"Ricks, that is pretty bad news from Middletown, isn't it?" he
observed.

"Bad news?  What do you mean?" demanded the station master, as he
threw some more waste paper on the fire, which he had just lit.

"About that dynamite being stolen by train wreckers.  They think
some of the explosive was brought up here."

"Didn't hear of it."

"Dynamite is pretty bad stuff to have around, so I've heard."

"Awful!  Awful!  I never want to see any of it," answered Ricks,
with a decided shake of his head.

"If it goes off it's apt to blow everything to splinters," went on
Dick.

"That's so--I don't want any of it," and the old man began to
gather up more waste paper for his fire.  Watching his chance,
Tom threw one of the firecrackers into the blaze and then
rejoined his brothers.

With a handful of paper Ricks again approached the blaze.  He was
standing almost over it when the firecracker went off, making a
tremendous report and scattering the light blazing paper in all
directions.

"Help!  I'm killed!" yelled old Ricks, as he fell upon his back.
"Get me away from here!  There's dynamite in this fire!"  And he
rolled over, leapt to his feet, and ran off like a madman.

"Don't be alarmed--it was only a firecracker," called out Tom,
loud enough for all standing around to hear, and then he ran for
the train, which had just come in.  Soon he and his brothers were
on board and off, leaving poor Ricks to be heartily laughed at by
those who had observed his sudden terror.  It was many a day
before the cranky station master heard the last of his dynamite.

The boys were to ride from Oak Run to Ithaca, and there take a
small steamer which ran from that city to the head of the lake,
stopping at Cedarville, the nearest village to Putnam Hall.  At
Cedarville one of the Hall conveyances was to meet them, to
transfer both them and their baggage to the institution.

The run to Ithaca proved uneventful although the boys did not tire
of looking out of the window at the beautiful panorama rushing
past them.  At noon they had lunch in the dining car, a spread
that Sam declared was about as good as a regular dinner.  Three
o'clock in the afternoon found them at the steamboat landing,
waiting for the Golden Star to take them up to Cedarville.

"Fred Garrison, by all that's lucky!" burst out Tom suddenly, as
he rushed up to a youth of about his own age who sat on a trunk
eating an apple.

"Tom Rover!  Where are you bound?"

"To a boarding school called Putnam Hall."

"You don't say!  Why, I am going there myself," and now Fred
Garrison nearly wrung off Tom's hand.

"If this isn't the most glorious news yet!" burst in Dick.  "Why,
Larry Colby is going too!"

"I know it.  But he won't come until tomorrow."

"And Frank Harrington is going too."

"He is there, already--he wrote about it day before yesterday.
That makes six of us New York, boys."

"The metropolitan sextet," chirped in Sam.

"Boys, we ought to form a league to stand by each other through
thick or thin."

"I'm with you on that," answered Fred.  "As we are all newcomers,
it's likely the old scholars will want to haze us, or, something
like that."

"Just let them try it on!" cried Tom.  "Yes, we must stick
together by all means." And the compact, so far as it concerned
the Rover boys and Fred Garrison, was made on the spot.  Later on
Larry Colby and Frank Harrington joined them gladly.

It was not long before the Golden Star, a stanch little side-wheeler,
steamed up to the dock, and the waiting crowd rushed on board and
secured favorable places on deck. The baggage followed, and soon they
were off, with a whistle which awoke the echoes of Cayuga Lake for
miles around.

While waiting on the dock Dick had noticed three girls standing
near them.  They were evidently from the rural district, but
pretty and well dressed.  The boys took seats near the bow of the
boat, on the upper deck, and presently the girls sat down not far
away.

"He was awfully bold, Clara; I want nothing to do with him," Dick
heard the prettiest of the girls say.  "He had no right to speak
to us."

"He had dropped his handkerchief, and he pretended I was stepping
on it," said another of the three.  "Oh, here he comes now!" she
went on as a youth of seventeen came into view.  He was large and
bold-looking, and it was easy to see that there was a good deal of
the bully about him.  He was smoking a cigarette, but on seeing
the girls he threw the paper roll away.

"How do you do again?" he said, as he came up and tipped his hat.

At this all of the girls looked angry, and not one returned his
salutation.  But, undaunted by this, the newcomer caught up a camp
stool and planked himself down almost directly between the
prettiest of the three and her companions.

"Splendid day for the trip," he went on.

"Won't you have some confectionery?" and he hauled from his pocket
a box of cream chocolates and held them out.

"Thank you, but we don't wish any," said the youngest of the
girls.

"Won't you have some?" asked the unknown of the eldest girl.

"I don't want any, and I told you before not to speak to me!" she
said in a low voice, and the tears almost came into her eyes.

"I ain't going to hurt you," grumbled the young fellow.  "Can't a
fellow be pleasant like?"

"I do not know you, sir."

"Oh, that's all right.   My name is Daniel Baxter.  Sorry I
haven't a card, or I would give you one," was the smooth
rejoinder.

"I do not wish your card," was the answer delivered in the most
positive of tones.

"Oh, all right.  Yes, it's a splendid trip," said the fellow, and
drew his camp chair even closer.  The girls wished to edge away,
but there was no room in the narrow bow.  The eldest girl looked
around as if for help.  Her eyes met those of Dick, and she
blushed.

"Say, that fellow is a regular pill," whispered Tom to his elder
brother.

"Somebody ought to take him by the collar and pitch him
overboard."

"You are right, Tom," answered Dick, and then as the bully
attempted to crowd still closer to the girls he suddenly arose,
took a few steps forward, and caught Dan Baxter by the arm.

"You get out of here and be quick about it," he said in low but
firm tones.

The fellow started, and for the instant his face changed color.
But then he saw that Dick was but a boy, younger and smaller than
himself, and his bullying manner returned.  "Who are you talking
to?" he demanded.

"I am talking to you.  I told you to get out--and be quick about
it."

"Oh," cried the eldest girl, but her face took on a look of relief,
for she saw that Dick was a thoroughly gentlemanly youth.

"Who are you anyway?" blustered Dan Baxter.

"My name is Dick Rover, if you want, to know."  Dick turned to the
girls.  "He was annoying you, wasn't he?"

"Very much," answered the three promptly.

"Then you'll get out, Daniel Baxter."

"Supposing I refuse?"

"If you refuse, I'll pitch you out, and make a complaint to the
police at our first stopping place."

"You talk big!" sneered the bully, but he was much disconcerted.

"Don't you talk back to my brother," put in Tom, who had come up.
"You think you're a regular masher, as they call such silly
fellows, but I don't think your game is going to work here."

"That's it," chimed in Sam.

"Humph! three of you, eh?" muttered the bully.  "We'll see about
this some other time," and leaving his camp chair he made for the
cabin and disappeared, from view.

"He's a bad egg," was Tom's comment, but how thoroughly bad the
Rover boys were still to learn.




CHAPTER VI

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES


"I must thank you for ridding us of that fellow," said one of the
girls.  "He has annoyed us several times."

"It was a pleasure to assist you," answered Dick, with the
politeness of a dancing master, and tipped his hat; and his
brothers and Fred Garrison did the same.

After this there seemed nothing to do but to be introduced, and
Dick did this for the boys, while the eldest girl acted for
herself and her companions.

"My name is Dora Stanhope," she said.  "These are my cousins
Nellie and Grace Laning. We live at Cedarville."

"Just the place we are going to!" cried Tom.  "We are bound for
Putnam Hall.  I suppose you know the place?"

"We do--very well," answered Dora Stanhope.  "It is less than
quarter of a mile away from our farm."

"And it is quite near to our place too," added Nellie Laning.

"Then perhaps we'll see more of each other," remarked Fred
Garrison.

"Perhaps; but isn't Captain Putnam rather strict about letting you
boys out?" questioned, Dora.

"We don't know yet--we are newcomers."

"Newcomers!" cried Nellie.  "Then you don't know that fellow who
was just here?"

"No.  Does he belong at Putnam Hall?"

"Yes.  I know nothing of him, however, further than that I have
seen him several times on the Hall road."

Dick gave a low whistle.

"Perhaps we've put our foot in it," remarked Sam in a low tone to
him.

"Never mind; we did what was right," answered Dick.  "No fellow is
justified in acting as Dan Baxter did."

"That's right."

"Tell us something about Putnam Hall, won't you?" said Fred
Garrison, after a pause.

At this the three girls laughed.

"What should we know about that place?" asked Dora.  "We have
never been inside, excepting at one Christmas entertainment."

"But you must see some of the fellows occasionally."

"Not often," said Grace Laning.  "Captain Putnam does not allow
his pupils to leave the grounds excepting on special occasions.
But papa caught three of the pupils in our strawberry patch once."

"He did?  And what happened to the fellows?" put in Tom with deep
interest.

"Father made them pick twelve quarts of berries for him for
nothing, and didn't let them eat a single one."

"Great Caesar! What a fine fellow your dad--I mean your father--must
be."

"Of course he is fine.  The boys had no right to attempt stealing
the berries.  My father would have given them some for the
asking."

"But they wouldn't have been half as sweet as if they were hooked
on the sly," said Tom wisely, and everybody laughed.

"You boys ought to have fine times at Putnam Hall," went on Dora
to Dick.  "I sometimes see the soldier boys marching; and once,
last summer, I visited their encampment."

"We are looking forward to a good time,"' was the answer.  "And I
trust we see you again," went on Dick; and Dora blushed prettily.

The Golden Star was now approaching a little landing known as
Hopedale, and all left their chairs to see the village, and people
getting on and off.  It was an engaging scene, and the did not
return to the bow of the boat until ten minutes  later, after
taking a walk completely around the steamer's deck.

In the bow a surprise awaited them.  During their absence Dan
Baxter had appropriated four of their camp chairs and was
stretched out on them as if in sleep.

"Oh, what a cheek!" cried Tom.

"Let us haul him off," suggested Sam.

"All right, come ahead," put in Fred.

"Oh, please don't have another row with him!" cried Dora in alarm.
"Let him keep the seats.  We can go somewhere else."

"All right, let the pig sleep," said Dick.

He felt tolerably certain that Dan Baxter was awake and heard him,
but the bully made no sign.

The party walked away, and the bully sneered softly to himself.

"They didn't dare to tackle me," was what he thought in his
conceit.  "I'd like to meet 'em one by one alone. I'd show each a
trick or two."

At last Cedarville was reached and the little steamer tied up at
the dock, and the boys and girls went ashore.  Just before
leaving, Dick took a look at Dan Baxter and saw that he was now
sleeping in earnest.

"I won't wake him," he thought.  "If he is carried to the head of
the lake, it will only serve him right."

Once on the dock, he and Fred hurried off to see about the baggage,
and while they were gone a well-dressed and pleasant-looking farmer
came up and kissed each of the girls. It was Mr. Laning.

"I hope you had a nice visit to Cousin May's," he said.  "Come,
the carriage is waiting out in the street."

And he hurried the girls away before they had hardly time to say
good-by.

"Nice girls," remarked Tom.

"Yes, indeed," answered Sam.  "Hope we see them again."

"We won't have much of a chance if what they say about Putnam Hall
is true, Sam.  Evidently Captain Putnam believes in keeping his
pupils well in hand."

"Well, Uncle Randolph believes we ought to be taken well in
hand."

Dick and Fred returned presently, bringing with them a tall, lean
man of apparently fifty.

"Boys," cried Fred, "let me introduce you to Mr. Peleg
Snugsomebody, general utility man at Putnam Hall."

"Peleg Snuggers, please," said the man meekly.  "Excuse me, but I
was sent to bring you to the Hall."

"Do we walk?" demanded Tom.

"No, sir; the carryall is out on the street, and my boy Pete has
the wagon for your trunks."

"The trunks are already in the wagon," said Dick.  "Come ahead."

"How many of you, please?" went on Peleg Snuggers.

"There is only one of me, thank you," answered Tom meekly.

"Don't joke me so early in the term, please," said the utility man
pleadingly.  "Goodness knows, I'll get more than my share between
now and Christmas.  I mean, how many it the party?"

"Five of us, Mr. Sluggrub."

"Snuggers, please; Peleg Snuggers--an easy name to remember when
you get the swing of it, sir."

"To be sure, Smullers.  Yes, there are exactly five of us," and
Tom winked at his companions.

"That's all right; the captain said to bring five.  Where is the
other?"

"What other?"

"The other boy. I see only four of you."

"You asked me how many there were in the party, Mr. Snugbug."

"Yes, sir; and you said five."

"Four of us, and only one of you.  Isn't that five--or do they
have a different kind of arithmetic at Putnam Hall from what I
have been studying?"

"Please don't joke, Master Rover, please don't. I was to bring five
boys." The utility man drew a slip of paper from his pocket. "Four new
boys--Richard, Samuel, and Thomas Rover and--Frederick Garrison--and
Corporal Daniel Baxter."

"Gracious, the bully is a corporal at the Hall!" came from Sam in
so low a tone that Snuggers did not catch it.

"The corporal isn't present," said Fred, gazing around absently.

"So he isn't.  Must have missed the boat.  Come along, please,"
and Peleg Snuggers led the way to where a large and extra-heavy
carryall stood.  A splendid team of iron-grays was attached to the
carriage; and Dick, who loved good horseflesh, could not help but
admire the animals.

"Oh, they are fine, Master Richard," said Snuggers.  "Nothing
finer on the lake shore.  Captain Putnam's one recreation is to
drive behind a fast team."

"Is it?  I wish he would take me out with him some time."

"Always drives alone.  Reckon it kind of quiets him, after a noisy
time with the boy."

"I suppose."

They were soon on the way, which led out of Cedarville and over a
hill fronting the lake.

"By the way, do you know where the farms belonging to Mr. Stanhope
and to Mr. Laning are located?" asked Tom, when they were well out
of the village.

"Mr. Stanhope, sir?  There isn't any Mr. Stanhope.  He died two
years ago.  That place you see away over yonder is Mrs. Stanhope's
farm."

"She has a daughter Dora?"

"Yes," Peleg Snuggers paused for a moment.  "They say the widder
thinks of marrying again."

"Is that so!" put in Dick, and then he wondered if Dora would be
pleased with  her stepfather.  "So that is the place?"

"Yes, sir; two hundred and fifty acres, and the fittest dairy in
these parts.  If the widder marries again, her husband will fall
into a very good thing.  The dairy company at Ithaca once offered
fifty thousand dollars for the cattle and land."

"Gracious!" came from Tom.  "We've been chumming with an heiress.
Are the Lanings rich, too?"

"Very well to do.  That is their place, that side road.  Here is
where we turn off to get to the Hall.  Captain Putnam had this
road made when the Hall was first built."

The road was one of cracked stone, as smooth as a huge iron roller
could make it.  They bowled along at a rapid rate, under the wide
spreading branches of two rows of stately maples.  They were close
to the lake, and occasional glimpses of water could be caught
through the tree branches.

"It is certainly a splendid locality for a boarding academy," was
Dick's comment.  "My, what pure air--enough to make a sick boy
strong!  Do you have much sickness at the Hall?"

"Very little, sir.  The captain does not let a cast of sickness
stand, but calls in Dr. Fremley at once."

"That is where he is level-headed," said Fred.  "My father said I
was to call for a doctor the minute I felt at all sick."

They were now approaching Putnam Hall, but there was still another
turn to make.  As they swept around this, they came upon a tramp,
half asleep under a tree.  The tramp roused up at the sounds of
carriage wheels and looked first at the driver of the carryall and
then at the four boys.

"Phew!" he ejaculated, and lost no time in diving out of sight
into some brush back of the row of maples.

"Hullo, who was that?" cried Sam.

"A tramp, I reckon," answered the utility man.  "We are bothered a
good deal with them."

"Begging at the Hall for the left-overs?"

"Exactly.  The captain is too kind-hearted.  He ought to drive 'em
all away," answered Peleg Snuggers; and then the carryall passed
on.

When it was gone, and the wagon with the trunks had followed, the
tramp came out of the brush and gazed after both turnouts.  "Say,
Buddy Girk, but dat was a narrow escape," he muttered to himself.
"Wot brought dem young gents to dis neighborhood?  It can't be
possible da have tracked me--an' so quick."  He hesitated.  "I
t'ink I had better give dis neighborhood de go-by," and he dove
into the brush again.  He was the rascal who had stolen Dick's
timepiece.




CHAPTER VII

TOM GETS INTO TROUBLE


Putnam Hall was a fine building of brick and stone, standing in
the center of a beautiful parade ground of nearly ten acres.  In
front of the parade ground was the wagon road, and beyond was a
gentle slope leading down to the lake.  To the left of the
building was a playground hedged in by cedars, at one corner of
which stood a two-story frame building used as a gymnasium.  To
the right was a woods, while in the rear were a storehouse, a
stable, and several other outbuildings, backed up by some farm
lands, cultivated for the sole benefit of the institution, so that
the pupils were served in season with the freshest of fruits and
vegetables.

The Hall was built in the form of the letter F, the upright line
forming the front of the building and the other lines representing
wings in the rear.  There were three entrances--one for the
teachers and senior class in the center, one for the middle
classes on the right, and another for the youngest pupils on the
left.  There were, of course, several doors in the rear in
addition.

The entire ground floor of the Hall was given over to class and
drill rooms.  The second floor was occupied by Captain Putnam and
his staff of assistants and the pupils as living and sleeping
apartments, while the top floor was used by the servants, although
there were also several dormitories there, used by young boys, who
came under the care of Mrs. Green, the housekeeper.

Captain Victor Putnam was a bachelor.  A West Point graduate, he
had seen gallant service in the West, where he had aided the
daring General Custer during many an Indian uprising.  A fall from
a horse, during a campaign in the Black Hills, had laid him on a
long bed of sickness, and had later on caused him to retire from
the army and go back to his old profession of school teaching.  He
might have had a position at West Point as an instructor, but he
had preferred to run his own military academy.

"Hurrah, here we are at last!" cried Fred Garrison, as the
carryall swept into view of the Hall.  "I see twenty or thirty of
the students, and all togged out in soldier clothes!"

"I suppose we'll be wearing suits soon,", answered Tom.  "By
George!  I'm going to give them a salute."

(For the doings of the Putnam Hall students previous to the
arrival at that institution of the Rover boys see "The Putnam Hall
Series," the first volume of which is entitled, "The Putnam Hall
Cadets."--Publishers)

"How?" asked Sam.

"Never mind.  Just wait and see."

In a minute more they swept up to the gateway leading to the
parade ground.  Some of the pupils had seen the carriage coming,
and they ran down to learn if any old friends had arrived.

"Hullo!" yelled several.

"Hullo yourself!" came in return, and then Tom drew out the
firecracker still in his pocket and lit it on the sly.  Just as it
was about to explode he threw it up into the air.

Bang!  The report was loud and clear, and everybody within hearing
rushed to the spot to see what it meant.  There were forty or
fifty pupils and two assistant teachers, but Captain Putnam had
gone out.

"Hi!  Hi!  What does this mean?" came in a high-pitched voice, and
Josiah Crabtree, the first assistant, rushed up to the carryall.
"What was that exploded?"

"A big firecracker, sir," answered Peleg Snuggers.

"And who exploded it?"

Before the utility man could answer there came a cry from the
parade ground:
"Don't peach, Peleg, don't peach!"

"Silence, boys!" burst from Josiah Crabtree wrathfully.  "Such a
disturbance is against the rules of this institution."

"We didn't fire the cracker," piped up a tall, slim boy.  "It came
from the carriage."

"Mumps, you're nothing but a sneak and tattle-tale," was the reply
to this, from several older cadets; and, afraid of having his ears
boxed on the sly, John Fenwick, nicknamed Mumps by everybody in
the Hall, ran off.

"Which of you fired the cracker?" demanded Josiah Crabtree,
advancing to the carriage step.

There was no reply, and he turned to the driver.

"Snuggers, what have you to say?"

"I can't say anything, sir.  I was taking care of the horses,
sir," answered the hired man meekly.

"I will find out who fired the cracker before I have finished with
you," growled the head assistant.  "Get down and march into the
Hall."

"Gracious, what have we struck now?" whispered Fred to Dick.

"Is this Captain Putnam?" asked Dick, without answering his chum.

"No, young man; I am Josiah Crabtree, A. M., Captain Putnam's
first assistant.  And you are--"  He paused.

"I am Dick Rover, sir.  These are my brothers, Tom and Sam."

"And I am Fred Garrison," finished that youth.

"Very good.  I hope, Richard, that you were not guilty of firing
that cracker?"

"Was there any great harm in giving a... a salute upon our
arrival?"

"Such a thing is against the rules of the institution.  Article 29
says, 'No pupil shall use any firearms or explosive at any time
excepting upon special permission'."

"We are not pupils yet, Mr. Crabtree."

"That argument will not pass, sir.  So you fired the cracker?
Very well.  Mr. Strong!"

The second assistant came up. He was a man of not over twenty-five,
and his face was mild and pleasant.

"What is it, Mr. Crabtree."

"You will take charge of the other new pupils, while I take charge
of the one who has broken our rules on his very arrival."

"Hold on!" cried Tom.  "What are you going to do with my brother?"

"That is... none of your business, Master Rover.  You will go with
Mr. Strong."

"He didn't fire the cracker.  I did that!  And I'm not ashamed of
it.  I wasn't a pupil when I did it, and I'm not a pupil now, so I
can't see how you can punish me for breaking one of your rules."

At this there came a titter from the cadets gathered around.
Hardly any of them liked Josiah Crabtree, who was dictatorial
beyond all reason.  The head assistant flushed up.

"You are a pupil here, and I will show you that you cannot break
our rules with impunity, and be impudent to me in the bargain!"
cried Crabtree.  "Come with me!"  And he caught Tom by the arm,
while Dick and the others were led off in another direction.

"Surely, this is a fine beginning," thought Tom as he walked
along.  He was half inclined to break away, but concluded to await
developments.

"Are you going to take me to Captain Putnam?" he questioned.

"We do not permit cadets placed under arrest to ask questions."

"Great smoke!  Am I under arrest?"

"You are."

"Perhaps you'll want to hang me next."

"Silence!  Or I shall be tempted to sentence you to a caning."

"You'll never cane me, sir."

"Silence!  You have evidently been a wayward boy at home.  If so
it will be best for you to remember that all that is now at an
end, and you must behave yourself and obey orders."

"Can't a fellow breathe without permission?"

"Silence!"

"How about if I want a drink of water?"

"Silence, I say!" stormed Josiah Crabtree.  "I'll warrant you'll
not feel so smart by the time you are ready to leave Putnam Hall."

There was a silence after this, as the head assistant led the way
into the building and conducted Tom to a small room looking out
toward the rear.

"You will remain here, Rover, until Captain Putnam returns."

"How long will that be?"

"Didn't I tell you not to ask questions?"

"But Captain Putnam may not return for a day or a month," went on
Tom innocently.

"Captain Putnam will be back in an hour or  two."  Without another
word, Josiah  Crabtree turned and left the room, locking the door
behind him.

"Well, by crickety!" came from the boy when he was left alone.
"I've put my foot into it from the very start.  I wonder what
Captain Putnam will say to this?  If he's half as sour minded as
old Crabtree, I'll catch it.  But I haven't done anything wrong,
and they shan't cane me--and that's flat!" and he shook his
curly head decidedly.

The room was less than ten feet square and plainly furnished with
two chairs and a small couch.  In one corner was a washstand
containing a basin and a pitcher of water.

"This looks a good deal like a cell," he mused as he gazed around.
Suddenly his eyes caught some writing on the wall in lead pencil.
He stepped over to read it.

"Josiah Crabtree put me here,
And I am feeling very queer;
He boxed my ears and pulled my hair
Oh, when I'm free won't I get square!"

"Somebody else has been here before me," thought Tom.  "I rather
reckon I'll get square too.  Hullo, here's another Whittier or
Longfellow:

"In this lock-up I'm confined;
If I stay long I'll lose my mind.
Two days and nights I've paced the floor,
As many others have before."

"I hope I don't stay two days and nights," said Tom half aloud.
Then he walked to the single window of the apartment to find that
it was heavily barred.

"No escaping that way," he went on to read another inscription,
this time in blank verse:

     "And I am jugged,
Alone in solitude, and by myself
Alone.  I sit and think, and think,
And think again.  Old Crabtree,
Base villain that he is, hath put me here!
And why?  Ah, thereby hangs a tale, Horatio!
His teeth, the teeth that chew the best of steak
Set on our table--those I found and hid;
And Mumps, the sneak, hath told on me!  Alas!
When will my martyrdom end?"

"Good for the chap who hid the teeth!" continued Tom, and smiled
as he thought of the rage Crabtree must have been in when he
discovered that his false teeth were gone.  A rattle in the
keyhole disturbed him, and he dropped onto a chair just as the
head assistant again appeared.

"I want the keys to your trunk and your satchel," he said.

"What for, sir?"

"Didn't I tell you before not to ask questions?"

"But my keys are my own private property, and so is what is in the
trunk and the satchel."

"All pupils' baggage is examined, Rover, to see that nothing
improper is introduced into the Hall."

"Want to see if I've got any more firecrackers?"

"We do not allow dime novels, or, eatables, or other things that
might harm our pupils."

"Eating never harmed me, sir."

"Sometimes parents load up their boys with delicacies which are
decidedly harmful.  Come, the keys."

Josiah Crabtree's tones were so harsh that Tom's heart rebelled on
the moment.

"I shan't give them to you, Mr. Crabtree.  You have no right to
place me here.  I wish to see the proprietor, Captain Putnam, at
once."

"Do you--er--refuse to recognize my authority over you?" cried
Josiah Crabtree passionately.

"I do, sir.  When I have met Captain Putnam and been enrolled as a
cadet it may be different.  But at present I am not a cadet and
not under your authority."

"We'll see, boy, we'll see!" came hotly from the head assistant.
"Before I am done with you, you will be sorry that you have defied
me!"

And with these words he went out, slamming the door after him.
Tom had made an enemy at the very start of his career as a cadet.




CHAPTER VIII

A MEETING IN THE MESSROOM


In the meantime Dick, Sam, and Fred had been having quite a
different experience.  George Strong, the second assistant at
Putnam: Hall, was not only a first-class teacher, but a calm and
fair-minded gentleman as well; and in addition, and this was
highly important, he was not so old but that he could remember
perfectly well when he had been a boy himself.

"Come this way, my lads," he said with a faint smile.  "I trust
you will soon feel at home in Putnam Hall.  It is Captain Putnam's
desire to have all of his boys, as he calls them, feel that way."

"What will Mr. Crabtree do with my brother?" asked Dick anxiously.

"I cannot say, Rover.  Probably he will place him in the guardroom
until Captain Putnam arrives."

"I am sure he didn't do much that was wrong."

"We had better not discuss that question, my boy.  Come this way;
I will conduct you to your room."

"George Strong showed them into the main hallway and up the stairs
to the second story.  Passing through a side hall, they entered a
large, bright dormitory overlooking the parade- and the
playground.  Here were eight beds, four on either side, with as
many chairs, and also a table and two washbowls, with running
water supplied from a tower on the roof, the water being pumped up
by the aid of a windmill.

"This room has not been occupied this year," said the teacher.
"Captain Putnam and Mrs. Green, our housekeeper, thought it might
be as well to put you in here together, along with Lawrence Colby
and Frank Harrington, when they come.  I believe you are all
friends, at least Harrington and Colby intimated as much in their
letters."

"They told the truth," cried Sam.  "This just suits me, and we owe
Captain Putnam and Mrs. Green one for doing it."

George Strong smiled.  Then the smile faded as he remembered how
Josiah Crabtree once told Captain Putnam that he did not believe
in letting chums room together.  "Place each boy among strangers,"
Crabtree had said.  "It will make him more reliant."  But Captain
Putnam had not listened to the crabbed old fellow, and Strong was
glad of it.

"Here is a closet, in which each of you can stow his clothing when
it is dealt out to him.  Your ordinary suits will, of course, be
placed away for you, for during the academy term, you will as
cadets wear only your uniforms."

"When will I get my uniform?" asked Fred, who was anxious to don
his "soldier fixings," as he put it.

"Tomorrow, if we have any suit on hand that fits."

"I don't want a second-handed suit," put in Sam.

George Strong laughed. "Don't worry, my boy; every pupil gets new
clothing.  But, many boys are so nearly of a size that Captain
Putnam always keeps a dozen or more suits on hand."

"Oh, that's different."

"The beds are all numbered, and to avoid disputes we always put
the eldest boy in bed No. 1, and so on.  You can arrange this
between yourselves, and I feel certain you won't get into a dispute."

"We won't quarrel," said Dick.  "I don't how exactly how old Frank
and Larry are, though."

"Then arrange to suit yourselves until they come," concluded Mr.
Strong.

Having shown then their dormitory he conducted them through the
building and exhibited the various class- and drill-rooms, and
then ended up by introducing them to several other pupils,
including Bart Conners, the major for the term, and Harry Blossom
and Dave Kearney, the two captains.

"Welcome to Putnam Hall!" cried Major Bart Conners, a tall youth
of nearly seventeen.  He shook hands all around, and so did the
two captains; and then the assistant teacher left the party.

"Oh, it was a shame the way Crabtree treated your brother!" said
Captain Harry to Dick.  "It's a wonder to me that Captain Putnam
keeps him here."

"I was in for getting up a petition to have Crabtree removed," put in
Captain Dave. "I think every boy in the academy would sign it."

"I hope Captain Putnam is not so severe," said Fred.

"Not by a jugful, Garrison," came from Captain Harry.  "He's
strict, and makes everybody toe the mark, but you couldn't find a
better all-around man."

"Then he'll suit me."

It was now quite late, and presently a loud, clear bell rang out
in the belfry.

"Six o'clock," said Captain Dave Kearney.  "That is to bring in
the boys from the playground.  They have fifteen minutes in which
to wash up for supper.  Excuse me, I'll be needed in ten minutes
to form my company,"  and soon the newcomers found themselves
alone with several others who had just arrived at Putnam Hall.

The cadets were rushing from everywhere to the lavatories, to make
themselves presentable on parade.  Soon they began to form on the
grounds before the building.  Dick and the others saw them divide
up into two companies, with Harry Blossom at the head of the first
and Dave Kearney leading the second.  The two companies, called a
battalion, were commanded by Major Bart.  In addition to the
officers, there were two drummers, a bass-drummer, and two fifers.

"Companies, attention!" came the command, and the lines became
rigid.  "By column of fours--march!"  The drums struck up, and
away went the columns of each company, to the front of the parade
ground.  Then they wheeled to the right, the fifers started up a
lively air, and the cadets marched around the hall three times,
and at last into the door nearest to the mess-hall or dining room.

"By Jinks, that's fine!" cried Sam.  "Cadet life will suit me, I'm
sure of it."

The cadets had hardly disappeared before one of the waiters in the
mess-hall came forward.  "Please come right in, gents," he said.
"Mr. Strong will give you places at the tables." And they went
and soon found themselves seated among as jolly a set of boys as
they had ever encountered.

Of course there were exceptions; where would there not be in a
crowd of nearly a hundred?  There were pupils there who were
morose by nature, those who seldom or never smiled, and there were
likewise half a dozen of the Dan Baxter order--bullies and
worse.  We shall see more of all these characters as our tale
progresses.

"I wonder if Tom is going to get any supper?" said Dick to his
younger brother.

"If they don't give him any, I'll raise a kick, Dick."

"So will I."

"Silence at the table!" came in the sharp tones of Josiah
Crabtree, who presided over the particular board at which the
Rovers had been placed.

"I was only wondering if my brother was going to get any supper,"
returned Sam boldly.

"Silence!  I will take care of that."

In the midst of the meal a newcomer appeared at the doorway to the
messroom.  It was Dan Baxter.

"Well, Baxter, how is this?" asked Mr. Strong, the teacher nearest
to him.

"I--I was carried to Bar Landing," answered the bully sheepishly.

"Bar Landing?  Then you were on the afternoon boat from Ithaca?"

"Yes, sir."

"How did you come to be carried past Cedarville?"

"I--er--fell asleep on the trip."

"Indeed!  Well, when next you travel you had better try to keep
awake," was George Strong's comment, and a titter passed along the
table, which made Dan Baxter very angry.

"Sit down here. Alexander, help Baxter to some supper."

"Yes, sah," came from the waiter; and no more was said.  Presently
Baxter caught sight of Dick at the table opposite, and he looked
daggers at the youth.  "He's got it in for me," thought Dick; and
he was right.

The supper at an end, the pupils were allowed two hours to
themselves--one hour outdoors if they wished it, or both hours
in the reading room, which was well supplied with books and all of
the best magazines.  The newcomers went out in a bunch, and
Captain Harry Blossom accompanied them.

"I'll show you the gymnasium, if you wish to see it," he said.

"I would like to know something about Tom," replied Dick.  "Where
have they placed him?"

"Undoubtedly in the guardroom."

"Where is that?"

"Do you see that window over there?" and Captain Harry pointed
with his hand.

"Yes," came from Dick and Sam together.

"Well, that's the window to the place."

"I wonder if I can't talk to my brother?" went on Dick.

"It's against the rules to talk to a prisoner."

"Well, I'm going to talk anyway," said Dick with a recklessness
which was unusual to him.  "I want to find out just what they are
doing with him."

"I guess I had best leave this crowd," remarked the young captain
of Company A.

Dick was about to ask why, when Sam nudged him on the arm.  "Let
him go," whispered the younger brother.

In a moment more Captain Harry had walked away.

"Don't you see what he meant?" asked Sam aloud.

"Well hardly."

"Then you are losing some of your wit, Dick.  He didn't want to
see us break the rules.  I suppose if he had seen us he would have
felt it was his duty to report us."

"That's so, Sam.  How thick I was!  Well, I'm going over to the
window now."

"So am I."

"And I'll go too," added Fred.

Off the three hurried across the parade ground, the other new
cadets watching them curiously, for all had heard of what Tom had
done and how Josiah Crabtree had treated him.

The window of the guardroom was but five feet from the ground.  In
front of it, however, was an iron fence, placed in the form of a
semicircle, at a distance of about ten feet from the opening.  The
fence was higher than Dick's head, and the iron pickets were
sharp-pointed.

"The window to the room is shut," announced the elder Rover, after
an inspection in the semi-darkness.  "It's a shame, in this warm
weather.  Poor Tom will be half smothered to death!"

"Wait till I attract his attention," said Sam.  Catching up a clod
of grass and dirt he threw it against one of the window panes.

A minute of suspense followed, but no face appeared at the window.

"That's queer," said Fred.  "It seems to me he would show himself
if he was there."

"Perhaps he, can't," said Sam.  "He may be chained up in the other
end of the room."

"I'm going to make sure," said Dick determinedly.  "Sam and Fred,
both of you give me a boost up."

"But how will you get back?"

"You can give me another boost through the pickets."

"Hurrah! so we can!" cried Sam.  "All right; up you go!"

And up Dick did go, so rapidly that he almost fell over the top of
the iron barrier.

"Now, who has a match?" he asked.

"Here you are," said Fred, and passed over several.

Stepping to the window, Dick tapped upon it, and at the same time
struck a light, for the room within was pitch-dark.  The next
instant he muttered a cry of disgust.  "Sold!"

"What's that?" came from Sam and Fred.

"The room is empty."

"Then there must be some mistake," said Fred.  "Can you see all
over inside?"

"Yes."

"Sure Tom isn't asleep in a corner or on a couch--if there is
one?" put in Sam.  "He would go to sleep if he could."

"He isn't here--no doubt of it," answered Dick, after striking a
second match and making another inspection. "Oh!"

Dick blew out the match in a hurry and started back for the fence.
He had seen the door of the guardroom open and Josiah Crabtree
come in.

The head assistant of Putnam Hall saw the light of the match and
by it obtained a good view of Dick's face.

"Ha! that youth has come here to assist his brother to escape!"
was the conclusion he reached.  He darted for the window and threw
it up.

"Come back here, Master Rover!" he cried, as he saw Dick trying to
mount the fence.

"Don't you go!" whispered Sam, and tried to assist Dick from the
other side, while Fred did the same.

Josiah Crabtree would have leaped from the window, but the bars
held him back.

"I'll get you yet!" he ejaculated wrathfully, and, turning, ran
from the guardroom, with the intention of capturing Dick on the
parade ground.




CHAPTER IX

A STRANGE MEETING IN THE WOODS.


To go back to Tom, at the time he was left alone by the head
assistant of Putnam Hall, after refusing to give up the keys to
his satchel and trunk.

"I've put my foot into it now," thought the boy dismally.  "I
wonder what Captain Putnam will say to all this when he hears of
it?  Of course old Crabtree will make out the worst possible case
against me."

It was too dark to see much, and he dropped on the couch.  He was
worried a good deal, yet he was not one to take anything too
deeply to heart.

Before long a waiter appeared with a tray containing a big bowl of
bread and milk.  Had Josiah Crabtree had his own way, he would
have sent only bread and water for the lad's supper, but such a
proceeding would have been contrary to Captain Putnam's rule.  The
kind captain realized that his pupils were but boys and should not
be treated as real prisoners, even when they did break the academy
rules.

"Heah is yo' suppah, sah!" announced Alexander, the waiter, as he
set the tray on the table.  "Sorry I can't leave the light, sah."
He referred to a lamp, also, on the tray, which he now removed.

"What have you got?" asked Tom, sitting up.

"Bowl of bread and milk, sah."

"Is that what they give visitors for supper?"

"Gracious, sah, is yo' a visitah, sah?"

"I consider myself as such until I am placed on the muster roll."

At this Alexander scratched his woolly head.  "Well, sah, I don't
know nuffin about dat, sah.  I has to obey Mr. Crabtree's oahdahs,
sah."

"Has Captain Putnam come back yet?"

"No, sah, an' he sent word dat he didn't think he could git back,
sah, before morning, sah."

"Humph!  Then I'll have to stay here until that time."

"I reckon so, sah."

"It's a jolly shame."

"Dat's right, sah," and Alexander grinned.

"Well, leave the bread and milk.  It's better than nothing.  But
hold on.  Who are you?"

"Alexander Pop, sah, at yo' service, sah," and again the colored
man grinned.  He was a short, fat fellow, the very embodiment of
good nature.

"Well, Alexander, if you are at my service, supposing you get me
something else to eat beside this bread and milk."

"Oh, sah, I couldn't do dat."

"Yes, you could.  Here is a quarter.  Don't you want to earn
that?"  And Tom held out the silver piece.

"Mr. Crabtree would hab me discharged if he cotched me, Master
Rober."

"Then don't let him catch you, Aleck, my boy."

At this the negro laughed and showed his immense ivories.

"Yo' is jest de boy I dun like to see, sah," he said.  "Jess wait
an' I'll do wot I can fo! You but mum's de word, sah-eh?"

"I never peach, Aleck; it's only a coward that does that,"
concluded Tom.

The negro disappeared from the room, but reappeared in less than
ten minutes with something done up in a napkin.

"Dare you am, sah," he said, "two tongue sandwiches and a big
piece of layer cake, sah, all I could git, fo' Mrs. Green am werry
sharp.  And here is a bit of candle, sah, for a light.  But please
don't let 'em know I brought yo' de things, sah."

"Never a word, Aleck, thank you," answered Tom, and handed over
the quarter.

Left again to himself, Tom lost no time in making way, not only
with the sandwiches and cake, but also some of the bread and milk,
for his day's traveling had left him tremendously hungry.  The bit
of candle was less than two inches long, and began to splutter
just as the meal was finished.

A rattle at the door caused the lad to sweep the cake crumbs out
of sight, blow out the candle, and pocket the tiny bit left.  Then
the light of a lamp lit up the guardroom, and Josiah Crabtree came
in.

"Well, Rover, have you enjoyed your supper?" he asked coldly, as
he glanced at the half empty bowl.

"Very much," was the youth's equally cold reply.

"You like bread and milk, then," was Crabtree's sarcastic
rejoinder.

"Nothing better, sir, for supper."

The head assistant bit his lip, and then set down the lamp.

"Rover, don't you think, you are making a bad beginning?" he said
after a pause.

"I don't understand you, Mr. Crabtree."

"Any other boy on joining a school would wish to make his entrance
as creditable as possible."

"But I haven't joined this school yet."

"I won't argue that point."

"I wasn't even on your grounds, but in the public highway--and
there shot off--what?  A simple firecracker.  And for that you
hauled me to this place, and treat me like one who has broken half
the laws of the land.  If Captain Putnam upholds you in this
matter, do you know what I shall do?"

"Make an additional fool of yourself, I presume."

"I shall write home to my guardian that I do not consider Putnam
Hall a proper boarding academy for any boy, and that I want to be
put somewhere else."

At these outspoken words Josiah Crabtree grew pale.  His great
unpopularity was already having its effect upon Captain Putnam,
and he was afraid that if he should be the means of losing a pupil
it might cost him his place, as much as he knew that the captain
did not favor changes in his staff of instructors.

"Don't be unreasonable, my lad," he said, but his tone was much
milder than before.

"I don't think I am unreasonable."

"The road is one belonging to this institution--in brief, a
private road.  You became a pupil here when you entered our
carriage, that, which brought you here."

"Does everybody who rides in that carriage become a Putnam Hall
pupil?" demanded Tom.

He saw that he was worrying Crabtree, and resolved to keep it up.

"Well--er--we won't argue that point."

"Then supposing we don't argue anything until Captain Putnam comes
back?  In the meantime if you will release me I'll go to
Cedarville and put up at the hotel for the night."

"I shall not release you."

"All right, then.  But if my guardian takes me away, mark my
words, you shall stand a personal lawsuit for having locked me up
here without having any right to do so."

"Why--er--this to me--me, the head assistant here?" screamed
Josiah Crabtree.

In his rage he ran over to Tom and caught him by the ear.

He had scarcely done so than Tom put out one foot, gave the
teacher a shove, and down went Crabtree flat on his back.

"You villain!" gasped the head assistant, as he scrambled to his
feet.

"Don't you pinch my ear again," retorted Tom.

The door was open, and before Crabtree could stop him he ran out
into the hallway.

"Hold on!"

"Not much!"

"It will be the worse for you!"

"I'll risk that."

"Stop him, somebody!" screamed Josiah Crabtree at the top of his
voice.

Without waiting, Tom ran down the hallway.  He knew not where he
was going, and, coming, to a door, slipped through.  He now found
himself in the rear of the Hall and a few seconds later ran across
the back garden and dove into the farm lands.

"Free once more," he thought.  "And I shan't go back until I am
certain Captain Putnam is on hand to receive me.  I wonder how
Dick and Sam are faring?"

Thinking that his brothers would soon learn of his escape, and not
wishing to be caught, he hurried on until the farm lands were
passed and he found himself in a woods.

"I'll sweep around in a circle and make for that road leading to
Cedarville," he concluded, and trudged on rapidly, for the woods
were dark and lonely and not particularly to his liking.

Tom had covered the best part of half a mile: when he saw a light
ahead.  At first he thought it must shine from the window of some
farmhouse, but soon made it out to be from a campfire, situated in
something of a hollow and not far from a spring.

"Hullo!  Tramps or charcoal burners," he thought.  "I wonder if
they would be friendly?"

He slackened his pace and approached cautiously until within ten
yards of where two men sat in earnest conversation.  One man was
tall and thin and had a scar on his chin.  The other fellow was
the thief who had robbed Dick of his watch.
At first Tom was not inclined to believe the evidence of his
eyesight.

"Perhaps I'm mistaken," he mused.

He resolved to draw nearer and hear if possible what the two men
were saying.

A clump of bushes grew close to the spring before mentioned, and
he crawled up behind this, thus getting within fifteen feet of the
campfire.

"You are certain you saw the boys, Buddy?" he heard the tall man
with the scar say.

"I'm as sure of it as I'm sure your name is Arnold Baxt--"

"Hush, Buddy, how many times must I tell you that I want that name
dropped, especially around here?"

"There ain't anybody around here to hear us!"

"Well, I don't want the name mentioned.  I call you Buddy.  You
must call me Nolly."

"All right, Nolly."

 "Now, you are dead sure you saw the boys on their way to Putnam
Hall?"

"I am."

"How much have you drank today?"

"Only two glasses, this morning.  Oh, it was them," went on Buddy,
with a total disregard for grammar.

The tall man muttered something under his breath.

"It's too bad," he said aloud.

"What's too bad?"

"That they are going to Putnam Hall.  Still, I don't know as it
will amount to anything.  But I reckon you had best get out of the
neighborhood."

"I'm going to get out."

"What brought you here?"

"I wanted to see you again, as I said before."

"About what?"

"That mining deal."

"I can't do anything at present."

"Why not?"

"There are some papers missing, Buddy.  As soon as I get those
I'll be in a condition to go ahead.  You know, I've got to move
slowly."

"Well, what brought you here?"

"That is my business."

"Every few months or so you come up to Cedarville, Baxt---- Nolly,
and on a secret mission."

"Well, who has a better right?  Come, let us talk about something
else.  If you--  Hullo, what's that?"

Both men leaped to their feet as a sound from the bushes back of
the spring reached their ears.

Tom had been lying as quiet as a mouse when a pinching-bug, as
they are commonly called, had dropped from one of the bushes onto
his neck.

The bug was as big as a walnut shell, and had fine nippers, and
when he took hold of the skin Tom could not help but make a slight
noise as he tried to throw the bug off.