THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM

                                     OR

                         _LAST DAYS AT PUTNAM HALL_

                 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




[Illustration: ONE HORSE REARED AND TRIED TO BACK.]




PREFACE.


MY DEAR BOYS: With this I present to you "The Rover Boys on the Farm,"
the twelfth volume in the "Rover Boys Series for Young Americans."

It is a large number of volumes to write about one set of characters,
isn't it? When I started the series, many years ago, I had in mind, as I
have told you before, to pen three books, possibly four. But as soon as
I had written "The Rover Boys at School," "The Rover Boys on the Ocean,"
and "The Rover Boys in the Jungle," there was a cry for more, and so I
wrote "The Rover Boys Out West," "On the Great Lakes," "In the
Mountains," "On Land and Sea," "In Camp," "On the River," "On the
Plains," and then "In Southern Waters," where we last left our heroes.

In the present story, as promised in the last volume, the scene is
shifted back to the farm and to dear old Putnam Hall, with their many
pleasant associations. As before, Sam, Tom and Dick are to the front,
along with several of their friends, and there are a number of
adventures, some comical and some strange and mystifying. At the school
the rivalries are as keen as ever, but the Rover boys are on their
mettle, and prove their worth on more than one occasion.

Again I thank my numerous readers for all the kind words they have
spoken about my stories. I hope the present volume will please them in
every way.

Affectionately and sincerely yours,

EDWARD STRATEMEYER




CONTENTS.


       I. SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS

      II. WHAT HAPPENED ON THE MOUNTAIN

     III. A MYSTERIOUS CAVE

      IV. AT THE FARM

       V. RANDOLPH ROVER'S STORY

      VI. WAITING FOR NEWS

     VII. A STRANGE LETTER BOX

    VIII. LAST DAYS ON THE FARM

      IX. AT THE WILD WEST SHOW

       X. JOLLY OLD SCHOOLMATES

      XI. WILLIAM PHILANDER TUBBS

     XII. WHAT HAPPENED ON THE STAIRS

    XIII. DORA, GRACE AND NELLIE

     XIV. AT THE ICE-CREAM ESTABLISHMENT

      XV. AN ASTONISHING GIFT

     XVI. THE HUNT FOR A SNAKE

    XVII. A STIRRING SCENE IN THE SCHOOLROOM

   XVIII. IN WHICH TAD SOBBER DISAPPEARS

     XIX. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PARTY

      XX. DICK AND DORA

     XXI. A BOB SLED RACE

    XXII. PELEG SNUGGERS' QUEER RIDE

   XXIII. HOLIDAYS AT THE FARM

    XXIV. A CAPTURE AND A SURPRISE

     XXV. CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM

    XXVI. THE SKATING RACE

   XXVII. ON THE LAKE

  XXVIII. AT THE OLD HOUSE

    XXIX. A WRECK AND A CAPTURE

     XXX. GOOD-BYE TO PUTNAM HALL




THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM




CHAPTER I

SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS


"Sam, this isn't the path."

"I know it, Tom."

"We've missed our way," went on Tom Rover, with a serious look on his
usually sunny face.

"It looks that way to me," answered Sam Rover, his younger brother. "I
think we made a wrong turn after we slid down the cliff."

"What is keeping Dick?"

"I don't know."

"Let's call to him," went on Tom, and set up a loud cry, in which his
brother joined. The pair listened intently, but no answer came back.

"I don't like this," said Sam, an anxious look in his clear eyes. "Maybe
Dick is in trouble."

"Perhaps so," answered Tom Rover.

The two boys were far up on a mountainside, and all around them were
tall trees, thick brushwood, and immense ridges of rocks. It had been a
clear, sunshiny day, but now the sky was overcast, and it looked like
rain.

"We've got to go back for Dick," said Tom, after a painful pause. "No
use of going on without him."

"I hope he hasn't fallen over some cliff and hurt himself," returned his
younger brother.

"I don't see why he doesn't answer us, if he's all right," was the
unsatisfactory reply. "Come on, or the storm will overtake us before we
get down from the mountain and we'll be soaked by the time we reach
home."

Side by side the brothers retraced their steps--a hard task, for it is
much easier to climb down a steep mountainside than to climb up.

To those who have read the previous volumes in this "Rover Boys Series,"
the two brothers just mentioned will need no special introduction. The
Rover boys were three in number, Dick being the oldest, fun-loving Tom
coming next, and Sam bringing up the rear. All were bright, lively,
up-to-date lads, and honest and manly to the core. They lived on a farm
called Valley Brook, in New York state,--a beautiful spot owned by their
uncle, Randolph Rover, and his wife, Martha. Their father, Anderson
Rover, also lived at the farm when at home, but he was away a great deal
on business.

From the farm the boys had been sent, some years before, to Putnam Hall,
an ideal place of learning, of which we shall learn more as our tale
proceeds. What the lads did there on their arrival has already been
related in "The Rover Boys at School," the first volume of this series.

A short term at Putnam Hall was followed by a trip on the ocean, and
then a long journey to the jungles of Africa, in search of Anderson
Rover, who had disappeared. Then came a grand outing out west, and
another outing on the great lakes, followed by some stirring adventures
in the mountains of New York state.

Coming from the mountains, the three youths had expected to go back to
Putnam Hall at once, but fate ordained otherwise and they were cast away
in the Pacific Ocean, as related in "The Rover Boys on Land and Sea."
They had a hard task of it getting home, and then returned to the school
and had some splendid times while in camp with the other cadets.

When vacation was once more at hand the boys soon solved the problem of
what to do. Their Uncle Randolph had taken a houseboat for debt. The
craft was located on the Ohio River, and it was resolved to make a trip
down the Mississippi.

"It will be the best ever!" Tom declared, and they started with much
enthusiasm, taking with them "Songbird" Powell, a school chum addicted
to the making of doggerel which he called poetry, Fred Garrison, a
plucky boy who had stood by them through thick and thin, and Hans
Mueller, a German youth who was still struggling with the mysteries of
the English tongue. With the boys went an old friend, Mrs. Stanhope, and
her sister, Mrs. Laning. With Mrs. Stanhope was her only daughter Dora,
whom Dick Rover considered the sweetest girl in the whole world, and
Mrs. Laning had with her two daughters, Grace and Nellie, especial
friends of Sam and Dick.

The trip on the houseboat proved a long and eventful one, and during
that time the boys and their company fell in with Dan Baxter, Lew Flapp
and several other enemies. On the Mississippi the craft was damaged, and
while it was being repaired the party took a trip inland, as related in
"The Rover Boys on the Plains." Then the houseboat was stolen, and what
this led to has been related in detail in "The Rover Boys in Southern
Waters." In that volume they brought to book several of the rascals who
had annoyed them, and they caused Dan Baxter to feel so ashamed of
himself that the bully made up his mind to reform.

Tired out from their long trip, the Rover boys were glad enough to get
back home again. For nearly a week their friends remained with them at
Valley Brook farm and then they departed, the Stanhopes and Lanings for
their homes and Fred, Hans and Songbird for Putnam Hall.

"Of course you're coming back to the Hall?" Fred had said on leaving.

"Coming back?" had been Tom's answer. "Why, you couldn't keep us away
with a Gatling gun!"

"To be sure we'll be back," answered Dick Rover.

"And we'll have the greatest times ever," chimed in Sam. "I am fairly
aching to see the dear old school again."

"And Captain Putnam, and all the rest," continued Tom.

"And have some fun, eh, Tom?" and Sam poked his fun-loving brother in
the ribs.

"Well, when we go back we've got to do some studying," Dick had put in.
"Do you know what father said yesterday?"

"No, what?" came simultaneously from his brothers.

"He said we were getting too old to go to Putnam Hall--that we ought to
be thinking of going to college, or of getting into business."

"Hum!" murmured Tom, and he became suddenly thoughtful.

"I know why he said that," said Sam, with a wink at his big brother. "He
knows how sweet Dick is on Dora, and----"

"Hi! you let up!" cried Dick, his face reddening. "It wasn't that at
all. We are getting pretty old for Putnam Hall, and you know it."

"It seems I'd never want to leave the dear old school," murmured Tom.
"Why, it's like a second home to us. Think of all the jolly times we've
had there--and the host of friends we've made."

"And the enemies," added Sam. "Don't forget them, or they may feel
slighted."

"Dan Baxter was our worst enemy in that school, and he is going to
reform, Sam."

"Perhaps. I won't feel sure of it until I really see it," answered the
youngest Rover.

"By the way, I got a postal from Dan to-day," said Dick. "He is in
Philadelphia, and working for a carpet manufacturer."

"Well, if he's gone to work, that's a good sign," said Tom.

On their arrival at the farm the boys had been met by their father, but
now Anderson Rover had gone away on a business trip which was to last
for several days. As usual, he left the lads in charge of his brother
and the boys' aunt.

"Now just take it easy for awhile," was Mr. Rover's advice, on leaving.
"Rest up all you can, and then, when you go back to the school, you'll
feel as bright as a dollar."

"Silver or paper, dad?" asked Tom, mischievously.

"Now, Tom----"

"Oh, I know what you mean, dad, and I'll be as quiet as a mule with a
sandbag tied to his tail," answered the fun-loving offspring.

The day after Anderson Rover's departure from the farm was quiet enough,
but on the morning following the boys' uncle received a letter in the
mail which seemed to trouble him not a little.

"I must attend to this matter without delay," said Randolph Rover to his
wife.

"What is wrong, Randolph?"

"I don't think I can explain to you, Martha. It's about those traction
company bonds I purchased a few months ago."

"Those you paid ten thousand dollars for?"

"Yes."

"What about them?"

"As I said before, I can't explain--it is rather a complicated affair."

"They are yours, aren't they, Randolph?"

"Oh, yes. But----"

"Aren't they worth what you gave for them?"

"I hope so."

"Can't you find out and make sure?"

"That is what I am going to do," replied Randolph Rover, and heaved a
deep sigh. As my old readers know, he was a very retired individual,
given to scientific research, especially in regard to farming, and knew
little about business.

"If you've been swindled in any way, you must go after the men who sold
you the bonds," said Mrs. Rover. "We cannot afford to lose so much
money."

"I don't believe I've been swindled--at least, if I have, I think the
party who sold me the bonds will make them good, Martha. I'll know all
about it to-morrow," answered Randolph Rover, and there the conversation
came to an end.




CHAPTER II

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE MOUNTAIN


It was on the day that Randolph Rover was to go to the town of Carwell,
fifteen miles away, to see about the bonds, that the three Rover boys
planned for a day's outing.

"Let us go to the top of Chase Mountain," suggested Sam. "I haven't been
up there for three years."

"Second the suggestion," replied Tom. "We can take a lunch along and
make a day of it," and so it was arranged.

Chase Mountain was about three miles away, on the other side of Humpback
Falls, where Sam had once had such a stirring adventure, as told in
detail in "The Rover Boys at School." It was a ragged eminence, and from
the top a view could be had of the country for many miles around.

The day seemed to be a perfect one when the three youths started, and
when they reached the top of the mountain they enjoyed the vast panorama
spread before them. They likewise enjoyed the substantial lunch their
Aunt Martha had provided, and ate until Tom was ready to "bust his
buttons," as he expressed it.

"Let us try a new path down," said Sam, when it came time to go home,
and he and Tom led the way, over a series of rocky ridges and cliffs
anything but easy to traverse. In some places they had to drop ten and
fifteen feet, and once Tom came down on his ankle in a manner that made
him cry with pain.

"You look out for yourself," warned Dick. "If you sprain an ankle up
here we'll have a job of it getting you home."

"No sprained ankle for mine, thank you," replied Tom. And he was more
careful after that.

As Dick came after his brothers he saw something peculiar at one side of
the path he was pursuing. It appeared to be a tin lunch box suspended
from a tree limb by a bit of wire. The box was painted red and seemed to
be new.

"That's strange," said the eldest Rover boy to himself. "Who would leave
such a thing as that in that position? I'll have to investigate."

Without telling Sam and Tom what he was going to do, Dick left the path
and plunged into the bushes which grew between himself and the tree from
which the tin box was suspended. Among the bushes the footing was
uncertain, and hardly had he taken a dozen steps when he felt himself
sinking.

"Hi! this won't do!" he cried in alarm, and then plunged down into a big
hole, some bushes, moss and dead leaves coming down on top of him.

In the meantime, Sam and Tom had gone on. Coming to where the path
appeared to divide, they turned to the right, only to find, five minutes
later, that they had made a mistake.

"Where in the world can Dick be?" murmured Sam, after he and his brother
had called again. "I thought he was right behind us."

"So did I, Sam. It's mighty queer what's become of him. If he fell over
a cliff----" Tom did not finish, but heaved a deep sigh.

With anxious hearts the two boys endeavored to retrace their steps up
the mountainside. They had to climb up one of the cliffs, and just as
this was accomplished it began to rain.

"More bad luck," grumbled Sam. "If this keeps on we'll soon be soaked."

"Spit, spat, spo! Where did that mountain path go!" cried Tom, repeating
a doggerel often used by children. "Dick! Dick!" he yelled, at the top
of his lungs. Then Sam joined in the call once again. But as before,
there was no answer.

It must be confessed that the two Rover boys were now thoroughly
alarmed. As they had climbed up the mountainside they knew they must be
close to the spot where they had last seen Dick. What had become of
their big brother?

"Tom, do you think he could have fallen over some cliff and rolled to
the bottom of the mountain?" questioned Sam, anxiously.

"How could he roll to the bottom with the trees so thick? He would have
plenty of chance to catch hold of one of them."

"Not if he was knocked unconscious."

"Well, where can he be?"

"I don't know."

It was now raining steadily, and to protect themselves the two boys
pulled their caps well down over their heads and turned up their coat
collars. They came to a halt under the wide-spreading branches of a
hemlock tree.

"It beats the nation, that's what it does," declared Tom. "Maybe the
earth opened and swallowed him up!"

"Tom, this is no joke."

"And I'm not joking, Sam. I can't understand it at all."

"Is that the path over yonder?" continued the youngest Rover, pointing
to a spot beyond the opposite side of the hemlock tree.

"It looks a little like it," was Tom's reply. "Might as well go over and
make sure."

Leaving the shelter of the tree, they made their way through the bushes,
which were now beginning to drip from the rain. As they progressed Sam
pushed a big branch from him and let it swing back suddenly, thereby
catching Tom full in the face.

"Wow!" spluttered the fun-loving Rover, as he staggered back. "Hi! Sam,
do you think I need a shower bath? I'm wet enough already." And Tom
commenced to brush the water from his face.

"I didn't mean to let it slip," answered Sam. "But say----"

What Sam was going to say further will never be known, for just then he
felt himself slipping down into some sort of a hole. He tried to leap
back, and made a clutch at Tom's legs, and the next instant both rolled
over and over and shot downward, out of the daylight into utter
darkness.

They were taken so completely by surprise that neither said a word. Over
and over they went, a shower of dirt, sticks and dead leaves coming
after them. Then they brought up on a big pile of decayed leaves and lay
there, the breath all but knocked out of them.

"Wha--what--where are we?" gasped Sam, when he felt able to speak.

"Say, is thi--this a ne--new shoot-the--the--chutes?" asked Tom who was
bound to have his fun no matter what occurred.

"Are you hurt?"

"I don't think I am, but I reckon my liver turned over about ten times.
How about you?"

"Shook up, that's all," answered Sam, after rising to his feet. "Say, we
came down in a hurry, didn't we?"

"Yes, and got no return ticket either." Tom looked upward. "Gracious!
the top of this hole is about fifty feet away! We are lucky that we
didn't break our necks!"

"Now we are down here, the question is, How do we get out, Tom?"

"Don't ask me any conundrums."

"We've got to get out somehow."

"Unless we want to stay here and save the expense of a cemetery lot."

"Tom!"

"Oh, I know it's no joke, Sam. But what is there to do? Here's a hole at
least fifty feet deep and the sides are almost perpendicular. Do you
think we can climb up? I am afraid, if we try it, we'll end by breaking
our necks."

"It certainly is steep," answered the youngest brother, looking upward.
"Say!" he added, suddenly, "do you suppose Dick went down in some such
hole as this?"

"Perhaps; where there is one hole there may be more. If he went down let
us hope he didn't get killed."

As well as they were able, the two boys gazed around them. The hole was
irregular in form, but about fifteen feet in diameter. One side was of
rough rocks and the other dirt and tree roots. At the top the
treacherous bushes overhung all sides of the opening, partly concealing
the yawning pit below.

"The rain is coming in pretty lively," was Sam's comment, presently. "I
wonder if there is any danger of this hole filling up with water."

"I don't think so, but if it does we can swim out."

"Or get drowned."

"Now who is getting blue?" demanded Tom.

To keep out of the worst of the rain Sam leaned against one of the sides
of the hole. He felt it give beneath his weight and before he could save
himself he went down into another hole, and Tom came after him.

The boys were scared and both cried out lustily. They did not fall far,
however--in fact, they rather rolled, for the second opening was on a
slant of forty-five degrees. They brought up against something soft, but
this time it was not a bank of decayed leaves.

"Sam! And Tom!"

"Dick!"

"Where did you come from?"

"How did you get here?"

"Are you hurt?"

"No, are you?"

"No."

These were some of the questions asked and answered as the three Rover
boys stared at each other. Other questions quickly followed, and Dick
told how he had started to get the tin box and gone down so
unexpectedly.

"You want to be careful," he cautioned. "This mountainside is full of
holes and pitfalls. I came down one hole and then shot right into
another."

"And we did the same thing!" cried Tom. "Thank heaven none of us have
broken bones!"

"Didn't you hear us call to you?" asked the youngest Rover.

"I thought I heard something--but I was not sure. I called back."

"We didn't hear you," answered Tom.

Dick had been trying to get out of the hole into which he had tumbled,
but without success. Now the sides were growing slippery from the rain,
so the ascent became more difficult than ever.

"We're in a pickle," sighed Sam.

"Oh, we've got to get out somehow," answered his big brother. "We can't
stay here forever."

The opening was almost square, with three sides of rough rock. In trying
to climb up some of the rocks Tom gave one a shove and it slid from
sight, revealing an opening beyond.

"Hullo! another hole!" cried the youth, leaping back in consternation.
"Why, the old mountain is fairly honeycombed with them."

"I was never on this side of the mountain before," said Dick. "They used
to tell some queer stories about this side."

"Didn't they say some parts were haunted?" asked Sam.

"Yes, and it was said that, years ago, many travelers coming this way
disappeared."

"Well, why shouldn't they, with so many holes around?" came from Tom.
"If we get out alive we'll be lucky."

With great care they got down on their hands and knees and examined the
opening beyond the rocks.

"I believe it's a big cave," announced Dick a few minutes later. "And if
it is, I'm rather inclined to look around inside. Perhaps it will lead
to some opening on the mountainside where we can get out."




CHAPTER III

A MYSTERIOUS CAVE


At first Sam and Tom demurred to entering the cave--which looked dark
and forbidding. But Dick insisted that he was going ahead, and rather
than be left behind they went along.

"We'll light some kind of a torch," said the eldest Rover. "Got some
matches?"

"Yes, I brought along a pocketful," answered Sam. "Didn't know but what
we'd want to build a campfire this noon."

"We'll want one now--to dry our clothing by," said Tom. "Let us pick up
the driest of the sticks."

This they did, and having entered the cave, they made a good-sized
blaze. This sent a ruddy glow around the cavern, and as the boys moved
about fantastic shadows went dancing on the rocky walls, adding to the
weirdness of the scene.

From the fire each of the youths provided himself with a torch, and thus
equipped they moved around the cave with care, taking precautions not to
fall into any more holes. They soon found the opening on the
mountainside long and narrow and running downward.

"We don't want to get lost," cautioned Sam.

"Oh, we can always go back to the fire," answered Dick.

"Unless it goes out on us."

"It won't burn itself out for an hour--I saw to that before we left it."

As the boys advanced into the cave they came across a heap of bones.
Dick examined them carefully.

"Skeletons?" queried Sam, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Yes--of lambs and pigs," was the dry answer. "Somebody has been making
this a rendezvous and living on the fat of the land."

"Maybe that accounts for Jerry Burden's losses," suggested Tom. "He said
he lost a lamb last spring, and two pigs."

"Yes, and old Richard Feltham lost a pig and some chickens," added Dick.
"Maybe this has been a hangout for tramps."

"Do you think they are here still?" questioned Sam. "We don't want to
have any trouble."

"I am sure I don't know, Sam. But this proves one thing."

"That we can get out of the cave?"

"Exactly. See, here is an old coat and a pair of old shoes. Somebody has
been in the habit of coming here--and he wasn't in the habit of getting
in the way we got in."

They moved on, and soon reached a larger opening. Here they found a bit
of old harness and, further on, where the ground was soft, the tracks of
wagon wheels.

"Somebody has been in the habit of driving right in here!" exclaimed
Tom. "We are sure to get out!" and his face showed his relief.

"Hark! what's that?" cried Sam, and shrank back as a strange rumbling
was heard. "Is it an earthquake, or a landslide?"

"It's thunder, that's all," said Dick, a minute later, as they listened.

"To be sure--the storm was on us when we fell into the first hole,"
answered the youngest Rover.

"Perhaps we can be glad we are under shelter--if the storm is going to
be a bad one," came from Tom. "But, come on, I want to see daylight
again."

He moved on and then gave a cry of astonishment.

"Look!"

His brothers did so. On one side of the cave were piled thirty or forty
packing cases. The majority of them were empty, but three, directed to
one Jackson Dwight, Carwell, were full and nailed up.

"Well, I never!" murmured Sam. "Dick----"

"The freight thieves!" ejaculated the eldest Rover. "Don't you remember
what was in the paper before we went south, and what was in again only
yesterday? They have been missing freight from Carwell and Boxton and
half a dozen other stations for over a year. The thieves must have
brought their stuff here and then taken some of it from the packing
cases and carted it away again."

"It certainly looks like it," answered Tom. "Only three full cases left.
I wonder when these were taken?"

"Most likely only a short time ago," said Dick. "The cases look new."

"Do you suppose any of the freight thieves are around? If they are we
want to keep out of their way--if they are desperate characters."

They moved on, and then Dick called a sudden halt.

"I can see daylight ahead," he said. "And somebody is moving around. Let
us put out the torches."

His suggestion was speedily followed, and the three Rover boys advanced
with caution. At its outer end the cave became broader while the roof
was only about ten feet high.

"Hullo, here's another surprise," whispered Dick, as they came closer to
the opening. "Look at that!"

He pointed to one side of the cave and there the others saw an
automobile runabout standing and on the seat two men dressed for a tour.
They were talking to a third man, who was lounging against a front
wheel, smoking a brier-root pipe.

"Maybe they are the freight thieves," whispered Tom. "Let us get out of
sight and listen to what they have to say."

It was an easy matter to keep out of sight, for the walls of the cave
were very uneven at this point. They got behind a projection, and by
crawling up a rocky ledge managed to reach a point above and to one side
of the runabout and not over a dozen feet from it.

"Then you weren't going to stop here, Merrick?" asked the man leaning
against the wheel.

"Not now, Dangler," was the reply of the man with the pipe. "The storm
drove us in here."

"When do you expect to meet this Randolph Rover?"

"Very soon."

"He ought to be easy--he is so simple minded."

"Oh, I think we can work him right enough," put in the third man, who
was tall and thin-cheeked.

"Well, if you do, don't forget that I get my share, Pike," said the man
called Dangler.

"Haven't you always gotten your share?" demanded Pike.

"I suppose I have."

"And haven't we given you the information whenever any valuable freight
was coming this way?" put in the man called Merrick.

"Yes, and got your full share of the proceeds, while I ran the risk,"
growled Dangler. "It's getting dangerous--I'm going to quit--after the
next big haul," went on the man with the pipe.

"All right--as you wish," answered Merrick. "I wish this storm would let
up. The road will be something fierce for our runabout."

"And bad for my wagon," growled Dangler in return.

The boys listened to the conversation with deep interest. The reference
to their uncle amazed them, and they wondered what the two men in the
runabout had in mind to do. By their talk it was evident they meant to
accomplish something unlawful.

"They are going to play Uncle Randolph some trick," whispered Sam. "We
must get home and warn him."

"What we ought to do is to have the whole crowd arrested," answered Tom.
"They are all implicated in the theft of freight."

"That's the talk," said Dick. "The question is, How can we do it? We are
no match for those three men, and more than likely they are armed."

After this the three men conversed in such a low tone the boys could not
hear a quarter of what was said. But they learned enough to know that
Merrick and Pike were going to meet their uncle and play him false in
some way, and they heard the words "traction bonds" and "coupons"
several times.

"Uncle Randolph had ten thousand dollars' worth of traction company
bonds," said Dick. "He bought them only a short while ago. They pay five
and a half per cent. interest and he thought them a first-class
investment."

"Oh, we'll have to warn him," said Sam. "He is so open-hearted he would
trust most anybody."

Merrick had descended from the runabout and gone out of the cave. Now he
came back, said something to the others, and started up the auto. In
another moment he had the machine turned around. Then it spun out of the
cave and down a fairly good road in the direction of Carwell. The man
named Dangler followed the runabout to the road and watched it disappear
around a turn bordered by trees. The storm was now rolling away to the
westward and the rain had ceased.

"They have gone!" cried Tom. "Where to?"

"Perhaps to our farm--to see Uncle Randolph," answered Sam. "We ought to
follow them as quickly as we can."

"I think we had better capture the fellow left behind," said Dick. "We
ought to be able to do it."

"That's the talk," said Tom. "Sure we can do it, being three to one."

Dangler watched the runabout and then gazed up and down the mountain for
several minutes. Then of a sudden he started in a direction opposite to
that taken by the machine.

"He is going away!" cried Sam.

"Come on after him!" called his big brother, and ran from the cave with
the others at his heels. Just as he did this Dangler glanced back and
saw them.

"Hey, you!" he cried in consternation.

"Stop!" called out Dick. "We want you."

At this command Dangler was more amazed than ever. But of a sudden he
appeared to realize something of what had happened and commenced to run.

"Stop!" cried Tom and Sam, but at this the man only ran the faster.

"Come on--we've got to catch that rascal!" exclaimed Dick, and started
to sprint. The others followed as quickly as they could, and a rapid
chase along the mountain road ensued. But if the boys could run so could
the freight robber, and he made the best possible use of his legs until
he gained a side trail. Then he darted into this, and when the Rover
boys came up he had disappeared.

"Where is he?" panted Sam.

"He took to this path, but he isn't in sight," answered Dick. He was
almost winded himself.

"Come on, he must be somewhere around," put in Tom, and ran down the
path several hundred feet. Then he tripped over a fallen log and went
headlong in the bushes and wet grass. He got up looking tired out and
cross.

"We've missed him," announced Dick, rather dismally. "It's a pity, too.
He deserves to be put under arrest."

"I think we had better get home and warn Uncle Randolph," returned Sam.
"If we don't there is no telling what that fellow Merrick and that Pike
may do."




CHAPTER IV

AT THE FARM


The others considered Sam's advice good, and after another look around
for Dangler, they turned in the direction of home. They were a good
three miles from the farm and had to cross the river above the falls,
thus adding half a mile more to the journey. It was wet and muddy
walking and they had not covered over a mile when Tom called a halt.

"I am about fagged out," he announced. "Wonder if we can't hire a buggy
at the next farmhouse."

"We can try anyway," answered Dick.

Directly after crossing the river they came to a small farmhouse, and
walked around to the kitchen, where they saw an old woman shelling peas.

"We can't let you have any carriage," she said. "The men folks are to
town and they've got the horses."

The boys were about to turn away when Dick thought of something.

"By the way, do you know a man named Dangler?" he asked.

"Sure, I do," was the answer.

"Does he live around here?"

"I guess he lives where he pleases. He is an old bachelor and comes and
goes as he likes. He used to have a cottage down the pike, but it burnt
down last winter."

"Then you haven't any idea where he is stopping now?"

"No."

"Do you know a man named Merrick and another man named Pike?" went on
the eldest Rover boy.

At this the old woman shook her head.

"Never heard tell of them," she said.

"Has this Dangler any relatives around here?" asked Tom.

"None that I know of."

"Do you know what kind of man he is?" asked Sam.

"I never talk about my neighbors," answered the old woman, and drew up
her thin lips and went on shelling peas.

Feeling it would be useless to ask any more questions, the three boys
journeyed wearily on to the next farmhouse. This belonged to a fat
German named Gus Schmidt, who knew the Rovers fairly well.

"Yah, I let you haf a carriage alretty," said Gus Schmidt. "Put you must
pring him back to-morrow, hey?"

"We will," answered Dick.

"I vos hear some putty goot stories apout you Rofer poys," went on Mr.
Schmidt, while he was hooking up his horse. "You vos on der Mississippi
Rifer, hey?"

"We were," answered Sam.

"Und you vos go owid on der blains und catch some counterfeiters, hey?"

"Yes, we had something to do with it," came from Tom.

"Und den you vos go py der Gulluf of Mexico alretty und find a steampoat
vos has nopotty got on it," pursued Gus Schmidt. "Ach, it vos vonderful
vot vos habben to somepody, ain't it?"

"Didn't you ever have anything happen to you, Mr. Schmidt?" asked Sam.

"Only vonce, und dot vos enough. I peen in New York, und der poys call
me names. Den I run after dem, und da vos go py a cellar full of vater.
I vos run on a poard, und der poys turn dot poard----"

"And you fell into the water," finished Tom.

"Not much! I chumped back to der sidevalk," answered Gus Schmidt, and
then laughed heartily at his little joke.

The three Rover boys were soon in the carriage and on the way to the
farm. The horse that had been loaned to them was a speedy animal and
they made good time despite the muddiness of the road. The brief storm
had been a severe one, and in one spot the roadbed was considerably
washed out.

The boys took the carriage around to the barn and left it in charge of
Jack Ness, the man of all work. Then they hurried to the house.

"Oh, boys, I am so glad that you are back!" exclaimed Mrs. Rover, on
seeing them. "I suppose you are wet through. Better dry your clothing at
once, or change them, and I'll get you some hot tea to drink."

"We are all right, Aunt Martha," answered Dick. "We were under shelter
during the worst of the storm. Is Uncle Randolph around?"

"No, he went to Carwell on business. I am worried about him, for I am
afraid he got caught in the storm, for he drove over."

"What did he go for?" questioned Tom, quickly.

"Oh, it was a private matter."

"About some traction company bonds?" asked Sam, who could not hold back
his curiosity.

"Yes. But how do you happen to know about it?" demanded his aunt, in
astonishment.

"We found something out to-day, aunty," said Dick. "It's a queer piece
of business. Do you know where Uncle Randolph was going?"

"You mean in Carwell?"

"Yes."

"I think to the hotel."

"Hum," mused the eldest of the Rover boys. "Wonder if I can get him on
the telephone?" For a telephone line had been put up from Oak Run to the
farm.

"Why, Dick, is there anything wrong?" demanded Mrs. Rover, turning pale.

"I hope not, Aunt Martha. We'll soon know. Don't worry, please."

"Your uncle was very much disturbed when he went away."

"I am going to try to telephone to him at once," said Dick.

The telephone was on a landing of the stairs, where the bell could
readily be heard upstairs and down, and Dick lost no time in taking down
the receiver and calling up the office at Oak Run.

"I want to get the hotel at Carwell," he told the operator. "This is 685
W," he added.

"I cannot give you Carwell," was the answer.

"Why not?"

"The lightning struck down some of our poles and the line is out of
commission."

This was dismaying news and for the moment Dick was nonplussed. Then he
spoke to the operator again.

"Can you reach Farleytown?"

"Yes, but the line from Farleytown to Carwell is down, too," came over
the wire.

"Can you reach Deeming's Corners?"

"No. Can't get to Carwell in any way at all," was the decided answer,
and Dick hung up the receiver much crestfallen.

"The storm has knocked the telephone service into a cocked hat," he
explained to the others. "The only way for us to reach Carwell is to
drive there."

"Then let us do that, and right away!" cried Tom, who had been talking
to his aunt. "Uncle Randolph took those ten thousand dollars worth of
traction company bonds with him, and Aunt Martha says the bonds were
unregistered, so anybody could use them."

"Do you think somebody is going to steal the bonds?" asked the aunt.

"Two men are up to some game,--that is as much as we know," said Dick,
thinking it unwise to keep his aunt in the dark any longer. "And we know
the men are rascals," he added.

"Oh, will they--they attack your uncle?"

"I don't think they are that kind," said Sam. "I think they'll try to
get the bonds away by some slick game."

The aunt hated to see the boys go on a mission of possible peril and yet
she wanted to have her husband warned. The lads ran down to the barn and
had Jack Ness hitch up a fresh team to a buckboard. It was now growing
dark.

"Take good care of yourselves," cried Mrs. Rover, as they drove off. "If
the telephone and telegraph poles are down on the road see that you do
not run into any of them."

They were driving to the gateway of the big farm when they saw Alexander
Pop running after them, flourishing something in his hand. Aleck was a
colored man who had once worked at Putnam Hall, but who was now attached
to the Rover household.

"I was jess a-thinkin' that maybe yo' boys wasn't armed," he said. "If
yo' ain't, don't yo' want dis pistol?" And he held up a weapon he had
purchased while on the river trip with them.

"I didn't think there would be any shooting," answered Dick. "But now
you've brought it, I might as well take the pistol along," and he placed
the weapon in his pocket.

"Perhaps yo' would like to hab dis chicken along?" went on the colored
man. He delighted to be with the Rover boys on every possible occasion.

"No, the buckboard is crowded now," answered Dick. "You do what you can
to quiet Mrs. Rover."

"Yes, tell her not to worry about us," added Tom.

"And don't mention the pistol," called Sam, as the turnout moved on
again.

After leaving the vicinity of the farm, the boys had a distance of
thirteen miles to cover. Part of the road lay through the valley which
had given the farm its name, but then it ran up and over a series of
hills, and through several patches of woods. Under the trees it was
dark, and they had to slacken their speed for fear of accident.

"Danger ahead!" cried Sam presently, and Dick, who was driving, brought
the team to a halt. Across the road lay an uprooted tree.

"Can't drive around that," announced Sam, after an inspection. "And it
will be hard work dragging it out of the way."

"We'll drive over it," announced Dick. "Hold tight, if you don't want to
be bounced off."

He called to the horses, and the team moved forward slowly. They had not
been out of the stable for several days and were inclined to dance and
prance. They stepped in among the tree branches and then one animal
reared and tried to back.

"Get up there, Dan!" cried Dick. "None of that tomfoolery! Get up, I
say!"

The other horse wanted to go ahead, and he dragged his mate deeper into
the tree limbs. Then, without warning, the balky animal made a leap,
cleared the tree, and started down the road at breakneck speed.

"Look out, the team is running away!" yelled Sam, and then stopped
short, for he as well as the others were in danger of being thrown from
the buckboard.




CHAPTER V

RANDOLPH ROVER'S STORY


It was a time of peril, and all of the Rover boys realized this fully.
The buckboard was a strong one, but the road had been washed out so much
by the storm that it was very uneven, and the jouncing threatened each
moment to land one lad or another out on his head.

"Whoa! whoa!" yelled Dick, and did his best to rein in the team. But, as
mentioned before, they had not been out for several days and were
consequently fresh and inclined to keep on. Each had the bit in his
teeth, so pulling on the lines was of little avail.

"If we don't stop soon something is going to happen," was Tom's comment,
and scarcely had he spoken when they went down into a rut and Sam was
flung up and over a wheel into some brushwood. Then the team went on as
before.

The woods left behind, they came to a large open field, where the ground
was rather soft.

"Turn in here, Dick, if you can," cried Tom.

"That is what I am trying to do," answered the eldest Rover boy, pulling
on one rein with might and main.

At first the horses refused to leave the road, but at last the strain on
the one rein told and Dan swerved to the right, dragging his mate with
him. As the wheels of the buckboard sank into the soft soil of the field
the pulling became harder, and at last the horses dropped into a walk
and were then brought to a stop with ease.

"Wonder if Sam was hurt?" were Dick's first words, as he leaped to the
ground and ran to the heads of the team to quiet them.

"He went out in a hurry, that's sure," was Tom's answer. "Can you hold
them now?"

"Yes--the fire is all out of them."

"Then I'll run back and see to Sam." And Tom set off on a dog trot
toward the spot where the mishap to his younger brother had occurred. He
found Sam sitting on a rock rubbing his left wrist.

"Hurt?" he sang out, anxiously.

"This wrist is a little lame, and my knee is skinned," was the answer.
"Did they get away and throw you out?"

"No, Dick managed to stop them by turning into a soft field. It is lucky
you didn't break your neck."

"I might have if I hadn't tumbled into the bushes, Tom. Gracious, how
the buckboard did jounce up and down!"

Limping a little on account of the bruised knee, Sam followed his
brother down the road. They found Dick had led the team from the field.
He, too, was glad to learn Sam was not seriously injured.

"What's to do now?" asked Tom. "I don't like to trust that team much."

"Oh, they're tamed down now," asserted Dick. "I am sure they won't want
to run away again."

"We want to get to Carwell as soon as possible, but we don't want to do
it by breaking our necks," went on the fun-loving Rover.

Once more the three youths got on the buckboard and Dick started the
team. The fire was now all out of them, and they went along at their
regular gait. It had grown so dark the boys had to light a lantern they
had brought along.

"Listen!" said Sam presently, and held up his hand. From out of the
darkness they heard the steady chug-chug of an automobile. It seemed to
be coming toward them.

"Maybe it's the runabout with those two men!" cried Tom.

"If it is, let us try to stop them," answered Dick.

They brought the team to a halt and listened. For a few seconds the
chug-chug came closer, then it died away in the distance on their left.

"The machine must have taken to a side road," was Dick's comment.

"Yes, and we may as well go on," answered Tom.

Once more they proceeded on their way. Less than a hundred yards were
covered when they reached the side road. In the muddy roadway the tracks
of the rubber tires of the automobile were plainly to be seen.

"If we were sure they were the men we might go after them," said Sam.

"We'd not catch them with the horses," answered Dick.

"And it might be another machine," added Tom. "There are plenty of them
in Carwell."

They were now within two miles of the town and the farmhouses were
becoming more numerous. Just as they struck a paved street, Tom uttered
an exclamation:

"Here comes Uncle Randolph now!"

He pointed ahead to where a street light fell on a horse and buggy. On
the seat of the latter sat Randolph Rover, driving along contentedly.

"Hullo, Uncle Randolph!" sang out Dick, and brought the buckboard to a
halt.

"Why, Dick!" exclaimed the uncle, staring at the three boys in surprise.
"What brings you here this time of night?"

"We came to find you, Uncle Randolph," said Tom, and added: "Are your
traction company bonds safe?"

"My bonds? What do you know of my bonds?" And now the buggy halted
beside the buckboard.

"We know two men are after them," said Sam.

"Oh, I thought that was a secret," answered Mr. Rover.

"But did you see the men?" asked Dick, impatiently.

"Oh, yes, and I have had a narrow escape from being swindled," answered
the uncle, calmly.

"Oh, then you escaped," said Dick, and he and his brothers breathed a
sigh of relief.

"Yes, I escaped," answered Randolph Rover. "It was very kind of Mr.
Jardell to come to me as he did," he went on.

"Mr. Jardell?" asked Tom. "Who is he?"

"Why, the treasurer of the traction company."

"Then you haven't seen a man named Merrick and another named Pike?"
asked Sam.

"Why, no. Who are they?"

"Two rascals who were up to some game. We think they were after your
traction company bonds."

"Ha! perhaps--But no, that couldn't be," murmured Mr. Rover, wiping off
the spectacles he wore. "I--er--I really do not understand this, boys."

"Tell us what you've been doing, uncle, and then we'll tell what we
know," said Dick.

"Um! Well, you know that some time ago I invested in ten thousand
dollars worth of traction company bonds--got them through an agent in
New York."

"Yes."

"Well, about a week ago I received a private letter from Mr. Jardell, of
the traction company, stating that there was something wrong with the
bonds. Some plates had been stolen and counterfeit bonds printed."

"Yes."

"I was asked to keep quiet about the matter, for if the facts became
generally known the public would become frightened and the bonds would
go down in the stock market. Mr. Jardell said he would meet me at
Carwell and have the printer look at my bonds and find out if they were
genuine or not."

"And what did you do then?" asked Dick, who began to smell a mouse, as
the saying goes.

"I sent Mr. Jardell word I would meet him at the Carwell hotel to-day.
We met, and he and his printer, a man named Grimes, said the bonds I
possessed were counterfeits."

"And then what?"

"Of course I was very much distressed," went on Randolph Rover, calmly.
"I did not know what to do. But Mr. Jardell was very nice about it. He
said he would take the bonds and get the company to issue good ones in
their place. He gave me a receipt for them, and I am to have the good
bonds next week."

"Why should he give you good bonds for bad ones?" said Tom, who, like
Dick, was almost certain something was wrong.

"I asked that question, too, Thomas, but he said the reputation of his
company was at stake. He did not want the public at large to know that
bogus bonds were on the market."

"Uncle Randolph, do you know this Mr. Jardell personally?" asked Dick.

"Why--er--not exactly. But his letters----"

"How did he look?"

As well as he was able Mr. Rover described the man and also his
companion. The boys exchanged glances.

"Merrick and Pike," muttered Tom.

"What is that you say, Thomas?"

"We think those men were swindlers," said Sam.

"Swindlers! Oh, my dear Samuel, impossible!" cried Randolph Rover
aghast. "Why, they were very nice gentlemen, very nice. They asked me
how my scientific farming was getting along, and both had read my
article in the _Review_ on the grafting of grape vines, and----"

"But we know these chaps," said Dick, "and they are called Merrick and
Pike."

"And they talked about getting the best of you," added Tom. "That is why
we followed you to Carwell. Where are the men now?"

"They have gone away. But----"

"Were they in a green runabout--an auto runabout?"

"They had a runabout, yes. I do not remember what color it was."

"The same fellows!" cried Dick. "Uncle Randolph, unless we are very much
mistaken, you have been tricked, swindled! They have robbed you of the
ten thousand dollars worth of bonds!"




CHAPTER VI

WAITING FOR NEWS


It took Randolph Rover several minutes to comprehend the various
statements made by the boys. That he had really been swindled by such
nicely-spoken men as he had met at the Carwell hotel seemed
extraordinary to him.

"I understand the bonds were not registered," said Dick.

"That is true," groaned his uncle.

"Then anybody could use them."

"Yes, although I have the numbers,--on a sheet in my desk at home."

"Well, that will make it more difficult for the rascals to dispose of
them," said Sam.

"I'd like to catch that Merrick and that Pike, and punch their heads for
them," commented Tom. It angered him exceedingly to see how readily his
open-minded relative had fallen into the swindlers' trap.

"But there may be some mistake," said Randolph Rover, in a forlorn tone.
"Would that Merrick dare to impersonate Mr. Jardell?"

"Swindlers will do anything," answered Sam.

"We can make sure of that point by sending word to the traction company
offices," answered Dick. "You are sure Mr. Jardell is the treasurer?"

"Yes--Mr. Andrew D. Jardell."

"Let us go back to town and see if we can catch him by long distance
'phone or by telegraph."

Shaking his head sadly, Randolph Rover turned his buggy around and
followed the boys to the central office of the telephone company. Here
all was activity on account of the broken-down wires, but communications
were being gradually resumed. They looked into the telephone book, and
at last got a connection which, a few minutes later, put them into
communication with Andrew D. Jardell's private residence in the city.

"Is Mr. Jardell at home?" asked Dick, who was doing the telephoning.

"Mr. Jardell is away," was the answer.

"Is he at or near Carwell, New York state?"

"No, he is in Paris, and has been for two weeks."

"You are sure of this?"

"Yes."

"Who are you?"

"I am Mrs. Jardell. Who are you?"

"My name is Richard Rover. My uncle, Randolph Rover, has been swindled
out of some traction company bonds by a man who said he was Mr.
Jardell."

"Mercy me! You don't say so! Well, my husband had nothing to do with it,
you may be sure. He went to London first and then to Paris, and in a day
or two he is to start for Switzerland. His health is very poor and the
doctor said he needed the trip."