Dave Porter Series

                      DAVE PORTER AND HIS RIVALS

                   OR THE CHUMS AND FOES OF OAK HALL

                        BY EDWARD STRATEMEYER

Author of "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," "The Gun Club Boys of Lakeport,"
"Old Glory Series," "Pan-American Series," etc.

                       ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN GOSS




BOSTON
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
1930

Copyright, 1911, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.
_All Rights Reserved_

DAVE PORTER AND HIS RIVALS
Printed in U. S. A.




[Illustration: THE PUCK WAS FAIRLY STOLEN FROM MALLORY HIMSELF BY DAVE.]




PREFACE


"DAVE PORTER AND HIS RIVALS" is a complete story in itself, but forms
the seventh volume in a line issued under the general title of "Dave
Porter Series."

When I brought out the first volume of this series, entitled "Dave
Porter at Oak Hall," I trusted that the story would please the young
people for whom it was written, but I did not imagine that so many
thousands of boys and girls all over our broad land would take to Dave
as they have, and would insist upon knowing more about him.

My opening tale was one of boarding school life, and this was followed
by "Dave Porter in the South Seas," whither our hero had gone in search
of his father, and then by "Dave Porter's Return to School," in which
book Dave met all of his friends again and likewise a few of his
enemies.

So far our hero had heard about his father, but had not yet seen his
parent, and the next volume, "Dave Porter in the Far North," related the
particulars of a trip to Norway, where the youth had some stirring
adventures amid snow and ice in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Coming back to America, the lad was sent again to Oak Hall, as set down
in the next volume, called "Dave Porter and His Classmates." During that
term at school many complications arose, and our hero did something for
the honor of Oak Hall that was a great credit to him.

Dave's father was now with him, but his sister Laura was in the Far
West, and upon her return he received an invitation to visit a large
ranch, and how he went, and what strenuous times he had, were related in
"Dave Porter at Star Ranch."

As soon as his Western outing was at an end, Dave returned home, and
then betook himself once more to Oak Hall. Here, to his surprise, he
found an unusual state of affairs, the particulars of which are given in
the pages that follow.

Once again I thank those who have praised my books in the past. I hope
the present volume will also please them and do them good.

EDWARD STRATEMEYER.




CONTENTS


       I. AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE

      II. DAVE AND HIS PAST

     III. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FALLS

      IV. AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL

       V. THE BOYS AND A BULL

      VI. A TALK WITH AARON POOLE

     VII. ON THE WAY TO OAK HALL

    VIII. ABOUT SOME NEW STUDENTS

      IX. THE FOOTBALL MEETING

       X. LOOKING FOR A MISSING ROWBOAT

      XI. A MIDNIGHT FEAST

     XII. AN EARTHQUAKE FOR JOB HASKERS

    XIII. IN WHICH SOME SHOES ARE MISSING

     XIV. WHAT THE GIRLS HAD TO TELL

      XV. A RUNAWAY MOTOR-BOAT

     XVI. A STRUGGLE ON THE GRIDIRON

    XVII. REORGANIZING THE ELEVEN

   XVIII. AN INITIATION AND WHAT FOLLOWED

     XIX. SNEAK AGAINST SNEAK

      XX. THE GREAT GAME WITH ROCKVILLE

     XXI. THANKSGIVING, AND A SNOWBALLING CONTEST

    XXII. IN WHICH THE SHOES COME BACK

   XXIII. HOOKER MONTGOMERY'S STRANGE REQUEST

    XXIV. A RACE ON SKATES

     XXV. IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY

    XXVI. A DASH FOR LIBERTY

   XXVII. A GAME OF ICE HOCKEY

  XXVIII. A DISCOVERY OF INTEREST

    XXIX. HOOKER MONTGOMERY'S REVELATION

     XXX. THE ENEMY RUNS AWAY

    XXXI. ANOTHER VICTORY--CONCLUSION




DAVE PORTER AND HIS RIVALS




CHAPTER I

AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE


"Everybody ready?"

"Yes, Dave; let her go!" cried Phil Lawrence.

"How about you folks in the other auto?" queried Dave Porter, as he let
off the hand brake and advanced the spark and lever of the machine he
was about to run.

"We are all ready," responded Roger Morr.

"Been ready for an hour," added Ben Basswood, who sat beside Roger.

"Oh, Ben, not quite as long as that!" burst out Laura Porter, who was
one of three girls in the tonneau of the second car.

"Well, make it fifty-eight minutes then; I'm not particular," responded
Ben, calmly.

"Are the lunch hampers in?" asked Jessie Wadsworth, anxiously. "Mamma
said we musn't forget anything."

"Trust Dave and Roger to look after the food," burst out Phil Lawrence.

"Likewise Mr. Phil Lawrence," added Dave. "Just wait till it comes lunch
time, and you'll see Phil stow away about fifteen chicken sandwiches,
ten slices of cake, three pickles, five olives----"

"Stop! I draw the line on olives, Dave!" cried Phil, making a wry face.

"Oh, olives are fine; I love them!" cried Belle Endicott.

"Then all that are coming to me are yours," returned Phil, quickly. "But
start her up, fellows, if we are going!" he added, and then, putting a
big horn to his lips, he blew a loud blast.

"Take good care of yourselves!" cried a voice from the veranda of the
mansion in front of which the two automobiles were standing, and Mrs.
Wadsworth waved a hand to the young people.

"We'll try to," answered Dave, and then he threw in the clutch on low
gear, and the big touring car moved gently away, out of the grounds of
the Wadsworth mansion and into the main highway leading from Crumville
to Shady Glen Falls. The second car speedily followed.

It was a late summer day, with a clear blue sky overhead and just enough
breeze blowing to freshen the air. A shower of rain the day previous had
laid the dust of the road and added to the freshness of fields and
woods.

The boys and girls had planned this outing for several days. All of the
youths were to return to Oak Hall school the following week, and they
wished to do something for the girls to remember them by, as Dave
expressed it.

"Might have a party," Roger had suggested.

"No good, unless it was a lawn party," Phil had answered. "It's too
stuffy in the house, these warm days."

"We might take a couple of autos and go for a day's outing up the river
road," Dave had suggested, and this proposition had been accepted
immediately. It was decided that Dave should run the Wadsworth machine,
he having learned to do so some time before, and Roger was to run a car
hired at the new Crumville garage. Each car had a capacity of five
passengers, including the driver, and the party consisted of ten young
people, five boys and five girls.

"Now, Dave, don't let her out for more than fifty miles an hour,"
remarked Sam Day, who sat in the back of the leading auto, between two
of the young ladies.

"Fifty miles an hour!" shrieked Jessie Wadsworth. "What an idea! Dave,
don't you dare!"

"Oh, Lazy is only fooling, Jessie," answered Dave. "He wouldn't want to
ride at that rate of speed himself."

"Twenty miles an hour is fast enough," said Belle Endicott. "I want to
view the scenery. It is lovely around Crumville--so different from
around the ranch."

"Yes, the scenery is fine, even though we haven't such big mountains as
you have out West," answered Dave.

"And Shady Glen Falls is an ideal spot for a picnic," said Jessie. "Papa
took us there last summer."

"You've got to make the most of the Falls this summer," went on Dave. "I
heard in town last week that next year a paper company is going to put a
mill there."

"Oh, Dave, is that the Eureka Paper Company?" questioned Jessie.

"Yes. What do you know about them?"

"Why, I heard papa and your uncle talking about it. It is a company in
which Mr. Aaron Poole holds a big interest."

"Aaron Poole!" murmured the youthful driver of the automobile, and his
face grew serious, as he remembered the trouble he had had with that
mean individual.

"Yes. Papa heard Nat bragging down at the post-office, about what great
things his father was going to do, when the paper company got started."

"That's just like Nat Poole," was Phil Lawrence's comment. "If Nat
couldn't brag about something he'd die."

"By the way, where does Nat keep himself?" questioned Sam Day. "I
haven't met him since I came to Crumville."

"He has been keeping shady--since our little affair at Niagara Falls,"
explained Dave.

"Is he going to return to Oak Hall?"

"I presume so. He left his motor-boat and some other things up there, so
I heard."

"We can get along without Nat Poole, Dave."

"Right you are, Lazy," put in Phil Lawrence. "But maybe, with Link
Merwell gone, he won't be quite so bad as he was."

"Oh, that horrid Link Merwell!" cried Jessie. "I trust we never see or
hear of him again!"

"Well, one thing is certain, Merwell will never get back to Oak Hall,"
said Dave. "He got his walking papers and that settled it. He is out for
good, the same as Nick Jasniff."

"Dave, have you heard anything about Jasniff lately?" questioned Phil.

"One of the boys wrote that he had heard Nick had returned to the United
States. Personally, I haven't seen or heard from him since we met in
Europe--and I don't want to see him," added Dave, earnestly.

Toot! toot! came from behind the leading automobile, and a moment later
the second car ranged up alongside.

"Guess you folks are doing more talking than running!" cried Roger, with
a grin. "Here is where we show you the road!" And in a twinkling the
second car shot ahead, and was "hitting her up," as Ben expressed it, at
thirty miles an hour. Dave immediately turned on more speed likewise,
and over the smooth, straight road both machines spun.

"Oh, Dave, is it safe?" asked Jessie, with a little gasp, as the speed
increased.

"Yes,--as long as we are on the straight road," he answered. "We'll have
to slow down at the turn."

"I like to ride fast--but not too fast," said Lucy Basswood, Ben's
cousin, the other girl in the car.

The turn in the road was almost gained, and both machines had slowed
down once more, when there came a shrill, screeching whistle from
behind, and a racing car shot into sight, moving along with a great
noise, for the muffler had been cut out. All of the girls screamed in
fright, and instinctively Dave and Roger ran their cars as close to the
right side of the road as possible. Then, with a roar, the racing car
shot past, sending up a cloud of dust, and a shower of small stones,
one of which hit Laura Porter in the cheek, and another striking Phil in
the ear.

"Fellows that run that way ought to be arrested," was Roger's comment.

"Oh, I was so afraid we should be struck!" gasped Jessie, sinking back
into her seat with a white face.

"Did you recognize them?" asked Belle Endicott.

"I didn't have time to look," answered Roger. "I was busy getting out of
the way."

"Just what I was doing," added Dave. "I didn't want them to take off the
mudguard, or a wheel."

"I caught sight of one of the fellows," said Ben Basswood. "He looked
right at me as he passed."

"Who was it?" questioned several eagerly.

"Nat Poole."

"Nat Poole!" cried Dave. "Surely, he wasn't driving that racing car."

"No, he was in the rear, with another chap,--and two were on the front
seat. But I didn't recognize any of the others."

"I saw that machine in Crumville last week," said Laura. "I believe it
belongs in Lumberdale."

"I hope those fellows are not bound for Shady Glen Falls," said Laura.
"It would quite spoil our outing, to have such persons around."

"A picnic like ours would be dead slow for that crowd," remarked Phil.
"If they stop anywhere, it will be most likely at some roadhouse, where
they can drink and smoke, and play pool and cards."

The racing car had long since disappeared in the distance, and now the
other automobiles proceeded on their way. The girls were very nervous,
and the boys did all in their power to remove the strain. But the girls
declared that they had had a narrow escape from a serious accident, and
it put much of a damper on the trip.

"If ever I meet the driver of that car I'll give him a piece of my
mind," said Dave. "It's against the law to run at such high speed."

The distance to Shady Glen Falls from Crumville was thirty-five miles.
The last half of the journey was over a winding dirt road, and the boys
had calculated that it would take them two hours to reach the picnic
grounds.

"We'll go by way of Darnell's Corners, and come back by way of Haslow,"
said Dave. "That will give us a sort of round trip." And so it was
decided.

Darnell's Corners was but five miles from the Falls. It was only a small
settlement, boasting of a tavern, a blacksmith shop, a church, and two
stores. As they came in sight of the place Phil uttered a cry:

"There is that racing car now!"

Phil was right, the car stood in front of the tavern, the engine still
running and letting out short puffs of smoke.

"Where are the fellows who were in it?" questioned Sam.

"Must have gone inside for a drink," answered Ben.

"Here come two of them now," said Roger, in a low voice, as the tavern
door swung open and two young men appeared, each wearing a linen duster
and a touring cap.

"It's Nat Poole!" cried Jessie.

"I know that driver," said Dave. "He is Pete Barnaby, a sport from
Lumberdale. He used to follow the horse races before autoing became
popular. He once tried to sell Caspar Potts a horse, but we found out
the animal was doctored up and worthless, and we didn't take him.
Barnaby was furious when the deal fell through."

"I've heard of him," said Ben. "He wanted to sell my father a horse, but
father wouldn't have anything to do with him."

While the boys were talking the tavern door had swung open again, and
now two other persons stepped forth. They, too, wore linen dusters and
touring caps, and one carried a basket containing something to eat and
to drink.

"Dave!" cried Phil, in astonishment. "Look who they are!"

"Link Merwell and Nick Jasniff!" murmured Dave. "How in the world did
they get here, and what underhanded work are they up to now?"




CHAPTER II

DAVE AND HIS PAST


Dave Porter had good reasons for looking upon Link Merwell and Nick
Jasniff with suspicion. In the past these two unworthies had caused Dave
a good deal of trouble, and when exposed each had vowed that sooner or
later he would "square accounts" with the youth who had gotten the
better of him. Dave had hoped he had seen the last of them, but here
they were, eyeing him closely, each with a face that plainly showed his
envy and his hatred.

To those of you who have read the preceding volumes of this series Dave
Porter and his friends and enemies will need no special introduction.
For the benefit of others let me explain that Dave had once upon a time
been a homeless child, having been found wandering along the railroad
tracks near Crumville. He was placed in the local poorhouse, and later
on bound out to a broken-down college professor named Caspar Potts, who
had taken to farming for his health.

Professor Potts could not make farming pay, and was in danger of being
sold out by Aaron Poole, the father of Nat Poole, already introduced,
when a most unexpected happening changed the whole current of events. In
the town lived Mr. Oliver Wadsworth, a rich manufacturer. He had a young
daughter named Jessie, and one day, when this miss was waiting for an
automobile ride, the gasoline tank of the machine took fire, and Jessie
was in danger of being burned to death when Dave rushed in and rescued
her.

"A boy who will do such a brave deed deserves to be assisted," said Mr.
Wadsworth, and he talked to the boy, and learned that Caspar Potts had
once been one of his own college professors. Arrangements were at once
made for the professor and Dave to move to the Wadsworth mansion, and
then Dave was sent to boarding school, as related in detail in my first
volume, entitled "Dave Porter at Oak Hall." With Dave went Ben Basswood,
his one chum in Crumville.

At the school Dave made a number of friends, including Roger Morr, who
was the son of a United States senator; Phil Lawrence, the offspring of
a wealthy shipowner; Sam Day, usually called Lazy, because of a habit he
had of taking his time, and others whom we shall meet in the near
future.

In those days, Dave's greatest trouble was the cloud over his parentage,
and when he got what he thought was a clew to his identity he promptly
followed it up by taking a trip far across the ocean, as related in
"Dave Porter in the South Seas." After some stirring happenings, on
ship-board and among the natives, he located his uncle, Dunston Porter,
and learned much concerning his father, David Breslow Porter, and his
sister Laura, then traveling in Europe.

After his trip to the South Sea islands, the lad returned to Oak Hall,
as related in the third volume, called "Dave Porter's Return to School."
Here he was warmly received by his many friends, and became more popular
than ever, much to the disgust of Link Merwell, Nick Jasniff, and also
Nat Poole, who had followed him to Oak Hall from Crumville.

"Dave Porter puts up a big front, but I'll take him down a peg or two,"
said Nick Jasniff, and he forced a fight with the Crumville lad. Much to
his surprise he was knocked down and badly whipped, and then, in a
sudden brutal rage, he snatched up an Indian club and might have
inflicted serious injury to Dave had not the latter seized him, while
others forced the weapon from his grasp. Then, in alarm, Jasniff ran
away from Oak Hall, and having gotten himself mixed up with some men who
were wanted for a robbery, he left the country.

During this term at the school Dave was anxiously awaiting to hear from
his father and his sister. Then came word, through Jasniff, who tried to
belittle Dave, that Mr. Porter and Laura were in Europe, and the youth
determined to go in search of them. Roger accompanied him, and what
befell the pair was related in detail in "Dave Porter in the Far North."
In England Dave ran across Nick Jasniff, and compelled the fellow to
tell what he knew of Mr. Porter, and then Dave followed his parent to
the upper part of Norway, where father and son at last met, under
conditions far out of the ordinary.

Laura Porter, not knowing anything of Dave's existence, had gone from
Europe to the ranch home of her friends, the Endicotts. She returned to
Crumville, to meet her long-lost brother, and then Dave again returned
to Oak Hall, as told of in "Dave Porter and His Classmates." Jasniff was
gone, but Link Merwell and Nat Poole remained, and both did what they
could to dim Dave's popularity. Link Merwell was particularly obnoxious,
and in the end Dave took matters in his own hands and gave the bully the
thrashing he richly deserved. Then some of the fellow's wrongdoings
reached the ears of the master of the school, and he was ordered to pack
his trunk and leave, which he did in a great rage.

"It is all Dave Porter's doings!" said Link Merwell, bitterly. "But
wait--I'll square up with him, see if I don't!"

Laura Porter and Belle Endicott were great friends, and through the
latter Laura and her brother received an invitation to visit the
Endicott ranch in the Far West, and this they did, as related in the
volume entitled "Dave Porter at Star Ranch." They took with them Jessie
Wadsworth and also Roger and Phil. On the way they met Nat Poole at
Niagara Falls, and Poole attempted to play a mean trick on Dave. But the
latter turned the tables on the money-lender's son, and the latter went
back home a wiser if not a better boy.

The Endicott ranch was located next to one owned by Link Merwell's
father, and, as was to be expected, it was not long before there was a
clash between Dave and his party on one side and Merwell and his
followers on the other. Link Merwell, as usual, did all in his power to
injure Dave, and make the outing for the others a failure, but he was
caught in his own trap, and it was proved that he had, to a certain
extent, aided some horse-thieves in their nefarious work. Mr. Merwell
had to pay Mr. Endicott for the animals that were missing, and, in order
to hush the matter up, he agreed to sell his ranch and move to some
other part of the country.

"Well, I hope that is the last of Link Merwell, so far as we are
concerned," said Roger at the time.

"We can do very well without such chaps as Merwell and Nick Jasniff,"
Dave had added, with a grim smile.

"Yes, and without such fellows as Nat Poole, too," Phil had put in.
"Although I must say I don't think Nat is as bad as Link and Nick."

"Nat is too much of a dude to be real bad," said Laura.

"Nat lacks backbone," explained Dave. "He usually does what the others
tell him to. But Jasniff and Merwell are both wicked fellows, and
Jasniff is brutal."

The home-coming from the ranch had been a gala occasion at the Wadsworth
mansion, and the young people had been warmly welcomed by Jessie's
parents and by Mr. Porter and Caspar Potts. Ben Basswood had come over
from his home to greet them, and he brought with him Sam Day, who was
paying him a visit.

"I suppose you are all going back to Oak Hall," remarked Sam to the
boys.

"Of course," answered Dave. "You are going back, aren't you?"

"Sure thing--and so are all of the others of our old crowd."

"We must make the best of what vacation is left before we get down to
the grind again," remarked the senator's son, and the next day the
matter was talked over, with the result that the automobile trip to
Shady Glen Falls was proposed and decided upon. All had started out in
the best of spirits, never dreaming of the trouble that was in store for
them.

"Dave, what are you going to do?" whispered Ben, as he, too, recognized
the crowd coming toward the racing car.

Before Dave could answer, Nat Poole strode forward with a sickly smile
on his face.

"Hello, there!" he cried, and nodded curtly to the girls. "Out for a
ride, I see."

"Nat, who was driving your car?" asked Dave, sharply.

"What business is that of yours, Dave Porter?" questioned the dudish
youth, quickly.

"You came pretty close to running us down. You were speeding altogether
too fast."

"Ho! ho! We scared you, did we?" returned Nat. "Sorry for the girls, I'm
sure," and his face took on a mean little grin.

"What are you finding fault about, Dave Porter?" demanded Pete Barnaby,
the owner of the racing car, coming closer. His nose was very red, and
his breath smelt strongly of liquor.

"I am finding fault with the way your car was run, if you want to know
it," answered Dave, stoutly.

"We are not asking you for advice."

"Perhaps not, but if you try any such trick again, Pete Barnaby, you may
get yourself into trouble."

"You were exceeding the speed limit," put in Roger.

"And you came close to running us down," added Ben.

"Oh, you boys are a timid bunch," grumbled the owner of the racing car.
"I didn't come within ten feet of touching you."

"Of course they are a timid crowd," said Nick Jasniff, loudly. "If they
had any sand they wouldn't say anything about it."

"You're a nice one to talk about 'sand,' after what Dave did to you at
the school gym.," was Phil's sarcastic comment.

"Look here, Phil Lawrence, I don't want any of your hot air!" cried Nick
Jasniff, in a sudden rage. "You keep your mouth shut."

"It's a wonder you didn't stay in Europe, Jasniff," said Dave. "I didn't
think you'd dare to come back to the United States."

"Say, you needn't----" began Jasniff, and then drew back, looking much
disturbed. "You--er--you needn't rake up old times. Those things are all
settled, and I've got as much right to be here as you have."

"Well, you won't come back to Oak Hall," said Sam.

"Don't want to come back. I'm going to a better school."

"And so am I," said Link Merwell, as if he was anxious to make the fact
known to his former schoolmates.

"I don't care where you go, so long as you don't bother us any more,"
rejoined Dave.

"Oh, you haven't seen the end of us yet, has he, Nick?" said Link
Merwell, appealing to his crony.

"Not much he hasn't," retorted Nick Jasniff.

"We are going to Rockville Military Academy," continued Link Merwell,
mentioning a school which, as my old readers know, was located not a
great distance from Oak Hall. In the past there had been many contests
between the students of the two seats of learning, and the rivalry was
very bitter.

"Rockville!" cried the senator's son. "I shouldn't think they'd want you
there."

"Say, you take that back, or I'll--I'll----" blustered Merwell, and then
stopped, not knowing how to proceed.

"Oh, say, come on, you fellows," broke in Nat Poole, who was growing
scared, thinking there might be a fight. "You can talk this over some
other time. Just remember what we started out to do. Hurry up, let's do
it," and he motioned his companions towards the racing car.

"I'm ready to go ahead," answered Pete Barnaby, climbing into the
driver's seat. "Come on, pile in, if you're going."

"I don't want Dave Porter and his crowd to think I am afraid of them,"
growled Link Merwell.

"We'll meet you after you get back to Oak Hall," sang out Nick Jasniff.
"And we'll settle old scores."

"Well, you look out that you don't get your fingers burnt trying to do
it!" retorted Dave. And then the racing car started off and was speedily
lost to view around a turn of the road.




CHAPTER III

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FALLS


"What horrid young fellows!" was Jessie's comment. She was trembling
from head to foot and her face was pale.

"Don't mind what they say," answered Dave, kindly. He thought a great
deal of the girl, and it distressed him greatly to see her so worried.

"I shouldn't think they'd want Jasniff and Merwell at Rockville," was
the comment of the senator's son. "Everybody in that town knows how
Jasniff was mixed up in that railroad station affair." He referred to a
robbery committed by some men, the particulars of which were recorded in
"Dave Porter's Return to School." Nick Jasniff had been in company with
the evil-doers, but his share in the transaction had been smoothed over
and hushed up by his family.

"Well, I heard that the military academy was rather hard up for pupils
this term," answered Sam. "About a dozen of the sophs and juniors left,
and the enrollment of freshmen was rather slim. I suppose on that
account the authorities can't be overly particular as to who they take
in."

"And of course Merwell and Jasniff had their sides of their stories to
tell," said Dave. "You can be sure they didn't tell matters as Doctor
Clay would have done."

"Or as we might have done--had we been asked," broke in Sam.

"Well, I hope you boys keep away from them when you get to school," said
Laura.

"What do you suppose they are up to now, Dave?" asked the shipowner's
son.

"I don't know, Phil; but from the look on Nat Poole's face I should
think----" And then Dave stopped short.

"What?"

"Well, never mind now. I may be wrong, and there is no use of worrying.
Come on, let us get to the Falls,--and try to forget that crowd." And so
speaking, Dave started up the touring car he was running, and followed
in the direction Pete Barnaby had taken, and Roger came after him.

The meeting at the tavern had disturbed all of the girls, and the boys
had hard work trying to cheer them up and make them forget the
unpleasant encounter. Everybody felt that there was "something in the
air," but each person hated to mention it to the others.

Presently Dave reached the point where they would have to take to a side
road that was deep with dust and hemmed in on both sides by rocks and
bushes. Here, in the dust, could plainly be seen the marks of another
automobile.

"Think they came this way, Dave?" questioned Sam.

"Yes,--although some other folks may be at the Falls on an outing."

"Oh, I hope we don't meet them again!" said Belle Endicott. The two
machines were running slowly and close together.

They passed on around a long curve, and over a small hill, and then came
in sight of the river, glistening in the sunshine between the trees.
From a distance came the roar of the Falls, where a fairly large body of
water rushed steadily over the rocks.

"Isn't it a shame that they are going to use the Falls for a mill!" said
one of the girls.

"Well, this is a commercial age, and so one must expect those things,"
answered Dave. "But I shall hate to see the Falls used for business.
They are so pretty."

There was another turn just ahead, and it was lucky for Dave that he was
running slowly, for there, across the road, were placed several logs and
dead limbs of trees. As it was, he ran directly on top of some of the
tree limbs before he could come to a stop, and Roger, so close behind,
had to turn into some bushes to avoid ramming the car in front.

"Well, of all things!" burst out Phil, while several of the girls
screamed in fright.

"Who did this?" demanded the senator's son.

"It is easy to see who did it," answered Dave. "See the sign?" And he
pointed to a big white card, tacked to a post propped up among the logs
and tree limbs. On the card was painted, in red, the following:

    THIS ROAD CLOSED

    _By Order of Aaron Poole
    Pres. Eureka Paper Co._

"This is some of Nat's work!" burst out Phil. "That is why he was in
such a hurry to get ahead of us."

"I believe you," answered Dave. "I was afraid he was up to some trick,
but I didn't want to say anything about it until I was sure."

"But if Nat is guilty, how did he know we were coming here?" asked
Roger.

"I guess I can explain that," said Ben. "I was talking to my cousin
about it, down at the drug store. Just as we were coming out, after
having some soda, I saw Nat behind one of the partitions. He must have
heard all we said, and I suppose it made him mad to think we were going
to have a good time, and that he wouldn't be in it."

"Exactly," returned Dave. "Just as he was mad when he wasn't invited to
the party, and tried to spoil the ice-cream."

"Do you suppose they have a right to close the road?" questioned Roger.

"I don't know. I always thought this was a public highway."

"So it is," added Ben. "The paper company bought the ground on one side
of the road but not on the other. I don't think they can stop us from
going through, even though they may stop us from going down to the
Falls."

"But if we can't go to the Falls, what is the use of keeping on this
road?" asked Laura.

"We can go above the Falls, Laura," answered her brother. "There is a
beautiful spot there called Lookout Point, where you can look out all
over the valley."

The matter was talked over for a few minutes, and the boys decided to go
ahead, to show that they considered that they had a right to use the
road, even if they did not go down to the Falls. The roadway was cleared
sufficiently to let the cars pass, and the power was turned on once
again.

"Be careful, Dave, that you don't run into more trouble!" sang out
Roger.

"I'll be on the lookout!" was the answer. "And you be prepared to stop
quick, too, so as not to run into me."

"I'll drop back to a place of safety," returned the senator's son.
"There is no use of keeping so close together, anyway."

The road wound in and out among the trees, and in some spots was so
narrow that the boys had to run with great care, for fear of bumping
into the stump of a tree or on the rocks, or switching into some
low-hanging branch. Dave had his foot on the brake, ready to stop
quickly, should it become necessary to do so.

"Hi, there! Stop! Don't you dare to come any further!"

The call was an unexpected one, coming just as the leading automobile
hove in sight of the Falls. Dave saw Nat Poole hurrying towards him,
followed by Merwell and Jasniff. Pete Barnaby was nowhere in sight, and
the marks on the narrow road told that his racing car had gone on ahead.

"What do you want, Nat?" asked Dave, as coolly as he could, having
brought his machine to a standstill.

"Can't you read, Dave Porter?" fumed the son of the Crumville
money-lender.

"Certainly I can read."

"Well, then, what are you doing on this road? You know it is closed. You
haven't any right on it at all--you or anybody else. You turn around and
go back, just as quick as you can."

"This is a public road, Nat Poole!" cried Ben. "You hadn't any right to
put up that sign."

"Humph! A lot you know about it, Ben Basswood! This is my father's land,
and I reckon he knows his rights. You are not going down to the Falls
to-day to have your picnic." And Nat's small eyes gleamed maliciously.

"We don't intend to go down to the Falls,--now that we know how matters
stand," said Dave. "But we are going through on this road."

"Not much you ain't--not another step!" roared Nat.

"That's right, Nat, make 'em keep off your property," put in Link
Merwell.

"Show 'em that you won't allow a poorhouse nobody to dictate to you,"
added Nick Jasniff, but in such a low voice that Dave did not catch all
he said.

"I said we were going through on this road--and we are," answered Dave,
calmly, and he started to turn on the power again. As he did this Nat
Poole leaped to the road directly in front of the touring car, and
Jasniff and Merwell followed suit.

"Stop! Don't you dare to touch me, or I'll have the law on you!"
screamed the money-lender's son.

"We'll fix 'em for you, Nat!" cried Nick Jasniff. "Come on, Link, get to
work!" And leaping to one side of the roadway he dragged forth the dead
limb of a tree and dropped it in front of the first car. Quick to
understand, Merwell followed with another dead limb, and then with some
stones.

"That's the stuff!" cried Nat Poole, his face brightening. "Pile it up,
fellows!" And he, too, ran for some sticks and stones, with which to
make the barrier in the narrow roadway more complete.

Had Dave elected so to do he might have gone ahead when first this work
was done by the enemy. But there was danger of injury both to the big
touring car and to those in the roadway, and he did not wish to take the
risk. Besides, there was no telling if Roger could get through, and he
would not leave the crowd in the second automobile in the lurch.

"Now, I reckon you'll have to turn back!" cried Nat Poole, in triumph,
after so much had been piled in the roadway that passing was totally out
of the question.

"Nat Poole, I believe you are the meanest boy in the whole world!" cried
Jessie, and there was a suspicion of tears in her eyes as she spoke.

"Humph! You people needn't think that you are going to have the best of
me all the time," growled Nat.

"We are not doing this against any of the young ladies," said Link
Merwell, with a smirk at Laura that made Dave's sister turn away in
disdain. "We are only doing it to square accounts with Dave Porter and
his cronies. We owe them a good deal,--and this is the first
installment."

"With a good deal more to follow!" added Nick Jasniff, with a wicked
chuckle.

"To the best of my knowledge and belief, this is a public highway," said
Dave, as calmly as he could. "You have no right to block the road, and I
want you to clear that stuff away just as fast as you put it there."

"Hear him talk!" cried Link Merwell. "You'd think he was Governor of the
State, wouldn't you?"

"Don't you mind what he says, Nat," said Jasniff. "If they start to take
the stuff away we'll put it back." And then, looking around, he picked
up a heavy stick which might be used for a club. He was spoiling for a
fight, and only the presence of the girls, and the fact that he and his
cohorts were but three against five, kept him from attacking Dave.

"Oh, Dave, what shall we do?" whispered Jessie. She was becoming more
frightened every minute.

"I don't see how we are going to turn around," said one of the other
girls. "The trees are too close to the sides of the road."

"We are not going to turn around," answered Dave, and his face took on
a stern look. He turned to his chums. "How about it?"

"I'll fight them before I turn back!" answered Roger.

"So will I," added Phil. "I don't believe they have any more right to
this road than we have."

"Oh, you mustn't fight," cried Laura.

"Do you want to let that crowd crow over us, Laura?" asked Dave, flatly.

"No, no, Dave! But--but----" And then Laura stopped short, not knowing
what to say. She did not wish to see an encounter, nor did she wish her
brother and his chums to give in to those who were so unjustly opposing
them.




CHAPTER IV

AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL


"This is the time we get the best of Dave Porter!" whispered Link
Merwell to his cronies. "I guess we have spoiled their picnic."

"I--I--don't think th--they'll fight," faltered Nat, as Dave leaped to
the ground, followed by his chums.

"Better arm yourselves with clubs," suggested Nick Jasniff. "Remember,
we are only three to five."

"Maybe we had better--er--go away," returned the money-lender's son,
hesitatingly.

"No, I am going to see the thing out," answered Jasniff.

"So am I," added Merwell. "Don't go, Nat--they won't dare to fight--with
the girls looking on."

"Whoa, there! Whoa!" came a cry from behind the two touring cars, and
looking back the boys and girls saw a man drive up on a buckboard drawn
by a spirited horse.

"Why, if it isn't Jed Sully!" cried Ben.

"Who is he?" questioned Sam.

"Sort of a roadmaster in these parts. I suppose he is going around,
inspecting the roads and bridges."

"Then he ought to be able to tell us about this road!" put in Phil,
quickly.

"Hello! What's the meaning of this?" demanded Jed Sully, after
alighting. And he strode forward and confronted the boys.

"How are you, Mr. Sully?" said Dave, for he had met the roadmaster
before.

"Oh, so it's you, Dave! Blocked up, eh?" And the roadmaster looked first
at Dave and his chums and then at those standing on the other side of
the barrier. "Who did this?"

"They did," answered Roger, and pointed to the other crowd.

"What for?" And the roadmaster's voice grew a bit hard.

"Nat Poole, there, claims that his father has a right to close this
road," explained Dave. "He put up a barrier some distance back, but we
passed it. Now he and his friends have put up this."

"And we want to know if they have a right to do it," added Ben. "I had
an idea the new paper company bought only one side of the road."

"So it did," answered Jed Sully. "And even if it bought both sides it
couldn't close off this road, which is a public highway." He turned to
Nat. "Are you Aaron Poole's son?"

"Ye-as," faltered the youth addressed, and he commenced to look worried.

"Did your father give you orders to close off this road?"

"Why--er--he--that is," stammered Nat. "What business is it of yours,
anyway?" he cried.

"It is a good deal of my business," responded Jed Sully, warmly. "I am
the roadmaster for this district, and I won't allow you or anybody else
to close off this road, or any other, without special permission. You
had no right to put those logs across the road away back, and put up
that sign, and I want you to take 'em away as soon as you can."

"Well, my father bought this land, and----"

"No, he didn't buy it; the paper company bought it," corrected Jed
Sully. "But that gave 'em no right to close the road. You take that
stuff out of the way, and at once, or I'll have you locked up." And
walking around the barrier he caught Nat by the arm.

"Let go--don't you touch me!" screamed the money-lender's son, trying to
jerk away.

"You let my friend alone," broke in Nick Jasniff, and made a motion as
if to use his club.

"Here, none of that--or I'll have you all in the lock-up in jig time,"
said the roadmaster, so sternly that Jasniff allowed the club to drop to
his side. He turned again to Dave and his friends. "Did you see these
chaps put this stuff here?"

"Yes," replied the others.

"Then get to work and clear it away instantly, or I'll lock you all up,
and these fellows can testify against you," continued the roadmaster, to
Nat and his cronies.

"Good! that's the way to talk to 'em!" cried Roger, in a low voice.

"I guess Nat didn't expect to meet the roadmaster," returned Sam.

The money-lender's son and his cronies tried to argue the matter, but
Jed Sully would not listen to them. He knew Aaron Poole, and had no love
for the man who had on more than one occasion foreclosed a mortgage, and
driven people out of house and home.

"I'll give you ten minutes to clear the road," he said, taking out a big
silver watch. "If it ain't cleared by that time I'll take you over to
Lumberdale and lock you up."

"I won't touch a stick!" cried Jasniff, defiantly.

"Nor I," added Merwell.

"Oh, but--er--I don't want to be locked up!" whined Nat.

"You said your dad had a right to the road," said Jasniff, in disgust.

"I thought he did have, but--er--I guess I was mistaken. Oh, come on and
help me!" pleaded Nat, and set to work without further delay, to clear
the road.

Jasniff and Merwell were very angry, but they did not care to let their
crony do all the work, and they were a bit afraid of Jed Sully, so
presently they took hold and aided the money-lender's son in clearing
the highway.

"As soon as you've finished here you'll come back with me and clear the
other spot," said the roadmaster. "And you can tear up that sign, for it
is no good."

"I'm going to put it up near the Falls," answered Nat. "Nobody can come
down there any more."

"Then you'd better put up a fence to keep 'em out," was the roadmaster's
comment.

"You don't want us to come back with you, do you?" asked Dave, in a
whisper. "We are off for a picnic and it is getting late."

"No, you can go on if you want to," answered Jed Sully. "I can manage
them, I reckon. If they give me any trouble I'll put 'em in the lock-up
and get you to testify to what they did on the road."

"Oh, Dave, let us go on!" cried Jessie. "I don't want to stay here
another minute."

The others were all anxious to depart, and as soon as the road was
entirely clear the two touring cars were started up.

"Hope you have a nice time clearing away that other stuff," remarked
Phil to Nat Poole and his cronies, as the machine passed on.

"Don't you crow,--we are not done with you yet!" shouted Merwell, and
Jasniff shook his fist at the departing cars. Nat Poole felt so
humiliated he turned his gaze in another direction.

"It was a lucky thing that that roadmaster came along when he did,"
remarked Sam, when the scene of the encounter had been left behind. "If
he hadn't showed up I don't know what we should have done."

"Maybe we would have had a fight," returned Ben.

"Oh, I am glad it didn't come to that!" cried Jessie, and her face
showed her relief.

"Wonder what became of the racing car and Pete Barnaby?" questioned the
shipowner's son.

"Perhaps Barnaby went ahead to make more trouble for us!" said Dave. "We
had better be on our guard," he called to Roger.

"I'll follow you at a safe distance, as I did before," answered the
senator's son.

The Falls were passed, and then they commenced to ascend a long hill,
leading to Lookout Point. Just before the spot was reached they took to
another side road, and were glad to see that no other automobile had
passed that way.

"We'll have the Lookout all to ourselves," said Dave. "And that is just
what we want."

"Maybe I'm not getting hungry!" cried Phil. "I really believe I could
choke down a chicken sandwich, if I was forced to do it!"

"'Forced' is good!" answered Dave. "Girls, be sure to keep the hamper
away from Phil, or he won't leave enough behind to feed a canary," and
this remark brought forth the first laugh since the trouble on the road.

They drove as close to Lookout Point as the road allowed, and then
placed the two cars in a safe place under the trees.

"We must keep our eyes open," whispered Dave to the other boys. "That
other crowd may sneak up and try to damage the machines, so as to make
us walk from here."

"We'll watch out," answered Roger; and the others said the same.

While the boys started a campfire over which to boil some coffee, and
obtained a bucket of fresh drinking water from a nearby spring, the
girls spread a tablecloth over some flat rocks and set around the dishes
and the things to eat. There was more than enough of everything to go
around, and it was particularly appetizing after that long ride in the
fresh air.

"I tell you, this is something like," cried Dave, munching on a sandwich
and a stalk of celery. "I shouldn't mind having a picnic like this once
a week regularly."

"Make it twice a week," returned Roger, who was eating a sandwich from
one hand and a hard-boiled egg from the other.

"Who'll have some coffee?" cried Phil, coming up with a pot of the
steaming beverage. "I've got to strain it through the corner of a
napkin, but I guess that won't hurt it."

"Napkin, indeed!" cried Jessie. "There is a strainer in the spout."

"Oh, is there? I didn't look in to see. Well, here goes! Coffee! Ten
cents a cup, or two cups for a nickel! Good for the complexion and
warranted to cure the blues!" cried the shipowner's son gayly, and swung
the pot around over his head.

"Hi! Look out there!" roared Sam, clapping his hand to his ear. "I like
coffee, but I don't drink it that way!" And he wiped off a few drops
that had reached him.

"Phil is fined one horseshoe nail for spilling the coffee," cried Dave.

"Don't nail me so soon!" answered the shipowner's son gayly.

"Shoo! Just to hear that!" murmured Roger.

"I'm too hoarse to answer to that!" said Ben.

"Say, do you know why a lawyer likes to drink coffee?" asked Sam.

"Why?" asked the girls, in a chorus.

"Because there is always a fee in it for him," was the answer. And then
the joker had to dodge an olive and a pickle that Dave and Phil hurled
at him, while all the girls giggled.

An hour was spent over the lunch, the boys doing their best to entertain
the girls and succeeding admirably. Of course a good many of the things
that were said were silly, but everybody was in good humor and out for a
good time, so what did it matter? In their high spirits they forgot all
about the unfortunate occurrence of the morning.

After the lunch the boys helped the girls clean up and put away what was
left, and then all strolled about, first to the edge of the Lookout, to
view the scenery, and then to the woods and the brook beyond. Dave
naturally paired off with Jessie, while Roger went with Laura, and Phil
with Belle.

"Well, it won't be long now before I'll be off again for Oak Hall," said
Dave, as he and Jessie stood where the brook tumbled over a series of
rocks, making a murmur pleasant to hear.

"Yes, Dave, and I--I shall be sorry to have you go," said Jessie,
looking him full in the eyes.

"You'll write to me often, won't you, Jessie?" he asked, in a lower
voice.

"I'll answer every letter you send, Dave," and now she cast down her
eyes for a moment. "I always do."

"I know it--and you can't imagine how much I treasure those letters," he
went on.

"Well, I--I think a lot of your letters, too," she whispered.

"Then you want me to write very often?"

"Yes."

"All right, I will. And, Jessie----" continued Dave, but just then a
shout from Sam interrupted him.




CHAPTER V

THE BOYS AND A BULL


"Wonder what Sam wants?" said Dave, as the shouting continued. "I guess
I'll have to go and see."

He ran over the rocks in the direction of the cries, and soon came in
sight of his chum.

"Hurry up!" cried Sam. "I want you!"

"What is it, Sam?" questioned Dave.

"We are going to have trouble."

"What, have Jasniff and those others come here?"

"No, but maybe it's just as bad, Dave. Just look toward the autos."

Dave did as requested, and his face became a study. He was half inclined
to laugh, yet, having been brought up in the country, he well knew the
seriousness of the situation.

The two automobiles stood side by side, about three yards apart. Between
them was a big and angry-looking bull, tramping the ground and snorting
viciously. The bull had a chain around his neck, and to the end of this
was a small-sized tree stump, which the animal had evidently pulled
from the ground in his endeavor to get away from his pasture. The tree
stump had become entangled in the wheel of one of the automobiles, and
the bull was giving vicious jerks, first one way and then another,
causing the machine to "slew around" in an alarming fashion.

"Sam, we'll have to get him out of there!" cried Dave. "If we don't he
may break that wheel--or do worse."

"I'm afraid he'll run off with the car!" gasped Sam. He was almost out
of breath from running and calling.

By this time the others were coming up. At the sight of the savage bull
several of the girls commenced to scream.

"Oh, we'll be killed!"

"Can't somebody drive him away!"

"Look! look! He is dragging one machine into the other!"

"You girls had better keep back," warned Dave. "If he breaks loose he
may come for you."

"Oh, Dave, do be careful!" cried Jessie.

"Yes, yes, don't go too close," added his sister.

"What do you suppose we can do?" questioned the senator's son, as the
boys gathered in a group at a little distance, and the girls got behind
them.

"If I had a hooked pole I'd soon fix him," answered Dave.

"How?" asked Phil, who knew little or nothing about bulls.

"See that ring in his nose? I'd hook him in that and then keep him at
the end of the pole. That always brings 'em to terms."

"But we haven't got any hook," said Ben. "We might make one, though," he
added.

A small hatchet had been brought along--with which to chop firewood--and
securing this the boys quickly cut two slender but strong saplings, and
trimmed them of their branches.

"There is a hook in our car," said Jessie. "If you could only get that!"

"Don't you try it," said Ben. "I've known a bull to leap into a wagon,
and this one might leap right into the auto and wreck everything--and
hurt you in the bargain."

"I'll use a tree root for a hook," said Dave, and quickly found what he
wanted, and bound it fast to one of the poles by means of a fishing line
he happened to be carrying.

"Now, Ben, you stand by to prod him, if he gets too rambunctious," went
on Dave, as he handed the second pole to his chum.

"All right," answered Ben. He, too, had been brought up on a farm, and
knew a little about bulls.

The animal had quieted down for a moment, and was grazing on some grass
between the automobiles. But, as the lads approached, he raised his
head, pawed with his hoof, and gave a vicious snort.