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diff --git a/old/53414.txt b/old/53414.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 40b63eb..0000000 --- a/old/53414.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9286 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dave Porter and His Classmates, by Edward -Stratemeyer, Illustrated by Charles Nuttall - - -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: Dave Porter and His Classmates - For the Honor of Oak Hall - - -Author: Edward Stratemeyer - - - -Release Date: October 30, 2016 [eBook #53414] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES*** - - -E-text prepared by David Edwards, Brian Wilsden, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 53414-h.htm or 53414-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53414/53414-h/53414-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53414/53414-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/daveporterhiscla00straiala - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES - - - * * * * * * - -EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS - - -Old Glory Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Net $1.75 per volume._ - - UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA. UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES. - A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA. THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE. - FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS. UNDER MacARTHUR IN LUZON. - -Soldiers of Fortune Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Net $1.75 per volume._ - - ON TO PEKIN. AT THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. - UNDER THE MIKADO'S FLAG. WITH TOGO FOR JAPAN. - -Colonial Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Net $1.75 per volume._ - - WITH WASHINGTON IN THE WEST. ON THE TRAIL OF PONTIAC. - MARCHING ON NIAGARA. THE FORT IN THE WILDERNESS. - AT THE FALL OF MONTREAL. TRAIL AND TRADING POST. - -Mexican War Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Price Per volume $1.00._ - - FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. WITH TAYLOR ON THE RIO GRANDE. - UNDER SCOTT IN MEXICO. - -Pan-American Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.00._ - - LOST ON THE ORINOCO. YOUNG EXPLORERS OF THE AMAZON. - THE YOUNG VOLCANO EXPLORERS. TREASURE SEEKERS OF THE ANDES. - YOUNG EXPLORERS OF THE ISTHMUS. CHASED ACROSS THE PAMPAS. - -Dave Porter Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Net $1.75 per volume._ - - DAVE PORTER AT OAK HALL. DAVE PORTER ON CAVE ISLAND. - DAVE PORTER IN THE SOUTH SEAS. DAVE PORTER AND THE RUNAWAYS. - DAVE PORTER'S RETURN TO SCHOOL. DAVE PORTER IN THE GOLD FIELDS. - DAVE PORTER IN THE FAR NORTH. DAVE PORTER AT BEAR CAMP. - DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES. DAVE PORTER AND HIS DOUBLE. - DAVE PORTER AT STAR RANCH. DAVE PORTER'S GREAT SEARCH. - DAVE PORTER AND HIS RIVALS. DAVE PORTER UNDER FIRE. - DAVE PORTER'S WAR HONORS. - -Lakeport Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Net $1.75 per volume._ - - THE GUN CLUB BOYS OF LAKEPORT. THE FOOTBALL BOYS OF LAKEPORT. - THE BASEBALL BOYS OF LAKEPORT. THE AUTOMOBILE BOYS OF LAKEPORT. - THE BOAT CLUB BOYS OF LAKEPORT. THE AIRCRAFT BOYS OF LAKEPORT. - -American Boys' Biographical Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Net $1.75 per volume._ - - AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF WILLIAM McKINLEY. - AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT. - -DEFENDING HIS FLAG. _Price $1.75._ - - * * * * * * - - -[Illustration: THE BIG TOURING CAR SHOT PAST THE CARRYALL.--_Page -249._] - - -Dave Porter Series - -DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES - -Or - -For the Honor of Oak Hall - -by - -EDWARD STRATEMEYER - -Author of "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," "The Old Glory Series," -"Colonial Series," "Pan-American Series," -"Soldiers of Fortune Series," etc. - -Illustrated by Charles Nuttall_ - - - - - - - -[ILLUSTRATION] - -Boston -Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. - -Published, March, 1909 - -Copyright, 1909, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. - -All rights reserved - -DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES - -Norwood Press -Berwick & Smith Co. -Norwood, Mass. -U. S. A. - - - - -PREFACE - - -"Dave Porter and His Classmates" is a complete story in itself, but -forms the fifth volume in a line issued under the general title of -"Dave Porter Series." - -The first book of this series, "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," introduced to -the reader a typical American youth of to-day, full of vim and vigor, -and with a true sense of manliness, and related the particulars of some -doings at a modern boarding school. At this institution of learning -Dave, by pluck and perseverance, fought his way to the front, and was -admired accordingly. - -There was a cloud on the youth's parentage, and in order to clear this -away he took a long and eventful sea voyage, as related in the second -volume of the series, called "Dave Porter in the South Seas." Thousands -of miles from home he found an uncle and learned something of his -father and sister, who were then traveling in Europe. - -As was but natural, the lad was anxious to meet all his relatives, -but the address of his father and sister could not be obtained, and -while waiting for this he returned to Oak Hall, as related in the next -volume, entitled "Dave Porter's Return to School." At school Dave lived -a truly strenuous life, becoming innocently involved in some robberies, -aiding to win some great football games, and helping to bring the bully -of the academy to a realization of his better self. - -In the midst of his school life Dave learned that his father had been -heard from. More anxious than ever to meet his parent he, in company -with an old chum, set sail for England, and then went to Norway, as -related in "Dave Porter in the Far North." Here, amid the ice and snow -of the Land of the Midnight Sun, Dave found his father, and learned -much of his sister, which filled him with great satisfaction. - -It was now time for the youth to return to school, and in the present -volume I have related some of the things that took place at Oak Hall -after Dave got back,--how he worked hard, played hard, overcame his -enemies, and what he did for the honor of the academy. - -Once more I thank the young people for the interest they have shown in -my books. I trust that the reading of the present volume will do them -much good. - - EDWARD STRATEMEYER. - -_February 1, 1909_ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. DAVE AND HIS PAST 1 - - II. WHAT LAURA HAD TO TELL 11 - - III. ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL 21 - - IV. THE FUN OF A NIGHT 31 - - V. WHAT HAPPENED TO NAT POOLE 41 - - VI. WHAT A BIG SNOWBALL DID 51 - - VII. PRISONERS IN THE SCHOOL 61 - - VIII. A MOVE IN THE DARK 71 - - IX. VERA ROCKWELL 81 - - X. DAVE SPEAKS HIS MIND 91 - - XI. AT THE OLD GRANARY 101 - - XII. GUS PLUM'S STORY 111 - - XIII. THE GEE EYES' INITIATION 121 - - XIV. IN WHICH JOB HASKERS GETS - LEFT IN THE COLD 131 - - XV. WHAT MIKE MARCY HAD TO TELL 141 - - XVI. SOMETHING ABOUT LESSONS 151 - - XVII. SHADOW HAMILTON'S PERIL 161 - - XVIII. THE BOXING BOUT 171 - - XIX. AT THE EXPRESS OFFICE 181 - - XX. A MISUNDERSTANDING 191 - - XXI. IN WHICH THE BOYS GIVE AN - ENTERTAINMENT 201 - - XXII. FORMING THE BASEBALL CLUB 211 - - XXIII. A GREAT VICTORY 221 - - XXIV. ON BUSH ISLAND 231 - - XXV. WHAT AN AUTOMOBILE DID 241 - - XXVI. A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL 250 - - XXVII. STUCK ON A SANDBAR 260 - - XXVIII. LINK MERWELL HAS HIS SAY 270 - - XXIX. DAVE MAKES UP HIS MIND 280 - - XXX. DAVE TAKES THE LAW IN HIS OWN HANDS 289 - - XXXI. MORE VICTORIES--CONCLUSION 298 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - The big touring car shot past the - carryall (page 249) _Frontispiece_ - PAGE - - The big snowball hit the craft and bowled it over, (_missing_) 52 - - "It's a shame to make you eat without a fork, Phil" 74 - - "Now to Jackson's Gully with him!" 124 - - Dave pointed out the form of the sleep-walker, (_missing_) 164 - - Down went the back part, letting him fall - most unexpectedly 208 - - "Well, you can row if you want to," sneered Poole 232 - - Raising his oar, he hit the bully a blow on the shoulder 274 - - - - -DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES - - - - -CHAPTER I - -DAVE AND HIS PAST - - -"I suppose you feel very happy to-day, Dave." - -"Yes, Roger, happy and anxious," answered Dave Porter. "And who -wouldn't feel so if he was in my place? Just think of it! I am to see -my sister at last--somebody I've never seen before in my life! Why, -sometimes I have to pinch myself to make certain I am really awake." - -"More than likely Laura is just as anxious as you are," went on Roger -Morr. "She'll surely want to know how her long-missing brother looks. -Remember, she hasn't had a photograph of you, while you have seen -several of her." - -"That is so," answered Dave. His usually smiling face took on a serious -look. "I trust she isn't disappointed in me or my looks." - -"Oh, she won't be, don't worry about that. You're a good-looking -fellow, even if I do have to say it for you, Dave. If you don't believe -it, just ask Jessie Wadsworth." And Roger Morr began to grin. "I know -Jessie will say at once that you are the dearest, sweetest----" - -"Come now, Roger, let up!" interrupted Dave, growing red in the face. -"Supposing Jessie should hear you?" And he looked anxiously toward the -sitting-room door, which was partly open. - -"There is no harm in telling the truth," returned Roger, with a -calmness that made Dave blush still more. "But joking aside, Dave, I -really hope this day proves to be the happiest of your life, and Laura -turns out to be the jolliest of sisters." - -"Hello, in there!" came a pleasant, boyish voice from the doorway, and -a youth showed himself, with a pair of bright, nickel-plated skates on -his arm. "Thought you were going skating, Roger?" - -"So I am, Phil. I just stopped to speak to Dave for a moment. He is -going off now to meet his sister." - -"Oh!" Phil Lawrence came into the room and faced his chum. "Well, -I can't say any more than what I've said before, Dave--I wish you -the best of luck. I am sure you'll find it awfully nice to have a -sister--especially after what you've had to put up with in the past." - -"Don't you fellows really want to go with me?" asked Dave. - -"Of course we do, but---- Well, Roger and I talked it over and we--that -is--well, we thought it would be nice to let you go with your father -and uncle--kind of family gathering, you know. We'll be on hand by the -time you get back to the house." - -At that moment the merry jingle of sleighbells sounded from outside the -mansion and a comfortable two-seated sleigh came up to the door, driven -by one of the men from the barn. - -"There is your turnout ready for you!" cried Roger. "What time does -that Western train get in?" - -"Ten-twenty, if it's on time," replied Dave promptly, for he had the -time-table well in mind. "But the snowstorm may have delayed it." - -"Well, I hope for your sake the train is on time," said Phil Lawrence. -"If it isn't, I suppose every minute's delay will seem like an hour to -you." - -"More like two," answered Dave, and then, as he heard his father -calling to him, he hurried out into the hall. There stood Mr. David -Porter and his brother Dunston, both ready for the long drive to the -depot. Behind the pair were a lady and gentleman of middle age, Mr. and -Mrs. Wadsworth, and their daughter Jessie, while in the library door, -holding a ponderous volume on botany in his hands, was an elderly man -with white hair, Caspar Potts. - -All of the party looked at Dave, for they knew what was in the youth's -mind and what was on his heart. He had waited a long, long time for -this day to come, and now he was a little timid about the result; why, -he could not exactly tell. Perhaps because he had pictured his sister -Laura to be one kind of a person and he was afraid she might prove -something different. - -"We mustn't be late," said Mr. Porter, breaking a momentary silence. -He, too, was anxious over the coming meeting of son and daughter. It -made his heart bound with pleasure to think that his little family were -to be united at last. - -"Remember, dinner will be waiting for you, no matter if the train is -late," said Mrs. Wadsworth. - -"And I'm to sit on one side of Laura and Dave on the other," put in -Jessie, flinging back her curls that insisted at times on falling about -her face. "Oh, won't it be glorious, Dave! I know I am going to love -Laura, and I know she is going to love me--at least, I hope so." - -Dave looked at her and smiled--he thought a great deal of Jessie, he -simply couldn't help it. Then he turned and followed his father and -Uncle Dunston down to the sleigh. The three got in and Mr. Porter took -up the reins. A word to the stylish team and off they sped, through the -spacious grounds of the Wadsworth mansion and down the road leading to -the railroad station. - -Dave wanted to talk to his father and uncle, but somehow his heart was -too full and the words would not come. His whole mind was centered upon -meeting his sister, whom, so far as he could remember, he had never -seen. He did not dream of the unexpected news Laura would bring him. - -To those who have read the former volumes of this "Dave Porter Series," -the characters already mentioned will need no special introduction. -For the benefit of others let me state that Dave Porter was a youth -who had had a varied experience in life. When a small boy he had been -found wandering along the railroad tracks just outside of the village -of Crumville. Nobody knew who he was or where he came from, and as a -consequence he was put in the local poorhouse, where he remained until -about nine years old. Then an old college professor, Caspar Potts, who -on account of broken health had taken up farming, took the boy to live -with him. - -Caspar Potts meant well, but he got in the grasp of a money-lender, -Aaron Poole, as related in detail in my first story, called "Dave -Porter at Oak Hall." Times looked exceedingly black for the old man and -for Dave when there came a happening which turned the whole aspect of -affairs. - -In an elegant mansion of the outskirts of the town lived Mr. Oliver -Wadsworth, a rich manufacturer, with his wife and daughter Jessie, the -latter a beautiful miss some years younger than Dave. One day Dave -called at the mansion on business. Jessie was waiting for an automobile -ride, and through an accident to the gasoline tank of the car the -girl's clothing took fire, and she might have been burned to death had -not Dave rushed to her assistance and put out the flames. - -Of course the Wadsworths were exceedingly grateful, and when the -gentleman of the place learned that Caspar Potts was one of his old -college professors he at once interested himself in the old man's -behalf. - -"You must come and live with me," he said. "You can do some work around -the place and in arranging my library--and you must bring the boy with -you." He had had a son who had died, and Dave reminded him strongly of -that offspring. - -At the Wadsworth home Dave made himself a great favorite, and he and -Jessie became the closest of friends. The rich manufacturer wanted the -lad to have a good education, and so he was sent off to Oak Hall, a -fine institution of learning. With Dave went Ben Basswood, a youth of -Crumville who had been the poorhouse lad's chum for some years. - -At Oak Hall, Dave proved himself a leader in many sports, and as a -consequence he gained a host of friends, including Roger Morr, the -son of a United States senator, and Phil Lawrence, the offspring of a -wealthy shipowner. He also made several enemies, not the least of whom -was Nat Poole, the son of the money-lender who had caused Caspar Potts -so much worry. - -One day Dave's enemies raised the cry of "poorhouse nobody" against -him. This cut the high-spirited lad to the quick. A fight ensued, in -which Dave was victorious, and then the boy resolved, at any cost, to -solve the mystery of his parentage. - -How this was accomplished has been related in detail in "Dave Porter -in the South Seas." With information obtained from an old sailor the -youth journeyed almost half around the world, and there fell in with -his uncle, Dunston Porter, who gave him much information concerning his -father, David Breslow Porter, and also about his sister Laura, one year -younger than himself, and told how the family had become separated. - -Happy in the knowledge that he was no longer a "poorhouse nobody," but -a well-to-do lad with a large sum of money coming to him when he should -be of age, Dave returned to the United States. His father and sister -were in Europe, and while waiting to hear from them he went back to Oak -Hall, as told in "Dave Porter's Return to School." Here he made many -more friends. His enemies could no longer twit him about his parentage, -yet some of them, notably a fellow named Jasniff and Nat Poole, and a -bully named Gus Plum, did what they could to torment him. Plum, when -Dave did him a great service, tried to reform, but Jasniff, who was a -hot-tempered fellow, attempted to strike Dave down with a heavy Indian -club. This was a dastardly attack, roundly condemned by those who saw -it, and fearful of what might follow, Nick Jasniff ran away from school -and set sail for England. - -Dave had waited long to hear from his father and sister, and at last -when he learned that Jasniff had met them in London, he resolved to -go in quest of them, although he did not yet have their address. In -company with Roger Morr he crossed the Atlantic, only to find that his -parent had joined an expedition for the upper part of Norway. How he -and his chum journeyed to the land of the Midnight Sun has been told -in all its particulars in "Dave Porter in the Far North." Here Dave -at last met his father face to face,--a joyous reunion no words can -express. Then the boy learned that his sister Laura had gone to the -United States some time before, in company with some friends named -Endicott, who owned a ranch in the Far West. - -"We must telegraph at once for Laura," said Mr. Porter, and several -telegrams were sent without delay, and, as a consequence, word came -back that Laura would come as fast as the overland express could bring -her. - -When Dave's friends heard the good news that he had found his father -some of them came to the Wadsworth home to congratulate him. Among the -number was Phil Lawrence, and he and Roger were invited to remain with -Dave until the latter returned to Oak Hall. - -"You can all go back together--after Dave has seen his sister," said -Mr. Porter. "I will fix it up with Doctor Clay, so you won't have -any trouble over staying out of school a week longer." And so it was -arranged. - -Just before leaving school for his trip to Europe Dave had had a -bitter quarrel with Nat Poole and a new student at Oak Hall named Link -Merwell. Merwell was an aggressive fellow, tall and powerful, the son -of a cattle-owner of the West. His taunting remarks to Dave had led to -a fight in which the cattle-owner's son had gotten the worse of it. - -"I'll get square for this," Link Merwell had said to his crony. "I'll -make Dave Porter eat humble pie before I am done with him." Then had -come another quarrel between the Western boy and Mr. Dale, the head -assistant teacher, and Merwell had come close to being expelled. He had -gone home for a vacation, stating that he believed Phil Lawrence had -gotten him into "the mess," as he expressed it, and he had added that -he would not forgive either Dave or Phil as long as he lived. - -"Well, what did you do?" questioned Dave, when he and the shipowner's -son talked this affair over. - -"I didn't do anything," answered Phil. "Merwell wanted me to say that -he hadn't gone out one night when I knew he did go out. I refused, -and then he was found out. Oh, but wasn't he mad when he left on his -vacation! He pounded his fist on a desk and vowed he'd fix me as soon -as he got back,--and then he added that he'd fix you, too, as soon as -you got back." - -"Mighty interesting," said Dave. "We'll have to watch him and see what -comes of it." And there the subject was dropped. But it was to come up -very soon again, and in a manner not anticipated. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -WHAT LAURA HAD TO TELL - - -The train was nearly an hour late, and during that time Dave walked -impatiently up and down the railroad platform. Occasionally he thought -of school matters, and his friends and enemies, but most of the time -his mind was on his sister. His father and his uncle talked together -and did not interrupt his meditations. - -At last a far-away whistle proclaimed the coming of the Western -express, and Dave's face took on a more eager look than ever. His -father gazed into his clear eyes and caught him by the arm. - -"I trust with all my heart you find Laura all you desire," he said in -a low tone, and Dave nodded, for his throat was so choked up that he -could not speak. - -The long train rolled in and the passengers for Crumville began to -alight. "There she is!" cried Dunston Porter and ran forward, with his -brother and Dave at his heels. A mist seemed to come over the boy's -eyes and his heart thumped furiously. Then he saw a tall girl standing -before him, her eyes looking deeply into his own. - -"Laura, this is Dave," he heard his father say. Then the girl came -closer, reached out her arms, and in a moment more brother and sister -were locked in the closest of embraces. It was such a moment Dave had -longed for--prayed for--and all on the instant he knew that Laura was -what he had hoped she would be and that they should love each other -with the sweetest of sisterly and brotherly love as long as they lived. - -Laura was handsome rather than pretty. She had an aristocratic air -which had come down to her from her mother and grandmother. She was -stately in her movements and her voice charmed Dave the moment he heard -it. - -"Just to think, you are really and truly my brother!" she exclaimed. -"Isn't it wonderful!" - -"It's wonderful for me to find a sister--and a father," answered Dave. -"Sometimes I am afraid I'll wake up and find it all a dream." - -"When I got papa's telegram I thought it was a dream. One of the -cowboys on the ranch brought it over from the railroad station. At -first I thought there must be some mistake, but Mr. Endicott said there -couldn't be, and so I arranged to come east at once. A gentleman and -his wife, who had been stopping at the ranch, came with me as far as -Buffalo. Oh, I really couldn't get here fast enough! Did you get the -telegram I sent from Chicago?" - -"Yes," answered her father. "And the one from the ranch, too." - -"I want to hear the whole of the wonderful story just as soon as -possible," continued Laura. "I promised Belle Endicott I'd send her the -particulars, for she is dying to know. Belle is my friend, you know. -Her father is a railroad president, but he owns that ranch, too, and -they go out there whenever they feel like it, winter or summer. Belle -said she'd rather read my next letter than a story book." And Laura -smiled brightly. - -"And I shall want to hear all about you and your travels," answered -Dave. "Oh, I guess we'll have enough to talk about to last a week." - -The party of four were soon in the sleigh, with Laura and Dave on the -front seat. The youth showed how he could handle the team, and in a -short while drove up to the stepping-stone of the Wadsworth mansion. At -once there was a rush from within, and the girl was introduced to those -who had in the past done so much for her brother, and those who were -Dave's chums. Jessie was a trifle shy at first, but this presently wore -away, and when Laura heard what the Wadsworths had done for her brother -she speedily took mother and daughter to her heart, and Jessie and she -became the best of friends. - -It was assuredly a grand gathering around the bountiful table which the -Wadsworths had supplied, and all lingered long, listening to what the -various members of the Porter family had to tell: of Dave's doings on -the Potts farm, at school, and in quest of his relatives; of Dunston -Porter's treasure hunt in the South Seas; of Mr. David Porter's trip -to Europe with Laura; and of the girl's adventures on the ranch and -elsewhere. - -"Strange as it may seem, I have met two boys who knew Dave," said -Laura, during the course of the conversation. "One was that scamp, Nick -Jasniff, who tried to make himself agreeable in London." - -"Yes, I know about him," answered Dave. "But who was the other?" - -"The other is the son of the man who owns the cattle ranch next to Mr. -Endicott's, Mr. Felix Merwell." - -"Merwell!" cried Dave, Roger, and Phil in a breath. - -"Yes. Why do you look so astonished?" - -"Do you mean Link Merwell's father?" asked her brother. - -"Yes. Link came out there just a few days before I started for the -East. He seemed to be a nice sort, and he is one of the best horseback -riders I ever saw." - -"Did you--er--go out with him?" stammered Dave. - -"Yes, twice, but not alone--Belle was along." Laura looked at her -brother, whose face was a study. "What makes you look so queer? You -know Mr. Merwell, don't you?" - -"Oh, yes, we know him," answered Phil, before Dave could speak. - -"We'd like to know less of him," added Roger. - -"Oh!" And now Laura's face showed her wonder. - -"You see, it's this way," continued the senator's son, thinking it -might be difficult for Dave to explain. "Link Merwell tried to lord it -over a lot of us fellows at Oak Hall. He's a domineering chap, and some -of us wouldn't stand for it. I gave him a piece of my mind once, and so -did Phil, and Dave did more--gave him a sound thrashing." - -"Oh, Dave, did you really!" Laura's face showed her distress. "Why, -I--I thought he was nice enough. Maybe it was only a boyish quarrel," -she added, hopefully. "I know boys do fight sometimes with hardly a -reason for it." - -"Dave had a good reason for hitting Merwell," said Phil. "The best -reason in the world." He looked at Jessie and Mrs. Wadsworth and the -others. "I'll not spoil this gathering by saying what it was. But it -was something very mean, and Merwell deserved the drubbing he got." - -"Oh, I am so sorry! That is, I don't mean I am sorry Dave thrashed -him--if he deserved it--but I am sorry that I--I went out with him, and -that I--I started a correspondence with him. I thought he was nice, by -his general looks." - -"Oh, he can make himself look well, when he dresses up," said Roger. -"And he can act the gentleman on the outside. But if you get to know -him thoroughly you'll find him a different sort." - -"I don't wish to know him if he's that kind," answered Laura, quickly. -"But I thought he was all right, especially as he was the son of the -owner of the next ranch. I am sorry now I ever spoke to him." - -"And you have been writing to him?" asked Dave. "I thought you said you -had met him only a few days before you came away?" - -"So I did. But he wanted me to buy something for him in Chicago--a lens -for his camera, and asked me to write from there, and I did. And, just -for fun, I sent him two letters I wrote on the train--along with some -letters to Belle and some other folks I know. I did it to pass the -time,--so I wouldn't know how long it was taking me to get here. It was -foolish to do so, and it will teach me a lesson to be careful about -writing in the future." - -"I'm sorry you wrote to him," answered Dave, soberly. But how sorry he -was to be, and how distressed his sister was to become, he was still to -learn. - -Not further to mar the joy of the occasion Link Merwell's name was -dropped, and Roger and Phil told of some funny initiations into the -secret society at Oak Hall, which set everybody to laughing, and then -Dunston Porter related the particulars of a hunt after bears he had -once made in the Rockies. Thus the afternoon and evening wore away -swiftly and all too soon it was time to retire. Laura was given a room -next to that occupied by Dave, and long after the rest of the house was -quiet brother and sister sat by a window, looking out at the moonlight -on the snow and discussing the past. - -"You look very much like father," said Laura, "and much like Uncle -Dunston, too. No wonder that old sailor, Billy Dill, thought he had -seen you when he only saw Uncle Dunston." - -"And father tells me you look like mother," answered Dave, softly. "I -do not remember her, but if she looked like you she must have been -very handsome," and Dave smiled and brushed a stray lock back from his -sister's brow. - -"It is too bad she cannot see us now, Dave--how happy it would make -her! I have missed her so much--it is no easy thing to get along -without a mother's care, is it?--or a father's care, either. Perhaps -if mamma were alive I'd be different in some things. I shouldn't be so -careless in what I do--in making friends with that Link Merwell, for -instance, and sending him letters." Laura looked genuinely distressed -as she uttered the last words. - -"Well, you didn't know him, so you are not to blame. But I shouldn't -send him any more letters." - -"You can depend upon it I won't." - -"He is the kind who would laugh at you for doing it, and make fun of -you to all his friends." - -"He'll not get another line from me, and if he writes I'll return the -letters," answered Laura, firmly. - -"Did he say when he was going back to Oak Hall?" - -"Inside of two weeks. He said he had had a little trouble with a -teacher, and the master of the school had advised him to take a short -vacation and give the matter a chance to blow over." - -Laura had arrived at Crumville on Thursday, and it was decided that -Dave, Roger, and Phil should not return to Oak Hall until the following -Monday. On Friday and Saturday the young folks went sleighing and -skating, Jessie being one of the party, and on Sunday the entire -household attended church. It was a service into which Dave entered -with all his heart, and he thanked God from the bottom of his soul -that at last his sister, as well as his father and his uncle, had been -restored to him. - -"After I go back to boarding school where are you and Laura and Uncle -Dunston going to stay?" questioned Dave of his father. - -Mr. Porter smiled faintly. "I have a little secret about that, Dave," -he answered. "I'll tell you later--after everything is ripe." - -"I know the Wadsworths would hate to have me leave them--and Professor -Potts won't want me to go either." - -"Well, you wait, Dave,--and see what comes," answered his father; and -with this the lad had to be content. - -Bright and early Monday morning the three boys had breakfast and -started for the depot, to take the train for Oakdale, the nearest town -to Oak Hall. Laura, Jessie, and Mr. David Porter went along to see them -off. - -"Now, Dave, I want to see you make the most of this term at school," -said Mr. Porter. "Now you have Laura and me, you won't have so much to -worry about." - -"I'll do my level best, father," he answered. "We want you to come out -at the top of the class," said Laura. - -"And Dave can do it too--I know he can," remarked Jessie, and gave him -a sunny smile of encouragement. - -"How about us poor chaps?" asked Roger. "Can't we come in somewhere?" - -"Yes, you must come in right after Dave," answered Laura, and this made -everybody laugh. - -"The higher we get in school the harder the work becomes," came from -Phil. "But I am going to peg away at it--provided the other fellows -will let me." - -"Phil always was very studious," said Dave, with an old-time grin -spreading over his face. "He'd rather study a problem in geometry or -translate Latin than read a story book or play baseball; wouldn't you, -Phil?" - -"Not much! and you know it. But if a fellow has got to grind, why----" - -"He can grind--and play baseball, too," added Mr. Porter. "My parting -advice is: when you study, study for all you are worth, and when you -play, play for all you are worth." - -"Here comes the train!" cried Laura, and turning, she kissed her -brother. "Good-bye, Roger; good-bye, Phil!" - -"Good-bye!" came from the others, and a general handshaking followed. -Then the three chums ran for the train, got aboard, and were off for -school once more. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL - - -"There is one thing I've forgotten to mention to you," said Phil, as -the train rolled on its way and Crumville was left far behind. "That -is that this term Doctor Clay has offered a special set of prizes to -the students standing highest in various subjects. There is a prize -for history, another for Latin, and a third for English literature -and theme-writing. In addition there is to be a special prize for the -student who can write the best paper on 'The Past and Future of our -Country.' This last contest is open only to those who stand above the -eighty per cent. level in their classes." - -"That's interesting," answered Dave. "How many reach that level, do you -think, Phil?" - -"Not more than thirty all told, and of those I don't believe more than -twenty will send in papers." - -"Dave, you ought to try," said Roger. "You were always good at -composition." - -"So are you, Roger." - -"I'm not as good as you, and I know it. I like history more than -anything else, and I guess I'll try for that prize." - -"Well, what is the past of our country but history?" continued Dave, -with a smile. - -"That part might be easy; but what of the future? I'm no good at -prophesying." - -"Oh, couldn't you speak of the recent inventions and of what is -coming--marvelous submarine boats, airships, wireless telegraphy, -wonderful cures by means of up-to-date surgery, and then of the big -cities of the West, of the new railroads stretching out everywhere, and -of the fast ocean liners, and the Panama Canal, and the irrigation of -the Western dry lands, and----" - -"Hold on, Dave!" cried Phil. "You are giving Roger all your ammunition. -Put that in your own paper." - -"Oh, there's a whole lot more," was the smiling answer. "The thirty-and -forty-storied buildings in our big cities, the underground railways, -the tubes under the rivers, the tremendous suspension bridges, the -automobile carriages and business trucks,--not to mention the railroad -trains that are to run on one rail at a speed of a hundred miles an -hour. Oh, there are lots of things--if one only stops to think of them." - -"The prize is yours, Dave!" exclaimed the senator's son. "You've -mentioned more in three minutes than I would have thought of in three -weeks. I'll stick to history." - -"And I'll stick to English literature--I'm pretty well up on that, -thank goodness!" said the shipowner's son. - -After that the talk drifted to other things--of the doings of the -students at Oak Hall, and of how Job Haskers, one of the assistant -teachers, had caught some of the lads playing a trick on Pop Swingly, -the janitor, and punished them severely for it. - -"The trick didn't amount to much," said Phil, "and I rather believe -Swingly enjoyed it. But old Haskers was in a bilious mood and made the -fellows stay in after school for three days." - -"Were you in it?" asked Dave. - -"Yes; and all of us have vowed to get square on Haskers." - -"It's a wonder Doctor Clay doesn't get rid of Haskers--he is so -unpopular," was Roger's comment. - -"Haskers is a fine teacher, that's why he is kept. But I like Mr. Dale -much better," said Dave. - -"Oh, everybody does!" - -"All but Link Merwell," said Phil. "Isn't it strange, he seems to get -along very well with Haskers." - -"Two of a kind maybe," returned the senator's son. - -After a long run the Junction was reached, where the boys had to change -cars for Oakdale. They got off and found they had twenty-five minutes -to wait. - -"Remember the time we were here and had the trouble with Isaac -Pludding?" asked Roger. - -"I'll never forget it," answered Dave, with a grin. "By the way, as we -have time to spare let us go around to Denman's restaurant and have a -cup of chocolate and a piece of pie. That car was so cold it chilled -me." - -Growing boys are always hungry, so, despite the generous breakfast they -had had, they walked over to the restaurant named. The man who kept it -remembered them well and smiled broadly as they took seats at a table. - -"On your way to school, I suppose," he said, as he served them. "Ain't -following up Ike Pludding this trip, are you?" - -"Hardly," answered Dave. "What do you know of him?" - -"I know he is about down and out," answered Amos Denman. "And served -him right too." - -The boys were about to leave the restaurant when Dave chanced to glance -in one of the windows. There, on a big platter, was an inviting heap -of chicken salad, above which was a sign announcing it was for sale at -thirty cents a pint. - -"Let me try that salad, will you?" Dave asked. - -"Certainly. Want to take some along?" And Amos Denman passed over a -forkful. - -"What are you going to do with chicken salad?" questioned Roger. - -"Oh, I thought we might want to celebrate our return by a little feast, -Roger." - -"Hurrah! just the thing!" ejaculated the senator's son. "Is it good? It -is? All right, I'll take a quart." - -"I'll take a quart, too," said Dave. "I guess you can put it all -together." - -"Are those mince pies fresh?" asked Phil, pointing to some in a case. - -"Just out of the oven. Feel of them." - -"Then I'll take two." - -In the end the three youths purchased quite a number of things from the -restaurant keeper, who tied up the articles in pasteboard boxes wrapped -in brown paper. Then the lads had to run for the train and were the -last on board. - -It had begun to snow again and the white flakes were coming down -thickly when the train rolled into the neat little station at Oakdale. -The boys were the only ones to alight and they looked around eagerly to -see if the school carryall was waiting for them. - -"Hello, fellows!" cried a voice from the end of the platform, and -Joseph Beggs, usually called Buster because of his fatness, waddled up. -"Thought you'd be on this train." - -"How are you, Buster?" answered Dave, shaking hands. "My, but aren't -you getting thin!" And he looked the fat boy over with a grin. - -"It's worry that's doing it," answered Buster, calmly. "Haven't slept a -night since you went away, Dave. So you really found your dad and your -sister! Sounds like a regular six-act-and-fourteen-scene drama. We'll -have to write it up and get Horsehair to star in it. First Act: Found -on the Railroad Tracks; Second Act: The Faithful Farm Boy; Third Act: -The King of the School; Fourth Act----" - -"Waiting for the Stage," interrupted Dave. "Keep it, Buster, until -we're on the way to Oak Hall. Did you come down alone?" - -"Not much he didn't come down alone!" cried a voice at Dave's elbow, -and Maurice Hamilton, always called Shadow, appeared. Maurice was as -tall and thin as Buster was stout. "Let me feel your hand and know you -are really here, Dave," he went on. "Why, your story is--is--what shall -I say?" - -"Great," suggested Roger. - -"Marvelous," added Phil. - -"Out of sight," put in Buster Beggs. - -"All good--and that puts me in mind of a story. One time there was -a----" - -"Shadow--so early in the day!" cried the senator's son, reproachfully. - -"Oh, you can't shut him off," exploded Buster. "He's been telling -chestnuts ever since we left the Hall." - -"This isn't a chestnut, it's a----" - -"Hickory nut," finished Phil; "hard to crack--as the darky said of the -china egg he wanted to fry." - -"It isn't a chestnut or a hickory nut either," expostulated the -story-teller of the school. "It's a brand-new one. One time there was a -county----" - -"If it's new you ought to have it copyrighted, Shadow," said Roger. - -"Perhaps a trade-mark might do," added Dave. "You can get one for----" - -"Say, don't you want to hear this story?" demanded Shadow. - -"Yes, yes, go on!" was the chorus. - -"Now we've had the first installment we'll have to have the finish or -die," continued Phil, tragically. - -"Well, one time there was a county fair, with a number of side shows, -snakes, acrobats, and such things. One tent had a big sign over it, -'The Greatest and Most Marvelous Wonder of the Age--A man who plays the -piano better with his feet than most skilled musicians can play with -their hands. Admission 10 cents.' That sign attracted a big crowd and -brought in a lot of money. When the folks got inside a man came out, -sat down in front of a piano that played with paper rolls, and pumped -the thing for all he was worth with his feet!" - -"Oh, what a sell!" roared Phil. "Shadow, that's the worst you ever -told." - -"Quite a feat," said Dave. - -"But painful to the understanding," added Roger. He looked around. -"Hello, here's Horsehair at last." - -He referred to Jackson Lemond, the driver for the school, who was -always called Horsehair because of the hairs which invariably clung to -his clothing. The driver was coming down the main street of the town -with a package of harness dressing in his hand. - -"Had to git this," he explained. "How de do, young gents? All ready to -go to the Hall?" - -"Horsehair, we're going to write a play about Dave's discoveries," said -Buster. "We want you to star in it. We know you can make a hit." - -"No starrin' fer me," answered the driver, who had once played minor -parts in a barn-storming theatrical company. "I'll stick to the hosses." - -"But think of it, Horsehair," went on Buster. "We'll have you eaten up -by cannibals of the South Seas, frozen to death in Norway snowstorms, -shooting bears as big as elephants, and----" - -"Oh, Buster, do let up!" cried Dave. "None of those things are true, -and you know it. Come ahead, I am anxious to see the rest of the -fellows," and Dave ran for the carryall, with his dress-suit case in -one hand and one of the packages from the restaurant in the other. - -Soon the crowd had piled into the turnout, Phil on the front seat -beside the driver, and away they went. The carryall had been put on -runners and ran as easily as a cutter, having two powerful horses to -pull it. - -All of the boys were in high spirits and as they sped over the snow -they sang and cracked jokes to their hearts' content. They did not -forget the old school song, sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne," and -sang this with a vigor that tested their lungs to the uttermost: - - "Oak Hall we never shall forget, - No matter where we roam; - It is the very best of schools, - To us it's just like home! - Then give three cheers, and let them ring - Throughout this world so wide, - To let the people know that we - Elect to here abide!" - -"By the way, how is Gus Plum getting along these days?" asked Dave of -Shadow Hamilton, during a pause in the fun. He referred, as my old -readers know, to a youth who in days gone by had been a great bully at -the Hall. - -"Gus Plum needs watching," was the low answer, so that none of the -other boys might hear. "He is better in some ways, Dave, and much worse -in others." - -"How do you mean, Shadow?" - -"I can't explain here--but I'll do it in private some day," answered -Shadow; and then the carryall swept up to the school steps and -a number of students ran forth from the building to greet the new -arrivals. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE FUN OF A NIGHT - - -As my old readers know, Oak Hall was a large structure of brick and -stone, built in the shape of a broad cross, with wide hallways running -from north to south and east to west. All of the classrooms were on -the ground floor, as were also the dining hall and kitchen, and the -head master's private office. On the second floor were the majority of -the dormitories, furnished to hold four, six, and eight pupils each. -The school was surrounded by a wide campus, running down to the Leming -River, where was located a good-sized boathouse. Some distance away -from the river was a neat gymnasium, and, to the rear of the school, -were commodious stables and sheds. At the four corners of the campus -grew great clumps of giant oaks, and two oaks stood like sentinels on -either side of the gateway--thus giving the Hall its name. - -As Dave leaped to the piazza of the school he was met by Sam Day, -another of his old chums, who gave his hand a squeeze that made him -wince. Close by was Chip Macklin, once the toady of Gus Plum, but now -"quite a decent sort," as most of the lads would say. Further in the -rear was Gus Plum, looking pale and troubled. Evidently something was -wrong with him, as Shadow had intimated. - -"Sorry I couldn't get down to the depot," said Sam. "But I had some -examples in algebra to do and they kept me until after the carryall had -left." - -There was more handshaking, and Dave did not forget Macklin or Gus -Plum. When he took the hand of the former bully he found it icy cold -and he noticed that it trembled considerably. - -"How are you, Gus?" he said, pleasantly. - -"Oh, I'm fair," was the hesitating answer. "I--I am glad to see you -back, and doubly glad to know you found your father." - -"And sister, Gus; don't forget that." - -"Yes, and your sister." And then Gus Plum let Dave's hand fall and -stepped back into the crowd and vanished. Dave saw that he had -something on his mind, and he wondered more than ever what Shadow might -have to tell him. - -Soon Doctor Clay appeared, a man well along in years, with gray, -penetrating eyes and a face that could be either kindly or stern as the -occasion demanded. - -"As the boys say, it is all very wonderful, and I am rejoiced for your -sake, Porter," he said. "Your trip to Norway certainly turned out well, -and you need not begrudge the time lost from school. Now, with your -mind free, you can go at your studies with vigor, and such a bright -pupil as you ought to be able to make up all the ground lost." - -"I intend to try my best, sir," answered Dave. - -The only lad at Oak Hall who did not seem to enjoy Dave's reappearance -was Nat Poole. The dudish youth from Crumville, whose father had, in -times past, caused old Caspar Potts so much trouble, kept himself -aloof, and when he met Dave in a hallway he turned his head the other -way and pretended not to notice. - -"Nat Poole certainly feels sore," said Dave to Ben Basswood, his old -friend from home, when Ben came to meet him, having been kept in a -classroom by Job Haskers. - -"Yes, he is sore on everybody," answered Ben. "Well, he is having a -hard time of it, seems to me. First Chip Macklin cut him, and then Gus -Plum. Then he got mixed up with Nick Jasniff, and Jasniff had to run -away. Then he and Link Merwell became chums, and you know what happened -to both. Now Merwell is away and Nat is about left to himself. He is -a bigger dude than ever, and spends a lot of money that the doctor -doesn't know anything about, and yet he can't make himself popular." - -"Well, I'm glad money doesn't count at Oak Hall, Ben." - -"I know you feel that way, Dave, and it does you credit. I guess now -you are about as rich as anybody, and if money did the trick----" - -"I want to stand on my merits, not on my pocketbook. Perhaps Nat would -make friends if he wasn't forever showing off and telling how wealthy -his father is." - -"I believe you there." - -"By the way, Ben, do you know anything about Gus Plum? There seems to -be a big change in him." - -"There is a change, but I can't tell you what it is. Shadow Hamilton -knows. He and Plum came home late one night, both having been to -Oakdale, and Shadow was greatly excited and greatly worried. Some of -us fellows wanted to know what it was about, but Shadow refused to say -a word, excepting that he was going to let you know some time, because -you appeared to have some influence over Gus." - -Ben's words surprised Dave, coming so shortly after what Shadow himself -had said. He was on the point of asking Ben some more questions, but -reconsidered the matter and said nothing. He could wait until such a -time as Shadow felt in the humor to unburden his mind. - -Dave and his chums roomed in dormitories Nos. 11 and 12, two large and -well-lighted apartments, with a connecting door between. Not far away -was dormitory No. 13, which was now occupied by Nat Poole and some -others, including Link Merwell when that individual was at Oak Hall. -One bed was vacant, that which Nick Jasniff had left so hurriedly. - -In a quiet way the news was spread that Dave and his chums had provided -some good things for a feast, and that night about twenty boys gathered -in No. 11 and No. 12 to celebrate "the return of our leader," as Luke -Watson expressed it. Luke was on hand with his banjo and his guitar, to -add a little music if wanted. - -"Say, boys, we couldn't have chosen a better time for this sort of -thing than to-night," announced Sam Day. "Haskers has gone to town -and Mr. Dale is paying a visit to a neighbor; I heard the doctor tell -Mr. Dale he was tired and was going to bed early, and best of all Jim -Murphy says he won't hear a thing, provided we set out a big piece of -mince pie for him." Murphy was monitor of the halls. - -"Good for Jim!" cried Dave. "I'll cut that piece of pie myself," and he -did, and placed it where he felt certain that the monitor would find it. - -The boys were allowed to do as they pleased until half-past nine, and -they sang songs and cracked jokes innumerable. But then the monitor -stuck his head in at the door. - -"Got to be a little quiet from now on," he said, in a hoarse whisper -and with a broad grin on his face. "I'm awfully deaf to-night, but the -doctor will wake up if there's too much racket." - -"Did you get the pie?" questioned Dave. - -"Not yet, and I'll take it now, if you don't mind." - -"Jim, do you mean to say you didn't get that pie?" demanded Dave. - -"Oh, he's fooling," interrupted Phil. "He wants a second piece." - -"That's it," came from Shadow. "Puts me in mind of a story about a boy -who----" - -"Never mind the story now, Shadow," interrupted Dave. "Tell me -honestly, Jim, whether you got the pie or not? Of course you can have -another piece, or some chicken salad----" - -"I didn't get any pie,--or anything else," answered the monitor. - -"I put it on the bottom of the stand in the upper hallway." - -"Nothing there when I went to look." - -"Then somebody took it on the sly," said Roger. "For I was with Dave -when he put it there. Anybody in these rooms guilty?" And he gazed -around sternly. - -All of the boys shook their heads. Then of a sudden a delicate youth -who looked like a girl arose in astonishment and held up his hands. - -"Well, I declare!" he lisped. - -"What now, Polly?" asked Phil. - -"I wonder if it is really possible," went on Bertram Vane. - -"What possible?" questioned Dave. - -"Why, when I was coming through the hall a while ago I almost ran into -Nat Poole. He had something in one hand, under his handkerchief, and as -I passed him I really thought I smelt mince pie!" - -"Nat Poole!" cried several. - -"Oh, the sneak!" burst out Roger. "He must have been watching Dave. -Maybe he heard us promise Murphy the pie." - -"Bad luck to him if he stole what was coming to me," muttered the -monitor. "I hope the pie choked him." - -"If Nat Poole took the pie we'll fix him for it," said Dave. "Just you -leave it to me." Then he got another portion of the dainty and handed -it to the monitor, who disappeared immediately. - -"What will you do?" questioned Roger. - -"Since Nat has had some pie I think I'll treat him to some chicken -salad," was the reply. "Nothing like being generous, you know." - -"Why, Dave, you don't mean you are going to let Nat Poole have any of -this nice salad!" cried Phil. "I'd see him in Guinea first!" - -"He shall have some--after it has been properly doctored." - -"Eh? Oh, I see," and the shipowner's son began to grin. "All right -then. But doctor it good." - -"I shall make no mistake about that," returned Dave. - -While Shadow was telling a story of a little boy who had fallen down a -well and wanted somebody to "put the staircase down" so he could climb -up, Dave went to a small medicine closet which he had purchased during -his previous term at Oak Hall. From this he got various bottles and -powders and began to "doctor" a nice portion of the chicken salad. - -"Say, Dave, that won't hurt anybody, will it?" asked Ben, who saw the -movement. - -"It may hurt Nat Poole, Ben." - -"Oh, you don't want to injure him." - -"This won't do any harm. I am going to give him what Professor Potts -called green peppers. Once, when he was particularly talkative, he -related how he had played the joke on a fellow-student at college. It -won't injure Nat Poole, but if he eats this salad there will surely be -fun, I can promise you that." - -"How are you going to get it to him?" - -"Take it to him myself." - -"You! He'll be suspicious at once and won't touch it." - -"Perhaps not--we'll wait and see." - -When the feast was practically at an end, Dave put the doctored salad -in a dessert dish, topping it with some that was sweet and good. On all -he laid some fancy crackers which one of the boys had contributed. - -"Now, here is where I try the trick," he said, and put on a sweater, -leaving the upper portion partly over his face. Then, leaving his -dormitory, he tiptoed his way to No. 13 and pushed open the door softly. - -As he had surmised, Nat Poole had gone to bed and had just fallen -asleep. Going noiselessly to his side, Dave bent over him and whispered -into his ear: - -"Here, Nat, is something I stole for you from that crowd that was -having the feast. Eat it up and don't tell the other fellows." - -"Eh, what? The feast?" stammered Nat, and took the plate in his hand. -"Who are you?" - -"Hush!" whispered Dave, warningly. "Don't wake the others. I stole it -for you. Eat it up. I'll tell you how I did it in the morning. It's a -joke on Dave Porter!" And then Dave glided away from the bed and out of -the room like a ghost, shutting the door noiselessly after him. - -Half asleep, Nat Poole was completely bewildered by what he heard. In -the semi-darkness he could not imagine who had brought the dish full -of stuff. But he remembered the words, "eat it up" and "don't tell the -other fellows" and "a joke on Dave Porter." That was enough for Nat. -He sat up, looked at the fancy crackers and the salad, and smacked his -lips. - -"Must have been one of our old crowd," he mused. "Maybe Shingle or -Remney. Well, it's a joke on Dave Porter right enough, and better than -taking that pie he left for Murphy." And then he began to munch the -crackers and eat the salad, using a tiny fork Dave had thoughtfully -provided. He liked chicken salad very much, and this seemed -particularly good, although at times it had a bitter flavor for which -he could not account. - -Peering through the keyhole of the door, Dave saw his intended victim -make way with the salad. Then he ran back to his dormitory. - -"It's all right," he said. "Now all of you undress and go to bed,--and -watch for what comes!" - - - - -CHAPTER V - -WHAT HAPPENED TO NAT POOLE - - -The students of dormitories No. 11 and No. 12 scarcely had time to get -to bed when they heard a noise in the apartment Nat Poole and some -others occupied. First came a subdued groan, followed by another, and -then they heard Nat Poole get up. - -"What's the matter?" they heard a student named Belcher ask. - -"Why--er--I'm burning up!" gasped Nat Poole. "Let me get a drink of -water!" And he leaped from his bedside to where there was a stand with -a pitcher of ice-water and a glass. - -He was so eager to get the water that, in the semi-darkness, he hit the -stand with his arm. Over it went, and the pitcher and glass fell to the -floor with a crash. The noise aroused everybody in the dormitory. - -"What's the matter?" - -"Are burglars breaking in?" - -"Confound the luck!" muttered Nat Poole. "Oh, I must get some water! I -am burning up alive!" - -"What's done it?" questioned Belcher. - -"I--er--never mind now. I am burning up and must have some water!" -roared the dudish pupil, and dashed out of the dormitory in the -direction of a water tank located at the end of the hall. - -Here he was a little more careful and got the drink he desired. But -scarcely had he taken a mouthful when he ejected it with great force. - -"Wow! how bitter that tastes!" he gasped. Then of a sudden he commenced -to shiver. "Wonder if that salad poisoned me? Who gave it to me, -anyhow?" - -He tried the water again, but it was just as bitter as before. Then -he ran to a bathroom, to try the water there. By this time his mouth -and throat felt like fire, and, thoroughly scared, he ran back to his -sleeping apartment and began to yell for help. - -His cries aroused a good portion of the inmates of Oak Hall, and -students came from all directions to see what was the matter. They -found poor Nat sitting on a chair, the picture of misery. - -"I--I guess I'm poisoned and I'm going to die!" he wailed. "Somebody -better get a doctor." - -"What did you eat?" demanded half a dozen boys. - -"I--er--I ate some salad a fellow brought to me in the dark. I don't -know who he was. Oh, my throat! It feels as if a red-hot poker was in -it! And I can't drink water either! Oh, I know I am going to die!" - -"Try oil--that's good for a burn," suggested one student, and he -brought forth some cod liver oil. Nat hated cod liver oil almost as -much as poison, but he was scared and took the dose without a murmur. -It helped a little, but his throat felt far from comfortable and soon -it commenced to burn as much as ever. - -By this time Doctor Clay had been aroused and he came to the dormitory -in a dressing gown and slippers. - -"Nat Poole has been poisoned!" cried several. - -"Poisoned!" ejaculated the master of the Hall. "How is this, Poole?" -and he strode to the suffering pupil's side. - -"I--I don't know," groaned Nat. "I--er--ate some mince pie and some -salad----" - -"Perhaps it is only indigestion," was the doctor's comment. "You may -get over it in a little while." - -"But my throat----" And then the dudish boy stopped short. The fire in -his mouth and throat had suddenly gone down--like a tooth stopping its -aching. - -"What were you going to say?" asked Doctor Clay. - -"Why, I--that is--my throat isn't so bad now." And Nat's face took on a -sudden sheepish look. In some way he realized he had been more scared -than hurt. - -"Let me have a look at your throat," went on the master of the Hall and -took his pupil to a strong light. "It is a little red, but that is all. -Is your stomach all right?" - -"It seems to be--and the pain in my throat and mouth is all gone now," -added Nat. - -The doctor handed him a glass of water a boy had brought and Nat tried -it. The liquid tasted natural, much to his surprise, and the drink made -him feel quite like himself once more. - -"I--I guess I am all right now," he said after an awkward pause. -"I--er--am sorry I woke you up." - -"After this be careful of how much you eat," said the doctor, stiffly. -"If a boy stuffs himself on mince pie and salad he is bound to suffer -for it." Then he directed all the students to go to bed at once, and -retired to his own apartment. - -If ever a lad was puzzled that lad was Nat Poole. For the life of him -he could not determine whether he had suffered naturally or whether -a trick had been played on him. He wanted very much to know who had -brought him the salad, but could not find out. For days after the boys -would yell "mince pie" and "salad" at him, much to his annoyance. - -"That certainly was a good one," was Phil's comment. "I reckon Nat -will learn to keep his hands off of things after this." And he and the -others had a good laugh over the trick Dave had played. It proved to be -perfectly harmless, for the next day Poole felt as well as ever. - -As Dave had said, he was determined to make up the lessons lost during -his trip to England and Norway, and he consequently applied himself -with vigor to all his studies. At this, Mr. Dale, who was head teacher, -was particularly pleased, and he did all he could to aid the youth. - -As during previous terms, Dave had much trouble with Job Haskers. A -brilliant teacher, Haskers was as arbitrary and dictatorial as could be -imagined, and he occasionally said things which were so sarcastic they -cut to the quick. Very few of the boys liked him, and some positively -hated him. - -"I always feel like fighting when I run up against old Haskers," was -the way Roger expressed himself. "I'd give ten dollars if he'd pack his -trunk and leave." - -"And then come back the next day," put in Phil, with a grin. - -"Not much! When he leaves I want him to stay away!" - -"That puts me in mind of a story," said Shadow, who was present. - -"What, another!" cried Dave, with a mock groan. "Oh, but this is -dreadful!" - -"Not so bad--as you'll soon see. A boy had a little dog, who could howl -morning, noon, and night, to beat the band. Next door to the boy lived -a very nervous man. Said he to the boy one day: 'Will you sell me that -dog for a dollar?' 'Make it two dollars and the dog is yours,' answered -the boy. So the man, to get rid of that howling dog, paid the boy the -two dollars and shipped the dog to the pound. Then he asked the boy: -'What are you going to do with the two dollars?' 'Buy two more dogs,' -said the boy. Then the man went away and wept." - -"That's all right!" cried Sam Day, and everybody laughed. Then he -added: "What can disturb a fellow more than a howling dog at night?" - -"I know," answered Dave, quietly. - -"What?" - -"Two dogs," and then Dave ducked to avoid a book that Sam threw at him. - -"Speaking of dogs reminds me of something," said Buster Beggs. "You all -remember Mike Marcy, the miserly old farmer whose mule we returned some -time ago." - -"I am not likely to forget him," answered Dave, who had had more than -one encounter with the fellow, as my old readers are aware. - -"Well, he has got a very savage dog and has posted signs all over his -place, 'Beware of the Dog!' Two or three of the fellows, who were -crossing his corner lot one day, came near being bitten." - -"Were you one of them?" asked Roger. - -"Yes, and we weren't doing anything either--only crossing the vacant -lot to take a short-cut to the school, to avoid being late." - -"I was in the crowd," said Luke Watson, "and I had a good mind to kill -the dog." - -"We'll have to go over some day and see Marcy," said Phil. "I haven't -forgotten how he accused me of stealing his apples." - -"He once accused me of stealing a chicken," put in a boy named Messmer. -"I'd like to take him down a peg or two for that." - -"Let us go over to his place next week some time and tease him," -suggested another boy named Henshaw, and some of the others said they -would bear his words in mind. - -Messmer and Henshaw were the owners of an ice-boat named the -_Snowbird_. They had built the craft themselves, and, while it was not -very handsome, it had good going qualities, and that was all the boys -wanted. - -"Come on out in the _Snowbird_," said Henshaw, to Dave and several of -the others, on the following Saturday afternoon, when there was no -school. "The ice on the river is very good, and the wind is just right -for a spin." - -"Thanks, I'll go with pleasure," answered Dave; and soon the party was -off. The river, frozen over from end to end, was alive with skaters and -ice-boats, and presented a scene of light-heartedness and pleasure. - -"There goes an ice-boat from the Rockville military academy," said -Messmer, presently. "I guess they don't want to race. They haven't -forgotten how we beat them." And he was right; the Rockville ice-boat -soon tacked to the other side of the river, the cadets on board paying -no attention to the Oak Hall students. - -The boys on the ice-boat did not go to their favorite spot, Robber -Island, but allowed the _Snowbird_ to sweep up an arm of the river, -between several large hills. The hills were covered with hemlocks and -cedars, between which the snow lay to a depth of one or two feet. - -"Do you know what I'd like to do some day?" remarked Roger. "Come up -here after rabbits." He had a shotgun, of which he was quite proud. - -"I believe you'd find plenty," answered Dave. "I'd like to go myself. I -used to hunt, when I was on the farm." - -"Let us walk up the hills and take a look around--now we are here," -continued the senator's son. "If we see any rabbits' tracks we'll know -they are on hand." - -Dave agreed, and he, Roger, and Phil left the ice-boat, stating they -would be back in half an hour. - -"All right!" sang out Messmer. "We'll cruise around in the meantime. -When we get back we'll whistle for you." - -The tramp through the deep snow was not easy, yet the three chums -enjoyed it, for it made them feel good to be out in the clear, cold -atmosphere, every breath of which was invigorating. They went on -silently, so as not to disturb any game that might be near. - -"Here are rabbit tracks!" said Dave, in a low tone, after the top of -the first hill was gained, and he pointed to the prints, running around -the trees and bushes. "Shooting ought certainly to be good in this -neighborhood." - -From one hill they tramped to another, the base of which came down to -the river at a point where there was a deep spot known as Lagger's -Hole. Here the ice was usually full of air-holes and unsafe, and -skaters and ice-boats avoided the locality. - -From the top of the hill the boys commenced to throw snowballs down on -the ice, seeing who could throw the farthest. Then Phil suggested they -make a big snowball and roll it down. - -"I'll bet, if it reaches the ice, it will go clear across the river," -said the shipowner's son. - -"All right, let's try it," answered Dave and Roger, and the three set -to work to make a round, hard ball. They rolled it around the top of -the hill until it was all of three feet in diameter and then pushed it -to the edge. - -"Now then, send her down!" cried Phil, and the three boys gave a push -that took the big snowball over the edge of the hill. Slowly at first -and then faster and faster, it rolled down the hill, increasing in size -as it progressed. - -"It's getting there!" sang out Roger. "See how it is shooting along!" - -"Look!" yelled Dave, pointing up the river. "An ice-boat is coming!" - -All looked and saw that he was right. It was a craft from the Rockville -academy, and it was headed straight for the spot where the big snowball -was about to cross. - -"If the snowball hits them, there will be a smash-up!" cried Roger. - -"And that is just what is going to happen, I fear," answered Dave. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -WHAT A BIG SNOWBALL DID - - -As the ice-boat came closer the boys on the hill saw that it contained -four persons, two cadets and two young ladies. The latter were -evidently guests, for they sat in the stern and took no part in -handling the craft. - -Dave set up a loud cry of warning and his chums joined in. But if those -on the ice-boat heard, they paid no heed. On and on they came, heading -for the very spot for which the great snowball, now all of six feet in -diameter, was shooting. - -"The ice is full of holes, maybe the snowball will drop into one of -them," said Phil. But this was not to be. The snowball kept straight -on, until it and the ice-boat were less than a hundred feet apart. - -It was then that one of the cadets on the craft saw the peril and -uttered a cry of alarm. He tried to bring the ice-boat around, and his -fellow-student aided him. But it was too late, and in a few seconds -more the big snowball hit the craft, bowled it over, and sent it -spinning along the ice toward some of the largest of the air-holes. - -"They are going into the water!" gasped Roger. - -"Come on--let us see if we can help them!" returned Dave, and plunged -down the hill. He took the course the big snowball had taken, and his -chums came after him. More than once they fell, but picked themselves -up quickly and kept on until the ice was gained. At the edge they came -to a halt, for the air-holes told them plainly of the danger ahead. - -"There they go--into the water!" cried Dave, and waiting no longer, he -ran out on the ice, picking his way between the air-holes as best he -could. Several times the ice cracked beneath his weight, but he did not -turn back. He felt that the occupants of the ice-boat were in peril of -their lives and that in a measure he was responsible for this crisis. - -The river at this point was all of a hundred yards wide and the -accident had occurred close to the farther side. The ice-boat had been -sent to where two air-holes were close together, and the weight of the -craft and its occupants had caused it to crack the ice, and it now -rested half in and half out of the water. One of the cadets and one of -the young ladies had been flung off to a safe place, but the other pair -were clinging desperately to the framework. - -"Oh, we shall be drowned! We shall be drowned!" cried the maiden in -distress. - -"Can't you jump off?" asked the cadet who was safe on the ice. - -"I--I am afraid!" wailed the girl. "Oh, the ice is sinking!" she added, -as an ominous sound reached her ears. - -To the credit of the cadet on the ice-boat, he remained the cooler of -the two, and he called to his fellow-student to run for a fence-rail -which might be used to rescue the girl and himself. But the nearest -fence was a long way off, and time, just then, was precious. - -"Cut a couple of ropes!" sang out Dave, as he dashed up. "Cut one and -throw it over here!" - -The cadet left on the overturned craft understood the suggestion, and -taking out his pocketknife, he cut two of the ropes. He tied one fast -to the other and sent an end spinning out toward Dave and the cadet -on the ice. The other end of the united ropes remained fast to the -ice-boat. - -By this time Phil and Roger had come up, and all the lads on the -firm ice took hold of the rope and pulled with all their might. Dave -directed the operation, and slowly the ice-boat came up from the hole -into which it had partly sunk and slid over toward the shore. - -"Hurrah! we've got her!" cried Phil. - -"Vera, are you hurt?" asked the girl on the ice, anxiously. - -"Not at all, Mary; only one foot is wet," answered the girl who had -been rescued. - -"Oh, I'm so glad!" And then the two girls embraced in the joy of their -escape. - -"I'd like to know where that big snowball came from," growled the cadet -who had been flung off the ice-boat when the shock came. He looked at -Dave and his companions. "Did you start that thing?" - -"We did," answered Dave, "but we didn't know you were coming." - -"It was a mighty careless thing to do," put in the cadet who had been -rescued. "We might have been drowned!" - -"I believe they did it on purpose," said the other cadet. He looked at -the letters on a sweater Roger wore. "You're from Oak Hall, aren't you?" - -"Yes." - -"Thought you'd have some sport, eh?" This was said with a sneer. "Say, -Cabot, we ought to give 'em something for this," he added, turning to -his fellow-cadet. - -"So we should," growled Cabot, who chanced to be the owner of the craft -that had been damaged. "They have got to pay for breaking the ice-boat, -anyway." - -"Oh, Mr. Anderson, please don't get into a quarrel!" pleaded one of the -girls. - -"Well, those rowdies deserve a thrashing," answered Anderson. He was a -big fellow, with rather a hard look on his face. - -"Thank you, but we are not rowdies," retorted Roger. "We were having a -little fun and did not dream of striking you with the snowball." - -"If you know anything about the river, you know ice-boats and skaters -rarely if ever come this way," added Phil. "The ice around here is -always full of air-holes and consequently dangerous." - -"Oh, you haven't got to teach me where to go," growled Anderson. - -"I'm only stating a fact." - -"The ice is certainly not very nice around here," said one of the -girls. "Perhaps we might have gotten into a hole even if the big -snowball hadn't struck us." - -At this remark Dave and his chums gave the girl a grateful look. The -cadets were annoyed, and one whispered something to the other. - -"You fellows get to work and fix the ice-boat," said Cabot. - -"And do it quick, too," added Anderson. - -"I--I think I'll walk the rest of the way home," said one of the girls. -"Will you come along, Vera?" - -"Yes," answered the other. She stepped up to Dave's side. "Thank you -for telling Mr. Cabot what to do, and for pulling us out of the hole," -she went on, and gave the boys a warm smile. - -"Going to leave us?" growled Anderson. - -"Yes." - -"That ain't fair. You promised----" - -"To take a ride on the ice-boat," finished the girl named Vera. "We did -it, and now I am going home." - -"And so am I," added the other girl. "Good-bye." - -"But see here----" went on Anderson, and caught the girl named Vera by -the arm. - -"Please let go, Mr. Anderson." - -"I want----" - -"Let the young lady go if she wishes to," said Dave, stepping up. - -"This isn't your affair," blustered Anderson. - -"No gentleman would detain a lady against her will." - -"Good-bye," said the girl, and stepped back several paces when released -by the cadet. - -"All right, Vera Rockwell, I'll not take you out again," growled -Anderson, seeing she was bound to go. - -"You'll not have the chance, thank you!" flung back the girl, and then -she joined her companion, and both hurried away from the shore and to a -road running near by. - -After the girls had gone there was an awkward silence. Both Cabot and -Anderson felt sore to be treated in this fashion, and especially in the -presence of those from Oak Hall, a rival institution to that where they -belonged. - -"Well, what are you going to do about the damage done?" grumbled -Anderson. - -"I don't think the ice-boat is damaged much," answered Dave. "Let us -look her over and see." - -"If she is, you'll pay the bill," came from Cabot. - -"Well, we can do that easily enough," answered Roger lightly. - -The craft was righted and inspected. The damage proved to be trifling -and the ice-boat was speedily made fit for use. - -"If I find she isn't all right, I'll make some of you foot the bill," -said Cabot. - -"I am willing to pay for all damage done," answered Dave. "My name is -Dave Porter." - -"Oh! I've heard of you," said Anderson. "You're on the Oak Hall -football team." - -"Yes, and I've had the pleasure of helping to beat Rockville," answered -Dave, and could not help grinning. - -"Humph! Wait till next season! We'll show you a thing or two," growled -Anderson, and then he and Cabot boarded the ice-boat, trimmed the sail, -and stood off down the river. - -"Well, they are what I call a couple of pills," was Phil's comment. "I -don't see how two nice girls could go out with them." - -"They certainly were two nice girls," answered Roger. "That Vera -Rockwell had beautiful eyes and hair. And did you see the smile she -gave Dave! Dave, you're the lucky one!" - -"That other girl is named Mary Feversham," answered Phil. "Her father -is connected with the express company. I met her once, but she doesn't -seem to remember me. I think she is better-looking than Miss Rockwell." - -"Gracious, Phil must be smitten!" cried Dave. - -"When is it to come off, Phil?" asked the senator's son. "We want time -to buy presents, you know." - -"Oh, you can poke fun if you want to," grumbled the shipowner's son. -"She's a nice girl and I'd like to have the chance to meet her. -Somebody said she was a good skater." - -"Well, if you go skating with her, ask Miss Rockwell to come, too, and -I'll be at the corner waiting for you," said the senator's son. "That -is, if Dave don't try to cut me out." - -"No danger--Jessie wouldn't allow it," replied Phil. - -"You leave Jessie out of it," answered Dave, flushing a trifle. "Just -the same, I agree with both of you, those girls looked to be very nice." - -The three boys walked along the river bank for nearly half a mile -before they came in sight of the _Snowbird_. Then Messmer and Henshaw -wanted to know what had kept them so long. - -"I'd not go in there with my boat," said Messmer, after he had heard -their story. "Those air-holes are too dangerous." - -When the lads got back to Oak Hall they found a free-for-all snowball -fight in progress. One crowd was on the campus and the other in the -road beyond. - -"This suits me!" cried Roger. "Come on, Dave," and he joined the force -on the road. His chums did the same, and sent the snowballs flying at a -brisk rate. - -The fight was a furious one for over an hour. The force on the campus -outnumbered those in the road and the latter were driven to where the -highway made a turn and where there were several clumps of trees and -bushes. Here, Dave called on those around him to make a stand, and the -other crowd was halted in its onward rush. - -"Here comes Horsehair in a cutter!" cried one of the students, -presently. "Let us give him a salute." - -"All right!" called back Dave. "Some snow will make him strong, and -brush off some of the hair he carries around with him." - -The boys made a number of snowballs and, led by Dave, waited for the -appearance of the cutter. Soon it turned the bend, the horse on a trot -and the sleighbells jingling merrily. - -"Now then, all together!" shouted Dave, and prepared to hurl a snowball -at the man who was driving. - -"Hold on!" yelled Roger, suddenly. - -But the warning cry came too late for Dave and Phil, who were in -the lead. They let fly their snowballs, and the man in the cutter -was struck in the chin and the ear. He fell backward, but speedily -recovered and stopped his horse. - -"You young rascals!" he spluttered hoarsely. "What do you mean by -snowballing me in this fashion!" - -"Job Haskers!" murmured Dave, in consternation. - -"What a mistake!" groaned Phil. "We are in for it now!" - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -PRISONERS IN THE SCHOOL - - -Dave and Phil had indeed made a serious mistake, and they knew at once -that they were in for a severe lecture, and worse. Job Haskers was -naturally an irascible man, and for the past few days he had been in a -particularly bad humor. - -"Excuse me, Mr. Haskers," said Dave, respectfully. "I didn't know you -were in the cutter." - -"You did it on purpose--don't deny it, Porter!" fumed the teacher. "It -is outrageous, infamous, that a pupil of Oak Hall should act so!" - -"Really, Mr. Haskers, it was a mistake," spoke up Phil. "We thought it -was Horsehair--I mean Lemond, who was driving." - -"Bah! Do I look like Lemond? And, anyway, what right would you have to -snowball the driver for this school? It is scandalous! I shall make an -example of you. Report to me at the office in five minutes, both of -you!" - -The boys' hearts sank at this order, and they felt worse when they -suddenly remembered that both Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale were away and -that, consequently, Job Haskers was, for the time being, in authority. -The teacher went back to the cutter, took up the reins, and drove out -of sight around the campus entrance. - -"Too bad!" was Roger's comment. "I yelled to you not to throw." - -"I know you did, but I had already done so," answered Dave. - -"And so had I," added Phil. - -"Say, that puts me in mind of a story," exclaimed Shadow, who was in -the crowd. "A man once had a mule----" - -"Who wants to listen to a story at this time?" broke in Ben Basswood. - -"Never mind, let's have the yarn," said Dave. "Perhaps it will serve to -brighten our gloom," and he smiled feebly. - -"This man had a mule in which a neighbor was very much interested," -continued Shadow. "One day the mule got sick, and every day after that -the neighbor would tell the owner of some new remedy for curing him. -One day he came over to where the mule-owner lived. 'Say,' he says, -'I've got the best remedy a-going. You must try it.' 'Don't think I -will,' answered the mule-owner. 'Oh, but you must, I insist,' said the -neighbor. 'It will sure cure your mule and set him on his feet again.' -'I don't think so,' said the mule-owner. 'But I am positive,' cried the -neighbor. 'Just give it a trial.' 'Never,' said the mule-owner. Then -the neighbor got mad. 'Say, why won't you try this remedy?' he growled. -'I won't because the mule is dead,' answered the other man. Then the -neighbor went home in deep thought." - -"Well, that's to the point," said the senator's son, laughing. "For I -told them to stop after the damage was done." - -In no enviable frame of mind Dave and Phil walked into the school, took -off their outer garments and caps, and made their way to the office. -Job Haskers had not yet come in, and they had to wait several minutes -for him. - -As has been said, the teacher was in far from a friendly humor. Some -months before he had invested a portion of his savings in some mining -stock, thinking that he would be able to make money fast. Now the stock -had become practically worthless, and that very morning he had learned -that he would never be able to get more than ten per cent. of his money -back. - -"You are a couple of scamps," he said, harshly. "I am going to teach -you a needed lesson." And then the two boys saw that he held behind him -a carriage-whip. - -Dave and Phil were astonished, and with good reason. So far as they -knew, corporal punishment was not permitted at Oak Hall excepting on -very rare occasions,--where a pupil had taken his choice of a whipping -or expulsion. Was it possible that Job Haskers intended to chastise -them bodily? - -"Mr. Haskers, I am very sorry that I hit you with that snowball," said -Dave. "As I said before, I did not know it was you, and it was only -thrown in fun." - -"What Dave says is true," added Phil. "I hope you will accept my -apology for what happened." - -"I'll accept no apologies!" fumed Job Haskers. "It was done on purpose, -and you must both suffer for it," and the teacher brandished the whip -as if to strike them then and there. - -"Mr. Haskers, what do you intend to do?" asked Dave, quietly but firmly. - -"I intend to give you the thrashing you deserve!" - -"With that whip?" - -"Yes, with this whip." - -"You'll not do it, sir!" - -"What!" - -"I say, you'll not do it, sir." - -"Hum! We'll see about this!" And the teacher glared at Dave as if to -eat him up. - -"You have no authority to whip us," put in Phil. - -"Who says so?" - -"I say so." - -"And Phil is right," added Dave. "I'll not allow it, so you may as well -put that whip away." - -"I'd like to know who is master here, you or I?" demanded Job Haskers, -turning red with rage. - -"Doctor Clay is master here, and we are under his care. If you try to -strike me with that whip I'll report the matter to him," answered Dave. -"You may punish me any other way, if you wish, but I won't put up with -a whipping." - -"And I won't be whipped either," added Phil. - -"I'll show you!" roared Job Haskers, and raising the whip he tried to -bring it down on Dave's head. The youth dodged, turned, and caught the -whip in his hands. - -"Let go that whip, Porter!" - -"I will not--not until you promise not to strike at me again." - -"I'll promise nothing! Let go, I say!" - -The teacher struggled to get the whip free of Dave's grasp, and a -scuffle ensued. Dave was forced up against a side stand, upon which -stood a beautiful marble statue of Mercury. - -"Look out for the statue!" cried Phil, in alarm, but even as he spoke -Dave was shoved back, and over went the stand and ornament, the statue -breaking into several pieces. - -"There, now see what you've done!" cried Job Haskers, as the battle -ceased for the moment, and Dave let go the whip. - -"It wasn't my fault--you shoved me into it," answered Dave. - -"It was your fault, and you'll pay the damages. That statue was worth -at least fifty dollars. And you'll take your thrashing, too," added the -teacher, vindictively. - -"Don't you dare to hit Dave," cried Phil, "or me either, Mr. Haskers. -You can punish us, but you can't whip us, so there!" - -"Ha! Both of you defy me, eh?" - -"We are not to be whipped, and that settles it," said Dave. - -"I presume you think, because you are two to one, you can get the -better of me," sneered the teacher. He knew the two boys were strong, -and he did not wish to risk a fight with them. - -"I don't want to get the better of anybody, but I am not going to let -you whip me," answered Dave, stubbornly. - -"If you are willing, we'll leave the matter to Doctor Clay," suggested -the shipowner's son. - -"You come with me," returned the teacher abruptly, and led the way out -of the office to a small room used for the storage of schoolbooks and -writing-pads. The room had nothing but a big closet and had a small -window, set up high in the wall. The shelves on the walls were full of -new books and on the floor were piles of volumes that had seen better -days. - -"Going to lock us in, I guess," whispered Phil. - -"Well, he can do it if he wants to, but he shan't whip me," answered -Dave, in an equally low tone. - -"Now, you can stay here for the present," growled Job Haskers, as he -held open the door. "And don't you dare to make any noise either." - -"What about supper?" asked Dave, for he was hungry. - -"You shall have something to eat when the proper time comes." - -The boys walked into the room, and Job Haskers immediately closed the -door and locked it, placing the key in his pocket. Then the lads heard -him walk away, and all became silent, for the book-room was located -between two classrooms which were not in use on Saturdays and Sundays. - -"Well, what do you make of this?" asked the shipowner's son, after an -awkward pause. - -"Nothing--what is there to make, Phil? Here we are, and likely to stay -for a while." - -"Are you going to pay for that broken statue?" - -"Was it my fault it was broken?" - -"No--he ran you into the stand." - -"Then I don't see why I ought to pay." - -"He may claim you had no right to fight him off." - -"He had no right to attack me with the whip. I don't think Doctor Clay -will stand for that." - -"If he does, he isn't the man I thought he was." - -The two youths walked around the little room, gazing at the rows of -books. Then Dave stood on a pile of old books and looked out of the -small window. - -"See anything worth looking at?" asked his chum. - -"No, all I can see is a corner of the campus and a lot of snow. Nobody -is in sight." - -"Wonder how long old Haskers intends to keep us here?" - -"I'm sure I don't know." - -With nothing to do, the boys looked over some schoolbooks. They were -not of great interest, and soon it grew too dark to read. Phil gave a -long sigh. - -"This is exciting, I must say," he said, sarcastically. - -"Never mind, it will be exciting enough when we face Doctor Clay." - -"I'd rather face him than old Haskers, Dave." - -"Oh, so would I! When will the doctor be back?" - -"I don't know." - -An hour went by, and the two prisoners heard a muffled tramping of feet -which told them that the other students had assembled in the dining -hall for supper. The thought of the bountiful tables made them both -more hungry than ever. - -"I'd give as much as a dollar for a couple of good sandwiches," said -the shipowner's son, dismally. "Seems to me, I'm hollow clear down to -my heels!" - -"Wait, I've got an idea!" returned Dave. - -He felt in his pocket and brought forth several keys. Just as he did -this they heard footsteps in the hallway, and Dave slipped the keys -back in his pocket. - -The door was flung open and Job Haskers appeared, followed by one of -the dining room waiters, who carried a tray containing two glasses of -milk and half a dozen slices of bread and butter. - -"Here is something for you to eat," said the teacher, and directed the -waiter to place the tray on a pile of books. - -"Is this all we are to have?" demanded Dave. - -"Yes." - -"I'm hungry!" growled Phil. "That won't satisfy me." - -"It will have to satisfy you, Lawrence." - -"I think it's a shame!" - -"I want no more words with you," retorted Job Haskers, and motioned -the waiter to leave the room. Then he went out, locking the door and -pocketing the key as before. - -"Well, if this isn't the limit!" growled Phil. "A glass of milk and -three slices of bread and butter apiece!" - -"Well, we shan't starve, Phil," and Dave grinned to himself in the -semi-darkness. - -"And no light to eat by--and the room more than half cold. Dave, are -you going to stand this?" - -"I am not," was the firm response. - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Get out of here--if I possibly can," was Dave's reply. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -A MOVE IN THE DARK - - -Dave took the bunch of keys from his pocket and approached the door. -He tried one key after another, but none of them appeared to fit. Then -Phil brought out such keys as he possessed, but all proved unavailable. - -"That is one idea knocked in the head," said Dave, and heaved a sigh. - -"I am going to tackle the bread and milk," said Phil. "It is better -than nothing." - -"It won't make us suffer from indigestion either," answered Dave, with -a short laugh. - -Sitting on some of the old schoolbooks the two youths ate the scanty -meal Job Haskers had provided. To help pass the time they made the meal -last as long as possible, eating every crumb of the bread and draining -the milk to the last drop. The bread was stale, and they felt certain -the teacher had furnished that which was old on purpose. - -"I'll wager he'd like to hammer the life out of us," was Phil's -comment. "Just wait and see the story he cooks up to tell Doctor Clay!" - -"Wonder what the other fellows think of our absence, Phil?" - -"Maybe they have asked Haskers about it." - -Having disposed of all there was to eat and drink, the two lads walked -around the little room to keep warm. Then Dave went at the door again, -examining the lock with great care, and feeling of the hinges. - -"Well, I declare!" he cried, almost joyfully. - -"What now, Dave?" - -"This door has hinges that set into this room and are held together by -little rods running from the top to the bottom of each hinge. If we can -take out the two rods, I am almost certain we can open the door from -the hinge side!" - -This was interesting news, and Phil came forward to aid Dave in -removing the tiny rod which held the two parts of each hinge together. -It was no easy task, for the rods were somewhat rusted, but at last -both were removed, and then the boys felt the door give way at that -point. - -Now that they could get out, Phil wanted to know what was to be done -next. - -"I think I'll go out and hunt up something to eat on the sly," answered -Dave. "Then we can come back here and wait for Doctor Clay's arrival." - -"Good! I'll go with you. I don't want you to run the risk alone." - -They waited until they felt that the dining room was deserted and then -pried the door open and stole from their prison. Tiptoeing their way -through the side hall, they reached a door which led to a big pantry, -connecting the dining room and the kitchen. As they had anticipated, -the pantry held many good things on its shelves, and a waiter was -bringing in more food from the tables. - -"Quick--take what you want!" whispered Dave, when the waiter had -disappeared, and catching up a plate that contained some cold sliced -tongue he added to it some baked beans, some bread and jam, and two -generous slices of cake. - -Phil understood, and taking another plate he got some of the baked -beans, some cold ham, some bread and cheese, and a pitcher of milk. -Then the two boys espied some crullers and stuffed several in their -pockets. Then Dave saw a candle and captured that. - -"He's coming back--skip!" whispered Phil, and ran out of the pantry -with Dave at his heels. A moment later the waiter came in with more -things, but he did not catch them, nor did he notice what they had -taken. - -As quickly as they could, the two boys returned to the book-room, and -setting the stuff on the books, they lit the candle, and placed the -rods back into the hinges of the door. So that nobody might see the -light, they placed a sheet of paper over the keyhole of the door, and a -row of books on the floor against the doorsill. - -"Now we'll have a little better layout than that provided by Mr. -Dictatorial Haskers," said Dave, and he proceeded to arrange some of -the schoolbooks in a square in the center of the floor. "Might as -well have a table while we are at it." - -"And a couple of chairs," added Phil, and arranged more books for that -purpose. Then they spread a sheet of paper over the "table," put a -plate at either end, and the two sat down. - -"It's a shame to make you eat without a fork, Phil," said Dave, -solemnly. "But if you'd rather go hungry----" - -"Not on your collar-button!" cried the shipowner's son. "A pocketknife -is good enough for me this trip," and he fell to eating with great -gusto, and Dave did the same, for what food they had had before had -only been "a flea bite," as Dave expressed it. - -Having eaten the most of the food taken from the pantry they placed the -remainder on the plates on a bookshelf. Then Dave looked at his watch. - -"Half-past eight," he said. "Wonder how long we are to be kept here?" - -"Don't ask me, I was never good at conundrums," answered Phil, lightly. -Plenty to eat had put him in a good humor. "Maybe till morning, Dave." - -[Illustration: "It's a shame to make you eat without a fork, -Phil."] - -"I shan't stay here until morning--without a bed or coverings." - -"What will you do?" - -"Go up to the dormitory--after all the lights are out." - -"Good! Wonder why I didn't think of that?" - -"You ate too much, that's why." And Dave grinned. He, too, felt better -now that he had fully satisfied his appetite. - -Slowly the time went by till ten o'clock came. The prisoners heard -tramping overhead, which told them the other students were retiring. -They looked for a visit from Job Haskers, but the teacher did not show -himself. - -"He is going to keep us here until the doctor gets back, that is -certain," said Dave. - -"But the doctor may not come back to-night. I heard him say something -the other day about going to Boston." - -At last the school became quiet. By this time the boys' candle had -burnt itself out, leaving them in total darkness. By common impulse -they moved toward the door. - -"What if we meet Murphy?" asked Phil. - -"We'll do our best to avoid him, but if we do see him I rather think -he'll side with us and keep quiet," answered Dave. "I know he hates -Haskers as much as we do." - -Hiding what was left of their meal in a corner of a shelf, behind some -books, the two lads stole into the semi-dark hall and up one of the -broad stairs. They met nobody and gained their dormitory with ease. -Going inside, each undressed in the dark and prepared to retire. - -"Who's up?" came sleepily from Roger. - -"Hush, Roger," whispered Dave. - -"Oh, so it's you! Where have you been, and what did old Haskers do to -you?" - -In a few brief words Dave and Phil explained what had taken place. - -"We'll tell you the rest in the morning," said Phil, and then he and -Dave hopped into bed and under the warm covers. Less than a minute -later, however, Dave sat up and listened intently. He had heard the -front door of the school building bang shut in the rising wind. - -"Phil!" - -"What is it now, Dave?" - -"I think I just heard Doctor Clay come in." - -"Oh, bother! I'm going to sleep," said the shipowner's son, with a -yawn. "I don't think he'll trouble us to-night." - -"I'm going to see what happens," answered Dave, and got up again. Soon -he had on a dressing gown and slippers, and was tiptoeing his way down -the hallway. He heard a murmur of voices below, and knew then that both -the doctor and Mr. Dale had arrived. Then he heard Mr. Dale walk to -the rear of the lower floor, and heard somebody else come out of the -library. - -"Mr. Haskers, what is it?" he heard Doctor Clay say. - -"I must consult you about two of the students, sir," answered Job -Haskers. "They have acted in a most disgraceful manner. They attacked -me on the road with icy snowballs, nearly ruining my right ear, and -when I called them to account in the office one of them began to fight -and broke your statue of Mercury." - -"Is it possible!" ejaculated the doctor, in pained surprise. "Who were -the pupils?" - -"David Porter and Philip Lawrence." - -"Is this true, Mr. Haskers? Porter and Lawrence are usually -well-behaved students." - -"They acted like ruffians, sir--especially Porter, who attacked me and -broke the statue." - -"I will look into this without delay. Where are they now--in their -room?" - -"No, I locked them up in the book-room, to await your arrival. I did -not deem it wise to give them their liberty." - -"Ahem! prisoners in the book-room, eh? This is certainly serious. They -cannot remain in the room all night." - -"It would serve them right to keep them there," grumbled Job Haskers. - -"There are no cots in that room for them to rest on." - -"Then let them rest on the floor! The young rascals deserve it." - -"Perhaps I'd better talk it over with the boys and see what they -have to say, Mr. Haskers," went on the doctor, in a mild tone. "I do -not believe in being too harsh with the students. Perhaps they only -snowballed you as a bit of sport." - -"Doctor Clay, do you uphold them in such an action?" demanded the -irascible instructor. - -"By no means, Mr. Haskers, but--boys will be boys, you know, and we -mustn't be too hard on them if they occasionally go too far." - -"Porter broke that statue,--and defied me!" - -"If he broke the statue, he'll have to pay for it,--and if he defied -you in the exercise of your proper authority, he shall be punished. -But I want to hear what they have to say. We'll go to the book-room at -once, release them, and take them to my office." - -"It won't be necessary to go to the book-room, Doctor Clay," called out -Dave from the upper landing. - -"Why--er--is that you, Porter!" - -"How did you get out?" cried Job Haskers, in consternation. "Didn't I -lock that door?" - -"You did, but Phil Lawrence and I got out, nevertheless," answered Dave. - -"Where is Lawrence?" - -"Up in our room in bed, and I was in bed, too, but got up when the -doctor came in," added Dave. - -"Well, I never!" stormed Job Haskers. "You see how it is, Doctor Clay; -they have even broken out of the book-room after I told them to stay -there!" - -"We weren't going to stay in a cold room all night with no beds to -sleep on, and only bread and milk for supper," went on Dave. "I -wouldn't treat my worst enemy that way." - -"Did you say you were in bed when I came in?" questioned Doctor Clay. - -"Yes, sir--and Phil is there now, unless he just got up." - -"Here I am," came a voice from behind Dave, and the shipowner's son put -in an appearance. "Do you want us to come downstairs, Doctor? If you -do, I'll have to go back and put on my clothes and shoes." - -"And I'll have to go back and dress, too," added Dave. - -Doctor Clay mused a moment. - -"As you are undressed you may as well retire," he said. "I will look -into this matter to-morrow morning, or Monday morning." - -"Thank you, sir," said both boys. - -"But, sir----" commenced Job Haskers. - -"It is too late to take up the case now," interrupted Doctor Clay. -"There is no use in arousing anybody at this time of night. Besides, -I am very tired. We'll all go to bed, and sift this thing out later. -Boys, you may go." - -"Thank you, sir. Good-night." - -And without waiting for another word the two chums hurried to their -dormitory, leaving Job Haskers and the doctor alone. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -VERA ROCKWELL - - -Sunday passed, and nothing was said to Dave and Phil concerning the -unfortunate snowballing incident; but on Monday morning, immediately -after breakfast, both were summoned to Doctor Clay's office. - -"I suppose we are in for it now," said the shipowner's son, dolefully. - -"Never mind, Phil; we didn't mean to do wrong, and I am going to tell -the doctor so. I think he will be fair in the matter." - -But though Dave spoke thus, he was by no means easy in his mind. He had -had trouble with Job Haskers before and he well knew how the teacher -could distort facts to make himself out to be a much-injured individual. - -When the two youths entered the office they found Doctor Clay seated -at his desk, looking over the mail Jackson Lemond had just brought in -from town. Job Haskers was not present, which fact caused the boys to -breathe a sigh of relief. - -"Now, boys, I want you to give me the particulars of what occurred -Saturday afternoon," said the master of the Hall, as he laid down a -letter he had been perusing. "Porter, you may relate your story first." - -Without unnecessary details, Dave told his tale in a straightforward -manner,--how the boys had been having a snowball fight, how somebody -had cried out that Horsehair was coming in a cutter, and how they had -thought to have a little fun with the school driver by pelting him with -snowballs. - -"We have often done it before," went on Dave. "Horsehair--I mean -Lemond--doesn't seem to mind it, and sometimes he snowballs us in -return." - -"Then you did not know it was Mr. Haskers?" - -"No, sir--not until I had thrown the snowball." - -Then Dave told of Haskers's anger, and of how they had been ordered to -the office and had gone there. - -"I told him I was sorry I had hit him, but he would not listen to me, -and he wouldn't listen when Phil apologized. He said he would accept -no apologies, but was going to give us the thrashing we deserved. Then -he took the whip he carried and tried to strike me. I wouldn't stand -for that and I caught hold of the whip. He told me to let go and I -said I wouldn't unless he promised not to strike at me again. Then -he struggled to get the whip from my grasp and pushed me backward, -against the stand with the statue. The stand went over and the statue -was broken." - -"Wait a moment, Porter." Doctor Clay's voice was oddly strained. "Are -you certain Mr. Haskers tried to strike you with the whip?" - -"I certainly am, sir. He raised the whip over my head, and if I hadn't -dodged I'd have been struck, and struck hard." - -"Mr. Haskers tells me that he simply carried the whip to the office to -subdue you--that he was afraid both of you might jump on him and do him -bodily injury." - -"Does he say he didn't strike at me?" cried Dave, in astonishment, for -this was a turn of affairs he had not dreamed would occur. - -"He says he brandished the whip when you came toward him as if to -strike him." - -"I made no move to strike him, Doctor Clay--Phil will testify to that." - -"Dave has told the strict truth, sir," said the shipowner's son. "Mr. -Haskers did strike at him, and it was only by luck that Dave escaped -the blow. I thought sure he was going to get a sound whack on the head." - -At these words Doctor Clay's face became a study. The teacher had had -his say on Sunday afternoon, but this version put an entirely different -aspect on the affair. - -"Go on with your story," he said, after a pause. - -"I am very sorry that the statue was broken," continued Dave. "And I -wish to say right here, sir, that if you think it was my fault I will -willingly pay for the damage done. But I think it was entirely Mr. -Haskers's fault. I always understood that no corporal punishment was -permitted in this school." - -"Your understanding on that point is correct, Porter. The only -exception to the rule is when a student becomes violent himself and has -to be subdued." - -"I wasn't violent." - -"Please tell the rest of your story." - -Then Dave told of the wordy war which had followed, and of how he and -Phil had been locked up and given bread and milk for supper, and of -how he and his chum had found the book-room more than cheerless. He -had resolved to make a clean breast of it, and so gave the particulars -of taking the door off its hinges, getting extra food, and of finally -going upstairs to bed. The latter part of the story caused Doctor Clay -to turn his head away and look out of a window, so that the boys might -not see the smile that came to his face. In his imagination he could -see the lads feasting on the purloined things in the book-room by -candlelight. - -"Now, Lawrence, what have you to say?" he asked, when Dave had -finished. - -"I can't say much, sir--excepting that Dave has told you the truth, and -the whole truth at that. And I might add, sir, had Mr. Dale or yourself -been in the cutter I think the whole trouble would have been patched -up very quickly. But Mr. Haskers is so--so--impulsive--he never will -listen to a fellow,--and he rushed at Dave like a mad bull. I was ready -to jump on him when the whip went up, and I guess I would have done it -if Dave had been struck." - -"And you are positive you didn't snowball Mr. Haskers on purpose?" - -"Positive, sir--and I can prove it by the other boys who were in the -crowd." - -"Hum!" Doctor Clay was silent for fully a minute. "You can both -go to your classes. If I wish to see you further in regard to -this--ahem--unfortunate affair I will let you know." - -The boys bowed and went out, and quarter of an hour later each was deep -in the studies for the day. Occasionally their minds wandered to what -had occurred, and they tried to imagine what the outcome would be. - -"I don't think the doctor will stand for the whip," was the way Dave -expressed himself, and in this surmise he was correct. That very -afternoon the master of the Hall called the teacher to his office, and -a warm discussion followed. But what was said was never made public. -Yet one thing the boys knew--Dave was never called upon to pay for the -broken statue--Job Haskers had to settle that bill. - -With the ice so fine on the river, much of the boys' off-time was spent -in ice-boating and skating. One afternoon there was an ice-boat race -between the _Snowbird_ from Oak Hall, a boat from Rockville Military -Academy, and two craft owned by young men of Oakdale. This brought out -a large crowd, and each person was enthusiastic over his favorite. - -"I hope our boat wins!" said Roger, who was on skates, as were Dave and -Phil and many others. - -"So do I," said Dave. "I don't care who comes in ahead so long as it's -an ice-boat belonging to Oak Hall." - -"That's pretty good!" cried Sam Day, "seeing that we have but one boat -in the race." - -"Say, that puts me in mind of a story," came from Shadow. "One time a -lot of young fellows in a village organized a fire company. They voted -to get uniforms and the question came up as to what color of shirts -they should buy. They talked it over, and at last an old fire-fighter -in a corner got up. 'Buy any color you please,' said he, 'any color -you please, but be sure it's red!'" And the story caused a smile to go -around. - -The four ice-boats were soon ready for the contest, and at a pistol -shot they started on the fivemile course which had been laid out. -Messmer and Henshaw were on the _Snowbird_, which speedily took the -second place, one of the town boats, named the _Whistler_, leading. - -"Hurrah! they are off!" - -"What's the matter with the Military Academy boat? She's a tail-ender." - -"The _Lark_ is third!" - -So the cries ran on, as the ice-boats skimmed along over the smooth -ice, swept clear of nearly all the snow by the wind. Dave and his chums -skated some distance after the boats and then halted, to await their -return. - -"Hurrah, the _Snowbird_ is crawling up on the _Whistler_!" cried Buster -Beggs. - -"They are neck and neck!" said Luke Watson. - -"Yes, but the _Venus_ is coming up, too," answered Phil. "Gracious, but -I'll wager those Rockville fellows would like to win!" - -"The _Venus_ must be a new boat," said Ben Basswood. "I never saw her -before." - -"She is new--some of the Military Academy fellows purchased her last -week," answered another boy. - -The crowd moved on, Dave stopping to fix one of his skates, which had -become loose. As he straightened up, a girl brushed past him and looked -him full in the face. He saw that she was one of the two who had been -on the ice-boat at the time of the accident. She gave him a sunny -smile and he very politely tipped his cap to her. - -"I suppose you hope your boat will win," she said, coming to a halt -near him. - -"You mean the Oak Hall boat, I suppose?" - -"Of course, Mr. Porter." - -"Yes, I hope we do win," answered Dave, and wondered how she had -learned his name. "Don't you hope we'll win, too, Miss Rockwell?" he -continued, seeing that the others had gone on and he was practically -alone with his new acquaintance. - -"Well, I--I really don't know," she answered, and smiled again. "You -see, the _Whistler_ belongs to some friends of my big brother, so I -suppose I ought to want that to win." - -"But if the _Snowbird_ is a better boat----" - -Vera Rockwell gave a merry laugh--it was her nature to laugh a good -deal. "Of course if your boat is the better of the two---- But I am -keeping you from your friends," she broke off. - -"Oh, I shan't mind that," said Dave politely, and he did not mind in -the least, for Vera seemed so good-natured that he was glad to have a -chance to talk to her. - -"I wanted to meet you," Vera went on, as, without hardly noticing it, -they skated off side by side. "I wanted to thank you for what you and -your friend did for us the other day." - -"I guess you had better blame us. If we hadn't rolled that big snowball -down the hill----" - -"Oh, but you said you didn't mean to hit the ice-boat----" - -"Which was true--we didn't see the ice-boat until it was too late. I -hope you and your friend got home safely?" - -"We did. When we reached the road we met a farmer we knew with a big -sled, and he took Mary and me right to our doors." - -"Do you live in Oakdale?" - -"Yes,--just on the outskirts of the town,--the big brick house with the -iron fence around the garden." - -"Oh, I've seen that place often. You used to have a little black dog -who was very friendly and would sit up on his hind legs and beg." - -"Gyp! Yes, and I have him yet--and he's the cutest you ever saw! He can -do all kinds of tricks. Some day, when you are passing, if you'll stop -I'll show you." - -"Thank you, I'll remember, and I'll be sure to stop," answered Dave, -much pleased with the invitation. - -"Here they come! Here they come!" was the cry, and suddenly the youth -and the girl found themselves in a big body of skaters. Vera was struck -on the arm by one burly man, and would have gone down had not Dave -supported her. - -"Better take my hand," said Dave, and the girl did so, for she was a -little frightened. Then the crowd increased, and they had to fall back -a little, to get out of the jam. Dave looked around for his chums, but -they were nowhere in sight. Then all strained their eyes to behold the -finish of the ice-boat contest. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -DAVE SPEAKS HIS MIND - - -"Here they come!" - -"The _Whistler_ is ahead!" - -"Yes, but the _Snowbird_ is crawling up!" - -"See, the _Venus_ has given up." - -So the cries ran on, as the ice-boats drew closer and closer to the -finishing line of the contest. It was true the _Venus_, the craft from -the Rockville Military Academy, had fallen far behind and had given up. -The third boat was also well to the rear, so the struggle was between -the Oak Hall craft and the _Whistler_ only. - -"I hope we win!" cried Dave, enthusiastically. - -"Oh, how mean!" answered Vera, reproachfully. "Well, I--er--I don't -mean that exactly, but I'd like to see my brother's friends come in -ahead." - -"One thing is sure--it's going to be close," continued Dave. "Can you -see at all?" - -"Not much--there is such a crowd in front." - -"Too bad! Now if you were a little girl, I'd lift you on my shoulder," -and he smiled merrily. - -"Oh, the idea!" And Vera laughed roundly. "I can see the tops of the -masts, anyway. They seem to be about even." - -"They are. I think----" - -"A tie! a tie!" was the cry. Then a wild cheer went up, as both -ice-boats crossed the line side by side. A second later the crowd broke -out on the course and began skating hither and thither. - -"Is it really a tie?" asked the girl. - -"So it seems." - -"Well, I am glad, for now we can both be satisfied." Vera looked around -somewhat anxiously. "Have you seen anything of Mary Feversham? She came -skating when I did." - -"You mean the other young lady who was with you on that ice-boat?" - -"Yes." - -"No, I haven't seen her. Perhaps we can find her if we skate around a -bit." - -"Oh, but I don't want to trouble you." - -"It is no trouble, it will be a pleasure. We might----" - -At that moment a number of skaters swept by, including Nat Poole. -The dudish student smiled at Vera and then, noticing Dave, stared in -astonishment. - -"Do you know him?" asked Vera, and for a moment she frowned. - -"Yes, he belongs to our school." - -"Oh!" She drew down the corners of her pretty mouth. "I--I didn't know -that." - -"We are not very friendly--he doesn't belong to my set," Dave went on, -for he had not liked that smile from Poole, and he was sure Vera had -not liked it either. - -"He spoke to us once--Mary and me--one day last week when we were -skating. He was dressed in the height of fashion, and I suppose he -thought we would be glad to know him. But we didn't answer him. Ever -since that time he has been smiling at us. I wish he'd stop. If he -doesn't I shall tell my big brother about it." - -"If he annoys you too much let me know and I'll go at him myself," -answered Dave, readily. "I've had plenty of trouble with him in the -past, but I shan't mind a little more." And then he told of some of the -encounters with the dudish student. Vera was greatly interested and -laughed heartily over the jokes that had been played. - -"You boys must have splendid times!" she cried. "Oh, don't you know, -sometimes I wish I were a boy!" And then she told something of her -own doings and the doings of Mary Feversham, who was her one chum. -Along with their relatives, the girls had spent the summer on the St. -Lawrence, and the previous winter they had been to Florida, which made -Dave conclude that they were well-to-do. - -They skated around a little more and soon met Mary Feversham, who was -with Vera's big brother. Then Roger and Phil came up; and all were -introduced to each other. - -"The girls told me about the big snowball affair," said Rob Rockwell. -"I told 'em it served 'em right for going out with those Military -Academy chaps. Those fellows never struck me right--they put on too -many airs. We wouldn't stand for that sort of thing at my college." - -"Well, the race was a tie between our boat and the boat of your -friend," said Dave, to change the subject. "They'll have to race over -again some day." - -"Jackson let one of his ropes break at the turn," answered Rob -Rockwell. "That threw his sail over and put him behind--otherwise he -might have won." - -Rob was a college youth, big, round-faced, and with a loud voice -and somewhat positive manner. But he was a good fellow, and Dave -and his chums took to him immediately, and the two parties did not -separate until it was time for the Oak Hall students to return to that -institution. At parting Vera gave Dave a pleasant smile. - -"Remember the dog," she said. - -"I certainly shall," he answered, and smiled in return. - -"What did she mean about a dog?" questioned Roger, a minute later, -when the chums were skating for the school dock. - -"Oh, not much," answered Dave, evasively. "She told me where she lived -and I said I remembered seeing her little black dog, and then she said -he could do all kinds of tricks, and if I'd stop there some time she'd -show me." And hardly knowing why, Dave blushed slightly. - -"Oh, that's it," answered the senator's son, and then said no more. -But in his heart he was just a little bit jealous because he had not -been invited to call too. Vera's open-hearted, jolly manner pleased him -fully as much as it pleased Dave. - -"They are all-right girls," was Phil's comment, when the boys were -taking off their skates. "That Vera Rockwell is full of fun, I suspect. -But I rather prefer Mary Feversham, even if she is more quiet." - -"Going to marry her soon, Phil?" asked Dave, quizzically. - -"Sure," was the unabashed reply. "The ceremony will take place on the -thirty-first of next February, at four minutes past two o'clock in the -evening. Omit flowers, but send in all the solid silver dollars you -wish." And this remark caused the others to laugh. - -Two days later Link Merwell came back to school. Dave did not see the -bully on his arrival, and the pair did not meet until Dave went to -one of the classrooms to recite. Then, much to his surprise, Merwell -greeted him with a friendly nod. - -"How do you do, Porter?" he said, pleasantly. - -"How are you, Merwell?" was the cold response. - -"Oh, I'm pretty well, thank you," went on Link Merwell, easily. "Fine -weather we are having. I suppose skating is just elegant. I brought -along a new pair of skates and I hope to have lots of fun on them." The -bully came closer. "Had the pleasure of meeting your sister out West," -he continued in a lower tone. "My! but I was surprised! You were a -lucky dog to find your father and Laura. See you later." And the bully -passed on to his seat. - -Dave's face flushed and his heart beat rapidly. As my old readers know -he had good cause to feel a resentment against Link Merwell, and it -was maddening to have the bully mention Laura's name. He could see why -the fellow was acting so cordially--it was solely on Laura's account. -Evidently he considered his acquaintanceship with Laura quite an -intimate one. - -"I'll have to open his eyes to the truth," thought Dave. "And the -sooner it is done the better." Then he turned to his lessons. But it -was hard work to get the bully out of his mind, and he made several -mistakes in reciting ancient history, much to Mr. Dale's surprise. - -"You will have to study this over again," said the head teacher, -kindly. And he marked a 6 against Dave's name, when the pupil might -have had a 10. - -Dave's opportunity to "have it out" with Link Merwell came the next -afternoon, when he had gone for a short skate, previous to starting -work on the essay which he hoped would win the prize. The two met at -the boathouse, and fortunately nobody else was near. - -"Going skating, I see," said Merwell, airily. "Finest sport going, I -think. I wish your sister was here to enjoy it with us, don't you? -I sent her a letter to-day. I suppose she told you we were having a -little correspondence--just for fun, you know." - -"See here, Link Merwell, we may as well have an understanding now as -later," began Dave, earnestly. "I want to talk to you before anybody -comes. I want you to leave my sister alone,--I want you to stop -speaking about her, and stop writing to her. She told me about her trip -west, and how she met you, and all that. At that time she didn't know -you as I know you. But I've told her about you, and you can take it -from me that she doesn't want to hear from you again. She is very sorry -she ever met you and wrote to you." - -"Oh, that's it, eh?" Link Merwell's face had grown first red and then -deathly pale. "So you put in your oar, eh? Blackened my character all -you could, I suppose." He shut his teeth with a snap. "You'd better -take care!" - -"I simply told her the truth." - -"Oh, yes, I know just how you can talk, Porter! And did she say she -wouldn't write to me any more?" - -"She did. Now I want to know something more. What did you do with the -letters she sent you?" - -"I kept them." - -"I want you to give them to me." - -"To you?" - -"Yes, and I will send them to her." - -"Not much! They are my letters and I intend to keep them!" cried Link -Merwell. His face took on a cunning look. "If you think you are going -to get those letters away from me you are mistaken." - -"Maybe I can force you to give them up, Merwell." - -"What will you do--fight? If you try that game, Porter, I'll let every -fellow in this school know what brought the fight about--and let them -read the letters." - -"You are a gentleman, I must say," answered Dave. He paused for a -moment. "Then you won't give them up?" - -"Positively, no." - -"Then listen to me, Link Merwell. Sooner or later I'll make you give -them up. In the meantime, if I hear of your letting anybody else -read those letters, or know of them, I'll give you a ten times worse -thrashing than I did before I left this school to go to Europe. Now -remember that, for I mean every word I say." - -"You can't make me give up the letters," said Merwell, doggedly. He was -somewhat cowed by Dave's earnest manner. - -"I can and I will." - -"Maybe you think I've got them in my trunk? If so, you are mistaken." - -"I don't care where you have them--I'll get them sometime. And -remember, don't you dare to write to my sister again, or don't you dare -to speak to her when you meet her." - -"To listen to your talk, you'd think you were my master, Porter," -sneered the bully, but his lips trembled slightly as he spoke. - -"Not at all. But I want you to let my sister alone, that's all. All the -decent fellows in this school know what you are, and it is no credit to -any young lady to know you." - -"Bah! I consider myself a better fellow than you are," snarled the -bully. "You are rich now, but we all know how you were brought -up,--among a lot of poorhou----" - -Link Merwell stopped suddenly and took a hasty step backward. At his -last words Dave's fists had doubled up and a light as of fire had come -into his eyes. - -"Not another word, Merwell," said Dave, in a strained voice. "Not -one--or I'll bang your head against the wall until you yell for mercy. -I can stand some things, but I can't stand that--and I won't!" - -A silence followed, during which each youth glared at the other. -Merwell had his skates in his hand and made a movement as if to lift -them up and bring them down on Dave's head. But then his arm dropped to -his side, for that terrible look of danger was still in the eyes of the -youth who had spent some years of his life in the Crumville poorhouse. - -"We'll have this out some other time," he muttered, and slunk out of -the boathouse like a whipped cur. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -AT THE OLD GRANARY - - -There was to be a skating race that afternoon and Dave had thought -to take part. But now he was in no humor for mingling with his -fellow-students and so took a long walk, along the snow-covered road -beyond Oak Hall. - -At first his mind was entirely on Link Merwell, and on his sister Laura -and the letters she had written to the bully. To be sure, Laura had -told him that the letters contained only a lot of girlish nonsense, yet -he was more than sorry Merwell held them and he would have given much -to have gotten them away from the fellow he despised. - -Returning to the Hall some time before supper, Dave went up to his -dormitory. Only Bertram Vane was there, translating Latin. - -"Come to study, Dave?" he questioned pleasantly, hardly glancing up -from his work. - -"I've come to work on that essay, Polly," Dave answered. - -"You mean the Past and Future of Our Country?" - -"Yes. Shall you try for the prize?" - -"I may--I haven't got that far yet. It seems to me you are beginning -early." - -"Oh, I am merely going to jot down some ideas I have. Then, from time -to time, I'll add to those ideas, and do the real writing later." - -"That's a good plan. Maybe----" And then Polly Vane stopped speaking -and lost himself in his Latin lesson. He was very studious as well as -girlish, but one of the best fellows in the school. - -Dave went to work, and so easily did his ideas flow that it was -supper time before he had them all transferred to paper. The subject -interested him greatly and he felt in his heart that he could do it -full justice. - -"But I must work carefully," he told himself. "If I don't, some other -paper may be better than mine." - -The students were flocking in from the campus, the gymnasium, and the -river. Some came upstairs, to wash up before going to the dining room. -Among the number was Chip Macklin, the young pupil who had in times -gone by been the toady of Gus Plum when Plum had been the Hall bully. - -"Oh, Dave Porter!" cried Chip, and running up, he clutched Dave by the -arm. - -"What is it, Chip?" asked Dave, seeing the little boy was white and -trembling. "What's wrong?" - -"I--I--I don't know whether to tell you or not," whispered Chip. "It's -awful--dreadful!" He looked around, to make certain nobody else was -near. - -"What is awful?" - -Again Chip looked around. "You won't say that I told you, will you? I -suppose I ought to tell somebody--or do something--but perhaps Plum -wouldn't like it. He can't be left out where he is,--he might freeze to -death!" - -"See here, Chip, explain yourself," and Dave's voice became somewhat -stern. - -"I will! I will! But it is so awful! Why, the Doctor may suspend Gus! -And I thought he was going to reform!" Chip Macklin's voice trembled so -he could hardly frame the words. - -"Will you tell me just what you mean?" - -"I will if--if you'll try to help Gus, Dave. Oh, I know you'll help -him--you did before! It's such a shame to see him throw himself away!" - -Dave looked the small student in the eyes and there was a moment of -silence. - -"I guess I know what you mean, Chip. Where is Gus?" - -"Come on and I'll show you." - -The pair hurried downstairs. In the lower hall they ran into Shadow. - -"I was looking for you, Dave," said the story-teller of the school. "I -want you to do something for me and--and for Gus Plum." - -"Why, Shadow, Chip---- What do you know about Gus?" - -The three boys stared at each other. On the instant they felt all knew -what was wrong. - -"Was that what you said you'd tell me about sometime, Shadow?" asked -Dave, in a whisper. - -"Yes." - -"Then it has happened before?" - -"Yes, about three weeks after you and Roger went to Europe. I met him -on the road, coming to the school after spending several hours at some -tavern in Oakdale. He wouldn't say where he got the liquor. I wouldn't -let him come to Oak Hall until late at night. Then we got in by a side -door and I helped him to get to bed. In the morning he was quite sick, -but I don't think anybody suspected the cause. That afternoon he told -me he would never touch liquor again." - -While Shadow was talking the three boys had left the school buildings -and were hurrying around to the rear of one of the carriage sheds. Here -was a small building which had once been used as a granary but was now -partly filled with old garden implements and cut wood. - -It was dark in the building and from a corner came the sounds of -somebody breathing heavily. Shadow struck a match and held it up. - -There, upon a pile of old potato sacks, lay Gus Plum, sleeping soundly. -Close at hand lay a small flask which had contained liquor but which -was now empty. Dave smelt of it, and then, going to the doorway, threw -it far out into the deep snow. - -If Dave's heart had never been heavy before it was heavy now. Gus Plum -had promised faithfully to reform and he had imagined that the former -bully would keep his word. But, according to Shadow's statement, Plum -had fallen from grace twice, and if he would reform at all was now a -question. - -"It's fearful, isn't it, Dave?" said the story-teller of the school, in -a whisper. - -"Yes, Shadow, I--I hardly know what to say--I hoped for so much from -Gus--I thought he'd make one of the best fellows in this school after -all--after he had lived down the past. But now----" Dave's voice broke -and he could not go on for a moment. - -"We can't leave him here--and if we take him into the school----" began -Chip Macklin. - -"How long has he been here?" - -"Not over an hour or two," answered Shadow. - -"He must have gone to town for the liquor." - -"Unless he had it on hand--he went to town a couple of days ago," said -Chip. - -"We've got to do something quick--or we'll be missed from the dining -hall," continued Shadow. - -"You fellows can go back, Shadow; I'll take care of him. Make some kind -of an excuse for my absence--say I didn't care for anything to eat." - -"But what will you do, Dave?" - -"I don't know yet--but I'll fix it up somehow. This must be kept a -secret, not only on Gus's account but for the honor of Oak Hall. If -this got out to the public, it would give the school a terrible black -eye." - -"I know that. Why, my father would never let me attend a school where -there was any drinking going on." - -"Doctor Clay isn't responsible for this--nobody is responsible but Gus -himself,--unless somebody led him on. But go on, there goes the last -bell for supper." - -Shadow passed over half a dozen matches he carried and went out, -followed by Chip Macklin. Dave stood in the dark, listening to Gus -Plum's heavy breathing. He did not know what to do, yet he felt he had -a duty to perform and he made up his mind to perform it. At any hazard -he must keep the former bully from public exposure, and he must do his -best to make Plum reform once more. He uttered a prayer that Heaven -might help him to do what was best. - -Lighting another match, Dave espied an old lantern on a shelf, half -filled with dirty oil, and lit it. Then he approached Plum and touched -him on the arm. The sleeping youth did not awaken, and even when Dave -shook him he still slumbered on. - -To take him into the school in that condition was out of the question, -yet it would not do to let him remain in the old granary, where during -the night he might freeze to death. Dave thought of the barn, with its -warm hay, and blowing out the lantern, left the granary and walked to -the other buildings. - -Fortune favored him, for neither Lemond nor the stableman was around, -both being at supper in the servants' quarters. There was a back door -and a ladder to the hayloft which might be used. He ran back to the -granary, picked up Gus Plum and the lantern, and started on the trip. -The former bully of the school was no light weight and Dave staggered -under the load. Once he slipped in the snow and almost went down, but -saved himself in time and kept on. Then came the tug up the ladder. -During this Plum's hand was pinched and he uttered a grunt. - -"Shay--don't touch me," he muttered thickly, but before Dave could -answer he was slumbering again. - -The hayloft gained, Dave deposited his burden in a far corner, where -nobody was likely to see or hear him. He lit the lantern and made Plum -a comfortable bed and covered him up, so that he might not take cold. -Then he took a card from his pocket and wrote on it in leadpencil: - - "GUS: - -"I brought you here from the old granary. Nobody but Chip and Shadow -know and they will keep silent. Please, please brace up and be a man. - - "DAVE." - -This card he fastened by a string to Plum's wrist. Then he put out the -lantern, left the barn, and hurried back to the school. As he entered -he found Shadow on the watch. - -"Just got through with supper," whispered the youth. "Nobody asked -about you. I guess you can slip into your seat and get something, -anyway." And Dave did this without trouble. That Job Haskers should -miss a chance to mark him down for tardiness was remarkable, but the -fact was Haskers was in a hurry to get away and consequently did not -notice all that was taking place. - -Dave did not sleep well that night, and he roused up a dozen times -or more, thinking he heard Gus Plum coming in. But all the alarms -were false, for Gus Plum did not show himself until breakfast time. -He looked flushed and sick and ate scarcely a mouthful. Some of his -dormitory mates wanted to know where he had been during the night, but -he did not tell them. - -At first Dave thought he would go to the former bully and talk to him, -but then he concluded to let the matter rest with Plum. The latter came -to him just before the noon session. - -"Will you take a skate with me after school, Dave?" he asked, very -humbly. - -"Certainly, Gus." - -"I--I want to go with you alone," faltered the big lad. - -"Very well--I shan't tell any of the others," returned Dave. - -A fine snow was falling when the school session was over, but none of -the pupils minded this. Dave took his skates and went to the river, -and Plum followed. Soon the pair were skating by themselves. When they -had turned a bend, Plum led the way to a secluded spot, under the -wide-spreading branches of an oak, and with a deep sigh threw himself -down on a rock. - -"I suppose you've got your own opinion of me," he began, bitterly, and -with his face turned away. "I don't blame you--it's what I deserve. I -hadn't any right to promise you that I'd reform, for it doesn't seem to -be in me. My appetite for liquor is too strong for me. Now, don't say -it isn't, for I know it is." - -"Why, Gus----" - -"Please don't interrupt me, Dave; it's hard enough for me to talk as it -is. But you've been my one good friend, and I feel I've got to tell you -the whole truth. I want you to know it all--everything. Will you listen -until I have finished?" - -"Certainly. Go ahead." - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -GUS PLUM'S STORY - - -"You may think it strange when I tell you that I come by my appetite -for liquor naturally, yet such is a fact," began Gus Plum, after a -pause, during which he seemed to collect his thoughts. "You fellows who -don't know what such an appetite is are lucky--far more lucky than you -can realize. It's an awful thing to have such an appetite--it makes one -feel at times as though he were doomed. - -"We always had liquor at our house and my folks drank it at meals, just -as their folks had done before them, so I heard. When I was a small boy -I was allowed to have my glass of wine, and on holidays we had punch -and I got my share. Sometimes, I can remember, friends remonstrated -with my folks for letting me have the stuff, but my father would laugh -and say it was all right--that he had had it himself when he was a boy -and that it wouldn't hurt me. My father never drank to excess, to my -knowledge, but his brother, my uncle, did, and once when Uncle Jim was -under the influence of liquor, he slipped under a street car and had -his arm crushed so badly he had to have it amputated. - -"My uncle's losing that arm scared me a little. I was then about ten -years old, and I made up my mind I wouldn't drink much more. But the -stuff tasted good to me and I didn't want to break off entirely. So I -continued to drink a little and then a little more, until I thought I -couldn't have my dinner without wine, or something like that, to go -with it." - -"When I was about thirteen a lady I knew well gave a New Year's party -to a lot of young folks, and I was invited. I was one of the youngest -boys there. The lady had punch, set out in a big cut-glass bowl on a -stand in a corner of the hall, with sandwiches and cake alongside. I -tried that punch and liked it, and I drank so much that I got noisy, -and the lady had to send me home in her carriage." - -"I guess that woke my father up to the fact that matters were going too -far, and he told me I mustn't drink liquor away from home. He couldn't -stop me from drinking at our house, for he had it himself there. But -he had helped me to get the appetite, and I couldn't stop. On the next -Fourth of July I spent my money in a tavern some distance away from -where we lived, and there some rascals--I can't call them men--treated -me liberally, just to see me make a fool of myself, I suppose. The -fellows teased me until I got in a rage and I took up a bottle and -cracked it to pieces over one fellow's head, injuring him badly. - -"This brought matters to a climax and my father told me he was going to -send me to boarding school. I did not want to go at first, but he said -he felt sure it would do me good, and finally I went to Sandville, and -then came to Oak Hall. - -"At first all went well, for I saw no liquor and got little chance to -get any, but after a while the appetite forced itself on me once more, -and--and you know what followed." - -As Gus Plum concluded he covered his face with his hands and looked the -picture of misery and despair. Dave had sunk down on the rock beside -him and he placed a hand on the other's shoulder. - -"Is that all, Gus?" he asked, quietly. - -"About all," was the low answer. "But I want you to know one thing -more, Dave. When you went away to Europe I intended to keep my promise -and make a man of myself. I got along all right at first, but one -Saturday afternoon Link Merwell asked me to go to Rockville with him." - -"Merwell!" - -"Yes. I don't care for him much, yet he was very friendly and I said -I'd go. We visited a place where they have a poolroom in the rear, -and he urged me to play pool with him, and I did. Then he offered -me a cigar, and finally he treated to liquor. I said I had stopped -drinking, but he laughed at me and held a glass of strong stuff to my -face and dared me to take it,--said I was a baby to refuse. And I took -it,--and then I treated him, and we both took too much. I came back to -school alone, for we got into a row when he spoke of you and said mean -things about you. When I got to Oak Hall I might have gotten into more -trouble, only Shadow Hamilton cared for me, as maybe you know. Merwell -wasn't under the influence of liquor very much, but he had enough to be -ugly, and he got into a row with Mr. Dale and came pretty near to being -sent home. Then he had another row with the teacher and went off on his -vacation. He somehow blamed Phil Lawrence, but Phil had nothing to do -with it." - -"Yes, Phil wrote to me about that last row," answered Dave. "But to -come back to yourself, Gus." His face grew sober. "You've certainly had -a hard time of it, and, somehow, I don't think you alone are to blame -for all that has happened. I have no appetite for liquor, but I think -I can understand something of what it means. But let me tell you one -thing." Dave's voice grew intensely earnest. "It's all nonsense to say -you are not going to reform--that you can't do it. You can reform if -you'll only use your whole will power." - -"But look at what I've tried already!" Plum's tone was utterly -hopeless. "Oh, you don't know how I've fought against it! People who -haven't any appetite for liquor don't know anything about it. It's like -a snake around your neck strangling you!" - -"Well, I wouldn't give up--not as long as I had any backbone left. Just -make up your mind from this minute on that you won't touch another drop -of any kind, no matter who offers it. Don't say to yourself, 'Oh, I'll -take a little now and then, and let it go at that.' Break off clean and -clear,--and keep away from all places where liquor is sold." - -"Yes, but----" Plum's voice was as hopeless as before. - -"No 'buts' about it, Gus. I want you to make a man of yourself. You can -do it if you'll only try. Won't you try?--for your own sake--for my -sake--for the honor of Oak Hall? Say yes, and then thrust liquor out of -your mind forever--don't even let yourself think of it. Get interested -in your studies, in skating, boating, gymnastics, baseball,--anything. -Before you know it, you'll have a death grip on that habit and it will -have to die." - -"Do you really believe that, Dave?" - -"I do. Why, look at it--some men right down in the gutter have -reformed, and they didn't possess any more backbone than you. All you -want to do is to exert your will power. Fight the thing just as you -used to fight me and some of the other fellows, and let that fight be -one to a finish. Now, come, what do you say?" - -"I'll fight!" cried Gus Plum, leaping to his feet and with a new light -shining in his eyes. "I'll fight! Oh, Dave, you're a wonderful fellow, -to put new backbone in me! I felt I had to give up--that I couldn't win -out, that everything was against me. Now I'll do as you say. I won't -even think of liquor again, and I won't go where I can get it." - -"Give me your hand on that, Gus." The pair shook hands. "Now let us -continue our skate. Perhaps we'll meet Shadow and Chip. I know they'll -be glad to hear of what you intend to do. They want you to turn over a -new leaf just as much as I do. And after this, take my advice and drop -Link Merwell." - -"I'll do it. As I said, I never cared much for him." - -The two left the spot where the conversation had ensued and skated up -the river for a considerable distance. As they disappeared another -youth stole forth from behind some bushes near by and skated off in the -opposite direction. The youth was Link Merwell. - -"So that was the trouble with Gus Plum last night, and that is what he -has got to say about me!" muttered the bully, savagely. "Well, I am -glad I know so much of his history--it may come useful some time! He -may get under Dave Porter's wing, but I am not done with him yet--nor -done with Porter either!" - -It was not long before Dave and Plum met Shadow, and a little later the -three saw Chip Macklin. All four went off in a bunch, and Dave with -much tact told of what Gus proposed to do. - -"It is very nice of you to keep this a secret," said Plum. "I shall -always remember it, and if I can ever do anything for any of you I'll -do it. You are all good friends, and Dave is the best fellow I ever -met!" - -They skated on for fully a mile, the fine snow pelting them in the -face. But nobody minded this, for all felt happy: Plum to think that he -was going to have another chance to redeem himself, and the others over -the consciousness that they had done a fellow-being some good. - -"Time to get home!" cried Shadow, looking at his watch. "What do you -say to a race back?" - -"How much of a start will you give me?" asked Chip. "I've got no chance -otherwise against you big fellows." - -"We'll give you fifteen seconds," answered Dave. "One, two, three--go!" - -Soon the race was on in earnest. Chip Macklin was well in the lead and -the others started in a bunch. Gradually Shadow went ahead of Dave and -Gus Plum, but then Plum drew closer, and when they reached the school -dock, Plum and Dave were a tie, with Shadow and Chip close on their -heels. - -"That puts new life in a fellow!" declared Dave. "Gus, you came pretty -near to beating me." - -"Your wind is better than mine," was the answer. Plum felt he might -have won had it not been for the dissipation of the day previous. -Dissipation and athletic supremacy of any kind never go well together. - -A week slipped by quietly and during that time Dave, Roger, and Phil -got the chance to go rabbit hunting and brought in twelve rabbits. Gus -Plum stuck to his resolve to do better, and during school hours gave -his studies all his attention. When not thus employed he spent his time -in skating, snowballing, and in the gymnasium. He avoided Link Merwell, -and for the time being the bully left him alone. - -During those days Dave received a letter from his sister Laura, to -whom he had written after his talk with Merwell. Laura stated that all -was going along finely at the Wadsworth home and that their father was -thinking seriously of buying a fine mansion located across the street, -which would keep the friends together. She added that she had received -a letter from Link Merwell and had sent it back, writing across the -top, "Please do not send any more." - -"No wonder Merwell looks so sour," mused Dave, after reading his -sister's communication. "I suppose he is mad enough at me to chew me -up." - -As my old readers know, there was at Oak Hall a secret society known -as the Gee Eyes, this name standing for the initials G. I., which in -their turn stood for the words Guess It. The society was kept up almost -solely for the fun of initiating new members. On coming to the school -Dave had had to submit to a strenuous initiation, which he had accepted -without a murmur. All his chums were members, and the boys had gotten -much fun out of the organization. - -"Call for a special meeting of the Gee Eyes to-night," said Ben -Basswood, one afternoon. "Going to initiate three new members--Tom -Atwood and the Soden brothers. Be on hand early, at the old boathouse." - -"What are we going to do to 'em?" asked Dave, with a grin. - -"That is something Sam, Buster, and some of the others want to talk -over. They'd like to do something brand-new." - -"I think I can tell them of one thing to try," said Dave. - -"What?" - -"Make one of 'em think he is crossing Jackson's Gully on a narrow -board." - -"Good, Dave; that will do first-rate!" cried Ben. "I hope we can think -of two other things equally good." - -About an hour later Dave met some of the others, and a general -discussion regarding the initiations for that evening took place. A -score of "stunts" were suggested, and at last three were selected, and -the committee got ready to carry out their plans. - -Link Merwell was not a member of the Gee Eyes. He had once been -proposed and been rejected, which had made him very angry. In some -manner he heard of the proposed initiations, and he did his best to -learn what was going on. As we know, he was not above playing the -eavesdropper, and now he followed Dave and his friends to learn their -secrets. - -"So that is what they are up to," he said. "Well, let them go ahead. -Perhaps I can put a spoke in their wheel when they least expect it!" -And then he chuckled to himself as he thought of a plan to make the -initiations end in disaster. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE GEE EYES' INITIATION - - -"Well, you're a sight!" - -"I don't look any more stylish than yourself, Roger." - -"Stylish is good, Dave. I guess both of us look like circus clowns." - -"Whoop la!" shouted Buster Beggs. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to -introduce to you the renowned Oak Hall Company of Left-Over Clowns and -Monkeys--the most unique aggregation of monstrosities on the face of -the globe. This one has the reputation of----" - -"Hush, not so loud, Buster!" cried Dave, "or you'll have old Haskers -down on us, and that will spoil the fun." - -"Speaking of looking like clowns puts me in mind of a story," came from -Shadow, who was still struggling to get into his club outfit. "One time -a country fellow who wasn't a bit good-looking wanted to join a circus -as a clown. He went to see the manager. 'Can I have a job as a clown?' -he asked. 'Well, I don't know,' answered the manager, slowly, as he -looked him over. 'Who showed you how to make up your face? It's pretty -well done.'" And the usual short laugh went up. - -The Gee Eyes in the past had worn simple robes of red with black hoods -over their heads. Now, by a special vote, they had purchased robes that -were striped--red, white, and yellow. For headgear each member had a -box-like contrivance, cubical in shape, with holes in the front for the -eyes and an orange-like lantern on top, with a candle in it. This box -rested on the shoulders of the wearer, thus concealing his identity -completely. - -In the past, Phil Lawrence had been president of the organization, -but now that office was filled by Sam Day, under the title of Right -Honorable Muck-a-Muck. Ben Basswood was secretary, and was called the -Lord of the Penwiper; Buster Beggs was treasurer, known as the Guardian -of the Dimes, and Luke Watson was sergeant-at-arms under the title of -Captain Doorkeep. - -The organization met whenever and wherever it was convenient. This was -done for two reasons: first, because the members did not wish their -enemies to know what they were doing, or otherwise information might be -imparted to the teachers; and, second, they never met unless they were -going to initiate a new member or were going to have some sort of a -feast. - -"Where are the intended victims?" asked Dave, after he had adjusted -his robe and his headgear to his satisfaction, and possessed himself of -a long stuffed club. - -"They were told to wait in the old granary until called for," answered -Messmer. - -"Do they seem to be timid about joining?" asked Ben. - -"Tom Atwood is a little timid,--he heard how little Frank Bond was -almost scared to death by Gus Plum's crowd one term." - -"By the way, where is Gus?" asked Henshaw. - -"He said he wanted to study," answered Dave. "I asked him to come, but -he wouldn't." - -"My, but didn't Gus give us a funny story the time we initiated him!" -cried one of the students. - -"Yes, and do you remember how Link Merwell and Nat Poole placed those -big firecrackers under our fire and nearly blew us all to pieces," -added another. - -"Never mind--we got square," said Buster. "I guess they haven't -forgotten yet the drubbing we gave them." - -It was late at night, and the boys had had not a little difficulty in -stealing away from the school unobserved. With all in readiness, the -three boys who were awaiting to be initiated were sent for, and they -presently appeared, escorted by four of the club members, each carrying -a bright and very blunt sword. As they came into the old boathouse, -lit up by various fantastic lanterns representing skulls, dragons, and -the like, the Gee Eyes set up a low chant: - - "Hail the victims! Let them come! - Let them enter, one by one! - Let them bow the humble knee! - Let them now forsake all glee! - Death! Blood! Tomb!" - -And then arose a weird groaning, calculated to make any lad feel -uneasy. The three victims were forced to their knees and made to -touch three chalk-marks on the floor with their noses. Then one of -the members of the club came forward with a big tin wash-basin and -sprinkled them with what looked to be water but was really ammonia. -This caused some coughing and some tears commenced to flow. But the -victims were "game" and said nothing. - -"Lock two of them in yonder dungeon cell," commanded the Right -Honorable Muck-a-Muck. "They shall be led to their fate later." And the -Soden brothers, twins named Joe and Henry, were led to a big closet of -the old boathouse and thrust inside. - -Then Tom Atwood was taken outside, and a long march commenced behind -the school grounds and leading to a secluded spot among some bushes. -Here Atwood was suddenly blindfolded and his hands tied behind him. - -[Illustration: "NOW TO JACKSON'S GULLY WITH HIM!"] - -"Now to Jackson's Gully with him," cried several, and then the party -proceeded a little further into the bushes. - -"Look out, don't slip into the gully," whispered one member, but loud -enough for Tom Atwood to hear. - -"Oh, I'll take care!" whispered another. "Why, the gully is a hundred -feet deep around here." - -Then Tom Atwood was led up and over some rocks and halted a short -distance beyond. - -"Say, that looks mighty dangerous to me," whispered Roger. - -"Oh, he'll get over if he's got nerve," answered Dave. - -"Base slave, list thou to me!" cried the president of the Gee Eyes. -"We have brought thee to the edge of a gully some hundred feet -deep. If thou wouldst become a member of this notorious--I mean -illustrious--organization thou must cross the gully on the bridge we -have provided. Dost thou accept the condition?" - -"I--I don't know," faltered Tom Atwood. "I--I can't see a thing." - -"Nor wilt thou until thy task is accomplished. The gully must be -crossed, otherwise thou canst not be of us." - -"How big is the bridge?" - -"One board wide." - -"Any--er--handrail?" went on the victim. - -"Nary a handrail," piped up a small voice from the rear. "What do you -want for your money, anyway?" - -"Say, that puts me in mind of a story----" came from another, but he -stopped short as a fellow-member hit him with a stuffed club. - -"I--I don't know about this----" began Tom Atwood. "I--oh, say, let -up!" he cried, as he received several blows from stuffed clubs. "I--oh, -my back!" - -"Wilt try the bridge?" demanded the Right Honorable Muck-a-Muck. - -"Yes, yes, but can't I--I crawl if I want to?" - -"Thou canst, after thou hast taken seven steps." - -"All right, here goes then." - -Tom Atwood was led forward to the end of a long plank. - -"Be careful," he was cautioned. "There, put your foot there and the -other one right there. Now you are all right." - -"And must I really--er--stand up and take seven steps?" - -"Yes, exactly seven, or woe betide thee!" came the answering cry. - -With great caution the blindfolded victim took a step and then another. -He was trembling visibly, which caused the club members to shake with -silent laughter. He counted the steps and when he had taken just -seven he fell on his hands and knees, clutching the sides of the plank -tightly. - -"Ho--how long is--is it?" he asked, his teeth commencing to chatter. -"I--I ain't used to climbing in such places. It--it makes me dizzy!" - -"Go on! go on!" - -"The plank is only fifty-four feet long," said one boy. - -"Oh, my! fifty-four feet; I'll go down--I know I will!" - -Slowly, and clutching the plank with a death-like grip, Tom Atwood -moved forward a distance of eighteen feet. Then the plank came to an -end. He put out one hand after the other, but felt only the empty air. - -"I--I don't feel the rest o--of th--the bridge!" he chattered. - -"It is gone!" cried one boy, in a disguised voice. "Turn around and -come back." - -"But be careful how you turn, or the board may wabble and let you -drop," added another. - -More scared than ever, Tom Atwood turned around very gingerly. Once he -thought the board was going over, and he set up a yell of fright. Then -slowly and painfully he came back over the plank until he reached the -solid ground once more. - -"Hurrah!" cried the Gee Eyes. "Bravely done, Tom!" - -"Now you are one of us!" - -"He didn't mind that deep gully at all!" - -"Yes, but I did mind it," answered the victim, as they were taking the -cover from his eyes. "I wouldn't do that again for a hundred dollars in -cash!" - -"It was certainly the bravest thing to do I ever heard of," was Dave's -comment, and then he tore the bandage away. Immediately, by the light -of the lanterns the boys had on their headpieces, Tom Atwood looked at -the plank which had cost him so much worry and fright. - -"Well, I never!" he gasped. - -And then what a roar of laughter went up! And well it might, for the -plank rested on nothing but two blocks of wood and was less than a foot -from the solid ground! The location was nowhere near Jackson's Gully. - -"Tom, you'll do it for a hundred dollars now, won't you?" questioned -Roger, earnestly. - -"Oh, what a sell!" answered the victim, sheepishly. "Say, please don't -tell the other fellows of this," he pleaded. "I'll never hear the end -of it!" - -"The secrets of the Gee Eyes are never told outside," answered Phil. -"But there is one more thing you must do," he added. - -"What?" - -"Carry that plank back to the boathouse." - -"All right." - -"And here is a suit for you," said Ben. "Put that on, and then you can -participate in the initiation of the Soden brothers." - -"Where are they?" - -"Locked up in the closet at the old boathouse." - -"What are you going to do with them?" - -"You'll see when you get back." - -With Tom Atwood and the plank between them, the members of the Gee Eyes -took up the long march back to the old boathouse. To do this they had -to cross a country road which was but little used. As they did this -they heard an unusual sound from a clump of trees near by. - -"There they are!" a voice called out. "I told you I had seen some -ghosts." - -"Sure enough, Billy, they must be ghosts," was the reply, in a deeper -voice. "It's a good thing I brung my shotgun with me." - -"Are you goin' to shoot at 'em?" - -"That's what, Billy." - -Hardly had the words been spoken when, to the consternation of the Gee -Eyes, a shotgun was discharged, the load whistling through the trees -over the lads' heads. - -"Hi! hi! stop that!" yelled Buster Beggs. "We are not ghosts! We -are----" - -Bang! spoke up the shotgun a second time, and the load went clipping -through the bushes on the left. - -"Hand me your shotgun, Billy," said one of the voices. "I don't know -if I hit 'em or not, but this'll fetch 'em!" - -"Run!" cried Dave. "Run for your lives! That old farmer is so scared he -doesn't know what he is doing!" - -And then all the boys ran across the roadway and dove into the woods -beyond. They heard another report, but the contents of the gun did not -reach them. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -IN WHICH JOB HASKERS GETS LEFT IN THE COLD - - -The boys kept on running for fully a hundred yards, plunging deeper and -deeper into the woods which lined the roadway. Tom Atwood had dropped -the plank and two of the club members had lost their headpieces, but -nobody dreamed of going back for the articles. - -"I think I know who that man is," said Phil, when the crowd came to a -halt. - -"Mike Marcy?" questioned Dave. - -"Yes." - -"I thought that, too, but I wasn't sure. He called the other fellow -Billy." - -"He has a boy working for him now and his name is Billy," said Shadow. -"I met him on the road several times, driving cows. He isn't just right -in his mind. I suppose Marcy got him to work cheap." - -"I wonder if Marcy really thought we were ghosts?" mused the senator's -son. "Maybe he only said that to scare us. He might have thought we -were up to some kind of a job around his farm." - -"Well, whether he thought we were ghosts or not, he certainly shot at -us," was Phil's comment. "Ugh! I am glad I didn't get a dose of the -shot!" - -"And so am I," answered several others. - -"That is one more black mark against Mike Marcy," said Luke Watson. -"We'll have to remember to pay him back." - -"Never mind about paying him back just now," answered Roger. "The -question is, What's to do next? That run warmed me up and I'll take -cold if I stand here long doing nothing." - -"We must get back to the boathouse. Remember, the Soden boys are still -locked up in that closet. It hasn't much ventilation and we don't want -them to smother." - -"I'm not going around by the road," said Henshaw. - -"Not on your life!" exclaimed Ben. "I'd rather go down to the river and -walk over the ice." - -It was finally decided to follow Ben's suggestion, and the crowd -continued on their way through the brushwood until the Leming River was -reached. They saw or heard nothing more of Mike Marcy and his hired -boy, for which they were thankful. Reaching the ice, they set off at a -dog-trot for the old boathouse. - -"If we only had skates this would be fine," declared Dave. "But as we -haven't any we've got to make the best of it." - -"As the servant girl said, when she told her mistress that she couldn't -make sponge cake because they didn't have any sponges," answered the -senator's son. - -"Say, that puts me in mind of a story about a----" began Shadow. -But just then one of the boys put out his foot and down went the -story-teller of the school on the ice. "Hi, you!" he roared and pulled -the other youth on top of him. Then began a wild scramble on the part -of both to see who could get up first, and the story was forgotten. - -When the Gee Eyes came in sight of the old boathouse they were -surprised to learn it was well past midnight. - -"We'll have to rush matters," said Dave. "If we don't, somebody may -report us, and the doctor won't let us off very easily if we stay out -too late." - -"Maybe we'd better postpone the other initiations," suggested Luke. - -"Oh, no, go ahead!" cried half a dozen. "We are safe enough." - -Entering the old boathouse, the boys lit all the lanterns they -possessed, and those who had lost their head-coverings tied masks over -their faces. Then some approached the closet in which the Soden twins -had been confined. - - -"Hello!" - -"They are gone!" - -"What does this mean?" - -"They must have broken out and run away!" - -Such were some of the exclamations indulged in when it was found that -the apartment was empty. A hasty examination was made of the hasp and -staple of the door, and they were found intact. A wooden peg had served -to keep the hasp in place. - -"It looks to me as if somebody had let them out," said Dave, after an -examination. - -"But who would do that, Dave?" questioned Phil. - -"Somebody not a member of the Gee Eyes--some enemy of the club." - -"But why should the Soden boys run away?" asked Shadow. "They were -willing to be initiated." - -"Perhaps they got cold feet--mentally as well as physically," ventured -Henshaw. "They may have got to talking things over in the dark and got -scared." - -"They didn't break out, that's sure," declared the senator's son. -"Somebody on the outside removed that wooden peg." - -"Well, we didn't do it," said one of the boys. - -"Can they be anywhere around?" - -Some of the boys began a search, but this was in vain--the twins had -disappeared. - - -"We may as well give up for to-night," said the president at last. - -"I move we adjourn to bed," said Ben, and this was put and carried, and -without delay the robes, headgears, and stuffed clubs and swords were -hidden away, and the students hurried to Oak Hall. - -Here another setback awaited them. The side door was locked, and the -false key they had put on a convenient nail was missing. - -"Somebody is playing us tricks," said Dave. "I thought so before and -now I am certain of it. I shouldn't wonder if that somebody had gone -and told Mike Marcy to look out for ghosts at the end of his lot." - -"Who would do it?" - -"Several fellows--Link Merwell, Nat Poole, and their cronies." - -"Never mind that crowd now," said Shadow. "How are we to get into the -school without waking anybody up?" - -"Let us try all the doors and lower windows," suggested the shipowner's -son. - -This was done, and at last one of the boys found a basement window -unfastened. He notified the others. - -"I know where that leads to," said Dave. "The laundry." - -"Yes, I've been in the laundry, too," added the senator's son. - - -"Then one of you see if you can get upstairs through the laundry and -let us in," said Buster. "And please don't be all night about it -either, for I am getting cold." - -"Don't say a word," came from Messmer. "My ears are about frozen -already." - -"I'll go," said Dave. - -"I'll go along," returned Roger. - -Both climbed down through the basement window, to find themselves in a -place that was pitch-dark. Here Dave struck a match and by its faint -rays led the way to an open cellar and then to a stairs running up to -the kitchen. - -Tiptoeing their way up the stairs, they tried the door at the top, and -to their joy found it unlocked. They stepped into the kitchen, and just -then the match went out, leaving them again in the dark. - -"I know the way now, so there is no need to make another light," said -Roger. - -"Wait,--better have a light," answered Dave. "You don't want to stumble -over anything and make a noise." - -He found a candle and lit it, and then the chums crept silently from -the kitchen, through the pantry and dining room to the side hall. They -wanted to stop for something to eat from the pantry, but did not wish -to keep their friends waiting out in the cold. - -The two youths were just on the point of turning a corner of the hall -when a sound struck their ears. Somebody was close at hand, snoring -lustily! - -"Who can it be?" asked Roger, in a faint whisper, when both realized -what the sound meant. - -"I'll soon find out," answered Dave, and held up the candle. - -"Don't wake him up, or there'll be trouble!" - -Step by step they drew closer to the sleeping person. It was a man, -wearing an overcoat and a skullcap. He was seated in a comfortable -armchair taken from the parlor. - -"Old Haskers!" cried Dave. - -"He must have been on the watch for us and fallen asleep," was the -comment of the senator's son. - -"Don't wake him--let him sleep." - -"To be sure, Dave--I'd like to chloroform him!" - -The boys passed the snoring teacher and reached a side door. Unlocking -it, they slipped without, and closed the door again. Then they summoned -the members of the Gee Eyes and told them of what they had discovered. - -"You'll have to go in as quietly as mice," said Dave. "Otherwise he'll -wake up and catch us,--and then the fat will be in the fire." - -"Dave, somebody has surely been spying on us," said Phil. - -"Exactly--but we can't take that up now. In you go, and take off your -shoes before you start upstairs. Maybe----" Dave paused. - -"What, Dave?" - -"Maybe we can play a joke on Haskers, when we are about safe." - -"How?" asked several. - -"We might carry him out on the piazza and lock the door on him. Under -that overcoat he has on only his night clothes and a pair of slippers." - -"If we only could do it!" murmured Phil, gleefully. - -One by one the members of the Gee Eyes entered the school building, -slipped off their shoes, and went upstairs. Then, wrapping their -coats around their heads, Dave, Roger, Phil, and Shadow came back and -surrounded Job Haskers. - -"Now listen," said Dave, who still held the candle. "If he wakes -up, drop him. I'll blow out the candle, and all scoot for the -dormitories,--but without noise, remember that!" And so it was agreed. - -As carefully as possible they raised up the sleeping man, armchair and -all, and carried him to the side door, which Dave opened. Then they -took their burden outside and put the chair down in the snow at the -foot of the piazza steps. This accomplished, they ran back into the -school, closed and locked the door, and threw the key in a dark corner. - - -"Now for the dormitory!" cried Dave, and blew out the light. "And -everybody undress in jig-time!" - -All understood, and the way they flew up the stairs was a wonder. Like -lightning-change actors they threw off their garments and got into -their sleeping clothes. The other boys were already disrobed, and some -were at the windows, looking down through shade cracks, to see what -might happen below. - -They had not long to wait. Job Haskers speedily grew cold and woke up -with a start. In the darkness he stared around in perplexity and then -leaped to his feet. - -"Oh!" the boys heard him mutter, as some of the loose snow got into his -slippers. "What can this mean? Where am I?" - -He took several steps, and more snow got into his slippers. Then he -slipped on a patch of ice and plunged straight into the snow with his -arms and shoulders. - -"Confound the luck!" the boys heard him say. "Boys, what does this -mean? Who put me here? Oh, but won't I make you suffer for this! Oh, my -feet!" And then he rushed for the piazza steps. Here he slipped again, -and the students heard him yell as he came down on his left elbow. Then -he disappeared from sight under the roof of the piazza. - - -"He won't get in right away!" whispered Roger. "Oh, this is the best -yet!" - -They heard Job Haskers fumble at the knob of the door. He tried to turn -it several times and then shook it violently. Finding the door would -not open, he began to pound upon the barrier with his fist. - -"He's making noise enough to wake the dead!" whispered Phil. - -"Somebody is going below," said Dave, a moment later. "Now I guess -there will be more fun!" - -"If only we aren't caught!" murmured Shadow, who was a bit afraid that -the fun had been carried too far. - - -CHAPTER XV - -WHAT MIKE MARCY HAD TO TELL - - -It was Murphy the monitor who let the assistant teacher in. Job Haskers -entered stamping his feet loudly, for they were decidedly cold. - -"Why, Mr. Haskers, what does this mean?" asked the monitor, in -amazement. "I didn't know you were out. And in slippers, too!" - -"I--er--I----" stammered the teacher, and then he stopped, for he did -not know how to proceed. He realized that he occupied a very ridiculous -position. - -"Can I do anything for you?" went on the monitor. - -"Murphy, have you seen any boys come in since lights were out?" - -"No, sir." - -"Nobody at all?" - -"Not a soul." - -"It is queer. They must have come in, and finding me asleep----" Job -Haskers did not finish. - -"Where were you asleep, sir?" - -"Never mind--if you saw nobody. But listen, I want you to make the -rounds, and see if every boy is in his dormitory. If any are absent, -report to me in my room at once." - -"Yes, sir," returned the monitor, and hurried off. - -"He'll not find us missing," whispered Dave. "All hands in bed and -eyes shut. No fooling now, for if you are caught something serious may -happen." - -The others understood, and when Jim Murphy came with a light to look -into dormitories No. 11 and No. 12 he found every lad tucked in under -the blankets and looking as if he had been slumbering for several hours. - -"That was what I call a narrow escape," whispered Phil, after the -monitor had departed. "Somebody surely spied on us." - -"We'll look into the matter to-morrow," answered Luke Watson. "I'm in -for sleep now." And a little later all the lads were in the land of -dreams. - -The next morning the members of the Gee Eyes looked for an -investigation from Job Haskers, but no such thing occurred. The fact -of the matter was that the teacher realized fully what a joke had been -played on him while he was asleep, and he was afraid to stir the matter -up for fear the entire school would be laughing at him. He made a few -very cautious inquiries, which gave him no clew, and then, for the time -being, dropped the matter. - -The Gee Eyes were anxious to know how the Soden brothers had gotten out -of the closet at the old boathouse, and were amazed when the answer -came. - -"Why, two of you fellows came back and let us out," said Henry Soden. - -"Let you out?" asked Buster Beggs. - -"Yes." - -"One of the fellows said that Mr. Haskers was onto the game and that no -initiations would be attempted," explained Joe Soden. "He said we had -better get back to our dormitory as quickly as we could, so we scooted." - -"Who were those chaps?" demanded Dave. - -"I don't know. They wore their coats inside out and big paper bags over -their heads." - -"They were no members of the Gee Eyes," said Phil. "They were some -outsiders who wanted to spoil our fun." - -"Well, I must confess we were glad enough to get out of the closet,--it -was so cold," said Henry Soden. "But just the same I shouldn't have -run away if I had known the truth. Both of us are anxious to join your -club." - -"I'll tell you what I think," said Dave. "It was a put-up job all -around. Some enemy told Mike Marcy about ghosts, sent word to old -Haskers to be on guard, and released Joe and Henry." - -"If that is true, we want to find out who that enemy was," answered -Roger. "No student of Oak Hall can play such a trick on the Gee Eyes -without suffering for it." - -"So say we all of us!" sang out several. - -"I have a plan," went on Dave. "Let us lay for that hired boy of -Marcy's--the lad called Billy. Maybe he can tell us who told Marcy--if -anybody did tell him." And so it was arranged. - -The opportunity to interview the farm boy Billy did not occur until -about a week later, when Dave and Ben Basswood were walking to Oakdale -to buy some film rolls for their cameras. They took a side road leading -past the Marcy farm, and caught sight of Billy down by a cowshed and -beckoned to him. - -"Is your name Billy?" asked Dave, kindly, for he could easily see that -the lad was somewhat simple-minded, by the way he clasped and unclasped -his hands, twisted his shoulders, and twitched his mouth. - -"Yes, Billy Sankers, from Lundytown," was the boy's reply. - -"Do you work for Mr. Marcy?" - -"Do I? Sure I do--an' he works for me," and Billy grinned at what he -thought was a joke. - -"You went after ghosts the other night, didn't you?" continued Dave. - -"Yes, we did, an' we bagged a lot of 'em, too--shot 'em full of holes -an' they disappeared into the sky," and the poor deluded boy began to -wave his arms as if flying. - -"Who told Mr. Marcy that the ghosts were coming?" asked Ben. - -"Two boys from the school over there," and now Billy jerked his thumb -in the direction of Oak Hall. "They said to keep still about it, but -what's the use? The ghosts are shot full of holes, shot full of holes, -holes, holes!" - -"Did you know the boys?" asked Dave. - -At this question Billy shook his head. "I don't go to school there--I -know too much. Maybe some day I'll go over and teach the teachers. One -boy called the other Nat," he added, suddenly. - -"Nat!" cried Dave. He turned to his chum. "Can it have been Nat Poole?" - -"That's it, Nat Poole!" cried Billy. "You're a wise owl to guess it." - -"What was the other boy called?" continued Ben. - -"Called? Nothing. Yes, he was, too, he was called Link. That's it, -Link, Blink, Hink! Funny name, eh?" - -"Link!" cried Dave. "Can it have been Link Merwell?" - -"More than likely," answered his chum. "Nat and Link travel together, -and both are down on our crowd." - -"Did they tell Mr. Marcy that the ghosts would be schoolboys?" asked -Dave. - -"No, ghosts," answered Billy, nodding his head gravely. "They told Mike -an' he told me, an' we got the shotguns to scare 'em off. Mike don't -want ghosts around this place." - -"Here comes Mike Marcy now," whispered Ben. "Had we better get out?" - -"I'll not run for him," was Dave's answer. - -"Sure, an' what do you fellers want here?" demanded the big, brawny -Irish-American farmer as he strode up, horsewhip in hand. - -"Mr. Marcy, we want to have a talk with you," said Dave, coldly. "I -guess you remember me." - -"I do. You're the lad I once had locked up in my smokehouse," and the -farmer grinned slightly. - -"Yes. But I am not here about that now,--nor am I here to tell you that -I was one of the boys that found your mule when he was lost and sent -you word. I am here to ask you about the shooting that took place about -a week ago." - -"Shooting!" - -"Exactly. Who were the boys who came here and told you to go to the end -of your farm and shoot at a lot of innocent lads having a little fun by -themselves?" - -"Why--er---- See here, what do you mean?" blustered Mike Marcy. - -"I mean just what I say, Mr. Marcy, and I want you to answer my -question." - -"Eh! Say, do you see this whip?" stormed the farmer. "I'll let ye taste -it in a minit!" - -"You'll do nothing of the kind," answered Dave, coolly. "I ask you a -question and you must answer it. This is a serious business. You fired -three shots at a crowd of innocent schoolboys who were harming nobody. -You cannot deny it." - -"They were on my land." - -"Some of them were on the road, and they were doing absolutely no harm. -You merely fired at them out of pure ugliness." - -"See here, do ye want this?" And now the horsewhip was raised. - -"If you strike either of us, I shall at once have you arrested. How -many students do you suppose are now in bed under the doctor's care -because of the shooting you did?" - -At this question Mike Marcy turned suddenly pale. - -"I--er--was anybody hurt? I--er--I fired into the air--just to scare -'em," he faltered. - -"I ask you a question and I want you to answer it, and you had better -do it unless you want to get into more trouble. Who told you to go out -and do the shooting?" - -"We want their names and we are bound to have them," put in Ben, -following up Dave's bold manner, now that he saw the farmer was growing -uneasy. - -"The boys were named Nat Poole and Link Merwell. But they wanted their -names kept secret." - -"What did they tell you?" - -"They said a lot of the toughest lads in the school were going to -disguise themselves an' come down here and cut up like Indians, and -maybe rob me of some chickens, an' I had better be on the watch for -'em. One said I might scare 'em by saying I saw ghosts, and I said that -was a good idee. So I called Billy an' told him about the ghosts, an' -we got the shotguns. But as true as I stand here I shot up into the -air. I didn't want to hit anybody, an' if any lad got as much as one -shot in him I'm sorry." - -"That is all we want to know, Mr. Marcy," returned Dave. "We thank you -for the information," and he started to walk away, followed by Ben. - -"But see here--if anybody is hurted----" cried Mike Marcy. "Sure, I -don't want trouble----" - -"We won't say any more about it--since you didn't mean to hit anybody," -answered Dave. "But after this never shoot at us again." - -"I won't, ye can be certain of that," answered the farmer, with a sigh -of relief. - -"And another thing, Mr. Marcy," added Ben. "If you see Nat Poole or -Link Merwell do not tell them that you saw us or told us the truth." - -"I'll remember." And with this promise from the farmer the boys took -their departure. But they had not gone a hundred feet when Mike Marcy -came running after them. - -"Tell me," said he; "was anybody really hit?" - -"Nobody was seriously hurt," answered Dave. "But you scared some of the -boys nearly to death, and they tumbled all over the rocks and bushes, -in trying to get out of range of the shots." - -"I see. Well, I won't do any more shooting," answered Mike Marcy, and -walked back to his house, looking very thoughtful. - -"It is just as we supposed," said Dave, when he and his chum were -alone. "Nat Poole and Link Merwell are responsible for everything. They -got Marcy to do the shooting, released the Soden brothers, and somehow -put Haskers on guard." - -"Well, the Gee Eyes will have to square accounts with them," replied -Ben. "We'll make a report at the next meeting of the club, and then the -club can take what action it likes in the matter. For my part, I think -such sneaks ought to be drummed out of the school." - -"And I agree with you, Ben. But let me tell you one thing. Link Merwell -is ten times worse than Nat Poole. Nat is a dude and a fool and easily -led around by others, but Link Merwell is a knave, as black-hearted as -any boy I can name. Look out for him, or when you least expect it he -will play you foul." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -SOMETHING ABOUT LESSONS - - -At Oakdale the two students ran into Phil, who had come to town -earlier, to see about a pair of skating shoes. They told their chum of -what they had learned, and the shipowner's son agreed that the Gee Eyes -ought in some way to punish the offenders. - -"I just met two friends," went on Phil. "I stopped at the candy store -for some chocolates and ran into Mary Feversham and Vera Rockwell. Vera -wanted to know how you were, Dave," and Phil grinned. - -"I trust you told her I was very sick, Phil," was Dave's quick reply. - -"I did--I said you were crying your eyes out for another sight of her," -and then Phil dodged, to escape a blow Dave playfully aimed at his head. - -The boys procured the articles for which they had come, and then took a -stroll through the town. At one store an auction sale was in progress -and here they met the two girls Phil had mentioned. Both were dressed -in fur coats, with dainty fur caps to match, and both looked very sweet. - -"We watched them selling some bric-a-brac," said Mary. "It was real -fun. A beautiful statue of Apollo went for two dollars--just think of -it!" - -"Might get one of those statues to replace the broken one," said Ben to -Dave. - -"Oh, did somebody break a statue?" cried Vera. - -"Yes,--and there was quite an exciting time doing it," said Phil. "Dave -was the hero of the occasion." - -"Oh, tell me about it, Mr. Porter!" And Vera bent her eyes full upon -Dave. - -"Oh, it didn't amount to much," answered Dave. - -"But please tell me, won't you?" pleaded Vera. - -Then both girls teased him, until at last he related some of the -particulars of the encounter with Job Haskers. Mary and Vera were -deeply interested, Vera especially. - -"I am glad you did not give in to him," said Vera. "I like a boy who -can stand up for his rights." - -"You can trust Dave to do that," said Ben. "He doesn't take water for -anybody." - -"Oh, come now, Ben----" murmured Dave. - -"I believe Mr. Basswood," said Vera. "I hope Mr. Porter always does -stick up for himself. I never liked a boy or a man--or a girl -either--who was cowardly." - -After that the boys and girls listened to the auctioneer for several -minutes. Then Phil suggested soda to Mary Feversham, and all of the -party walked over to a corner drug store, where hot chocolate was to be -had, and there Phil and Dave treated. - -The crowd was in the act of drinking the beverage, and Dave had just -handed Vera her glass, when, glancing toward the doorway, he saw Link -Merwell and a strange young man standing there. Link started and stared -rudely at the girls. Then he whispered something to his companion, and -both turned from the drug store and disappeared up the street. - -"Did you see them?" whispered Dave to Phil. - -"I saw somebody look in and walk away. Who was it?" - -"Link Merwell and a stranger." - -"Humph! I suppose Merwell didn't want to come in while we were here," -murmured the shipowner's son. And there the subject was dropped. -Little did Dave dream of what was to be the result of Link Merwell's -unexpected appearance while he was in the company of Vera Rockwell. - -The boys did not have much time to spend in town, and soon they bade -the girls good-by and hurried back to Oak Hall. It was plain to be -seen that Phil thought the trip an extra pleasant one. - -"No use in talking; Mary Feversham is all right," he said to Dave, -enthusiastically. "Finest girl I ever ran across." - -"Phil, I'm afraid you're smitten," answered Dave, with a laugh. "You'll -be dreaming about her next." - -"Perhaps--I don't care if I do," was the reply, which showed that Phil -was pretty far "gone" indeed. "But say," he went on, suddenly. "Talking -about dreaming, I want to tell you something. Do you remember how -Shadow Hamilton used to walk in his sleep?" - -"I don't think anybody is liable to forget it," answered Dave, thinking -of Shadow's theft, during his sleep-walking, of Doctor Clay's valuable -collection of rare postage stamps as related in a previous volume of -this series. - -"Shadow is at it again--although not so bad as before." - -"How do you know?" asked Ben. - -"Because the other night I woke up and heard him getting something -out of his trunk. He was at the trunk about ten minutes and then went -to bed again. In the morning I asked him about it and he declared -positively that he hadn't gotten up at all. He was much disturbed over -what I told him." - -"Maybe you were only dreaming," suggested Dave. - -"No, I wasn't--I was as wide awake as I am now." - -"It would be too bad if Shadow got to sleep-walking again," said Dave. -"We'll have to watch him a little. We don't want him to get into -trouble." - -During the next two weeks Dave found but little time for recreation. -A test in two studies was in progress, and he made up his mind to -pass with flying colors. He went in for a regular "grind," as Roger -expressed it, and was at his books fully as much as was Polly Vane; -indeed, the two often studied together. - -"Come on out for a skate--it may be the last of the season," said the -senator's son, one afternoon, but Dave shook his head. - -"Can't do it, Roger--I've got my Latin to do, and four of those -problems in geometry,--and some German." - -"Oh, bother the lessons! Can't you let the geometry and the German -slide?" - -"Oh, I've made up my mind to get not less than ninety per cent. in the -test this week." - -"Then you won't really come?" Roger lingered in the doorway as he spoke. - -"Not to-day. Have you got that geometry?" - -"No--I thought I might do it this evening." - -"What about the German?" - -"Oh, perhaps I'll do that, too. I don't care much for the German, -anyway." - -"But you ought to study your lesson, now you have taken it up, Roger." - -There was a minute of silence, and Dave turned to his text-books and -papers and began to write. Roger drummed on the door and heaved a deep -sigh. The ice on the river was growing soft--in a few days skating -might be a thing of the past. - -"It seems to me you don't care for skating as much as you did, Dave," -he said, presently. - -"Oh, yes, I do, Roger; but I'm not going to think about it while I have -studying to do. I can't forget that, after all is said and done, I am -here to get a good education, and that both my father and Mr. Wadsworth -expect me to make the most of my opportunities." - -Dave returned again to his books and papers and another silence -followed. Then the senator's son came in, hung up his skates in the -closet, and got out his own schoolbooks and papers. - -"Well, if we've got to grind, I suppose it is up to me to do my share," -he remarked, with another sigh. "But that ice----" - -"Don't do it on my account, Roger." - -"Yes, but, Dave, I can't stand it to see you grinding alone--when I -know I ought to grind too. My father wants me to get a good education, -too. So here goes," and then Roger began to study just as hard as Dave -and Polly. Then Phil came in, and Shadow, and seeing the condition of -affairs, went at it like the rest. Dave's example certainly carried -a wonderful influence with it, even though the youth himself did not -fully realize it. - -"This fifth problem in geometry is a corker," observed Shadow, -presently. "If the gable of a house is fourteen feet long on one side, -and the angle at the top is one of forty degrees, and the other side is -but eleven feet long, how----" - -"Don't say a word, I've been working on that for half an hour," said -Phil. "Tried it this noon, after dinner, and couldn't get it." - -"It's very easy," answered Polly. - -"Have you got it, Dave?" asked Roger. - -"Yes, but I didn't find it so easy." - -"Guess I'll climb up some gable and measure it," said Shadow. He began -suddenly to grin. "That puts me in mind of a story. Once a college -professor----" - -"Don't!" begged Polly. "I have some figures in my head I don't wish to -lose!" - -"Then nail 'em down," answered the story-teller of the school, calmly. -"This college professor was paying a visit to some lumbermen and -he was trying to convince one old tree-chopper of the value of an -education. Says he, 'Now, look at it. You don't know how to measure -a plank accurately.' 'Don't I, though?' says the lumberman. 'No, -you don't, and I can prove it,' says the professor. 'Now, supposing -you had a plank twenty feet long and one foot wide at one end and -running up evenly to two feet wide at the other end. Where would you -saw that plank crosswise so that one end would contain as much wood -as the other? You can't do that problem and I know it, because you -never studied higher mathematics.' 'That's dead easy,' says the old -lumberman. 'I don't even need a pencil to figger it out,' says he. -'Jest balance thet plank on a bit of stick, an' cut her where she -balances!' And then the college professor didn't have anything more to -say, for he made out the lumberman was a hopeless case." And at this -tale all the boys present snickered. - -"Shadow would have a job climbing up on a gable to measure it," said -Phil. "I'd rather do it on paper." Then Polly Vane and Dave gave Shadow -some points as to how the problem should be worked out. - -In some way Link Merwell and Nat Poole got an inkling of the fact -that it was known they had done all in their power to break up the -initiation ceremonies of the Gee Eyes, and, not to be cornered, both -of the boys did all they could to keep out of the reach of their -fellow-students. But the Gee Eyes did not forget, and at a special -meeting of the club it was voted to give both Poole and Merwell "the -cold shoulder" until something more definite could be done. By "the -cold shoulder" was meant that no member of the club was to associate -with Poole or Merwell or speak to them unless required to do so during -school sessions. Outside of the schoolrooms they were to be as utterly -ignored as though they did not exist. - -"I think that will bring Nat Poole to terms, without going further," -said Roger. "He hates to be left to himself--I've noticed that many -times." - -"Well, it may have that effect on Nat," answered Dave. "But I think it -will only make Merwell more savage," and in this surmise he was correct. - -The tests proved a severe strain on many of the boys, and Dave was glad -when they were over. What the standing of each student was would not be -known until later. - -"Now I'd like to go skating," said he to Roger, but this could not be, -for warm weather had set in and the ice and snow were rapidly passing -away. That night it rained, and this made everything outside very -sloppy. - -Dave went to bed early, for he was tired out. He slept soundly for -several hours and then awoke with a start, for something had brushed -his face. He sat up, and was just in time to see a form gliding from -the dormitory. - -"Hello! what can that mean?" he murmured to himself, and then he sprang -up. "Guess I'll investigate." And then, putting on a pair of slippers -and donning a long overcoat that was handy, he made after the person -who had just disappeared. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -SHADOW HAMILTON'S PERIL - - -When Dave reached the hallway he saw, by a dim light that was burning, -a form at the lower end, moving toward a back stairs. An instant later -the form glided up the stairs toward the third floor of the school -building. The form was in white, and Dave knew it must be one of the -students in his nightdress. - -"Something is going on," he thought. "Wonder if that is Phil or Roger?" - -Curious to learn what the midnight prowler was up to, Dave followed -the unknown to the third story of the building. He saw the fellow walk -to a side hall. Here it was almost dark, for the servants' rooms were -in that part of the building. He stopped and listened and heard an odd -creaking and a scraping sound. Then he went forward once more. - -Turning into the side hall, a gust of cold wind struck him. He knew -it came from overhead, and then he remembered that at the end of the -side hall was a ladder leading to a scuttle of the roof. The scuttle -had been thrown open, and wind and rain were coming down through the -opening. - -Dave's curiosity was now excited to the top pitch. He felt sure that -the servants had not left the scuttle open on retiring or that it had -been blown open by the wind. Consequently, the midnight prowler must -have opened it, and if so, for what purpose excepting to get out on the -wet and slippery roof? - -Suddenly an idea flashed into Dave's mind, and without further ado he -ran to the ladder and mounted it with all speed. At the top he thrust -his head through the scuttle opening and looked around that portion of -the school roof which was visible from that point. - -He had expected to see a certain person, but he was disappointed. Yet -this did not make him hesitate regarding his course of action. He -crawled out on the roof, slippery and treacherous with slush, and made -his way cautiously but rapidly to where there were an angle and a high -gable, with a wide chimney between. - -As he gained the side of the chimney and stood there in the rain, -slush, and wind, he saw a sight that both thrilled and chilled him. The -mysterious student in white was crawling up the gable and was already -close to the ridge! - -"Shadow Hamilton!" murmured Dave. "He is sleep-walking again!" - -Dave was right--it was indeed poor Shadow, and as fast asleep as a -sleep-walker can get. The lad had a tape measure in one hand and was -muttering to himself: - -"If the gable of a house is fourteen feet long on one side, and the -angle at the top----" And then the rest was lost in the wind. - -"He's dreaming of that problem in geometry," said Dave to himself. -"It's got on his nerves." - -He wondered what he could do to aid the sleep-walker. He was afraid to -call to Shadow, for fear the boy might awaken suddenly and tumble off -the roof. Shadow was now on the ridge, and, to Dave's added horror, he -stood upright, the tape measure in his hands. Then he began to walk to -the very end of the ridgepole. - -"If he falls into the yard he'll break his neck sure!" - -Such was Dave's agonizing thought, and despite the cold, the heavy -perspiration stood out on his forehead. - -"Dave!" - -It was a voice from the scuttle opening and came so unexpectedly it -made the youth start. Turning back, he made out Phil in the dim light. - -"Phil!" he whispered. - -"What are you doing up there, Dave?" - -"I followed Shadow Hamilton." - -"Shadow?" - -"Yes. He is sleep-walking again and has climbed to the ridge of the -gable roof. I don't dare to awaken him for fear of an accident." - -"I saw you go out and I was wondering what was up. Then I missed Shadow -and came after you. It's too bad, Dave! But I imagine the very best -thing you can do is to let him alone until he comes back." - -"I don't like to take the responsibility, Phil. If anything should -happen I'd never forgive myself. I'll tell you what I wish you'd do." - -"What?" - -"Run and call Mr. Dale. He knows something about these cases. He once -told me he had a brother who walked in his sleep and did all sorts of -strange things." - -"All right, I'll call him," answered the shipowner's son, and -disappeared down the scuttle ladder. - -Going back to the chimney, Dave now saw that Shadow had reached the end -of the ridgepole and was kneeling down upon it. Holding out the tape -measure he proceeded to make several imaginary measurements, all the -while muttering to himself. The sight almost caused Dave's heart to -stop beating, for the slightest miscalculation on the sleep-walker's -part would have caused a serious if not fatal accident. - -After what seemed a long time Dave heard Phil coming back. He was -accompanied by Andrew Dale, the head teacher, who had stopped just long -enough to get on some of his clothing. - -"Where is he?" whispered Mr. Dale, as he came out in the wind and rain. - -"There," answered Dave, and pointed out the form of the sleep-walker. - -"Have you tried to speak to him?" - -"No, I was afraid." - -"Then, don't say a word till he comes down to a safer place." - -After that the three watched Shadow Hamilton for several minutes while -he continued his calculation and used the tape measure. Then they saw -the sleep-walker wind up the measure. - -"He is coming down!" whispered Phil, and he was right. Slowly Shadow -climbed down from the gable roof and made his way toward the scuttle. -He had taken but a few steps when suddenly he slipped and fell. - -"Oh!" he cried, and looked around in bewilderment. "Where----" - -"Shadow!" cried Dave, and caught him by the arm. "You are all right, so -don't worry." - -"But where am I?" insisted the sleep-walker. - -"On the roof." - -"You have been walking in your sleep, Hamilton," explained Mr. Dale. -"Come, let me help you down the ladder. You are soaked through, and if -you don't get into a warm bed very quickly you may catch your death of -cold." - -Completely bewildered, Shadow allowed himself to be taken to the ladder -and aided to descend. Then the scuttle was closed and hooked. - -"I do not think it best for you to go back to the dormitory," said the -head teacher. "I'll put you in a warm room by yourself. But perhaps -it would be as well for somebody to stay with you for the rest of the -night," and Andrew Dale looked questioningly at Dave and Phil. - -"I'll stay," said Dave, quickly. - -"Very well. To-morrow we'll talk this over and see what is best to do. -There is no use in trying to do so now, when we are all cold, wet, and -tired." - -The head teacher led the way to a private bedroom that was well heated -and had Dave go back to the dormitory for some extra clothing. Then he -left Dave and Shadow to themselves. - -"This breaks me all up," said Shadow, moodily. "I thought I was all -over those tricks." - -"It was the hard study did it, and the tests," answered Dave. "You had -that geometrical problem in your mind and couldn't get rid of it. Maybe -you'll never walk in your sleep again." - -"I sincerely trust not, Dave. It was good of you and the others to help -me," and Shadow gave his chum a grateful look. - -"We did very little, Shadow--indeed, I didn't know what to do. But when -I saw you on the very end of the ridge I can tell you my heart was in -my throat." - -Before going to bed both boys indulged in a good rubbing down and -consequently the exposure to the elements did them no harm. In the -morning Shadow was excused from attending school and Horsehair was sent -to town to get some of the medicine which the sleep-walker had taken in -the past, after the exposure of his former exploits during the night. - -With the coming of spring the boys had a vacation of several days. -A few of the students went home, but the majority remained at Oak -Hall, and, to pass away the time, indulged in all sorts of sports and -pastimes, including a funny initiation of the Soden brothers. - -At New Year a new gymnasium teacher had been engaged,--a fine man, -who was an expert gymnast and also a good boxer and fencer. Since -coming back to the Hall, Dave had become interested in both boxing and -fencing, and spent some time under the new instructor. - -"I believe a chap ought to know how to defend himself," he said to -Roger. "In knocking around one doesn't know what kind of a hole he may -be placed in,--and you can never know too much." - -"Well, I like boxing and fencing myself," answered the senator's son, -and after that he and Dave had many a time together, with the foils and -gloves. - -Link Merwell did not care much for fencing, but he took readily to -boxing, and he caused Nat Poole to take up the sport. As the pair were -still totally ignored by the Gee Eyes they had to box against one -another or with some of the younger lads. - -"Those fellows are afraid to box with me," said Link Merwell, on -several occasions. "They know that I can do every one of them up in -short order." He referred to Dave and his chums, and made the assertion -in the presence of a large crowd of students. - -At first none of the Gee Eyes paid any attention to the bully, but -gradually the boasting nettled them, and some of them talked it over. -Then came a report from little Frank Bond to the effect that Link -Merwell was saying he had asked Dave to box him and the latter had -declined because he was afraid. - -"Dave, if I were you, I wouldn't stand for that," said Buster Beggs. - -"What am I to do?" asked Dave. "The Gee Eyes voted to leave Merwell and -Poole severely alone, and I've got to stick by my word." - -"Well, I guess they'll vote for the boxing contest--if you want to -stand up before him." - -"I certainly am not afraid to do so." - -As a consequence of this talk, Buster spoke to Luke Watson, and there -was a hasty meeting of the Gee Eyes and it was voted that Dave should -box Merwell if he so desired. - -Not knowing of this meeting and of its result, Link Merwell strode -into the gymnasium the next afternoon, in company with Nat Poole, and -proceeded to put on a pair of boxing gloves. - -"Too bad, Nat, but I can't wake any of those fellows up," he said, -loudly. "Every one of 'em is afraid to face me." - -"How about Dave Porter?" asked Nat Poole, in an equally loud tone. - -"Worst of the bunch. I guess he's afraid I'll knock the head off of -him." - -These words were spoken so that Dave might hear them. There were a few -seconds of silence, and then Dave walked up to Merwell. - -"So you think I am afraid to box you, Merwell?" he said, quietly. - -"Oh, so you've woke up, eh?" sneered the bully. "Thought you and your -crowd had gone to sleep." - -"I want to know if you think I am afraid to box you?" - -"Of course you are afraid." - -"You are mistaken--and I'll prove it to you in very short order. How -soon do you want to box?" - -At this Link Merwell was taken by surprise, and his face showed it. But -he was "game," and drew himself up. - -"Any time you want me to box you I'll be ready." - -"Then we'll box right now," answered Dave. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE BOXING BOUT - - -"A boxing match!" - -"I think Dave Porter will win." - -"I don't know about that. Link Merwell has been doing a great deal of -boxing lately and has it down pretty fine." - -"That may be, but Dave is as quick as they make them." - -So the talk ran on, as the boys in the gymnasium gathered around the -would-be contestants. They felt that, no matter who won, they were -going to see something worth while. Many secretly hoped that the boxing -match would degenerate into a regular fight, for they knew that Dave -and Merwell were bitter enemies, and the majority wanted to see the big -bully soundly whipped. - -"We'll have to have a referee and a timekeeper," said Dave. "Who shall -they be?" - -"A referee and a timekeeper?" repeated Link Merwell. "Why don't you -start her up and have done with it?" - -"This is to be no prize fight, Merwell. I shall box you for points -only." - -"Oh!" The bully put as much of a sneer into the exclamation as -possible. "Afraid to finish it up, eh?" - -"Perhaps you'll get all you want before we stop," answered Dave, calmly. - -"What kind of gloves do you want? The thickest in the place, I suppose." - -"No, a medium glove will do for me. Mr. Dodsworth recommends the number -five." - -"Humph! I'm willing to box with a number one if you wish!" - -"We might as well box without gloves as with number ones. This is to be -no slugging match, as I intimated before. If you are afraid to box for -points say so." - -"Oh, I'll box you any way you please. Who do you want for timekeeper -and referee?" - -"Any boy with a good watch can keep time. I think Mr. Dodsworth ought -to be the referee." - -"Nat Poole can judge it all right," growled Merwell. - -"He's not acceptable to me," answered Dave, promptly. - -"The gym. teacher is all right," said Roger. "He'll know just what -every move counts." - -Link Merwell wished to argue, but Dave would not listen, and in the -end the services of the new gymnasium teacher were called in. Mr. -Dodsworth smiled when told of what was on foot. - -"Very well, I'll be referee," he said. "Now, let me warn you against -all foul moves. You both know the rules. Let this be a purely -scientific struggle for points. Length of each round two minutes, with -two minutes intermission. How many rounds do you want to have?" - -"To a finish," said Link Merwell, and he glared wickedly at Dave. - -"No, I'll not allow that, for it is too exhausting. Let us say ten -rounds. That will give you twenty minutes of hot work. Here, I will -give my watch to Lambertson and he can keep the time." And he passed -the watch over to the student mentioned. - -The way matters had been arranged did not suit Link Merwell at all, yet -he felt forced to submit or acknowledge that he was afraid of Dave. He -had wished for a free-and-easy match and had hoped, on the sly, to get -in a foul blow or two which might knock Dave out. Now, under the keen -eyes of the gymnasium instructor, he knew he would have to be careful -of his every movement. - -The preliminaries arranged, the two boxers faced each other, while the -students gathered thickly in a large circle around them. The circle was -protected by benches, giving to the scene something of the air of a -professional boxing ring. - -"Ready!" called out Mr. Dodsworth. "Go!" he cried. - -But there was very little "go" at the start. Both boxers were on the -alert and they circled around slowly, looking for an opening. Then -Merwell made a pass, which Dave warded off easily. Then Dave landed on -his opponent's breast, Merwell came back with a blow in the shoulder, -and Dave, ducking, sent in two in quick succession on the bully's neck -and ear. Then time was called. - -"How does that stand?" asked some of the boys. - -"I'll tell you later," said Mr. Dodsworth, as he penciled something on -a bit of paper. - -"Oh, tell us now!" they pleaded. - -But the instructor was obdurate. And while the lads were pleading round -two was called. - -The contestants were now warming up, and blows were given and taken -freely. Link Merwell was forced back twice, and was glad when time was -called by Lambertson. - -"Don't get too anxious," said the instructor, during the recess. -"Remember, this is for points." - -Again the two boys went at it, and the third, fourth, and fifth rounds -were mixed up freely. All present had to acknowledge that Link Merwell -boxed quite well, but they saw that the points were in Dave's favor. -Dave had perfect control of himself, while the bully was getting -excited. - -"I'll show you something now!" cried Merwell as they came up for round -six. He flew at Dave like a wild animal. But Dave was on the alert and -dodged and ducked in a manner that brought constant applause. Then, -almost before anybody knew it, he landed on the bully's jaw, his cheek, -and then his nose. - -"O my! Look at that!" - -"Say, that was swift, wasn't it?" - -The three blows had thrown Merwell off his balance, and he recovered -with difficulty. - -"He--he fouled me!" he panted. - -"No foul!" answered the gymnasium instructor, and just then time was -called. - -"Maybe Merwell would like to call it off," suggested Dave. - -"Not much! I'll show you yet!" roared the bully. "I'll have you to -know----" - -"Merwell, you'll do better if you'll keep your excitement down," -advised the instructor. "'Keep cool,' is an excellent motto." - -"Dave, you're doing well," whispered Roger. "Keep it up and Merwell -won't know where he is at by the end of the tenth round." - -"I intend to keep it up," was the answer. "I started out to teach that -bully a lesson and I'll do it--if it is in me." - -And it was in Dave--as the seventh and eighth rounds showed. In the -latter round he practically had the bully at his mercy, and boxed him -all around the ring. The calling of time found Merwell panting for -breath and so confused he could hardly see. - -"I think you had better give it up," said the gymnasium instructor. -"Merwell, you have had enough." - -"Say, are you going to give this boxing match to Porter?" roared the -bully. - -"Yes, for he has won it fairly. He already has twenty-six points to -your seven." - -"It ain't fair! I can lick him any day!" - -"It is not a question of 'licking' anybody, Merwell. This was a boxing -bout for points, and you are no longer in condition to box. I declare -Porter the winner, and I congratulate him on his clean and clever work -with the gloves." - -"He--he fouled me." - -"Not at all. If there was any fouling it was done by you in the sixth -and seventh rounds. I might have disqualified you then if I had been -very particular about it. But I saw that Porter was willing to let you -go on." - -This was the bitterest pill of all for Link Merwell to swallow. To -think he might have been disqualified but that Dave Porter had been -given the chance to continue hammering him! He wanted to argue, but no -one except Nat Poole would listen to him, and so he strode out of the -gymnasium in disgust, accompanied by his crony. - -"It makes me sick," he muttered. "Everybody stands up for Porter, no -matter what he does!" - -"Well, you see he has a way of worming in with everybody," answered Nat -Poole. "A decent chap wouldn't do it, but you couldn't expect anything -different from a poorhouse boy, could you?" When alone he and Merwell -frequently referred to Dave as "a poorhouse boy," but both took good -care not to use that term in public, remembering what punishment it had -brought down on their heads. - -"He'll crow over us worse than ever now," resumed Merwell. "Oh, but -don't I wish I could square up with him and the rest of the Gee Eyes!" - -"We'll do it some day,--when we get the chance," said Poole. "Come on -and have a smoke; it will help to quiet you." And then he and the bully -walked away from Oak Hall to a secluded spot, where they might indulge -themselves in the forbidden pastime of smoking cigarettes. Both were -inveterate smokers and had to exercise extreme caution that knowledge -of the offense might not reach Doctor Clay or his assistants. - -Finding a comfortable spot, the boys sat down on a fallen tree and -there consumed one cigarette after another, trying to be real "mannish" -by inhaling the smoke and blowing it through the nose. As they smoked -they talked of many things, the conversation finally drifting around to -Vera Rockwell and Mary Feversham. - -"I understand Phil Lawrence is daffy over that Feversham girl," -remarked Poole. "She is a fairly good sort, but she wouldn't suit me." -He said this because Mary had snubbed him on several occasions when -they had met in Oakdale. - -"Well, I heard Roger Morr was daffy over that Rockwell girl," answered -Merwell. "And I heard, too, that Porter was likely to cut him out." - -"Porter cut him out!" exclaimed Nat Poole. "Who told you that? Why, -Dave Porter is too thick with Jessie Wadsworth to think much of anybody -else." - -"Are you sure of that?" - -"Yes. Why, when Porter is home the two are as thick as can be. I am -sure that Jessie Wadsworth thinks the world of him, too, although why -is beyond my comprehension," added the dudish student. He had not -forgotten how Jessie had also snubbed him, when invitations were being -sent out for her party. - -"Humph!" Link Merwell puffed at his cigarette in silence for a moment. -"You say they are thick,--and still he goes out with this Vera -Rockwell. Kind of funny mix-up, eh?" - -"Oh, I suppose he has a right to do as he pleases," drawled Nat. - -"Say, we might----" Merwell stopped short and blew a quantity of -cigarette smoke from his nose. - -"Might what?" - -"Oh, I was just thinking, Nat----" And the bully stopped again. - -"If you don't want me to know, say so," returned the dudish student, -crossly. - -"I was thinking that perhaps we could put a spoke in Dave Porter's -wheel in a manner that he'd never suspect. If he's somewhat sweet on -that Wadsworth girl, and at the same time giving his attention to Vera -Rockwell, we ought to be able to do something." - -"What?" - -"Supposing that Wadsworth girl heard he was running around with a girl -up here, and supposing Vera Rockwell heard about the Crumville maiden? -Maybe Dave Porter would have some work straightening matters out, eh?" - -"By Jove, you're right!" cried Nat Poole. "It's a great scheme, -Link! If we work it right, we can get him in the hottest kind of -water--especially if he thinks a good deal of both girls." - -"And that isn't all," added Link Merwell, lighting a fresh cigarette. -"Don't forget Roger Morr. If he thinks a good deal of Vera Rockwell -we'll manage to put a flea in his ear,--that Porter is trying to -cut him out in an underhanded way. I reckon that will split up the -friendship between Porter and Morr pretty quick." - -"So it will!" Nat Poole's eyes fairly beamed. "This is the best plan -yet, Link! Let us put it into execution at once. How shall we go at it?" - -"That remains to be seen," said Merwell. - -And then and there the pair plotted to get Dave and his friends into -"the hottest kind of water," as the bully expressed it, and break up -the closest of friendships. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -AT THE EXPRESS OFFICE - - -"Dave, we want you to take part in the entertainment we are getting up." - -It was Luke Watson who spoke. Luke had been working like a Trojan to -get all the talent of the school into line for what he said was going -to be "the best show Oak Hall ever put up, and don't you forget it." - -"I'm willing to help you out, Luke, but what do you want me to do?" -returned Dave. "I am no actor." - -"I know what he can do," said Buster. "He and Link Merwell can give a -boxing match." And this caused a short laugh. - -"Say, that puts me in mind of a story," came from Shadow. "One day a -very nice lady----" - -"Say, Shadow, remember what I told you," broke in Luke. "If you've got -any real good, new stories keep them until the entertainment. You are -down for a ten-minutes' monologue, and it will take quite a few yarns -to fill the time." - -"Huh! Don't you worry--I can tell stories for ten hours," answered -the story-teller of the school. "Well, as I was saying, one day a very -nice lady called on another lady with a friend. Says she, 'Mrs. Smith, -allow me to introduce my friend, Miss Tarnose.' Now, as it happened, -Mrs. Smith was rather deaf so she says, 'Excuse me, but I didn't catch -the name.' 'Miss Tarnose,' repeated the lady, a little louder. 'I -really can't hear you,' says Mrs. Smith. Then the lady fairly bawled, -'I said Miss Tarnose!' But Mrs. Smith only looked puzzled. 'I'm sorry,' -she said at last. 'My hearing must be worse. I'd hate to say what it -sounded like to me. It was just like Tarnose!'" And then there was -another short laugh. - -"I asked Plum to take part," went on Luke. "He said he'd like to do a -dialogue, if he could get anybody to assist. He said he had a pretty -good piece." - -"I might do that," answered Dave, readily. - -"Would you go on with Plum?" - -"Certainly, Luke." - -"Well, I thought----" Luke Watson stopped short and shrugged his -shoulders. - -"I feel that Gus is now one of us, Luke, and I wish the other fellows -would feel the same." - -"Here he comes now," said Buster, in a low tone, as Gus Plum came into -sight at the door of the schoolroom in which the talk was taking place. -Gus looked pale and somewhat disturbed. - -"Hello, Plum!" sang out Luke. "Come here, we want you." - -"Luke says you think of doing a dialogue for the show," said Dave. -"What have you got? If it's something I can do, I may go in with you." - -"Will you, Dave?" The face of the former bully of Oak Hall brightened -instantly. "I'd like that first-rate. The dialogue I have is called -'Looking for a Job.' I think it is very funny, and we might make it -still more funny if both of us spoke in a brogue, or if one of us -blacked up as a darky." - -"Let me read the dialogue," said Dave. "And if I think I can do it, -I'll go in with you." - -The upshot of this conversation was that Dave and Plum went over the -dialogue with care. Between them they made some changes and added a few -lines, bringing in some fun of a local nature. Then it was decided that -Gus Plum should assume the character of a darky and Dave should fix up -as a German immigrant. - -"Maybe, if we work hard, we can make our piece the hit of the show," -said Dave. That afternoon he wrote a letter to his sister Laura and -also one to Jessie, telling them of what was going on and adding he was -sorry they would not be there to see the entertainment. - -By hard work Luke Watson got over twenty boys of Oak Hall to take part -in the show. There were to be several dialogues as well as Shadow's -monologue, some singing, and some banjo and guitar playing, also a -humorous drill, given by six youths who called themselves The Rough -Walkers, in place of The Rough Riders. One student also promised a set -of lantern pictures, from photographs taken in and near Oak Hall during -the past term. - -At first Doctor Clay said the show must be for the students only, but -the boys begged to have a few outsiders, and in the end each lad was -told he could invite three outsiders, and was given three tickets for -that purpose. Dave sent his tickets to his father, but he doubted if -any one at home would make use of them. - -"I sent one ticket home," said Phil, "and I sent the other two to Mary -Feversham. I hope she comes." - -"Want her to come with the other fellow?" queried Dave, with a twinkle -in his eye. - -"Oh, I thought maybe she'd come with Vera Rockwell." - -"That would suit Roger, Phil." - -"Yes, and it would suit you, too, Dave. Oh, you needn't look that way. -I know you think Vera Rockwell is a nice girl." - -"That's true, but----" - -"No 'buts' about it, my boy. I know a thing when I see it. I guess she -thinks a lot of you, too." - -"Now, Phil----" began Dave; but just then some other boys appeared and -the rather delicate subject had to be dropped. - -Dave had procured a theatrical book on how to make up for all sorts of -characters, and he and Plum studied this and got their costumes ready. -Both were truly comical outfits, and each lad had to laugh at the other -when they put them on. - -"We must keep them a secret," said Dave. "It will spoil half the fun -to let the others know how we are going to be dressed. We don't want a -soul to know until we step on the stage." And so it was agreed. - -Several of the boys had ordered face paints and some other things from -the city, to be sent by mail and express, and when some of the articles -did not come to hand, there was a good deal of anxiety. Dave was minus -a red wig which he had ordered and paid for, and Phil wanted some paint -and a rubber bulldog. - -"Let us go to Oakdale and stir up the postmaster and the express -agent," said Dave, and he and the shipowner's son set out for the -town directly after breakfast on the morning of the day that the -entertainment was to come off. - -As the roads were in fairly good condition, the strong winds having -dried them up, the two lads made the trip to town on their bicycles. -This did not take long, and reaching Oakdale they left their wheels at -a drug store, where they stopped to get some red fire that was to be -burned during a tableau. - -At the post office they were in luck, for two packages had just come -in, containing some things for which they had been waiting. - -"I hope we have as good luck at the express office," said Phil. - -The office mentioned was located at one end of the depot. Here they met -Mr. Goode, the agent, with whom they were fairly well acquainted. - -"A package for you?" said the agent, looking speculatively at Dave. -"Why, yes, I've got a package for you. Come in. I was going to send it -up some time to-day or to-morrow." - -"To-morrow would have been too late," answered Dave. "I need the stuff -to-day." - -The boys followed the agent into the stuffy little express office. Mr. -Goode walked to a heap of packages lying in a corner and began to turn -them over. - -"Hum!" he murmured. "Don't seem to be here. I had it yesterday." - -He continued to hunt around, and then went to a receipt book lying on -his desk. He studied several pages for some minutes. - -"Why, you must have gotten it," he said. - -"No, I didn't." - -"It's signed for." - -"Well, I didn't sign for it," answered Dave, positively. And then he -added, "Let me see that signature." - -Mr. Goode shoved the receipt book toward him and pointed out the -signature. It was a mere scrawl in leadpencil, that might stand -for almost anything. It was certainly not in the least like Dave's -handwriting. - -"I was out yesterday afternoon," continued the express agent. "Went to -a funeral. Dave Case kept office for me. Maybe he can tell you about -it. Probably some of the other students got the package for you." - -Dave Case was the driver of the local express wagon. He was out on a -trip and would not be back for half an hour. This being so, there was -nothing for Phil and Dave to do but to wait. - -"If some of the other fellows got that package it's queer they didn't -say anything," said Dave, as he and his chum walked slowly down the -main street. "They must know I am anxious--with the show to come off -to-night. If I don't get that wig my part won't be nearly so good." - -The boys reached a corner and were standing there, not knowing what to -do, when two girls crossed over, coming from a dry-goods store. - -"Hello!" cried Phil, and his face lit up with pleasure. "Here are Mary -Feversham and Vera Rockwell." - -He stepped forward, tipped his hat and shook hands, and then Dave did -the same. - -"I must thank you for the tickets, Mr. Lawrence," said Mary, sweetly. -"It was very kind of you to send them." - -"I hope you will come," returned the shipowner's son, eagerly. - -"Yes, I shall be there, for I do want to hear you boys sing and act. I -am coming with my mother." - -"I am going, too," added Vera. "Roger Morr sent my brother two tickets -and invited us. Bob is home for a couple of days, so it comes in real -handy." And Vera smiled at both Dave and Phil. "I suppose you are going -to give us something fine--a real city vaudeville show." - -"We are going to do our best," answered Dave, modestly. - -"Dave is in a little trouble," continued the shipowner's son, and told -about the missing express package. - -"Oh, I hope you get the wig!" cried Vera. "A red one will look so -becoming!" And she laughed heartily. - -"And he is to have a big red mustache, too," said Phil. - -"Hold on, Phil, you mustn't give away any professional secrets!" cried -Dave. - -"Oh, I just dote on red mustaches," exclaimed Vera. "They make a man -look like a--a---- Oh, I don't know what!" - -"Oh, Vera, you're awful!" interposed Mary. "What do you know about red -mustaches, anyway?" - -"She never had one, did she?" remarked Dave, calmly, and at this both -girls shrieked with laughter. "But never mind," he went on. "After I am -done with it, she can have mine." And this brought forth more laughter. - -The girls and boys had come to a halt directly in front of a new candy -and ice-cream establishment, and it was but natural that Phil should -suggest to Dave that they go in and get some candy. The girls demurred -at first at being treated, but then consented, and all went into the -store. Dave purchased some assorted chocolates and Phil some fancy fig -pastes, the girls saying they liked both. - -"As it's a new store, the candies ought to be fresh," remarked Dave. - -"Well, I like them best that way," answered Vera, as she helped herself -to a chocolate. "I don't care for them when they are stale--and it -is sometimes hard to get them fresh in a small town like this. The -stores----" - -She stopped short, for at the door of the candy establishment they -almost ran into a party of two girls and a man. One of the girls--the -younger--was staring very hard at Dave. - -"Why, father!" cried Dave, in astonishment. "And you, too, Laura and -Jessie! Why, this is a surprise!" And he hastened to shake hands all -around. "I didn't dream of your coming." - -"I just made them come," said Laura, giving him a kiss. "How are you, -Phil?" and she shook hands with the shipowner's son. - -When Dave took Jessie's hand he felt it tremble a little. The girl said -a few commonplace words but all the time kept looking at Vera. - -"Let me introduce our friends," said Phil, and proceeded to go through -the ceremony. "We have just been buying some candy. Come, have some," -and he held out the box he had bought. Laura took some, but Jessie -shook her head. - -"Thank you, not to-day, Phil," Jessie said, and there seemed to be a -little catch in her throat. Then Dave looked at her fully in the eyes, -and of a sudden she turned her head away. Somehow he suspected that -Jessie wanted to cry, and he wondered why. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A MISUNDERSTANDING - - -Mr. Porter explained that they had just come in on the train, and were -looking for some conveyance to take them to Oak Hall. - -"We thought we might call on you for an hour or so and then come back -and put up at the Oakdale Hotel," he said. - -"I'll certainly be glad to have you call," answered Dave. - -Then he told about the missing express package. In the meantime Laura -conversed with Mary and Vera, but nothing was said about how the boys -and girls had chanced to meet. Then Mary and Vera said they must attend -to some errands and get home. - -"Well, we'll look for you to-night, sure!" cried Phil. - -"We'll be there," answered Mary. - -"I wouldn't miss it for a good deal," said Vera. "I want to see that -red mustache and wig, if nothing else!" And she laughed, merrily. - -"You won't see the wig unless my package is found," answered Dave; and -then the two girls hurried away. - -Mr. Porter led the way to the local hotel, situated close to the depot, -and there registered his party for dinner and supper. - -"You can take dinner with us," said he to his son and Phil. "I'll write -a note to Doctor Clay, so there will be no trouble." - -"We can't stay very long after dinner," answered Dave. "I must look up -that package,--and all hands want some kind of a rehearsal." - -The boys walked to the express office, but Case had not come back, so -they had to go to dinner without hearing from the driver. The five sat -at a separate table, and Dave had Laura on one side and Jessie on the -other. He did his best to make himself agreeable to Jessie, but she did -not warm up as was usual with her, and this made his heart feel rather -heavy. - -"Why, Jessie, you don't act like yourself," he said, after dinner, and -while the others were sitting somewhat apart from them in the hotel -parlor. - -"Don't I?" she asked. - -"No, you don't. What is the matter, don't you feel well?" And his face -showed his concern. - -"Oh, yes, I feel very well." Her lips trembled a little. "I--I guess I -am out of sorts, that's all." - -"It's too bad." - -"Oh, I'll soon get over it, I suppose." Jessie gave a sigh. "Tell me -about your doings, Dave. I suppose you are having hard work at school -and like to get out and meet some of your Oakdale friends." - -"Why, yes, I like to get out sometimes." - -"Those seem to be very nice girls." - -"Yes, they are. Phil is quite fond of one of them, too." - -"Which one?" - -"Mary Feversham. We became acquainted with them in quite an odd way," -and he told of the big snowball and the ice-boat. - -"That Vera Rockwell seems to think a great deal of you, Dave." - -"Do you think so? Well, I think she is a nice----" - -"Dave, there is the expressman now!" called out Phil, from his position -near a window. "Come on, if you want to find out about that package." - -"All right," answered Dave, and for the time being he forgot all about -what he was going to say to Jessie--that he thought Vera nice but not -as nice as Jessie herself--something which might have gone a long way -toward heading off the trouble that was brewing. - -For boys and girls will often think a great deal of each other--and a -heartache at fourteen or sixteen is often as real, if not as lasting, -as at twenty or older. Since the day Dave had saved Jessie's life he -had been her one hero and her closest boy chum, and now to find him -in the society of another and for him to say she was nice---- And -then there was more than this, an anonymous letter, concocted by Link -Merwell and Nat Poole and sent to her by mail. That letter had said -some terrible things about Dave--things she could not and would not -believe, and yet things which made her very miserable. - -"I suppose he has a right to make such friends as he pleases," she -thought. "It is none of my affair, and I have no right to spoil his -pleasure by saying anything." And then she brushed away the tears that -would come into her eyes in spite of her efforts to keep them back. - -At the express office Dave and Phil found Mr. Goode already questioning -the wagon driver about the missing package. - -"I turned it over to a boy who said he belonged to Oak Hall school and -would give it to Dave Porter," said the driver. "I thought you had it -by this time. He signed for it--leastwise he put that scrawl on the -book." - -"What was his name?" asked Dave. - -"I asked him, but he mumbled something I didn't catch. I didn't pay -much attention, for I thought it was all right." - -"What sort of looking chap was he?" asked Phil. - -As best he could the wagon driver described the individual. The -description might have fitted half a dozen lads, until he mentioned a -four-in-hand tie of bright blue with white daggers splashed over it. - -"Merwell wears a tie like that!" cried Phil. "I have seen it several -times." - -"What would he be doing with my package, Phil?" - -"What? Why, maybe he knew about the wig and wanted to spoil your part -of the show. It would be like him to play such a trick." - -"That's true," answered Dave, and then he asked the wagon driver if the -boy had worn a ring with a ruby. - -"Yes, a fine large stone," answered the man. - -"Then it was Link Merwell," said Dave, decidedly. "Now the question is, -What has he done with the package?" - -"I don't think he'd dare to destroy it," answered Phil. "Probably he -hid it away somewhere." - -"I'll soon find out. Come on, Phil." - -"Going to tax him with it?" - -"Yes. He hasn't any right to touch my property, or to sign my name." - -Hurrying back to the hotel, the boys told of what they had learned. -Then they got their bicycles and pedaled with all speed in the -direction of Oak Hall. Dave felt very much out of sorts, not only -because the package was missing but also over the meeting with Jessie. -It was the first time that there had been any coldness between -them--for he felt that it was a coldness, although he could not explain -it. - -Arriving at the school, they learned that Link Merwell had taken a walk -with Nat Poole. Chip Macklin pointed out the direction, and Dave and -Phil went after the pair. They were not surprised to catch the cronies -smoking on some rocks behind a growth of underbrush near the highway -beyond the campus. As Dave and his chum came up Poole and Merwell threw -their cigarettes away. - -"Merwell, what did you do with my express package?" demanded Dave, -coming at once to the point. - -The words made the bully start, but he quickly recovered and arose -slowly to his feet. - -"Want to see me?" he drawled. - -"I want my express package." - -"Don't know what you are talking about." - -"Yes, you do. Where is the package? I want it at once." - -"You took it out of the express office, and we can prove it," added -Phil. - -"Humph!" growled Link Merwell. - -"Are you going to give up the package or not?" demanded Dave. - -"Who says I--er--took, any package of yours?" blustered the bully, -trying to put on a bold front. - -"I say so," declared Dave. "And you not only took it but you signed for -it. Merwell, do you know that signing another person's name without -permission is forgery?" he went on, pointedly. - -At these plain words Link Merwell grew pale. - -"I--er--I didn't sign your name." - -"You pretended to sign it, and that's the same thing. You got the -package from the office by fraud." - -"No, I didn't. I said I'd take it to the school, and I did." - -"Then where is it?" - -"In your dormitory." - -"Where?" - -"On the top shelf of the closet--been there since yesterday," and now -Link Merwell leered over the joke he had played. - -"Ha! ha! ha!" came from Nat Poole. "That's one on you, Dave Porter." - -"It was a mean trick to play," was Phil's comment. - -"Did you open that package?" demanded Dave. - -"No, I didn't touch it, excepting to bring it from the express office." - -"Very well then, Merwell. If I find anything wrong I'll hold you -responsible." - -"Say, you needn't try to scare me!" - -"I am not trying to scare you--I am merely giving you warning. I won't -put up with any of your underhand work, and I want you to know it," -answered Dave, and turning on his heel he walked back to the school, -followed by Phil. - -"He's mad all right," whispered Nat Poole. - -"Maybe he has heard from that Crumville girl in a way he didn't like," -returned Link Merwell, and closed one eye suggestively. - -"Well, if he did, I hope she didn't say anything about the letter," -answered Nat Poole, somewhat uneasily. "That was awfully strong." - -"Pooh! Don't get scared Nat; nobody will ever find out who wrote that -letter, if we keep our mouths shut." - -Going up to the dormitory, Dave found the package on the shelf of the -closet, as Merwell had said. It was tucked behind some other things, -well out of sight. - -"It was certainly a well-planned trick," said the shipowner's son, -while Dave was opening the package. "He did this so, if he was found -out, he could say he gave the package to you and could bring the doctor -here to prove it. Perhaps he had in mind to add that you had hidden -the package yourself, just to get him into trouble." - -"Maybe you're right, Phil; I believe Merwell equal to almost anything." - -Fortunately the contents of the package had not been disturbed. Having -ascertained that much, Dave went off to find Gus Plum, so that they -might have a final rehearsal of the little play they were to enact. In -the lower hall he ran into Job Haskers. - -"Porter, I want to see you!" cried the assistant teacher, harshly. "You -were absent at dinner time. You know that is contrary to the rules. -What have you to say for yourself?" - -"I met my father in Oakdale, sir--he is coming to the entertainment -to-night. He asked Phil Lawrence and myself to dine with him. I have a -note for the doctor from him explaining the matter." - -"Hum! Very well," answered Job Haskers, and hurried off without another -word. Dave smiled grimly to himself, and lost no time in taking the -note to the doctor, who excused him and Phil readily. - -Dave learned from Shadow that Gus Plum had been in the school but had -gone off in the direction of the old boathouse. Feeling that it was -growing late Dave hurried after the missing student. Just as he neared -the old boathouse, which stood partly on some rocks and partly over -the river, he heard a strange crash of glass. - -"Hello, what's that?" he asked himself, and ran forward to see. - -"There! you'll never tempt me again!" he heard, in Gus Plum's voice. - -Then he turned the corner of the old boathouse and saw the former bully -of Oak Hall standing near some rocks. At his feet lay the remains of a -big bottle. Plum looked pale and as if he had been fighting. - -"Oh, Gus!" cried Dave, and then stopped short and looked at the broken -bottle and at the stuff flowing over the rocks. - -"Dave!" returned the big youth. And then he added, simply: "It was a -bottle of wine, and rather than keep it to be tempted, I smashed it." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -IN WHICH THE BOYS GIVE AN ENTERTAINMENT - - -"Gus, that was the bravest thing you ever did!" - -And so speaking, Dave caught the other youth by the hand and shoulder -and held him for a moment. - -"Oh, I don't know about that," was the hesitating reply. "I--I should -have smashed it when I received it." - -"Where did you get the wine, if I may ask?" - -"It was sent to me by Link Merwell." - -"What!" Dave's manner showed his great astonishment. "Do you mean to -say he sent you that, knowing that you were trying to give up the -habit?" - -"Yes. He says I am a fool to listen to you--said I was tied to your -coat-tail--that I ought to be independent. He says a little drinking -won't hurt anybody." - -"Gus, he is trying to--to----" Dave could not finish the sentence, for -he did not want to hurt Plum's feelings. - -"Yes, I know. He'd like to see me down and out, as the saying goes. He -hates me because I won't chum with him any longer." - -"The less you have to do with him the better, Gus." - -"I know that, and just before I came out here to break that bottle I -sent him a note telling him that if he sent me any more such stuff I'd -break the next bottle over his head!" And Plum's face glowed with some -of his old-time assertiveness. - -"Well, I shouldn't blame you for that, Gus. I rather think your threat -will keep him in the background for a while." - -Dave could realize something of the struggle which the former bully -had had, to throw the bottle of wine away. But he did not know -all--how for three hours the poor lad had wavered between drinking -and abstaining--and that it was only the thoughts of Dave, and of his -mother and home, that had kept him in the right path. - -Leading the way to the new boathouse, Dave found a spot where they -would not be interrupted, and here he and Plum went to work on their -dialogue, making such final changes as seemed best. - -"I've had my troubles with Merwell, too," said Dave, and told about the -express package. "He seems bound to bring us to grief." - -"He's a bad egg--the worst in the school," was Gus Plum's comment. - -It must be confessed that all the boys were a little nervous as the -time approached for the entertainment. It was to take place in the -large assembly room of Oak Hall, and the platform had been transformed -into something of a stage, with side curtains and a drop, and a back -scene hired from a distant theater and representing a garden. The -room itself was decorated with flags and bunting, and looked cozy and -inviting. - -Promptly on time the visitors began to arrive, some from Oakdale and -others from a distance. The boys to take part in the show were behind -the scenes, while others showed the visitors to seats, so that Dave did -not see any of his friends or relatives until later. - -The programme had been divided into two parts, of five numbers each, -including an opening song by all the players, and a closing farce -written merely to bring in all the characters. - -"Now, fellows, do your best," said Luke Watson, as the school orchestra -played the overture. "Make it as near like a professional show as -possible." - -"Say, that puts me in mind of a story," came from Shadow. "Once some -young ladies---- But, pshaw! I'll save that for the stage," he added, -and broke off suddenly. - -The opening number went very well, and then came a playlet by four of -the boys representing four sailors ashore after an ocean trip of five -years. The sailors did not apparently know how to act in a big city and -did so many ridiculous things that the applause was long and loud. - -A musical number followed, introducing banjo playing by Luke, a guitar -solo by Henshaw, a cornet solo by a lad named Dixon, and then a trio -by the three. Then came fancy dumbbell exercises and club-swinging by -three members of the gymnasium club, and this too went very well, the -exercisers keeping time to a march played by the orchestra. - -The next number was Shadow's monologue, and when that youth came out -everybody had to laugh before he said a word. He was dressed as an -extreme dude, with big checked coat and trousers, fancy colored vest, -a tremendous watch-chain, and paste diamond stud, very pointed patent -leather shoes, a high standing collar, and a highly-polished silk hat. - -"Ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls, and fellow-weepers," he commenced -with a profound bow and a flourish of his silk hat, "I have been asked -an important question, namely, What is the difference between a cat -and a shotgun? Well, I don't know, excepting that both can go off, but -it's only the feline that comes back. Now, that puts me in mind of a -story I once heard while traveling in Egypt with Noah, looking for a -typewriter which was lost overboard from the ark. A little boy went -to a hardware store for his dad and hung around waiting to be waited -on. At last a clerk asked, 'Well, little boy, what do you want?' 'Oh,' -says the little boy, 'I want a fire engine, an' a hobby horse, an' a -automobile, an' a lot o' things, but papa he wants a bottle of glue, -an' he says if it don't stick he'll stick you for it!' Now, that's the -same boy who went to the courthouse to get courtplaster for his mother -and then went down to the henhouse to look for egg plants." - -There was considerable applause over this opening, and Shadow continued: - -"That hand-clapping puts me in mind of another story. A would-be actor -had joined a barn-storming company, and the company opened in a little -place on Staten Island where the mosquitoes are manufactured by the -ton, gross, or hogshead, just as you want 'em. Well, as soon as the -play commenced, the would-be actor thought he heard a lot of applause. -Says he to the scene-shifter: 'We've got 'em a-going, haven't we?' 'I -don't know if you have or not,' answered the scene-shifter. 'I know -the mosquitoes have some of 'em a-going, by the way they're slapping -at 'em!' Well, that company busted up and the would-be actor had to -come home on a trolley-car because he couldn't afford the train. He -had only a nickel, and that he put into his mouth, and all at once it -went down. 'What's the matter?' asked the conductor. 'I--I swallowed my -nickel--the only one I had!' gasped the would-be actor. 'Never mind, -I'll ring it up,' said the conductor, and he did. And then the actor -didn't know if he was a nickel in or a nickel out." - -This brought forth more applause, and Shadow continued to tell one -story or joke after another, in rapid succession, until the entire -audience was roaring. When he made his bow and disappeared behind a -side curtain his monologue was voted by all one of the hits of the -evening. - -"It was all right," said Dave. "I only hope our playlet goes as well." - -The playlet came in the middle of Part Two, and the stage was set with -a table, two chairs, and several other things. The table was a small -one stored in a side room, and the chairs were common kitchen chairs. -They were brought out by Chip Macklin and Frank Bond, who had been -chosen to do all kinds of errands. - -"I just met Link Merwell in the side room," said Chip, when he came out -with the table. "He looks as sour as can be. I guess he wishes the show -would be a failure--because he wasn't asked to take part." - -"Yes, he'd like to make it a failure," answered Dave; and then, for -the time being, turned his whole attention to the play and gave his -enemy no further thought. - -Dave and Plum had gotten themselves up with great care, as a German -immigrant and a darky, and when one shuffled on the stage after the -other there was a good deal of laughing. The playlet revolved around -the question of getting situations as a butler and a footman in a -fashionable residence, and the lines were humorous in the extreme, and -both Dave and Gus got about all the fun possible from them. - -"Oh, how very, very funny!" cried Laura, and could hardly control her -laughter. - -"It certainly is funny," answered Jessie, and then she glanced over -to where Vera Rockwell was sitting with some friends. She saw Vera -applauding vigorously and it piqued her just a little. She clapped her -hands, too, but her heart was not as light as it might have been had -Vera not been there. - -In the course of the playlet, Dave had to stand on one of the chairs -and then mount to the table, to show how he would play the part of a -footman. As he got up on a chair there was an unexpected crack, and -down went the back part, letting him fall most unexpectedly. - -It takes a quick-witted person to do just the right thing in a case of -emergency. Dave had not looked for this fall, and the play did not -call for it. Like a flash he felt that this was some trick of Link -Merwell. But just as quickly as the accident came he resolved to make -the best of it. In a very comical way he rolled over twice, stood -partly on his head and then sat up with a dazed expression. - -"Oxcuse me!" he said, in a German tone of voice. "I tidn't know dot -chair vos so tired owid he tidn't vont to hold me alretty." Then he -picked up the broken chair. "Vell, of you ton't vont to sthand up, -chust lay down," and he flung the broken article behind him. - -This brought forth an extra round of applause and in the midst of -this Dave began to climb up the second chair. That too he felt to be -"doctored," and he went up with care and thus managed to stand on top -without breaking off the legs which had been nearly cracked through. -Then from the chair he went to the table. He knew what to expect now -and began to prepare for it. - -"Dis coach vos got von palky horse," he said. "Chust you hold der -animile alretty, yah!" - -"Dat wot I will, brudder Carl," answered Plum, in negro dialect, and -wondering what was to come next, for those lines were not in the -playlet. - -"Now, dot is der vay I goes me riding py der Park," went on Dave, -beginning to wabble on the shaky table. "Whoa mit dot hoss! Tidn't I -told you he vos balky?" For the table was growing weaker and weaker. - -[Illustration:DOWN WENT THE BACK PART, LETTING HIM FALL MOST -UNEXPECTEDLY.] - -"Say, dun yo' know dat hoss has got de dumb ager?" demanded Plum. "Wot -yo' want to give him is a dose of Plaster of Paris Pills fo' Peevish -People. If dat hoss should----" - -"He's running avay! Call der fire engines and der hoss-pistol vagons!" -bawled Dave, and made a movement as if on a runaway coach. Then, as the -table settled with a final crash, he whispered to Plum: "Make believe -stop the horse and quarrel over it." Then he leaped forward, caught an -imaginary horse by the tail and struggled to hold back. Gus was equally -quick-witted and leaped to the head of the same imaginary horse and -stretched up and down, as if he had hold of the bridle. Then the two -boys backed and "shied" all over the stage, overturning the second -chair, at which Dave yelled, "Dere goes dot peanut stand alretty!" Then -of a sudden the two young actors faced each other. - -"Wot's de mattah wid you? Da ain't no hoss heah!" - -"Yah, dot's so--he runt avay alretty!" - -"Yo' is a fine footman, getting scared at a hoss wot ain't no hoss." - -"Vell, of he vosn't no hoss vy you cotch him py der headt, hey?" - -"Dat's because yo' was a fool an' I had to follow yo'---- I mean at -yo'----" - -"I know vot you mean. You mean you vos der fool und der hoss----" - -"Look heah now, Mr. Dutchy, I wants yo' to understand dat I ain't no -fool." - -"Vell, Mr. Vight, I dake your vord for dot, hey? Now, vot you do ven -you vos a putler, hey?" - -And from that point the playlet went on as originally intended; the two -finally winding up when a postman's whistle was heard and each got a -letter from the same man, stating the one to arrive first at a certain -house could have a job. Both started at the same time and each tripped -the other up. Then both left the stage on hands and knees, each trying -to keep the other back. It was a truly comical wind-up, and when the -curtain went down there was a thunder of applause. - -"Dave, it was great!" cried Roger. "You acted the Dutchman to -perfection, and Plum was the darky to a T!" - -"That's true," added Phil. "But say, didn't you change that coach scene -some?" - -"Well, rather," put in Gus. "We had to do it on account of----" - -"Link Merwell," finished Dave. "That's another black mark I am going to -put down to his account." - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -FORMING THE BASEBALL CLUB - - -After it was at an end the entertainment was voted the best yet given -at Oak Hall. Of course there had been a few small hitches, such as a -wig falling off of one actor and another breaking a guitar string just -when he was playing, but those did not count. - -"It was splendid!" said Jessie to Dave, when they met. - -"I am glad you liked it," he answered. "I know all the fellows did -their best." - -"That table scene made me nearly die laughing," said Laura. - -"That came in rather unexpectedly, Laura. It wasn't on the programme. I -think Link Merwell is responsible for it." And then her brother told of -what had been discovered--the legs of the table and chairs nearly split -in two. - -"He must be a thoroughly bad fellow," was Jessie's comment. - -"He is, and he would do almost anything to get me and some of the -other students into trouble," returned Dave. - -Vera and Mary were waiting to speak to some of the boys, and Vera -laughed heartily when she saw Dave. - -"Oh, but you make a fine German!" she said. "I think you ought to go -on the stage." And then she complimented Phil, Roger, and some of the -others whom she knew. - -Mr. Porter had arranged to remain at the hotel over night with his -party. They left for Oakdale shortly after the entertainment, and Vera, -Mary, and some others went with them, in carriages of their own. Dave -noticed that Jessie was not herself, and when they were alone in a -hallway for a moment asked the reason. - -"Oh, it's nothing, Dave," she answered, but without looking him -squarely in the eyes. - -"But I know there is something, Jessie," he said, and his voice showed -his anxiety. "Have I offended you in any way?" - -"No, not in the least." - -"But you are angry with me." - -"No, I am not angry." She kept her eyes hidden from his gaze. - -"Well, there is something, and I wish you would tell me what it is." - -"No, I'll not say a word. If you don't know what it is, it doesn't -matter," said the girl, and then rejoined Laura and Mr. Porter. When -they went away Dave noticed that her hand was icy cold, and his heart -was deeply troubled. Something was certainly wrong and, though he felt -sorry, he also felt nettled to think Jessie would not tell him what it -was. It was the first break of confidence that had occurred between -them. - -Although Dave was morally certain Link Merwell had "doctored" the -chairs and the table, he could not prove it, and so he said little -concerning the episode, although he and Plum talked it over thoroughly. -Gus was greatly angered, for the trick had come close to spoiling the -playlet, and if Dave had urged it he would have gone and fought Merwell -before retiring for the night. Even as it was, he told Merwell that he -had been found out and warned him in the future to keep his distance. - -"Dave Porter and I are going to watch you," said Gus. "And if we find -you trying anything more on, why, we'll jump on you like a ton of -bricks, so beware!" And for once Link Merwell was so scared that he -walked off without making any reply. - -The entertainment the students had given brought the spring holidays to -an end, and once more the lads of Oak Hall turned their attention to -their studies. But with the coming of warm weather some of the boys got -out their kites, balls, and other things, while others took to rowing -on the river. - -"Have you heard the news about Nat Poole?" asked Buster of Dave and -Roger one day. - -"I've heard nothing," answered the senator's son. "Has he got a new -necktie?" For Nat loved neckties and had a new one on an average every -week. - -"He is going to get a motor boat--told Messmer all about it. He said -his father bought it in New York and it cost four hundred dollars." - -"Well, I never supposed Aaron Poole would spend that amount on a boat," -was Dave's comment. "He is known as one of the most close-fisted men in -the district where I come from." - -"Nat says the boat will beat anything on the river," continued Buster. -"Wish I had one." - -The news that Nat Poole was going to get a motor boat proved true. -The boat came early in April, and was certainly very nice-looking and -speedy. Nat took out some of the boys, and the ownership of such a -beautiful craft made him a new lot of friends, so he was "quite a toad -in a puddle," as Ben Basswood declared. Once Nat asked Ben to go out -with him, but the latter declined, and then Nat took Link Merwell. - -"I don't care if he has got a new motor boat," said Ben to Dave. "I -don't want to be in his company. If any of the other fellows want to -toady to him they can do it." Merwell was often seen with Poole, and -the pair became quite expert in running the motor and steering. Once -they had a race with a motor boat belonging to a Military Academy -student and came in ahead, and of this victory Nat Poole never got -through boasting. - -As was to be expected, warm weather brought on talk of baseball. Dave -had pitched in more than one game for Oak Hall, with Roger behind the -bat, and he was asked if he would again consent to occupy the box for -the school, should any outside party send in a challenge. - -"We'll most likely get a challenge from Rockville Military Academy," -said Phil. "They are aching to make up for old scores." - -"I'll pitch if the fellows want me to," answered Dave. "But if they -want anybody else----" - -"We want you," interrupted Sam Day. "You're the best pitcher Oak Hall -ever had." - -From that time on all of the boys put in part of their off-time playing -baseball, forming scrub nines for that purpose. Link Merwell loved the -game and liked to cover first base. - -"Why don't you play?" asked Dave of Gus Plum, one afternoon. - -"Oh, I--I don't want to push myself in," stammered Plum. He was now as -retiring as he had formerly been aggressive. - -"Come on out," went on Dave, and literally dragged him forth. Then he -asked Gus to play first base, which the latter did in a manner that -surprised many of the others. - -"He's quicker than he used to be," was Phil's comment. "I rather think -he'll make a good one if he keeps on practicing." - -One Saturday afternoon a regular match was arranged, with Phil as -captain on one side and a student named Grassman as captain on the -other. Now, Grassman loved to go out in Nat's motor boat and so he put -both Nat and Merwell on his nine--the former to cover third base and -the latter first. He himself pitched, while Dave filled the box for -Phil. - -It was certainly a snappy game from the start and at the end of the -fourth inning the score stood three to three. Then Grassman's nine -"took a brace" and brought in two more runs, and thus the score -remained five to three until the end of the seventh inning. - -"Come, we must do something this trip!" cried Roger, who was on Phil's -side, and he knocked a three-bagger. He was followed by Shadow with a -single that brought in one run, and then came Buster with a hit that -took him to second and brought in another run. The next man to bat -knocked a liner to shortstop. The ball was sent over to Merwell on -first, but he allowed it to slip through his fingers, and another run -came in. Then Merwell muffed a pop fly, and after that the Grassman -nine got rattled, so that when Phil's nine retired they had ten runs -to their credit. To this they added three more runs in the ninth. In -that inning Dave struck out two men and sent a third out on a foul; and -thus the game ended with a score of thirteen to five in favor of Phil's -aggregation of players. - -"Hurrah for Phil Lawrence's nine!" called out little Frank Bond, and -a great cheer went up. Dave was complimented for his pitching and Gus -Plum also received much praise for catching a hot liner ten feet away -from the base. - -On the following Saturday the Oak Hall Baseball Club was formally -organized for the season, by the election of Phil as president and -manager, Ben Basswood as secretary, and Shadow as treasurer. It was -voted to make the manager captain of the nine. After much talking Dave -was declared the choice for pitcher and Roger for catcher, while, to -the surprise of some, Gus Plum was made first baseman, something that -greatly pleased the big youth. Merwell wanted to be first baseman, but -he was not even chosen as a substitute, much to his disgust. Nat Poole -was also left in the cold, but this did not worry him so much, for he -preferred to dress in style and lounge around, rather than go in for -anything which might dirty his hands or make them callous. When he ran -his motor boat he always wore gloves. - -"It's an awful shame they put Gus Plum on the nine," said Nat Poole to -Merwell. "You ought to have that position--you can cover first base -better than he can." - -"I know it--but it's all the work of Porter, Lawrence, and that crowd," -growled Link Merwell. "As long as Plum will only toady to them they are -willing to do anything for him. It makes me sick." And he began to puff -away vigorously on a cigarette he was smoking. - -"Well, maybe, if they play Rockville or some other club, they'll lose," -said Poole. "Then they'll be sorry they didn't put on some better -players." - -The baseball club soon got more challenges than they had expected. One -came from Rockville Military Academy, for a series of three games, to -be played during June, and two others from clubs belonging to Oakdale. -The latter were for single games, and, after some consultation, all of -the challenges were accepted. - -The games with the Oakdale clubs were played on the outskirts of the -town, where a field had been inclosed and a grand stand erected. The -first was with an aggregation known as the Comets, and resulted in a -tie--8 to 8. - -"Well, we can't complain about that," was Dave's comment. "They were -all big fellows." - -"Yes, and two of them have played on college nines," said Shadow. "We -were lucky to hold them to a tie;" and in this opinion many of the -others agreed, and so did Mr. Dale and Doctor Clay, both of whom were -present. Job Haskers never went to games of any sort, for he considered -athletic contests a waste of time and muscle. - -Vera Rockwell and Mary Feversham were at the game, and after the -contest was over, Phil went to talk with them, taking Dave with him. -While the girls were asking some questions, Roger came up, to speak to -Vera. He did not see Dave at once, but when he did his face fell, and -merely raising his cap he passed on. - -"Oh, I thought Mr. Morr was going to stop," said Vera, pouting. "I -wanted to tell him how nicely he did the catching." - -Phil and Dave remained with the girls until it was time to return -to the school. Then they learned that Roger had gone to Oak Hall in -company with Chip Macklin. - -"It's queer he didn't wait for the crowd," was Dave's comment. - -"He's acted queer half a dozen times lately," returned the shipowner's -son. "I don't understand it myself." - -The next game was to take place on the following Saturday, and the -students practiced several times during the week. Dave noticed that -Roger took but little interest, yet he said nothing, until he felt it -his duty to speak up. - -"Roger, what's wrong?" he asked, very much in the way he had put that -question to Jessie. - -"Nothing, that I know of," grumbled the senator's son. - -"You're not catching as well as you did." - -"Perhaps you think the club ought to have another catcher!" flared up -the other, suddenly. "If you do, say the word, and I'll step down and -out." - -"Now, Roger, I know something is wrong----" began Dave. - -"Of course you know--and I know, too!" cried the senator's son, and now -his cheeks grew crimson. "I guess I'll resign from the club--and then -you can run things to suit yourself," and to Dave's amazement he walked -out of the room, banging the door after him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -A GREAT VICTORY - - -Dave was much downcast over the way Roger acted, the more so because he -could not understand it. He had half a mind to go after the senator's -son and demand an explanation, but after thinking the matter over -concluded that it would do no good. - -"He'll only get more angry," he reasoned. "Perhaps it will be better to -speak to Phil about it." - -But, much to his surprise, when he saw the shipowner's son, Phil had -also had a "scene" with Roger, and the latter had said he was going -to resign from the baseball club and devote himself strictly to his -studies. - -"I am sure it isn't his studies that are bothering him," said Phil. "He -can go right ahead with his lessons and play baseball, too--if he wants -to." - -"Well, but why is he angry at me?" demanded Dave. - -"I don't know." Phil paused for a moment. "Perhaps--but, pshaw! what's -the use of mentioning that. I know there is nothing in it." - -"What, Phil?" - -"I don't think I ought to say anything--I know it's absurd, Dave." - -"What is absurd?" - -"Why--er--that is, you know Roger thinks a lot of Vera Rockwell, don't -you?" - -"Does he? I hadn't noticed it particularly--in fact, I thought he -treated her rather coolly the day we played the game with the Comets." - -"That was because you were around." - -"Because I was around?" repeated Dave, in a puzzled way. - -"Exactly." - -"I don't catch your meaning, Phil." - -"I don't see why you are so thick, Dave." - -"Am I thick?" - -"You are." - -"Well, then, tell me what you mean." - -"Didn't I just say that Roger thought a whole lot of Vera Rockwell?" - -"Well?" - -"And weren't you with Vera, Mary, and myself after the game?" - -"Yes, but----" - -"When Roger saw you talking to Vera, he walked away in the coldest -manner possible." - -"Oh, but, Phil, that is absurd. Hadn't I a right to talk to Vera? I am -sure she is a nice girl." - -"So she is--a very nice girl--we think so--and so does Roger." - -"And do you seriously think that Roger doesn't like it because I made -myself agreeable to Vera?" - -"I guess he thinks you ought to give him a show. He has never said -anything, but I imagine that is what he thinks," concluded Phil; and -the conversation came to an end as some of the other students put in an -appearance. - -This talk set Dave to thinking in more ways than one. He remembered -several incidents now concerning Roger and Vera, and he also remembered -how Jessie had acted during her visit to the school. Was it possible -that Jessie, too, had felt offended over the manner of his friendliness -to Vera? - -"I treated her only as a friend--and I have a right to do that," Dave -reasoned. "Roger has no right to be jealous--nor has Jessie." He felt -so hurt that his pride rebelled, and for two days he said hardly a word -to the senator's son. The break between the two threatened to become -permanent. - -But Roger did not resign from the baseball club. He mentioned it to -Ben, Shadow, and some of the others, but they protested so strongly -he had to remain as catcher. In order to do this, he had to consult -with Dave, but the consultations were confined entirely to pitching and -catching. Roger was not at all like himself, and his irritation arose -at the slightest provocation. - -On the following Saturday the Oak Hall nine played the Oakdale -Resolutes, on the town grounds. As before, a large crowd assembled, -including some of the cadets from Rockville, who were to open their -series with Oak Hall the week following. From Phil, Dave learned that -Mary Feversham and Vera Rockwell were to be present. - -"All right, Phil, go and do the honors," said Dave. "I am going to -attend strictly to pitching to-day." - -"Going to leave the field to Roger, eh?" - -"You may put it that way if you wish." - -"Shall I tell the girls you don't want to speak to them?" - -"If you do, Phil, I'll hit you in the head with the ball, the first -chance I get," was Dave's reply, half in jest and half in earnest. - -The Oakdale Resolutes were made up of young men who had played baseball -for several years. In the past they had not cared to play "a boys' -school," as they designated Oak Hall. But since the past summer they -had come to respect the Hall, and they had been forced into the game by -friends who had said they were afraid to play our friends. They had a -great pitcher named Gilroy and a catcher named Barwenk, and they relied -on these two players to "wipe up the ball-field," as they put it, with -Oak Hall. - -During the first four innings honors were about even, each side -bringing in two runs. Then the nines began to see-saw, first one being -ahead and then the other, until at the end of the eighth inning the -score stood Oak Hall 7, Resolutes 6. So far Dave had struck out five -players and Gilroy had the same number to his credit. But Gilroy had -made one wild pitch, which had brought in Oak Hall's fifth run. - -"Now, Dave, see if you can't hold 'em down to a goose egg," said -Shadow, as the other club went to the bat for the last time. - -"I'll do what I can," was the reply. - -Dave was on his mettle, and so for the matter of that was every other -Oak Hall player. But some were a bit nervous, and as a consequence one -missed a grounder and another let drop a hot liner. The Resolutes got -three men on bases, and then, with one man out, they got in two runs. - -"Hurrah! That gives the Resolutes eight runs!" was the cry, and the -town rooters cheered lustily. - -Dave did his best to strike the next man out. But with two balls and -one strike he sent in a ball that was just a little wild, and strange -to say, Roger muffed it. Then the man on third came in, giving the -Resolutes another run. - -"Another! That makes the score seven to nine!" - -"That was a wild pitch." - -"Not so wild but that the catcher might have got it if he had tried." - -"Steady there, Roger!" called out some of the Oak Hall boys. - -"It wasn't my fault--the ball was out of my reach," grumbled the -senator's son. - -A quick retort arose to Dave's lips, but he checked it. He did not -wish to make his quarrel with Roger any worse. He walked back to the -pitcher's box and signed to Roger for a drop ball. Roger did not answer -at once and he waited a few seconds and repeated the sign. - -"Play ball!" was the cry. "Don't wait all day, Porter." Then the -senator's son signed back and Dave sent in the ball with precision. The -batsman swung for it, and missed it. - -"Strike two!" called out the umpire. - -Dave next signed for an out curve. It was now three balls and two -strikes and the next delivery would "tell the tale." In came the ball -with great swiftness, and again the batsman tried to connect with -it--and failed. - -"Three strikes--batter out!" - -"Hurrah, Porter struck him out, after all!" - -"Now go for the third man, Dave!" - -"Lessinger is at the bat. He ought to lift it over the back fence." - -Lessinger was a heavy batter, yet twice he failed in his attempt to hit -the sphere. But the third time he knocked a low fly to center. It was -easily caught,--and the Resolutes went out with the score standing 9 to -7 in their favor. - -"Now, fellows, we must do our best," said Phil. "Don't hit at the ball -until you get a good one, and then lift it clear over Hamden's stables -if you can." The stables were two blocks away, and a ball sent a -quarter of that distance meant a home run. - -Shadow was first to the bat and got safely to first. Then came Gus -Plum, and to the wonder of many he hit the ball for a two-bagger, -bringing Shadow in. Then Dave got to first while Plum went to third. -Next came an out, and then a hit by Ben Basswood took Dave to third and -brought Plum home. - -The Oak Hall rooters were now cheering and yelling like mad, and this -got the Resolute pitcher rattled and he gave the next batsman his base -on balls. Then came another safe hit by Buster Beggs, and the game -ended with the score standing, Oak Hall 10, Resolutes 9. - -"Hurrah, Oak Hall wins!" - -"That's a close finish right enough, isn't it?" - -The cheering by the Oak Hall adherents was tremendous, while the -Resolute followers had little to say. Many came to congratulate Dave on -his excellent pitching and others congratulated Roger on his catching. -The other players were likewise remembered, even Plum coming in for -many handshakes and thumps on the shoulder. - -In the crowd Dave saw Vera and Mary, and spoke to them for a minute or -two. Both girls thought the game the best they had ever seen. - -"Oh, I think your pitching was superb!" cried Vera, enthusiastically. -"I hope you do as well when you play Rockville." - -"I'll do my best," answered Dave, and then turned to rejoin some of his -fellow-players. He came face to face with Roger and was about to speak, -when the senator's son turned his head the other way and passed on. - -The club members had come to Oakdale in the carryall and a carriage, -and they returned to the school in these turnouts. Dave and Phil looked -for Roger, but he was not to be found. Phil, as captain of the club, -had had so many details to look after that he had not gotten time to -speak to Mary, much to his disappointment. But she had waved her hand -to him and smiled, which was one consolation. - -Link Merwell and Nat Poole had predicted defeat for Oak Hall, and when -instead a victory was gained this pair did not know what to say. - -"I reckon it was a fluke," was Merwell's comment. "They couldn't do -it again in a hundred years. Must have been something wrong with the -Resolute players." - -"I heard their pitcher had a sore arm, and they had a substitute first -baseman," said Nat Poole. "That would make a big difference." - -"I hope Rockville Military Academy does 'em up brown," went on Link -Merwell. The thought of having the honor to stand up for his own school -never entered his head. - -"So do I, Link. It will take some of the conceit out of Porter and his -crowd. As pitcher Porter, of course, thinks he is the whole thing." - -"Say, did you notice how cold Porter and Morr are getting toward each -other?" And Link Merwell chuckled gleefully. - -"Yes. I guess they are stirred up over that girl right now." - -"You bet! And maybe they'll be stirred up some more before I am done -with them." - -On the following Thursday afternoon, Dave, Phil, and Plum went out for -a row on the river. It was a beautiful day, clear and warm, and the -three got out a boat with two pairs of oars and a rudder, so that all -might have a share in handling the craft at the same time. - -"Let us row down to Bush Island," suggested Plum, naming an island -about two miles away, which took its name from a patch of huckleberry -bushes growing there. It was a pleasant spot, and one end of the island -was occasionally used by the folks of Oakdale for picnic grounds. - -"That suits me," answered Dave, and soon the three boys were off, never -dreaming of what this little trip was destined to bring forth. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -ON BUSH ISLAND - - -The three boys had covered less than a third of the distance to Bush -Island when they passed two rowboats, one containing Roger, Ben, and -two others, and another containing Doctor Clay and Andrew Dale. - -"Hello! lots of folks out this afternoon," was Phil's comment. - -"This is the first time I have seen the doctor and Mr. Dale out," said -Dave. "They row very well, don't they?" - -"The doctor was once a college oarsman," put in Plum. "I suppose he -likes to get out here for the sake of old times." - -"Well, Mr. Dale pulls as well as he does," returned Dave. "Both of them -pull a perfect stroke." - -"Wonder if old Haskers ever rows?" mused Phil. - -"Guess he doesn't do much of anything but teach and find fault," -grumbled Gus Plum. - -The craft containing the doctor and the first assistant was heading -for the east shore of the river and was soon out of sight around a -point of rocks. The other boat had turned around, so the boys did not -have a chance to speak to their fellow-students. - -"Here comes a motor boat!" cried Dave, as a steady put-put! reached his -ears. - -"It's Nat Poole's boat," said Phil as the craft came into view. - -Soon the motor boat came close to them and they saw that Poole and -Merwell were on board. The pair were smoking, as usual, but placed -their cigarettes on the seats, out of sight. - -"Where are you going?" demanded Nat Poole, abruptly. - -"Rowing," answered Phil, dryly. - -"Humph! Don't you wish you had this motor boat?" - -"Not particularly." - -"A motor boat beats a rowboat all hollow," went on the dudish student. - -"Not for rowing," vouchsafed Dave. - -"Well, you can row if you want to," sneered Poole. "I prefer to let the -motor do the work," and then he steered away, giving the rowboat all -the wash possible as he passed. - -"Wonder where they are going?" said Link Merwell, as he looked back to -see if the rowboat had shipped any water from the wash. - -[Illustration:"WELL, YOU CAN ROW IF YOU WANT TO," SNEERED POOLE.] - -"I don't know, I'm sure." - -"Perhaps they'll land somewhere. If they do, we can play a trick on -'em, Nat." - -"How?" - -"By taking their rowboat when they are out of sight. We can easily tie -the boat on behind and tow it to the boathouse. Then those fellows -would have to walk back to Oak Hall." - -"Good! That would be great!" ejaculated Nat Poole. "I wish they would -land and leave the boat to itself for a while." - -"Let us watch 'em," suggested Merwell, and to this his crony readily -agreed. - -It did not take Dave and his friends long to reach Bush Island. -Beaching the rowboat, they went ashore and took a walk around. - -"It certainly is a nice spot for a picnic," was Phil's comment. "I -don't wonder that the town folks come here--and the Sunday schools. I'd -like to have a picnic myself here--when it gets a little warmer." - -"We might come over some holiday--and bring a basket of grub along," -said Plum. - -"Oh, we'd have to have something good to eat," put in Dave. "That's -three-quarters of the fun." - -Much to their surprise, in walking to the center of the island, they -ran into Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale. Both had some bits of rocks in their -hands and the doctor had a geologist's hammer as well. - -"Well, boys, what brought you?" asked the head of the school, -pleasantly. - -"Oh, we just stopped for fun," answered Dave. "We didn't know you rowed -so far." - -"We are knocking off a few geological specimens for the school -cabinet," answered Doctor Clay. "These are not particularly -valuable--but every little helps." - -The boys remained with the men for a quarter of an hour, and then -walked back to the shore. As they did this, Dave suddenly put up his -hand. - -"What is it?" asked Phil and Plum, in a breath. - -"Thought I heard a motor boat." - -"Perhaps Nat Poole's boat is near the island," suggested Gus. - -"Oh, there are a dozen motor boats on the river now," answered Phil. -"There, I heard it, but it's a good distance off." - -No more was said about the motor boat, and they continued on their -walk to the shore. Here they found their rowboat as they had left it, -and entering, shoved off, and continued their row. They went a little -further than at first anticipated, and consequently had to hurry to get -back in time for supper, and even then were the last students to enter -the dining hall. - -As he passed to his seat Dave had to walk close to Link Merwell. When -the bully saw him he started and stared in amazement. Then he looked -around and stared at Phil and Gus. He leaned over and spoke to Nat -Poole, who sat close at hand. - -"They are back!" he whispered. - -"Who? Porter and his crowd?" And now the dudish pupil looked equally -amazed. - -"Yes,--look for yourself." - -Nat Poole did look, and his face became a study. As soon as possible he -and Merwell finished their evening meal and went outdoors. - -"Somebody must have stopped at the island and taken them off," said -Merwell, when he felt safe to speak without being overheard. - -"I suppose that must be it or else----" Nat Poole stopped short and -turned pale. - -"Or what?" - -"Perhaps we took some other boat, Link! Oh, if we did that, the owner -might have us arrested!" - -"Nonsense! It was an Oak Hall boat--I looked to make sure, when I tied -it to the motor boat." - -"Let us go down and see." - -"Can't you take my word for it?" asked Merwell, roughly. - -"Yes. But I want to know just what boat it was." - -"If they see you hanging around the boathouse they may smell a mouse." - -"I'll be careful. I have a right to look after my motor boat, you know." - -"That's so--I forgot that." - -The youths walked to the boathouse and, on the sly, looked at the craft -they had towed over from Bush Island. It was certainly an Oak Hall -rowboat, and Nat breathed a little sigh of relief. - -The two lads were just on the point of leaving the boathouse when Job -Haskers came in, followed by a man who took care of the boats. - -"Siller tells me you were out in your motor boat this afternoon," said -Job Haskers. "Did you see anything of Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale?" - -"No, sir," answered Nat Poole. - -"Were they out in a boat?" asked Merwell. - -"Yes, they went for a row about four o'clock, and they have not yet got -back. It is strange, for they said nothing about being away for supper." - -"Well, we didn't see them," answered both Poole and Merwell. Then both -left the boathouse and took their way to the gymnasium. - -Here, as fate would have it, they ran into Messmer and Henshaw, who -were doing some turns on the bars, in company with Gus Plum, who, since -his good work on the ball-field, was becoming quite a favorite. - -"I don't think I can do many turns to-night," they heard Plum say. "I -am tired out from a row Dave Porter, Phil Lawrence, and myself took to -Bush Island." - -"How did the island look?" asked Messmer, carelessly. - -"Very nice. We walked all around it and ran into Doctor Clay and Mr. -Dale. They were there gathering geological specimens." - -"I'd like to make a collection," put in Henshaw. "By the way, Mr. Dale -wasn't at supper. Did he come home with you?" - -"No, we left him and the doctor there knocking off the bits of rock," -answered Plum. - -Merwell and Poole listened to this conversation with keen interest. -They exchanged glances, and then the dudish pupil pulled his crony by -the coat-sleeve and led the way to a lonely part of the campus. - -"Oh, Link, do you think we took the doctor's boat by mistake?" asked -Poole, with something akin to terror in his tones. - -"Hush! not so loud!" warned Merwell. "If we did, you don't want to let -anybody know it." - -"But what shall we do? The doctor and Mr. Dale can't leave the island -without a boat." - -"I know that. But don't you say anything--unless you want to get into -hot water." - -"But they may have to stay there all night!" continued the thoroughly -frightened Nat. - -"Oh, I reckon somebody will come to take them off." - -"Do you sup--suppose they saw us run away with their boat?" Poole was -now so scared he could scarcely talk. - -"No. We didn't see them, and consequently I can't see how they'd know -us. But you want to keep mum." - -"Maybe somebody saw us bring in the empty rowboat." - -"I don't think so; nobody was around when we came in. Now you just keep -quiet and it will be all right." - -"If they have to stay on the island all night they'll be as mad as -hornets." - -"I don't care--I'd like to pay them both back for some of the mean -things they've done to us." - -"I don't know that they've done any mean thing to me," answered Nat -Poole. He felt that he would give a good deal not to have touched the -rowboat found on the shore of Bush Island tied to a tree. That it had -been a craft used by Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale there was now not the -slightest doubt. - -Dave was in the library of the school, consulting a history of Rome, -when Ben came in with news that Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale were missing. -It was almost time to go to bed and a number of the students had -already retired. - -"Missing!" cried Dave, and put down the volume in his hands. "What do -you mean, Ben?" - -"They are missing--isn't that plain enough? They went for a row on the -river this afternoon, and they have not come back." - -"Why, we met them at Bush Island," and Dave explained the occurrence. -"Maybe I'd better tell Haskers," he added, and hurried off. - -He found the assistant teacher in the office, considerably worried. -That evening he and the doctor were to have gone over some school -matters that needed attention. The non-return of the master of the Hall -was therefore good cause for alarm. - -"What do you want, Porter?" he asked, coldly, for he had not yet -forgotten the quarrel in that very room some months previous. - -"I understand Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale are missing, Mr. Haskers." - -"Well?" - -"I only wish to tell you that Phil Lawrence, Gus Plum, and I were out -rowing this afternoon and we went to Bush Island, and there we met the -doctor and Mr. Dale, who had come in a rowboat." - -"Indeed! Did they say anything about coming back?" - -"No, sir. We left them there, gathering geological specimens." - -"They wouldn't stay there unless there was a reason for it," mused Job -Haskers. - -"Perhaps their boat sprung a leak, or something like that." - -"Ahem! Such a thing is possible." - -"Would you like some of us to go to the island and find out?" - -"No. If I want that done I can send Siller." - -"You might go to the island in Poole's motor boat. She could make the -trip in no time." - -"I'll think of it," answered Job Haskers, shortly. He did not wish to -give Dave any credit for the suggestion. - -Nevertheless, he acted on the advice, and less than a quarter of an -hour later, with the searchlight on, the motor boat left the school -dock, carrying on board Nat Poole, Siller, and Job Haskers. Poole was -badly frightened, fearing that what he and Merwell had done would be -found out. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -WHAT AN AUTOMOBILE DID - - -"Dave Porter, Doctor Clay wishes to see you in his private office -immediately." - -It was Murphy the monitor who spoke, and he addressed Dave just as the -latter was getting ready to retire for the night. He had already called -Phil and Gus Plum. - -"What does he want, Jim?" questioned Dave. - -"I don't know, I'm sure. He and Mr. Dale just came in, and he is as mad -as a hornet." - -Without delay Dave put on the coat he had taken off, and went below, -accompanied by Phil and Gus. The door to the private office stood open -and inside were the master of Oak Hall, Mr. Dale, and Job Haskers. - -"Come in, young gentlemen," said the doctor, somewhat grimly. "I want -to ask you a few questions." - -They walked in and stood in a row, facing the master. Certainly Doctor -Clay was angry, and Andrew Dale looked far from pleased. - -"All of you were on Bush Island this afternoon," went on Doctor Clay. -"When you went away, did you do anything to the rowboat that Mr. Dale -and myself took there?" - -"No, sir," answered Dave, promptly. - -"We didn't see your boat--at least, I didn't," answered Plum. - -"I didn't see it either," came from Phil. - -"Porter, did you see the boat?" - -"No, sir." - -"All of you are positive of this?" went on the master of the school, -sternly. - -"The only time I saw the boat was when you and Mr. Dale were on the -river rowing--before we got to the island," said Dave. - -"That boat was taken by somebody. We tied it to a tree and when we went -for it, it was gone. We had to remain on the island, in the dark and -cold, until Mr. Haskers came with Poole's motor boat and took us off." - -"Excuse me, Doctor, may I ask a question?" said Andrew Dale. - -"Certainly." - -"Did you boys see anybody else on the island?" - -"No, sir," returned Dave. - -"Was anybody near there, so far as you know?" - -"Not very near. We met a number of the fellows on the river, while we -were rowing toward the island." - -"Who were some of those boys?" asked Doctor Clay. - -Dave remembered that one of the boats had contained Roger, Ben, Sam -Day, and Messmer, and remained silent. - -"Don't any of you remember who were in the other boats?" asked the -doctor, and his voice was sharper than ever. - -"Nat Poole and Link Merwell were out in the motor boat," answered Phil. - -"Yes, I know that, but both declare they were not near the island." - -"Roger Morr, Sam Day, and a lot of others were out, but they were near -the boathouse, and I don't think any of them went near Bush Island," -answered Gus Plum. - -"Well, somebody was there, and took our boat," said Doctor Clay. "If I -find out who was guilty of the trick I shall punish him severely." He -knew that many of the boys would laugh behind his back, and he hated to -be the butt of such a joke. - -After being questioned for quarter of an hour the boys were told they -could go, and returned to their dormitory. Hardly had they left the -office when Siller, the boatman, came in. - -"The boat you had is at the dock," he announced. "It was tied up around -a corner, where I didn't see it before." - -"That proves some boys from this school took it from the island," said -the doctor. "Is the boat all right?" - -"Yes, sir. I looked her over, and in the bottom I found this case." - -As Siller spoke he handed over a small leather case, which was empty -but smelt strongly of tobacco. - -"A cigarette case!" cried the master of the school. "Could any pupil -here have had that? They know that smoking is forbidden." He turned the -case over in the light. "Here is a letter painted on the side. It is -rather worn." - -"It is an M," said Andrew Dale, after an examination. "Let me see, what -pupils' names begin with M?" He mused for a moment. "Morrison, Morr, -Merwell----" - -"Morrison went home yesterday, to be gone a week. Merwell said the -motor boat was not near the island, and I certainly did not hear it." - -"Plum just said Morr and some others were out in a rowboat," added -Andrew Dale, quickly. "This may be his cigarette case." - -"We'll question him." - -Thereupon Roger was made to visit the office and put through a course -of questions. He denied being near Bush Island and also denied owning -the cigarette case. He felt angered to think he was suspected and -answered the doctor so sharply that he was told to translate ten pages -of Caesar the next afternoon--a task he hated. And there the whole -matter rested for the time being. Merwell missed his cigarette case, -sent to him by a friend for his birthday, and he warned Poole not to -breathe a word about it. - -"We have told the doctor we were not near the island," said the bully. -"Now, if he finds out that we were, he'll punish us severely, and maybe -he'll expel us." This fairly terrorized Nat, and he wished he had never -seen Bush Island or listened to Merwell's plan to rob Dave and his -chums of their rowboat. - -In some way Roger became convinced that Dave was responsible for his -being hauled up before Doctor Clay, and as a consequence he grew colder -and colder toward his former chum, something that hurt Dave very much. -Phil, in a roundabout way, tried to patch up the matter, but Roger -would not listen. He spent his entire time in company with Shadow, -Buster, and some others, and only spoke to Dave when the baseball nine -did its practicing. - -About six miles from Oak Hall was a private park known as Hilltop. This -belonged to a gentleman named Richard Mongrace, who had a brother, a -man who had once been a college football player, but who was now an -invalid and could not leave the estate. Mr. Mongrace had a fine field -for all sorts of outdoor sports at Hilltop, with a grand stand and -bleachers, and, to please his brother, he frequently invited local -clubs to use his grounds for their contests. - -In the past both Oak Hall and Rockville Military Academy had played at -Hilltop, and now they had been invited to do so again, and it had been -arranged that the baseball series should be played there. It may be as -well to state here that the contest was to consist of two games out of -a possible three. If either side won the first two games the third was -not to be played. - -The day for the first game proved cloudy and windy, yet the Oak Hall -boys went to the grounds in high spirits. Some went on bicycles, some -in the carryall, and a few walked, just for the exercise. - -Dave was in the carryall, along with Phil, Shadow, and ten others. They -were a jolly crowd, and as the turnout bowled along over the road they -sang, gave the school yell, and cut up generally. The athletic yell was -very popular, as follows: - - "Baseball! - Football! - Oak Hall! - Has the call! - Biff! Boom! Bang! Whoop!" - -"This is the day we rip Rockville up the back!" cried one of the -students. - -"And poke holes in the sky with raps for home runs," added another. - -"And strike out three men every inning!" cried a third. "Dave, how is -our pitcher to-day?" - -"Able to sit up and eat pie," answered Dave, with a smile. - -"Talking about pitchers puts me in mind of a little story I heard -yesterday----" began Shadow. "A little girl----" - -"Hello, Shadow has hit the story trail once more!" sang out Phil. -"Thought there must be something wrong with him. He hasn't told a story -for an hour and ten minutes." - -"He's thinking of all the outs he is going to make," put in Plum, slyly. - -"Not an out for yours truly," returned the story-teller. "But to get -back to the little girl. Says she to her papa, 'Papa, did you say a -baseball club has a pitcher?' 'Yes, my dear,' says papa. 'Well, do they -have a sugar-bowl too?'" And at this anecdote the boys smiled. - -Jackson Lemond was driving the carryall. He had a team of horses -which the doctor had purchased only a few weeks before. They were a -mettlesome pair, and the Hall driver did not altogether understand -them. At times they went along very well, but at others they "cut up -simply awful," to use Horsehair's way of expressing it. - -"Why don't you let the team out, Horsehair?" asked one of the boys, -presently. "We don't want to take all day to get to Hilltop." - -"I hate to give 'em too much headway," answered the driver. "The road -ain't none of the best along here, and there ain't no telling what they -might do." - -"We'll have to hurry some," said Dave. "I want some time to warm up, -and so do the others." - -"Maybe it will rain and the game will have to be called off," was -Phil's comment, with an anxious look at the overcast sky. - -"Oh, it's not going to rain just now," answered Henshaw. - -They had just reached the top of a long hill and were preparing to go -down the other side, when they heard a tooting behind them. - -"Here comes an automobile!" cried Phil, looking back. - -"I know that machine," answered Buster. "It belongs to some of the -students at Rockville--two cousins, I think. They brought it down from -Portland, Maine, where they come from." - -"It is full of Rockville fellows," said Sam. "They want to pass us," he -added, as the tooting sounded louder. - -"It's a narrow road to pass on," grumbled Horsehair. "Whoa, there!" he -cried to his team. - -"Whoa, I say!" - -For the horses had begun to prick up their ears and dance about at the -sound of the automobile horn. - -"Clear the road, for we are coming!" came the cry from behind, and -then with a tooting of the horn, a puffing from the engine, and a wild -yelling from the occupants, the big touring car shot past the carryall -with less than three inches to spare, and plunged down the hill at a -speed that soon carried it out of sight in a cloud of dust. - -It was enough to scare anybody, and the hearts of some of the boys beat -wildly for the moment. - -"That's taking a fearful risk," was the comment of one lad. "If they -don't look out, they'll break their necks." - -There was little time to say more, for the students now realized that -Horsehair was having his hands full with the new team. One horse was -plunging with might and main to break away and the other was shying to -the left. Then came a sudden snap, as a portion of the harness gave -way, and the next moment the carryall was sweeping down the hill on the -very heels of the team that was running away. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL - - -It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall -realized it. With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do -little or nothing to control the team. They had the bits in their teeth -and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the -turnout swinging first to one side and then the other. - -"We'll go over!" - -"We'll be smashed to pieces!" - -"We'd better jump, if we want to save our lives!" - -These and many other cries rang out. Dave and Ben were on the front -seat with Horsehair, but all the others were inside, being thrown -around like beans in a bag. - -"Let them go!" sang out Dave. "Give them the middle of the road,--and -put on the brake." - -At first the driver was too scared to pay attention to Dave's words, -and the youth had to lean over and pull the brake back. This all but -locked the wheels and caused the carryall greatly to diminish its -speed. But the horses kept dancing and plunging as madly as ever, and -it looked as if at any instant they might bring the turnout to grief in -one or the other of the water gullies lining the highway. - -"If you fellows want to get off, drop out the back one at a time," sang -out Dave, when he saw that the brake was telling on the speed of both -team and carryall. - -"You had better jump, too," answered one youth, as he prepared to do as -advised. - -"Not yet--I think the team will stop at the foot of the hill," returned -Dave. - -His coolness restored confidence to the others, and all remained in the -carryall. Horsehair had tight hold of the reins, and now began to talk -soothingly to the horses--getting back some of his own wits. Then the -bottom of the hill was reached; and after a few minutes of work the -team was brought down to a walk and then halted. Without waiting for an -invitation, the students leaped to the ground and the school driver did -likewise. - -"Say, that was surely a scare," was Jackson Lemond's comment. "I'd like -to wring the neck o' the young rascal who is running that auto!" - -"He certainly had no right to rush past us as he did," replied Phil. -"But how about it, Horsehair; can you mend the harness? Remember, we -want to get to Hilltop." - -"I reckon I can mend it--I've got extry straps and buckles under the -seat." - -Horsehair set to work and Dave and Plum aided him, and in a very few -minutes they were able to proceed on their way. The driver now kept -the team well in hand, and the boys kept a keen lookout for more -automobiles, but none passed them. - -"I've a good mind to report those chaps to the constable," said -Horsehair, as they neared Hilltop. "They ought to be locked up." - -"You'll be laughed at for your pains," answered Shadow. "Let us wax -Rockville at baseball--that will be revenge enough." - -The grounds were comfortably filled at the ball-field, and by the time -the game started nearly every seat was taken. In one corner of the -grand stand was a group of girls and among them Mary Feversham and Vera -Rockwell, and they had flags with the initials O. H. on them. - -"They are going to root for us, bless 'em!" cried Phil, and he waved -his hand at Mary and Vera, and Dave did likewise. Roger pretended not -to see the girls, but hurried immediately to the dressing-room to -prepare for the game. - -It had brightened up a little and for a short while the sun came out. -Promptly at three o'clock the game started with Oak Hall at the bat. -They were retired in one, two, three order, much to the delight of the -Rockville contingent. - -"That's the way to do it!" - -"Now then, fellows, show them how you can bat the ball!" - -And then arose the Military Academy slogan: - - "Rockville! - Rockville! - You'll get your fill - From Rockville!" - -Dave was certainly in the pink of condition when he walked down to the -pitcher's box. Yet, despite his best efforts, one of the Rockville -players "found him" for a two-bagger and another for a single, and when -the side went out it had two runs to its credit. - -Then what a roar went up from the Military Academy boys! - -"That's the way! Keep it up!" - -"If you make two every inning, you'll have eighteen by the time you -finish." - -During the second, third, and fourth innings Oak Hall did its best to -score, but though two players reached second and one third, it was not -to be. In the meantime Rockville got four more runs, making six in all. - -"Six to nothing! That's going some!" - -"Here is where we show Oak Hall what we can do!" - -Phil was very much worried and came to talk the matter over with Dave. - -"Dave, can't you strike some more of 'em out?" he asked. So far the -pitcher had struck out two men. - -"I'm doing my best, Phil. They seem to be good hitters and no mistake. -If you want to try somebody else in my place----" - -"No, no, Dave! Only I'd like to keep down that score. Do your best." - -In the next two innings Oak Hall managed to get two runs--one by a wild -throw to second. This was a little encouraging, and the students rooted -wildly. But in the seventh inning Roger made a wild throw to third and -that gave the Rockvilles two more runs. At the end of the eighth the -score stood, Rockville 10, Oak Hall 3. - -"We ought to have another pitcher and another catcher," said some. -"Porter and Morr are both off to-day." - -"Phil, you can put somebody else in my place if you wish," said the -senator's son, quickly. - -"And you can put somebody in my place, too," added Dave. - -"No, you stick and do the best you can," answered the manager of the -nine. - -"They can't do anything!" sneered Link Merwell, who stood close by. - -"They can both play far better ball than you," retorted Phil. "If you -were pitching or catching, the Rockvilles would have about fifty runs," -and then he turned his back on the bully. - -It had begun to rain a little, but both clubs decided to play the game -out unless it came down too hard. Oak Hall went to the bat with vigor -in the ninth and got two men on bases. But then came a foul fly, a -short hit to first, and a pop fly, and there their chances ended. Then, -to see what they could do, Rockville took the last half of the ninth -and batted out four more runs, amid the wildest kind of yelling from -the Military Academy cadets and their friends. - -Final score, Rockville 14, Oak Hall 3. - -The Oak Hall boys felt as gloomy as the sky above them and they had -little or nothing to say. They could now realize how Rockville had -felt, when defeated on the football field, the season before. None of -the players gave attention to the rain, which was now coming down in -torrents. - -"Told you we'd lose," said Link Merwell, to some of the boys near him. - -"Oh, you're a croaker!" cried Messmer. "We can't win every time." - -"You should have had Purdy in the box," said another. Purdy was a new -student and it was said he could pitch very well. - -"Yes, and Barloe behind the bat," added another. Barloe had caught in -some games the year before and done fairly well. - -It must be confessed that both Dave and Roger were considerably -disheartened by the result of the game, and each blamed himself for -errors made. Gus Plum also bewailed the fact that he had missed a foul -fly that came down just out of his reach. - -It was raining so hard the boys had to wait in the dressing rooms and -on the grand stand for the downpour to let up before starting for Oak -Hall. Here the game was discussed in every particular, and each player -came in for commingled praise and blame. - -"Well, if you want my opinion I'll give it," said Dave, frankly. "I do -not say that I didn't make any errors myself, for I did. But I think -our nine needs team-work--we don't play well enough together." - -"That is true," answered Plum. "I go in for constant practice between -now and the time for the next game." - -During the wait Phil slipped away from the other players and sought out -Mary Feversham. The girl smiled sadly at his approach. - -"I shouldn't have minded the rain at all if you had won," she said. -"But to have you lose and have the rain also is dreadful!" - -"Well, we still have a chance to win the series," answered the club -captain, bravely. "I am sorry you are caught here. Perhaps I can get a -covered carriage----" - -"Thank you, but Vera has a gentleman friend here, and he is going to -take us home in a coach." - -"Oh!" - -"He's a young man that used to think a lot of Vera," went on Mary, in a -whisper. "I guess she thinks a lot of him, too--but don't let her know -I told you." - -Soon the young gentleman drove up in a coach and Phil was introduced. -Then the young ladies got in, and off the turnout sped through the -rain. Then Phil rejoined the others of the club; and a little later -all were on their way to Oak Hall, in the carryall, and in covered -carriages and wagons. - -"Were Mary Feversham and Vera Rockwell here alone?" asked Roger, while -on the way. - -"I guess so," answered Phil. - -"How were they going to get home?" - -"A young gentleman, fellow named Greene,--personal friend of -Vera's,--took them home in a coach." - -"Greene?" - -"Yes, George Greene. Looked like a nice fellow. Mary said he and Vera -were quite thick." - -Phil said this carelessly, but he looked sharply at the senator's son -as he spoke. - -"Why, I thought----" Roger broke off short. "Didn't you and Dave call -on Vera and Mary one night last week?" he added, after a long pause. - -"Why--er--I passed Mary's house and spoke to her at the gate for a few -minutes," stammered Phil. "Dave was with me, but he didn't stop--said -he wanted to post a letter to his sister." - -"Didn't he go to Vera's house?" - -"No. I don't think he has seen her since that ball game at Oakdale." - -"Is that really true, Phil?" - -"I believe it is, Roger. And now see here, old boy, what is this -trouble between you and Dave? I'm your chum and I'm Dave's chum, too, -and I think I have a right to know." - -"Why don't you ask Dave?" - -"He says he doesn't know--at least, he says the trouble all comes from -you--no, I don't mean that either, I mean---- Hang it, Roger, what do I -mean?" - -At this outburst the senator's son had to laugh, and Phil laughed also, -and both boys felt better for it. There was a pause. - -"I guess I've been--been--well, jealous, Phil," said Roger. "I--I -thought Dave was sweet on little Jessie Wadsworth----" - -"So he is." - -"And then he got acquainted with Vera Rockwell, and--and----" - -"And he became friendly with her, nothing more, Roger--just as you -became friendly with Jessie. Didn't he have a right to do that? Why, -I don't think--in fact, I am quite sure,--she doesn't care for him -excepting in a general way. Why should she? She's young yet, and so is -Dave,--and so are all of us. Now, I like Mary Feversham, and I guess -she likes me, but I am not going to let that come between my friendship -for you and Dave. Really, Roger, you are taking this too much to heart. -I rather think, if you ought to be jealous, it should be of Mr. Greene, -not of Dave." - -"Maybe you're right, Phil," answered the senator's son, slowly and -thoughtfully. "And if you are--well, I've been making a fool of myself, -that's all." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -STUCK ON A SANDBAR - - -Roger seemed to feel much better after his talk with Phil, and that -evening, when the baseball club held a meeting in the gymnasium, he -spoke pleasantly to Dave. The young pitcher appreciated this, and when -the meeting was over he and Roger walked to the school side by side, -something they had not done in a long while. - -"I--I guess I've been making a fool of myself, Dave," said the -senator's son, frankly. "I thought----" He hesitated, not knowing how -to go on. - -"Don't say another word about it, Roger!" cried Dave. - -"You know what it was about." - -"I think I can guess. But what is the use of chewing it over? I am sure -I never wanted to interfere with you or your--friends. If you like -Vera--and I think she is certainly a nice girl--why don't you act more -friendly when you meet? I think you treated her a little bit shabbily -the last time--and maybe she thinks so, too." - -"Oh, I was a fool, that's why. I suppose now, if I try to make up, -she'll cut me dead." - -"I don't think she is that kind, Roger. Anyway, if I were you, I'd try -her." - -"I don't suppose you know I got a note about you and her?" went on the -senator's son. - -"A note?" - -"Yes, it was only a scrawl in pencil and I was so angry at the time I -tore it up. It said you were making yourself friendly with her just to -cut me out." - -"Who sent the note?" - -"I don't know. Wish I did." - -"It was surely some enemy," said Dave; and there the talk had to come -to an end. - -Not much had been said at the meeting of the baseball club, but during -the next few days many of the students of Oak Hall came out against -Dave, Roger, and Gus Plum, saying they thought those three players -had lost the game. This was not true, but the talk grew, and it made -matters decidedly unpleasant for the trio of ball players. - -"Phil, I think you had better try Purdy in the box at the next game," -said Dave. "So many of the fellows seem to want him." - -"And you can put Barloe behind the bat," added Roger. "I don't want to -catch if somebody can do better." - -"And I'll give up first base," said Plum. - -"See here, if you are all going to resign I'll resign myself!" cried -the manager of the nine. "This talk is all nonsense." - -"But it is growing stronger," answered Dave. "And I must admit, Purdy -is a good pitcher." - -"Can he pitch as well as you?" - -"I'd prefer to have others decide that question." - -More talks like this followed, and when some of the other students got -at Phil he began to waver. - -"Well, regardless of friendships," said he at last, "I want to do the -best I can for Oak Hall. I am willing to put Purdy in the box, Barloe -behind the bat, and Hissoc on first, provided Dave, Roger, and Gus will -go on the substitute bench." - -"I reckon Porter won't agree to substitute," said one of the club -members. - -But in this surmise the player was mistaken. The young pitcher agreed -to do anything the manager wished, and so did the senator's son and -Plum. Thereupon Purdy, Barloe, and Hissoc were at once put into -training for the next game. - -One afternoon Dave, Phil, Roger, and Ben Basswood went for a row on the -river. They took one of the racing boats, and, with each at an oar, -they made rapid progress up the stream. They passed several of the -islands, and then rounded a point and entered a cove which was thickly -lined with bushes and trees. - -"Nat Poole is out in his motor boat," said Roger. "He has Link Merwell -with him." - -"I think the best thing Nat can do is to drop Merwell," was Ben's -comment. "Merwell is getting reckless. I've seen him in town half a -dozen times, hanging around the poolroom, smoking." - -"Yes, and he drinks," said Roger. "Sometimes I really think he ought to -be reported to Doctor Clay." - -"Yes, but who wants to do it?" asked Phil. "Nobody wants the reputation -of a tale-bearer." - -"He certainly ought to be expelled if he is going to lead others -astray," was Dave's comment. "I suppose some of us ought to talk to Nat -about it. But Nat is so conceited he thinks he knows it all, and it -would be mighty hard to tell him anything." - -"Hark! I hear a motor boat now!" cried Ben. "It must be behind those -overhanging trees." - -"Here it comes," said Roger. "I declare, it's Poole's boat and he and -Merwell have several young ladies aboard!" - -As the motor boat came closer the boys saw that the young ladies were -Vera Rockwell, Mary Feversham, and a stranger. - -"I didn't know those girls would go out with Poole and Merwell," was -Phil's comment. - -"Nor I," added Roger. - -The motor boat had been headed almost directly for the rowboat, but -as soon as Merwell recognized those in the smaller craft he turned to -his crony and said something in a whisper, and then the motor boat was -turned in another direction. - -"Motor boat, ahoy!" cried Ben. - -To this hail Poole and Merwell paid no attention. Poole was steering -and the bully was at the engine, and the latter advanced the spark and -turned on more gasoline, in order to increase the speed of the craft. - -"Oh, it's Mr. Lawrence!" cried Mary Feversham. - -"And Mr. Porter and Mr. Morr!" added Vera Rockwell. - -"Please stop the boat, we want to speak to them," went on Mary, to -Merwell. - -"Can't stop just now," grumbled the bully, as he tried to make the -engine run still faster. - -"Why, the idea!" exclaimed the strange girl of the party. "I thought -you could stop a motor boat any time." - -"So you can," added Vera Rockwell. "I want you to stop," she went on, -commandingly. - -"Can't do it," answered Merwell, and then he winked at Poole, who had -turned his head to listen to the talk. - -"Well, I think you are real mean!" pouted Mary. "I shall never ask you -to take me across the river again. You've kept us on the motor boat -now nearly an hour!" - -"If you don't land us where we want to go, and as soon as possible, -I'll tell my brother," said Vera. - -"Yes, and we'll tell those students in that rowboat, too," said Mary. - -"You came for a ride of your own free will," said Merwell. - -"We did not. We said we wanted to cross the river and you said you'd -take us across." - -"Well, that's what we intend to do," and Merwell grinned in a manner -that disgusted all three of the fair passengers. - -"If you don't land us at once, I shall cry for help," said Vera. - -"And so will I," added the other girls. - -"We'll land you--after we've had a ride," answered Merwell, and -continued to crowd the engine as best he knew how. - -"Don't run too fast--I don't know the channel here!" cried Poole, -somewhat alarmed. Had he had his way, he would have landed the girls -long before, but he did not dare to thwart Link Merwell's pleasure. The -bully took a vast delight in teasing the girls and scaring them. - -"Help! help!" cried Vera, suddenly. "Help!" And then the other girls -joined in the call for assistance. - -"You shut up!" exclaimed Merwell, sullenly. "We are not hurting you. -If you don't shut up we'll land you on one of the islands and leave you -there." - -"Oh!" exclaimed the third girl, whose name was Sadie Fillmore, and then -she nearly fainted from fright. - -The motor boat was rounding a point of the cove when there came an -unexpected scraping on the bottom. Then suddenly the craft slid up on a -sandbar and careened to one side, almost tumbling some of the occupants -into the water. - -"Shut her off!" yelled Poole, and in alarm Link Merwell stopped the -engine. The girls screamed and clung to each other in terror. A little -water entered the boat and this added to their fright. - -"Now, see what you did!" cried Nat Poole. "We are on a sandbar." - -"It wasn't my fault--I wasn't steering," answered Link Merwell. - -"I told you to run slow, but you kept piling on the speed." - -"Are we go--going to--to sink?" faltered Mary. - -"Sink? We can't sink. We are high and dry on a sandbar," grumbled -Merwell. - -"Oh, I am so thankful!" - -"Well, I'm not." - -"But we aren't dry--the water is all around us," protested Vera. - -"There's not enough to float us." - -"What are we going to do?" demanded Poole, looking at his crony with -much concern showing in his face. - -"Perhaps we can back her," suggested Merwell. "I'll reverse the engine -and try." - -This was done, but though the propeller churned the water into a foam -and sent some sand flying into the air, the motor boat remained firmly -on the bar. - -"It's no use," sighed Nat. "Stop the engine, or you may break -something." And then the power was turned off. - -"What are we to do?" questioned Sadie Fillmore. "We can't stay here -forever." - -"Here comes that rowboat!" cried Vera, a moment later. - -"Oh, let us signal to them!" exclaimed Mary, and standing up she waved -her handkerchief, and then her big sailor hat. - -"We don't want those fellows here!" growled Link Merwell. "They can go -about their business. We'll get the boat off the sandbar somehow." - -"We do want them," answered Vera, and joined her friend in signaling, -and Sadie Fillmore did the same. - -It was not long before the other boat came within hailing distance. -Seeing that the motor boat was stuck on a sandbar, the rowers took -care not to ground their craft. - -"Help us, won't you, please!" cried Vera. - -"Yes, yes, take us off!" added Mary. - -"We don't want to stay on this motor boat any longer!" exclaimed Sadie. - -"I guess we can take the girls off," said Phil. "But what about Poole -and Merwell?" - -"We might come back for them," answered Ben. "We can't leave them here -very well." - -With care the rowboat was brought to the side of the motor boat and the -girls were assisted from one craft to the other. - -"Can't you take us?" asked Poole. - -"Not now," said Roger. "We can come back later." - -The rowboat was rather crowded, but this could not be altered. The boys -pulled away from the motor boat, and then asked the girls where they -wished to be landed. - -"We were going to Perry's Point, across the river," explained Vera. -"But those boys kept us out so long I think we'd better go home." And -then she and the others told how they had been walking toward the place -where an old man kept a ferry, when they had been hailed by Merwell, -who had offered to take them across. - -"But they didn't take us across at all!" cried Mary. "They took us for -a ride instead, although we told them we didn't want to go." - -"Can that be true?" asked Phil, indignantly. - -"It certainly is," said Vera. "Oh, I think they were just too mean for -anything!" - -"It serves them right that their motor boat ran on the sandbar. I hope -they never get it off," added Sadie Fillmore. - -"We'll have to look into this," said Dave. "It was contemptible to keep -you out on the river against your will, and they ought to be made to -suffer for it." - -"And they shall suffer--just you wait and see," said Roger, firmly. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -LINK MERWELL HAS HIS SAY - - -As swiftly as they could the four boys rowed the girls to where they -wanted to go. During the trip Roger spoke to Vera half a dozen times, -and the coldness between them became a thing of the past. Sadie -Fillmore was formally introduced, and all three girls said they were -going to attend the next baseball game at Hilltop. - -"My father has a tally-ho and we are going in that," said Sadie. Her -parents were rich and lived in Oakdale in the summer and in New York -City in the winter. - -"Well, I hope you see a good game," answered Dave. He said nothing -about Roger, Plum, and himself being only substitutes, for he did not -wish to place Phil in an awkward position. - -As soon as the girls were landed the boys rowed out into the river -again, and there they held what might be termed an impromptu -indignation meeting. - -"Now, what do you think of that?" burst out Roger, referring to the -conduct of Poole and Merwell. "I say such actions are a disgrace to -Oak Hall." - -"Yes, and those fellows ought to be tarred and feathered," added Phil. - -"Doctor Clay ought to hear of this," came from Ben. - -"I think I have a plan to teach them a lesson," said Dave. - -"Let's have it," returned the senator's son, promptly. - -"We'll tell them what we think of them and then leave them stuck on -the sandbar without sending anybody to their assistance. Maybe they'll -have to stay there all night. They won't like that--and without their -supper, too!" - -"Good! That's the cheese!" cried Ben, slangily. "I hope they have to go -without their supper and breakfast, too!" - -It was decided to refuse all assistance, and this agreed upon, the four -rowed to the vicinity of the stranded motor boat. They found Poole and -Merwell still on board, both waiting impatiently for their return. - -"It's a wonder you wouldn't come!" cried Poole. "Do you think we want -to stay here all night?" - -"Can you pull us off?" asked Link Merwell. "If you can't, Nat and I -want you to go to Oakdale and get the tug _Ella Davis_ to do the job." - -"You talk as if we were hired to work for you," answered Dave. - -"I wasn't addressing you, Porter--I was talking to the others." - -"Well, we are not in your employ either," answered Phil. - -"Look here, Merwell, and you, too, Poole," said Roger. "We've got a -big bone to pick with you, but it won't take long to pick it. We think -that the way you acted toward those young ladies was disgraceful, and -it reflects on the honor of Oak Hall. For two pins we'd tell some of -the other students, and you'd be tarred and feathered or run out of the -school. We----" - -"It wasn't my fault!" interrupted Nat Poole, turning pale. "I--I was -willing enough to take them across the riv----" - -"Shut up!" growled Link Merwell. "We are not accountable to them for -what we do. Don't make a fool of yourself." - -"It was certainly an outrageous proceeding," said Ben. "If their folks -wanted to make you suffer for it, they could do so." - -"Oh, don't gas, Basswood. If you don't want to aid us, say so. We are -not going to beg you to do so." And Link Merwell's face showed his -hatred. - -"We are going to leave you here, as you deserve," said Dave. - -"No, no! Please don't do that!" pleaded Nat Poole. "I don't want to -stay in this lonely part of the river all night!" - -"Shut up--we can swim ashore!" whispered his crony. - -"The water is too cold yet--I felt of it. It's like ice," answered Nat. -He was plainly frightened. - -"Listen," said Phil, in a low tone to his chums. "Nat says he wanted to -take the girls across the river. Perhaps he isn't to blame as much as -we think." - -"He stood in with Merwell," answered Phil. - -"Oh, don't leave us here!" cried the dudish student. "It looks as if it -might rain to-night, and it will be cold, and----" - -"Say, you make me sick," growled Merwell. "I wouldn't ask them for a -favor now if I was dying!" - -"See here, Poole," said Dave, after consulting his chums. "We'll take -you off on one condition." - -"What is that?" - -"That you will promise to write a letter to each of the young ladies, -apologizing for your conduct." - -"Why, I--er--I----" - -"You can take your choice," added Roger. "Apologize or stay here." - -"I didn't mean any harm. I was willing to take them across, but -Link----" - -"That's right, blame it all on me!" burst out Merwell. "Well, I don't -care. I'll not crawl to anybody! They can go to Halifax, for all I -care! I don't want their aid." - -"I'll--I'll apologize, if you'll take me back to the school," faltered -Poole. - -"All right then, get into the rowboat," said Phil. - -"And mind you keep your promise, or you'll catch it!" added the -senator's son. - -The rowboat was brought close to the stern of the larger craft and the -dudish student leaped on board. As he did this, Merwell caught up a -boathook, gave the rowboat a shove, and almost capsized it. - -"Let up, Merwell!" exclaimed Dave, and raising his oar, he hit the -bully a blow on the shoulder and sent him sprawling in the bottom of -the motor boat. Then the rowboat floated away from the larger craft. - -If Link Merwell had been angry before, he was now in a perfect rage. -Scrambling to his feet, he shook his fist at the others. - -"Just wait!" he roared. "I'll fix you all for this, and you -particularly, Dave Porter, you poorhouse rat! I'll make you wish you -had never been born!" - -"Come away!" cried Nat Poole, badly frightened. "Don't listen to him." - -[Illustration:RAISING HIS OAR, HE HIT THE BULLY A BLOW ON THE SHOULDER.] - -"He acts as if he was crazy," was Phil's comment. - -"I--I know what it is," returned Poole. "It's----" He hesitated. - -"Has he been drinking?" demanded Dave. "Come, tell the truth, Nat?" - -"Yes. He had a bottle of stuff with him, and he had one drink before -we started and two more while we were waiting for you to come back. He -isn't himself at all--so you mustn't mind what he says." - -"He's a fool!" came bluntly from Ben. - -"I made a mistake to go out with him. He's always that way when he's -got anything to drink." - -Dave's face was a study. When Merwell had called him "a poorhouse rat" -he had gone white and his teeth had closed with a snap, but now, when -he heard how the misguided youth was the victim of his own appetite, -the lines softened into pity and nothing else. - -"It's too bad," he said. "Why can't fellows leave drink alone?" And -then he thought of poor Gus and how he had been tempted. - -"We ought to take the stuff away from him," said Roger. - -"It's too late for that--the bottle is empty, and Merwell threw it -overboard," answered Poole. - -"I don't think it safe to leave him out on the river alone," said Dave. - -But none of the others would agree to go back, and so the rowboat was -headed for the Oak Hall dock. They were just coming in sight of the -place when they heard a put-put! on the river and looked back. - -"Well, I declare, it's the motor boat!" ejaculated Roger. - -"He must have got it off the bar somehow," said Phil. - -"Maybe it slid off of itself," suggested Ben. "Although I don't see how -it could." - -Left to himself Link Merwell had started the engine full speed ahead. -He was desperate and did not care whether he ruined the motor boat -or not. Lightened of the weight of the other passengers, the boat -had wormed its way over the bar and into deep water, and then he had -started in pursuit of the rowboat. - -"You didn't get the best of me, anyhow!" he sang out, as he passed -them. Then he ran up to the dock, stopped the engine, and leaped -ashore, and without waiting to tie up the craft, walked swiftly toward -the school building and disappeared. That evening he left Oak Hall, -to be gone for several days, on business for his father, so he told -Doctor Clay. Whether this was true or not the boys never found out. -They suspected, however, that he went off to have what he called a good -time. - -Those who had been out in the rowboat saw to it that Nat Poole wrote -and mailed the letters of apology to the three girls, and then Dave and -Ben gave the lad from Crumville a severe lecture, telling him that it -would be to his credit to cut such a fellow as Merwell, who was bound, -sooner or later, to drag him down. - -"Merwell is by far the worst boy that ever came to Oak Hall," said -Dave, "and sooner or later he will be expelled. What will your father -say if you are expelled with him?" - -"We want you to make a record," said Ben. "Not only for your own sake, -but also for the honor of the town we come from, and for the honor of -the school. You'll never gain anything by sticking in with Merwell. Gus -Plum has cut him, and so have lots of the fellows, and you ought to do -it. There are plenty of other good fellows in this school, even if you -don't want to train with our particular crowd. Think it over, Nat." - -And Nat Poole did think it over, and, as a consequence, from that day -on he turned his back on Merwell and refused to have anything more to -do with the dissolute bully. - -The day for the second ball game with Rockville was perfect in every -respect. The sun shone brightly and there was just sufficient breeze -to make the air bracing. Everybody turned out to see the contest, and -long before the umpire called "Play!" grand stand and bleachers were -crowded. - -The Rockville players were rather surprised to see Dave, Roger, and -Plum on the bench while strangers filled their positions on the -diamond. They asked each other, "What are we up against?" but none -could answer that question. - -The Military Academy nine went to the bat first, and much to the -delight of Oak Hall, Purdy, the new pitcher, struck out two men, while -the third knocked a foul that was easily gathered in by the new first -baseman. - -"That's the way to hold 'em down!" cried several. - -"Purdy's a big improvement on Porter, eh?" - -"It certainly looks that way." - -In this first inning Oak Hall managed to score one run, which caused a -wild cheering, in which Dave, Roger, and Gus readily joined. But in the -second, third, and fourth they got only "goose eggs," while Rockville -came in over the home plate six times. In the fourth inning the second -baseman was "spiked" by accident while sliding to third, and had to -retire, and Plum took his place. Then came the fifth inning, with a run -for each nine, and in that the shortstop was almost knocked senseless -by a hot liner. - -"Roger, you'll have to cover short," said Phil, and the senator's son -ran out to do so, amid a clapping of hands from his friends. - -The sixth inning resulted in several hits for the nines, but no runs -were made. Then came the seventh, with another run for each, and in -this a runner for Rockville bumped into the Oak Hall third baseman and -both had to retire. - -"This is certainly a slaughter!" cried one spectator. "If they keep on, -somebody will be killed before they get through." - -The accident took Dave out in the field to cover third. As luck would -have it, less than a minute later he caught a man trying to slide to -the bag, and when the runner was declared out the Oak Hall boys set up -a cheer. - -"Good for Dave Porter! That's the way to cover third!" - -The end of the eighth inning found the score Rockville 11, Oak Hall 4. -It looked as if Oak Hall was beaten, yet the nine resolved to do its -best to win out. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -DAVE MAKES UP HIS MIND - - -With the score eleven to four against his club, Purdy, the pitcher, got -nervous, and as a consequence he allowed the first batter up to walk to -first on balls. Then the next player met the sphere for a base hit, and -the man on first ran down to second. - -"Steady, Purdy, steady!" was the cry. - -"Better put in Dave Porter," advised some of Dave's friends. - -The next batter got two strikes and two balls and then knocked a short -fly, which was scooped in by Plum at second. Then the runner at second, -on the next delivery of the ball over the plate, tried to steal to -third. Over came the ball from the catcher. It was fully three feet -over Dave's head, and many held their breath, expecting the run to come -in. But with a high jump, Dave reached the sphere and brought it down -with one hand; and the runner was put out. - -"Hurrah! What do you think of that for a catch!" - -"Talk about jumping! That's the best I ever saw on any ball-field!" - -The next man up got to first on balls, and again there was a cry to -take Purdy out of the box and substitute Dave. But Dave shook his head -to Phil. - -"It wouldn't be fair," he said. "Purdy hasn't done so badly--it was a -streak of poor luck, that's all." - -When the next batter came up he waited until he had a strike and two -balls and then knocked a swift liner into the diamond. It came several -feet from Roger, but now the former catcher proved his worth. He made a -dive, caught the ball, and rolled over, but still held the ball up in -his left hand. - -"Batter out!" - -"That ends it for Rockville." - -It did end it for Rockville so far as making any runs was concerned, -but it still looked as if the game belonged to them and with it the -series. - -But the Oak Hall boys went to the bat with a "do or die" look on their -faces. Phil started the ball rolling with a two-bagger and Roger -followed with a single, taking Phil to third. Then came Shadow with -another two-bagger, bringing in the two runners. - -What a cheering and yelling! The Oak Hall boys went wild and waved -their caps and banners. Then, while the noise was still going on, Dave -came up to the bat, swung the ashen stick at the first ball delivered, -and sent the sphere down to deep center. - -"Hurrah! A home run!" - -"That's the way to do it! We'll win out yet!" - -Dave had, of course, brought in Shadow, and this gave Oak Hall eight -runs. Seeing the runs piling up the Rockville pitcher became rattled, -and gave two men their base on balls. Then came another two bagger, and -the men on first and second trotted home. - -"Ten to eleven! One more run, fellows, and you'll tie 'em!" - -"Change the pitcher! He's no good!" called out some of the Rockville -supporters. And another pitcher was sent to the box. - -Sam Day was now at the bat. Sam was a cautious player, not easily -rattled. He allowed two balls to pass him, and they were called such by -the umpire. Then, seeing just what he wished coming, he "swatted it for -keeps," as Phil said, and ran for dear life. He reached third and the -fellow at second came home, tying the score. - -Pandemonium now broke forth in earnest, while the catcher walked -forward to confer with the pitcher. Gus Plum was up, and his face was -deathly white as he faced the pitcher. He felt as if the fate of a -nation depended upon him. - -In came the ball and with unerring judgment Plum struck at it. Down he -went to first, safe, and in came Sam from third. - -The game was won! The supporters of Oak Hall rushed upon the field, -and the nine was warmly congratulated. The Rockville club was bitterly -disappointed and left as soon as possible. - -"Don't tell me that Porter, Morr, and Plum are poor players," said Luke -Watson. "They did more than their share to win this game," and in that -opinion even Mr. Dale concurred. - -The result of the game hit Nat Poole heavily. He had counted upon Oak -Hall losing, and in secret had made several wagers against the school. -Now all his pocket-money was gone and he was about twenty dollars -in debt. He wrote to his father for money, but, as my old readers -know, Aaron Poole was very miserly at times, and now he pulled his -purse-strings tight and declared that Nat spent too much entirely, and -must do without more funds until the summer vacation came. - -When Link Merwell came back to Oak Hall his general manner was worse -than before, and even Nat was glad that he had cut away from the -fellow. Merwell was getting to be a thorough sport, and a few, but -by no means all, of his doings reached Doctor Clay's ears. As a -consequence the master of the school sent a long letter to Merwell's -father and gave Link himself a stern lecture. The lecture was not -appreciated, for Merwell made no effort to reform. - -During the week following the second game of ball with Rockville, Dave -put the finishing touches to his essay on The Past and Future of Our -Country. It was his masterpiece so far, and when it was finished he -breathed a sigh of commingled relief and satisfaction. He handed in -the essay to Mr. Dale, and it was filed away with sixteen others for -examination. - -"I hope you win, Dave," said Roger. "I am sure you deserve the -prize--you have worked so hard." - -Roger was now as "chummy" as ever, which pleased Dave very much. After -the second ball game the senator's son and Phil and Shadow had sought -out Mary, Vera, and Sadie, and the young people had spent a pleasant -hour together. In a roundabout way Roger learned that Mr. Greene was -nothing more to Vera than an old friend, and this, somehow, eased his -mind exceedingly. - -There was a good deal of talk about putting Roger, Dave, and Plum -back on the regular nine, but the backers of Purdy and Barloe were so -insistent that they be retained that only Plum was allowed to take his -old place. - -"But I want you two to be substitutes as before," said Phil, to Dave -and Roger. "I'll feel safer if I know you are at hand." - -"All right, I'll be there," answered Dave, cheerfully, and the -senator's son nodded to show that he agreed to the request. If both -were bitterly disappointed at not being chosen to pitch and to catch at -this last game they took good care not to show it. - -As soon as Link Merwell heard that Gus Plum had been put back on the -regular nine, he commenced to lay plans to make trouble. Since Plum had -given him the cold shoulder he hated Gus exceedingly. He thought he -knew Plum's weak point, and he acted accordingly. - -By the request of the Rockville manager the final game of the series -had been postponed from Saturday to the following Wednesday. On -Thursday the students of Oak Hall were to have their final exercises, -and on Friday school was to break up for the term. Many visitors had -been invited to attend the exercises and some of them arrived in -Oakdale the day before, so as to witness the ball game. - -Among the latter were Mr. Porter and Laura, Mr. Wadsworth and Jessie, -and Mr. Lawrence and Senator Morr. They had already engaged rooms at -the Oakdale hotel, and Dave, Phil, and Roger went there to meet them on -the morning previous to the game. There was a general handshaking, and -then the students were asked a hundred and one questions about their -studies, games, and school life generally. - -"It is too bad you are not to pitch, Dave," said his sister, when they -were alone. "Why don't you get Phil to give you the place back?" - -"Because it wouldn't be fair, Laura. Purdy has as much right to pitch -as I have." - -"But you are the better pitcher--Roger says so--and I heard so from Ben -Basswood,--through a letter he wrote to his sister." - -"Well, maybe I'll get a chance to pitch a few innings--if Purdy breaks -down. But I trust he doesn't break down--it's hard luck for any pitcher -to do that." - -There was a pause, and Laura pulled her brother further into a corner, -away from the others. - -"I want to speak to you about something," she continued in a low tone. -"Do you know that Jessie got an awful letter about you?" - -"A letter? Who from?" - -"I don't know. It came from Oakdale and was signed A Friend. It said -you were leading a fast life here--drinking and smoking and gambling." - -"It's false, Laura--I don't do any of those things." - -"I know that." - -"Did Jessie believe what the letter said?" - -"She didn't believe that part, but--the letter said something more." - -"What?" - -"In a postscript was written, 'You are being deceived by him, and he is -also deceiving another girl, Vera Rockwell. If you don't believe it, -come to Oakdale and find out.'" - -"And that was in a letter sent to Jessie?" Dave began to think rapidly. -"Did she get that letter before she came here that other time?" - -"Yes,--but she didn't let me know it then." - -"And was that why she was so--so put out when she saw me with Vera and -Mary and Phil?" - -"I suppose so. You must remember, Dave, that Jessie is very -sensitive--the loveliest girl I ever met,--and she looks upon you as -her dearest friend. Getting that letter and then seeing you with Miss -Rockwell----" - -"But Vera is nothing to me but a friend, Laura. Why, Roger thinks ten -times more of her than I do. Just go and pump him about it. Why, to me -Jessie is worth more than--than--anybody, outside of my sister, and you -must let her know it, Laura." Dave paused. "That letter--has Jessie got -it yet?" - -"Yes. She was going to burn it up after she showed it to me, but I told -her not to do it, and I made her bring it along. Of course, she feels a -delicacy about showing it to you--on account of the postscript--but I -said you ought to have a chance of exposing the person who was trying -to ruin your character." - -"I want to see the letter. I've got some idea already regarding the -writer." - -"So have I!" - -"Link Merwell?" - -"Yes. Do you know he sent me an unsigned letter two days ago." - -"He did? I warned him not to send you anything," and now Dave's face -grew stern. - -"It was only a couple of lines in pencil, and said, 'If you want -letters, come to Oakdale with twenty-five dollars.'" - -"The rascal! So he has sunk so low he wants to sell you the letters! I -knew he was going to the bad, but I didn't think he was down as far as -that. I hope you didn't bring the money." - -"But I did, Dave. I--I was afraid if I didn't he might--might read the -letters to others and expose me to ridicule," and the girl's face grew -crimson. - -"Don't you give him a cent, Laura--not a cent. I'll get hold of him -before the term breaks up--and I'll get those letters or know the -reason why!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -DAVE TAKES THE LAW IN HIS OWN HANDS - - -A quarter of an hour later Dave and Jessie took a little walk up to the -public park of Oakdale and, seated on a bench, they had a confidential -talk lasting for some time. A great many things were said which need -not be repeated here. When the talk was over Dave's heart felt lighter -than it had for many weeks and Jessie's beautiful face shone with a -happiness that had been missing for an equal length of time. - -"It was awful for that Merwell to send that letter," said Jessie. "Of -course, Dave, you can be sure I didn't believe a word of it,--about -your smoking and drinking and gambling." - -"I am fairly sure it is his handwriting," answered Dave. "He tried to -disguise it, but a fellow can't always do that. I'll find out pretty -quick--when I get back to the Hall." - -"And to think he acted so meanly toward Laura! He must be perfectly -horrid!" - -"It's my opinion his days at Oak Hall are numbered, Jessie. I have -heard the doctor has given him warning to mend his ways, but he -doesn't seem to care. Well, if he won't do what is right he must take -the consequences." - -Dave, Roger, and Phil had run down to Oakdale on their bicycles and -now they had to return to the school--to get dinner and leave for the -baseball grounds at Hilltop. - -"Let us go around by way of the Chedwick road," suggested the senator's -son. "It's much better riding than on the main road and we can make -better time." - -The others were willing, and off they sped at a speed which soon took -them to the outskirts of the town. Then they came to a crossroad, -on the corner of which was situated a roadhouse kept by a man named -Rafferty. Rafferty's reputation was none of the best, and it was -reported that the resort was used by many who wished to gamble. Doctor -Clay had warned his pupils not to stop there under any circumstances. - -Phil and Roger were somewhat in advance of Dave, whose front tire was -soft and needed pumping up. Passing the roadhouse, Dave came to a halt -at the roadside. - -"Going to pump up!" he called out. "Go ahead--I'll catch up with you." -And so the others went on, leaving him alone. - -He was at work with a small hand pump he carried when he heard a murmur -of voices in the bushes and trees back of the roadhouse. The murmur -grew louder, and presently he made out the voices of Gus Plum and Link -Merwell. - -"You're a fool, Gus, to act this way," Merwell was saying. "What's the -use of being a softy? You are missing a whole lot of fun." - -"I tell you I'm not going to do it," answered Plum. "I guess I know -what is best for me." - -"It won't hurt you to have one drink," went on Merwell. "Come on in, -like a good fellow. I hate to drink alone. He's got some prime stuff. -We've got lots of time to get back to the Hall in time for dinner." - -"No, I'm done with drinking--I told you that before, Link. Now stop it -and let me go." - -"See here, Gus, you've got to go with me," stormed Merwell, uglily. -"I'll not have you giving me the cold shoulder. If you refuse to have -just one drink, do you know what I'll do? I'll let Doctor Clay know -about that other time--the time you went to the granary." - -"No! no!" pleaded Plum, and now his voice trembled. "Please don't do -that!" - -"Ha! ha! that's where I've got you, haven't I? Now, will you take a -drink with me, or not?" - -"I--I--I am afraid. Oh, Merwell, you know how it was before. I--I----" -Gus Plum broke down completely. "Please don't ask me; please don't!" - -"Of all the fools----" began Link Merwell, and then stopped short as a -heavy hand was suddenly laid on his shoulder. "Dave Porter!" - -"Merwell, I want to talk to you," said Dave, in a cold, hard tone that -caused the big bully to start. "Come with me." - -"Oh, Dave----" began Plum, and his face was red from confusion. - -"Let me do the talking--and acting, Gus." - -"Did you--er--hear what was said?" - -"I heard enough. Now, Merwell, come with me." - -"Where to?" - -"Away from this roadhouse." - -"What for?" - -"I'll tell you that later." - -"Supposing I refuse to come?" Dave's manner began to make the bully -feel uncomfortable. He felt that something very unusual was about to -happen. - -"If you don't come, I'll make you." - -"Will you?" The bully tried to put a sneer in the question, but failed. - -"I will. Now, are you coming or not?" And Dave doubled up his fists and -drew back his right arm. - -"Going to fight?" - -"No; I am going to give you the worst licking any boy at Oak Hall ever -got." - -"Two can play at that game." - -"Are you coming or not, Merwell? This is your last chance to say yes." - -"No." - -Hardly had the word left the bully's lips when Dave leaped forward and -sent in a crashing blow on Merwell's chin. The bully tried to dodge -but failed, and went over on his back in some brushwood. For several -moments he lay there dazed. - -"See here, I'll fix you!" he roared, as he struggled up. "If you want -to fight---- Oh!" - -For again Dave had struck out, and this time the blow landed over the -bully's left eye, and once more he went down in the bushes. - -"Oh, Dave----" began Plum, but received a shove back. - -"Leave it all to me, Gus--I owe him this, and more. I'll tell you some -of the reasons later." - -"But--but he'll give me away to Doctor Clay--he'll tell about my----" - -"No, he won't--not after I am through with him. And even if he should I -can tell the doctor the truth--how he tempted you and even threatened -you." - -Breathing heavily, Link Merwell arose a second time. He looked around -for something with which to attack Dave, and his uninjured eye fell -upon a stone lying close by. But as he stooped to pick it up, Dave gave -him a shove that landed him on his face in the dirt. Then Dave leaped -forward and sat down heavily on the bully's back. - -"Ough!" roared Merwell. "Let up! Do you want to break my ribs? Let up, -I say!" - -"Will you do as I told you to?" demanded Dave, not budging from his -position. - -"Where do you want me to go?" - -"Down into this woods a short distance--away from the roadhouse and the -road." - -"What for?" - -"I'll tell you that when we get there." - -Fearing some of his ribs might be broken, Merwell said he would do as -Dave desired, and the latter allowed him to rise, but kept a close -watch on his every movement. Plum could now see that the boy from -Crumville was in deadly earnest and felt it would be useless to talk -or interfere, and so followed the two into the woods in silence. Dave -brought Merwell to a halt in a little glade surrounded by hemlocks. - -"Now, sit down on that stone while I talk to you, Link Merwell," said -Dave, pointing to a flat rock. "I shan't take long, but you'll find it -to your interest to listen closely to every word I say." And with his -handkerchief to the eye that was rapidly closing, the bully sat down. - -"In the past you've made a lot of trouble for me and my friends," -commenced Dave. "You were in league with some others to play me foul -at every opportunity. You sent a letter to Roger Morr about me, and -another letter to Crumville, to a young lady friend of mine--and you -also sent a letter to my sister." At these last words Merwell's hand -went up unconsciously to his breast-pocket. "You have blackened my -character all you possibly could. Now, if I wanted to, I could place -you in the hands of the law. But instead, I am going to take it out of -you." - -"Wha--what do you mean?" And the bully half arose to his feet. - -"I mean just what I say, Merwell. Sit down!" And Dave shoved the bully -back on the rock. - -"I want you to know----" - -"Shut up!" And again Dave doubled up his fists. "I am not here to -listen to you. I'll do the talking. Now to come to business. First of -all, I want those letters." - -"What letters?" - -"You know well enough." - -"I haven't any letters with me." - -"Do you want to make it necessary for me to search you?" - -"You wouldn't dare, Porter!" - -"I shall dare. Now hand over those letters, and be quick about it!" - -Again Dave doubled up his fists and something like fire shone in his -clear eyes. Merwell hesitated, shivered, and slowly his hand went to -his breast-pocket. - -"You'll rue this day!" he muttered, savagely. - -Slowly he drew from his pocket the letters Laura had so foolishly sent -him. Dave snatched them from his grasp and looked them over swiftly, -then stowed them away in his own pocket. - -"Now, Merwell, I want you to promise by all you hold sacred not to say -a word to anybody about Gus Plum's doings during the past term. For the -honor of the school I think this matter ought to be kept secret." - -"I'll promise nothing." - -"Yes, you will." - -Again were Dave's fists doubled up, and again that fire showed itself -in his determined eyes. Merwell shivered--for once he felt himself -utterly cornered and beaten. - -"All right, I promise," he said, in a low tone. - -"And you must also promise that in the future you will leave me and my -friends alone." - -"Have your own way about it." - -"Do you promise?" - -"Yes." - -"Then stand up." - -"What do you want next?" growled Merwell. He was feeling more -uncomfortable every minute. - -"I'll show you," answered Dave, and leaping forward he caught the bully -by the collar and shook him as a dog might shake a rat. Then he cuffed -the fellow right and left, gave him another shaking, and threw him down -violently on the ground. Merwell did his best to resist, but Dave's -muscles were at such a tension that Link was next to helpless in the -other's grasp. - -"For two pins, I'd give you more!" cried Dave. "You deserve it. But -I'll save the rest--in case you ever attempt to break the promises -you've made." - -And then, taking Plum by the arm, he walked off, leaving Link Merwell -on the ground, bruised and shaken, and as thoroughly cowed, for the -time being, as a whipped cur. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -MORE VICTORIES--CONCLUSION - - -Once more Oak Hall and Rockville Academy were struggling to decide the -championship. It was a clear day, and as before every nook and corner -of the grand stand and bleachers was filled. In one spot were located -the Porters, Jessie, Senator Morr, Mr. Lawrence, and many other friends. - -It was the beginning of the fifth inning and the score stood, Rockville -5, Oak Hall 3. Plum was again at first, but Dave and Roger were on the -bench as substitutes. - -It had been a hard-fought battle from the first ball pitched. Each -pitcher had been hit heavily, but good field work had kept the score -from going higher. Shadow had made a phenomenal catch that had brought -forth much applause, and Phil had brought in the third run when it -looked almost certain that he would be put out. - -It was Oak Hall's turn at the bat, and they did their best to score. -But with a man on second and another on first, their hopes faded, and -they retired, leaving the figures as before. Then Rockville took up -the stick, and lined out two singles, a three-bagger, and another -single before giving up, thus adding three to their tally. - -"That's the way to do it!" - -"Rockville is sure to take this game!" - -Messmer was next to the bat, but knocked a fly to center, and another -player followed with a foul that was caught by the third baseman. Then -Barloe, the catcher, who had made the first run, came up with his bat. - -"Hurrah for Barloe!" was the cry. "Make another this time!" - -In came the ball and the batsman tried to hit it and failed. Then the -sphere came in a second time, and of a sudden Barloe uttered a moan and -sank to the ground. - -"Barloe's hit! The ball took him under the ribs!" - -The report was true, and too weak to run the injured catcher was -escorted to a bench, while Roger took his place at first. By good luck -the senator's son brought the run in, and he was then asked to do the -catching as of old, Barloe begging to be excused. - -With the runs piling up against him, Purdy was getting nervous, and -in the seventh inning he seemed to go all to pieces, much to his own -chagrin and the disappointment of his many friends. He allowed two -singles, and then gave two men their base on balls, thus forcing in a -run. - -"Wake up, Purdy! You'll have to do better than that!" - -"Dave Porter! Put Dave Porter in!" - -"That's it! Porter! Porter! Porter!" - -The cry was taken up on all sides, and Phil motioned for Purdy to -retire and for Dave to come out. - -"It's too bad, Purdy, old man," whispered Dave, as he passed the -rattled pitcher. - -"Fortune of war," was the grim and plucky answer. "I did my best. Go in -and wax 'em!" - -Dave might have been nervous had he allowed himself to think of what -was before him. The bases were filled and nobody was out. It was -certainly a trying moment, to say the least. He took his place in the -box and the umpire called out "Play!" Then the ball fairly streaked -over the plate. - -"Strike one!" - -"Hurrah! that's the way to do it!" - -With the ball again in hand, Dave looked at the batter and then cast a -swift glance toward third. Over to the base went the ball, and much to -his surprise the runner was caught two feet off the bag. - -"Runner at third out!" - -What a cheering went up! All the Oak Hall supporters felt that Dave -meant business, and their drooping spirits revived as if by magic. - -With care the pitcher delivered one ball after another--a drop, and -then one that was as straight as it was swift. The batter was struck -out, and another roar went up from the Oak Hall contingent. Laura waved -her banner and Jessie her handkerchief. - -"Two out! Now, Porter, go after the third!" - -And Dave did go after the next batter. But the fellow was a good hitter -and managed to find the ball. But no run came in, and the inning was -saved. - -It was a victory in itself and many came up to shake Dave by the hand. -But he waved them aside. - -"Hold on," he said. "The game isn't over yet--and please to remember -the score is four to eight against us." - -In the eighth inning the Oak Hall nine managed to make two runs. In -that inning Dave by clever work held the opposition down to one scratch -hit which went for nothing, and received more applause. Then came the -ninth inning, and in that Oak Hall tied the score, amid a yelling that -could be heard a mile away. Even Doctor Clay was cheering, and in his -enthusiasm Andrew Dale completely smashed the derby hat he wore. - -The tenth inning opened amid a breathless silence. Oak Hall did its -best to score, but failed. Then Dave walked down to the box once again, -and in a manner that was certainly wonderful struck out two men after -one man had been caught out on a pop fly. - -Ten innings and still a tie. This was certainly a game worth seeing and -nearly all the spectators were now on their feet, talking and shouting -wildly. - -"Now, boys, we must do something!" cried Phil. - -Ben Basswood was at bat, and with two strikes called on him, Ben landed -for a two-base hit. Then came a single, and taking a perilous chance -Ben ran around and slid to the plate. - -"A run! A run!" - -"Now make it two!" - -But this was not to be, and Oak Hall retired one run "to the good," as -Roger said. - -"Well, that's enough,--if we can hold them down in their half," -said Plum. He had done some great work at first, of which he was -correspondingly proud. - -All eyes were on Dave when he entered the pitcher's box for the last -time. He felt as if he had the responsibility of the whole game on his -shoulders. He pitched quickly, almost bewildering the batters. The -first man up went out on strikes and the second knocked a short fly -to third. Then came a fellow named Parsons, the best hitter of the -Rockville club. - -"Hurrah! Parsons, show 'em where the back fence is!" - -With two men out, Dave faced the batter. He sent in a low ball which -Parsons tried to find--and failed. Then Parsons tried again--and -failed. Then Dave sent in the swiftest ball yet pitched, giving it all -the twist possible. - -"Three strikes--batter out!" - -And the game was won, and with it the championship of the two schools! - -"Beautiful! beautiful!" cried Doctor Clay, when he came down into -the field to congratulate the club. "It was the best exhibition of -ball-playing I've seen in a long time." - -And all the visitors to Oak Hall and many others agreed with him. Dave -was the lion of the occasion, and his many friends nearly wrung his -hand off. The other members of the nine also came in for a share of -the praise. The Rockville boys felt their defeat keenly, but had to -acknowledge that they had been beaten fairly. - -As soon as he could get away from his chums, Dave sought out Laura and -Jessie. - -"I've got those letters," he whispered to Laura. "And I doubt if Link -Merwell will ever trouble you again." - -"Oh, I am so thankful, Dave!" she answered. "I'll never be so -foolish again as to write letters to a person with whom I am not well -acquainted." - -"It was grand, Dave!" cried Jessie. "It was the best victory that could -be!" - -"Well, I am hoping for a greater to-morrow," answered Dave, gravely. - -"You mean in school?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, I trust with all my heart you have your wishes fulfilled," said -the girl, and her eyes told that she meant what she said. - -That night late a report was whispered around the school that Link -Merwell had gotten into serious trouble with Doctor Clay, and the -report proved true. Angered by the way Dave had treated him, and by -Plum's refusal to go with him, Link Merwell had not witnessed the ball -game, but had gone to Rafferty's resort instead. Here he had smoked, -drunk, and gambled, and ended by getting into a free fight with several -men. One man told Horsehair of the trouble and the school driver -reported at once to Doctor Clay. The doctor and Mr. Dale went after the -misguided youth, and a scene followed which need not be mentioned here. -The next day Link Merwell was ordered to pack his trunk and leave, and -a telegram was sent to his father in the West stating that he had been -expelled for violating the school rules. In his rage Merwell, before -leaving, exposed the doings of both Gus Plum and Nat Poole. At once -the doctor sent for Plum, and later he interviewed Poole. - -It was a trying time for Gus, and he broke down completely. He -mentioned what Dave had done for him, and stated he was doing his best -to reform. Learning of this, the master of the school called upon Dave -to tell his story, and then the depths of Merwell's depravity came out. -In the end the doctor said he would give Plum another chance to redeem -himself, and for this the big youth was exceedingly grateful. - -For having told a falsehood about taking the boat from Bush Island, Nat -Poole was given a severe lecture. He said he had wanted, several times, -to explain to the doctor, but that Link Merwell had threatened to make -it unpleasant for him if he did so. Because the joke had been directed -against some of his fellow-students and not against Doctor Clay and Mr. -Dale, Poole got off easier than might otherwise have been the case. - -The closing exercises of the school were well attended. Sixteen pupils -were to graduate, including several who had been Dave's warm chums. -Some of these boys stood high in their class and consequently walked -off with some prizes. - -When the time came for the decision regarding the essays on The -Past and Future of Our Country everybody was on the top-notch of -expectation. All the teachers had read the various papers handed in, -and they had been the subject of many comments. - -"Because of the general excellence of seven of the essays," said Doctor -Clay, "it has been somewhat difficult to pick out that which was the -best. We have here a fine essay by Bertram Vane, another by Samuel -Downs, another by Joseph Beggs, and others by Chipham Macklin, Giles -Cadmore, and Devere Peterson. But there is one that seems to stand out -above the others, both for its originality and its literary qualities. -That essay takes the prize, and it is written by Master David Porter. -Porter, will you please come forward and read your essay." - -As Dave walked to the platform a round of applause was given and when -he bowed there was much hand-clapping. Then in a clear, full voice, he -read the essay on which he had spent so much thought and labor. It was -certainly a splendid piece of literary composition and was listened to -with great pleasure by all. When he had finished Doctor Clay handed him -the prize, and then the applause broke forth anew. - -"Another victory!" whispered Roger, as Dave passed to his seat. - -"Yes, and the best of them all," was Dave's reply. - -Fortunately, the senator's son also won a prize, and Phil came in -the third from the highest in his class, while Shadow came in fifth -and Ben Basswood sixth. Even Gus Plum made a good record, much to the -pleasure of his parents, who had feared at one time he would turn out a -ne'er-do-well. - -"Now the question is, What are we going to do during the summer -vacation?" said Roger, after the exercises were over, and he and the -others and their friends were indulging in refreshments on the campus. - -"I am going to Asbury Park with my folks," said Luke Watson. - -"And I am going to Maine," added Messmer. "My uncle has a camp there. -Henshaw is going with me, and so is Macklin." - -"I have an invitation for Dave," said Laura. "The Endicotts want me to -come back to their ranch and bring my newly-found brother with me." - -"That's fine!" cried Phil. "I'd like to try ranch life myself just for -a change." - -"The Endicotts' ranch is next to that owned by Merwell's father, so I -have been told," added Roger. "Maybe if you go out there with Dave, -you'll meet Link again." - -"I never want to see that fellow again," said Dave. But this wish was -not to be fulfilled, as we shall learn in the next volume of this -series, to be entitled, "Dave Porter at Star Ranch; or, The Cowboy's -Secret." In that volume we shall meet many of our friends again, and -learn what Link Merwell did when he and Dave met once more on the -boundless prairies and in the mountain canyons. - -That evening the students held a grand celebration, which lasted far -into the night. Bonfires were lit and the lads danced around and sang -songs to their hearts' content. Shadow told half a dozen of his best -stories, and two of the students distinguished themselves by giving all -their schoolbooks to the flames. It was a time none of them ever forgot. - -"And now for home," said Dave, the next day. "Home, and the boundless -West." - -And here let us leave him, and say good-by. - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -1. Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as - possible. - -2. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical - errors. - -3. The following two illustrations listed in the Index of Illustrations - are missing from the original book used to prepare this e-book: - - 3.1. "The big snowball hit the craft and bowled it over," - Page 52. - 3.2. "Dave pointed out the form of the sleep-walker," - Page 164. - -4. The original Illustrations include the page number in the captions. - These have been removed as each page is numbered in the righthand - margin. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES*** - - -******* This file should be named 53414.txt or 53414.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/3/4/1/53414 - - -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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