[Illustration: JACK MANAGED TO GET THE BALL AND START WITH IT FOR
THE GOAL.
_The Rover Boys at Colby Hall._ _Frontispiece--Page_ 223]
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLBY HALL
OR
_THE STRUGGLES OF THE YOUNG CADETS_
By
ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
AUTHOR OF "THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL," "THE ROVER
BOYS ON THE OCEAN," "THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES," ETC.
_ILLUSTRATED_
NEW YORK
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS
Made in the United States of America
BOOKS BY ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
THE FIRST ROVER BOYS SERIES
THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE
THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE MOUNTAINS
THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP
THE ROVER BOYS ON LAND AND SEA
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE RIVER
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE PLAINS
THE ROVER BOYS IN SOUTHERN WATERS
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM
THE ROVER BOYS ON TREASURE ISLE
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLLEGE
THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE AIR
THE ROVER BOYS IN NEW YORK
THE ROVER BOYS IN ALASKA
THE ROVER BOYS IN BUSINESS
THE ROVER BOYS ON A TOUR
THE SECOND ROVER BOYS SERIES
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLBY HALL
THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES
THE PUTNAM HALL CADETS
THE PUTNAM HALL RIVALS
THE PUTNAM HALL CHAMPIONS
THE PUTNAM HALL REBELLION
THE PUTNAM HALL ENCAMPMENT
THE PUTNAM HALL MYSTERY
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, New York
COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY
EDWARD STRATEMEYER
_The Rover Boys at Colby Hall_
INTRODUCTION
MY DEAR BOYS: This book is a complete story in itself, but forms the
first volume in a line issued under the general title, "The Second
Rover Boys Series for Young Americans."
As mentioned in several of the other volumes of the first series, this
line was started a number of years ago with the publication of "The
Rover Boys at School," in which my readers were introduced to Dick,
Tom, and Sam Rover, three wide-awake American lads. In that volume and
in those which followed I gave the particulars of their adventures
while attending Putnam Hall Military Academy, Brill College, and while
on numerous outings, both in our own country and abroad.
The Rover boys were, of course, growing older; and, having met three
young ladies very much to their liking, each married and settled down,
as related in detail in the several volumes immediately preceding this.
They were well established in business; and in due course of time Dick
Rover was blessed with a son, as was also Sam, while the fun-loving Tom
became the proud possessor of a pair of twins who were as full of life
as their father had ever been.
In this volume the younger Rover boys are old enough to go to boarding
school. They are sent to Colby Hall Military Academy, presided over by
an old friend and schoolmate of their fathers; and there they make both
friends and enemies, and have numerous adventures.
In the beginning this chronicle of the younger Rovers, I wish to thank
my numerous readers for all the kind things they have said about the
other volumes in these series, and I trust that they will make just as
good friends of Jack, Andy and Randy, and Fred as they did of Dick,
Tom, and Sam Rover.
Affectionately and sincerely yours,
EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
CONTENTS
PAGE
I INTRODUCING THE YOUNGER ROVERS 1
II SOMETHING OF THE PAST 13
III WHAT FOLLOWED ANOTHER TRICK 24
IV JACK IN WALL STREET 35
V GETTING READY TO LEAVE 45
VI ON THE TRAIN 54
VII A SCENE IN THE DINING CAR 65
VIII AT COLBY HALL 76
IX THE MISSING SUITCASE 88
X GETTING ACQUAINTED 98
XI DOWN IN THE CORNFIELD 109
XII LEARNING TO DRILL 119
XIII FRED IS FOLLOWED 129
XIV THE FIGHT 139
XV IN THE TOWN 148
XVI AT THE MOVING PICTURE THEATER 157
XVII THE GIRLS FROM CLEARWATER HALL 167
XVIII SLUGGER BROWN IS EXPOSED 178
XIX A SQUALL ON THE LAKE 187
XX IN GREAT PERIL 197
XXI ASSISTANCE REFUSED 206
XXII THE MEETING WITH HIXLEY HIGH 216
XXIII TARGET PRACTICE 226
XXIV THE FUN OF HALLOWE'EN 235
XXV OFF ON A HUNT 245
XXVI FROM ONE TROUBLE TO ANOTHER 254
XXVII ELIAS LACY'S DEMAND 265
XXVIII IN THE GUARDROOM 274
XXIX THE EXPOSURE 284
XXX A FOOTBALL VICTORY--CONCLUSION 296
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLBY HALL
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCING THE YOUNGER ROVERS
"For gracious sake! what's that racket?" exclaimed Dick Rover, as he
threw down the newspaper he was reading and leaped to his feet.
"Sounds to me as if there was a battle royal going on," returned his
younger brother, Sam, who was at a desk in the library of the old
farmhouse, writing a letter.
"It's those boys!" exclaimed Tom Rover, as he tossed aside a copy of a
comic paper which he had been looking over. "I'll wager they're up to
some mischief again."
"Well, if they are your boys, Tom, you mustn't find fault with them,"
answered Sam Rover, with a twinkle in his eye. "If ever there were
chips of the old block, your twins are It with a capital I."
"Humph!" snorted Tom Rover. "I don't think Andy and Randy are much
ahead of your Fred when it comes to playing tricks, and I think Dick's
Jack can hold up his end too."
"Never mind about that just now," broke in Dick Rover, hastily. "Let's
go out and see what those kids are up to."
"All right. But don't be too severe with 'em," pleaded Tom Rover.
"Remember, boys will be boys."
"That's true, Tom. But we've got to take 'em in hand sooner or later,"
remonstrated his brother Sam. "If we don't, they'll grow up the wildest
bunch ever known."
A number of cries of alarm and protest, mingled with fierce cheering,
had reached the house from the garden just beyond the broad veranda. As
the three Rover brothers hurried through the hallway and outside, the
yelling and cheering were renewed. Then, just as Tom Rover stepped out
on the veranda, there was a sudden swish and a stream of water from a
garden hose caught him directly in the left ear.
"Hi! Hi! Stop that!" cried Tom Rover, doing his best to dodge the
stream of water, which suddenly seemed to play all over the piazza.
"What do you mean by wetting me this way?"
"It wasn't my fault, Dad," came from a boy standing on the lawn, both
hands clutching a rubber hose held, also, by another boy of about the
same age. "It was Fred who turned the hose that way."
"Nothing of the sort! It was Randy twisted it that way trying to get it
away from me," cried Fred Rover. "And he isn't going to do it!" and
thereupon ensued a struggle between the two boys which caused the
stream of water to fly over the garden first in one direction and then
another.
In the meanwhile, not far away another stream of water was issuing from
a hose held by two other lads. This, as well as the water from hose
number one, had been directed towards the back of the garden, where an
elderly white man and an equally elderly colored man were trying to
shelter themselves behind a low hedge to keep from becoming drenched.
"Fo' de lan's' sake, Massa Dick! won't you make dem boys stop?" cried
out the old colored man, when he caught sight of Dick Rover hurrying
out on the lawn. "Dem boys is jest nacherly tryin' to drown old Aleck
Pop, dat's what dey is!"
"They didn't have no call to touch them hoses," came from the elderly
white man. "I tol' 'em they mustn't muss with the water; but they won't
mind nohow!" and thus speaking old Jack Ness held up his hands in comic
despair.
"Why! we didn't know you were behind the hedge," came from one of the
boys holding the second hose. "We thought you were both down at the
barn."
"You can't make believe like that, Andy Rover!" returned the old man of
all work, shaking his head vigorously. "You knowed I was goin' to trim
up this hedge a bit and that Aleck was goin' to help me."
"You boys let up with this nonsense," came sternly from Tom Rover. He
turned to face one of his twins. "Randy, I ought to give you a
thrashing for wetting me like this."
"Don't Fred get half the thrashing?" questioned Randy Rover,
quizzically, for he could readily see that his parent was not as angry
as his words seemed to imply. "I don't like to be selfish, you know. He
can have more than his share if he wants it."
"You'll take your own thrashings--I don't want 'em," broke in his
cousin Fred quickly.
"Jack," cried Dick Rover, turning to his son, "turn that water off at
once."
"I don't know where to turn it off. I didn't turn it on," answered Jack
Rover, the oldest of the four boys who had been fooling.
"I'll turn it off and fix it so they can't turn it on ag'in," came from
old Jack Ness, and away hobbled the man of all work.
"I think it's a shame for you boys to drench old Ness and Aleck," was
Sam Rover's sober comment. "Both of them might catch cold or get
rheumatism."
"We didn't start to do anything like that, Dad," answered Fred Rover.
"We were going to have a little fight between ourselves, playing rival
firemen. We aimed the water at the hedge, and we didn't see Ness and
Aleck until they let out a yell."
"But I saw two of you playing the water in that direction," cried Dick
Rover. "You were one of them, Jack."
"Oh, well, Dad, what was the harm after they were all wet?" pleaded his
son. "They'd have to change their clothing anyway."
"That's just it," added Andy Rover quickly, with his eyes twinkling
from merriment. "A little more water won't hurt a person when he's
already soaked. It's just like spoiling a rotten egg--it can't be
done," and at this reply, both Dick Rover and his brother, the
fun-loving Tom, had to turn away their faces to hide their amusement.
Nevertheless, Dick sobered his face almost instantly as he answered:
"Well, these pranks around the farm have got to stop. You'll have your
grandfather and Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha all upset, not to say
anything about your sisters and your mothers. It's a fortunate thing
that they went down to the town to do some shopping. Otherwise I think
all of you would be in for quite some punishment."
"Oh! Then you're not going to punish us, are you?" broke in Randy Rover
quickly. "That's fine! I knew you wouldn't mind our having a little
fun."
"Don't be so fast, young man," returned his father. "Your Uncle Dick
may be too lenient. I am rather of the opinion that you and your
brother, if not your cousins, have got to be taken in hand."
"Oh, please, Massa Tom, don' go fo' to punish 'em," burst out old Aleck
Pop. "I--I don't s'pose dey meant any great ha'm, even do dey did t'row
dat stream of wattah right in dis yere coon's mouf;" and he smiled
broadly, showing a row of ivories, rather the worse for wear.
"I think all of you boys had better go into the house and get some dry
clothing on before your mothers put in an appearance," suggested Dick
Rover. "If they see you like this, all dripping wet, they'll certainly
be worried."
"All right, Dad; I'll do it," answered Jack, quickly. And then he
motioned to his cousins. "Come on, let's see how fast we can make the
change;" and off into the big farmhouse rushed the boys, clattering up
the back stairs one after the other, to the two big rooms which they
occupied.
"Some boys!" was Sam Rover's comment, as he shook his head doubtfully.
"They are certainly growing older--and wilder," returned Dick Rover.
"We've got to take them in hand--that is dead certain!" said Tom Rover,
with conviction. "Why! if I don't do something with Andy and Randy
pretty soon, they'll be as--as----"
"As bad as you were, Tom, at their age," finished Dick Rover, with a
smile.
"Now you've said something, Dick," affirmed Sam Rover. "Andy isn't
quite so bad when it comes to playing tricks, although he certainly
says some awfully funny things, but when it comes to doing things Randy
continually puts me in mind of Tom."
"Oh, say! To hear you fellows talk, you'd think that I was the worst
boy that ever lived," grumbled Tom Rover. "What did I ever do to raise
such a rumpus as this?"
"Phew! What did he ever do to raise such a rumpus as this?" mocked Sam
Rover. "Well, what didn't he do? When father went to Africa and
disappeared and we came down here to good old Valley Brook Farm, wasn't
he the constant torment of Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha, and the
hired girl, and all the rest of the community until, in sheer despair,
uncle had to send us off to Putnam Hall? And when we went to the Hall,
who was the first one to get into trouble--exploding a giant firecracker
on the campus? Answer me that, will you?"
"Ancient history," murmured Tom Rover, dryly. But then, of a sudden his
eyes began to twinkle. "No use talking, though, we certainly did have
some good times in those days, didn't we?" he continued. "Do you
remember how we got the best of old Josiah Crabtree?"
"Yes. And how we got the best of a whole lot of our enemies," added Sam
Rover.
"Yes, and what gloriously good times we did have at Putnam Hall and at
Brill College," came from Dick Rover, with a sigh. "Sometimes I wish
all those happy days could be lived over again."
"When you think of those days, Dick, just think of what great times are
in store for our boys," said Sam. "I only trust they have as good times
as we had."
"I guess they'll know how to take care of themselves all right enough,"
was Tom Rover's comment. "But, just the same, we can't permit them to
become too wild. Sending them to that private school in New York City
doesn't seem to have done them so very much good, although, of course,
I admit they are well educated for their age."
"I know where I'm going to send Jack when the proper time comes,"
answered Dick Rover.
"Where?" came from his brothers.
"I'm going to send him to Colby Hall, the military academy which our
old school chum, Larry Colby, has opened. Larry sent me some of his
literature some time ago; and I have heard from several people that
it's already a first-class institution of learning--every bit as good
as Putnam Hall."
"Well, if it's half as good as dear old Putnam Hall it must be some
school," said Tom Rover. "And there's no reason why Larry Colby
shouldn't be able to run a first-class military academy. He was a good
scholar and a first-class cadet when he was at Putnam Hall."
"After Larry left Putnam Hall he went to travel in Europe," continued
Dick. "Then he went through college, and immediately after that he
joined the militia of New York State and there worked his way up until
he now sports the title of colonel."
"Colonel Colby, eh? That's going some," was Tom's comment.
"His school is patterned after West Point, as was Putnam Hall, and I
understand he has a West Point officer there to instruct the cadets in
military tactics."
"Well, that's the sort of school our boys will need," answered Tom
Rover. "The stricter it is the better it will be for them."
"I think it would be a good scheme to send them to Larry Colby's
school," was Sam's comment. "As Larry knows us so well he would
probably take an especial interest in our boys."
"Yes. But I wouldn't want him to show our lads any special favors,"
broke in Tom, quickly. "If the boys went there, I should want them to
stand on their own feet, just as we did when we went to Putnam Hall."
"That's the talk, Tom! No favoritism!" cried Dick. "The only way to
make a boy thoroughly self-reliant is to make him take his own part."
"If we are going to send them off to boarding school, they might as
well go this Fall as any other time," remarked Sam Rover. "Have you any
idea when the term at Colby Hall begins, Dick?"
"About the middle of September."
"It's the middle of August now. That would give us a full month in
which to make arrangements and for them in which to get ready."
"Have you ever said anything to the twins about going to boarding
school, Tom?" questioned Sam.
"Oh, yes. They understand that they are to go to some place sooner or
later. Fred understands it, too, doesn't he?"
"Yes."
"And I told Jack only a short while ago that he must get ready to think
of leaving home," put in Dick Rover. "Of course, it will be rather hard
on the boys at first. They have never been away from us at all except
the two weeks when they were out in that boys' camp."
"They'll have to get used to it, just as we got used to it when father
went off to Africa and Uncle Randy sent us to Putnam Hall. Perhaps we
had better tell them----"
Sam Rover broke off short as a series of shrieks in a high-pitched
feminine voice issued from the pantry of the big farmhouse. An instant
later a hired girl, followed by a middle-aged cook, came flying forth
from the kitchen doorway.
"Oh, save me! Save me!" cried the hired girl, clutching her skirts
tightly around her ankles, "Save me!"
"Oh, Mr. Rover! Mr. Rover! It's those dreadful boys! I won't stay here
another minute!" screamed the cook, flourishing a big spoon in one hand
and a dish-cloth in the other. "It's outrageous! That's what it is! I'm
going to pack my trunk and leave this house right away!"
"What's the matter?" demanded Tom Rover, quickly.
"Are you hurt?" came anxiously from Dick.
"What have the boys done now?" questioned Sam.
"What have they done?" wailed the hired girl. "I just went into the
pantry and opened the closet door and out jumped about a thousand mice
at me!"
"Yes! and they are running all over the house!" broke in the cook
savagely. "One of 'em ran right over my foot and tried to bite me! I'm
going to pack my trunk and leave! I won't stay here another minute!"
CHAPTER II
SOMETHING OF THE PAST
At the announcement of the hired girl that their sons had let loose in
the farmhouse a thousand mice--more or less--the three Rover brothers
looked at each other enquiringly.
"Another joke--and so soon!" gasped Sam Rover.
"That certainly is the limit!" broke out Dick Rover, as he started for
the house.
"If I find Andy and Randy have been up to another trick right on top of
this water-hose nonsense, I'll give them a tanning they won't forget in
a hurry," added Tom Rover; and then he and Sam followed Dick up the
back porch and into the kitchen.
To the readers of the former volumes in these two "Rover Boys Series,"
Dick, Tom and Sam Rover will need no special introduction. For the
benefit of others, however, let me state that the sober-minded and
determined Dick was the oldest of the three, with the fun-loving Tom
coming next and sturdy Sam being the youngest. They were the sons of
one Anderson Rover, who, when not traveling, made his home at Valley
Brook Farm, in New York State, living there with his brother Randolph
Rover and wife Martha.
While Dick, Tom, and Sam were quite young, and while their father was
off exploring in the interior of Africa, the three Rovers had been sent
to Putnam Hall Military Academy, where they had made a few enemies and
likewise a host of friends, including a manly and straight-forward
cadet named Lawrence Colby. After many adventures both at school and in
various portions of the globe, they had graduated from Putnam Hall with
honor and then entered Brill College.
At that time, Mr. Anderson Rover, who had long since returned from
Africa, was not in the best of health. He had numerous business
interests both in Wall Street, New York City, and in the West to take
care of, and presently it was found necessary that Dick leave college
and take charge of business matters for his parent. In this task Dick
was soon aided by Tom, leaving Sam the only member of the family to
graduate from Brill.
While at Putnam Hall the three Rovers had become acquainted with three
charming girls, Dora Stanhope and her cousins, Nellie and Grace Laning.
This acquaintance had ripened into loving intimacy; and when Dick went
into business he took Dora Stanhope for his life-long partner. A little
later Tom was married to Nellie Laning, and, after he had left Brill
and joined his brothers in conducting their father's various business
enterprises, Sam married Grace Laning.
With the aid of Mr. Anderson Rover and some others, The Rover Company
was organized with offices on Wall Street, New York City. The company
dealt in stocks, bonds, real estate, and other investments; and Dick
was now president, with Tom secretary and Sam treasurer. The company
had been prosperous from the start, although on several occasions
enemies had done their best to give the concern a black eye.
When they were first married, Dick and his beautiful wife Dora had
begun housekeeping in a cosy apartment in the metropolis, and they had
presently been followed by Tom and Sam. But two years later the three
brothers had a chance to buy a beautiful plot of ground on Riverside
Drive facing the noble Hudson River, and on this they built three fine
houses adjoining each other, Dick living in the middle house with Tom
on one side and Sam on the other.
Before the happy young folks moved into the new homes, Dick and Dora
were blessed with a little son, who later on was named John, after Mr.
John Laning. Later still, this couple had a daughter, whom they named
Martha, after Aunt Martha of Valley Brook Farm. Little Jack, as he was
called in those days, was a wonderfully bright and clever lad with many
of the clear-minded qualities which had made his father so successful
in life.
About the time young Jack was presented with a baby sister, Tom and
Nellie Rover came forward with twin boys, one of whom was named
Anderson, after his grandfather, and the other Randolph, after his
uncle. Andy and Randy, as they were always called for short, were
exceedingly bright, each taking after his father, Andy always saying
things that were more or less funny and Randy playing tricks whenever
he got the chance. They were truly chips off the old block, and Tom
knew it, although outwardly he professed to be ignorant of the fact.
"Those twins will be some boys when they grow up," was old Anderson
Rover's comment, when the lads were less than five years old. "They're
just as full of fun now as Tom ever dared to be."
"So they are," answered his brother Randolph. "My! my! what will they
ever do with them when they get a little older?"
"I sha'n't mind," said Aunt Martha, her eyes beaming brightly. "That
is, if they are really and truly as good-hearted as Tom has always
been. He certainly was the worst of the lot when it came to playing
jokes, but no lad ever had a better heart than Tom--not one!"
About the time that Tom began to boast about his twins, Sam and Grace
came along with a beautiful little girl, whom they named Mary, after
Mrs. Laning. About a year later the girl was followed by a boy, and
this sturdy little chap was named Fred, after Sam's old school chum,
Fred Garrison.
Living so close together, the four boys and the two girls were brought
up almost like one big family. The girls were all but inseparable, and
the boys could generally be found together, either studying, playing,
or having a good time.
When the time came to set the children to studying, Martha and Mary
were placed in a private school for girls located but a short distance
from their homes. It was thought best, however, at the start to send
the boys to a public school, and this was done. For three years matters
went along very well, and during that time The Rover Company prospered
far beyond the expectations of those in charge. But then Andy and
Randy, becoming a little older, began to exhibit their talent for
playing tricks, and usually they were seconded in these efforts by Jack
and Fred. Once or twice all of the boys were reported by the school
principal for this, and each time the lads were remonstrated with by
their fathers in such a manner that, as young Andy expressed it, "it
was far more comfortable to sit down standing up than it was any other
way."
"I think I'll have to do something with those twins," said Tom Rover to
his wife, after the boys had been reported for more tricks. "The school
they go to doesn't seem to be strict enough." And thereupon he had sent
the boys to a private establishment further uptown.
Jack and Fred had begged their parents that they might be allowed to do
likewise; and at this private school the four cousins had been kept
until the close of the Spring term the preceding June. To the credit of
this school it must be said that the boys advanced rapidly in their
studies. Their deportment, however, was apparently no better than it
had been before, and as a consequence Tom Rover was more worried than
ever, while Dick and Sam began to wonder secretly whether it would not
be advisable to separate their sons from the mischievous twins.
One day Dick broached this subject to his offspring. At once young Jack
set up a wild remonstrance.
"Oh, Dad! don't take me away from Andy and Randy and Fred!" he pleaded.
"Why, we are just like brothers! I wouldn't know how to get along
without 'em."
"But I'm afraid Andy and Randy are leading you into bad habits,"
returned Dick Rover.
"I don't think so, Dad. Anyway, I've heard folks say that Andy and
Randy are no worse than their father used to be--and you never wanted
to be separated from Uncle Tom, did you?"
At this question Dick Rover's face took on a sudden sober look. "No; I
never wanted to be separated from your uncle, that's true," he said.
"But I tell you what we did used to do. When his pranks got too wild I
and your Uncle Sam used to hold him in."
"All right then, Dad. I'll tell Fred about this, and we'll see what we
can do towards holding in Andy and Randy;" and there, after some more
talk along the same line, the matter was allowed to rest.
Young Jack was as good as his word, and during the remainder of that
Spring term at the private school in New York City, Andy and Randy were
as well behaved as could possibly be expected from two red-blooded
lads.
It had been planned by the Rovers that the Summer should be spent by
all the young folks and their mothers at Valley Brook Farm, the fathers
to come down from time to time, and especially over the week ends.
Since Dick, Tom, and Sam had become married the farm had been enlarged
by the purchase of two hundred additional acres. The farmhouse, too,
had been made larger, with the old portion remodeled, and a water
system from the rapidly-growing town of Dexter's Corners, as well as
electric lighting, had been installed. A telephone had been put in some
years previous.
At first after their arrival at their grandfather's home, the four boys
had been content to take it easy, spending their time roaming the
fields, helping to gather the fruit, of which there was great
abundance, and in going fishing and swimming. But then Andy and Randy
had found time growing a little heavy on their hands, and one prank had
been followed by another. Some of the tricks had been played on Jack
and Fred, and they, of course, had done their best to retaliate, and
this had, on more than one occasion, brought forth a forceful, but
good-natured, pitched battle, and the fathers and the others present
had had all they could do to hold the boys in check.
"I never saw such boys," was Mary Rover's comment to her brother Fred.
"Why can't you behave yourselves just as Martha and I do?"
"Oh, girls never have any good times," answered Fred. "They just sit
around and primp up and read, and do things like that."
"Indeed!" and Mary tossed her curly head. "I think we have just as good
times as you boys, every bit; but we don't have to be rough about it;"
and then she ran off to play a game of lawn tennis with her cousin
Martha.
The time was the middle of August, and as the summer was proving to be
an unusually warm one, all the older Rovers were glad enough to take it
easy on the farm, they having earlier in the season been down to the
seashore for a couple of weeks. Dick, Tom and Sam had each taken a week
off at various times, and all managed to get down to the farm early
every Saturday afternoon, to remain until Sunday night or Monday
morning.
And it was late on a Saturday afternoon, when the ladies and the girls
had gone to Dexter's Corners to do some shopping, and while the fathers
were busy reading and writing, that the events occurred with which the
present story opens.
As Dick Rover ran into the farmhouse he heard a slight scream coming
from the sitting-room. The scream was followed by exclamations from two
men, and then a wild thumping as if someone was hitting the floor with
a cane.
"It's a mouse--several of 'em!" came in the voice of Grandfather Rover.
"Oh, my! oh, my! wherever did they come from?" exclaimed old Aunt
Martha.
"Never mind where they came from, I'll fix 'em," asserted old Randolph
Rover, and then followed another thumping as he rushed around between
the chairs and behind the sofa, trying to slaughter some of the
scampering mice with his heavy walking stick.
"Where are they? Where are those mice?" demanded Tom Rover, giving a
hasty glance around the kitchen.
"There is one--under the sink!" ejaculated his brother Sam, and
catching up a stove lifter he let fly with such accurate aim that the
unhappy rodent was despatched on the spot.
"I see another one back of the pantry door," said Tom Rover a moment
later, and then made a dive into the pantry. Here, in a side closet,
the door of which was partly open, he saw a broom and grabbed it
quickly. Then he made a wild pass at the mouse, but the rodent eluded
him and scrambled over the kitchen floor and into the sitting-room.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Did you ever see so many mice?" came in a wailing
voice from Aunt Martha. She had clambered up on a chair and stood there
holding her dress tightly around her feet.
"It's another of those boys' tricks, that's what it is," asserted
Grandfather Rover. "They ought to be punished for it."
"Yes. But we've got to get rid of these mice first," answered his
brother.
Then Randolph Rover, seeing a mouse scampering across the side of the
room, threw his walking stick at it with all his force. But his aim was
poor and the walking stick, striking the edge of the table, glanced off
and hit a fish-globe, smashing it to pieces and sending the water and
the goldfish flying in every direction.
CHAPTER III
WHAT FOLLOWED ANOTHER TRICK
When the hubbub downstairs started the four Rover boys were up in their
adjoining bedrooms partly undressed and in the midst of a couple of
impromptu boxing matches, one taking place between Andy and Jack and
the other between Randy and Fred.
"There, my boy, how do you like that?" cried Andy, as, dancing around,
he managed to land a slapping blow on Jack's bare shoulder.
"Fine, child! fine!" retorted young Jack. "But not half as good as
this," he continued, and, with a sudden spring, he landed one blow on
Andy's chest and another on his shoulder which sent Tom's son
staggering half-way across the bed.
"Hurrah! one man down! Now for the next!" cried Fred, and managed to
land several blows in quick succession on Randy's shoulder.
But then the fun-loving twin came at him with a rush, sending him into
a corner and on to a little table containing a number of books. As Fred
went down the table did likewise and the books fell all over him.
"Whoop!" roared Randy in his delight. "Down and buried!"
"But not dead," retorted Fred, promptly, and catching up several of the
books he hurled them in quick succession at his opponent. One in
particular caught Randy in the stomach, and down he sat with a
suddenness that jarred the floor.
"Say!" exclaimed Jack, suddenly, and held up his hand, "this won't do
at all. The folks downstairs will think we're pulling the house down
over their ears. We'll have to slow up a bit. You know what our fathers
said a little while ago."
"All right," returned Andy, promptly, as he arose to his feet. "After
this we'll be as quiet as a thunder storm in a moving picture drama."
"That's the talk! Silence it is!" cried his twin; and then to let off a
little extra steam he silently turned a cart-wheel across the floor,
after which he proceeded with his toilet making.
The boys were still minus their collars and ties when they suddenly
realized that something unusual was taking place downstairs. They had
closed the bedroom doors, but now all of them rushed out into the
hallway.
"Great watermelons!" groaned Randy, and turned slightly pale. "I forgot
all about 'em!"
"About what?" chimed in Jack.
"You don't mean the mice?" demanded Andy.
"Yes, I do!"
"What mice?" questioned Fred.
"The mice I caught under the flooring of the old wagon house
yesterday," answered Randy.
"I thought you put them in a cage and drowned them in the brook."
"I was going to do that, but then I changed my mind and put 'em in a
couple of boxes. I thought maybe I might have a chance to train
'em--just like those mice we once saw in a show."
"Where did you put those boxes?" demanded Andy, quickly.
"I--I--didn't know exactly what to do with 'em, so--I--I--put 'em on
the shelf in the pantry downstairs," faltered the twin.
"Great catfish, Randy! you've got us into a fine mess!" broke in Fred.
"Coming right on top of that trouble with the water-hose!" added Jack,
ruefully.
After that there was a moment of silence, the four cousins gazing at
each other uncertainly. Then Randy drew a long breath.
"Well, I'm going downstairs to see what's doing," he declared. "If I've
got to suffer for this, I might as well see the fun."
"I'm going down, too," responded his twin, and side by side they ran
down the stairs, with Jack and Fred close at their heels.
Perhaps it was poetic justice that Randy, who had been the cause of
this commotion, should suffer the worst for it. Hardly had he put his
foot in the lower hallway of the farmhouse when a mouse, scampering
from a nearby doorway, made directly for him. The boy made a wild jump
to step on the rodent, missed his footing, and came down flat on his
back. He landed directly at the foot of the stairs, and his brother,
being unable to stop, fell on top of him.
"Hi! Get off of me!" gasped the unfortunate youth. "What do you want to
do--crack my head open?"
"Next time you go down, give a fellow warning," retorted his brother,
scrambling to his feet; and then the two boys, with Jack and Fred,
entered the sitting-room, doing this just as their fathers came in from
the direction of the kitchen and just when old Uncle Randolph made his
unfortunate attack on the fish-globe.
"Hello! look at the fish on the floor," exclaimed Jack. "What's the
matter, Grandfather? Did the mice upset the globe?"
"No. I did that, trying to hit one of the pesky creatures," explained
old Uncle Randolph. "We must kill them some way or they'll get all over
the house, and then none of us will have any peace."
"I wouldn't care for a piece of mouse, anyway," remarked Andy, but in
such a low tone that none of the older folks heard him.
"Everybody get a stick and go at those mice," commanded Dick Rover, and
looked at the boys so sternly they all began to feel uncomfortable.
"We've got either to kill them or drive them out of the house,
otherwise the lady folks won't be able to sleep to-night."
"I'll get a poker and kill as many of 'em as I can," cried Randy, and
ran out into the kitchen to do as he had mentioned.
The other boys, as well as their fathers, armed themselves with canes,
umbrellas, and brooms, and for the next fifteen minutes there was a
rapid and thorough search for all of the rodents. Several were driven
outside through the open doors, while others were caught and
slaughtered in various parts of the kitchen, the pantry, and the rooms
adjoining. Then the goldfish were gathered up and put into another bowl
of water and the bits of broken glass were removed.
"I'm awfully sorry, Uncle Randy, you broke the fish-globe," said Randy,
contritely, "but I'm glad you saved the fish."
"Look here, young man, I want to talk to you--and to you, too!" cried
Tom, sharply, and without more ado caught each twin by the arm and
marched them into the library.
"Wow! I'm afraid Andy and Randy are in for it now," whispered Fred to
Jack.
"Well, Randy certainly had no right to put those mice in the pantry,"
answered his cousin. "Just the same, I hope Uncle Tom isn't too severe
with 'em."
"I don't see why Andy should be punished for this."
"Oh, they always stick together. You know that as well as I do."
"So I do. Isn't it wonderful how each is willing to share the blame
with the other?" added Fred, with deep admiration.
Once in the library, Tom Rover shut the doors tightly and then faced
his twin sons.
"Now then, I want the truth about this," he commenced sternly. "Where
did those mice come from?"
"They came from under the flooring of the old wagon house," answered
Randy. "I caught them there when the carpenters tore up the floor to
put down the new one."
"And where did you put them?"
"I put 'em in a--er--a couple of boxes."
"Randy was going to keep the mice and try to teach 'em to do tricks,
just the same as those mice we once saw in a vaudeville show," put in
Andy, quickly, to do what he could to shield his brother.
"More tricks, eh?" was Tom's dry comment. "It seems to me that it is
nothing but tricks lately. I suppose you placed the boxes in the pantry
just so the mice wouldn't catch cold, didn't you?" he went on
quizzically.
"No, sir. I--I--placed 'em there just for safekeeping," was the
hesitating answer. "I didn't know that Lulu would disturb them."
"That's it, Dad. I'm sure Randy didn't want 'em disturbed."
"And what did you have to do with this, Andy?" demanded the father.
At this the boy addressed had nothing to say.
"He had nothing to do with it, Dad," answered Randy. "I got the mice
and put 'em in the two boxes. I s'pose it wasn't just the right thing
to put 'em in the pantry, but I give you my word I didn't think they'd
be upset the way they were and be sent running all over the house. If
Lulu hadn't touched the boxes, the mice would be there yet."
"Perhaps," answered Tom Rover, dryly. "Just the same, I think you
placed the boxes there hoping that Lulu or the cook would have
curiosity enough to see what they contained. As it is, your actions
have upset the whole house, brought on the destruction of the
fish-globe, and the cook is so upset that she has threatened to leave."
"Oh, she won't leave, Dad. She likes her big wages too well," remarked
Andy, quickly.
"I don't know about that, Son. Nobody is going to stand for your tricks
much longer. They are getting altogether too numerous." Tom continued
to look as stern as possible. "I've got to take both of you in hand,
and that is all there is to it. You are growing wilder every day.
Something has got to be done. Now you go right upstairs and finish
dressing, and don't dare to let me hear of any more tricks being played
for the rest of this day, otherwise I'll not only give you a sound
thrashing, but I'll cut off your spending money and do several other
things that you won't like;" and, thus speaking, the father of the
twins opened the door to the hall and shoved them both out towards the
stairs with more force than they had felt for some time. The two lads
lost no time in retiring to their bedroom.
"Say, Randy, I think you got off rather easily," remarked Andy, when
they were alone.
"I think so myself," was the quick response. "I thought Dad would be so
mad that he would give me one everlasting licking."
"Say! how did you make out?" questioned Fred, eagerly, as he came
sneaking in, followed by Jack.
"You don't look as if you had suffered very much," was Jack's comment.
"I thought you'd come out looking as if you'd been through a threshing
machine."
What Randy and Andy had to tell was quickly related. At the conclusion,
Jack, who being somewhat older than any of the others, was looked upon
as something of a leader, shook his head thoughtfully.
"I guess we had better pull in our horns a little, for a while at
least," was his conclusion. "My father was mighty mad, too, and so was
Fred's. If we don't look out, we'll all get in wrong. They didn't like
that wetting business to start with."
While the boys were finishing their toilet and discussing the matter,
their fathers were doing what they could to set matters to rights
downstairs, and to pacify their Aunt Martha and also the cook and the
hired girl. The cook was particularly wrought up.
"It ain't the first time nor the second time nor the third time that
them boys have played tricks on us," she declared. "It's been nothin'
but one thing or 'nother ever since they came here--and last Summer it
was the same way. The first thing you know, they'll be doin' somethin'
awful, and some of us'll get hurt. I think I had better leave."
"If she leaves, I'll leave too," declared the hired girl.
"Don't think of leaving," said Tom Rover. "I'll take those boys in hand
and see to it that they don't bother you any more. If they do the least
thing, I'll pack them back to our house in New York." And after a
little more talk he succeeded in mollifying the cook and the hired girl
to such an extent that they went back to their work. Then the fathers
of the boys withdrew once more to the library.
"I don't know how you feel about it," began Tom, after he had picked up
his comic paper once more and then thrown it aside in disgust. "I begin
to think that the best thing I can do is to pack those twins off to
Colby Hall."
"I don't know but what I agree with you, Tom," answered Sam. "And if
you do send them, I think Fred might as well go along."
"Yes; and Jack also," added Dick. "Those boys will never want to be
separated, and I don't know that we could do better than to place them
under Larry Colby's care, especially if we let Larry know just how wild
they are apt to be and tell him to take them in hand."
"Yes; I'd want Larry to know all about them," answered Tom. "And I'd
want him to give me his word that he'd keep a sharp eye on Andy and
Randy and punish them severely every time they broke any of the rules.
It's the only way to bring them up properly."
"All right then, Tom. If you think that way and Dick thinks the same,
let's get right down to business and send a letter to Larry Colby
to-night," said Sam.
"But what of the boys' mothers?" questioned Dick Rover. He knew that
his wife Dora would grieve considerably over having young Jack leave
home.
"We'll have to explain the situation to them and get them to agree,"
answered Tom, firmly.
CHAPTER IV
JACK IN WALL STREET
"Just to think, Jack! a week from to-day we'll be on our way to Colby
Hall Military Academy."
"Yes, Fred. Doesn't it seem wonderful? I do hope we'll find the school
to our liking," returned Jack, with a serious look on his face. "It
would be too bad to go to some punk school."
"Oh, you can be sure that the school is all right; otherwise our
fathers wouldn't have picked it out for us," broke in Andy. "They know
what a good military academy is. Didn't they go to that famous old
Putnam Hall?"
"I wish we could have gone to Putnam Hall," added Randy. "From what dad
has told me, it must have been one dandy school."
"Well, we can't go to something that ain't," answered his twin with a
grin. "Putnam Hall doesn't exist any more. When it burnt to the ground,
Captain Putnam felt too old to have it rebuilt, and so he settled with
the insurance companies and retired."
"Gee! but won't we have dandy times if that school is what we hope
for?" cried Andy. "We'll make things hum, won't we?"
"Right you are!" came in a chorus from the others. And then, in sudden
high spirits, the boys began to wrestle with each other, ending up with
something of a pillow fight in which not only pillows but also bolsters
and numerous other articles were used as missiles.
After a never-to-be-forgotten vacation at Valley Brook Farm, the boys,
along with their sisters and their parents, had returned to their homes
in New York City. The Summer was almost at an end, and schools all over
were opening for the Fall and Winter term.
It had been no easy task for Dick, Tom, and Sam Rover to convince their
wives that it would be best to send the boys to some strict boarding
school instead of to the private school which they had been attending
in the metropolis. Gentle Dora Rover had cried a little at the thought
of having her only son Jack leave home, and Grace Rover had been
affected the same way at the thought of parting from her only boy Fred.
"But both of you will be better off than I shall be," had been Nellie
Rover's comment. "Each of you will have a daughter still at home, while
both of my twins will be gone and I'll have nobody;" and her eyes, too,
had filled with tears.
But with it all, the mothers were sensible women, and they agreed with
their husbands that the boys needed to be placed under strict
discipline and that this was not possible at the school which they had
been attending.
"That school is altogether too fashionable," had been Dick Rover's
comment. "They make regular dudes of the pupils and they think more of
high collars and neckties and patent-leather shoes than they do of
reading, writing and arithmetic. Now, I want Jack to get a good
education and I want him to learn how to behave himself while he is
getting it." And so, after several communications had passed between
the Rovers and Colonel Lawrence Colby, it was settled that the boys
should be enlisted as cadets at Colby Hall.
"Cease firing!" cried Jack, when there came a lull in the pillow fight.
"The first thing you know somebody will come in here and we'll be in
hot water again." The boys were up in Jack's bedroom, and all of their
mothers were downstairs, talking over the question of the wardrobes the
lads were to take along to school.
"All right, Commodore," answered Andy, gaily. "Out of the trenches,
boys; the war is over!"
"Suits me," panted Randy, who was all out of wind from his exertions.
"Melt the cannons into telephones and send messages to the girls that
the soldier boys are coming home," and at this remark there was a short
laugh. Then all the boys proceeded to make themselves comfortable in
various attitudes around the bedroom.
"Say! I'm glad of one thing," remarked Fred; "and that is, we won't be
utter strangers at Colby Hall. Spouter Powell will be there and so will
Gif Garrison."
It may be as well to explain here that Spouter Powell, whose real first
name was Richard, was the son of the Rovers' old friend, John Powell,
commonly called Songbird. Richard Powell did not seem to have much of
his father's ability to write verse, but he did have a great fondness
for making speeches, whence had come his nickname of Spouter.
Gifford Garrison, always called Gif for short, was the son of the
Rovers' old schoolmate, Fred Garrison, after whom Fred Rover had been
named. Gif was a big, strong youth who doted on athletic sports of all
kinds. Both Gif and Spouter had visited the Rover boys on a number of
occasions, and consequently all of the lads were well acquainted.
"Yes, I'll be glad to meet Gif and Spouter," returned Jack. "I like
them both, even though Spouter gets pretty talky sometimes."
Just then there sounded downstairs a postman's whistle, and a minute
later Martha Rover came upstairs.
"Here's a letter for you, Jack," said his sister, holding it out.
"Thanks," he returned, as he took the communication and glanced at it.
"Why! what do you know about this? Here we were just talking about Gif
and Spouter, and here is a letter from Gif now," he cried.
"Wonder what he's got to say," remarked Fred, and then, as he saw his
cousin lingering at the doorway, he added: "Don't you want to come in,
Martha, and join us?"
"No, thank you," she returned. "I'm going out with Mary. We're going to
buy some things for you boys to take along when you go to that boarding
school."
"Oh, I know what those will be," burst out Andy, gaily. "Pink neckties
with yellow dots, or nice red socks with blue rings around 'em."
"Oh, the idea!" burst out the girl. "What an eye for color you have!"
"Well, maybe it was blue socks with red rings around 'em," went on
Andy, innocently; "and maybe the pink neckties will be plain yellow."
"Oh, Cousin Andy! I think you're just the worst ever!" shrieked Martha,
and then ran downstairs to join those below.
In the meantime, Jack had torn open the letter and was scanning it
hastily.
"Don't be selfish!" burst out Fred, curiously. "If Gif has anything to
say about that school, let us hear it."
"Sure. I'll read it out loud," answered his cousin.
The communication, which was a rather long one, was of the usual boyish
type, and much of it was of no particular interest. Several paragraphs,
however, may be quoted here.
* * * * *
"You will be interested to know that besides Spouter Powell there will
be another boy here who may or may not join our set. The fellow's name
is Walter Baxter, and he is the son of Dan Baxter, the man who, years
ago, caused your father and your uncles so much trouble at Putnam Hall
and other places. Baxter is very hot-tempered and willing to fight
almost any time.
"When I get back to school I am going in for athletics, particularly
football this Fall, and I hope some of you fellows will want to go into
athletics, too, for it will make it more interesting to have some
friends on the eleven. Spouter don't go in for that sort of thing. He
likes to save his wind for talk."
