on the “typewriter trail,” as he called -it, but with no success, and he was not able to -fasten any guilt on Frank. After the ice-boat accident -Bart and Bill were more than ever friendly -with the three chums, Bart especially, and when -Frank remonstrated, Bart said:</p> - -<p>“What would you do to the fellow who saved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -your life, or the life of some one you cared for?”</p> - -<p>Frank could not answer, and turned aside. But -he did not make friends.</p> - -<p>The winter, not necessarily of discontent, -passed and spring came. There had been practice -of a sort in the indoor baseball cage when one day -a notice was posted on the gymnasium bulletin -board to this effect:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>Candidates for the varsity nine will report on -the field this afternoon for spring practice.</i></p></div> - -<p>“Hurrah! That’s the ticket!” cried Jerry.</p> - -<p>“That means us all right,” added Bob.</p> - -<p>“It’ll feel good to get a bat in your hands out -in the open,” commented Ned.</p> - -<p>There were days of hard practice, and Ned, -Bob and Jerry were assured by several of their -chums that they stood a good chance to make the -first team.</p> - -<p>“How about it, Frank?” asked Jerry one day, -after sharp work, in which the team on which -our heroes played won from the tentative varsity, -mainly by the skillful playing of the three -motor chums. Jerry resolved to take the bull by -the horns. “How about it? Have we a chance -on the varsity?”</p> - -<p>“Not in a hundred years while I’m captain!” -was the cutting reply.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV</a><br /> -<small>A SCRUB GAME</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Ned Slade, who stood near Jerry, heard what -was said. He took a step forward, but the tall -lad put out a restraining hand. And, as Ned -looked at his chum, Jerry shook his head in negation.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with you?” demanded Ned, -when Frank had walked out of hearing distance. -“Why don’t you let me soak him a good one?”</p> - -<p>“Because it would have been a bad one,” answered -Jerry. “It would only have made matters -worse. I want to play on the varsity nine and -so do you and Bob, and——”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and if we let this sneak Frank have his -way we’ll never get on,” interrupted Ned. “If -you’d let me mix it up with him it would take some -of the starch and pig-headedness out of him, and -he’d have to let us play.”</p> - -<p>“No,” and Jerry shook his head, “that would -only make matters worse. He’d be more set in -his ways than ever. You leave it to me.”</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do?” Bob wanted to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -know. “It doesn’t seem that there’s anything to -do.”</p> - -<p>“All we can do for a while is to wait,” Jerry -said. “You see Bart and Bill, who used to be as -much against us as Frank is, are friendly with us -now. And we’ve won over a good many others -of Frank’s cronies. Not that we ever did anything -that they shouldn’t be friendly with us, but it just -happened so. It was all because Professor Snodgrass -made the mistake of telling too much about -us in advance. I can see that. He didn’t exactly -boast of what we’d done, but it sounded so to some -of the boys, and we’ve got to live down that reputation.</p> - -<p>“We’re doing it, too, and I wouldn’t have the -dear old professor know, for the world, what a -pickle he innocently got us into. We’ll just wait, -and it will come around all right, I’m sure.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m not!” exclaimed Ned, who was in -an angry mood. “I’m for giving Frank a good -walloping, and bringing him to his senses.”</p> - -<p>“How is it he has such a control where the varsity -nine is concerned?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Well, as I get the story,” said Jerry, “Frank -put the nine on its feet. When he came here -Boxwood Hall wasn’t much of anywhere as regards -baseball. Now Frank is a good player—a -crackerjack! I’ll give him credit for that, pig-headed -as he is. He’s a natural born player<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -and manager, and he took hold of the nine and -pulled it out of the mud. He helped with money, -too, bought new uniforms and all that. Naturally, -he was made captain and manager, and, in a way, -coach too.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t they make him the whole team -while they were about it?” asked Ned, sarcastically.</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess it did come pretty near amounting -to that,” laughed Jerry. “Anyhow, he demanded, -so I heard, and was given the right to -say who should and should not play on the varsity. -In his capacity as captain and manager he -retains that right. If he doesn’t want a fellow to -play, that fellow keeps on the scrub or sits on the -bench.”</p> - -<p>“And he doesn’t want us to play,” remarked -Ned, bitterly.</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t seem so,” agreed Jerry. “But we’ll -wait.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a funny state of affairs,” remarked Bob, -“where one fellow can run the whole varsity nine -and say who shall and who sha’n’t play.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is,” admitted the tall chum. “But in -this case it has worked out well, for Boxwood -Hall won the championship last year, which it -never did before, and defeated the military academy -two out of the three games which are an annual -feature. So that’s why the fellows let Frank<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -have his way. They knew he made the nine, and -he’s making good with it yet. It isn’t that we -can play better than the fellows on it, it’s just -that I want to be on the varsity.”</p> - -<p>“So do I!” chimed in Ned and Bob.</p> - -<p>“And we’ve just got to wait until Frank either -changes his mind, or until we can show that we -can play so much better than some of the regulars -that there’ll be a demand that we go in,” finished -Jerry. “Now let’s go for a ride and forget -our troubles.”</p> - -<p>Ned was still bitter against Frank, though, -and did not see why the three chums could not -be put on the varsity.</p> - -<p>As the three were riding off, Professor Snodgrass, -equipped with his net and specimen box, -hailed them.</p> - -<p>“My first butterfly hunt of the season!” he -called to the boys. “I’m after some <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Argynnis cybele</i> -specimens, which appear with the first violets.”</p> - -<p>“Come with us,” said Jerry. “Do you want -to go to any particular place?”</p> - -<p>“No, only to the nearest patch of woods where -violets may be found. I haven’t any good specimens -of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Argynnis</i>, and I am anxious to secure -some,” the little scientist explained as he entered -the automobile.</p> - -<p>“What does it look like?” asked Jerry. “We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -don’t want you to be making stabs at colored -leaves, which you’ll do if we let Bob do the looking.”</p> - -<p>“I can tell a butterfly as well as you!” retorted -the stout youth.</p> - -<p>“The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Argynnis cybele</i>,” said Professor Snodgrass, -“is sometimes called the great spangled Fritillary. -In color it is a sort of light brownish -yellow, with brown and yellow spots, and the -under sides of the wings are heavily silvered. -The caterpillars hibernate as soon as hatched, -and live that way all winter. In the spring they -feed up, and turn into butterflies about the time -the first violets appear. I hope we shall get some -to-day.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll help you look,” Ned promised.</p> - -<p>Arriving at the patch of woods, they all got -out of the automobile and began searching.</p> - -<p>“Here are some violets,” called Jerry after a -while.</p> - -<p>“Then perhaps there may be a butterfly near -them,” the professor answered, hastening over -toward the tall lad. “Yes, there’s one!” he cried, -his trained eyes seeing it before any of the others. -“Wait now until he lights, and I’ll have -him!”</p> - -<p>The professor stood with poised net. One foot -went into a puddle of water, but he did not seem -to mind that. Then, with a sweep of his net he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -captured the beautiful specimen, and soon transferred -it to his cyanide bottle.</p> - -<p>“Excellent! Excellent!” murmured Professor -Snodgrass. “I would not have missed this for -anything. But I—er—something seems to be the -matter,” he went on in puzzled tones.</p> - -<p>“The matter? Where?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“With one of my feet. It seems so cold. Can -it be frost bitten?” and he looked down at the -ground. The boys did too, and broke out into -peals of laughter. For the professor was still -standing with one foot in the puddle of cold water, -a fact to which he had been oblivious while engaged -in capturing and putting away the butterfly.</p> - -<p>“You ought to wear rubber boots,” Jerry said. -“Shall we take you back to get a dry shoe?”</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t as cold as it was at first, and I want -to get another specimen.”</p> - -<p>He had good luck, for he secured two more, -and then consented to be driven back to the cottage.</p> - -<p>“Same old professor,” remarked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“That’s what,” agreed Bob.</p> - -<p>Baseball practice went on for several days, and -the varsity was getting in good shape, while the -scrub, or second team, under the captaincy of Tom -Bacon, was making shifts and changes, trying to -get the best lads fitted to the right positions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was no trouble about Ned, Bob and Jerry -making the scrub. They played good ball, and -Ned was picked for pitcher, while Jerry was on -first and Bob at shortstop.</p> - -<p>“First varsity-scrub game of the season to-morrow,” -was the announcement on the gymnasium -board one afternoon.</p> - -<p>“And we’ll see if we can’t do ’em up!” exclaimed -Ned. “We’ll show Frank Watson that -he isn’t such a much.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll beat ’em if we can,” agreed Jerry.</p> - -<p>The two nines ran out on the diamond which -had been put in fine shape. A crowd of students -swarmed out to watch the first practice game of -the season and to get a line on the work of the -varsity.</p> - -<p>“Play hard now, fellows!”</p> - -<p>“Soak ’em in, Ned!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t fan out varsity!”</p> - -<p>“Watch for double steals, Jerry!”</p> - -<p>Thus called the student spectators.</p> - -<p>“Play ball!” called the umpire, after the warm-up -practice. The scrubs were to bat first, and -Gene Flarity was up.</p> - -<p>The game commenced. It was not remarkable -for brilliant playing on either side, but Ned, Bob -and Jerry, determined to show their mettle, -worked so hard, and Ned and Jerry teamed it -to such good advantage that the score was soon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -tied, which had not happened to the varsity in a -long while.</p> - -<p>“And here’s where we beat ’em!” exclaimed -Ned, when the ninth inning came, and he was at -bat. Ned made a good hit. It was safe for two -bags, and when Chet Randell duplicated, after -one man fanned out, Ned came in with the winning -run. That is, it would be if he could hold -the varsity hitless.</p> - -<p>And he did. He struck out the first man, while -the second singled and was caught napping at -first.</p> - -<p>“Come on now, boys, we want to get this -game!” cried Frank. He was at bat, and with two -out, there was but a slim chance. But Frank was -a pinch hitter, and he faced Ned with a sneer.</p> - -<p>“You won’t win the game!” thought Ned, bitterly.</p> - -<p>He sent in a swift ball, and it looked as though -it was going to hit Frank, who moved back just -a trifle.</p> - -<p>“Strike!” howled the umpire.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got your number all right,” exulted Ned.</p> - -<p>Frank hit the next one, but it was a foul which -the catcher made desperate efforts to get.</p> - -<p>“And you’re out!” Ned whispered to himself, -as he sent in a beautiful curve, which completely -fooled the batter.</p> - -<p>“You’re out!” echoed the umpire.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV</a><br /> -<small>A VARSITY LOSS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“What do you know about that?”</p> - -<p>“Varsity beaten the first game!”</p> - -<p>“The scrubs win!”</p> - -<p>“Say, that Ned Slade sure can pitch!”</p> - -<p>“And did you see Bob scoop up that hot -grounder and get it to first?”</p> - -<p>“Well, the varsity didn’t really get warmed -up.”</p> - -<p>“That home run of Sid Lenton’s was a peach, -though!”</p> - -<p>These were some of the comments that could -be heard as the students filed off the diamond after -the sensational finish of the practice game.</p> - -<p>“Well, you did us,” said Bart Haley, with a -smile at Jerry.</p> - -<p>“But we’ll do you next time,” added Bill Hamilton.</p> - -<p>“Well, I hope you do,” admitted Jerry. “We -want the varsity to beat its other college opponents, -and we scrubs are willing to be beaten if that -comes about.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p> - -<p>Frank did not join in the talk, but there was -a sullen look on his face. Clearly he did not fancy -being beaten, especially when it was due to the -work of Ned primarily, and to his own failure to -hit, secondarily.</p> - -<p>“Great work, boys! Great!” ejaculated Tom -Bacon, captain of the scrubs. “That was a peach -of a pick-up of yours, Bob.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks.”</p> - -<p>“And you certainly pulled down that high one -I threw you, Jerry,” added George Fitch, who, at -third, had caught a bouncing ball and heaved it -over to first, but so high that Jerry had to jump -for it, narrowly missing the spheroid. But he put -out his man.</p> - -<p>“Some little curve you’ve got, to fool Frank,” -said Lem Ferguson to Ned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s not such a hitter.”</p> - -<p>“He’s considered pretty good, and his average -is the best on the team,” declared George. “Oh, -Frank is a good player, even if there are some -things about him some fellows don’t like.”</p> - -<p>The first practice game, in which the varsity -went down to defeat even by so small a margin, -was the talk of the college that night. Still, it -was not so important as the fact would have been -later in the season. The boys had not quite settled -into their stride.</p> - -<p>Frank called a meeting of the team, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -“laid down the law,” as Bart said afterward. -Frank insisted that there must be more snappy -playing, nor did he excuse himself for missing -Ned’s curve.</p> - -<p>“I played rotten, fellows, I admit that,” he -said, “but so did you, and we’ve got to do better -or Kenwell will walk all over us.”</p> - -<p>“They’ve got a dandy team, I hear,” said Bill -Hamilton. “Some new fellows have come on, -and they’ve got a pitcher——”</p> - -<p>“So have we,” interrupted Frank. “I’ll back -Jim Blake against any man they have when Jim -gets warmed up.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you!” laughed Jim, making a bow.</p> - -<p>“But we’ve all got to play harder,” declared -Frank. “If the scrub beats us again—well, they -mustn’t, that’s all, if we have to ‘bean’ some of -their best men.”</p> - -<p>“Meaning those motor boy fellows, as you call -them?” asked Jake Porter.</p> - -<p>“I’m not mentioning any names,” retorted -Frank. “Only play hard, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>There was another practice game two days -later, and though the scrub did its best to beat the -varsity, the second nine was beaten six to ten. -Ned, Bob and Jerry were a trio of strength, but -they lacked support at critical moments, and -though Ned did not allow many hits, those that -were made off him were well placed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<p>“This is more like it,” said Frank to his lads, -as they walked off the field. “They only beat us -the other time by a fluke.”</p> - -<p>“A fluke! Huh!” exclaimed Ned. “We’ll have -a few more of those same flukes served up to you -soon.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t start anything,” begged Jerry, in a low -voice.</p> - -<p>The varsity was playing good ball, though there -was room for improvement, and Frank realized -it. He was a good captain and manager, though -his stubbornness was not of any benefit to him nor -the team.</p> - -<p>The time was approaching for the first game -of the three with Kenwell. This would take place -on the grounds of the military academy. The second -game would be played at Boxwood Hall, and -the third, if it were needed, would be played at -either place, to be decided by lot.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the varsity team played other -nines, winning some games and losing a few, on -the whole maintaining its reputation. But the -other games did not count in the opinion of the -lads as much as did the annual contests with Kenwell. -That was the event looked forward to almost -as much as was a world series. The two -institutions had long been rivals.</p> - -<p>The scrub nine, compared to the number of -games played against other scrubs, won more than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -the varsity. For there were several small colleges -and preparatory schools in the neighborhood of -Fordham, and, as these had second nines, contests -were arranged with them running through -the spring.</p> - -<p>The day before the first of the Kenwell-Boxwood -games Ned, Bob, Jerry and the other members -of the scrub nine, played the Kenwell scrub, -and beat them ten to five on the military academy -grounds.</p> - -<p>“Now let the varsity duplicate and we’ll say -we’ve got a good team,” declared Tom Bacon.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll win; don’t worry!” prophesied -Frank.</p> - -<p>A big crowd of Boxwood Hall rooters went to -Kenwell to see the first of the three contests. A -big auto-stage conveyed the team, and in the automobile -of our heroes as many of the scrubs as -could find room went along to cheer for their -team.</p> - -<p>It was a perfect day, and there was a large -crowd on hand. The rival cheer leaders got their -cohorts going early, and songs and battle cries -were wafted back and forth across the field. The -boys from the academy, in their natty uniforms, -made a pretty picture, and there were a number of -girls and women present, so the grounds, with the -vari-colored hats and dresses of the feminine contingent, -held a brilliant assemblage.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span></p> - -<p>Frank and Captain Oscar Durand, the latter -of Kenwell, held a consultation, submitted batting -lists, and flipped the coin. Frank won and chose -to bat last, naturally.</p> - -<p>“Play ball!” directed the umpire, as there came -a hush in the singing and cheering.</p> - -<p>“Don’t I wish I were in the game!” exclaimed -Ned, who with his two chums and others sat -among the loyal rooters.</p> - -<p>“So do I,” echoed Bob.</p> - -<p>“Well, we may yet. The season isn’t half -over,” remarked Jerry.</p> - -<p>The play started. There was nothing remarkable -about it at first. For a few innings there -was a sort of pitchers’ battle, and some pop flies -were knocked by both sides.</p> - -<p>“The boys are beginning to get on to each other’s -curves,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>Then came a break. Jim Blake served up a -slow ball to Ford Tatum, the Kenwell catcher, -who banged it out for a three bagger. And Durand, -the captain, with a two sack beauty, brought -the man in with a run that put the military lads -ahead. That started things going. Several other -players got hits off Jim, and the inning ended finally -with the Kenwell lads four runs ahead.</p> - -<p>“It’s all over but the shouting,” commented -Ned.</p> - -<p>“We may have a chance,” Jerry returned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sock” Burchell, the Kenwell pitcher, had good -curves and a fast ball. For the next two innings -he held the Boxwood Hall lads to a single hit. -Not a run came in. Then Frank knocked a -homer which brought the crowd to its feet and sent -new hope thrilling through the veins of the college -team and its coherents.</p> - -<p>Whether Frank’s sensational run made him lose -his head, or whether he tried desperate measures, -was not disclosed. At any rate, he directed the -game wrongly from then on. He gave signals for -hits and runs when he should not have done so, -and while at first base, coaching, gave a wrong direction -to a runner which caused him to be thrown -out at second.</p> - -<p>Then the fielders began muffing balls, the first -baseman dropped one he should have held, and -when the Boxwood Hall boys came up to bat for -the last time they had a margin of six runs to -overcome.</p> - -<p>“The fat’s in the fire now,” sighed Bob.</p> - -<p>And so it was. One man singled, but that was -all. The next went out on a foul tip, and “Sock” -struck out the two following.</p> - -<p>Boxwood Hall had lost.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI</a><br /> -<small>DISSENSIONS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Dejected and discouraged, but still bravely -giving a cheer for their victorious rivals, the -Boxwood Hall team left the field. The military -rooters were singing their songs, but the blue -and yellow pennants of the defeated ones drooped -sadly.</p> - -<p>“They didn’t do a thing to us, did they?” -said Bart, somewhat cheerfully under the circumstances.</p> - -<p>“Well, they mightn’t have done so much if you -hadn’t muffed that long fly,” snapped Frank, for -Bart had done that.</p> - -<p>“The sun——” he began.</p> - -<p>“Same old excuse,” sneered the captain. -“You’d better get a pair of green goggles.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think you were going to tell me to -try for that steal,” observed the lad who had -been caught at second.</p> - -<p>“You should have had your wits about you!” -complained Frank, though really it was his fault -that the misplay had been made.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> - -<p>“We’ve got to do a whole lot better if we -want the championship,” said Jake Porter.</p> - -<p>“Guess you’d better get another pitcher,” remarked -Jim. “I couldn’t seem to get ’em over -to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve seen you do better,” admitted -Frank, with less bitterness in his voice than he -had used toward the others. “But you sure have -got to perk up, and so have the rest of us. We -want the next two games, and we’ve got to get -’em!”</p> - -<p>“So say we all of us!” chanted Bart. “Say, -Frank, why don’t you give Jerry, Ned or Bob a -show in the next game?” he asked. “They have -been doing some swell playing against the other -scrub nines, and you know what a tussle they -gave us.”</p> - -<p>“It might be a good idea to put them in a -couple of games,” added Bill. “I’m not saying -anything against Jim,” he went on, “but Ned -sure has a swift ball.”</p> - -<p>“Those fellows don’t play on the varsity while -I’m captain,” said Frank sullenly. “They’ve got -too good an opinion of themselves now, and if -they played on the first team they’d think they -owned the college. They can’t come in!”</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” cried some of Frank’s closest -friends. “With their auto and their boat they’ll -think they’re too good for Boxwood after a bit.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span></p> - -<p>“They can play ball all right, and better than -some of us,” declared a centre fielder who had -muffed a ball, letting in a run. “And when I say -that I include myself,” he admitted frankly. “I -did rotten work to-day.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right, you did!” snapped Frank. -“And don’t let it happen again.”</p> - -<p>“If I do, will you put in one of the three inseparables?” -was the question, for so Ned, Bob -and Jerry were called at times.</p> - -<p>“Not in a hundred years!” cried Frank.</p> - -<p>“Oh, give ’em a chance!” pleaded some, including -Bart and Bill.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you do it! Too much swelled head!” -insisted others.</p> - -<p>From this discussion there came a dissension -among some members of the nine, as well as -among the supporters of the team. The three -chums were made the subject of a not very pleasant -discussion, and they begged those who favored -their playing to desist. But Bart and Bill -led a faction which insisted that our heroes be allowed -to play.</p> - -<p>But Frank was stubborn and refused to consider -the matter.</p> - -<p>“Our nine is all right as it is,” he said. “Just -because we lost one game to Kenwell doesn’t -mean we’ll lose more. I’m not going to change -my mind. Those fellows can’t play on the varsity,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -and that settles it,” and he banged his bat -down hard on the floor of the auto-truck in which -the defeated team was returning.</p> - -<p>The subject was dropped for the time being, -and was not mentioned to Frank again for several -days by those favoring Jerry and his chums. -But those opposed to them, on no good grounds -whatsoever, nagged Frank into keeping firm in -his determination.</p> - -<p>The baseball season waxed. Because of the -playing of Jerry, Ned and Bob the scrub nine -won game after game, succumbing only to teams -much their superior. They were doing much -better than the varsity, which lost a number of -games to institutions it had beaten easily the previous -years. But there were still the two games -with Kenwell, and by getting both of these the -reputation of Boxwood could be maintained.</p> - -<p>“But the team is in a slump,” said Bart. “It’s -in a slump, and Frank knows it.”</p> - -<p>“Only he’s too pig-headed to admit it,” agreed -Bill Hamilton. “If he would let those motor -boys in even for a couple of easy games, it would -show what they can do and inspire confidence.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and it would give the regulars a rest,” -went on Bart. “That is what some of us need—a -rest. We’re overtrained, and it’s showing. -Kenwell will walk away with us next time, you -see.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I hope not, but I’m afraid so,” agreed Bill.</p> - -<p>But when once more Frank’s closest friends -ventured to plead with him for the three chums -he got so angry that they decided it was no use.</p> - -<p>Thus matters stood about a week before the -second game with the military academy.</p> - -<p>“Fellows, I’ve a feeling in my bones that something -is going to happen,” remarked Bob one -afternoon, as he tossed aside the book he had -been trying to study, while Ned was plunking -away at a banjo on which he announced he was -going to become an expert player.</p> - -<p>“What is going to happen?” asked Jerry. -“Are you going to bang Ned over the head or -put your foot through that perfectly rotten instrument -he’s torturing?”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to see him try it!” exclaimed Ned, -but he took the precaution to retreat to his own -room, for they were in Jerry’s, as usual.</p> - -<p>“No, I rather like that music,” Bob said. “It -is so soothing.”</p> - -<p>“Soothing!” howled Jerry. “I’d rather live -next to a boiler factory! But if it isn’t that, Bob, -what is it? Tell us, Mr. Endman, what am -gwine t’ happen?” and Jerry imitated a negro -minstrel.</p> - -<p>“Let’s have another feed happen,” suggested -the stout lad. “It’s been a long while since we’ve -done anything but play ball. Let’s have a spread.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And get caught again?” asked Ned. “Not -for mine!”</p> - -<p>“We won’t get caught,” said Bob. “We’ve -been so noble and upright lately that the proc -won’t suspect us. And I don’t believe any one -will squeal now. We haven’t done anything -worth mentioning since the picture racket. By -the way, Ned, have you found out who wrote the -card that gave us away?”</p> - -<p>“No, but I’m on the track. I’ve eliminated -all but two typewriters now. It was written on -either one of them. I’ve had specimens of writing -from every machine in the building but two.”</p> - -<p>“And whose are those?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Frank Watson’s and Proxy’s—or the one -his clerk uses.”</p> - -<p>“Great fish-cakes!” cried Bob. “You don’t -suspect Proxy; do you?”</p> - -<p>“Of course not. It may have been his clerk, -but I don’t guess so. The only other one is -Frank, and I’ll get the goods on him yet!”</p> - -<p>“Well, about the feed,” resumed Bob, “shall -we have it?”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Go ahead!” assented Jerry. “Things -have been a bit dull of late.”</p> - -<p>“Count me in,” added Ned.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII</a><br /> -<small>THE ROOTERS INSIST</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Word was quietly passed around that another -feast was to be given by the three chums, and -invitations to it were eagerly looked for.</p> - -<p>“That Chunky sure does know how to get up -an eat-fest,” said Gene Flarity. “Too bad the -last one was spoiled.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it wasn’t exactly spoiled,” observed -George Fitch. “We had most of the stuff put -away inside us when the proc came in. But I -don’t think any one will squeal this time.”</p> - -<p>“If they do, and it proves to be Frank, he ought -to be run out of college,” declared Gene. “It’s -a shame the way he snubs those fellows.”</p> - -<p>“So it is,” agreed George. “Well, we’ll hope -for the best.”</p> - -<p>“And we’ll get it, if Chunky has the ordering -of the eats,” chuckled Gene. “He was telling me -he was going to make a chicken pie in that electric -chafing dish.”</p> - -<p>“Good!” exclaimed George. “Chunky is sure -some little cook!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p> - -<p>To the surprise of Ned, Bob and Jerry, who -quietly passed word around about the prospective -surreptitious lunch, members of the varsity nine -whom they asked, refused.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to come, first-rate,” said Jake Porter, -“but you see Frank has forbidden us.”</p> - -<p>“You mean he won’t let you come just because -we’re giving it?” asked Ned. “Solidified scuttle-butts! -but that is carrying it a long way.”</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t because it’s <em>you</em>,” Jake hastened -to add. “I’m not even sure he knows you’re going -to give it, unless you asked him.”</p> - -<p>“There wouldn’t be any use asking him,” Bob -said.</p> - -<p>“Well then, it’s because it’s the night before the -second Kenwell game,” Jake explained. “Frank -says any of the varsity who feed up and stay out -late the night before the game can’t play. So I’m -not going to take a chance.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, that’s all right,” Jerry said. “We -don’t want to spoil the team’s chances. We -haven’t any ourselves, so we’re going to feed up.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t suppose it makes an awful lot of -difference,” said Jake. “I can play just as well -after a supper as before. But you know what -Frank is. Once he gets a notion in his head it’s -hard to get it out. So I’m taking no chances.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t blame you for that,” remarked Ned. -“And we sure do know what Frank is!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span></p> - -<p>Somewhat to the surprise of the hosts Bart and -Bill agreed to come to the feast.</p> - -<p>“We don’t care what Frank says,” declared -Bart. “I want to have some fun, and we’ll get -it in your rooms. It won’t make a bit of difference -about the game. But don’t let Frank -know we’re coming, or he might be pig-headed -enough to keep us out.”</p> - -<p>“We won’t say a word,” promised Bob.</p> - -<p>“But how are you going to get in without his -knowing it, seeing that you’re bunking with him?” -asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we can slip out on some excuse or other,” -Bill said. “I’m not going to let him slave-drive -me much longer.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t get into our rooms without his seeing -you,” went on Jerry. “He’s likely to come -out in the hall any minute.”</p> - -<p>“Hush! Whisper!” exclaimed Bart, with a -wink. “The fire escape! There’s one outside -Ned’s window; isn’t there?”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” Ned cried. “I never thought of that.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll crawl up the fire escape from the outside,” -went on Bart, “and you be ready to let us -in your window.”</p> - -<p>“But it may be risky going back that way,” -cautioned Bob. “The moon won’t be up when you -come in, but it will be shining directly on the ladder -when the party breaks up.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, going out will be easy,” declared Bill. -“You can let us slip out of your rooms into the -corridor. We can go down it a way on our tiptoes -and come back flat-footed so Frank will hear -us. He’ll think we’re coming back from a trip -to town, where we can intimate that we’re going.”</p> - -<p>“Any way you like,” said Jerry.</p> - -<p>The night of the feast came. It was the night -before the second big game with Kenwell.</p> - -<p>To the rooms of our friends came those invited -to the feast. All but Bart and Bill arrived -in the usual way, stepping softly along the corridor. -If Frank, in his den across the hall, knew -that a feast was going on he gave no sign. Not -a light showed over the transom.</p> - -<p>“He went out before we did,” said Bart when -he and Bill arrived by way of the fire escape. -“I guess we’ve got him fooled all right.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” returned Jerry.</p> - -<p>“And now for the chicken pie!” said Bob, -when some of the other things had been passed -around and the fun was under way.</p> - -<p>“‘Hurrah for the fun, is the pudding done? -Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!’” quoted Bart.</p> - -<p>“Not so loud!” cautioned Bob, turning the electric -current on in the chafing dish.</p> - -<p>“Circulate the olives, somebody!”</p> - -<p>“Who’s holding those cocoanut macaroons?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Somebody’s got a mortgage on the chocolate -cake!”</p> - -<p>“Say, but this is a good feed, Chunky!”</p> - -<p>Thus came the comments, mostly in whispers, -though now and then a laugh would break out -which would be quickly hushed.</p> - -<p>“Smells good, Chunky,” said Bill, when the -stout lad took the cover off the chafing dish.</p> - -<p>“I hope it is,” Bob remarked, carefully inspecting -his concoction. “I guess it’s done.”</p> - -<p>“Then hurry up and dish it out and we’ll beat -it,” Bart said. “I don’t want Frank to get suspicious.”</p> - -<p>Bart and Bill were served with the chicken pie -and were about to begin eating, when there came -a knock on Jerry’s door.</p> - -<p>“Caught again!” exclaimed Ned.</p> - -<p>“Who—who’s there?” faltered Bob, while -Jerry reached up and switched off the lights.</p> - -<p>“It’s Frank Watson,” was the unexpected answer. -“Open the door.”</p> - -<p>Wondering what was in the wind Jerry turned -on the incandescents, while Ned swung open the -portal which he unlocked.</p> - -<p>“Are Bart and Bill here?” demanded Frank, -haughtily, not coming in. “I thought so,” he went -on, as he caught sight of the two members of the -varsity. “I told you fellows to cut this out,” he -went on. “I don’t object to a little fun, but you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -know it’s the night before a big game, and I don’t -want you trying to play with stomach-aches. Come -on out now!” he ordered, harshly.</p> - -<p>It was, perhaps, within his right as captain and -manager, and Bart and Bill realized it.</p> - -<p>“Can’t we finish this pie?” asked Bart.</p> - -<p>“No! You’re in training, the same as the rest -of us. I’m not breaking mine, and you shouldn’t -yours. It isn’t fair.”</p> - -<p>“Will you come in?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“No!” Frank fairly snapped. “And you fellows -come out!”</p> - -<p>Bob wanted to ask how Frank knew of the -presence of the two varsity men in the room, but -did not think it wise. After all, it was not hard -for Frank to guess, since he could not have been -unaware of the fact that a supper was in progress -across the hall.</p> - -<p>Bart and Bill went out.</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose you have any objections to the -rest of our guests remaining, have you?” asked -Jerry, slightly sarcastically.</p> - -<p>“No!” Frank answered shortly. He went into -his own room, followed by Bart and Bill.</p> - -<p>“I guess he won’t squeal,” said Ned. “We’ll -finish the feed.”</p> - -<p>It was the day of the second game with Kenwell. -A big crowd surged in the stands around -the diamond at Boxwood Hall. The rival rooters<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -sang, yelled and cheered, and there was a -riot of college and academy colors.</p> - -<p>“Is Frank going to let Bart and Bill play?” -asked Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t heard,” replied Ned. He, as well -as Jerry, Bob and other members of the scrub, -were in baseball suits, for a game with the Kenwell -scrub would follow the main contest.</p> - -<p>But a little later when the Boxwood Hall varsity -ran out of the dressing room it was seen that -Bart and Bill had not been penalized.</p> - -<p>“Play ball!”</p> - -<p>Again sounded that thrilling and inspiring call.</p> - -<p>At first it seemed that the Boxwood Hall team -had a good chance. But Kenwell was more on -edge, and slipped over two runs the first inning, -while the college lads had only a goose egg.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s early yet,” said Jerry, who sat with -the other scrubs.</p> - -<p>But when it came Boxwood Hall’s turn they -could do little against “Sock” Burchell’s pitching, -finding him only for fouls.</p> - -<p>It was in the fourth inning that the real break -came. The score was three to one in favor of -the academy. And then it was that the military -lads cut loose.</p> - -<p>They literally pounded Jim Blake out of the -box, and though Frank raged around, and did his -best, it was too much for him. The man on first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -missed two easy balls, and as for the short stop -he let three easy grounders get past him. The -academy brought in five runs that inning and it -looked to be all up with Boxwood Hall.</p> - -<p>And then the rooters took a hand.</p> - -<p>“Get a pitcher!”</p> - -<p>“Put somebody in without a glass arm!”</p> - -<p>“Get a new man on first!”</p> - -<p>“Where’d that short stop learn to play ball?”</p> - -<p>“Frank, you’ve got to do something!” cried -Bart to his chum when Kenwell was finally put -out.</p> - -<p>“What can I do? The team’s playing rotten.”</p> - -<p>“I know. But put in some fellows who can -play. There’s Hopkins, Slade and Baker. You -know they can play. They may pull us out of the -hole and we might win with Ned’s pitching. Put -’em in!”</p> - -<p>“No!”</p> - -<p>From the crowd of rooters came the demands.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with Jerry Hopkins?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t Ned Slade curve ’em over?”</p> - -<p>The crowd was becoming unruly. Several -shouted unpleasant names at Frank.</p> - -<p>“You’re a peach of a captain!”</p> - -<p>“Better put the three in,” advised Bill Hamilton. -“They’ll put some pep in the team.”</p> - -<p>Frank’s face showed his anger. He hesitated, -while the roar from the crowd increased.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII</a><br /> -<small>IN THE TENTH</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Play ball!”</p> - -<p>“Go on with the game!”</p> - -<p>“We can’t stay here all day!”</p> - -<p>These and other calls were coming not only -from the mere spectators of the game, but from -the students of the military academy who had come -to root for their side. Some of the Boxwood Hall -boys, especially those who liked Jerry and his -chums, and who did not have much use for the -high-handed methods of Frank Watson, added -their voices to the din.</p> - -<p>“Better put ’em in,” suggested Bart, nodding -toward our heroes, who, in their uniforms, sat on -the scrub bench, not a little embarrassed by the -attention they were attracting.</p> - -<p>“You mind your own——” began Frank angrily, -when Oscar Durand, the captain of the Kenwell -team, stepped forward.</p> - -<p>“Say,” he remarked in his slow, good-natured -drawl, “go on and put in all the new men you want -to. We don’t care. We’ll play a whole new team<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -if you say so. Only do something, and don’t delay -the game.”</p> - -<p>Frank still hesitated. It was clear that he hated -to give in to the boys whom he so disliked, but -still he was enough of a ball player to realize that -unless something were done Boxwood Hall would -go down to defeat.</p> - -<p>“Play ball!” came the insistent cries from the -stands.</p> - -<p>Ted Newton, the football hero of the school, -hastened out to the sullen baseball captain.</p> - -<p>“Put the three in, Frank,” he said. “It’s your -only chance.”</p> - -<p>Ted was chairman of the athletic advisory -board, and he had much influence. Frank felt that -his position was a shaky one.</p> - -<p>“All right,” he said, sullenly. “I’ll let ’em play. -Come on, Hopkins—Slade—Baker!” he called. -“Get in the game.”</p> - -<p>“Am I to pitch?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“I suppose so.”</p> - -<p>“And I hope you do better than I did,” remarked -Jim Blake good-naturedly. He was -enough of a real sport to put the team ahead of -himself.</p> - -<p>“I ought to have a little warm-up practice before -I go in,” Ned suggested.</p> - -<p>“Get over there and practice,” said Frank. -“We’re at bat now, and Jake Porter can catch for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -you. No, I’d better do it myself, as I’m going to -be behind the plate.”</p> - -<p>Frank was a good catcher, and it must be admitted -that he had not been at fault so far in the -contest. It was the other players. And once he -had made up his mind to play our three heroes, he -did not do it half-heartedly.</p> - -<p>He did not act in a friendly manner toward -Ned, but in practice he put forth his best efforts, -and urged the new pitcher to do his best to “sting -them in,” which Ned did.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys, we’re out to win!” exclaimed -Frank, when Charlie Moore went up to bat to -open the fifth inning, Kenwell having won the toss, -and, as usual, chosen to go up last.</p> - -<p>The mere fact that Ned, Bob and Jerry had -been put in the game seemed to have inspired confidence -at once, for Charlie, who was a notoriously -poor hitter, singled for the first time in a long -while, and went to first amid cheers. And when -Jerry knocked a three bagger, bringing Charlie in, -and adding to the slender score of Boxwood Hall, -there was a riot of cheers on the stands opposite -those occupied by the military lads. Then another -single by Sid Lenton brought in Jerry, and -made the score eight to three, in favor of Kenwell.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess we’ll pull up all right,” said Jim -Blake, from his position in retirement.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There’s a lot to do yet,” Ted Newton reminded -him. “The game is a good way from -being in the ice-box, as far as Boxwood Hall is -concerned. But those three fellows are going to -help a lot.”</p> - -<p>Two runs that inning was all the rivals of the -academy could bring in, the succeeding batters being -pitched out by “Sock.” But when Boxwood -took the field for the last half of the fifth there -was a different atmosphere. Boxwood Hall’s team -had “tightened up,” and the same might be said -of the military academy players, for they realized -they had to meet some snappy players.</p> - -<p>“Hold ’em down, Ned,” begged Bob, as he -went to his position at shortstop.</p> - -<p>“I will,” promised Ned.</p> - -<p>“And don’t you make any wild throws, -Chunky,” cautioned the tall lad on first.</p> - -<p>“You watch me,” Bob remarked.</p> - -<p>However, for all his promise, he nearly brought -disaster in the next few minutes of play. For a -bounding ball came his way, and though he scooped -it up in a clever catch that earned him applause, he -threw it so high to Jerry that the tall lad had to -leap in the air, and spear it down with one hand.</p> - -<p>That he got it was due not only to luck, but to -efficient playing, and as he came down on the bag -with one foot just in time to catch the runner -out, a yell of approval arose from the crowd.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span></p> - -<p>Everything did not go as well as that, though, -for one of the fielders missed an easy fly, thereby -being indirectly responsible for letting in a run, -making Kenwell nine. But that was all they got -that inning—Ned pitching some wonderful ball, -and retiring two men in succession without letting -them even foul.</p> - -<p>“Well, at that rate, we won’t beat ’em,” said -Bob, gloomily, as his side came in to bat. “We’ve -got four more innings to play, and if we get two -runs each inning that will make eight for us, or a -total of eleven. They’ve got nine now, and one -run in each of the four left will make them thirteen——”</p> - -<p>“Which is unlucky,” broke in Jerry.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to be unlucky that way,” said Ned. -“Well, we’ll hope for the best.”</p> - -<p>It did look a little more hopeful when, instead -of two, Boxwood Hall got three runs that inning, -making their tally six, as against nine.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got a chance!” exclaimed Frank, and -he seemed to smile at Jerry and his chums. But -he did not offer them a friendly word.</p> - -<p>There was much excitement now. Both teams -were “playing their heads off,” and the rooters, -the cheerers and the coherents on either side were -sending out song after song, and yell after yell. -If Boxwood Hall could win the game it meant that -she would have an even chance for the local championship,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -for a third game with Kenwell would -have to be played.</p> - -<p>It was in the ninth inning that Boxwood Hall -tied the score. For by dint of wonderful playing -on the part of the whole team, and by a thrilling -exhibition of pitching on the part of Ned, Kenwell -had been allowed only two more runs, making -their score eleven, and now, in their half of the -ninth, Jerry and his chums had tied it.</p> - -<p>“If we can hold ’em down the remainder of -this inning, it will mean another chance,” cried -Bob. “We’ll have to play ten innings.”</p> - -<p>And a ten inning game it proved to be. For -not a Kenwell lad got farther than second base.</p> - -<p>Up to the plate in the tenth inning came Bob. -He was not a sure hitter, but he got his base on -balls, and the crowd started gibing the academy -pitcher. But he tightened up and struck out the -next man. Then came Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Another three bagger!” begged the Boxwood -lads. Jerry smiled confidently and let the first -ball go by.</p> - -<p>“Strike!” snapped out the umpire.</p> - -<p>“Oh you robber!” howled the crowd.</p> - -<p>The next was a ball, and the next—well, they -talk about it yet at Boxwood Hall. For Jerry -with all his might and main smote the horsehide -spheroid squarely on the “nose” and then he ran. -And Bob spun around the bases too.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Home run! Home run! Home run!” yelled -the wild lads.</p> - -<p>The ball Jerry knocked went deep into centre -field, and the frantic fieldsman raced back after -it. On and on ran Jerry. Ahead of him sped -Bob. And <a href="#image01">as Bob crossed home plate with his run, -Jerry was not far behind him</a>. Nor was the ball -a great way off, for it thumped into the hands of -Ford Tatum, the catcher, with a vicious thump. -But the umpire cried “Safe!” and Boxwood Hall -had two more runs.</p> - -<p>The score was thirteen to eleven, and only one -man was out. But that was the best Boxwood Hall -could do. “Sock” disposed of his next two rivals -in short order.</p> - -<p>“And now if we can hold ’em down—hold ’em -down!” murmured Jerry as they went to the field, -and Kenwell came up for its last raps.</p> - -<p>It looked like another break when Ned gave -two men their base on balls, but then his nerve asserted -itself. Amid a riot of calls, designed to -disconcert him, he stood his ground, and he and -Frank put up a game that made a new record for -efficiency. For not a man got a hit in the last -half of the tenth, and a goose egg went up in that -frame for Kenwell, while the score stood</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="noi">Boxwood Hall, 13.<br /> -Kenwell, 11.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX</a><br /> -<small>MR. HOBSON</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Boxwood Hall had won the second game of -the important series in the tenth inning. It was -game and game—a third one would be necessary -to decide the championship. And as the rooters -of the victorious side realized this, and as they -thought of what snap and ginger Ned, Bob and -Jerry had put into the team at the crucial moment, -there came glad shouts and cries.</p> - -<p>The winning team had cheered its losing rivals, -and in turn, to show their sporting spirit, the military -lads had responded. Then out on the diamond -swarmed the Boxwood Hall rooters.</p> - -<p>“Oh you Jerry Hopkins!”</p> - -<p>“Oh you Bob Baker!”</p> - -<p>“Three cheers for Ned Slade, our peerless -pitcher!” called one enthusiast.</p> - -<p>The cheers were given with a will, and the boys -thronged around our three heroes, patting them on -the back, hugging them, trying to shake hands with -them and lead them about in a wild snake dance.</p> - -<p>Ted Newton saw a dark and scowling look on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -Frank Watson’s face. He did some quick thinking.</p> - -<p>“Three cheers for our captain!” he called. -“The pluckiest baseball captain Boxwood Hall -ever had.”</p> - -<p>And the cheer that followed brought a smile -even to Frank’s dour face. Ted had guessed rightly—that -Frank was getting jealous of the popularity -of the three chums, and Ted did not desire -this, for he wanted to see all enmity wiped out.</p> - -<p>“Great work, old man!” exclaimed Jim Blake, -the deposed pitcher, as he shook hands with Ned. -“I was certainly off form to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe you’ll be all right next time,” -said Ned.</p> - -<p>The celebration over the victory proceeded, -yells, cheers and songs being intermingled. The -vanquished hastened away, not a little down-hearted, -for after their decisive victory in the first -game they had looked for a walkover in the second -one. And they would have found it only for -the timely playing of Ned, Bob and Jerry.</p> - -<p>One might have thought that he would have -given credit where it was due, but Frank did not. -He did not approach the three lads he had publicly -said he would make eat humble pie.</p> - -<p>“Say, old man, don’t you think it’s about time -you made up?” asked Bart, linking his arm in that -of Frank as he walked with him off the diamond.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Make up with whom?”</p> - -<p>“With Jerry and his friends. They pulled us -out of a hole to-day, and——”</p> - -<p>“I’m willing to admit that,” broke in Frank. -“I’ll give them all the credit in the world for playing -ball, but, personally, I don’t care to have anything -to do with them.”</p> - -<p>“That’s no way to feel,” added Bill Hamilton.</p> - -<p>“What is it to you how I feel?” snapped Frank. -“You let me alone! I’m willing to have them play -on the team, because they can put up a good game. -But beyond that I won’t go!”</p> - -<p>Frank was as obstinate as ever. Bart and Bill -were about to give up, for the time being, the attempt -to reconcile Frank to the three chums, when -Ted Newton, having overheard what was going -on, took a hand.</p> - -<p>“Frank, you’re all wrong in this,” said the football -hero, as he and Bart and Bill, with the baseball -captain walked off to one side. “You’re making -a big mistake!”</p> - -<p>“Well then, let me make it!” exclaimed Frank, -angrily. “I wish you’d let me alone! I know my -own business. I know what I’m going to do. I -say I won’t be friends with those fellows, and I -won’t. That’s all there is to it.”</p> - -<p>Ted shrugged his shoulders, and did not know -what to answer. At this moment, off among a little -group of lads, a voice was heard saying:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There he is—right over there!”</p> - -<p>A hand pointed to where Frank stood disputing -with Bart, Bill and Ted, and a man, detaching himself -from those who had evidently been giving him -directions, approached the baseball captain.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Frank!” he cried in jolly tones, holding -out his hand. “I hear you just won a big game.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, hello, Dad!” Frank cried, his face lighting -up with surprised pleasure, in strange contrast -to the former looks that disfigured it. “Say, I -wish you could have been here. It was great! -We’ve tied Kenwell now. When’d you arrive?”</p> - -<p>“Just a little while ago. I had a blowout and -it delayed me, otherwise I’d have been here, as I -wrote you.”</p> - -<p>The two linked arms and walked away, showing -mutual affection more like two brothers or -chums than any other relationship.</p> - -<p>“That’s Frank’s stepfather,” said Bart. “They -surely are fond of each other.”</p> - -<p>“Frank would do anything for him, so I’ve -heard him say,” remarked Bill. “But there’s no -use trying to get Frank to do anything about Jerry -and his chums.”</p> - -<p>“No, I guess not,” agreed Ted.</p> - -<p>Frank and his stepfather, walking toward college, -saw three lads approaching them. It was -Ned, Bob and Jerry, and just now Frank would -have preferred not to encounter them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span></p> - -<p>Frank made as if to turn to one side, but his -stepfather, taking a second look at our heroes, exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“Hold on a moment, son. I know those lads!”</p> - -<p>“Know them?” gasped Frank.</p> - -<p>“Yes. Hello there!” he cried. “Aren’t you -Jerry Hopkins, Ned Slade and Bob Baker?”</p> - -<p>For a moment neither of the three chums answered. -Then looks of recognition came over -their faces.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hobson!” Jerry fairly shouted. “Mr. -Hobson!”</p> - -<p>“I thought so,” went on Frank’s stepfather, -laughing. “I’ve got a pretty good memory for -faces. I never expected to see you at Boxwood -Hall. Frank, you know these lads, of course?”</p> - -<p>“I—er—I—that is—Oh, yes, of course.”</p> - -<p>Frank was ill at ease. But his stepfather, Mr. -Hobson, went on, not seeming to notice.</p> - -<p>“Frank,” he said, “I want you to shake hands -with three of the pluckiest lads in the world. -When I had an accident some time ago—when -my auto left the road, rolled down a bank, pinned -me under it and then got on fire—these lads raised -it off me and got me out in time to save my life. -Shake hands with Ned, Bob and Jerry, Frank, and -thank ’em for your dad’s life.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX</a><br /> -<small>THE WINNING GAME</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Frank Watson’s face was a study in emotions -as he stood beside his stepfather, confronting -Ned, Bob and Jerry. He tried to speak, but, -for a moment, could not.</p> - -<p>“You boys must have shaken hands a lot of -times already,” went on Mr. Hobson, “but shake -again, Frank, and I will too, for it isn’t every day -I have my life saved, you know,” and he laughed, -though there was deep feeling in his words.</p> - -<p>“They saved your life?” asked Frank hesitatingly.</p> - -<p>“That’s what they did—from my burning auto. -And they put out the fire, too, and saved the machine. -I got it back from the garage all right, -Jerry,” he went on. “Much obliged to you.”</p> - -<p>Frank held out his hand toward the tall lad.</p> - -<p>“Fellows, I—I—er—I guess I’ve been just a -plain cad,” Frank confessed with a shame-faced -air. “Will you shake?”</p> - -<p>“Of course!” cried Jerry heartily, and their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -hands met in a firm clasp. In turn Ned and Bob -shook hands with the baseball captain.</p> - -<p>“What does it mean?” asked Mr. Hobson. -“Weren’t you boys—Didn’t you know one another—and -playing on the college nine?” he cried.</p> - -<p>“It’s a long story, Dad,” broke in Frank. -“Come up to my room—you too, Jerry, Ned and -Bob,” he went on, “and we’ll talk it out. I’ve been -a big fool, I guess, but I’m done now. Come on.”</p> - -<p>He linked one arm with Jerry, the other with -Mr. Hobson, while the latter held on to Ned and -Ned to Bob, and in this fashion they marched off -the baseball field.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you know about that?” cried -Bart, seeing what had happened.</p> - -<p>“Frank has made up with the three inseparables!” -exclaimed Bill.</p> - -<p>“It’s the best thing that could have happened, -but I don’t know how it came about,” added -Ted Newton.</p> - -<p>The story of the reconciliation was soon known -all through the college.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, up in Frank’s room, a scene was -taking place that brought out many feelings and -emotions. Mr. Hobson told Frank all about the -rescue, and then Frank, brushing aside his stubborn -will and pride, told of the wrong impression -he had conceived regarding our heroes and of his -holding aloof from them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, well!” exclaimed Mr. Hobson. “I guess -it’s a good thing I came along. I wrote you, -Frank, about three lads getting me out of a bad -predicament, but I didn’t give you all the particulars, -for I was too busy to write much, traveling -all over the West.”</p> - -<p>“And you never mentioned their names,” said -Frank.</p> - -<p>“No, I guess I didn’t.”</p> - -<p>“And we never knew Mr. Hobson was your -stepfather,” added Jerry. “In fact, we never -heard that your stepfather’s name was Hobson.”</p> - -<p>“No, I guess I was too uppish to let you hear -much of me,” returned Frank, with a laugh. “But -it will be different from now on. We’ll be friends; -won’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” chorused Jerry and Bob, as they shook -hands all around.</p> - -<p>“But you won’t squeal on us any more when we -have a midnight spread, or hoist the sacred picture -on the flagpole; will you?” Ned demanded.</p> - -<p>Frank’s face flushed.</p> - -<p>“I did squeal on you about that first spread, -and I gave the proctor the key,” he confessed, -“and I’m mighty sorry I did it. I was just mad. -But I didn’t squeal about the picture!”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t?” cried Ned. “Then who did?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” Frank replied, “but I don’t believe -it was any of the fellows.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’ll find out,” Ned declared.</p> - -<p>There was an impromptu celebration of the -victorious nine that evening, and Proctor Thornton -was conveniently absent. Mr. Hobson was a -guest of honor, and Frank, in a graceful speech, -admitted his error in regard to the three chums, -and announced that hereafter they would be his -closest friends.</p> - -<p>“And will they play in the last game against -Kenwell?” some one asked.</p> - -<p>“That’s what they will!” Frank answered, -heartily.</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll cinch the championship!”</p> - -<p>Nothing outside the college routine happened -in the following week at Boxwood Hall; but Frank -and the three chums let their friendship grow, -and the reconciliation meant much to both sides. -Never before had the spirit of the college so manifested -itself.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hobson announced that he would stay to -see the deciding game between Boxwood and Kenwell, -which would take place on the Boxwood Hall -grounds, they having won the toss.</p> - -<p>“Luck sure is with us,” said Frank to Jerry -when this matter had been settled. “Now we’ve -got a week to do some hard practicing, and we -must work hard, for we want to beat ’em bad.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll do our best,” Jerry answered.</p> - -<p>Seldom before had there been such a baseball<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -team at Boxwood. Ned, Bob and Jerry seemed -to fit right in the places of the lads who were deposed, -at least temporarily, to make room for -them. And the best of it was that there was no -ill feeling. The lads who were not allowed to -play rooted just as hard for the team as before.</p> - -<p>Kenwell, it was said, was strengthening her nine, -and the final game was likely to prove an exciting -and hard one. Meanwhile, the talk of the college, -when it was not about baseball, was about -the reconciliation between Frank Watson and the -chums.</p> - -<p>It was the day of the great game. The stands -on the Boxwood Hall diamond were filled with -students, girls, men and women, for it was a big -attraction, this championship contest, and drew -from all over the neighborhood.</p> - -<p>Song after song welled from the rival factions. -Cheer followed cheer. There were cheers for the -clashing teams, and for the individual players. -There were cheers for the rival captains, and “skyrockets,” -and “locomotives” without number.</p> - -<p>Out on the field ran the Boxwood Hall nine -and the substitutes, to be received with yells of -gladness. Then came the Kenwell lads, and they, -too, were riotously welcomed.</p> - -<p>There was some batting and pitching practice, -and it was noted that Kenwell was “warming” up -a new twirler.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p> - -<p>“They’re out to do us,” murmured Frank. “Do -your best, Ned!”</p> - -<p>“I sure will, Cap!”</p> - -<p>“Play ball!” called the umpire.</p> - -<p>Only for a few minutes did it look bad for Boxwood -Hall. This was in the third inning. Up to -this time neither side had scored. Then two pinch -hitters were sent in, who found Ned to the extent -of two runs, putting the military lads that much -ahead of scoreless Boxwood Hall.</p> - -<p>“Things aren’t breaking right,” murmured the -Boxwood Hall rooters.</p> - -<p>“Just you wait,” advised Ted Newton.</p> - -<p>The break came when “Sock” Burchell was replaced -by the new man. Either he was not a good -pitcher, or his rivals were on to his curves, for -Boxwood Hall saw her opportunity and grasped -it, and she tallied seven runs in that inning.</p> - -<p>From then on it was a walkover for Frank’s -team. Kenwell fought staunchly every inch of the -way, but when the first half of the ninth inning -ended, with the military lads at the bat and the -score fourteen to four against them, the struggle -was over. Boxwood Hall had won the championship, -and in the main it was due to the sensational -work of Ned, Bob and Jerry. For at a critical -moment Jerry had pulled off a double play that -seemed to take the heart out of his opponents.</p> - -<p>“’Rah for Boxwood Hall!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Boxwood Hall wins!”</p> - -<p>“The championship is ours!”</p> - -<p>Out on the field swarmed the rooters to surround -and cheer the team. Frank clasped the -hand of Jerry Hopkins.</p> - -<p>“Great work, old man!” he cried.</p> - -<p>“It was great work all around!” declared Ted -Newton.</p> - -<p>And so it was.</p> - -<p>Once more cheer followed cheer, yell succeeded -yell, and song echoed song, as the victorious ones -paraded about the field, while the vanquished silently -withdrew. Never before had Boxwood -Hall so decisively beaten its ancient rival.</p> - -<p>It marked the practical end of the baseball season, -for spring was merging into summer, and the -long vacation was at hand.</p> - -<p>There was a feast that night, given by Frank to -the team, for training was over, and among the -first names proposed for a toast by the captain -were those of Ned, Bob and Jerry.</p> - -<p>“Three good cheers for the motor boys!” cried -Frank, and the room echoed with the sound that -followed.</p> - -<p>It was a week after the big game when Ned, -his face showing his excitement, came mysteriously -to his two chums.</p> - -<p>“I’ve found it! I’ve found it!” he cried.</p> - -<p>“Found what?” asked Jerry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The typewriter on which the note that gave -us away about the picture stunt was printed.”</p> - -<p>“You have? Whose was it?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“The proctor’s! Look, there’s a specimen of -work from his machine and here’s the card with -our names on it.”</p> - -<p>Ned laid them down side by side, and, as he -told how he had secured the sample by the use -of a little subterfuge, his two chums noted the similarity -of slight marks in letters that seemed to -prove the point. And, a little later, it was proved -positively.</p> - -<p>For the proctor sent for our heroes one day.</p> - -<p>“I understand you think that a certain student -here gave information to the faculty to the effect -that you three took down the founder’s picture. -Never mind how I found it out, but do you hold -that belief?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“We did,” answered Ned, “but we don’t now.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad of it,” the proctor said, “for it was -I who saw you. As I was too late to prevent your -carrying your prank to completion to save Dr. -Boxwood’s portrait from desecration, I wrote the -note and put it on the flagpole.”</p> - -<p>“We know that, too,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“How did you find it out?” asked the proctor.</p> - -<p>“We respectfully decline to tell,” and Ned -bowed, smiling.</p> - -<p>The proctor hesitated a moment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Very well. But don’t try such tricks again.”</p> - -<p>“And so that mystery is solved,” observed -Jerry, as they came out of the office. “I wonder -what will happen next?”</p> - -<p>And what did will be related in our next volume, -to be called, “Ned, Bob and Jerry on a Ranch; -Or, The Motor Boys Among the Cowboys.”</p> - -<p>“Boys, I want to congratulate you on your -basketball victory,” said Professor Snodgrass, -some days after the diamond championship had -been decided. “I understand that the eleven did -well.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Jerry, trying not to laugh, “we -did.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” remarked Bob a few days after this, -as he lay sprawling on a couch in his room, “this -is no fun, fellows. Let’s do something.”</p> - -<p>“What?” asked Jerry from his apartment where -he and Ned were playing checkers.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go eat!” broke in Ned.</p> - -<p>“Exactly!” agreed Bob, and Ned had to dodge -the book the stout lad heaved at him.</p> - -<p>But they presently went off to the dining hall, -and there we will take leave of Ned, Bob and -Jerry.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noic">THE END</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi adtitle">THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES</p> - -<p class="noi adauthor"><span class="smcap">By LESTER CHADWICK</span></p> - -<p class="noic"><em>12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 80 cents, postpaid.</em></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 150px;"> -<img src="images/image05.jpg" width="150" height="229" - alt="THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES" title="THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES" /> -</div> - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS<br /> -<em>or The Rivals of Riverside</em></p> - -<p>Joe is an everyday country boy who loves -to play baseball and particularly to pitch.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE<br /> -<em>or Pitching for the Blue Banner</em></p> - -<p>Joe’s great ambition was to go to boarding -school and play on the school team.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE AT YALE<br /> -<em>or Pitching for the College Championship</em></p> - -<p>Joe goes to Yale University. In his second year he becomes a -varsity pitcher and pitches in several big games.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE<br /> -<em>or Making Good as a Professional Pitcher</em></p> - -<p>In this volume the scene of action is shifted from Yale -college to a baseball league of our central states.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE<br /> -<em>or A Young Pitcher’s Hardest Struggles</em></p> - -<p>From the Central League Joe is drafted into the St. Louis -Nationals. A corking baseball story all fans will enjoy.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE ON THE GIANTS<br /> -<em>or Making Good as a Twirler in the Metropolis</em></p> - -<p>How Joe was traded to the Giants and became their mainstay -in the box makes an interesting baseball story.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE IN THE WORLD SERIES<br /> -<em>or Pitching for the Championship</em></p> - -<p>The rivalry was of course of the keenest, and what Joe did to -win the series is told in a manner to thrill the most jaded reader.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor">BASEBALL JOE AROUND THE WORLD<br /> -<em>or Pitching on a Grand Tour</em></p> - -<p>The Giants and the All-Americans tour the world, playing in -many foreign countries.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noic"><em>Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue.</em></p> - -<p class="noic">CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi adtitle"><span class="smcap">The Dave Dashaway Series</span></p> - -<p class="noi adauthor">By ROY ROCKWOOD</p> - -<p class="noi works">Author of the “Speedwell Boys Series” and the “Great Marvel Series.”</p> - -<p class="noic">12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.</p> - -<p>Never was there a more clever young aviator than Dave -Dashaway. All up-to-date lads will surely wish to read -about him.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 150px;"> -<img src="images/image06.jpg" width="150" height="218" - alt="The Dave Dashaway Series" title="The Dave Dashaway Series" /> -</div> - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor"><span class="smcap">Dave Dashaway the Young Aviator</span><br /> -<small><em>or In the Clouds for Fame and Fortune</em></small></p> - -<p>This initial volume tells how the hero ran -away from his miserly guardian, fell in with -a successful airman, and became a young -aviator of note.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor"><span class="smcap">Dave Dashaway and His Hydroplane</span><br /> -<small><em>or Daring Adventures Over the Great Lakes</em></small></p> - -<p>Showing how Dave continued his career as a birdman and -had many adventures over the Great Lakes, and how he -foiled the plans of some Canadian smugglers.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor"><span class="smcap">Dave Dashaway and His Giant Airship</span><br /> -<small><em>or A Marvellous Trip Across the Atlantic</em></small></p> - -<p>How the giant airship was constructed and how the daring -young aviator and his friends made the hazardous journey -through the clouds from the new world to the old, is told in a -way to hold the reader spellbound.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor"><span class="smcap">Dave Dashaway Around the World</span><br /> -<small><em>or A Young Yankee Aviator Among Many Nations</em></small></p> - -<p>An absorbing tale of a great air flight around the world, -of adventures in Alaska, Siberia and elsewhere. A true to -life picture of what may be accomplished in the near future.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi adauthor"><span class="smcap">Dave Dashaway: Air Champion</span><br /> -<small><em>or Wizard Work in the Clouds</em></small></p> - -<p>Dave makes several daring trips, and then enters a contest -for a big prize. An aviation tale thrilling in the extreme.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noic">CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="tnote"> -<p class="noi tntitle">Transcriber’s Notes:</p> - -<p class="smfont">A List of Illustrations has been provided for the convenience of - the reader.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall, by -Clarence Young - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NED, BOB AND JERRY AT BOXWOOD HALL *** - -***** This file should be named 51079-h.htm or 51079-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/0/7/51079/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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