*      *      *      *      *

"Hum! that's rather interesting," was Randy's comment. "I wonder if
this Walt Baxter will try to make trouble for us like his father did
for our fathers?"

"Well, if he does, I guess we can take care of him, just as our folks
took care of his father," returned his twin.

"No use borrowing trouble," came from Fred. "I've heard from my dad
that Mr. Dan Baxter has reformed and is now a first-class business man
and is quite prosperous. It may be that while his son Walt is somewhat
hot-tempered, he may still be a thoroughly good fellow. I wouldn't give
a rap for a boy that didn't show some spirit once in a while."

On the following morning Jack was on the point of going over to Fred's
house to return some books he had borrowed, when his father called to
him.

"I want you to go down to our offices with me this morning, Jack," said
Dick Rover. "I've got a package there that I meant to bring up for your
mother. You can come right back with it."

"All right, Dad. I'll be with you in a minute," answered the son, and
ran off to deliver the books and to let Fred, as well as Randy and
Andy, know where he was going.

Jack's temperament was a good deal like that of his father, and, young
as he was, he already took an interest in what was being done in the
offices of The Rover Company. On more than one occasion he had begged
his parent's permission to visit the place on Wall Street, and once had
been granted a "look-in" at the Stock Exchange during one of its
busiest sessions. That sight was one he had never forgotten.

When the Rovers had first opened up in Wall Street, they had taken
possession of a set of rather shabby offices formerly occupied by
another firm with which they had had various difficulties, the
particulars of which were related in "The Rover Boys in New York" and
"The Rover Boys in Business." Now, however, they occupied the entire
fourth floor of another building in a much better location. There was a
large general office and a counting room, and a private office for each
of the three brothers. Their office help numbered about twenty; and
when business was brisk, the place consequently was a decidedly busy
one.

When the offices of The Rover Company were reached, Dick Rover brought
out the package intended for his wife. It was quite a bundle, and not
wrapped as well as it might have been.

"You'd better let the office boy put an extra string around that,
Jack," said the father.

"Oh, that's all right, Dad. I can get it home just as it is. There
won't be much of a crowd on the subway train going uptown this time of
day."

Jack spent a few minutes in the offices, speaking to the office boy and
to several of the clerks with whom he was acquainted, and then started
off for home, the bundle under his arm. He came down by one of the
several elevators to the lower corridor of the building, and there
stood in the wide-open doorway, contemplating the bustle in the narrow
street beyond. Wall Street is the financial heart of our nation, and
the activity there during business hours is something tremendous.

As Jack stood with his bundle under his arm, his attention was suddenly
attracted to what was going on close by, beyond several columns which
formed a part of the entrance to the building. In a niche of the wall
stood a peddler, a short, sallow-faced and hollow-eyed man, evidently
of foreign birth, trying to sell some cheap wares displayed on a little
three-legged stand which he had set up. In front of the peddler stood a
tall, slim, overbearing boy, loudly dressed and wearing light-colored
spats and gloves to match.

"You've got no right to plank yourself here!" cried the overbearing boy
savagely. "You get out of here or I'll dump that trash of yours into
the street."

"Please, Mister, I am a poor man," pleaded the peddler in very broken
English. "Please, Mister, you buy somet'in'?"

"You get out, I tell you!" went on the tall youth with a very lordly
air. "Get out, I tell you! You foreigners are all thieves! Get out of
here!" And without further warning he caught the thin, little peddler
by the shoulder and gave him such a shove that the man had all he could
do to keep from falling and from upsetting his little stock in trade.




CHAPTER V

GETTING READY TO LEAVE


"The mean fellow!"

Such was Jack's exclamation as he witnessed the scene between the
hollow-eyed little street peddler and the dudish, overbearing youth who
had attacked him.

"Get out, I tell you!" repeated the overbearing boy, as the peddler
straightened up and caught hold of his little stand to keep it from
tumbling over. "I've a big mind to kick your stuff into the street for
you."

"Let up there, you big boob!" cried Jack, and without stopping to think
twice he leaped towards the other youth and caught him firmly by the
arm.

The boy who had attacked the peddler had not expected such
interference, and he whirled around greatly surprised, especially when
he saw a boy smaller than himself confronting him.

"What--what do you mean by catching hold of me this way?" he stammered.

"Why can't you leave that poor peddler alone?" retorted Jack.

"What business is this of yours?"

"That chap wasn't doing any harm here so far as I can see. He's only
trying to earn his living."

"See here, kid! this is none of your affair, and I want you to keep out
of it," stormed the dudish-looking youth. "We don't allow those fellows
around this building."

"Then you tell him to move on in a decent kind of way," returned Jack.

"I'll do as I please." The big boy turned again towards the peddler and
made a motion as if to push both the man and his stand down, but,
instantly, Jack caught hold of him again and pulled him back, shoving
him in between two pillars of the building's entrance.

"You had better go on," said Jack to the peddler, and, evidently much
frightened by what was occurring, the little man took up his stand and
disappeared as if by magic in the crowd on the street.

"Say! you've got gall to interfere with me!" burst out the big youth,
glaring at Jack. "I'll teach you a lesson;" and with a sudden move he
pulled Jack's bundle from under his arm and threw it out into the
street. "Now you go about your business and don't you interfere with me
again."

To have the bundle belonging to his mother treated in that fashion made
the young Rover's blood boil. He jumped at the big youth, and as the
other aimed a blow at him he dodged and then caught his opponent by the
ear.

"Ouch! Let go!" screamed the big youth in sudden pain, and then he
landed a blow on Jack's shoulder and received a crack on the chin in
return.

How far this encounter might have gone, it is hard to say, but at that
moment, while a crowd was beginning to gather, there came a sudden
interruption in the appearance of Jack's Uncle Tom, followed by his
Uncle Sam.

"Hello! What does this mean?" demanded Tom Rover, as he stepped between
the two boys.

"It means that I've got an account to settle with that young snip, Mr.
Rover!" cried the big youth savagely and giving Jack a look full of
hatred.

"Uncle Tom, that fellow is nothing but a brute," declared Jack.

"A brute? What do you mean?"

"He just attacked a poor little peddler who was trying to sell a few
things from a stand here in the corner. He tried to knock the peddler
down and upset his stand. I told him to stop and then he attacked me."

"Humph! Are you this boy's uncle, Mr. Rover?" asked the big youth, in
surprise.

"I am, Martell."

"Then I want to tell you that he has no right to interfere with me,"
went on Napoleon Martell, uglily. "Those peddlers are always hanging
around here and my opinion is they are all thieves."

"That fellow was no more a thief than you are," broke in Jack,
sturdily.

"Ha! Do you mean to call me a thief?"

"Come, Jack, such talk won't do down here in Wall Street," remonstrated
his Uncle Sam, who had listened closely to what had been said. Sam
Rover, from a distance, had seen the bundle flung into the gutter and
had picked it up. Both the wrapping and the string were broken, but the
contents of the package seemed to be uninjured.

"If that kid is your nephew, you had better take him in hand," grumbled
Napoleon Martell, and then, not wishing to have any more words with the
two older Rovers, he broke through the crowd which had gathered and
hurried up the street.

"Come into the building," ordered Tom Rover to Jack, for the crowd was
getting denser every instant; boys and men who had been hurrying by
stopped to find out what was the matter.

"I guess I'll have to go back to get that bundle tied up again,"
answered Jack. The encounter had excited him not a little. "Uncle Tom,
that fellow seemed to know you?"

"Yes, I know that boy. His name is Napoleon Martell, although they call
him Nappy for short. He is the son of Nelson Martell, one of our rivals
in business, a man who occupies the floor above us in this building."

"I didn't know Nappy was much of a scrapper," was Sam Rover's comment.
"I thought he was too much of a dude to fight."

"He certainly is a dude as far as appearances go," answered Jack; "but
he has the manner of a brute. I wish now I'd had the chance to give him
a good licking," he went on heartily.

"You had better go slow when it comes to fighting," returned his uncle.
"A fight seldom settles anything."

"Didn't you ever have any fights, Uncle Sam?"

At this direct question Sam Rover's face became a study while his
brother Tom looked at him rather quizzically.

"Yes! I had my share of fights when I was a boy," admitted the uncle.
"But, looking back, I think a good many of them might have been
avoided. Of course, I expect a boy to take his own part and not be a
coward. But a fight isn't always the best way to settle a difficulty."

Once back in the offices, Jack did not hesitate to tell his father
about what had happened. In the meantime, an office boy rewrapped the
bundle, securing it this time with a stout cord.

"I am sorry to hear about this trouble, Jack," said his father
seriously. "I don't want you to grow up into a scrapper."

"But, Dad, I couldn't stand by and see that fellow abuse a poor little
peddler like that," answered the son. "It wasn't fair at all! What
right had that Nappy Martell to order the man away?"

"No right, that I know of. Jack, except that Mr. Martell owns some
stock in the company that owns this building; but that would be a very
far-fetched right at the best."

"I guess those Martells are all tarred from the same stick," was Tom
Rover's comment. "The father is just as overbearing as the son."

"Do you know what I'm inclined to think?" remarked Sam Rover, as he
walked over and closed the door to the outer office so that the clerks
might not hear what was said. "I'm inclined to think that Nelson
Martell is a good deal of a crook."

"And that's just my idea of the man, too," added Tom Rover. "What do
you think, Dick?"

At this direct question the oldest of the three brothers pursed up his
lips in concentrated thought.

"To tell the truth, I don't know exactly what to think," he answered
slowly. "Some of the things that Nelson Martell is trying to put
through are certainly rather shady. Still, they may be within the
strict letter of the law, and if that is so it would hardly be fair to
call the man a crook."

When Jack returned home, he, of course, told his cousins of his
encounter at the entrance to the office building.

"It's a pity you didn't have a chance to give Martell one in the eye or
in the nose," was Randy's comment. "Such a brute deserves to be hauled
down a peg or two."

"Well, I rather think I gave his ear a pretty good twist," answered
Jack, grinning.

"You ought to have made him pick up that bundle he flung into the
gutter," added Fred.

"I couldn't do much of anything with the crowd gathering around. My!
how the people do flock together when the least thing happens! If we
had stayed there another minute or two, we might have had a thousand
people around us."

With so many things to be thought of and done previous to the departure
for Colby Hall, the subject of Nappy Martell was soon dismissed. All
the boys were wondering what they had better put in their trunks and
suitcases.

"Gee! I've got enough stuff planned out to fill five trunks," declared
Randy. "I want to take all my clothing, and my fishing outfit, and my
football and baseball togs, and my gym suit, and I'd like to take along
my dumbbells, and my physical culture exerciser, and maybe a shotgun,
and that favorite paddle of mine, and----"

"And about five thousand other things," finished his twin. "I'm in the
same boat. But we've simply got to cut down and take only the things
that are actually necessary."

"We won't need any baseball things during this term," declared Jack.
"The Fall is the time for football--not baseball. And say! we don't
want to forget our skates. There's a river up there and also a lake; so
if the winter gets cold enough there ought to be some dandy skating."

"Yes. And if the lake is large enough there ought to be a chance for
some ice-boating," added Fred.

At last, with the aid of their parents, the four boys got their trunks
and suitcases packed. They were to leave home for Colby Hall on
Wednesday morning, and on Tuesday evening their folks gave them a
little send-off in the shape of a party given at Dick Rover's
residence. At this gathering many of their boy friends were present, as
well as a number of girls along with Mary and Martha. All of the young
folks had an exceedingly pleasant time, which was kept up until
midnight.

"And now for Colby Hall!" exclaimed Jack, after the party had come to
an end.

"That's it," returned Fred. "Colby Hall and the best times ever!"

"So say we all of us!" came from the twins.




CHAPTER VI

ON THE TRAIN


"Ready?"

"I've been ready for the last half hour."

"So have I. Come on, if we're going to catch that train."

"Yes, boys, you don't want to miss the train," came from Mrs. Dick
Rover. She gazed at Jack fondly. "Oh, dear! how I hate to have you go!"

"And how I do hate to see Fred leave!" sighed Mrs. Sam Rover.

"And my twins!" murmured Tom's wife. "I suppose they'll be getting into
all sorts of mischief at that boarding school."

"Oh, Ma! we're going to be regular little lambs there," declared Andy.

"Just you wait and see what fine records we send home," added his twin.

"The automobiles are waiting, boys," broke in Dick Rover. "Come. The
train is due to leave in twenty minutes, and you know how crowded
traffic is around the Grand Central Terminal."

There were hasty good-byes, a number of kisses and words of cheer, and
then the four boys left their mothers and the girls and ran down to
where two automobiles were standing at the curb. The twins and their
father leaped into one, and Jack and Fred and their fathers into the
other, and in a moment more the two machines were gliding down
Riverside Drive on the way to the Grand Central Terminal at
Forty-second Street.

It was a perfect autumn day, and all four of the lads were in the best
of spirits. To be sure, the fact that they were leaving home to be gone
for several months sobered them a trifle; but all were eager to find
out what was in store for them rather than to give thought to what had
been left behind.

As might have been expected, there was a perfect jam of automobiles and
carriages in the vicinity of the Terminal, and as a consequence the
lads had barely time to get aboard the train which was to carry them to
Haven Point, the town on the outskirts of which Colby Hall was located.

"Take care of yourselves!" cried Dick Rover.

"Learn all you can," added his brother Sam.

"And go slow on mischief," warned Tom.

"We'll remember everything," came in a chorus from the four boys; and
then, as they waved their hands to their parents, the long train pulled
out of the big, gloomy station and the trip to the boarding school was
begun.

Haven Point was located in the heart of New England, so that the boys
had a ride of several hours ahead of them. They had seats in a parlor
car, two on one side and two on the other, and they proceeded without
delay to make themselves comfortable, the porter aiding them in
disposing of their handbaggage.

"Good-bye to old New York!" cried Jack. "Won't we have a lot of things
to talk about when we get back!"

"I'm just crazy to see Colby Hall, to find out what it really looks
like," said Andy.

"That picture we had of it looked pretty good," was Fred's comment.
"But, of course, you can't always tell by a picture."

"Not much!" vouchsafed Randy. "A building may look all right enough in
a picture and still be about ready to tumble down."

The boys had left home in the middle of the forenoon, and expected to
have their lunch on the train before reaching Haven Point.

"When lunch time comes I'm going to fill up," declared Andy. "No
telling what sort of grub we'll get at the Hall."

"Father said they used to have first-class eats at Putnam Hall,"
declared Fred.

"Not always!" cried Jack. "At one time, while Captain Putnam was away,
the food got so bad there that the cadets rebelled and left the
school."

"Oh, that was before our fathers went to Putnam Hall," answered Randy.
"I heard about that, too. But while our fathers were there, the food
was very good, indeed."

After about half an hour's ride the train halted at a station, and
among the passengers to get aboard were two youths with suitcases.

"Hello! what do you know about this?" cried Jack, surprised. "If there
isn't Spouter Powell! I wonder what he is doing down here. He doesn't
live in this town."

"And look at the fellow who is with him!" burst out Fred. "Did you ever
see such a fat chap in your life?"

"Oh, say! I'll bet I know who that fellow is," declared Randy. "It must
be Spouter's friend, Will Hendry. Spouter told me about him. They call
him Fatty."

"And he fits his name," declared Randy. "Here they come now. They must
have seats in this car."

Spouter Powell, a tall, thin youth with a mass of wavy, black hair
overhanging his forehead, and wearing a small cap well back on his
head, strode forward towards them. Behind him came the fat youth,
struggling with a suitcase and puffing audibly.

"Hello, you Rover boys!" sang out the son of Songbird Powell,
cheerfully. "I thought you might be on this train."

"Glad to see you, Spouter. How are you?" returned Jack, grasping his
hand cordially. "Got a little friend with you, I see."

"Exactly! My chum, Will Hendry. Fatty, these are the Rover boys. This
is Jack, this is Fred, and these two little innocent lambs are the
twins, Andy and Randy."

"Glad to know you," came from all, and a general handshaking followed.

It was found that the new arrivals had two seats at the other end of
the parlor car; but there were other seats vacant near the Rover boys,
and an exchange for these was quickly made through the Pullman
conductor.

"Say! they don't make you pay extra fare, do they?" queried Andy, as he
looked at Fatty Hendry doing his best to squeeze into one of the
chairs.

"Not yet. But I don't know what I'm coming to," puffed the stout youth.
"Seems to me I'm taking on about a pound a day," he added, dolefully.

"Maybe you eat too much," suggested Randy, "Why don't you cut down on
your victuals?"

"Eat too much!" puffed Will Hendry. "I don't eat half as much as some
of you slim fellows. Why, Spouter here eats twice as much as I do!"

"Yes. But see the exercise I take," answered Dick Powell. "I walk at
least five miles to your one. And I spend lots of time in the gym,
too--something that you cut out entirely."

"Well, what would I be doing in the gym?" demanded the fat youth. "If I
got up on the rings or the bars, I'd pull the whole blamed business
down to the ground," and at this remark there was a general snicker.

Spouter Powell explained that he had been visiting Will Hendry, who
lived in the town where the two had boarded the train. He had been at
Colby Hall ever since its opening, and he had much to tell about the
school and those who attended it.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll like it," declared Spouter, growing eloquent.
"It's so delightfully situated on a hill overlooking the river, and is
surrounded by stately trees and a well-kept campus. The scene from the
front is exceedingly picturesque, while to the back the woods stretch
out for many miles. Soon, when the frost touches the leaves, the hues
and colors will be magnificent. The sparkle of the sunlight glinting
across the water----"

"Wow! Spouter is off again!" puffed Fatty Hendry. "I told you to be
careful," he pleaded.

"I was only acquainting them with the beauties of Colby Hall,"
remonstrated Spouter. "When one comes to contemplate nature, it's
necessary to understand what real harmony----"

"Exactly, exactly! Just so!" burst out Andy. "We understand what you
mean, Spouter. But please remember the scenery is there--it won't
move--and we'll have lots of time to look at it."

"Tell us about the boys who go there--and the teachers," broke in
Randy.

"Yes. The teachers especially," added Fred.

"Is there any hard-hearted fellow--like that Josiah Crabtree our folks
tell about?"

"We've got one fellow there--Professor Asa Lemm--that nobody likes,"
answered Spouter. "He's a language teacher. They say he was once quite
well off, and he constantly laments the loss of his wealth."

"And being poor now, he tries to take it out on every pupil who comes
under him," finished Fatty Hendry. "Oh, Asa is a lemon, believe me!"

"Well, you know what lemons grow for," commented Andy, mischievously.
"They are raised to be squeezed."

"And maybe we'll have to squeeze Mr. Asa Lemm--the lemon," added his
twin.

"Then all the other profs are perfectly good fellows?" questioned Jack.

"Oh, yes! Captain Dale, our military instructor, is one of the nicest
men I ever met, and so are Professors Grawson and Brice. The others
don't seem to cut much ice one way or the other."

"Tell us something about the cadets."

"Any bullies there?" queried Fred.

"Yes; we've got one bully all right enough," answered Spouter.
"Slogwell Brown is his name, but everybody calls him Slugger. He's from
the country, but he thinks he knows it all and is very overbearing.
You've got to keep your eye open for Slugger or you'll get into trouble
sure."

"Thanks. I suppose we'd better give Mr. Slugger Brown a wide berth,"
remarked Fred, dryly.

"I don't think I'll let him ride over me," answered Jack, determinedly.

"Then, there is Walter Baxter. He isn't a half bad sort, although he's
pretty hot-tempered. He had a room directly opposite Ned Lowe, who
plays the mandolin and is quite a singer. About sixty of the old
scholars are coming back, and then there will be quite a bunch of new
fellows--not less than twenty, I've been told."

"Gif Garrison wrote to us and spoke about football," went on Jack. "I
suppose they have some pretty good games up there?"

"Sure. We always have our regular eleven and a scrub eleven, and,
besides that, we have two or three games with rival schools. Gif was at
the head of the football eleven last season, and I suppose he'll be at
the head this year, although Slugger Brown would like that place."

So the talk ran on, the Rover boys gaining quite a little information
concerning the school to which they were bound. Then the porter came
through the car announcing the first call for lunch.

"Say! let's go and have something to eat," cried Will Hendry,
struggling to his feet.

"I thought you were going on a diet," remarked Andy, mischievously.

"Sure. But I'm going to have something just the same," answered the fat
boy. "Come on if you are going to the dining car. If you wait too long,
you won't be able to get a seat."

"My! I shouldn't think he'd want anything to eat for a month,"
whispered Fred to Spouter.

"Don't you believe a word of what Fatty says about cutting down on his
food," returned the other in a low voice. "He eats just as much as
anyone. That's what makes him so fat."

Possessed of the full appetites of growing boys, the Rovers were not
loth to follow the fat youth and Spouter into the dining car, which, to
their surprise, was almost full.

"We'll have to have a table for four and another table for two,"
remarked Jack to the head waiter. "Do you think you can find that many
places?"

"Come this way," was the reply; and the party of six started for the
other end of the dining car. They were about to take the seats assigned
to them by the head waiter, when a very fussy man, accompanied by
another man, pushed forward to crowd in at one of the vacant tables.

"Say! that's pretty cheeky," declared Randy. "Now I don't know where we
are going to sit."

"I'll fix you up on the other side of the car," said the head waiter.
The appearance of the boys had rather pleased him, while he did not
like the actions of the fussy man and his companion at all.

Spouter and his fat chum were behind the Rovers, so they did not see
the face of the fussy individual who had deprived the lads of one of
the seats. They sat down on the other side of the aisle, and the Rover
boys spread themselves around as best they could.

Fred and Jack had just sat down and Randy was doing likewise, when one
of the waiters came through the swaying car carrying a tray filled with
eatables. Suddenly the car gave an extra lurch, and Andy was thrown up
against the waiter in such a manner that the tray tilted from the
colored man's hand, and an instant later the contents of a large
platter containing a broiled steak with some French-fried potatoes was
deposited over the neck and shoulders of the fussy man in the seat near
by.

[Illustration: THE TRAY TILTED FROM THE COLORED MAN'S HAND.
_Page_ 64]

"Oh!" roared the man, starting up in great anger. "What do you mean by
this? What do you mean, I say?" he shrilled.

At the sound of this voice, Spouter Powell and Fatty Hendry looked up
in sudden wonder. Then, as some of the Rover boys commenced to laugh
over the mishap, Spouter clutched Jack by the arm.

"That man is Professor Asa Lemm!" he whispered.




CHAPTER VII

A SCENE IN THE DINING CAR


"You don't mean it!" gasped Jack. "The lemon of a professor we were
just talking about?"

"That's it!"

"Then I'm afraid Andy has gotten himself into trouble right at the
start."

"It wasn't his fault. It was the lurching of the train did it," put in
Fred.

"Just the same, I'd hate to be in your cousin's shoes," was Fatty
Hendry's comment.

In the meanwhile the waiter, by a lightning-like move, had managed to
save the broiled steak from slipping to the floor of the dining car. He
now had it on the platter, but the French-fried potatoes were scattered
in all directions.

"What do you mean, I say?" repeated Professor Asa Lemm in a loud, harsh
voice.

"Scuse it, boss," answered the waiter humbly. "'Twas the swingin' o' de
car what done it. Besides, one o' dem passengers knocked agin my arm."

"I think it was that boy's fault quite as much as the waiter's," came
from the man who was accompanying Professor Lemm.

"I couldn't help it," answered Andy. "The car gave such a sudden lurch
that I was almost thrown off my feet."

"We'll fix this all up, sir," broke in the head waiter, coming to the
front. "Take that steak back to the kitchen and bring some more
potatoes," he added to the waiter. "I am glad to say it hasn't mussed
you up very much;" and he handed the professor a fingerbowl full of
water and an extra napkin.

A number of passengers had witnessed the accident and were smiling
broadly. Spouter and Fatty Hendry were also on a broad grin, but their
faces took on a sudden sober look when they found Asa Lemm's gaze
directed toward them.

"Ha! so you are here," was the teacher's comment. "What business have
you to laugh?"

"Excuse me, Professor Lemm, I--I--didn't--er--mean anything," stammered
Spouter.

"Sorry it happened, very sorry," puffed Fatty.

"Is this young man traveling with you?" demanded Asa Lemm, suddenly, as
he looked from Spouter and Fatty to Andy.

"Y--yes--sir," answered the son of Songbird Powell.

"Hum! Is he bound for the Hall?"

"Y--yes--sir."

"Indeed? Then perhaps I'll see all of you later," muttered Asa Lemm;
and after that did what he could with the aid of some water and a
napkin to remove the traces of the accident from his person. In this he
was aided by the head waiter, who was profuse in his apologies over
what had occurred.

"I'm afraid you've got yourself into a pickle, Andy," whispered his
twin, when the latter had taken his seat at the table.

"I don't care. I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident. Besides
that, I think the waiter was as much to blame as I was."

"You'll never make old Lemon believe that," returned Spouter.

"Spouter's right about that," puffed out Fatty. "Once Asa Lemm gets
down on a boy--good night!"

"I wonder who the man with him is?" questioned Spouter.

"Maybe it's a new teacher," vouchsafed Jack.

"I don't think so," returned Randy. "I heard both of them talking about
some lawsuit and about money matters. Maybe the other fellow is a
lawyer."

"I guess you're right," said Spouter. "As I told you before, old Lemon
used to be worth a lot of money. Since he lost it he has been having
one lawsuit after another trying to get some of it back. Most likely
the other fellow is his lawyer." And in this surmise Spouter was
correct.

The accident had sobered all the boys, consequently the lunch was not
near so lively as it might otherwise have been. Still the irrepressible
Randy could not hold back altogether, and he got what little sport he
could out of it by putting some red pepper on Fatty's last mouthful of
pie. He used a liberal dose, and the pie had scarcely disappeared
within the stout youth's mouth when the boy began to splutter.

"Ug--ug--ugh!" came from Fatty as he made a wry face. "What pie! That
last mouthful was like fire--full of pepper!"

"I thought the pie was rather hot," answered Randy, coolly.

"Hot! It's nothing but pep all the way through!" roared the fat boy.
"Wow! let me have some water!" and he gulped this down so hastily that
he almost strangled, the tears running down his cheeks. The other boys
set up a laugh.

The boys had had some celery served with their lunch and several stalks
which were not particularly good still remained in the dish on the
table. When the boys were ready to leave, Professor Asa Lemm and his
companion were still at their table discussing the particulars of a
coming lawsuit.

"I'll give 'em something to remember us by anyhow," whispered Andy to
the chums when the party had arisen to leave the dining car; and before
any of the others could stop him he took up the stalks of celery and on
passing Asa Lemm dropped them in the professor's side pocket, leaving
the tops dangling outside.

"Gee! but you're some funny boy," chuckled Fatty, gazing at Andy in
admiration. "I wish I could think of things like that to do."

"You'll think of 'em some day--when you get thin," returned Andy,
encouragingly. "You see, I wanted to give him a bouquet to remember me
by;" and at this remark there was a general snicker. Two or three of
the passengers in the car had noticed Andy's action and all were
smiling broadly over the incident.

"If he ever finds out who did that, he'll be down on you worse than
ever," declared Jack, when the boys were once more in the chair car.

"Oh, well, what's the difference?" returned the light-hearted Andy.
"I'd just as lief be shot for a mule as for a hoptoad."

"I suppose he's going on to the Hall," remarked Spouter. "If he is, I
hope he doesn't get into the auto-stage with us."

"If he gets in the auto-stage, we might hire a jitney," suggested
Fatty. "There are six of us, and we could get one of the jitneys to
take us over to the Hall, baggage and all, for half a dollar."

A little later the train made a stop of several minutes at quite a
large city. The boys were tired of sitting still and were glad enough
to go out on the platform to stretch their legs. Here they saw
Professor Lemm and his friend leave the train and walk up the main
street of the place.

"Hurrah! we won't be bothered with him any more on this trip," declared
Spouter.

"Look!" cried Randy, suddenly, pointing to the two men; and as the boys
gazed in that direction they were just in time to see Asa Lemm pull the
stalks of celery from his pocket and throw them in the street. His
whole manner showed that he was much disgusted.

"And to think he has thrown away your beautiful bouquet, Andy,"
lamented Fred.

"Never mind, Fred; we have to get used to keen disappointments in this
life," groaned Andy.

"Won't he be coming back?" questioned Fatty.

"I don't think so--he won't have time," answered Jack; "here comes the
conductor now."

"All aboard!" shouted the conductor at that moment, and the boys had to
hurry in order not to be left behind. Then the train pulled out of the
station and the journey was continued.

"We certainly ought to have some dandy times," said Jack to Spouter, as
the train sped along. "I suppose your father has told you of all the
good times our folks had when they went to Putnam Hall and Brill
College."

"Yes, Jack. That is, he has told me about a good many things. Of course
I don't suppose he told me about some of the tricks they played."

"Well, I've heard from father and from my Uncle Sam that my Uncle Tom
was playing tricks almost continually."

"Then Andy and Randy come by their fun-making naturally."

"They sure do! And what do you suppose the folks at home expect me to
do?" went on Jack, seriously. "They expect me to hold those twins in.
Why! a fellow could no more do that than hold in a pair of wild horses.
You've seen a little of what Andy can do. Well, his jokes aren't a
patch to those Randy occasionally gets off."

"You don't say! Well, I'm not sorry. The last term at Colby Hall was
rather slow. Now maybe we'll have some life;" and Spouter's face
lightened.

While the boys had been at lunch the sky had darkened, and now the
train rushed into a sudden heavy shower, the rain driving against the
windows of the car in sheets.

"I don't like this much," said Fred, dolefully. "Maybe we'll get out at
Haven Point in a regular downpour."

"Oh, this looks more like a local shower than anything else," answered
Jack. "We may run out of it in a few minutes."

"Some rain, all right," remarked Randy, as the water continued to dash
against the windows.

"Just look there!" cried Andy, pointing out. "Before it began to rain I
noticed the automobiles on yonder road kicking up quite a dust. Now
just look at the water and mud."

"We'll be at Haven Point in twenty minutes--that is, if the train is on
time," announced Spouter, consulting his watch. "Too bad! Because I
wanted you to see the beautiful scenery with which the school is
surrounded. Oh! the woods are perfectly beautiful, and after a heavy
rain the torrent of water coming down the river makes the outlook one
of marvelous beauty. I have stood there contemplating the scene----"

"Turn it off, Spouter! turn it off!" broke in Fatty. "You promised me
on your bare knees that you would stop spouting about nature this
term--and here you start in the first thing!"

"Oh, you haven't any more eye for beauty than a cow," retorted Spouter,
ruefully.

"Why abuse the cow?" questioned Andy, gaily. "A cow has an eye for
beauty. Just you hold out a beautiful red apple to her and see if she
hasn't;" and at this the others grinned.

Haven Point was still five miles away when the boys saw that the rain
was letting up; but the ditches along the track, and the highways
wherever they passed them, were filled with running water, showing that
the downpour in that vicinity had been a severe one.

"Next station Haven Point!" called out one of the trainmen as he came
through the car.

"Better get your bags ready," cried Spouter. "There may be other
fellows going to the Hall, and we want to get good seats on the
auto-stage if we can."

"All right. You lead on, Spouter," answered Jack; "we'll follow you."

In a few minutes more Haven Point was reached and the long train rolled
into the little station. One after another the boys alighted, the
porter helping them with their suitcases and gladly accepting the tips
they offered.

Spouter headed for a large auto-stage drawn up on the opposite side of
an open plot behind the station. As the Rovers and their friends
started for the turnout belonging to Colby Hall, they noticed that
several other boys had also left another coach of the train and were
headed in the same direction.

"New fellows, like ourselves, I suppose," remarked Fred. "Let's get
ahead of 'em."

"That's the talk!" exclaimed Randy. "Come on!" and he set off on a run
beside Spouter with the others at their heels.

The rain had been falling heavily at Haven Point just previous to the
arrival of the train, and consequently the open place behind the depot
contained numerous hollows of water and mud, around which the boys had
to make their way as best they could. They were rushing along as fast
as their handbaggage would permit, when they came up side by side with
three other lads also bound for the stage.

"Look out there!" cried Jack as one of the strangers leaped into a
puddle of water, splashing the mud right and left.

"Look out yourself!" cried the other youth, a big lad, much larger than
any of the others.

"That's Slugger Brown--the bully I was telling you about," explained
Spouter as he continued to run.

Directly behind Slugger Brown came another youth, loudly dressed in a
checkered suit and a soft checkered hat to match. He was rather
fastidious as to where he stepped, and with his eyes on the ground ran
directly into Fred.

"Hi! look where you are going!" cried the youngest of the Rover boys,
and then, to keep himself from slipping down, made a clutch at Randy's
arm. This brought Randy around, and both he and Fred bumped into the
elegantly attired youth.

"Stop that!" cried the stranger, and then, seeing a puddle directly in
front of him, attempted to leap over it. But his foot slipped in the
mud and down he went flat on his back with a loud splash.




CHAPTER VIII

AT COLBY HALL


"My! look at that!"

"Some tumble that, eh?"

"Why! he sent some of that water and mud over me!"

Such were some of the exclamations as the loudly-dressed youth went
down in the puddle of water and mud.

He was flat on his back, and it took several seconds for him to turn
over and get to his feet. The fall had attracted the attention of
everybody making for the auto-stage excepting Spouter and Jack.

"Oh, my eye! you're certainly a sight to see," came from the biggest
boy in the crowd, Slugger Brown.

"It wasn't my fault that I fell," retorted the unfortunate one. "Those
fellows bumped into me and made me lose my footing," and he pointed to
Fred and Randy.

"No such thing!" burst out Fred, indignantly. "You bumped into us
first; and you only fell when you tried to jump across the puddle and
your feet slipped."

"I say it's your fault!" spluttered the boy who had gone down. His
hands were covered with mud and water and he stood there helpless,
filled with rage.

"Take your handkerchief and wipe your hands off," advised Slugger
Brown. He looked coldly at Fred and Randy. "If they tripped you up,
they ought to have a licking for doing it."

"That's the fellow who's responsible," answered the boy who had fallen,
and he strode up to confront Fred. "For two pins I'd smash you on the
nose," he continued, hotly.

"You leave him alone!" broke in Randy, and doubled up his fists.

The boy who had gone down had expected Fred to back away; but the
youngest Rover bravely stood his ground.

"Say! what's up back there?" queried Spouter, suddenly looking around
to see why the other boys had not followed him to the auto-stage.

"Looks to me as if somebody was going to get into a fight," returned
Jack. "See! one of those fellows just made a pass at Fred. Come on,
this won't do!" and he ran back towards the crowd that was gathering.

The boy who had fallen had, indeed, made a pass with one of his dirty
fists at Fred, but the latter had dodged the blow with ease and now he
had the loudly dressed youth by the arm.

"You behave yourself!" he said sharply. "I didn't knock you down, and
you know it! I'm sorry you got yourself all dirty, but it wasn't my
fault."

"You fight him, and you'll fight me too!" broke in Randy. "If there is
any blame in this it belongs to me as much as to my cousin."

By this time Jack had reached the group and pushed his way to the
front. As he caught sight of the face of the boy who had fallen, he
gave a quick exclamation.

"Well I never! Nappy Martell!"

"Do you know this fellow?" questioned Andy, quickly.

"I've met him before," was the reply. "He's Nappy Martell--the fellow I
had trouble with in front of the office in Wall Street--the fellow who
so mistreated that poor street peddler."

"Oh! So this is the same chap, eh?" broke out Randy. "No wonder he
wants to fight with Fred. He's a regular scrapper, in spite of his fine
clothes."

"What are you doing here?" asked Nappy Martell, curiously, as he looked
at Jack. Then his gaze suddenly shifted to Fred and Randy. "Are you
Rovers, too?"

"We are," was the quick response.

"Humph! No wonder you knocked me down. I suppose that fellow told you
all about me?" and Nappy pointed to Jack.

"What's the use of quarreling about a little thing like a tumble in the
dirt?" panted Fatty, who was almost out of breath because of his run
towards the auto-stage. "Come on! let's get to the Hall and see who is
there."

"I'm not anxious to fight," answered Fred, readily; "but I don't like
this fellow's talk."

"I'll talk as I please," blustered Martell. "And I'll fight, too, if I
want to."

"That's the talk, Nappy!" came from Slugger Brown. "Don't let any new
boys lord it over you. If you want to fight, go ahead."

"I owe these Rovers one," muttered the loudly dressed youth. "I had a
run-in with this one in New York," and he pointed to Jack. "They are
all of a kind--too fresh to live."

"There is no use of your talking that way, Martell," broke in Jack. "We
didn't come here to scrap, but everyone of us can take his own part if
it is necessary."

A perfect war of words followed, and the argument proved so hot that it
looked as if there would certainly be a fight with Fred and Randy, and
possibly some of the others, on one side, and Nappy Martell, Slugger
Brown and one or two of their cronies who had come up on the other. But
then came a sudden diversion as a heavily built and military looking
man came from the main street of the town and walked towards them.

"Cheese it, boys!" came from one of the lads present. "Here comes
Captain Dale. He'll report us all if he knows there's anything like a
fight going on."

At the announcement that Captain Mapes Dale, who was the military
instructor at Colby Hall, was approaching, the boys who had attended
the academy the term previous fell back in alarm. They knew the captain
to be a strict disciplinarian who abhorred fighting except in a
military way.

"Well, boys, are you going up to the Hall?" said the captain
pleasantly, as he came closer. The old pupils present saluted him and
were saluted in return.

"Yes, sir," answered Spouter. And then before any of the others could
speak he added: "Captain Dale, will you permit me to introduce some new
scholars?" and thereupon he mentioned the Rover boys' names.

"Glad to know you," said Captain Dale, and shook hands all around.

In the meanwhile Nappy Martell had dropped somewhat in the background
so that the military instructor might not notice the soiled condition
of his clothing. Then one or two other new pupils were introduced, and
the whole crowd made for the auto-stage.

The stage was a large affair, and Slugger Brown, Nappy Martell and some
of their friends kept to the front end, leaving the Rovers and their
friends together at the rear, the captain and a professor connected
with the Hall seating themselves between the two factions.

"This row is only stopped for the time being," whispered Randy to Jack.
"I think that fellow Martell is too ugly to let it drop."

"He's rather a big fellow to tackle Fred," returned Jack. "Why, he is
even bigger than I am!"

"That's the way with most bullies," put in Fatty. "They don't feel like
tackling a fellow of their size. They like to pick out little chaps."

"Oh, don't misunderstand me," returned the oldest of the Rover boys.
"Fred may be small, but he is very strong and wiry, and he knows how to
take care of himself. But I shouldn't like to see any out and out
fighting--at least not so soon. We don't want to get a black eye before
we get settled down."

"That's the talk!" came from Andy. "I'd rather have some fun than have
any fighting. I hope we'll find the other fellows at the Hall more
pleasant than this Martell and that great big Slugger Brown."

"It's queer you didn't mention Martell to us on the train," remarked
Fred.

"I thought he had left school," answered Spouter. "You see, he went
home before the term closed last Spring, and I didn't know that he was
coming back."

"He and Brown seem to be pretty thick," was Randy's comment.

"Yes; they were always together last term, they and a fellow named
Henry Stowell. Stowell is a regular little sneak, and most of the boys
call him Codfish on account of the awfully broad mouth he's got."

"Well, there's one thing sure," remarked Jack; "we'll all have to keep
our eyes open for Martell, Brown and Company."

While on the train the Rover boys had learned that Haven Point was a
clean and compactly built town containing about two thousand
inhabitants. It was located at the head of Clearwater Lake, a beautiful
sheet of water about two miles long and half a mile wide and containing
a number of picturesque islands. At the head of the lake was the Rick
Rack River, running down from the hills and woods beyond. Up in the
hills it was a wild and rocky watercourse containing a number of
dangerous rapids, but where it passed Colby Hall it was a broad and
fairly deep stream, joining the lake at a point where there were two
rocky islands. The distance from the railroad station to the Military
Academy was a little over half a mile, along a road branching off
through the main street into a country highway bordered on one side by
the river and on the other by a number of well-kept farms, with here
and there a small patch of timber.

"There's the Hall!" exclaimed Spouter presently, after the auto-stage
made a turn through a number of trees and came out on a broad highway
running in a semi-circle around a large campus. "What do you think of
the place? Looks rather fine, doesn't it?"

All of the Rover boys gazed eagerly at what was before them. They saw a
large stone building, shaped almost in the form of a cross, the upper
portion facing the river. It was three stories in height and contained
not only the classrooms and mess hall of the institution, but also the
dormitories for the boys. To one side was a small brick building which
at one time had evidently been a private dwelling. This was now
occupied by Colonel Colby and his family and the various professors. On
the opposite side was a long, low, wooden building.

"That's our gym," explained Fatty. "You can go in there any time you
want to, do a turn on the bars, and break your neck."

Down at the water's edge were several small buildings which, Spouter
explained, were used for storing the boats belonging to the Hall and
also as bathhouses. Behind the Hall were a stable and a barn, and also
a garage. And still farther back were a vegetable garden and some farm
fields, for Colonel Colby believed in raising as much stuff for the
Hall table as possible.

"That's the Rick Rack River," explained Spouter, as they passed the
stream. "We've some dandy times there swimming and boating."

"Don't you have skating in the winter?" queried Andy.

"Sure! And we have some great races, too."

In another moment the auto-stage drew up to the front door of Colby
Hall, and one after another the boys and Captain Dale and the other
teacher alighted.

"You new pupils may as well follow me right to the office," said the
captain. "You can leave your suitcases in the hallway until you have
been assigned to your rooms."

He led the way, and they followed through a large reception room and
into an elegantly appointed office where Colonel Colby sat at a
mahogany desk, writing.

"Some new pupils, Colonel Colby," announced the captain, and at once
the colonel arose.

"So you are the Rover boys, eh?" he said, his face lighting up with
pleasure. "I am certainly very glad to meet you. Of course you know
that your fathers and myself were schoolmates for many years?"

"Yes, Colonel Colby, we know that," replied Jack. "That is one reason
why they sent us here."

"So I understand. I am proud to know that my old friends think so much
of me," and the master of Colby Hall smiled broadly. "I am sure we are
going to get along famously."

"It certainly looks like a nice school," remarked Andy, frankly. "I
like it first rate."

"And so do I," added his twin.

"We hope to have some great times here," came from Fred.

Then one after another the boys were required to sign the register and
answer a number of questions regarding their age and previous
instruction, and the state of their health.

"I'll have Professor Brice assign you to your rooms," said Colonel
Colby, after the questioning had come to an end. "He has charge of that
matter so far as it concerns the older boys. The younger boys are under
the charge of Mrs. Crews, the matron."

The master of the Hall touched a bell, and when a servant appeared
requested that Professor Brice be summoned. The latter soon appeared, a
young man evidently just from college. He was introduced to the boys,
and then took them off to assign them their rooms.

"Hadn't we better get our suitcases?" suggested Jack.

"Yes; you might as well bring them along," answered Professor Paul
Brice. "That will save another trip downstairs. You can give your trunk
checks to me, and I will see that the trunks are brought up from the
station and placed in your rooms to be unpacked. After you've unpacked
them, they will be marked with your names and placed in the trunk
room."