At this strong assertion the old man began to tremble, and he looked
from one to another of those before him in alarm.

"I--I Bill Dangler said it was not true--that it was a plot against
him," he murmured.

"It is true, and there is no plot against him, excepting to make him pay
the penalty of his crimes," put in Tom. "If you have hidden him you had
better give him up."

"I know you," said old Derringham, turning to Jack Ness. "You used to
pay me good prices for what you bought of me. Can I trust you?" he went
on, pleadingly.

"Certainly you can, and you can trust these boys, too," was the hired
man's reply. "If you want to keep out of trouble you had better help us
all you can."

By this time Dick had the table shoved to one side. Under the bottom of
one of the legs he found a small iron ring, connecting with the door in
the floor. He pulled on this and the door came up, showing a small
cellar below, used chiefly by the old man for the storage of winter
vegetables and the roots he gathered.

"Dangler, you might as well come up!" called out Dick. "It won't do you
any good to try to hide."

"What do you want of me?" came in a sullen voice from below.

"You know very well what we want."

"I haven't done anything."

"You can tell that to the police, after you are locked up. Come up."

Slowly and with downcast face Bill Dangler crawled from the small cellar
and pulled himself up to the floor of the cabin. He gazed reproachfully
at the old man, who was again trembling.

"I'll fix you for going back on me," he muttered.

"They say you are a thief," answered the old man. "If you are, I want
nothing more to do with you. I am poor, but I am honest--everybody who
knows me knows that."

"He shall not harm you," put in Tom. "He'll soon be behind the bars."

A glance at the party of four, with their shotguns, convinced the
freight thief that escape was out of the question.

"I suppose I'll have to give up," he growled. "But I ain't as guilty as
you may think I am."

"You are guilty enough," said Sam.

"I didn't plan those freight robberies."

"Who did then?" questioned Tom.

"Merrick and Pike. I don't mind telling on them, for they have gone back
on me."

"Is Merrick the head of the gang?" asked Dick.

"Yes."

"Where is he now?"

"If I tell will you let me go?"

"I can't do that, Dangler."

"Well, I don't care anyway. Merrick hasn't treated me right, and he
ought to suffer. He has a hangout a few miles from the city of Ithaca,
if you know where that is."

"Yes, on Lake Cayuga."

"That's it."

"You say a few miles from the city," pursued Sam. "What do you mean by
that?"

"He and some of his friends, Pike among them, have a meeting place along
the lake. It's an old house, unpainted, and with very narrow windows, so
I've been told. You find that house and likely you'll find Merrick and
Pike."

"I thought those chaps were from the city?" said Sam.

"They are, but every once in a while they find it convenient to
disappear, and then they go to that place on Lake Cayuga. It's an old
homestead that used to belong to Merrick's sister."

"We ought to be able to find that place," said Tom to his brothers.
"Especially if it was a homestead."

"Was the sister's name Merrick, too, or was she married?" asked Sam.

"She was a widow, so I was told. When she died she left her son in
charge of Merrick--but I don't believe he ever looked after the boy very
much."

"What was her name?" asked Dick.

"Sobber--Mary Ann Sobber."

"Sobber!" ejaculated the three Rover boys.

"That's it."

"Did you ever hear the son's name?" asked Dick.

"I don't remember--yes, I do. Merrick had a letter from him once. The
boy's name was Tad Sobber. He was at a boarding school somewhere."




CHAPTER XXV

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM


"What do you think of that?"

"Isn't that the greatest ever!"

"Well, I'm sorry for Tad."

Such were the exclamations from the three Rover boys after listening to
Bill Dangler's declaration that the lad who had run away from Putnam
Hall was the nephew of Merrick.

"Are you certain of this?" asked Dick.

"Certainly I am. But why are you so interested in Merrick's sister and
her son?"

"I will tell you," answered Tom. "Tad Sobber used to go to school with
us, but he ran away a short while ago and we haven't heard from him
since."

"Phew! so that's it! Maybe he's with his uncle."

"Like as not. I wonder if he knows his uncle is a thief?"

"I don't know anything about that. Sid Merrick is a sly one and can put
on the most innocent front you ever saw."

"What do you know about Pike?"

"Oh, John Pike is only a tool, same as I was."

After that Bill Dangler seemed anxious to relieve his mind, and he
related many of the particulars of the freight robberies. He said that
all had been planned by Sid Merrick, and that two other men were
implicated besides himself and Pike and named the men. He said that
Merrick had sold the stolen stuff in various large cities.

"Did he divide with the others?" asked Dick.

"He was supposed to do it, but I don't think any of us ever got our full
share."

Old Derringham listened to the thief's recital with keen interest. But
presently he rushed forward and caught Bill Dangler by the arm.

"I want you to go!" he cried, almost fiercely. "I want no thief under my
roof!"

"He shall go, and at once," declared Dick. "It is getting late, and it
is a long tramp to Oak Run."

"He owes me a dollar for keeping him several days," went on the old man.

"Then he had better pay you," said Tom.

Dangler wanted to demur, but in the end he paid for his board, and then
the whole party left, the old man gazing after them curiously. That he
had been entirely innocent in the affair there could not be the
slightest doubt.

"Now, Dangler, it won't do you any good to try to get away," said Dick,
as they tramped along through the snow. "We are four to one and armed."

"I won't try to run away," was the dogged answer.

"If you give the authorities all the help you can, perhaps, when it
comes to a trial, they will be a little easy on you," put in Tom.

"I hope so. I was coaxed into this. I used to be an honest man,"
responded the freight thief.

"Well, before you die, you'll learn that 'honesty is the best policy,'"
observed Sam.

"I've learned that already. I've lost all my old friends, and I can't
show myself anywhere any more."

The crowd had to tramp a good mile and a half before they reached a
farmhouse where they could procure a team and a sleigh big enough to
take all of them to Oak Run. Then they set off at a fast pace and at
about supper time reached the Rover farm.

Those at the farm were much astonished at the "game brought in," as
Anderson Rover declared. The boys waited long enough to get a meal, and
gave the prisoner something to eat, and then they set off for Oak Run
with their father and Dangler. Here the freight thief was placed in the
custody of the local constable, who locked the man up in the garret of
his own home.

That night and the next day the telegraph and telephone were kept busy,
and some officers of the law from Ithaca visited the old Sobber
homestead. They found the place deserted and no trace of Merrick, Pike
or Tad Sobber was to be found.

"It is too bad," declared Dick, when the news came in. "I thought sure
we'd round up the rascals."

From the authorities the boys learned one thing--that the Sobber
homestead was on the same road that ran past the Stanhope cottage.

"That may account for Merrick coming and looking in the window that
night," said Dick. "Maybe he was traveling past and wanted to see what
was going on."

"More than likely he was looking for a chance to rob the place," was
Tom's grim comment.

On Christmas day the boys received a number of valuable presents and
gave everybody presents in return. There was a grand family dinner, such
as only their aunt Martha could prepare, and it is needless to say that
all did full justice to the spread. After dinner the lads went out
snowballing and got Aleck Pop and Jack Ness to do the same. The boys
snowballed the colored man and Jack Ness so vigorously that the pair had
to run for the barn.

"My sakes alibe, boys!" cried Aleck Pop, after he had received a
snowball in the ear. "Yo' dun work yo' snowballs lik da was comin' from
a Gatling gun!"

During the week between Christmas and New Year, Bill Dangler was removed
to the county jail, there to await the action of the grand jury. In the
meantime the authorities continued the hunt for Merrick, Pike and the
others, but without success.

"I'd really like to know what has become of Tad Sobber," remarked Dick.
"It is a pity if he is dependent upon such a fellow as Merrick for his
support."

"Perhaps his mother left him money," said Tom.

At last came the day when the boys returned to Putnam Hall. On the train
they fell in with Larry Colby and George Granbury, and told of what they
had learned.

"I heard from Nick Pell yesterday," said Larry. "He is getting better
gradually, but it will be some time before he is himself again."

"Does he still blame Tad Sobber?"

"Yes, and he says he will never have anything to do with Sobber again."

"Nobody can blame him for that," said Sam.

"I don't believe Sobber will ever return to Putnam Hall," came from Tom.
"Especially when he finds out that we know he is the nephew of such a
swindler as Merrick."

In a few days the boys settled down again to their studies. The Rovers
were exceedingly anxious to make records for themselves, and whenever a
lesson was too hard for Tom or Sam, Dick helped them all he could. The
eldest Rover boy was sorry he had missed his former position by being
absent, but he was delighted to know that he and his brothers would now
finish their schooling at Putnam Hall together.

"I couldn't bear to think of being separated from you," he said to Tom
and Sam.

"We don't want to be separated," returned Tom.

"That's the talk!" declared Sam. "We'll stick together always!"

About a week after the return to school the snow cleared away and then
came a cold snap that made excellent skating. At once all the boys got
out their skates, and during their off hours they had great fun on the
lake.

One afternoon a race was arranged between half a dozen boys, including
Dick, Larry Colby and Peter Slade. Slade was sure he would win, and went
around boasting of it.

"I have been in six races on skates," he declared, "and I won every one
of them."

"He must be a famous skater," said Tom, when he learned of this. "Dick,
I don't think you'll stand much show against him."

"I don't know. Do you know what I think of Peter Slade? I think he is a
big blower."

"I think that myself. Still, if he has won six races he must know
something about racing."

"Well, if I lose I shan't cry over it," said Dick, and there the talk
ended.

The race was to be for two miles,--a mile up the lake shore and a mile
back. At the appointed hour the contestants lined up, and at a word from
George Strong, who had consented to start them, they were off.

It was easy to see that Peter Slade was a good skater, and with hardly
an effort he went to the front during the first quarter of the race. But
then Larry and Dick began to push him, and when the mile turn was made
Larry was but two yards in the rear, with Dick almost on his heels.

"Go it, Slade, you can win easily!"

"Catch him, Larry!"

"Put on more steam, Dick!" yelled Tom, enthusiastically.

And then the turning point was passed by all the racers and the struggle
on the homestretch commenced.




CHAPTER XXVI

THE SKATING RACE


For nearly half a mile Peter Slade kept the lead with ease, but then his
breath began to fail him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw both Larry
and Dick crawling up.

"No, you don't!" he muttered, and put on a fresh burst of speed that
increased his lead by two yards.

"Peter Slade is going to win!"

"See how he is running away from the others!"

So the cries arose and it certainly looked as if the youth mentioned
could not possibly be defeated.

But now both Larry and Dick "dug in for all they were worth," as they
themselves expressed it. While there was yet a quarter of a mile to be
covered Dick made a spurt and ranged up alongside of his chum.

"Sorry, but I've got to go ahead!" he cried, gaily.

"Come on, we'll both go!" yelled Larry, good naturedly, and then the
pair put on a fresh effort and in a moment ranged up on either side of
Peter Slade.

"Hullo, they are in a line!"

"There goes Larry Colby ahead!"

"Dick Rover is going with him!"

"Say, but that is skating, eh? Just look at Dick strike out!"

"Sandwick is coming up, too!"

"And so is Marley!"

The last reports were true. The fourth and fifth boy were now directly
behind Slade. As Dick and Larry shot ahead, still side by side, Sandwick
overtook Slade and so did Marley. In the meantime the sixth boy had lost
a skate and dropped out.

With a final desperate effort Peter Slade tried to gain first place. But
his wind was gone and his strength also, and he dropped back further and
further.

"Hurrah, here they come!"

"It's a tie race between Dick and Larry!"

"Marley is third!"

"Yes, and Sandwick fourth."

"Peter Slade is fifth."

"Humph! And Peter said he was bound to win!"

Then over the line shot the skaters, Dick and Larry side by side and
laughing merrily. As soon as the race was ended they locked arms to show
their good feeling. Then Marley came in with Sandwick at his heels. In
deep disgust Peter Slade refused to finish, but circled to one side and
hurried to the boathouse, there to take off his skates and disappear.

"It was a well-skated race," declared George Strong. Then he asked Dick
and Larry if they wanted to skate off the tie.

"We won't bother," said Dick, after consulting his chum. "We are
satisfied to let it stand as it is, considering that there was no prize
to be awarded."

The fact that he had lost the skating race made Peter Slade more sour
than ever, and after that, whenever he met Dick, he glared at the eldest
Rover boy defiantly.

"He acts as if he had a personal grudge against me," said Dick to his
brothers.

"Well, he acts that way to me, too," answered Tom.

"He ought to have his head punched well," was Sam's comment.

Peter Slade did not seem to care that Larry had beaten him--his enmity
was directed mainly at Dick.

Slade was in one of the lower classes, but one day one of the teachers
announced a lecture on the battleships of the American navy, and a large
number of boys came in to listen and to take notes.

In the midst of the lecture Dick had occasion to pass down one of the
aisles. As he went by Peter Slade the latter put out his hand and hit
him in the knee. Slade's hand had ink on it and the ink went on Dick's
clean uniform.

"What did you do that for?" demanded Dick, halting.

"Shut up!" whispered Slade, uglily.

"I've a good mind to box your ears," went on Dick.

"Will you?" roared the bully, leaping up. "Just try it!" And so speaking
he made a pass at Dick's head.

The blow landed on Dick's shoulder, leaving an ink mark behind it. The
eldest Rover boy had leaped to one side. But now he leaped forward, and
a well-directed blow from his fist sent Slade reeling backward over a
desk.

"Stop that!" cried the teacher, in alarm, and brought his lecture to an
abrupt end.

"A fight! A fight!" cried several of the boys, and left their seats to
surround Dick and the bully.

Slade was dazed for a moment, but on recovering he sprang at Dick and
tried to force him to the floor. Around and around went the pair,
bumping against the desks and sending some books to the floor. The
teacher tried to get at them, but before he could do so they had
separated. Then Dick hit Slade a telling blow in the left eye which
caused the bully to fall into a nearby seat.

"Stop, this instant!" cried the teacher, and then turning to some of the
boys added: "Summon Captain Putnam at once."

The room was in an uproar, and many wanted Dick and Slade to continue
the battle. But the punch in the eye had taken away the bully's courage
and he did not get up to continue the contest.

"What does this mean?" demanded Captain Putnam, as he came in, and he
faced Dick and Slade sternly.

"It means that that fellow ought to have a good thrashing, sir,"
answered Dick, boldly, and pointed at the bully.

"It's his fault, it ain't mine," put in Peter Slade, hastily. "He
started it."

"That is not true, Captain Putnam. I was passing his seat when he
reached out and smeared ink on my knee," and Dick pointed down to his
soiled trousers. "I wasn't going to stand for that and told him so. Then
he jumped up and hit me in the shoulder, leaving more ink on me. After
that I hit him."

"It ain't so!" roared Peter Slade.

"That's the truth," said several. "Peter's hand is full of ink."

"He knocked over an inkwell just before Dick came along," said Fred. "I
saw him do it."

"So did I," added Songbird.

"Did you see it?" questioned Captain Putnam of the instructor.

"I saw nothing until the boys were fighting in the aisle," answered the
teacher who had been delivering the lecture.

"Captain Putnam, I am sure Dick Rover is not to blame," said a very
quiet student named Rames. "Slade put the ink on Rover and struck the
first blow--of that I am positive."

"It was my inkwell he knocked over," came from another lad. "I told him
to leave it alone, but he wouldn't mind me."

"Oh, you are all against me!" roared Peter Slade.

"Evidently you are guilty," said the master of the Hall, sternly. "I
want both you and Richard Rover to come to my office. Rames, you can
come, too, and you also, Brocton."

In the office a thorough investigation was held. Several other cadets
were called upon to testify, and it was proved that Peter Slade was
entirely to blame for what had occurred.

"You should not have attacked him, Richard," said the captain to Dick.
"But under the circumstances I cannot blame you. You may go."

For his misconduct Peter Slade was confined in the "guardhouse" for
three days. The black eye Dick had given him did not go away very fast
and when he came out and resumed his place among the students he was a
sight to behold. That he was very angry at the eldest Rover boy is
easily imagined.

"I'll fix him some day," he muttered.

"Dick, you want to watch Slade," said Tom, one day, on passing the bully
in the hallway.

"I guess you had better watch him yourself, Tom."

"I am going to do that, don't fear. What did the captain do about your
mussed-up uniform?"

"Made Slade pay for having it cleaned."

"Did he do it?"

"He had to do it--Captain Putnam put it on the bill to his folks."

"That was right."

"Of course it was. But I understand it made Slade as mad as hops. Oh, he
surely has it in for us," went on Dick, and there the subject was
dropped.




CHAPTER XXVII

ON THE LAKE


Almost before the boys knew it winter was gone and spring was at hand.
The ice on the lake disappeared like magic, and the hills back of Putnam
Hall took on a fresh greenness pleasant to behold.

With the coming of warm weather the cadets spent a large part of their
off time outdoors. Some took up rowing, and among the number were Sam
and Tom. Larry Colby had become the owner of a fair-sized sloop, and he
frequently took some of his chums out for a cruise up or down the lake.

"Do you know what I'd like to do?" said Dick one day. "I'd like to visit
that old Sobber homestead and see how it looks."

"I've often thought of that," answered Sam. "Wonder how we can manage
it?"

The matter was talked over in Larry's presence, and the cadet who owned
the sloop said they might make the trip in that craft, provided the
master of Putnam Hall would give them the desired permission.

"We'll ask Captain Putnam at once," declared Dick.

Permission was granted to leave Putnam Hall early on the following
Saturday morning, provided the weather was clear, and it was arranged
that the party should consist of the three Rover boys, Larry, Fred and
Songbird. The captain said he preferred that they come back Saturday
night, but they could remain away over Sunday if they found it
necessary.

"Do you think we'll get any clew to Merrick and Tad Sobber?" asked Dick,
with a faint smile.

"Possibly," answered Captain Putnam, smiling back. "You Rovers are great
chaps for finding out things."

The sloop was provided with a tiny cuddy, or cabin, and in this the boys
placed a small stock of provisions and also a shotgun and some fishing
lines. They left the Hall after breakfast and were glad of the promise
of a warm day, with the breeze in just the right direction.

"You fellows will have to tell me where to steer the sloop to," said
Larry, after the mainsail had been run up. "I don't know where that old
house is."

"We have a general idea where it is," answered Dick. "Of course we may
have some trouble finding it. But if we get mixed up, we can go ashore
and ask the folks living in that vicinity."

The distance to be covered along the lake shore was in the neighborhood
of twelve miles, so the boys had quite a sail before them. They took
turns at steering, and said they liked the sloop very much.

About four miles had been covered when the breeze began to die away.
This was exasperating, but could not be helped, so the boys made the
best of it. As the sloop drifted along they got out some fishing tackle,
and it was not long before Sam brought up a fair-sized fish, of which he
felt quite proud.

"At this rate it will take us till night to reach that old house,"
remarked Dick, after they had been fishing half an hour. "It is too bad!
I thought we'd get there by noon when we started, even if the breeze did
go down."

"Oh, I think the breeze will start up again before long," said Tom
hopefully. "Let us enjoy this fishing while we have the chance," he
added, having just pulled in a real piscatorial prize.

By noon they had a good mess of fish to their credit, and then Sam
proposed that they go ashore and build a fire and cook some for dinner.

"There is no use of mourning over the wind," said he.

"If it wasn't for the sloop we might tramp to the old house," returned
Dick.

"I shouldn't wish to leave my boat just anywhere," said Larry. "Somebody
might run off with her,--and she cost quite some money."

"You might leave her in care of some farmer along here," suggested
Songbird, and then he added softly:

    "For what is a boat without a breeze?
    It's like a forest minus its trees.
    It's like a table without a leg,----"

    "Or a big blue top without its peg!"

finished Tom. "But I move we camp and cook fish," he continued. "We can
have a dandy meal, along with the stuff we brought along."

The idea of going ashore prevailed, and soon they had tied up the sloop
and lowered the mainsail. Brushwood was handy, and having started a fire
they cleaned some of the fish and set it to broiling. They had a pot
along in which they made coffee, and they also brought out some bread
and crackers, cake, and some fruit. They had some meat with them, but
left that for possible future use.

The cadets took their time over the meal, and it was not until two
o'clock that they again boarded the _Polly_, as Larry had named his
craft.

"I think the breeze is coming again," cried Dick, holding up his hand.

"Let it come!" was the cry, and as the wind freshened all felt much
better. Soon the _Polly_ was bowling over the lake as speedily as when
they had first started.

"Do you know what I think?" said Songbird, who stood at the stern
looking toward the distant hills. "I think we are going to have more
wind than we'll want before night."

"Do you think a big blow is coming?" questioned Fred.

"It looks that way to me. Do you see those dark clouds just beginning to
show themselves yonder?"

"Well, I shan't mind a little blow," said Dick. "In fact, I think I'd
rather like the excitement." And the others said the same.

They were still about two miles from the spot where they supposed the
old house was located, when it suddenly grew darker and the breeze
freshened greatly. Then came a puff of air that sent the _Polly_ far
over on her side.

"Hi! this won't do!" cried Fred, in alarm. "We don't want to upset!"

"Maybe we had better take in some sail," added Songbird nervously.

He had scarcely spoken when there came another puff of wind that made
all cling fast to the deck to keep from being pitched overboard. The sky
was now very dark, and there were a few flakes of snow in the air.

"It's a spring snowsquall, that's what it is," announced Dick. "I don't
think it will last over ten or fifteen minutes."

"It's too much for the _Polly_," came from Larry. "Put down the
mainsail, will you?"

Several sprang to do as requested, and hardly had the sheet been lowered
and stowed away when there came a fierce gust that drove them well in
shore.

"There is a cove--we can go in there for shelter!" cried Sam, and the
sloop was steered accordingly. The cove was well protected by trees and
they came to anchor at a spot that looked particularly inviting.

The boys were afraid it would rain, and wondered what they would do to
keep from getting wet, since the cuddy on the sloop was too small to
hold more than two or three of the party. But no rain came, and soon the
flurry of snow disappeared. The wind, however, instead of letting up,
blew harder than ever.

"I am glad we are not out in the middle of the lake," observed Fred.
"We'd be capsized sure!"

"This is certainly getting to be a regular gale," answered Dick. "And
the worst of it is, there is no telling how long it is going to last."

There was nothing to do but to wait, and in order to keep warm the
cadets put up a bit of sailcloth on the deck of the sloop and taking in
the cuddy. There they crouched, and told stories and talked for over an
hour.

"I move we go on," said Tom, at last. "The wind isn't quite as strong as
it was."

Although doubtful of the wisdom of the proceedings, the others voted to
proceed and they poled their way out of the cove. Only the jib of the
_Polly_ was hoisted and this sent them bowling along at a fair rate of
speed.

Dick stood in the bow and at last called upon Larry to turn the sloop
toward shore.

"I think we must be in the neighborhood of that house now," he said.
"And just ahead is a fine cove where the sloop will be as well sheltered
as it was at the other cove."

Accordingly Larry turned the _Polly_ in, and the other lads lowered the
sail. They came to anchor between a number of tall trees, where the
sloop was almost screened from sight.

Having made certain the boat could not drift away, the six boys, led by
Dick, made their way along the shore until they struck something of a
path. Coming to a slight rise, Dick pointed with his hand.

"Isn't that a house, on the other side of the hill?" he asked.

"Yes!" cried Tom. "And by the appearance of it I should say it's the
place we are looking for!"




CHAPTER XXVIII

AT THE OLD HOUSE


The Rover boys and their chums approached the old house with a good deal
of interest. Dick led the way, setting a pace that made it hard for the
others to keep up.

"Don't hurry so, Dick," remonstrated Fred. "The house isn't going to run
away."

"Dick wants to make sure if that Merrick is around," responded Songbird.
"And I can't blame him."

The old Sobber homestead was surrounded by a grove of trees equally
aged. One of the trees had blown down, taking a corner of the roof with
it. Through this opening the birds flitted.

"I don't believe a soul is around," observed Tom, as they halted in
front of the building.

"Nothing like ringing the bell!" cried Sam, and mounting the dilapidated
piazza he raised the ancient knocker of the door and used it vigorously.
Then came a crash and the youngest Rover felt the piazza bottom give
way.

"Look out, a post is coming down!" cried Dick, warningly, and Sam had
just time enough to leap away when the corner post of the piazza fell,
allowing the roof above to sag several inches.

"Looks to me as if the whole building was on the verge of collapse," was
Songbird's comment.

"Yes, and I don't know whether I want to go in or not," added Larry.

"It certainly does look shaky," admitted Dick. "I don't think anybody
would risk staying in it long."

Leaving the front, they walked around the old house and gazed through
several of the broken-out windows. Inside all was dirt and cobwebs, with
a few pieces of broken-down furniture scattered about. As he looked in
one window Tom saw a big rat scurry across the floor.

"I guess rats are the only tenants," he said dryly. "And they don't pay
rent."

"With a few birds on the top floor, front," added Sam. "Well, do we go
in or not?"

"I am going in," declared Dick, and pushed open the old kitchen door. It
was damp and mouldy in the apartment, for the rain had soaked loose much
of the plaster and caused it to fall.

The big open fireplace looked grimy and forbidding with its iron bars
and chains. An iron kettle stood on the chimney-piece, a crack across
the bottom.

"Somebody has had a fire here not so very long ago!" said Dick, and
picked up a bit of half-burnt newspaper. He turned it over. "Here is a
date. This newspaper is only four days old!"

"Then whoever made a fire here visited this house within the past four
days," said Larry in a tragic whisper.

"Whoop! just listen to what a detective Larry is becoming!" cried Tom.
"Regular Bowery Bob, the Newsboy Sleuth!"

"Perhaps it was only some curiosity seeker who came here," suggested
Fred.

With caution, for the floors were very rotten, the cadets moved from one
room of the old house to another.

"Anything in there?" asked Tom of Sam, as the latter peered into a room
that was extra dark.

"I can't make out," was the answer, and Sam took a step forward. Then of
a sudden there was a strange whirring, and something hit the youngest
Rover boy on the ear, causing him to fall back in fright.

"Stop that!" he cried.

"What was it?" queried Tom, while the others came running to the spot.

"Something hit me on the ear!"

"Anybody in there?"

"There must be."

"Come out of that, whoever you are!" yelled Fred, while Dick pointed his
shotgun at the door.

There was no answer, but a second later came the whirring again, and
then a big bat flew into the light, just grazing Tom's face.

"A bat!"

"Let it go!" said Songbird, and then the bat flew out of a window and
disappeared.

"Oh!" murmured Sam, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I--I thought
somebody struck at me!"

"I've got one of those electric pocket lights along," said Tom. "Let me
use that."

He turned on the little electric lamp, and by its rays they inspected
the apartment. It was a bedroom, and in one corner was an old bedstead
and on it a musty straw mattress. In another corner was a closet
containing several shelves.

"Here is an old inkwell," said Dick, and brought it forth. "And here are
the remains of a box of writing paper and envelopes."

"Any letters?" asked Fred.

They looked around, but at first could find no writings of any kind. But
behind one of the shelves, in a crack, they discovered several sheets of
paper and took these to the light to read.

"They are parts of letters from Mr. Sobber to his wife," said Dick.
"They must have been written by Tad's father."

"He speaks here of Merrick," added Tom, who was scanning a blurred page.
"Merrick is Mrs. Sobber's brother beyond a doubt."

"From these letters I should say Mr. Sobber had been off on a sea trip,"
continued the eldest Rover boy. "And it looks to me as if he had been an
honest man, for he tells his wife that he hopes Merrick will give up his
gambling habits."

From the bedroom the boys entered what had been the parlor of the house.
This was almost bare. To one side of the parlor was an entry-way, and
here was a stairs leading to the second story and another leading to the
cellar.

"Well, shall we go up or down?" queried Dick.

"Let us see what the cellar looks like first," answered Sam. "Perhaps
we'll find a pot of gold there."

"Or a few skeletons," put in Tom.

"Ugh! don't say skeletons," cried Songbird, with a shiver. "I've got the
creeps already!"

"Look out that you don't break your neck on the stairs," warned Larry,
and then Dick led the way down, holding the light before him.

If it was damp above it was far more so below, and the boys shivered in
spite of themselves. The cellar had only a mud bottom and this was
covered with slime and mold. There was little there to interest them
outside of an old chest which, when they pried it open, proved to be
empty.

"Listen!" cried Tom, suddenly, and held up his hand.

"What did you hear?" demanded several of the others.

"I thought I heard somebody walking around upstairs. There it is again!"

All gave attention, and heard the unmistakable sounds of footsteps on
the stairs leading to the second story.

"Who is up there?" called out Dick, and turned to leave the cellar,
followed by his brothers and chums.

"Stay where you are!" came back in a harsh voice. "Don't any of you dare
to come out of that cellar!"

"It is Merrick!" burst out Tom.

Hardly had he spoken when they heard a door shut sharply and a bolt
dropped into place. Then the footsteps retreated.

"He has shut the door to the cellar!" cried Dick, flashing the light
upward. "We are locked in!"

"Hark! I heard more than one person running from the house," said Larry.

"That Pike must be with him."

"Or else Tad Sobber."

As quickly as he could, Dick ran up the old stairs and tried the door.
It was in fairly good condition and refused to budge.

"Smash it down!" called out Tom, and went to his brother's assistance.

"We must get out and collar those rascals," said Sam. "Can't you get the
door open?"

"We ought to be able to," answered Dick. "Here, catch the light and take
the gun."

In a few seconds Dick, Tom and Songbird were pressing on the door with
all their strength. All stood on the top step of the cellar stairs.

"Now then, all together!" cried Dick, and they shoved with might and
main. Then came a crack below them, and an instant later the cellar
stairs collapsed, carrying them with it. As they went down in a confused
heap the stairs struck the electric light and smashed it. It also
knocked the shotgun from Sam's hand.

Bang! went the firearm, with a report in the narrow confines of the
cellar that was deafening.

"I'm killed! I'm killed!" came from Larry, an instant later. "You've
shot my hand off!"




CHAPTER XXIX

A WRECK AND A CAPTURE


"Get off of my fingers!"

"Please let me get out of this hole!"

"Say, how can I get up if you're going to sit on my legs?"

These and a few more utterances came from the boys as they endeavored to
clear themselves of the wreckage of the fallen stairs. The small cellar
was filled with smoke from the shotgun, and Larry was dancing around
flipping his hurt hand in the air. All was pitch dark, for the small
windows were covered with dirt and cobwebs to such a depth that no light
penetrated through them.

"Beware of that gun!" called Dick, when he could speak. "Only one barrel
went off, remember."

"Larry, are you really killed?" questioned Sara, who, somehow, felt
responsible, since the weapon had been in his hands.

"N--no, but I'm hit in the fingers," came from the wounded boy. "The
shot went right past my head, too!"

"Make a light, somebody," called out Fred. "Songbird, you've got some
matches."

The poet of the Hall lit a match, and by this faint light the boys first
of all looked at Larry's damaged hand. Fortunately the charge of shot
had merely grazed the thumb and middle finger, and it was found that
Larry was more frightened than hurt. The hand was bound up in a couple
of handkerchiefs.

"When we get back to the boat you'll want to wash the wounds well," said
Dick.

Tom had picked up the electric pocket light, but found he could not make
it work. Again they were in darkness until another match was lit.

"We can't reach that door, with the stairs down," was Dick's comment.
"Let us break out a window."

This was easily accomplished, and one after another the cadets crawled
forth from the cellar. It was a tight squeeze, especially for Fred, who
was rather large at the waist line.

"I guess those fellows who ran away thought we couldn't get through that
window," said Songbird.

"If it had been an inch smaller I should have been stuck," answered
Fred.

They looked all around the old building, but nobody was in sight. The
front door stood wide open, and they rightly surmised that the others
had taken their departure that way.

"The question is, Which way did they go?" came from Dick.

"Do you think they went on foot?" asked Sam. "They might have a
carriage."

"Or a boat," added Larry. "Oh, I hope we can catch them, just to make
'em pay for these hurt fingers of mine!" And he shut his teeth hard, for
the wounds pained him not a little.

"Larry, I trust you don't think it was my fault," observed Sam.

"Not a bit of it, Sam. It was simply an accident, that's all. I am glad
those on the stairs didn't hurt themselves."

"Well, my knee doesn't feel any too good," came from Tom. "I guess I
scratched it quite some."

"Shall we try to find those fellows first or go upstairs and look
around?" asked Songbird.

"Let us try to find them first," said Dick. "We can come back here any
time."

"I have a plan," said Tom. "Let us scatter in all directions. If anybody
sees anything of them, give the school whistle."

"Good! that's the talk!" exclaimed Sam. "The sooner the better."

In a minute more the six cadets were hunting in as many different
directions for those they were after. Larry, Songbird and Fred took to
the lake shore, while the three Rover boys went up and down the roadway
and into the woods beyond.

Nearly half an hour was spent in the search when the other lads heard a
whistle from the lake shore. The signal came from Larry, and was
repeated several times.

"He wants us in a hurry," said Sam to Dick, when they met, and started
on a run. They met Larry coming towards them, beckoning wildly.

"Hurry up!" he called.

"What's up?" asked Dick.

"They just went past in a sailboat and they are bound across the lake."

"The two men?" asked Sam.

"Yes, and Tad Sobber, too."

"Tad!"

"Yes. Their boat couldn't have been very far from mine. I saw the two
men get on board and then Tad came from a cabin, and all three hoisted
the sails as quickly as they could and stood over in the direction of
the point with the three rocks--you remember the spot?"

"I do--the place we once went nutting," said Dick.

By this time the other cadets were coming up, and they listened with
keen interest to what Larry had to tell. In the meantime all ran to the
_Polly_, and the sloop was poled out of the cove and the mainsail and
jib were hoisted. As Larry was in no condition to steer, Dick took the
tiller.

"They will get away if they possibly can," observed Songbird. "Do you
think, if we get too close to them, they'll fire at us, or anything like
that?"

"There is no telling," answered Dick. "But I am going to load up that
empty barrel of the shotgun, and if they dare to shoot I'll shoot back,"
he added, with determination.

The other boat was in sight, but a good half mile away, and it was a
serious question whether the _Polly_ could get anywhere near the craft
before the point with the three rocks was gained.

"Well, if they go ashore we can capture the boat anyway," observed Sam.
"That will be something."

"Probably the boat was only hired. The owner may not know what rascals
those chaps are."

"The craft looked old and clumsy to me," said Larry. "If you sail the
_Polly_ with care perhaps you can catch her--if they don't play us some
trick."

The chase was now on in earnest, and the cadets on board the sloop did
all in their power to make speed. There was a fair breeze, the gale
having gone down while they were at the house.

"I don't think they know much about running a boat," said Tom,
presently. "What are they up to now?"

"They are turning back!" cried Sam. "See, they are headed for yonder
cove. They are not going up to the three rocks."

"What cove is that?" asked Songbird. "Is it the place we went fishing
the day we caught the turtle?"

"Yes."

"Then they had better look out! Don't you remember those sharp rocks,
right near the mouth of the cove?"

Those who had been fishing the day mentioned did remember the rocks, and
they watched the boat ahead with keen interest. The wind had freshened a
little and the craft had swung around swiftly and was rushing for the
cove. They could see one of the men trying to lower the mainsail.

"They are in dangerous water!" cried Dick.

He had just uttered the words when they saw the boat strike something,
shiver from stem to stern, and back away. Then she went ahead and struck
a second time. A second later she went over to larboard, throwing the
two men and Tad Sobber into the lake!

"They've struck the rocks!"

"The boat is sinking!"

"They are all in the water!"

"Lower the mainsail!" yelled Larry. "We don't want to get caught on the
rocks! Sheer off, Dick!"

Dick swung the tiller around, and in a few seconds the mainsail came
down with a bang and was secured by the others. The jib was still up,
and this drew just sufficiently to send them forward slowly, to the spot
where the catastrophe had occurred.

They found Pike floundering around in the water, yelling lustily for
aid. Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber had struck out for the nearest part of
the shore, about two hundred feet away.

"Here, catch hold of this and I'll pull you up," said Tom, reaching down
to Pike with a pole. The floundering man did as told willingly, and was
quickly hauled to the deck. Then the _Polly_ was turned toward the shore
and the jib was lowered.

It was no easy task to bring the sloop in, for they had to beware of the
rocks, and by the time this was accomplished Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber
had landed and were running for the woods with all possible speed. Dick
raised his shotgun and fired to scare them, but they kept on, and in a
few minutes disappeared from sight.




CHAPTER XXX

GOOD-BYE TO PUTNAM HALL


Leaving John Pike in charge of the others, the three Rover boys set off
after Sobber and Merrick. They followed the trail for awhile with ease,
for the fugitives were dripping wet from their involuntary bath.

"We have one advantage," said Dick, as they ran along. "Being wet they
will attract attention, and we'll be able to follow them up that way."

About a quarter of a mile was covered when they heard a crashing in the
brushwood not far ahead of them. Then came a yell of pain from both
Merrick and Tad Sobber.

"Ouch! I'm being stung to death!"

"Get off of me! Oh! oh! oh!"

"They are hornets, Tad! Run, or they'll be after us!"

"I--I can't run! Oh! one stung me in the eye!" screamed Tad Sobber.

Then the Rover boys heard the man and the boy plunge on, Tad screaming
with pain at every step.

"Wait! we can't go that way!" cried Tom, who had no desire to tumble
into the hornets' nest as the others had probably done. "Let's go
around!" And he leaped to the left.

As they progressed they heard Tad Sobber still crying wildly, and they
heard Sid Merrick urging him to run faster.

"I'm stung, too--in about a dozen places!" said the bond thief. "But we
mustn't be captured."

"Oh, it is awful!" groaned Tad. "I can hardly bear the pain!" And he
went on, clutching his uncle by the arm. Both were indeed in a sorry
plight.

But coming out on a road, fortune favored them. They met a colored man
running a touring car. He was alone and they quickly hired him to take
them to the nearest town.

"We fell into the lake by accident," said Sid Merrick. "We want to get
where we can change our clothing."

"And get something for these hornet stings," added Tad Sobber. "If I
don't get something soon I'll go crazy from pain."

As the three Rover boys ran towards the roadway Dick saw a big, flat
pocketbook lying on the ground. He darted for it and picked it up.

"Merrick must have dropped this," he said. "It's wet, and here is a dead
hornet stuck fast to it. Guess the hornets made him forget that he had
it."

Slipping the pocketbook into his pocket, Dick ran out on the roadway and
looked up and down. But Merrick and Sobber were gone, and what had
become of them the boys did not learn until the next day, and then it
was too late.

"What's in that pocketbook?" asked Sam, after the hunt had come to an
end for the time being.

"We'll soon learn," said his big brother, and opened up the still wet
leather. Inside were several bank bills and a fat envelope.

"Uncle Randolph's missing traction company bonds!" cried Dick, bringing
them forth. "This is the best ever!"

"Are they all there?" asked Tom.

Dick counted them over rapidly.

"Yes--ten for one thousand dollars each."

"Hurrah!" shouted Sam. "Won't Uncle Randolph be glad when he hears of
this!"

The boys were highly elated over the find, and now they had the bonds
they concluded that a further search for Sid Merrick could wait. They
did not care whether Tad Sobber was captured or not, as they did not
think the bully was much of a criminal.

When they got back to the sloop they found that the others had bound
John Pike's hands behind him. The robber was very meek, and he declared
that Sid Merrick was to blame for everything.

"He wanted to sell the bonds many times," said Pike. "But he knew that
Mr. Rover had advertised the numbers in the newspapers and he was afraid
to do it. He said he would wait until the affair blew over. Then he was
going to sell out, divide up, and go to Europe."

Pike added that the boat had belonged to himself. She was an old craft
and was allowed to remain on the rocks. It came out later that Pike had
formerly lived on the lake shore and had thus become acquainted with
Merrick and the Sobbers.

As soon as possible the captured robber was handed over to the
authorities, and Dick sent a message home acquainting his uncle with
what had occurred. This brought on both Randolph Rover and the boys'
father.

"You have certainly done wonderfully well," said Randolph Rover, as he
took his bonds. "Were you not so rich already I should want to reward
you."

"We don't want any reward," said Dick. "But I am sorry we didn't catch
Merrick."

For a long time the authorities tried to catch Sid Merrick and also
endeavored to learn the whereabouts of Tad Sobber, but without success.
They had disappeared, and that seemed to be the end of it. The old house
was visited again, but nothing of value was found there. Later on some
tramps set it on fire and it was burnt to the ground. A month later John
Pike and one other freight thief who was captured were tried for their
misdeeds and sent to prison. The authorities used Bill Dangler as a
witness against them, and Dangler, consequently, was let go. Strange to
say, Dangler turned over a new leaf and became a hard working man in a
railroad stone quarry some miles from Carwell.

With the mystery of the traction company bonds cleared up, the Rover
boys returned to Putnam Hall to complete their last term at that
institution of learning. They applied themselves diligently to their
studies, and when the final examinations came off all passed with flying
colors.

"Whoop! I'm glad those exams are over!" cried Tom. "I feel as if a
hundred-pound weight was taken off my shoulders."

"I am glad, too," answered Sam.

"And I am glad all of us did so well," put in Dick. "Our reports will
please father and Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha."

It had been arranged that the commencement exercises should be carried
out on rather an elaborate scale, and many people were invited to
attend. This brought all the Rovers and also the Stanhopes and the
Lanings to Putnam Hall. Dick had been called on to deliver the
valedictory and he made such a stirring address that he was vigorously
applauded. Sam and Tom appeared in a humor dialogue, with Fred and
Larry, and this was received with shouts of laughter. Songbird recited
an original poem which was a vast improvement over the most of his
doggerel, and Hans and some of the others sang in a quartet which would
have done credit to the average college glee club.

"Oh, it was splendid, Dick!" said Dora, after it was over and
congratulations were in order. And her eyes shone like stars as she
pressed his hand.

"I saw only you, Dora, when I got up to speak," he whispered. "And
that's why I did my best."

"You and Sam had better go on the stage," said Nellie to Tom. "That
dialogue was too funny for anything!"

"I laughed till the tears came," added Grace. "It was a splendid
programme all the way through."

"Well done, my boys, well done," said Anderson Rover, as he took each by
the hand. "I was never so proud of you as I am to-day."

"Now that we have finished our studies here what are we to do next?"
questioned Dick, earnestly.

"We will settle that question this summer," answered his father. "But in
the meantime--" Mr. Rover paused and looked at his oldest son
thoughtfully.

"But what, father?"

"I will tell you when we get home, Dick--there is no use of my trying to
do so in this excitement. I have something very unusual to propose,"
answered Anderson Rover, and what that proposal was, and what came of
it, will be related in another volume, to be entitled, "The Rover Boys
on Treasure Isle; Or, The Strange Cruise of the Steam Yacht." In that
volume we shall meet many of our old friends again, and also learn
something concerning the disappearance of Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber.

That evening the celebration at Putnam Hall was continued. The cadets
lit a huge bonfire on the campus and around this they danced and sang
and made speeches. They cheered everybody, from Captain Putnam down to
Peleg Snuggers, and the festivities were kept up until midnight. Then
the boys went to bed--but not to sleep--for was this not the last night
at school? Innumerable tricks were played, including one on Peter Slade
that that youth never forgot. This made the bully so angry he declared
he was going to quit Putnam Hall for good, and he did, and nobody missed
him.

"And now for home!" cried Dick the next morning on dressing.