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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5b977fd --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54747 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54747) diff --git a/old/54747-0.txt b/old/54747-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 03fd3b0..0000000 --- a/old/54747-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7589 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom, Dick and Harriet, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Tom, Dick and Harriet - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Illustrator: C. M. Relyea - -Release Date: May 20, 2017 [EBook #54747] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM, DICK AND HARRIET *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Tom, Dick, and Harriet - - - - -[Illustration: At the finish] - - - - - Tom, Dick, and Harriet - - - By - Ralph Henry Barbour - - Author of “The Crimson Sweater,” “The Half-Back,” - “For the Honor of the School,” etc. - - - With Illustrations - By C. M. Relyea - - - [Illustration] - - - New York - The Century Co. - 1907 - - - - - Copyright, 1907, by - THE CENTURY CO. - - - THE DE VINNE PRESS - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I A MEETING ON THE ICE 3 - II DICK SOMES IS PERSONALLY CONDUCTED 18 - III THE BRAND FROM THE BURNING 32 - IV THE BEGINNING OF A GREAT SCHEME 52 - V THE F. H. S. I. S. HOLDS A MEETING 75 - VI ON THE ICE AND THROUGH 94 - VII HARRY EVENS OLD SCORES 107 - VIII THE IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY HAS A SETBACK 130 - IX ON THE TRAIL 147 - X FOILED! 160 - XI THE ADVENTURES OF ESTRELLA 177 - XII THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED 200 - XIII THE _BOREAS_ TAKES THE ICE 223 - XIV THE DOCTOR INTERVENES 242 - XV THE RACE OF THE ICE-BOATS 259 - XVI FORMING THE TRACK TEAM 275 - XVII THE TREASURY IS LOOTED 289 - XVIII THE SOCIETY AWAITS RESULTS 308 - XIX METHUSELAH SUBSCRIBES TO THE FUND 319 - XX GOSSIP AND A MEETING 331 - XXI MR. KEARNEY MAKES AN OFFER 342 - XXII FERRY HILL VS. HAMMOND 358 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - At the finish _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - “‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Break your strap?’” 7 - - “‘Where do I live, do you suppose?’ he asked” 41 - - The imaginary letter 47 - - A meeting of the Ferry Hill School Improvement Society 71 - - “‘Mama, you mustn’t see!’ she cried. ‘It’s a secret!’” 77 - - “Harry caught her sweater by the end of one sleeve and tossed - it toward him” 111 - - “There was a full attendance of the Improvement Society” 123 - - “‘I’m Sherlock Holmes’” 149 - - “They scuttled hurriedly to the side of the road and subsided - in the bushes” 167 - - “‘That’s the Insane Asylum’” 193 - - “‘Ah, there!’” 209 - - The launching 231 - - “A half-mile away was the finish line” 271 - - Work out of doors 291 - - “‘It’s gone,’ wailed Harry” 305 - - “‘And something else, too!’” 381 - - - - -TOM, DICK, AND HARRIET - - - - -CHAPTER I - -A MEETING ON THE ICE - - -There had been almost a week of zero weather and the Hudson River in -the neighborhood of Coleville and Ferry Hill was frozen hard and fast -from shore to shore. They were cutting ice below Coleville, and Dick -Somes had watched them for some time before crossing the river in the -teeth of a bitter east wind and reaching the shelter of the opposite -shore. There, with the trees protecting him from the icy blast, he -turned up-stream once more and skated more leisurely along the margin. - -It was the middle of an afternoon in early January, to be exact, the -third day of the new year; and overhead sunlight and clouds held -alternate sway. But the sun, already nearing the summit of the distant -hills, held little warmth even when it managed to escape for a moment -from the flying banks of cloud, and Dick, accustomed though he was to -the intense cold of the western mountains and prairies, was glad to -escape for a while from that biting wind which apparently entertained -not the slightest respect for his clothing and which numbed him through -and through. - -The river was nearly deserted. Directly across from him, nearly a -half-mile away, a few skaters were to be seen keeping to the smooth ice -near shore. A mile below black specks moved about in front of the big -ice-houses. But for the rest, Dick had the river to himself. Or, at -least, so he thought until, rounding a slight curve, he caught sight -of a figure seated on the edge of the bank. Perhaps the wind whipping -the tops of the trees drowned the ring of Dick’s skates, or perhaps -the girl with the brown sweater, gray skirt and white tam-o’-shanter -was too much absorbed with the broken skate strap in her hand to heed -anything else. At least, she was unaware of Dick’s approach, and so -that youth had ample opportunity to observe his discovery as he skated -slowly along. - -Under the white tam-o’-shanter was a good deal of very red hair, -and under the red hair was a pretty, healthy face with rosy cheeks, -an impertinent little up-tilted nose, a pair of clear blue eyes and -a small mouth which, just at this moment, was pursed in a pout of -annoyance to match the frown on her forehead. The hanging skate and the -broken strap told their tale and Dick, on his way past, wheeled and -slid up to the distressed maiden. - -“Hello,” he said. “Break your strap?” - -The girl looked up with a start and studied him a moment in silence. -Then she tossed the longer piece of the offending leather to him and -he caught it deftly. - -“Yes,” she said, “just look at the old thing! And I haven’t another and -I’m half a mile from home. Roy told me I ought to have the other kind -of skates and you can just wager I’m going to after this!” - -“Well, you could have one of my straps,” answered Dick, “only I don’t -wear them.” - -“Yes, and I could pick one off the trees only they don’t grow there,” -she answered sharply. Dick laughed and in a moment the girl joined him. - -“I dare say it’s a joke,” she said, “but when you come out to skate you -don’t just like to have to sit on a rock and hold your foot in your -hand.” - -“Oh, I can fix you up,” said Dick carelessly. “Here, wait a minute.” He -drew off his gloves, tossed them with the broken strap on to the bank -and drew the neck of his sweater down. “Out our way we generally mend -things with barbed wire, but there doesn’t seem to be any handy, so I -guess this’ll do until you get home.” With a final tug he brought forth -a blue four-in-hand necktie and held it forth. - -[Illustration: “‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Break your strap?’”] - -“But--but that’s your tie!” protested the girl. - -“Yes, but I don’t need it. Besides, it’s old.” - -“It looks brand-new,” answered the girl. - -“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Put your foot out, please.” - -“But it’ll spoil it, won’t it?” she asked. - -“Don’t care if it does. I’ve got lots more, and I never liked this one -anyhow.” - -“Well--” She put out the foot with the disabled skate and Dick -substituted the blue necktie for the broken strap. When the skate was -once more firmly in place and a nice blue bow-knot adorned the instep -of her shoe the girl broke into laughter. - -“Isn’t it lovely?” she cried, wriggling her foot around and viewing it -at all angles. “Think of wearing neckties on your feet! I do wish I had -one for the other foot too!” - -“Sorry I haven’t any more,” laughed Dick. “How would a handkerchief do?” - -She shook her head. - -“No, I tried using my handkerchief, but it wasn’t big enough. Cold, -isn’t it?” - -“Awfully.” She got to her feet and tried the skate. It held well and -she turned a grateful countenance to Dick. “I’m very much obliged,” -she said sweetly; “and I’ll send the tie to you--or another one like -it--when I get home. Do you live around here? I’ve never seen you -before, I guess.” - -“Oh, never mind,” he answered. “I don’t want it. You’ll have to go kind -of easy with it, though, I guess, or it’ll get loose.” He rescued his -gloves and drew them on his chilled fingers. “I’ll go along with you, -if you like, in case it comes undone.” - -“I asked you a question,” she replied imperiously. He looked at her -amusedly. - -“Oh, so you did,” he said. “You asked if I lived around here, didn’t -you?” The girl’s head went into the air and the corners of her mouth -came down. - -“If you don’t care to answer, I’m sure you needn’t,” she said -haughtily. Dick laughed. - -“Oh, I don’t mind. I live over there.” He nodded across the river. “I’m -at Hammond Academy.” - -“Oh,” said the girl. “You talk as though you weren’t ashamed of it!” - -“Ashamed of it?” he repeated in a puzzled way. “Why should I be? Isn’t -Hammond all right?” - -“For those who like it,” she replied. - -“Then you don’t like it,” he laughed. “Why not?” - -“Because--because--” She stopped and drew the collar of her brown -sweater higher about her neck. “I’m going now,” she announced. “I don’t -think you need come. I’m very much obliged. And I’ll send the necktie -to you at Hammond.” - -“Who are you going to send it to?” he asked. - -“Oh! That’s so, who is it? I don’t want to know your name, but if you -like to tell me--” - -He shook his head. - -“I saw you first,” he said. “You tell me your name and then I’ll tell -you mine.” - -The girl in the brown sweater had started off and Dick had taken his -place beside her. For a moment they skated in silence. Then: - -“I’m Harry Emery,” she announced. - -“Oh,” he answered indifferently. “And do you live around here?” She -turned upon him in surprise. - -“You’re just pretending!” she said after a moment’s examination of his -countenance. - -“Pretending what?” - -“That you don’t know who I am. Why, every Hammond boy knows the girl -that beat their best skater last winter!” - -“Did you do that?” he asked in admiration. “I’ll bet you couldn’t do it -this winter.” - -“Why not?” she demanded. - -“Because I don’t believe you could beat me.” - -“Want to try it?” she challenged. He shook his head. - -“Not while you’ve got one skate strapped on with a necktie,” he -answered. “But if you think you’d like a race some time you let me -know.” - -She looked him over speculatively and what she saw must have impressed -her a little, for there was a note of uncertainty in her voice when she -said: - -“I guess I could beat you, Mr. Conceit. I beat Schonberg last winter. -Can you skate faster than he can?” - -“I don’t know. I never saw him.” - -“Never saw him!” she cried. “How long have you been at Hammond?” - -“Since about this time yesterday,” he replied smilingly. - -“Oh!” she said. “You’ve just come? You weren’t there in the fall?” - -He shook his head. - -“Just got here yesterday afternoon and wish I was back where I came -from,” he answered cheerfully. “There’s only about a dozen fellows over -there and they’re the no-accountest lot I ever did see. I didn’t know -when the new term began and so I just moseyed up here to find out. It -doesn’t start until the day after to-morrow. Maybe by that time I’ll -get sick of it and pull my freight for home.” - -“Run away, do you mean?” asked Harry Emery breathlessly. - -“Oh, no, just change my mind. I haven’t paid my tuition yet, and I -guess I could light out if I wanted to, any time before school begins. -And I’ve got a good mind to do it.” - -“Serves you right for not going to a--well, another school!” said the -girl. - -“I suppose so. But I didn’t know. Dad’s lawyer in New York knew about -Hammond and said it was all right. So I came up. Maybe I’ll like it -better when the rest of the fellows get back.” - -“No, you won’t,” answered Harry decidedly. “Why didn’t you come to our -school?” - -Dick looked amused. - -“Is it a girl’s school?” he asked. - -“Of course not, silly! It’s Ferry Hill, and everybody who knows -anything says it’s the best school around here; the best school -anywhere!” - -“Oh, boys and girls both, eh? I don’t think I’d like that.” - -“But it isn’t!” - -“Isn’t it? But if you go there--?” - -“I don’t go to school there; I just live there. My father is the -Principal.” - -“Oh, now I savvy,” said Dick. “Where is it? Is it nice? I’d like to -take a look at it.” - -“It’s just up here a bit further,” answered Harry. “You can see it from -Hammond. Haven’t you noticed?” Dick shook his head. - -“It’s on a hill,” continued Harry, “and you would have seen it if you -weren’t blind. It’s the nicest school there is, and the boys are dandy. -And we can beat Hammond at anything--foot-ball, base-ball, tennis, -hock--well, not hockey, maybe, but we’ve only played one year; but -we’ll beat them this year, at that, too!” - -“Sounds like the real thing,” laughed Dick. “How big is it!” - -“Well, it’s smaller than Hammond,” Harry acknowledged grudgingly, “but -it--it’s more select! There are forty-two boys this year; there were -forty-three last season when Otto Ferris was here.” - -“What happened to him?” asked Dick. - -“He got sick and went home. I’m glad of it; I hate him.” - -“I tell you what you do,” said Dick after a moment. “You show me what -your school is like. Maybe if I get any more soured on Hammond I’ll -skate over with my trunk and try Ferry Hill.” - -“Do you mean it?” cried Harry. - -“Why not?” - -“But--but you couldn’t!” - -“Oh, yes I could. I can do as I like, I guess.” - -“But they wouldn’t let you!” - -“Who wouldn’t let me?” - -“They--them--over at Hammond!” - -“I’d like to see them try and stop me,” answered Dick with a laugh. -“I haven’t entered their school yet, you know, and I don’t owe them -anything but a day’s board and lodging. You produce your school, Miss -Emery, and I’ll look it over.” - -“And if you like it you’ll come?” cried Harry, her blue eyes dancing. -Dick hesitated, then: - -“Yes, I’ll come if I like it!” he answered. - -“Promise?” - -“Promise.” - -“Come on, then!” cried Harry. “I’ll race you to the boat-house!” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -DICK SOMES IS PERSONALLY CONDUCTED - - -I don’t think Dick tried very hard to win that race; at least, he -exhibited no superhuman efforts; and the result was that Harry Emery -won by several yards, finishing on one skate and trailing a blue -streamer from the other foot like a banner of victory. She subsided on -the edge of the boat-house porch, smiling and triumphant. - -“I won!” she cried. - -“Easily,” answered Dick placidly. - -“I told you I could,” continued Harry. - -“I said so too, didn’t I?” - -“No, you said I couldn’t; you know you did.” - -“Guess I was wrong then.” There was a moment’s silence during which -they each busied themselves with their skates. Presently Harry laid -hers beside her and looked up with a frown. - -“No, you were right,” she sighed. “I guess you can beat me. You weren’t -trying just now. You’re like everybody else; you think because I’m a -girl I’m not worth bothering with.” - -“Nonsense! You skate finely,” answered Dick earnestly. “Better than any -girl I ever saw.” - -“Any girl!” echoed Harry scathingly. “That’s it! Girls can’t skate! -Why, there isn’t one at Madame Lambert’s who can keep up with me for a -minute. I can skate faster than any boy here, too!” - -“Well, that’s doing pretty well, isn’t it?” asked Dick with a smile as -he tossed his skates down beside hers. - -“I don’t like to be beaten--by any one,” grieved Harry. - -“Then you mustn’t race with me.” - -“Pshaw! You’d be polite and let me beat you--as you did just now. I--I -hate polite people!” - -“No, I wouldn’t,” said Dick grimly. “When you race with me you’ve got -to go as hard as you know how, for I’ll beat you if I can. And if you -can’t stand being beaten you want to keep out of it, Miss Emery.” - -Harry studied him a moment in silence. - -“I guess nobody likes to be beaten,” she said finally; “but I can stand -it as well as the next fellow. What’s your name?” - -“Somes, Dick Somes; Richard for long.” - -“My name’s Harriet ‘for long,’” she laughed. “But nobody calls me -Harriet; it isn’t a very pretty name, is it?” - -“Harriet? I don’t believe I ever heard it before. I was wondering how -you came to be named Harry. Harry suits you better, I guess.” - -“How old are you, Dick?” - -“Sixteen last August.” - -“I’m fifteen. Wouldn’t you think I was older?” she asked anxiously. - -“Heaps,” he laughed. “I thought you were about twenty.” - -“I don’t like to be made fun of,” replied Harry. - -“There’s a good deal you don’t like, isn’t there?” he asked with a grin. - -“I sha’n’t like you if you talk like that,” she answered severely. - -“Then I sha’n’t come to your old school.” - -“It isn’t an ‘old school!’” flashed Harry. “And I don’t care whether -you come or not!” - -“Oh, yes, you do,” he answered soothingly. “If I don’t come we won’t -have that race.” - -“I don’t want to race you!” - -“Oh, all right. Then it’s me for Hammond again. I guess it’s the better -school of the two, anyway.” - -“I’m sure it’ll suit you better,” she answered angrily. Then she caught -sight of the merriment in his eyes, hesitated and laughed softly. -“You--you almost made me angry,” she declared. - -“Almost, eh? Then you must be a terror, Miss Emery, when you go the -limit. Aren’t you going to show me around? It’s getting late and I’m -freezing to death.” - -“Come on,” answered Harry. “You can leave your skates here; they’ll -be all right. And here’s your tie. I’m afraid, though, it’s kind of -frazzled and--oh, it’s torn! Look!” - -“Don’t you care,” he said. “Here, I’ll carry your skates.” - -“No,” she answered decisively, “I’ll carry them myself. I don’t like to -be waited on.” - -“I guess if I came here to school,” laughed Dick, “it would take most -of my time finding out what you didn’t like. I wouldn’t have any time -for lessons.” - -“Do you like to study?” Harry asked. - -“Pretty well; everything but languages. Which way do we go? Up this -path?” - -“Yes. Oh, I forgot. That’s the boat-house there. We have a crew and we -race Hammond every spring. Last year we were beaten.” - -“I never saw a boat race,” said Dick. “It must be good sport.” - -“It’s perfectly great,” said Harry, “and awfully exciting! This is the -Grove and the buildings are up the hill, only you can’t see them yet. -I’ll go ahead and show you the way.” - -The path wound through a thick growth of trees, maples and oaks and -others, climbing steadily upward. Presently the trees thinned and -ceased and Dick followed his guide through a gap in a breast-high -hedge which, as Harry informed him, marked “inner bounds.” I have no -intention of recording the fund of information which Harry showered -upon Dick’s defenseless head. Needless to say that she colored her -remarks with the rose-tint of enthusiasm and drew a most alluring -picture of life at Ferry Hill. She rattled on breathlessly and -continuously after she had once become warmed up to her task and Dick’s -brain began to reel under the torrent of information. - -He was shown Burgess Hall, with the dormitories and the dining-room, -School Hall, with its twilighted class rooms, the Cottage, where Harry -lived--Harry pointed out her room and described the furnishings -minutely, even to the pink paper on the walls--and the Gymnasium, which -was locked, and consequently remained a mystery for the present. Back -of the gym a gate in the hedge gave access to the Athletic Field, with -its snow-filled stands and gibbet-like goal-posts rising forlornly out -of the white waste. Harry said there was a running track there, but -Dick had to take her word for it. Then they retraced their steps and -Harry pointed out, at a distance, the stables and barns and the orchard -beyond. - -“I’ll show you my menagerie some time,” she said. “It lives in the -barn. I’ve got a parrot, three lovely Angora kittens, a squirrel, -four guinea-pigs, six rabbits, lots and lots of white mice, heaps of -pigeons, and a dog.” - -“Phew!” said Dick. “Is that all?” - -“The dog’s name is Snip,” Harry continued. “He’s a fox terrier. Last -year I had two black rabbits and I called them Pete and Repeat, and -then there was a third and I had to call it Threepete. Isn’t that -silly?” - -“I think it’s a pretty good name,” laughed Dick. - -“Really? The parrot’s name is Methuselah; he’s awfully old, I guess, -but he’s a perfect dear. You’ll love Methuselah, Dick!” - -“Maybe, but I don’t believe so. I don’t like parrots.” - -“But he isn’t just--just an ordinary parrot,” said Harry earnestly. -“He’s awfully clever and wise; he knows heaps of things, really!” - -“I like dogs and horses better,” answered Dick. “Have you got a horse?” - -“No, there are two in the stable, but they don’t belong to me. Next -year, though, papa is going to get me a pony and a cart. Then I shall -drive to school every day.” - -“Where’s your school?” Dick asked. - -“Over there at Silver Cove. It’s a very nice school.” - -They had reached the dormitory again and Dick stopped and looked about -him. It was getting dark rapidly and the campus, deep with snow, -looked bleak and forlorn. Even Harry had to acknowledge that fact to -herself and her hopes of inducing Dick to cast his lot with Ferry Hill -began to dwindle. Westward, above the tops of the trees which crowded -the slope, lay the frozen river, and beyond, on the farther bank, a few -yellow points of light marked the location of Coleville and Hammond -Academy. - -“Of course,” ventured Harry, “things don’t look very nice now, but you -ought to see them when the trees are out and--and all.” - -But her voice didn’t hold much conviction and Dick merely nodded his -head as he turned toward the path down the slope. - -“Well, I’m much obliged for showing me around,” he said. “I’d better be -getting back.” - -“Yes,” sighed Harry. “I--I’ll walk down to the river with you. You -might lose your way.” She didn’t have the courage to ask him whether -he liked Ferry Hill well enough to come there. She didn’t believe he -did. She wished he might have seen it in the morning when the sun was -shining warmly on the red brick walls and the sky was blue overhead. -She was disappointed. Dick seemed a rather nice sort, if somewhat -too--too self-assured, and it would have pleased Harry hugely to have -wrested a prospective student away from the rival school. Besides, the -sum of money which the advent of another student meant was not to be -sneered at; Ferry Hill’s expenses so nearly matched her income that -a half-year’s tuition and board might mean quite a little when the -accounts were balanced. Doctor Emery, as Harry well knew, had been -rather discouraged for the last two or three years. There was only the -one dormitory hall and forty-six boys filled it to overflowing, and for -that many students the expense was as great as it would be for twice -the number. The Doctor wanted a new dormitory, but didn’t know how he -was going to get it. With room for say twenty more students the school -would pay very well. As it was, it sometimes didn’t pay at all; there -were years when the books balanced the wrong way and the Doctor and his -family stayed at Ferry Hill all through the hot weather. Harry thought -of all this as she led the way down the hill through the dim grove, -and as a result what conversation ensued was somewhat spasmodic. At -the boat-house Dick busied himself with his skates and Harry looked on -silently; but finally: - -“I don’t believe you had any idea of leaving Hammond, anyway,” she -exclaimed aggrievedly. - -“Why not?” asked Dick. - -“Because--because how could you, if your folks wanted you to go there--” - -“My folks didn’t have much to do with it,” answered Dick, pulling his -gloves on. “There’s only my dad, anyway. He didn’t know anything about -the schools here and left it to his lawyer in New York. I said I didn’t -much care, and Mr. Warwick said he’d heard that Hammond was a very good -place, so after Dad sailed I came up here.” - -“Is your father a sailor?” asked Harry. - -“Oh, no,” laughed Dick, “he’s a mining man. He owns mines and buys -and sells them. My mother died a couple of years ago and we broke up -housekeeping and went moseying around, Dad and I. Then when he found -he’d have to go to London and Paris for two or three months he didn’t -know what to do with me. So I said I’d go to school somewhere in the -East; I’d never been very much, anyway. So that’s how it happened; -savvy?” - -“Yes, but what’s ‘savvy’?” asked Harry. - -“Oh, it means ‘Do you understand?’” - -“Then if--if you did want to leave Hammond you could?” she asked. Dick -nodded. - -“Sure as shooting! Why not? I told Dad I wouldn’t stay if I didn’t like -it, and he said in that case I could go back to Helena or join him in -London.” - -“My!” exclaimed Harry. “Why don’t you go to London?” - -“I’ve been there twice,” Dick answered. - -“Then--then you--you’ll stay at Hammond?” asked Harry wistfully. - -“Oh, I don’t know,” said Dick. “Maybe.” - -“And you didn’t like Ferry Hill?” - -“Oh, yes, I did,” he answered stoutly. “It seems a mighty nice school.” - -“But you won’t come?” - -Dick hesitated, skating about backward and forward along the edge of -the ice and swinging his arms to keep warm. - -“I don’t know,” he answered finally. “I’ll think it over. When does -school begin?” - -“Day after to-morrow, but you’d have to get here to-morrow before six -in the evening.” - -“Well, if I come--I’ll think about it anyway. And thanks for showing me -around. I’ve had a real jolly time. Good-night, Miss Emery.” - -“Good-night,” answered Harry sadly. “I--I wish you’d decide to come.” - -“Well, maybe I will,” he shouted back as he skated off. “But if I’m -not here by six to-morrow tell your father not to wait supper for me. -Good-night!” And laughing at his joke Dick Somes sped off into the -darkness across the frozen river. - -Harry stood there shivering until she could no longer hear the ring of -his skates. Then she turned and went disappointedly back up the hill. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE BRAND FROM THE BURNING - - -“Well, you old duffer! I thought you were going to meet me at the -station for the eleven o’clock.” - -“I really meant to, Roy,” answered Chub Eaton, “but my train was nearly -an hour late and I got in just four minutes after you’d gone. How are -you? Did you have a good time Christmas?” - -“Bully,” answered Roy Porter. “Did you?” - -“Oh, swell! I wish you’d been out with me.” - -“I wanted to go,” answered Roy gravely, “but my folks were afraid I’d -get lost in the smoke. I told them that was hard on Pittsburg, but--” - -Roy rolled over backward on Sidney Welch’s bed just in time to avoid -the slipper which Chub hurled. - -“But they said they knew the place, Chub,” he ended. - -“You run away and play,” grunted Chub as he returned to the task of -unpacking his trunk. - -They were in the Junior Dormitory and up and down the two sides of -the long room was bustle and excitement and noise. The last train -arriving before six o’clock was in and had brought its load of -students. Trunks and bags were being unpacked, greetings exchanged and -adventures related, and every one was doing his best to get settled -before dinner-time. Roy, who had arrived on an earlier train and -whose belongings were already stowed away in his locker in the Senior -Dormitory on the floor above, had met Chub on the arrival of the coach -and had carried one end of the battered steamer trunk up-stairs. Now -he was reclining comfortably on Sidney’s bed in direct violation of -the dormitory rules, and bothering his chum as much as possible. Sid, -by the way, a short, chunky boy of fifteen, was down at the far end of -the hall swapping marvelous tales of vacation experiences with Chase; -his voice, which was at the changing period, alternately dying away in -gruff whispers and soaring shrilly to a squeaky falsetto. - -“Just listen to Sid,” chuckled Chub as he rolled a brown sweater up and -stuffed it into the locker. “Sounds as though he were knocking up flies -with his voice, doesn’t it?” - -“Yes,” answered Roy. “Say, Chub, did I ever tell you about the man who -went to Pittsburg?” - -“Oh, you dry up,” answered Chub good-naturedly. - -“But it’s a true story, honestly, Chub! Of course the man didn’t go -there just for fun; he had to; it was a matter of life or death, -I guess. Well, when he got back some one asked him if he’d seen -Pittsburg. ‘No,’ says he, ‘but I’ve been there!’” - -“Go on,” answered Chub. “Have a good time. I don’t mind. I’d rather -live in Pittsburg where you can’t see than in New York where you don’t -want to.” - -“I guess maybe that’s humor,” said Roy thoughtfully; “but -it’s--er--subtle, Chub, awfully subtle. Could you give me a hint? Just -tell me what letter the answer begins with!” - -“I’ll tell you what letter your name begins with,” laughed Chub. “And -it comes between E and G.” - -“What am I? A musical note?” - -“No, a flat!” - -“I suppose you think you’re sharp!” - -Chub Eaton groaned loudly as he slammed the lid of his trunk down. He -was seventeen years of age, and looked older; was a trifle thick-set, -had brown hair that was almost brick-red, alert brown eyes, a -good-looking, expressive, good-humored face, and an ease of manner -and a self-assurance which his enemies called conceit and which his -friends loved him for. He was in his last year at Ferry Hill and -consequently in the First Senior Class. The preceding spring he had -succeeded himself as captain of the base-ball team. While well-liked by -almost every fellow in school, he had not attained to the popularity -which his companion commanded. - -Roy Porter lacked his chum’s air of self-sufficiency and in looks and -manner unconsciously invited friendship. He was the school leader, and -reigned supreme with none to dispute his title. Besides that, until -the election following Ferry Hill’s defeat of Hammond on the latter’s -gridiron, a few weeks ago, he had been captain of the foot-ball team, -an honor alone sufficient to turn his head had that appendage not been -very stiffly attached. Unlike his predecessor in the office of school -leader, one Horace Burlen, who had left school the previous spring and -was now playing the precarious rôle of freshman in a near-by college, -Roy ruled with a gentle hand and maintained his sway by honest, manly -service in behalf of the school and his fellows. The younger boys -worshiped him, secretly resolved to be Roy Porters when they grew up, -and meanwhile copied his ties and stockings and cocked their hats as he -wore his. - -Roy also was a First Senior and would graduate in June; and like -Chub--whose real name, by the way, was Thomas--was seventeen years old. -He was tall, well-built, athletic, with wavy light-brown hair, a frank -good-looking face and a pair of attractive gray-blue eyes. - -“Say, Chub,” he exclaimed suddenly; “I almost forgot to tell you. What -do you suppose Harry’s been up to now?” - -“Ask me something easier,” begged Chub. - -“Swiping students from Hammond!” - -“What!” - -“Fact! She was down at the station and told me about it. It’s the -funniest thing you ever heard, Chub!” And Roy laid himself back on the -bed and laughed consumedly. - -“Funny’s no word for it,” said Chub soberly. “I shall die of laughing -in a moment.” - -“W-wait till I tell you!” gasped Roy. - -“I am waiting, you gump! Stop that fuss and tell me! Don’t keep a -fellow waiting all day.” - -“Well, listen.” And Roy recounted Harry’s meeting with Dick Somes, -embellishing the tale as fancy dictated, until Chub too was struggling -with his laughter. - -“But--but she didn’t land him after all?” asked Chub. - -“She doesn’t know yet. She told him he’d have to be here by six o’clock -to-night. She pretends she’s sure he’ll be here, but I guess he was -just fooling her.” - -“Too bad,” said Chub. “Wouldn’t it have been great if he had left -Hammond and come here, eh? Wouldn’t we have had a peachy joke on them?” - -“And wouldn’t they have hated Mr. Dick Summers, or whatever his name -is? But isn’t Harry the limit?” - -“She’s plucky, all right,” answered Chub with a grin. “Fancy having the -cheek to try and--” - -“Pluck a brand from the burning,” suggested Roy. - -“Exactly! Suppose we run over to the Cottage and see if he’s shown up?” - -“Oh, he hasn’t come,” answered Roy, glancing at his watch. “It’s two -minutes of six now.” - -“What of it? He might have come half an hour ago and--” Chub, who was -facing the dormitory door, stopped and stared over Roy’s shoulder. -“Hello!” he ejaculated. Roy turned and followed his gaze. - -Just inside the doorway stood a big, broad-shouldered, blond-haired -youth of apparently sixteen years of age. He wore a fur cap, a gray -sweater and dark knickerbockers, while in one hand was a suit case -and in the other a pair of skates. In spite of the fact that the -entire hall was observing him silently and curiously he appeared not -the least bit embarrassed; in fact his self-possession was then and -afterward something to wonder at. After a slow glance about the hall -he had turned his gray eyes on Chub and Roy. There was a careless, -good-humored smile on his singularly homely and at the same time -perplexingly attractive face. - -“Where do I live, do you suppose?” he asked. - -“I don’t know,” answered Roy, rising to go to him. “But I guess you -belong on the next floor. Did the Doctor tell you which dormitory you -were to go to?” - -“Haven’t seen the Doctor,” was the calm reply. “I just got here. What -time is it, anyway?” - -“Just six,” answered Roy. - -“That’s all right then.” The newcomer set his bag down and placed his -skates on top of it. Then he threw his fur cap and gloves on to the -nearest bed and started to get out of his sweater. - -But Chub, who had said no word so far, but upon whose countenance a -beatific grin had been growing and spreading with each instant, broke -the silence explosively. - -[Illustration: “‘Where do I live, do you suppose?’ he asked”] - -“Where’d you come from?” he shouted. - -“Across the river,” answered the other. - -“From Hammond?” - -“Yep. From Hammond.” - -Chub gave a whoop and hurdled the two intervening beds, landing on top -of the suit case, sending the skates clanging across the floor and -violently grasping the hand of the astounded youth. - -“It’s he, Roy!” he yelled delightedly. “It’s the Brand from the -Burning!” - -“That’s me,” laughed Dick Somes. “Did she tell you I was coming?” - -“She said she expected you,” answered Roy; “but--well--” - -“We didn’t think you’d have the cheek to do it,” ended Chub admiringly. -“Were they mad? How did you get away from them?” - -“Oh, easy enough. I hadn’t entered, you see. So I paid them for two -days’ board and lodging, sent my trunk across by sleigh and pulled my -suit case after me. It was quick work,--had to be--but the only way I -could manage it. It scratched the suit-case up a bit, but that doesn’t -matter. I guess I’d better go and see the boss now and get my ticket -punched.” - -“What ticket?” asked Roy. - -“Oh, I mean see the Doctor, take out my papers, register, put my name -down, get enrolled, whatever you call it,” explained Dick. “Miss Emery -said I’d have to be here by six and I thought I wasn’t going to make -it. I lost my bearings skating across and headed away down-stream. That -made me late. When do we feed?” - -“Right away,” answered Roy. “But you’d better go over to the Cottage -first. Chub and I’ll show you the way. This is Chub here; his full -name’s Mr. Thomas Eaton. By the way, your name’s Summers, isn’t it?” - -“Somes,” was the reply. He shook hands warmly with Chub. “Glad to meet -you,” he said. Then he turned to Roy. “You’re Roy; I’ve forgotten your -last name, but Miss Emery spoke about you. Hope we’ll be friends.” -Then he faced the rest of the fellows who had edged as close as -politeness would allow and who had been watching the proceedings with -unconcealed interest. “My name’s Dick Somes,” he announced smilingly, -“and I’m glad to meet all you chaps. We’ll get acquainted later. Now if -you’ll lead the way,” he suggested to Roy, “I’ll get my name down on -the pay-roll.” - -“Say, Somes,” said Chub, as they clattered down-stairs and across the -hall, “I don’t usually welcome strangers in quite such a demonstrative -way, you know, but Roy had just been telling me about Harry and you, -and it seemed such a blamed good joke that I just had to let out.” - -“That’s all right,” Dick laughed. “I’m tickled to death to find some -one with what they call human emotions. Why, say, you chaps, I’ve been -hibernating over at Hammond for two whole days with a dozen wooden -Indians who wouldn’t even say ‘Good Morning’ to me until I shouted it! -Talk about your frozen faces! Phew! But you fellows act as though you -had blood in your veins! I thought maybe I could stand it over there, -but when the push began to drift in this afternoon I saw that I’d -either have to get out or do murder. They looked me over as though I -was some sort of a dime museum freak until I thought I’d have to eat -glass to please ’em. The first bunch feased me; I didn’t wait to see -what the rest looked like, but grabbed my pack and hit the trail, and -here I am. All I ask is kind treatment and a comfortable home.” - -“Well, here we are,” laughed Roy. “I hope the Doctor will let you stay.” - -“Oh, he will. I’ve got the money right here and a bunch of letters that -thick. And if he wants any more references I’ll refer him to Hammond.” - -Roy rang the bell and in a moment the door was thrown open by Harry. - -[Illustration: The imaginary letter] - -“Hello, Chub!” she cried. But then her eyes wandered past him to Dick -Somes and her face lighted up. “Oh, it’s you!” she cried. “Father! He’s -here! It’s Dick Somes!” - -“The Brand from the Burning,” murmured Dick as he followed the others -into the little parlor. Then Harry came dancing back and beckoned him -to the Doctor’s study. The door closed and Harry returned alone. - -“I told you he would come!” she whispered excitedly to Roy. Roy -nodded. Then they sat, the three of them, like a trio of conspirators -and waited. Once in a while they exchanged smiles, and Harry and Roy -applauded Chub as he read from a blank sheet of paper, with widely -fantastic gestures, an imaginary letter recounting Dick’s virtues. Then -the door opened and the Doctor and Dick appeared together in the hall. - -“Ah, boys,” said the Doctor, “I’m glad to see you again. You spent a -pleasant vacation, I hope. Now will you kindly take Somes over to Mr. -Cobb and ask him to assign him a bed in the Senior Dormitory? Thank -you. Good evening. I will see you here in the morning, Somes.” - -They left Harry, jubilant, on the porch and returned through the -darkness to Burgess. - -“How did it go?” asked Chub. - -“All right,” answered Dick soberly. “Say, the Doctor’s fine, isn’t he?” -The others concurred and Dick went on: - -“He wasn’t going to take me at first; said it wouldn’t be quite fair -to the Hammond folks. But I told him it was all off between them and -me and that if he wouldn’t take me here I’d go somewhere else. Then -I showed my credentials and he said finally that if I was in earnest -about it and really wanted to come here to learn and would abide by the -rules and all that he’d take me; and I said I would and we shook hands. -Then he laughed and said he guessed I’d get on.” - -“Good enough,” said Roy. “We’ll find Cobb and then go down to supper. -Are you hungry?” - -“Hungry! Man, I’m starved! I’ve been living on apple-sauce for -forty-eight hours! Why, I only have to close my eyes to imagine myself -a Golden Russet!” - -“Golden Russet be blowed!” laughed Chub. “You’re a peach!” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE BEGINNING OF A GREAT SCHEME - - -Dick Somes, or “The Brand,” as Chub insisted on calling him, was a -success from the start. The circumstances attending his arrival at -Ferry Hill enveloped him in a mantle of romance, while to have thrown -over Hammond in favor of the rival school at once endeared him to -his new friends. Besides this, however, it was hard to resist his -personality. As Chub said one day in awed tones: “He’s just about as -homely as a mud fence, only somehow you forget all about it.” And you -did. You remembered only that his look was frank and kindly, his voice -wonderfully pleasant, and his laughter infectious. Before he had been -at Ferry Hill a week he knew every one of his forty-two companions -to speak to, and could call each one by his name without a mistake. -The younger boys tagged after him whenever they might, and the older -ones were frankly eager to be with him. He could talk interestingly on -a hundred subjects, and could be as breezy as a Kansas cyclone or as -staid and proper as young Cullum, of the Second Middle, who, on his -arrival from Boston the year before, had been promptly dubbed “Culture” -Cullum. - -Born in Ohio, Dick had moved west with his parents at the age of six -years. Then had followed sojourns in a sod house in Nebraska, in a -log cabin in Montana, in an adobe shack in Colorado, and in a real -carpenter-built house in a Nevada mining town. After that the fortunes -of the Someses had mended rapidly until, when Dick was twelve, the -family was living comfortably in one of the finest residences of -Helena. For two years Dick attended school uninterruptedly, something -he had not done before. Then came his mother’s death and two years of -hotel life at home and abroad for him and his father. So, of course, -Dick had seen a good deal of the world for a boy of his age, had a keen -sense of humor, plenty of imagination, and could rattle off stories -that made his audience sit with wide eyes and open mouths. Dick never -spoke of wealth, but the impression prevailed generally that his father -was remarkably well off, and the fact that Dick had his own check-book -and could draw money from a New York trust company whenever he wanted -to naturally did much to strengthen that impression. - -Harry took much credit to herself for Dick’s capture, and displayed at -all times a strong proprietary interest in him. For his part Dick liked -Harry immensely and endured her tyranny with unfailing good humor. At -Madame Lambert’s School, in Silver Cove, Harry became quite a heroine, -and the story of how she had induced a Hammond boy to come to Ferry -Hill was in constant demand for a fortnight after school began again. - -Naturally enough, Dick’s closest friends were Chub and Roy--and, of -course, Harry; and I might include Sid Welch. Sid was fifteen and a -confirmed hero-worshiper. Last year he had transferred his allegiance -from Horace Burlen to Roy, and now appearances indicated that he was -about to transfer it again to Dick. Dick was very kind to him, as he -was to every one, but Sid’s youthfulness prevented him from any save -occasional companionship with the three older boys. To be sure, Dick -was only sixteen himself, but he seemed older than either Chub or Roy. -He had barely managed to convince Doctor Emery of his right to enter -the Second Senior class, and was working very hard to stay there. - -One morning, a week or so after the beginning of the new term, Dick, -Roy, Chub, and Harry were seated, the two former on the grain chest -and the two latter on an empty box, in the barn. The big doors were -wide open and the morning sunlight fell across the dusty floor in a -long path of gold. The cold had moderated and that day the water was -dripping from the eaves, and the snow was sliding with sudden excited -rustlings from the roofs of the barn and sheds. Beyond the sunlight -the floor faded into the twilight of the building wherein the forms of -farm wagons and machinery were dimly discerned. From close at hand, -to be exact, from tiers of boxes and home-made cages ranged along one -side of the barn, came strange sounds; squeaks, soft murmurs, little -rustling noises, excited chatters, and now and then a plaintive me-ow. -The sounds came from the inhabitants of Harry’s menagerie, as Roy had -nicknamed the collection of pets. Overhead was the soft cooing of -pigeons, and outside in the warm sunlight many of them were wheeling -through the air and strutting about the yard. Dick had just been -formally introduced to the inhabitants of the boxes; to Lady Grey and -her two furry, purry kittens, to Angel and others of his family--white, -pink-eyed rabbits these--, to Teety, the squirrel, to Pete and Repeat -and Threepete, black rabbits all, to Snip, the fox terrier, to numerous -excitable white mice, and, last but not least, to Methuselah. - -Methuselah was the parrot, a preternaturally solemn and dignified bird -as long as he refrained from conversation. When he spoke he betrayed -himself as the jeering old fraud that he was. Just at present he was -seated on Harry’s arm, his head on one side, and one glittering eye -closed. Closing one eye gave him a very wise look, and I fancy he knew -it. At Harry’s feet lay Snip, stretched out in the sunshine, and at a -little distance Spot, an Angora cat and the black sheep of the family, -sat hunched into a round ball of furriness and watched proceedings with -pessimistic gaze. - -“When does the first hockey game come, Roy?” asked Chub. - -“A week from Saturday, with Cedar Grove. By the way, Dick, can you play -hockey?” - -“No, what’s it like?” - -“Haven’t you ever seen a game?” - -“Don’t think so. It’s a sort of shinny on the ice, isn’t it?” - -“Something like that,” answered Roy. “You ought to learn. Harry says -you’re a dandy skater, and that’s half the battle.” - -“Oh, I never could play games,” said Dick. “I’ve tried to catch a -base-ball, but I never could do it.” - -“You come out for practice in a month or so,” said Chub, “and I’ll bet -you can learn how. Will you?” - -“If you like. Do both you fellows play?” - -“Yes, Roy plays first base and I play second.” - -“Chub is captain,” added Harry. - -“And where do you play?” asked Dick, turning to her. - -“They won’t let me play,” answered Harry disgustedly. “I can play just -as well as Sid Welch, though!” - -“Oh, come now, Harry,” laughed Chub, “Sid played a pretty good game -last year.” - -“So could I if you’d let me. I can catch any ball you can throw, Chub -Eaton, and you know it!” - -“Of course you can,” said Chub soothingly. “I’ll put you behind the bat -this year, Harry.” - -“How far behind?” asked Roy. “Back of the fence?” Harry made a face at -him. - -“I wouldn’t think of playing if you bar Harry out,” said Dick gravely. -“Harry rescued me from a life of idleness at Hammond, and brought me -over here where I’m buzzing my brain out trying to keep up with my -class, and I’m naturally awfully grateful to her. If you don’t let her -play you can’t have my invaluable services, Chub.” - -“Look here, how about foot-ball?” demanded Roy. - -“Me?” asked Dick. “I don’t know the first thing about it. The only game -I can play is chess.” - -“But you ought to do something with those muscles of yours,” insisted -Roy. “Did you ever do any rowing?” - -“Never even saw a race,” was the cheerful reply. “Oh, I’m no athlete, -me. The only thing I can do is ride and fish and shoot and throw a rope -and--and run a little.” - -“Run?” - -“Yes, on my feet, you know. Don’t you ever run hereabout?” - -“Yes,” laughed Chub, “we run bases.” - -“I couldn’t do that, I guess; a mile’s about my measure. Don’t you have -foot races here?” - -“No, we don’t do anything in that line. Hammond has a track team, but -we haven’t. You should have stayed where you were put, if you want to -be a runner.” - -“What’s the matter with getting up one of those things here?” asked -Dick. “One of those track teams? You’ve got a track, haven’t you?” - -“Yes, but it’s not much good. We only use it for exercise,” said Roy. - -“Couldn’t it be fixed up?” - -“I don’t believe the Doctor would do it,” answered Roy. “You see, it -would cost a lot, and I know there isn’t much money to spend.” - -“Why? Doesn’t the school make money?” asked Dick. - -“Oh, yes, but not very much; does it, Harry?” - -“Sometimes it doesn’t make anything; it loses,” replied Harry -cheerfully. “Then I wear my old dresses in the summer, and we stay -here at Ferry Hill; only sometimes I have to go and visit Aunt Harriet -Beverly, which is much worse than staying at home.” - -“Must be a leak somewhere,” said Dick. “Why, with forty-three boys at -four hundred dollars a year, I don’t see why the Doctor doesn’t make -slathers of coin.” - -“He used to,” said Harry; “but everything costs so much more nowadays, -you see. Papa says that if we had accommodations for twenty more boys -the school would make money.” - -“What kind of accommodations?” asked Dick. - -“Why, places to sleep and eat,” answered Harry. - -“But if he’s losing money now with forty boys I should think he’d lose -half as much again with sixty,” said Chub. - -“Didn’t you ever hear the saying that it costs as much to feed three -persons as it does two?” laughed Dick. - -“Papa means,” explained Harry, “that the expenses wouldn’t be much -larger than they are now. It would take more food, of course, and--and -things like that, but there wouldn’t have to be any more teachers, -because papa and Mr. Cobb and Mr. Buckman could teach sixty boys just -as well as forty.” - -“I see,” said Chub. “But--could he get twenty more boys? The school -isn’t quite full now, you know.” - -“He could if he advertised in the magazines and papers,” said Harry. -“He never has advertised because he says it wouldn’t pay to do it -unless he could take lots more boys.” - -“Well, I like the school as it is,” said Chub. “I think there is just -enough of a crowd here now. If it was much bigger we wouldn’t hang -together the way we do and we wouldn’t have half so good a time.” - -“Yes, but I’d like the Doctor to make something,” said Roy. “I’d like -Harry to have new dresses in the summer and not have to visit her Aunt -Harriet,” he continued with a laugh. “Besides, if the school was making -plenty of money we could have a new boat-house, and an addition to the -grand stand and things like that, probably.” - -“And a new running track,” added Dick. “I’m in favor of enlarging the -school!” - -“Objection withdrawn,” said Chub. “Go ahead and do it.” - -“Then, too,” said Roy, who had apparently been considering the matter -quite seriously, “we’d have a larger number of fellows to pick our -teams from. If we’ve been able to win from Hammond in most everything -in the long run with only half as many fellows as she has, what could -we do to her if we had three fourths as many?” - -“Third class in algebra!” murmured Chub. “Mr. Somes may answer.” - -“Not prepared,” said Dick promptly. - -“But it’s so,” cried Harry. “Why, we could--we could simply lambaste -them!” - -“Good for you, Harry!” laughed Chub. - -“Yes, it is so,” pursued Roy earnestly. - -“That’s why Hammond can have a track team and we can’t. She has nearly -ninety fellows this year to our forty-three. That means that she’s got -two chances to our one.” - -“Oh, piffle!” scoffed Chub. “Why doesn’t she lick us then? We’ve beaten -her three times out of four at foot-ball, and we’re away ahead in -base-ball victories, and in rowing. No, sir, the reason we’ve been able -to lick her is just because we have so few fellows that we all stick -together and work for the school, and when we get a lot more here it -will be different and there’ll be cliques and things like that, and -half the school won’t speak to the other half.” - -“That isn’t so at Hammond, I guess,” objected Dick. “From what little I -learned of the place the fellows stick together pretty well.” - -“Besides, twenty more wouldn’t make much difference,” added Roy. “What -you say might be so if we had two or three hundred, like some of the -big schools; but not with sixty. I cast my vote with Dick; let’s -enlarge.” - -“Yes, indeed,” cried Harry, “let’s! How’ll we do it?” - -“Well, don’t let me interfere,” said Chub good-naturedly. “I’ll just -sit here and keep still while you do it. But don’t be long, because -I’ve got a lesson in just ten minutes.” - -“Why, there’s only one way to do it,” said Dick promptly. “We must have -a new dormitory.” - -“Oh, is that it?” asked Chub. “I’ll see if I can find one for you.” -He began to peer around on the floor. “I suppose one slightly used -wouldn’t do?” - -“You dry up and blow away,” said Roy. “We’re talking business.” - -“And if you want to come in on the ground floor,” said Dick, “now’s -your chance. If you wait you’ll have to pay a big price to join the -Society.” - -“What’s it called? The Society of Hopeless Idiots?” - -“No, sir; it’s called the Ferry Hill Improvement Society,” replied -Dick. “And its objects are to obtain a new dormitory, increased -attendance, a new running track and a track team.” - -“Is that all?” jeered Chub. “It sounds so easy I guess I’ll have to -come in. You may put me down for president.” - -“We’ll put you down for janitor, that’s what we’ll put you down for,” -said Roy scathingly. “Dick shall be president.” - -“I decline,” said Dick. “I nominate Miss Harry Emery, Esquire.” - -“No, Roy must be president,” answered Harry, “and I’ll be secretary and -treasurer, because I have more time than you fellows. And Dick must be -vice-president, and Chub--” - -“I’ll be referee.” - -“No, you’ll be second vice-president.” - -“All right,” answered Chub cheerfully. “That’s me. I’m the one who -attends banquets and does the jollying. You folks do the work.” - -“Look here,” said Roy soberly. “Are you fellows in fun or do you--do -you really intend to go into this?” - -Chub grinned and Harry looked doubtful. Dick, however, answered -promptly. - -“No, sir, there’s no fun about it!” he declared. “We’re going to do -it. Work on the new dormitory begins as soon as school closes in June. -Why not? What’s a dormitory, anyhow? Thirty thousand will build it, I -guess; and if we can’t scrape up that much before June we don’t deserve -it!” - -“I’ll bet you anything he believes it!” said Chub in awed tones. - -“Of course I believe it,” said Dick stoutly. “We’ll send letters to the -graduates asking for subscriptions, and we’ll get the fellows in school -interested and make them contribute. I’ll start the ball rolling myself -with fifty dollars.” - -“Gee!” said Chub. “I can’t give much more than fifty cents, I guess.” - -“You’ll give five dollars, anyhow,” declared Dick. “No subscriptions -received for less than five.” - -“I’ll give five!” cried Harry eagerly. “I’ve got almost that much in my -bank.” - -“Good! Fifty and fifteen are--” - -“Is,” corrected Chub. - -“_Am_--sixty-five,” said Dick. “That’s a good starter.” - -“Sure!” laughed Roy. “We only need twenty-nine thousand nine hundred -and thirty-five more!” - -“Oh, maybe it won’t take thirty thousand,” said Dick cheerfully. “I -only guessed at it. We’ll find out about that the first thing.” - -“Well, there’s no harm in trying,” said Roy. “And it’ll be good fun -whether anything comes of it or not. But I vote that Chub be made -president because I’m going to be too busy during the next two months -to attend properly to the duties of the office. You see, hockey doesn’t -leave much time for other things.” - -“Not me, though,” Chub protested. “I never was president of anything, -and don’t know what you do. Besides, I’m going to be pretty busy myself -in another six weeks. Base-ball candidates are coming out early this -year. Dick’s the man for president; he started the trouble and the -subscriptions. All in favor--” - -“I’d just as lief serve as president,” said Dick, “only I may be busy -myself pretty soon.” - -“What at?” asked Chub. - -“Forming that track team. I’m going to be captain of it, you know. -Roy’s captain of the hockey team and you’re captain of the nine, and -I’ve got to be captain of something, myself.” - -“Do you really mean that you’re going to try and get up a team?” asked -Roy. - -“Yes, and I want you fellows to help me. Will you?” - -“Sure,” cried Chub. “It’s a good scheme, Dick. I’ll wager there are -lots of fellows here who will be pleased purple to join.” - -“Will _you_?” - -“Me? Why, I can’t do anything.” - -“How do you know? I dare say you can run bases, and if you can do that -maybe you can sprint. And Roy ought to make a good distance runner. You -say he was in the Cross Country last fall.” - -“I’ll join,” said Roy. “I don’t suppose I can do anything, but I’m -willing to try.” - -“Same here,” said Chub. “And while we’re about it, let’s start a few -other things. We haven’t got a croquet club, nor a sewing circle, you -know.” - -[Illustration: A meeting of the Ferry Hill School Improvement Society] - -“And if we started those, Harry could join,” laughed Dick. - -“I should think you might let me join the track team,” said Harry. “I -can run as fast as anything, Dick!” - -“As secretary of the F. H. I. S.,” replied Dick, “you will have no time -for trivial affairs, Harry. You’ve let yourself in for a lot of hard -work, if you only knew it. Now, I propose--” - -“I propose,” exclaimed Chub, jumping up, “that I go to my recitation. -When’s the next meeting?” - -“The secretary will issue a call for it,” answered Dick. - -“Seems to me,” suggested Roy, “that the name ought to be the Ferry Hill -_School_ Improvement Society; people might think we were trying to -improve the Hill.” - -“Settle it to suit yourselves,” cried Chub, making a dash for the door. -“I’m off.” - -Methuselah, who had been dozing for some time, awoke startled, and -broke into angry remonstrances. “Well, I never did!” he screeched -hoarsely. “Can’t you be quiet? Stop your swearing! Stop your swearing! -Stop your swearing!” - -And the first meeting of the small but very select Ferry Hill School -Improvement Society broke up in confusion. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE F. H. S. I. S. HOLDS A MEETING - - -A few days later Harry sat at the little desk in her room, her feet -twined around the legs of her chair, her head very much on one side -and a pen in her hand. Before her, on the pink blotting-pad, were four -postal cards. Two were already written on, and a third was under way: - - FERRY HILL, N. Y., January 14. - - There will be a meeting of the F. H. S. I. S. at the rooms - of the Society (this means the barn), at 4 o’clock on the - afternoon of January 16th. As the object of the meeting is to - perfect a permanent organization, a full attendance is desired. - - Respectfully, - H. EMERY, - Sec’y and Treas. - -Harry laid down her pen with a sigh of relief, and wiped some of the -ink from her fingers by rubbing them on the edge of the blotter. Then, -getting a new grip on the chair legs with her feet, she took up the -last postal. At that moment Mrs. Emery passed the open door, smiled and -entered. - -“What are you doing, pet?” she asked, laying a hand on Harry’s -shoulder, and glancing at the postals. - -“Oh!” Harry gave a start and looked up in surprise. “Mama, you mustn’t -see!” she cried. “It’s a secret!” - -“A secret? Well, my dear, I wouldn’t write it on postals then,” laughed -her mother. “Don’t you know that any one can read it that way?” - -“Well, it isn’t a secret--exactly,” explained Harry. “But it’s -something you and papa mustn’t know about, yet. Are you reading it?” - -“No, I’ve stopped, dear. But what is the F. H. S. I. S?” - -“That’s it! That’s the secret. It’s a society.” - -[Illustration: “‘Mama, you mustn’t see!’ she cried. ‘It’s a secret!’”] - -“Don’t you think, pet, that you are a little too young to belong to -secret societies?” asked Mrs. Emery smilingly. - -“Not this kind, mama; this is--is a benevolent society.” - -“Oh!” - -“Yes, it’s for a worthy purpose.” - -“Indeed? And what is the purpose, Harry?” - -“Why, it’s to--now, there, mama, you almost made me tell you!” Harry -turned and pushed her mother away. “I’m not going to answer any more -questions!” She set her lips tightly and determinedly together. - -“But, Harry,” said her mother teasingly, “you know you never can keep a -secret! You needn’t even try. You might as well tell me now as later.” - -Harry shook her head violently, but refused to speak. - -“Very well, then,” said Mrs. Emery sadly, “if you can’t trust me, -Harry, I suppose--” - -Harry was not proof against this. She jumped up and threw her arms -about Mrs. Emery’s comfortable waist, and hugged tight. - -“It isn’t fair!” she cried. “You’re trying to work on my feelings, -mama, and make me feel naughty; and then I’ll have to tell you! And it -isn’t my secret, dearest, not mine alone, and it wouldn’t be fair to -Roy and Chub and Dick if I told you. And after a while you’ll know all -about it, if you’ll only wait, and you and papa are to pick out the -site for the dormitory and--” - -“Dormitory? What are you talking about, child?” - -But Harry had clasped both hands to her mouth and was looking so -distressed that her mother took pity on her. “Very well, my dear, I -won’t ask you any more questions. But don’t get into mischief.” She -kissed Harry and retired smiling. Harry returned to the desk with a -loud sigh of relief and seated herself for the completion of her task. - -“It was the nearest thing!” she thought. “I almost told it right out! -But just the same I think it was unkind of mama to say I couldn’t keep -a secret!” - -When the last card was written she addressed them; one to Roy, one to -Chub, one to Dick, and one to herself. - -“It’s more businesslike,” she declared silently. “Secretaries of -societies are such busy folks that I guess they are very likely to -forget engagements unless they have notices around where they can see -them.” - -She was forced to own, however, that it wasn’t necessary to post her -notice with the others the following morning at Silver Cove. But then, -for that matter, it wasn’t absolutely necessary to post any of them! -She could just as well have handed them to the addressees; but sending -them through the mail made them seem far more important, and the whole -thing more real. - -The second formal meeting of the Society therefore came off on -the following Wednesday afternoon, but without the desired full -attendance. For Roy was very busy on the rink where the hockey team was -getting ready for the game with Cedar Grove School three day later. -It was decidedly chilly in the “rooms of the Society” this afternoon, -and the members did not remove their wraps. A portion of the menagerie -made the mistake of supposing that feeding-time had arrived, and it -was some minutes before order was restored. Methuselah had such a lot -to say that Harry was forced to drop the canvas in front of his cage, -whereupon, after much disgusted muttering, he concluded that it was -really bed-time and that he would go to sleep. - -“I suppose,” said Harry apologetically, “that I ought to read the -minutes of the last meeting; only there aren’t any.” - -“In which case,” said Chub, “I move you, Mr. President, and -fellow-members, that the reading of the minutes be dispensed with.” - -“I move so, too,” said Harry excitedly. - -“You mean you second the motion,” Chub corrected. “Question, Mr. -President!” - -“I guess we’ll worry along without parliamentary procedure,” laughed -Dick. “And I don’t believe it will be necessary yet awhile to keep the -minutes. Here’s the subscription list. I’ve put my name down for fifty -dollars. You two sign, and get Roy to. Then you had better keep it, -Harry. Now, are we going to take in more members or keep this thing to -ourselves? I’m in favor of having just us four, because if we have a -lot it will be hard to get anything done; the fellows will always be -wanting to speak and ask questions and all that. What do you say?” - -“Four’s enough,” said Chub. And Harry nodded concurrence. - -“All right. Now I’ve been asking questions, and I’ve found that Burgess -Hall cost twenty-seven thousand dollars. But it was built twelve years -ago, and Mr. Cobb says labor and materials have almost doubled in cost -since then. If that’s so Burgess would cost about forty-five thousand -to-day; but the new dormitory wouldn’t have to be more than half as -large because it would have to accommodate only twenty fellows, and -wouldn’t have to have a dining-room. But I think it ought to be built -in such a way that it could be added to later. I’ve been figuring for a -while on the thing, and I think we’ll need just about what I said the -other day, thirty thousand.” - -“Well, let’s have enough while we’re about it,” said Chub dryly. “Maybe -we’d better say forty thousand.” - -“So now the thing to do,” continued Dick, “is to write a letter saying -what we’re trying to do, and asking for subscriptions. We’ll have -it printed and send it around to the grads. I guess we can get hold -of their names all right, for the Doctor must have a list of them -somewhere.” - -“Yes, he has,” said Harry. “There’s a big book of names and addresses -in the office.” - -“But it’ll cost something for printing and postage, won’t it?” asked -Chub. - -“Yes, and so we’ve got to have some ready money. I guess twenty-five -dollars will be enough for the present.” - -“Well, but where is it coming from?” - -“From the subscriptions. The treasurer must collect from us. I’ll pay -ten dollars now, and you fellows can give something, too. Then I’ll -give Harry a check for the rest of what I owe.” - -“Oh, I’ll have something to treasure, won’t I?” cried Harry. “That’s -what a treasurer’s for, you know.” - -“Yes.” Dick brought out his purse and selected two five-dollar bills -from the little roll of money it contained, and handed them to Harry, -who accepted them with shining eyes. “You must send me a receipt for -it, you know,” said Dick. Chub fished ruefully around in his trousers -pocket and finally produced a dollar and twenty cents. - -“I guess I’ll keep the change,” he said, “but you can have the dollar. -Gee! I can just see that dormitory, Dick!” - -“All right,” answered Dick good-humoredly, “you go ahead and have your -fun. How many fellows do you suppose have gone to school here?” - -“Fury, I don’t know!” said Chub. “A whole bunch of ’em.” - -“Well, how many usually enter in the fall?” - -“This year there were fourteen new boys--counting you,” answered Harry. - -“We’ll call it twelve,--just a dozen,” said Dick. “How long has the -school been running?” - -“About thirty years, I think. Papa has had it twelve years, and I think -it was almost twenty years old then.” - -“All right,” said Dick; “thirty times twelve is three hundred and -sixty. Some of them are either dead or have moved, nobody knows where, -I dare say, so we’ll call it three hundred. If each one gave five -dollars it would be--let me see--” - -“Fifteen hundred,” said Harry, proudly. - -“What! Nonsense! It must be more than that!” - -“Yep. Fifteen hundred,” said Chub. - -“But that can’t be right!” exclaimed Dick. - -“It is, though,” Chub said with a smile. Dick looked thunder-struck. - -“Fifteen hundred! Why, that won’t do any good! How much would each grad -have to give to make thirty thousand?” - -“One hundred dollars,” answered Harry promptly. - -“Well, that’s a lot,” said Dick thoughtfully; “because some of them -probably can’t afford that much.” - -“Maybe some of them will give more,” suggested Chub. - -“That’s so; some might give a thousand. If only ten of them would do -that then the others would have to give only seventy-five, or--well, -something like that.” - -“I guess if we get ten dollars apiece out of them on the average we’ll -be doing well,” said Chub pessimistically. - -“We’ve got to put it to them so that they’ll want to give a lot,” said -Dick. “We’ve got to get together and work up a letter that’ll make ’em -weep! Roy ought to help with that, and so I suggest we put that over -until the next meeting. Meanwhile let’s each get up what he thinks -would be about right and we’ll compare the--the appeals and work them -together next time. Then we’ll have it printed.” - -“Before that, though,” said Chub, “we ought to talk it over with the -Doctor.” - -“Yes, we’ll do that when we have the appeal written out,” answered -Dick. “And we’ll get him to let us have the names and addresses of the -grads. And after we’ve posted the letters we’ll get up a subscription -list and circulate it through the school. I’ve figured that we ought to -get two hundred and seventy dollars that way, without anything from the -Doctor, and I dare say he’d like to give something.” - -“Of course he would,” said Harry. “Maybe he’d give--a hundred! You see, -we wouldn’t want to go away this summer, anyhow, if the dormitory was -being built.” - -“I guess you won’t have to stay at home on that account,” murmured Chub. - -“I think you’re horrid,” said Harry. “You’re making fun of it all the -time. If you don’t think it can be done, I don’t see why you don’t -leave the Society.” - -“Because,” laughed Chub, “I never belonged to a society before, and I -like it immensely. I don’t say we won’t succeed, but I don’t believe -we’ll ever get the money by writing some letters to the graduates; that -is, not by just that alone.” - -“What’s your idea?” asked Dick eagerly. - -“I think we ought to get some one to give a big sum, say five or ten -thousand, as a starter. Then we could find out which of the old boys -are well off, and put it up to them; tell them So-and-So had given ten -thousand dollars and ask them to go and do likewise. Of course, every -grad ought to be allowed the privilege of contributing to the worthy -cause, but there’s no use expecting to get much that way. And when the -letters or circulars are sent out, a subscription blank ought to go -along.” - -“That’s a good scheme,” said Dick thoughtfully. “How can we find out -who the wealthy grads are?” - -“I dare say the Doctor knows,” said Chub. “Anyhow, we can ask him.” - -“Yes, and don’t you think his name ought to go on the letter? Wouldn’t -it look more--more official?” - -“I guess it would,” answered Chub. “I believe we ought to elect him -honorary something; isn’t that what’s usually done?” - -“Honorary President,” suggested Dick. - -“That’s lovely!” cried Harry. “He’ll be so pleased!” - -“He’s elected then,” said Dick, and Chub nodded. - -“Then I say we adjourn the meeting and get together again as soon as -we can when Roy can attend. The trouble is that he has hockey every -afternoon.” - -“Except Monday.” - -“All right then; Monday it is. That’s five days from now, and we’ll -have time to think up the letter to the grads. It’s settled then,” -added Dick, as he slid off the grain chest. “Now let’s go and watch Roy -practice hockey awhile.” - -“Please don’t forget, Chub,” said Harry, “that you owe four dollars to -the treasury. And I must collect from Roy, mustn’t I? Do you think I’d -better open an account at the Silver Cove bank, Dick?” - -“No, I guess you won’t have it long enough,” he laughed. - -“But it’ll be a good deal of money to keep in the house,” Harry -objected. “Suppose some one stole it?” - -“Then you’d have to make good,” said Chub. “By the way, Dick, isn’t it -customary to put the treasurer under bond?” - -“I believe so. Can you give bond, Harry?” - -“I don’t know what that is,” answered Harry; “but I know I’m going to -keep this money where no one can find it! You know a thief broke into -the house three summers ago when we were away, and stole papa’s winter -overcoat and a lot of silverware, and they never got him!” - -“That’s right,” laughed Dick. “Don’t you take any risks with that -immense sum you have there, Harry.” - -“I’ll have a good deal when Chub and Roy pay,” said Harry gravely, as -they left the barn and started along the road toward the dormitory. - -“Well, I’ll settle with you Saturday,” said Chub. “I’m dead-broke now; -there’s only twenty cents between me and the cold world.” - -“And it _is_ a cold world, too,” muttered Dick, pulling his sweater up -around his chin. “I don’t believe I want to stand in the snow and watch -those hockey players very long.” - -“Just a little while,” pleaded Chub. “It’s lots of fun to see Harris -fall down; he can fall farther and harder than any fellow I ever saw.” - -“Aren’t you going to play this year, Chub?” asked Harry. - -“No, Glidden’s a heap better than I am, and, besides, I’ll be busy at -base-ball before the hockey schedule’s finished; so I thought I might -as well drop out of it.” - -“Wait for me a minute,” said Harry when they reached the Cottage. “I’ll -put this money away in the house.” - -They waited for her and then the three went down the hill to the -river, and along the bank to the rink where Roy and Kirby and Warren -and Harris and a dozen others were charging madly about the ice in the -teeth of a freezing gale. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -ON THE ICE AND THROUGH - - -When the thermometer on the north side of School Hall registers four -degrees below zero at noon it means cold weather; and that is just -what the thermometer did on Saturday. In sheltered angles where the -sun shone it was not so bad, but on the way across the campus, where -the wind blew unobstructed, fellows in knickerbockers moved rapidly, -Jack Frost in pursuit and pinching their calves sharply. By half past -three, what time the hockey game with Cedar Grove School was scheduled -to commence, the mercury had dropped another point and the audience -about the rink consisted of exactly six boys, among them Dick and Sid -Welch, and one girl. Of course the girl was Harry. I doubt if there -was another girl for miles up or down the river who would have braved -the cold that afternoon for the sake of sport and patriotism. - -The rink is some three hundred yards down the shore from the -boat-house. Years before a ferry plied between this point and the -opposite town of Coleville, but with the completion of the new -bridge below Silver Cove the enterprise, like many similar ones in -the vicinity, had ceased to be profitable. Ultimately the boat had -disappeared and only the ferry house and landing remained. But that was -last year; now even those were gone, the lumber--such of it as was fit -for the purpose--having been used in the construction of the barrier -around the rink. Many of the old joists and planks, however, were too -rotten to hold nails and these had been left piled up on the beach. -Sid, struck by a brilliant idea, had looted the pile, and by the time -the game had begun a big bonfire was blazing merrily. The handful of -spectators divided their attention between the fire and the contest -until the first half was over, with the score three goals for Ferry -Hill and one for Cedar Grove. Then every one, players, spectators, -substitutes, and referee--who was Chub--gathered as near the flames as -safety permitted and alternately turned faces and backs to the warmth. - -“You’re a wonder, Sid,” declared Roy. “If I had half your brain--!” He -shook his head eloquently, at a loss for words. - -“Oh, Sid’s a great fellow for scheming how to be comfortable,” said -Billy Warren, who played right center for Ferry Hill. “Did you ever -hear about the contrivance he rigged up on his bed the first year he -was here?” - -Every one replied that he had, except Harry; and Harry demanded to be -told. - -“Well,” said Warren, “Sid used to go to sleep with two blankets over -him and the comforter over the foot of the bed, you know. Then along -toward morning it would get cold and Sid would want the comforter, but -he was too sleepy to reach down and get it.” - -“That’s right,” interrupted Chub, whose bed was next to Sid’s in the -Junior Dormitory. “I used to find him all curled up in a ball in the -morning with his teeth chattering like--like--” - -“I didn’t!” declared Sid. - -“Shut up, Sid, you know you did,” said Warren. “Well, so what does Sid -do but get a piece of clothes-line and tie an end to each corner of the -comforter. Then when he woke up and found he was freezing to death all -he had to do was to take hold of the rope and pull the comforter up. -Oh, he’s a wonder, Sid is!” - -“Just the same, it worked all right,” said Sid with a grin, as the -laugh went around. “And I wish I had that comforter now.” - -“I don’t see how you could get much more on,” said Dick, as he viewed -Sid’s rotund appearance. “You look like a bale of sweaters now.” - -“I’ve only got two on,” was the reply. “I was going to borrow Chub’s, -but he went and wore it himself.” - -“How dare you, Chub?” laughed Roy. “You ought to have more -consideration for others.” - -“Thunder!” replied Chub good-naturedly, “Sid would borrow everything I -have if I’d let him. As it is he wears more of my things than his own. -Last week I tried to find a pair of stockings and couldn’t; Sid had the -whole lot in his locker.” - -“They had holes in them,” answered Sid gravely. - -“They certainly had when you got through with them,” laughed Chub. -“Come on, fellows; time’s up.” - -The two teams went back to the ice, peeling off sweaters and gloves, -and presently the game was on again. It was the first contest of the -year and the play was pretty ragged. But there were exciting moments, -as when Harris, who played point on the home team, got away with the -puck for a long race down the rink, passed to Fernald in front of -the Cedar Grove goal, captured the disk again on the quick return and -smashed it past goal-tender’s knees for a score. Toward the latter -part of the period the visitors weakened and Ferry Hill’s tally grew -rapidly, until at the final call of time the score stood 12-4 in -favor of the home players. Cheers were exchanged and the Cedar Grove -fellows hurried away toward the station. The others went back to the -replenished fire and leisurely donned their sweaters. Dick, who had a -moment before wandered away toward the edge of the river, called to Roy. - -“What’s that thing over there?” he asked. - -“What thing? Where?” - -“Across the river. It looks like a boat, but I don’t see how any one -can sail a boat when there isn’t any water.” - -“Oh,” answered Roy, joining him, “that’s an ice-boat, you silly galoot. -Haven’t you ever seen one before?” - -“No, but I’ve seen pictures of them. I didn’t recognize it, though. -Say, that’s pretty slick, isn’t it? Look at the way it scoots around -over there! How the dickens is it made?” - -“Oh, you make a frame-work of timbers kind of three-cornered like and -stick a skate or a runner at each corner, and put a mast in with a sail -or two, and have another runner at the back with a tiller for steering, -and there you are.” - -“You don’t say? Well, that’s the most--er--enlightening explanation I -ever heard, Roy; lucid’s no name for it!” - -“Well, it’s the best I can do,” Roy laughed. “If you want further -particulars I advise you to run over and take a look. I’m no -boat-builder.” - -“That’s what I’ll do,” answered Dick, tightening the straps of his -skates. “Come along!” - -“Are you crazy? Want me to freeze myself?” - -“Freeze nothing! It’ll warm you up. Come on; it won’t take but a minute -or two.” Roy hesitated. Then: - -“All right,” he consented, “I’ll go you. Only it isn’t likely that the -boat’s going to stay there and wait for us.” - -“Bet you I can catch her if she doesn’t have too big a start,” said -Dick. - -“Oh, sure!” scoffed Roy. “She only makes about thirty miles an hour!” - -“Get out!” - -“That’s right, though,” answered Roy. “They say some of them can do -pretty near a mile a minute in a good wind. I don’t know about that one -there, though; don’t think I ever saw her before; she’s got a red hull, -hasn’t she?” - -“Yes, if you call that thing a hull,” replied Dick. “Are there any more -around here?” - -“Two or three, I think.” - -“Well, then, maybe I’ll let this one go if it tries to get away,” Dick -said. “Are you ready?” - -Roy said that he was, but at that moment Chub hailed them. - -“Where you fellows going?” he shouted. - -“Across the river,” answered Roy. “Dick wants to study ice-boats. Want -to come?” - -Chub and Harry and Sid joined them, the latter begging them to wait -until he could get his skates on. - -“All right, slow poke,” answered Roy. “How about you, Harry? It’ll be -beastly cold out in the middle there.” - -“Oh, I’m nice and warm,” answered Harry. “What did you say about an -ice-boat?” - -“Dick never saw one before and he wants to go over and make the -acquaintance of that one over there. Whose is it, Harry? Do you know?” - -“Yes, it belongs to Joe Thurston, Grace Thurston’s brother. He goes to -Hammond. She’s in my class at Madame Lambert’s.” - -“Who, the ice-boat?” asked Chub. - -“No, Mister Smarty, Grace Thurston. Anyhow, I said ‘it.’” - -“You said ‘she!’” - -“I said ‘it!’” - -“Ladies! Ladies!” remonstrated Roy. “No disturbance, I beg of you! -Remember there’s a gentleman present.” - -“Where?” asked Chub, looking carefully around. - -“Here,” grunted Sid, tugging at a strap. - -“For that lie, Sid,” answered Chub severely, “we will go and leave you. -Come on, fellows.” - -“Wait, wait please!” begged Sid. “I can’t get the buckle in the right -hole. My fingers are frozen stiff. You might help a chap, Chub.” - -“All right, I will if you’ll tell the truth. Are you a gentleman, Sid?” - -“No,” answered Sid diplomatically. “It’s that fourth hole, Chub. That’s -it. Thanks.” He got up, hobbled to the edge of the ice and skated away. -“Neither are you, Chub!” he shouted tauntingly. Chub instantly gave -chase, leaving the other three to follow more leisurely. Across the -frozen river and a little further down-stream the ice-boat was skimming -up and down near shore, luffing, filling and turning in the brisk wind -as though trying her sails. - -“That’s just about what she’s doing, I guess,” said Roy as they skated, -three abreast, a hundred yards or so behind the flying forms of Sid and -Chub. “Those sails are brand-new, I think. She’s coming around again. -If we were nearer now you could get a good view of her, Dick.” - -“I’m going to try, anyhow,” answered Dick, as he dug his blades in the -black ice and sped away from them. - -“Shall we try it, too?” asked Roy. Harry nodded her head. - -“I’ll race you,” she cried, and, suiting action to word, darted off -after Dick. She had obtained a good lead before Roy had gathered his -wits together, and he realized that to attempt to overtake that flying -form was quite useless for him. He was a good skater, but Harry had -held the school supremacy for several years and had, as she had stated -to Dick, even beaten Hammond’s best talent the winter before. But Harry -had found more than her match at last, for, try as she could and did, -she could not gain an inch on Dick, who was putting in his best licks -in an endeavor to head off the ice-boat as it passed up-stream close -to the farther shore. In a trice Roy was left to himself. He saw that -he could not hope to intercept the boat even if the others did, and -so kept on diagonally across the river toward the ice-houses below -Coleville. Sid and Chub were still busy with their own affairs, the -former leading the latter a difficult chase, turning and doubling and -thus far avoiding capture. The wind swept across the ice with stinging -buffets against legs and face, and Roy rubbed his ears vigorously to -keep them from freezing. Presently he drew near where they had been -cutting ice and found that to continue on toward the shore and the -path of the returning boat he would either have to cross the cuttings -or skate for some distance up or down the river to get around them. -New ice had formed in the lanes and it looked fairly thick. Roy slowed -down and examined it. Then he struck at it with the heel of one skate, -found that it didn’t break, and skated quickly across. It was a narrow -lane down which the cakes of ice had been floated to the house and he -was soon over it. Then came thick ice again. He looked up the river. -The boat was still before the wind and had passed Dick while that -youth was some distance away. Now he had paused, apparently undecided -whether to remain there or to join the others down-stream. Harry had -already given up the chase and headed toward the ice-houses. Sid and -Chub were still chasing madly about in mid-stream. Roy shouted and -the wind carried his voice so well that both Harry and Dick heard and -waved to him. Then a wide expanse of new ice confronted him and as he -skated unhesitatingly on to it he noted the different sound which it -gave forth under his blades. And then, without the least warning, the -surface gave beneath him like paper and he was fighting for breath with -the green water ringing in his ears and clutching at his heart with icy -fingers. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -HARRY EVENS OLD SCORES - - -It seemed to Roy many long minutes before he ceased to sink and was -able to struggle upward again to the surface and daylight. Luckily -the current was sluggish at that point and when he came up he found -himself in the pool of broken ice. Afterward, remembering how thin that -ice proved to be, he wondered that it had held him for as long as it -had. But now, gasping for breath, choking and numbed with the cold, -his only thought was to find something to support him until help came. -He gave no outcry, it never occurred to him to do so, nor, for that -matter, had he breath for it. Weighted with skates and heavy clothing, -including the thick crimson sweater which he usually wore, he was -seriously handicapped from the start. And to make matters worse, the -thin ice broke under the slightest weight he put upon it. If he could -keep himself afloat long enough to break his way to the side of the -cutting and reach the thick ice he might hold on until some one reached -him. But the chill in his body threatened cramp every instant and made -him feel as weak as a kitten. Gasping and choking, he fought hard, -smashing the ice with one mittened hand and using the other to keep -himself afloat. Now and then, in spite of his efforts, the water with -its scum of floating ice fragments rose across his face, and each time -a dreadful fear gripped him. But he thrashed and fought his way back -again and again, each struggle leaving him weaker than before. There -was no time to look for succor; he saw only the horrid brittle surface -against which he battled. He could not tell whether he was working -toward thick ice or not. - -By degrees hopelessness seized him and he began to feel indifferent; -the lower part of his body seemed to have left him; he believed that -he was working his legs in an effort to tread water, but there was no -sensation there. Once he stopped struggling, and only when the water -had closed over his eyes did he realize that he was sinking. Then, -terror mastering him, he fought blindly and impotently for an instant. -But the effort did not last; he was too weak now to even break the -imprisoning ice; a pleasant lassitude crept over him. It was no use, he -told himself; he was going to give up. And having reached that decision -he experienced a delicious sensation of relief. He had no thought of -drowning; he was merely going to rest, to sleep; and he was glad, -because he could not remember ever having been so dead tired! And then -two things happened simultaneously; he heard his name called and found -his fingers tightening about something that was not ice, something -that did not break and dissolve in his grasp. With a sudden return to -his senses he opened his eyes, said “Hello, Harry,” quite calmly and -closed them again. He did not remember much about it after that. - -When Roy had shouted Harry had heard and waved to him. She was already -skating toward him, although a long distance away, and when, an instant -later, she had looked again to find only empty ice where he had been -she realized instantly what had happened. With a shrill cry of warning -to Dick, some distance behind, she flew onward, skating harder than -she had ever skated before. But the wind was almost dead ahead of her -and seemed to be striving to beat her back with its savage blasts. She -repeated a little prayer to herself over and over as she sped along, -in time to the ringing of her skates: “Please, God, let me be in time! -Please, God, let me be in time!” And presently, as she drew near, she -saw Roy’s head above the surface and was sure that her prayer would be -answered. Off came the brown sweater with the white F. H. upon it and -away blew Harry’s tam-o’-shanter across the ice. And then she was down -on her knees, crawling anxiously across the edge of the treacherous -surface. - -[Illustration: “Harry caught her sweater by the end of one sleeve and -tossed it toward him”] - -Roy, with white face and closed eyes, his light brown hair plastered -down upon his forehead, was beating the air feebly with his hands. With -a silent prayer for success Harry caught her sweater by the end of one -sleeve and tossed it toward him. It fell beside his hand but the wind -whipped it past. Again she tried, calling his name as she did so, and a -corner of the sweater fell under his grasping fingers and with relief -she felt the garment strain and tighten. Roy opened his eyes and looked -at her; even smiled a little, she thought; and said her name. Then she -was putting all her strength into keeping her place, for he had closed -his eyes again and seemed bent upon pulling her after him into the -water. But help was close at hand. With a shout of encouragement Sid -came racing up, followed breathlessly by Chub and Dick. - -“Hold on a minute more,” cried Dick. “Get hold of my legs, Chub, and -I’ll work out to him.” - -But even after Dick had seized Roy firmly by the hands and was himself -lying half in the water it was no easy task for the others. Chub had -Dick by the ankles and Sid held onto Chub, but it was slow work getting -back to solid ice. Yet in the end they succeeded, and Roy, dripping and -unconscious, lay safe. - -“Is he dead?” whispered Sid brokenly. - -“Not a bit of it,” Dick panted. “But we’ve got to get him home mighty -quick or he will catch cold and have pneumonia and all sorts of -things.” As he spoke he peeled off his sweater and wrapped it around -Roy’s shoulders. “Let me have yours, you fellows,” he commanded. - -“Look!” cried Harry. “There’s the ice-boat!” - -Chub’s signaling was unnecessary, however, for the two occupants of the -boat had already seen the catastrophe and were headed toward the group. -Harry’s sweater, as well as Chub’s and the two worn by Sid, were -thrown over Roy, and Dick and Chub were rubbing and slapping him when -the ice-boat rounded to and came up into the wind with flapping sail. - -“Want any help?” asked one of the occupants. - -“Yes, we want to get him home right away,” answered Dick. “Can you take -him aboard and get him to the Ferry Hill landing?” - -“Sure! You pile out, Bob. Lift him in here, will you? There isn’t much -room, but I guess you can get him on somehow. That’s the ticket. Shove -her nose around, Bob. All right! I’ll meet you over there!” - -The sail filled and the boat, with Roy lying like a log in the tiny -cockpit and Joe Thurston crouched beside him, leaped away. The others, -shouting their thanks to the marooned Bob, who, having no skates, -decided to stay where he was until his chum returned to pick him up, -hurried after the boat. At any other time they would have felt the -cold terribly, deprived as they were of their sweaters, but just now -they were far too excited. All talked at once as they raced along and -Harry was forced to listen to much enthusiastic praise of her pluck and -readiness. When they reached the landing the boat was up on the beach -and Joe Thurston had lugged Roy into the boat-house, where, warmed by -the piled-up sweaters, he was beginning to take an interest in life -once more. He waved a hand at them as they entered, but he still looked -pretty white and weak. - -“Well, you’re a fine one, aren’t you?” asked Chub in simulated disgust. -“What were you trying to do? Commit suicide?” - -“You mustn’t scold him!” cried Harry. “He almost drowned!” - -“I guess I would have if it hadn’t been for you,” said Roy soberly. -“Thanks, Harry; you’re a trump.” - -“Oh, don’t mention it,” answered Harry flippantly, to hide the fact -that her lip was trembling. “Besides, I just evened things up. You -know,” she explained, turning to Dick, “I might have burned up to a -cinder last winter if it hadn’t been for Roy. My dress caught on fire -at an entertainment we gave and I came pretty near frizzling, I guess.” - -“That’s so,” said Chub. “You two are even now.” - -“Besides,” added Harry, “I didn’t do anything much, after all. It was -Dick and the others who got you out.” - -“If it hadn’t been for you,” said Dick, “he wouldn’t have been there -when we reached the place. I didn’t know anything about it until I -heard Harry scream. Then I saw her hitting the high places down the -river and guessed what was up. Say, Harry, you sure did skate some!” - -“I guess I’d better be getting back,” said Joe Thurston, edging toward -the door. “Bob will be frozen if I don’t. I hope you’ll be all right,” -he added to Roy. - -“Thanks; and I’m awfully much obliged to you for bringing me across,” -answered Roy. - -“That’s so,” said Dick. “It was mighty nice of you. Want any help with -the boat?” Joe protested that he didn’t. At the door he hesitated and -finally asked, looking at Dick: - -“Say, are you the fellow that came to our school and left?” Dick nodded. - -“I’m the chap,” he said. “Why?” - -“Oh, nothing,” was the reply. “Only--” and this was said over his -shoulder as he went out--“only I’m sorry you didn’t stay!” - -“Cheeky cuss!” muttered Sid. - -“I think he meant it for a compliment,” laughed Chub. - -“Of course he did!” exclaimed Harry. “And I think he’s a real nice boy, -and I’m going to tell his sister so. It’s too bad he goes to Hammond, -isn’t it?” - -“Why don’t you kidnap him too?” asked Chub mischievously. - -“Now what are we going to do with you, Roy?” interrupted Dick. “Want a -carriage or an automobile? Or do you think you can walk if we give you -a boost now and then?” - -“Of course I can walk! And look here, you fellows, I don’t see that -it’s necessary for people to know about this, is it?” - -“I guess the fellows’ll find out pretty quick,” said Chub. - -“Well, don’t you go and tell them. How about you, Harry?” - -“I won’t say anything unless some one asks me,” said Harry. - -“That’s all right, then,” said Roy. “Here, take some of these sweaters; -you folks must be freezing to death. I’m as warm as toast now.” - -“Doesn’t make any difference,” Dick declared. “You keep as many of -those around you as you can. And when you get up the hill you sneak up -to the dormitory and lie down and keep warm until supper time.” - -“You ought to have some peppermint tea,” said Harry. “I’ll make some -and give it to Chub to take over to you. It’ll warm you up inside -beautifully!” - -The program was carried out as arranged, and, save that for the rest of -the evening Roy felt rather played out, he experienced no unpleasant -results from his adventure. Of course the meeting of the F. H. S. I. S. -called for that evening did not take place, for although Roy professed -his readiness to attend, the others would not hear of it. - -“You’ve had a shock,” declared Harry firmly, “and must be very careful -of yourself for several days. I’ll make some more peppermint tea for -you to-morrow, and, and--what are you making such a face about?” - -“Oh, nothing, only couldn’t you manage to get a little sugar into it -the next time?” - -“Didn’t I put any--” began Harry. “Oh, I didn’t, did I? I’m awfully -sorry, Roy! Was it terribly nasty?” - -“Well, there are some things I haven’t tasted,” answered Roy -judicially, “but it was pretty bad, Harry.” - -“I forgot all about the sugar,” Harry mourned, “but I’ll put in enough -the next time to make up!” - -As Chub had predicted, the story of Roy’s accident and rescue was all -over school on Monday, while on Wednesday a graphic and highly-colored -account of it appeared in the Silver Cove paper. One result was that -Harry found herself once more in the glare of publicity at Madame -Lambert’s School and another was that Doctor Emery promulgated a rule -restricting skating on the river to the immediate vicinity of the -boat-house. - -On Monday forenoon at eleven there was a full attendance of the -Improvement Society in the barn. It was such a busy meeting that it -is quite impossible to give an account of it in detail. Strange to -say, every one had tried his or her hand at composing an appeal to -the graduates, just as they had agreed to do, and each one read his -production aloud and listened good-naturedly to the criticisms from the -others which followed. - -“What we’ve got to do now,” said Dick, “is take these four and work -them over into one. But I suppose there isn’t much hurry about that, -because we decided that the best way to begin is to make an appeal to -some chap with a lot of money and get him to give a lump as a starter. -To do that we’ve got to find out who the rich ones are. That means -taking the Doctor into the scheme the next thing. So I move that Roy -and Chub be appointed a committee of two to wait on him this afternoon, -or as soon as possible, and tell him about it. And Harry and I will get -to work on this circular.” - -“Well,” said Chub, “if I must I must, but it seems to me that Dick -ought to take my place because he can talk a lot better and explain the -thing.” - -[Illustration: “There was a full attendance of the Improvement -Society”] - -“Let Roy do most of the talking,” advised Dick. “I have no objection to -taking your place, only you’re an old boy here and I’ve just come; he’d -pay more attention to what you said.” - -“All right,” sighed Chub. “I’m the goat.” - -“And Roy’s the goatee,” added Dick. - -“Well, let’s do it this afternoon,” said Roy, “and get it over with.” - -“Yes,” said Dick, “and we’ll meet again here this evening and hear the -committee’s report.” - -“Hooray!” cried Chub. “That’s me! I’m a Committee!” - -“You’re only half a one,” Roy objected. “I appoint myself chairman of -the committee.” - -“Seconded,” said Chub. “The chairman does the talking, doesn’t he?” - -“Don’t forget to tell papa that we’ve elected him honorary president,” -reminded Harry. “That will please him, I know.” - -“Bet you he’ll kick us out!” murmured Chub. - -“Don’t you worry,” laughed Dick. “Roy, as chairman, will receive all -the honors. You can dodge.” - -Methuselah, who up to this point had been huddled silently in a corner -of his box, with only one beady eye showing, began to chuckle softly. - -“Hello,” said Dick, “old ’Thuselah’s awake. I thought he was frozen up. -Hello, you old rascal!” - -The parrot put his head on one side and walked slowly to the front of -the box. - -“Howdy do?” he muttered. - -“Pretty well, thanks,” answered Chub. “How are you?” - -“Stop your swearing,” replied Methuselah severely. “Can’t you be quiet?” - -“Well, that’s a nice way to answer a polite inquiry,” said Chub. “You -ought to teach him better manners, Harry.” - -“I can’t teach him anything,” mourned Harry. “He knew all he knows now -when I got him. Roy and I tried one day to--” - -“Roy,” observed Methuselah slowly, experimentally. Then, as though to -hide his embarrassment, “Well, I never did!” he shrieked. The four -stared at each other in astonishment. Harry found her voice first. - -“That’s the first new thing he’s ever said!” she whispered in awe. - -“See if he will say it again,” Dick suggested. But in spite of all -their coaxing Methuselah was obdurate. You would have thought he had -never heard the word in his life, much less pronounced it. - -“Well, it shows who’s the favorite, anyhow,” laughed Chub. - -Harry blushed a little and answered quickly: - -“That’s because Roy has been nice to him, and doesn’t make fun of him.” - -“Maybe,” teased Chub, “but I notice he doesn’t break out with my name -or Dick’s. And Dick just loves him; don’t you, Dick?” - -“Of course I do,” answered Dick, walking over and rubbing Methuselah’s -head through the slats. “We’re pretty good friends considering that we -haven’t known each other very--_Ouch! Great guns!_” - -“What’s the matter?” laughed Roy. - -“Why, he pretty near bit my finger off! ’Thuselah, you’re a hypocrite. -After this when you want your old top-knot scratched you ask Roy; I’m -through with you.” - -“Did he hurt you much?” asked Harry anxiously. - -“No,” said Dick, “he just nipped me.” - -“Oh, that was just a love-nip,” said Chub. “That’s the way he shows his -affection. He’s so fond of me that I have to keep away from him; I was -getting all black-and-blue spots!” - -“You’re a naughty ’Thuselah,” said Harry sternly. “For that you shall -go to bed. Good-night.” - -She let the piece of canvas fall over the front of the box. For a -moment there was silence. Then came a subdued rustling followed by -insulted mutterings: - -“Well, I never did!” croaked Methuselah. - -“Is the meeting over?” asked Chub. “Because I’ve got about two minutes -to find my books and get to class.” - -“Yes,” answered Dick. “It’s adjourned until to-night at eight o’clock.” - -“Then I’m off! This half of the committee has duties!” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY HAS A SETBACK - - -“You tell him,” said Roy, subsiding on to an inverted bucket with a -sigh. - -“No, sir,” answered Chub; “you’re chairman and you’ve got to make the -report to the--er--meeting.” - -“Well, you don’t have to tell me anything,” said Harry, who had just -entered and was unbuttoning the cape which she had worn across from the -Cottage. “Papa told mama about it at supper. He--he thinks it’s a joke!” - -“That’s right,” said Roy ruefully, “that’s just what he does think.” - -“But you told him it wasn’t, didn’t you?” Dick demanded impatiently. - -“Yes, several times, but he only smiled and said he guessed it wasn’t -quite practical--” - -“Practicable,” corrected Chub. - -“Practical!” - -“Practicable; I noticed especially and thought what a nice word it was.” - -“Look here, I’m chairman, and if I say practical--” - -“Practical it is,” said Chub. “I’ll lick the first fellow that says -anything else. I remember perfectly--” - -“Cut it out, you two, and talk sense!” said Dick. “Do you mean that he -has forbidden us to go ahead with it?” - -Roy looked at Chub and Chub looked at Roy, and presently each shook his -head. - -“No, he didn’t forbid anything,” answered Roy finally. “He just laughed -and--and--” - -“Acted as though he was humoring a couple of mild lunatics,” added Chub -resentfully. - -“But what objections did he make?” Dick asked. - -“Objections? Oh, he wasn’t very--what do you call it?--specific. He -thought at first we were fooling and then when we both told him we -weren’t, that we’d started the scheme and that we’d made him honorary -president, he--” - -“Laughed as though he had a fit,” finished Chub, smiling broadly -himself in recollection. - -“But what did he _say_?” - -“Oh, he said he guessed we wanted a dormitory, but that we’d better not -force events--or something like that; said thirty thousand was a big -sum to raise and that maybe we’d better wait awhile and see--see how -things shaped themselves.” - -“Whatever that means,” added Chub. - -“Did he accept the honorary presidency?” Dick asked. - -“I don’t know; he said something polite, but I don’t believe he was -much impressed.” - -“But he didn’t decline it?” - -“No; did he, Chub?” - -“Nary a decline,” Chub chuckled. “He said something about you, Dick.” - -“What was it?” - -“Said he liked your enterprise, but maybe you’d better apply some of it -to your studies.” - -“I’m disappointed in papa,” said Harry sorrowfully. - -“Oh, well, don’t you care,” Chub replied cheerfully. “We’ve had a lot -of fun out of the scheme. I guess none of us really expected to make -a go of it, anyhow, so there’s no sense in being disappointed. I move -that the treasurer be instructed to return the subscriptions and that -the Ferry Hill School Improvement Society be declared disbanded.” - -There was silence. Harry and Roy looked questioningly at Dick, who, in -turn, was gazing thoughtfully at the lantern. - -“Any one second that?” continued Chub. - -Again silence fell. Finally Dick looked up. - -“There’s no use in you folks trying to bust up the society,” he said; -“because if you do I’ll organize it again.” - -“What?” exclaimed Chub. “But what’s the use, Dick? We can’t do anything -without the Doctor’s help, and he’s as good as told us to forget it!” - -“He hasn’t forbidden us to raise the money for a new dormitory,” -said Dick doggedly, “and I, for one, am going to go ahead. If any of -the rest of you want to stay in and help, all right; if not, you can -withdraw and I’ll go it alone.” - -“I want to stay!” cried Harry promptly. - -“Well--” began Roy. - -“Oh, you can’t scare me,” said Chub. “If you want to go ahead, I’m -right with you. I don’t see what we can do, but I’ll stick as long as -any one. We’ll nail the flag to the mast, by jingo! ‘Shoot, if you -will, this old grey head, but spare your country’s flag! she said!’” - -And Chub danced a jig on the barn-floor, his shadow leaping about huge -and grotesque against the wall. - -“I don’t want to drop out,” declared Roy. “I’m as much in earnest about -this as any of you. But what’s your scheme, Dick?” - -“Haven’t any,” answered Dick promptly. “But I’ll find one pretty quick. -Ferry Hill’s going to have that dormitory! You wait and see! It may -take longer than I thought, but it’s coming. I’ll think up a way, all -right; just you give me time.” - -“Good for you!” said Chub soberly. “I believe you will, Dickums. And -I’m with you. I never believed much in that dormitory before, but -hanged if I can’t pretty near see it to-night!” - -“You could make a fellow believe in any old thing, Dick,” laughed Roy. -“You ought to be a general or something in the army and lead forlorn -hopes.” - -“What’s a forlorn hope?” demanded Chub. But no one paid any attention -to him. - -“Then I’m still secretary and treasurer!” cried Harry. “I was _so_ -afraid you were going to break up the Society!” - -“No, we’re not going to do anything of the sort,” said Dick stoutly. -“We’re going right ahead, only we’re going to keep it quiet until we -get things started. We can’t look for help from the honorary president, -and so--” - -“From who?” asked Roy. - -“The honorary president, Doctor Emery. He hasn’t declined the office, -so he’s still it, whether he knows anything about it or not.” - -“That’s lovely!” cried Harry, clapping her hands and beating her heels -against the grain chest on which she was seated. “It’s such a dandy -joke on papa!” - -“Well, he won’t help us,” Dick went on, “and so we’ll have to make -a new start in a new direction. And I’ll have to find what that new -direction is. But you folks want to think about it, too; four heads are -better than one. And now, as it seems to be about a thousand degrees -below zero in here, I move we adjourn.” - -“When’s the next meeting?” asked Harry. - -“I don’t know. We won’t have another until somebody has thought up -something. We’ll adjourn subject to the call of the president.” - -“That’s great!” said Chub. “I never did that before. It makes me feel -real chesty. The secretary and treasurer will kindly carry the lantern -so she won’t break her neck. I hope the next time we hold a meeting -the janitor will manage to have the rooms of the society a little more -comfortable as regards heat. I think I have chilblains.” - -“Let’s discharge that janitor,” laughed Roy as they went out. - -“All right,” agreed Dick. “Who is he?” - -“Methuselah,” answered Chub promptly. - - * * * * * - -Two days later Chub and Roy encountered each other in the campus. As -though at a prearranged signal each exclaimed: - -“Where’s Dick?” - -Then again, speaking together like members of a chorus: - -“That’s what I was going to ask,” they added. - -“What’s become of him?” added Roy. “I haven’t seen him more than twice -since Monday night.” - -“Nor I, I guess. I thought maybe he was at the Cottage, but Harry says -she hasn’t seen him.” - -“Was he at dinner?” - -“Oh, yes.” - -“Well, I wonder where--I tell you! Maybe he’s in the library. Did you -look there?” Roy shook his head. - -“No, that seemed an unlikely place to find him. What would he be doing -there?” - -“Search me,” said Chub. “Maybe he’s grinding. He’s been having a hard -old time lately, I guess, with Cobb; Cobb asked him in class the other -day if he had ‘an inherent antipathy’ for French.” - -“What did Dick say?” asked Roy with a smile. - -“Said no, he guessed it was ‘a constitutional repugnance!’” - -“Lovely!” laughed Roy. “Was Cobb peeved?” - -“No, he just sort of grinned and told Dick he’d better amend his -constitution. Let’s go over and see if he’s there.” - -So they got into sweaters and gloves again and battled their way across -to School Hall. At first glance their search looked to be fruitless, -for none of the half-dozen boys about the big table in the library -proved to be Dick. But Roy stepped inside the door and spied their -quarry down in a corner of the room by the magazine shelves. He was -seated on the top of the little step-ladder with a magazine spread open -on his knees and his head bent closely above it. Roy and Chub tiptoed -softly toward him, but he heard them coming, and smiled placidly as -they drew near. Roy thought he turned the pages of the magazine, but -was not sure; at all events when Roy snatched it out of his hands it -was opened at an article entitled “The Art of Fly-Casting.” - -“What are you reading that silly rot for?” he whispered. “Come on over -to the study-room and talk to us.” - -But Dick shook his head calmly. - -“I’m very comfortable here,” he answered. “I’m improving my mind.” - -“Well, I don’t say that isn’t possible,” whispered Chub scathingly; -“but you’d better be studying other things than fly-casting. Come on, -Dick.” - -But Dick was obdurate and as the rules forbade noise or scuffling in -the library they were forced to let him have his way. But they had the -satisfaction of telling him softly but earnestly what they thought of -him, and Chub even managed dexterously to get a grip on his neck and -force him to rub his nose against the magazine before leaving him. -When they reached the door and looked back Dick was once more intently -reading. - -“Silly chump!” growled Chub as they reached the hall. “What’s he want -to study fly-casting for, especially at this time of year?” - -“I don’t believe he was reading that at all,” answered Roy. “I think he -turned the pages before we got to him.” - -“He did? Let’s go over after supper and look through that magazine. Did -you notice what it was?” - -“Yes, but not what number; and as there’s a whole row of them I guess -we’d have a long hunt. We’ll make him tell us the truth when we get -hold of him.” - -“All right. I’ll bet he’s up to something, though.” - -But when supper was over and they looked around for Dick that person -had again disappeared. They searched the two dormitories and then -traveled across to the library again. There sat the missing one, -perched once more on the top of the step-ladder with a magazine before -him. This time they didn’t enter, for Mr. Buckman was on the other side -of the room and they knew he would not allow any conversation. For a -while they huddled about the radiator in the corridor and waited for -Dick to appear. But he didn’t come, and as each had studying to do, -presently they were forced to depart without him. But Dick couldn’t -hope to elude vengeance forever, and when bedtime came he found himself -in the hands of his enemies. - -“How’s your mind coming on?” asked Chub very sweetly, as he pulled Dick -over backward on his bed and sat on him. “Improving, is it?” - -“Know all about fly-casting by this time, I suppose,” remarked Roy, as -he rubbed the captive’s nose the wrong way. “It’s a fine thing to know -about, fly-casting, Dick.” - -“Oh, great!” Chub agreed, jumping himself up and down to an accompaniment -of groans from Dick. “When I consider, Roy, how little I know about -fly-casting I’m utterly appalled at my ignorance. And think of the time -we’re wasting, too! Why, we might be out on the river all day long, Roy, -casting the merry little fly across the ice. Think of that, will you?” - -“Let me up!” groaned Dick. - -“What? Let you up? Why, Chub, I think you’re sitting on the gentleman! -How careless of you! Kindly remove yourself from the Champion -Fly-Caster of Ferry Hill School. Let him up, Chub, and he will cast a -few flies for us. Kindly look around, Chub, and catch a fly or two.” - -“Don’t tell me,” begged Chub almost tearfully, “that this gentleman -here is Mr. Somes, the World-Famed Fly-Caster! Don’t tell me that I -have offered such an indignity to one so--so honored! I beg of you not -to tell me, Roy!” - -“You get--off of me--or I’ll tell--you something--you won’t want -to--hear!” gasped Dick, kicking wildly. - -“The gentleman seems uneasy, Roy,” said Chub. “Supposing you place your -thumb on his nose and bear down gently but firmly. There, that’s it! I -beg your pardon, sir? You will do what? You will kick-- Roy, did you -ever hear such language in all your life? Isn’t it disgraceful? Why, -he absolutely threatens us with bodily harm! My dear Mr. Fly-Caster, -let me beg of you to calm yourself! There, I feared you would hurt -yourself! That iron is quite hard, isn’t it! Broken your shin? Oh, I -trust not, Mr. Fly-Caster.” - -“Let him up,” laughed Roy. “We’ll be late for bed, the whole bunch of -us.” - -“Then let us _fly_,” said Chub. With a bound he cleared the bed just -ahead of the blow Dick aimed and went racing down-stairs to the Junior -Dormitory. Roy made for the washroom and as Dick was encumbered with -some of the bedclothes which had wrapped themselves about his legs -during the struggle, he reached it in safety and was able to stand off -the enemy with a tooth-mug filled with water until terms of peace were -agreed upon. - -Strange to say, on the following day Dick was again mysteriously -missing, and this time he was not to be discovered anywhere. The -corner of the library was deserted, he was not in the dormitory or -the gymnasium, Harry had not seen him and, in short, he seemed to -have taken wings and flown. Roy and Chub were on their mettle and were -resolved to find him and bring him to book. But at four o’clock in the -afternoon, after a whole hour’s search, they were forced to own defeat. - -“I don’t see where he _can_ be,” said Chub. “We’ve looked everywhere. -Look here! I’ll just bet that Harry knows where he is! Let’s go over -and make her own up.” - -But Harry vowed that she knew nothing of Dick’s whereabouts and the -others were again stumped. - -“It’s mighty funny,” growled Chub. “And he’s up to something too; you -mark my words! He’s up to mischief!” - -“And we’re not in it,” grieved Roy. - -“Oh!” cried Harry suddenly. “Have you tried the barn?” - -“No!” answered the others in a breath. “Come on!” - -They raced together along the curving drive and reached the barn quite -out of breath. Chub held up a warning finger. - -“He must be in here,” he whispered. “We’ve looked everywhere else. So -let’s surprise him. Go easy and I’ll try the door.” - -They tiptoed up and Chub lifted the wooden latch. The door yielded. -With a frightful yell Chub threw the door open and they darted in. -There was no one in sight. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -ON THE TRAIL - - -Roy and Chub stared at each other blankly. - -“Well!” said Roy. - -“Foiled again!” muttered Chub darkly. - -The barn was dim save about the open door and where, high up, the late -sunlight found its way through the dusty window in the loft. They -peered about in the shadows, but saw nothing but Methuselah’s eyes -gleaming uncannily. - -“Maybe he’s in the loft,” said Roy softly. - -“Pshaw, there’s nothing up there but bats and spiders and dust,” -answered Chub. “What would he be doing here in the dark, anyhow? Come -on; I’m freezing.” - -“Well, let’s yell out and see if he answers,” Roy suggested. - -They called “Dick!” several times, but the only reply was from the -parrot, who chuckled wickedly in the darkness. - -“Come on,” said Roy. - -They left the barn, closing the door behind them, and walked briskly -back to the dormitory. - -“The only way to do,” said Chub, “is to watch him and not let him know -it. After supper we’ll keep him in sight and when he sneaks off we’ll -follow him.” - -“That’s it! We’ll be detectives,” agreed Roy with enthusiasm. “I’m -Sherlock Holmes.” - -“I’m Vidocq.” - -“Who’s he?” - -“A French detective,” answered Chub. “He had Sherlock Holmes fried to a -frizzle. Besides, he was real.” - -“I’ll bet you Holmes could have given him ten yards and beaten him,” -answered Roy stoutly. - -[Illustration: “‘I’m Sherlock Holmes’”] - -“Get out! And Sherlock Holmes is only a fellow in a book, anyway!” - -“That doesn’t make any difference. He was the best ever. And I’m he.” - -“All right. We’ll see who discovers the secret and nabs the criminal,” -said Chub. “That’s the real test. You ought to engage Sid as Doctor -Watson; you know Holmes always had to have Watson around to run his -errands and all that.” - -“That’s all right; Doctor Watson didn’t do any of the real detecting; -he was just a sort of a substitute, and sat on the bench. What we ought -to do, Chub, is to disguise ourselves; every detective uses a disguise.” - -“That’s so, but we haven’t got any,” laughed Chub. “Supposing, though, -we turn our sweaters inside out?” - -During supper Dick was watched every moment. Every time he put his fork -to his mouth Chub scowled knowingly; every time he took a drink of -milk Roy looked meaningly at Chub; and when Dick called for a second -helping of cold meat the two detectives smiled triumphantly. When -Dick came out of the dining-hall Roy and Chub were standing near-by, -apparently deeply engrossed in conversation. Chub saw him coming. - -“Don’t let him suspect,” he whispered hoarsely. - -With amazing effrontery Dick joined them. - -“What are you fellows up to?” he asked. - -“Nothing,” answered Chub with great unconcern. “Just talking.” - -“Yes,” agreed Roy, “just talking.” - -“You don’t say!” responded Dick with a grin. “What are you going to do -to-night?” - -“Study,” answered Chub promptly. “I’ve got a lot to do. And so has Roy. -We’re going to be busy.” - -“That’s all right; so am I,” said Dick. “Don’t let me disturb you. See -you later.” - -He put his cap on and walked unhurriedly toward the door. - -“Watch him!” hissed Chub. - -The door closed behind him. Silently they waited a moment. Then both -sprang toward the portal and as Roy put his hand on the knob it was -opened quickly from without and Dick confronted them. - -“Hello!” he said quizzically. “Going to study outdoors?” - -“N--no,” stammered Roy. “We were--” - -“Just going to get a breath of air,” said Chub, coming to his -assistance. - -“Oh,” said Dick, “well, you’ll find plenty of it out there.” - -He held the door open and the other two sauntered out, trying to seem -at ease. The door closed behind them. They looked at each other and -smiled sheepishly. - -“Where’s he going?” whispered Chub. - -“Study-room, maybe. We’ll wait a bit and then go in. You go up-stairs -and I’ll look around down here. He’s on to us, isn’t he?” Chub nodded. - -“Sure,” he answered. “But it won’t help him. Vidocq is on his -tail--trail, I mean.” - -“And so is Sherlock Holmes,” muttered Roy. “Come on; we’ve been out -long enough to get the air.” - -“I’ve got all I want,” replied Chub with a shiver as they entered the -corridor again. “You look in the study-room and I’ll go up-stairs.” - -Roy nodded and they separated. Chub found both dormitories seemingly -empty, but to make certain that Dick was not in hiding he looked under -all the beds. This took some time and when he got down-stairs again -and sought Roy he was not to be found. There were several boys in the -study-room and as Chub entered unconcernedly Whitcomb looked up from -his book with a frown. - -“It’s the middle window on the end,” he said. “And please shut it after -you; I’m getting tired.” - -“What are you gibbering about?” asked Chub. - -“Oh,” said Whitcomb, “I thought you were in it too.” - -“In what?” - -“The game--or whatever it is. First Dick Somes comes in and jumps out -of the window. Then Roy comes along and I tell him about it and he -jumps out. And neither of them closes the window after him, and I’m -tired of jumping up, and-- Hi! Where are you going? Well, say, _shut -it after you, will you_?” But Chub was outside, up to his knees in a -snowbank. Whitcomb sighed, pushed back his chair and slammed down the -window for the third time. “Isn’t it great to be crazy?” he muttered -disgustedly. - -Of course Chub might just as well have gone out through the front -door, but he felt that that would have been far from professional. He -struggled out of the snowbank and peered about him. It was very dark -and very cold. Lights shone from the windows of School Hall and from -the Cottage, but there was no sound to be heard and there was no one -in sight. Chub realized that the correct thing to do was to examine -the snow for footprints, find the criminal’s and follow his track. -But he had no lantern, not even so much as a match, and so that course -was out of the question. He wondered where Roy had gone. Perhaps he -had discovered Dick and was on his trail. Well, it was bitterly cold -and there was no sense in standing there at the edge of the drive and -freezing to death. He’d go over to the library and see if either Dick -or Roy were there. He crossed to School Hall and as he turned the -corner to reach the doorway a figure detached itself from the shadows -in the angle of the wall and slunk across the path into a thicket of -leafless shrubbery. Chub paused and drew back into the darkness, his -heart thumping with excitement. The other chap was discernible, but -Chub could not distinguish his features. For several minutes the two -stood motionless, watching each other. Chub’s toes and fingers began to -ache with the cold. He wished Dick would go on so that he could move -after him and get warmed up a bit. Finally, just when Chub decided -that he would have to stamp his feet to keep them from freezing, the -other chap called across sternly. - -“You might as well come out,” he said. “I see you and I know who you -are.” - -Chub gave a snort of disgust and walked into the light. - -“Is that you, Roy?” he called. - -“Yes, is that-- Say, I thought you were Dick!” responded Roy -disappointedly, as he scrambled out of the thicket. - -“That’s who I thought you were,” Chub answered. “Did you see him?” - -“No, he jumped out of the window in the study-room. I went after him, -but when I got out he was gone. Then I came over to the library and -he wasn’t there. I was wondering where to look for him when you came -sneaking around the corner there. Where do you suppose he got to?” - -“How do I know?” answered Chub shortly. “You’re a nice Sherlock Holmes, -you are!” - -“And you’re a fine Vidocq,” replied Roy just as scathingly. Then they -laughed. - -“Well, we mustn’t stand here in the light,” said Chub. “Because if he -is around here he will see us.” They drew back into the shadow and the -protection of the building. “What shall we do now?” - -“I guess the best thing to do is to go back and get to work,” replied -Roy. “I’ve got some studying to do to-night.” - -“So have I. I say, let’s let him go to thunder. Who cares where he is, -anyway? If he doesn’t want us to know what he’s up to I guess we can -worry along without knowing, eh? Besides--” - -“_Hist!_” cautioned Roy. “_What’s that?_” - -A figure emerged from the darkness and paused some thirty feet away. - -“It’s Dick!” whispered Chub, gripping Roy’s arm tightly. - -“He sees us,” Roy whispered back. “He’s watching us.” - -There was a moment of suspense. Then: - -“What are you boys doing there?” asked Mr. Buckman’s voice. - -“Foiled again!” sighed Chub. “We’re just playing a--a sort of game, -sir,” he answered. - -“Who are you?” - -“Porter and Eaton, sir.” - -“Well, have you got your lessons yet?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Then you take my advice and go indoors and get them.” - -“Yes, sir; we were just going,” answered Roy meekly. The instructor -swung past them toward the entrance of School Hall and the boys went -silently back to the dormitory. As they entered the study-room Whitcomb -looked up wearily. - -“I don’t want to be fussy,” he said, “but would you mind using one of -the other windows for a while? That one blows right on my back, and -I’ve got the sniffles now.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -FOILED! - - -The next day was Friday and as the hockey team was to play a hard game -on the morrow there was an hour of steady practice on the rink. That -kept Roy busy from the time he had finished with his last recitation -until it was time to get ready for supper. Chub too spent a busy -afternoon engaged in matters pertaining to the base-ball team, and so -when they met at supper neither he nor Roy was able to say whether Dick -had disappeared that afternoon. At all events he was in plain sight -now. Roy turned to Chub. - -“See how queer he’s acting,” he whispered. “And he isn’t eating much of -anything; I’ve been watching him. Look, he doesn’t even know that his -fork is empty!” - -It would have been very evident to a much less careful observer -than a detective that Dick was absent-minded and preoccupied that -evening. Once he laid down his fork and began tracing patterns on the -table-cloth with his thumb nail and several times he paused with his -glass of milk in mid-air to gaze frowningly into space. - -“I’ll bet he’s thinking up some scheme to get that money,” said Chub, -after a few moments of amused observation. But Roy shook his head. - -“I don’t think it’s that,” he answered. “He wouldn’t have to run away -out of sight every day to just think. He’s _doing_ something; you see -if he isn’t.” - -“Well, he can just go ahead and do it for all I care,” said Chub. “I’m -not going to stand around in the snow to-night, I’ll tell you that.” - -“Nor I,” replied Roy. “Besides, to-morrow will be the time to play -detective. We won’t have anything to do in the morning, Chub, so let’s -track him. Even if we don’t find out anything it will make him peeved.” - -“I didn’t notice that he got much peeved last night,” observed Chub -dryly. - -“Never mind; he won’t get away from us in daylight as easily as he did -then,” responded Roy. “And whatever he’s up to he will be sure to try -and sneak off in the morning. So let’s watch him, eh?” - -“All right; Vidocq again takes up the relentless pursuit.” - -“What we need,” said Roy, “is a clue. Every detective ought to have a -clue.” - -“That’s so; supposing we ask him for one? We might tell him that if he -doesn’t give us a clue we’ll refuse to pay any more attention to him.” - -“I guess he’d feel pretty bad,” laughed Roy. - -After supper they went into the study-room and sat where they could -watch the front door. Presently Dick came down-stairs and passed out. -Roy and Chub looked at each other inquiringly, and Chub got half out -of his chair. But Roy shook his head. - -“Let him go,” he hissed melodramatically. “Our time will come!” - -After breakfast the next morning, which was Saturday and a holiday, -Chub and Roy went up to the Junior Dormitory and stationed themselves -at the windows overlooking the campus. Chub from his post of -observation had a clear view of School Hall and the path to the river, -while Roy could see the gymnasium, the Cottage and the path to the -village. They had left Dick at the breakfast table, but it was after -eight o’clock and he would have to leave the dining-room shortly. If -he came up-stairs they would hear him, while if he went out of the -building they could not fail to see him. But the minutes passed and -nothing happened to vary the monotony. - -“Bet you he’s gone into the study-room and is reading,” said Chub -disgustedly. “He’s just mean enough to do that!” - -“Well, he won’t read very long, I guess,” answered Roy cheerfully. -“Dick doesn’t care much for reading.” - -Ten minutes passed. - -“Anything doing, Sister Ann?” asked Chub boredly. - -“Not much. Billy Warren and Pryor are going over to the gym and Sid and -Chase are throwing snowballs down here.” - -“Oh, well, let’s call it off. It’s a dandy day and I’m not going to -waste it up here. Let’s go skating. We’ll get Harry and--” - -“S-sh! There he goes!” whispered Roy hoarsely. Chub ran to the other -window. - -“Don’t let him see us,” he said. “He’s going to the village, I’ll bet. -We’ll wait until he gets past the gym and then we’ll scoot down.” - -Dick was swinging off along the path with long strides. In a moment he -had passed the gymnasium and was making for the gate in the hedge. - -“Come on!” cried Chub. - -Side by side they raced down-stairs, seized their caps from the rack -in the hall and then cautiously opened the door. Dick was out of sight. -They hurried after him. At the gate they paused and reconnoitered. - -“It’s all right,” said Chub. “He’s just turning into the road toward -the Cove. Come on, but keep low.” - -So they skulked across the athletic field and reached the road just in -time to see Dick pass around the first turn, some three hundred yards -away. It is a mile to Silver Cove and for that distance Chub and Roy -stalked Dick tirelessly. They had to keep at the side of the road lest -he should turn around and see them, and frequently, when the road ran -straight for some distance, they were forced to hide in the bushes or -behind walls. Luckily, however, there are many twists and turns between -Ferry Hill and Silver Cove, and so the detectives’ task was not so -difficult. Never once, as far as they could tell, did Dick look back. - -“He doesn’t suspect,” said Roy triumphantly. - -“No,” chuckled Chub, “little does he reck that the human bloodhounds -are hot upon his trail.” - -“What’s reck?” asked Roy. - -“Don’t you study English?” scoffed Chub. - -“Yes, but I never heard of reck. I don’t believe there is such a word.” - -“That’s all right, my boy. When we get back I’ll show it to you in a -book I was reading the other day. Look out!” - -They scuttled hurriedly to the side of the road and subsided in the -bushes. Dick had stopped and was standing in the middle of the road -looking intently at what appeared to be a roll of paper which he had -taken from his pocket. - -“Must be a map,” said Roy. “Perhaps he’s lost his way.” - -Chub laughed. “Whatever it is, I wish he’d put it away again and go on. -There’s a peck of snow down the back of my neck.” - -“Oh, little you reck,” said Roy cheerfully. - -“You dry up,” growled Chub. “There he goes; come on.” - -[Illustration: “They scuttled hurriedly to the side of the road and -subsided in the bushes”] - -Dick had thrust the roll of paper back into an inner pocket of his coat -and was once more on his way. - -Ferry Hill is only a small town and the business portion of it occupies -but a few blocks along the main street, which runs to the river and the -bridge. Dick turned to the left there, and Roy and Chub hurried after. -When they reached the corner they peeked cautiously around just in time -to see their quarry enter one of the stores. - -“We mustn’t get too near,” said Roy, “or he will see us when he comes -out.” - -“Let’s go over to the drug store, buy some hot chocolate and watch -through the window,” suggested Chub. That seemed a good plan and they -followed it. The drug store was almost opposite the shop which Dick -had entered and for several minutes the detectives sipped their hot -chocolate and watched for him to reappear. - -“It’s a stationery store,” said Chub. “Wonder what he wants there.” - -“When he comes out,” said Roy, “one of us might go over and find out -what he bought. That might give us a clue.” - -“Yes, but we’d get separated. He is a dangerous man and we must stick -together for mutual protection. I wish he’d hurry up.” - -They finished their chocolates and Chub bought ten cents’ worth of -lemon drops. They munched those for a while, their eyes fixed on the -door of the stationery store. Ten minutes passed. Then Chub grew uneasy. - -“He must have come out,” he said. - -“He couldn’t have. I’ve been watching every instant.” - -“Then there’s a back door and he’s gone out that way!” - -“Pshaw! Why would he do that? He didn’t know we were following him.” - -“N-no; at least, I didn’t think he knew it. But it looks now as though -he did. If he doesn’t come out in five minutes we’ll go over. We can -make believe we want some pencils or something.” - -“All right,” Roy agreed. They cast anxious glances at the store clock -from time to time. Never had five minutes taken so long to pass! But -finally: - -“Come on,” said Roy. “Time’s up.” - -“We’ll ask for some pencils if he’s there,” whispered Chub as they -crossed the street. The stationery store was small and as soon as they -had closed the door behind them they saw that Dick had vanished. The -only occupant was a middle-aged man who was arranging some boxes on one -of the shelves back of a counter. - -“We’re looking for a fellow who came in here a while ago,” said Roy. -“Has he gone?” - -“A young fellow about your age?” asked the shopkeeper. “Yes, he’s been -gone about twenty minutes. But he said you’d be along asking for him -and he left a note. Let me see; where did I put it?” - -“A note?” faltered Chub. - -“Here it is,” said the man. “I guess that’s for you, isn’t it?” - -Roy took it and read the address: “Mr. Thomas Eaton, or Mr. Roy Porter.” - -“Y-yes, that’s ours,” he muttered, looking sheepishly at Chub. That -youth had thrust his hands in his pockets and was whistling softly. Roy -unfolded the sheet of paper, read the message and handed it silently -across to Chub. Chub read it, refolded it carelessly and turned toward -the door. - -“Well, there’s no use waiting,” he said. “By the way, I suppose he went -out the back way, didn’t he?” - -“Yes,” replied the shopkeeper. “He wanted to know if he could get the -Ferry Hill road that way and I told him to keep to the left through the -alley, cross the field back of the saw-mill and--” - -“I see. Did he get what he wanted here?” - -The man chuckled. “Yes, but he said I wasn’t to tell you what it was -because it was a sort of a surprise to you boys.” - -“Oh, he did, eh?” muttered Chub wrathfully as they went out. “He -thinks he’s mighty smart, doesn’t he? Let’s see that note again.” - -“You put it in your pocket,” said Roy. - -“Oh, yes, here it is: - - Dear Friends: A red sweater shows up great against the snow. - Sorry I can’t wait for you. Dick. - -“It’s all your fault. You might have known that he could see that -sweater a mile off.” - -“I didn’t think he looked around once,” answered Roy meekly. - -“Nor did I. But he did. He knew all the time we were following him. He -makes me tired. Let’s go home.” - -“What’s the use? Now we’re here let’s bum around a while. It’s only -half-past nine.” - -Roy’s advice prevailed. After a while their good-humor returned and -they found the laughable side of the adventure. - -“Dick’s a cute one, all right,” said Chub admiringly. - -“He surely is,” said Roy. “It isn’t many fellows could fool Sherlock -Holmes and Vidocq at the same time!” - -“We’re a nice pair of detectives,” laughed Chub. “But we’ve got to get -even with him somehow, Roy, and we’re going to do it.” - -“I say, let’s tell Harry about it. She’s got bully ideas--for a girl. -Maybe she can suggest something. What do you say?” - -“All right. We’ll do it as soon as we get back.” - -They had a pretty good time of it until after eleven; went through the -stamping works and saw them make tin cans and boxes, walked out on the -bridge a way, Roy standing treat for the tolls, and ended up at the -saw-mill. And it was at the latter place that they found their first -clue. - -They were sitting on a pile of new boards, basking lazily in the -sunlight and watching the big band-saw eating its way through the logs, -when one of the men came by and saw them. - -“Hello,” he said, “want to buy anything?” - -“No, sir,” answered Roy. “We are just looking. Are we in the way?” - -“Not a bit, not a bit. Glad to have you. Only there was a fellow here -the other day buying some stuff. He was about your style and I thought -maybe you wanted something too.” - -“Was he a big fellow with yellow hair?” asked Chub eagerly. “With a -gray sweater on?” - -“Yes, I think so. Friend of yours?” - -“Yes, sir. What was he buying?” - -“I don’t remember; some kind of lumber; two or three sticks, I guess.” - -The man went on and Roy and Chub fell to speculating eagerly on the -meaning of Dick’s purchase. - -“What’s he want with lumber?” asked Chub. “He couldn’t lug it back to -school with him!” - -“Anyway, it’s a clue,” said Roy. “Even if it doesn’t tell us anything. -Let’s get home. We’ll find him and make him tell us.” - -“He won’t, though,” said Chub. - -They trudged back in the noonday sunlight over the snowy road and -had almost reached the school when one of the rattle-trap carriages -which hover about the Silver Cove station overtook them. They paid no -particular attention to it, save to draw to the side of the road out of -its way, until the occupant of the rear seat addressed them. Then they -looked up to see Dick lolling there at ease and smiling down at them as -he rattled by. - -“You’d better hurry up,” he called. “It’s almost dinner time.” - -“_What do you think of that!_” gasped Chub as the carriage left them -behind. - -“He must have plenty of money,” said Roy. “They charge fifty cents to -bring you over from the Cove.” - -“But he’s been over there all the morning when we thought he was back -at school! He--he’s just fooled us right and left! I wish I’d shied a -snowball at his silly head!” - -“Wait till we get hold of him!” muttered Roy. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE ADVENTURES OF ESTRELLA - - -They were not able to take Harry into their confidence right away, -however, as by the time they reached school it lacked but a few minutes -of dinner time. And after that meal, when they called at the Cottage, -they found that Harry had not returned from Silver Cove but had -remained to take dinner with one of her girl friends in the village. -In the dining-room Roy and Chub had treated Dick with contemptuous -indifference and afterward had observed him pass out of the building -and across to the library with supreme unconcern. He smiled tauntingly -as he passed them in the corridor, but both Roy and Chub looked -impassively by him. - -“Who’s your friend?” asked Chub audibly. - -“Never met him,” responded Roy loftily. “Some low person.” - -At two Roy had to go and get ready for the hockey game, and as Chub had -nothing better to do he went with him. During the half-hour of practice -preceding the game and during the contest itself he watched from the -side of the rink and, with Sid, Whitcomb, Pryor, Post and others -cheered the home team on to a well-deserved victory. Harry didn’t turn -up at the game--an unusual thing for her--and so it was not until after -supper next day that Roy and Chub found Harry. They called again at the -Cottage and were ushered by Mrs. Emery into the little parlor. Harry -joined them soon afterward and in a few moments was made acquainted -with the situation relating to Dick. - -“It’s a mystery!” she declared excitedly. - -“It surely is,” Roy answered. “And we want you to help us find out what -the silly chap is up to. Will you?” - -“Yes, and I’ll be a detective too!” - -“All right,” answered Chub, “but I don’t think I ever heard of a female -detective; did you, Roy?” - -Roy shook his head, but Harry protested vigorously. - -“There are female detectives,” she asserted stoutly. “I read of one -once in some book. She was awfully smart and found the stolen diamonds -after every one else had failed!” - -“All right,” said Chub. “What was her name?” - -“Why, it was--was--oh, dear, I’ve forgotten it!” - -“Then I don’t see how you can be her,” teased Roy. - -“I shall recall it,” answered Harry with dignity. “Besides, detectives -have aliases, don’t they?” - -“Oh, the cheap ones do,” replied Roy. “Sherlock Holmes didn’t change -his name.” - -“Did Vi--Vi--Vidocq?” asked Harry anxiously. - -“Yes, often,” answered Chub. “He was the real thing, too. He caught -more desperate criminals than Sherlock Holmes ever thought of! And he -was great for disguising himself, too.” - -“Oh, that’s it!” cried Harry. “I must have a disguise!” - -“Wear your hair on top of your head,” suggested Roy laughingly. - -“Put your shoes on the wrong feet,” added Chub. - -“Never you mind,” said Harry with sparkling eyes. “I know what I shall -do. You wait and see. But if you recognize me--if you penetrate my -disguise, I mean, you mustn’t let on. You won’t, will you? Because it -might spoil everything.” - -“You may depend upon us,” replied Roy gravely. - -“We ought to have a password,” Harry continued. “So when we meet each -other we can communicate.” - -“‘_R-r-r-revenge!_’” muttered Chub with a ferocious scowl. Harry -clapped her hands. - -“That’s it! That’s the password! ‘Revenge!’ Don’t forget it.” - -“Trust us,” said Roy. “We think of nothing else. ‘Revenge!’” - -“‘Revenge!’” echoed Harry. - -“‘Revenge!’” growled Chub. - -Then they looked at each other and laughed enjoyably. And suddenly -Harry gave an exclamation of triumph. - -“I remember!” she cried. “It was Estrella!” - -“What was?” - -“The name of that lady detective. Estrella--Estrella--oh, I can’t -remember her last name, but I guess Estrella will do, won’t it?” - -“Yes, I should think so,” Chub said. “It’s a fine-sounding name, all -right. Roy, allow me to present you to Miss Estrella, the Lady Sleuth.” - -“What’s a sleuth?” asked Harry anxiously. - -“Oh, that’s just a slang name for detective.” - -“Well, I don’t believe lady detectives would use slang,” she said. “So -I guess I won’t be a sleuth, if you don’t mind, Chub.” - -“Have your own way about it. It doesn’t make much difference what you -call yourself, Harry, if you’ll only find out what Dick is up to. -He’s got to be punished for the way he has treated us all. It--it’s a -low-down trick, that’s what it is!” - -“Yes, we owe him something,” Roy agreed. “And we’ll pay him back, too. -But we must try and make him think that we aren’t watching him any -more.” - -“Yes, lull his suspicions,” said Chub. - -“Then maybe he will get careless and we’ll catch him red-handed.” - -“Red-handed!” echoed Harry with gusto. “Isn’t it lovely? I do wish I -could start to-morrow, but I suppose you can’t detect on Sunday!” - -“Hardly,” Roy agreed. “But on Monday we’ll begin in earnest. We mustn’t -let him out of our sight a moment.” - -“I don’t see how we can help letting him out of our sight,” Chub -objected. “We have our recitations to attend and Harry has to go to -Silver Cove.” - -“Well, after school, then,” answered Roy. “In the afternoon -we’ll--we’ll--” - -“Dog his very footsteps,” aided Chub. “I read that somewhere; good, -isn’t it?” - -“Fine,” laughed Roy. “Little he recks--!” - -“You dry up,” growled Chub good-naturedly, “and come on home.” - -Harry went to the porch with them and there, at her suggestion, they -clasped hands and cried “_Revenge!_” together in a thrilling chorus. - -“We meet anon,” said Chub. “Farewell!” - -And thereupon Vidocq and Sherlock Holmes slunk away into the enveloping -darkness, and Estrella, muttering “_Revenge!_” under her breath, closed -the front door and stole stealthily into the library to ransack the -shelves for the detective story which recounted the adventures and -triumphs of her namesake. - -The next day Dick was inclined to be chummy, but Roy and Chub repulsed -his overtures coldly. And in the afternoon he once more disappeared and -didn’t show up again until supper-time. He spent most of the evening in -the study-room, and although Roy and Chub watched him surreptitiously -they were unable to gather any incriminating evidence, since he did -nothing more enlightening than apply himself to his algebra lesson. - -There was no hockey practice on Monday, and so when Roy had finished -his last recitation in School Hall he hurried across toward the -dormitory to dispose of his books, with the idea of then finding Dick -before that mysterious youth had whisked himself out of sight. But -before he had covered half of the distance between the two buildings he -had forgotten all about Dick. For on the steps of Burgess stood a most -remarkable figure. Roy stared and marveled. At first he thought he was -looking at an elderly woman, but the next moment he changed his mind, -for the small, slight form was youthful in spite of the attire. There -was a vividly blue cloth skirt which swept the ground, a black fur -cape, rather the worse for service, which reached almost to the waist, -a large hat with brown feathers and a heavy black veil which completely -hid the face. One hand clutched a silver-handled umbrella and the other -was lost in the folds of the voluminous skirt. - -“Well, that’s a funny-looking scarecrow!” muttered Roy as he -approached. The lady, whoever she was, seemed to be viewing him from -behind the thick veil, and Roy ceased staring. But as he mounted the -steps he could not resist another look. Through the close meshes of the -veil he caught sight of two bright eyes and a rather impertinent nose, -and-- - -“_Revenge!_” said a smothered voice. - -Roy stopped and stared with wide-open mouth. - -“I--I beg your pardon, ma-am!” he faltered, uncertain whether he had -imagined it. “Did you speak?” - -“_Revenge!_” said the voice again. Roy gasped. - -“Harry!” he exclaimed incredulously. - -“S-sh! Would you betray all?” - -“Oh, but you’re a sight!” said Roy, standing off to obtain a better -view of her. “Where’d you get the clothes, Harry?” Then he leaned up -against the opposite railing of the porch and gave way to mirth. Harry -stamped her foot and thumped the silver-handled umbrella. - -“Roy Porter, you’re just as mean as you can be!” she declared -aggrievedly. “And you can do your own detecting!” - -“But, Harry,” Roy gasped, “if you could only see the way you look!” - -“I don’t care; I fooled you all right enough, Mister Smarty!” - -“That’s so; I thought you were an old woman at first! It’s a dandy -disguise, Harry.” - -“Do you really think so?” Harry asked, somewhat mollified. “I had a -terrible time getting the things, because of course I couldn’t ask for -them; if I had, my disguise would have been no longer a secret, would -it?” - -Roy shook his head. - -“And so I had to swipe--borrow them, I mean, without saying anything to -mama. And if I should meet her wouldn’t she be surprised?” And Harry -giggled behind the veil. - -“I’ll just bet she would,” laughed Roy. “Have you seen anything of--” - -“S-sh! Some one approaches!” cried Harry. “Follow me, but take no -notice!” - -Several boys had come out on to the steps of School Hall and were -looking curiously across. Harry seized the folds of the ridiculous -blue skirt and lifted it so that she could walk without tripping over -it. Then, raising the silver-handled umbrella in a gesture of caution -she turned and stole stealthily into the building. Roy, vastly amused, -followed. Harry crossed to the dining-room, opened the door and -beckoned. To enter the dining-room outside of meal-hours was strictly -against the rules, but Harry was a law unto herself, and Roy ventured -after her. Then she closed the door, turned the key in the lock and -raised the black veil. - -“Now,” she said, “we are safe for the moment.” - -“Yes, that’s all very well, but supposing Dick takes it into his silly -head to disappear while we are in here talking?” - -“Then we must find him.” - -“But we said we were going to watch for him and follow him. What’s the -good of letting him get away? I left him in School Hall and he will be -out in a few minutes.” - -“We-ll, maybe we’d better go,” said Harry. “But I did want to talk to -you a minute.” - -“All right, go ahead. What do you want to talk about?” - -“Do you think Dick would recognize--would penetrate my disguise if he -met me?” she asked anxiously. - -“I don’t believe he’d let you get near enough,” answered Roy with a -laugh. “I’ll bet if he saw you coming he’d run a mile!” - -“Now you’re being mean again,” said Harry reproachfully. - -“Well, honest then, Harry, I don’t believe your own mother would know -you!” - -“But she’d know her clothes,” Harry said laughingly. “Supposing, then, -that I go over toward School Hall and wait for him to come out. Then I -can follow him and he won’t suspect anything.” - -“All right, but I wouldn’t let him think you are after him,” Roy -advised. - -“Of course I sha’n’t,” answered Harry indignantly. “Don’t you suppose I -know more about--about detecting than that? I’ll just make believe that -I’m a visitor looking around the school. And maybe I’ll meet him and -ask him some questions. Wouldn’t that be funny?” - -“He’d know your voice in a minute,” said Roy. - -“I’d disguise it, like this,” Harry replied, sinking her voice until it -sounded like the croak of a raven. “You couldn’t tell it was me, could -you?” - -“I should say not!” Roy declared with emphasis. “You sound the way -Methuselah did the time he had a sore throat!” - -“You’re not very complimentary,” said Harry with a pout. “But I suppose -detectives mustn’t mind that. Now I think we’d better go, don’t you?” - -Roy agreed and Harry carefully lowered her veil. At the door she turned. - -“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” she said. “I found that book last night -after you went, and my name is Estrella De Vere. Isn’t it lovely?” - -“Fine and dandy!” answered Roy. “It sounds almost real.” - -He remained inside until Harry had passed down the steps and was -sauntering with elaborate unconcern toward School Hall. Then he went -out on to the porch and watched. Harry, her blue skirt trailing -regally behind her, stopped in front of the entrance, leaned on her -umbrella and studied the architecture of the building. A group of boys -on the porch stopped talking and viewed her curiously. Presently, with -a nod of approval, Harry turned and walked slowly up the path toward -the Cottage, pausing at length to take in the details of that modest -structure quite as thoroughly. The boys on the porch, Roy observed, -were laughing and making fun of the queer figure. At that moment the -door of School Hall opened again and Dick hurried out and along the -path toward Harry, who had now turned and was sauntering back toward -the hall. As he went he cast a quick and cautious glance about him and -Roy, although he tried to draw back out of sight, knew that Dick had -seen him. Dick’s gaze now was on the person in the black veil. When he -reached the place where the path to the Cottage branched off from the -road to the barn he seemed to hesitate an instant. Then he turned to -the right toward the Cottage and Estrella De Vere. - -By this time Harry had made up her mind to a desperate venture. As Dick -reached her she sank her voice to sepulchral tones. - -“Pardon me, young man,” she said, “but can you tell me what building -that is?” She pointed the umbrella toward School Hall. - -Dick stopped and touched his cap, looking very intently at the black -veil. But Harry kept her head averted as much as she could and -flattered herself that Dick was far from suspecting her identity. But -she did wish he wouldn’t look so hard! - -“Yes, ma’am,” answered Dick. “That is the Biological Laboratory.” Harry -gave a gasp. “And further along,” pointing out the dormitory, “you see -the Astronomical Observatory.” Harry gasped again. Dick swung around -and indicated the gymnasium. “And that building, ma’am, is called Somes -Hall in honor of Mr. Richard Somes, who gave the money for it. It cost -two million dollars and contains the Phrenological and Optimistic -departments.” - -[Illustration: “‘That’s the Insane Asylum’”] - -Harry had a wild desire to giggle, but conquered it. She wondered -for an instant whether Dick knew her, after all, and was trying to -tease her. The expression of his face, which was one of the utmost -seriousness, told her nothing. She almost forgot to disguise her voice -as she answered him. - -“Thank you so much,” she said. “And--and the small house here?” - -“Oh, that’s the Insane Asylum,” answered Dick readily. “I have but one -case confined there at present, a young girl. It’s really very sad, -ma’am. I don’t think she will ever be any better. She imagines”--he -dropped his voice to a confidential whisper--“she imagines that she’s a -detective! Very sad, really!” - -He touched his cap again, gravely and politely, and went on toward the -Cottage, leaving Harry a prey to conflicting emotions, the strongest -of which was exasperation. - -“Now how did he know me?” she wondered. “I think he’s just as mean as -he can be!” - -She stood motionless and watched Dick ring the bell. In a moment the -door was opened and he passed into the Cottage. - -“And what do you suppose he’s gone there for?” she asked herself. -“Perhaps he’s going to tell mama that I’m out here with her old blue -skirt and fur cape on! Let him! I think he’s the meanest--!” - -But at that moment the mystery was explained. She had put up one -hand to make certain of the arrangement of her veil, which since she -had first donned it had been giving her not a little trouble, and -discovered that it had become undone at the back, leaving exposed a -small expanse of red hair. - -“That’s how he knew!” she exclaimed. “If it hadn’t been for that he’d -have been fooled just as Roy was! Beastly old veil! And I just know -he’s told mama and they’re having a lovely joke about it! I’m going in!” - -She hurried to the Cottage and attempted the front door, only to find -that it was locked. Wrathfully she rang the bell. Steps sounded in the -hall, the door was opened a little and Mrs. Emery’s face appeared for a -brief moment. Then, - -“Nothing to-day, thank you,” said her mother, and the door closed again -sharply before Harry had recovered from her surprise. Then she beat -upon the portal with the umbrella and stabbed at the button until the -bell fairly outdid itself. A window opened up-stairs and Mrs. Emery put -her head out. - -“If you don’t go away at once,” she said, “I’ll call the man to put you -off the grounds. We don’t allow peddlers here.” - -“I’m not a peddler!” cried Harry. “I want to get in! I’m Harry!” - -“_What! Harry?_” exclaimed her mother. “Well, I am surprised!” - -But Harry noticed that she was smiling broadly as she closed the window -and disappeared. In a moment the door was opened and Harry passed -inside, a little bit sulky. - -“You knew it was me,” she declared. “You just did it to tease me!” - -“What, knew you in those clothes?” asked her mother. “Why, how could I, -my dear? And with that veil over your face? And tied so neatly, too!” - -“Yes, you did know; Dick told you! And he’s as mean as mean can be!” - -“Dick? No, Dick didn’t tell me, my dear. But I saw you leaving the -house half an hour ago and found my blue skirt missing.” - -“Where’s Dick?” demanded Harry. - -“Oh, he’s been gone a long time, I guess. He came and asked if he might -pass through the house and go out by the back door; he said you and -he were playing a game called--Detective, wasn’t it? So I told him he -might and the last I saw of him from my window he was climbing over -the hedge into the ball field.” - -Harry sank into a chair, the black veil trailing from one hand and the -silver-handled umbrella in the other. - -“Foiled again!” she cried despairingly. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED - - -Harry told her story later to Roy and Chub, who laughed immoderately -and, as Harry thought at first, somewhat unkindly. But after a while -she joined her laughter with theirs. - -“Oh, he’s a peach!” declared Chub. “He’s too much for us!” - -“Nothing of the sort!” said Harry. “He got the better of me to-day, -but--” - -“A time will come!” suggested Chub. - -“And I’ll catch him yet; you see if I don’t! He’s not so awfully smart.” - -“Well, he seems to be a heap smarter than any of us,” said Roy. “I vote -we leave him alone. When he gets good and ready he will probably tell -us what he’s up to.” - -“Leave him alone nothing!” said Chub. “Even if we can’t find out what -he’s doing, we can make his life a burden to him. And I, for one, -propose to do it. Look at the way he treated us in Silver Cove the -other day! Let him alone? I guess not!” - -“No, indeed,” agreed Harry. “It’s war to the death!” - -“‘Revenge!’” suggested Roy laughingly. - -“You bet,” answered Chub. - -The next day Dick, for some reason, refused to disappear or even -attempt to. And that was a great disappointment to Harry, who had -made all preparations to follow him and discover his secret--although -without the aid of a disguise. When they met, as they did several times -in the course of the day, Harry passed him with her small nose held at -a disdainful angle. Dick only grinned. - -There was hockey practice that afternoon and Dick went down to the rink -to look on. Of course Harry and Chub followed at a discreet distance, -doing their best to appear unaware of his presence in the world. -During practice Dick stood across the rink and smiled amusedly at them -whenever they glanced across, a proceeding which drove Harry to heights -of exasperation. Once in a lull of practice Roy skated up to them. - -“Do you see him over there?” he asked softly. - -“Of course we do,” answered Harry disgustedly. “Do you think we’re -blind? He’s been grinning and grinning at us for half an hour.” - -Roy shook his head gravely. - -“Ah,” he muttered, “little he recks--” - -Then he dashed away out of Chub’s reach. - -But the next day brought triumph to Sherlock Holmes, Vidocq and -Estrella De Vere, proving the truth of the old adage which declares -that he laughs best who laughs last. For at noon Roy and Chub, tumbling -out of School Hall after a recitation, found Harry awaiting them. Her -eyes were dancing and she was all excitement. - -“Revenge!” she whispered dramatically. - -“Good! What’s up?” asked Chub. - -“I have tracked him to his lair!” whispered Harry. “All is discovered! -The miscreant is in our power! Estrella De Vere has--” - -“What do you mean, Harry? Have you found out about Dick?” - -“I have discovered all! Listen!” - -And Estrella De Vere, the Female Detective, with Sherlock Holmes on one -side and Vidocq on the other, passed down the path. - -Ten minutes later Dick came out of School Hall and stood for a minute -on the porch, looking idly about him. The snow which had covered the -campus a foot deep a fortnight before was almost gone, and in places -the sere brown turf showed through the worn and tattered coverlid of -white. It was quite warm to-day, with a muggy atmosphere and a leaden -sky, almost too warm for snow, and yet feeling very much like it. There -was a steady _drip_, _drip_ from the eaves and ledges, and the walks -were showing borders of trickling water. Dick frowned and looked -anxiously into the sky. What he saw there seemed to please him but -little, for the frown deepened. - -“Two or three days of this sort of weather,” he muttered half aloud, -“and the ice won’t be worth a cent.” - -Then, looking carefully about him again, he went down the steps and -turned to the right toward Burgess. There were several boys in sight, -but, and this was suspicious, neither Chub, Roy, nor Harry was to be -seen. He took his books into the study room and deposited them on the -big table. Then, the room being deserted, he crossed to one of the end -windows and looked stealthily out. Apparently the coast was clear. But -he was taking no chances, and so he stole around to a front window -and viewed the prospect carefully from there. He seemed puzzled, for -he thrust his hands into his pockets, stared steadily for a whole -minute at the engraving of “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” which -adorned the wall above the fireplace, and whistled softly to himself. -Then, having apparently decided upon a course of action, he left the -study room, crossed the corridor and opened a door which gave on to -a descending stairway leading to the cellar. Down this he went very -quietly, reached the furnace room and from there gained the outer air -by way of a flight of stone steps. He was in a small stone-paved court -behind the building, with the hedge marking inner bounds but a few -paces away. There was a gate here, and making his way between a double -row of ash barrels he passed through it and plunged into the Grove. -Then he turned to the right and wound between the trees, crossing the -path to the boat-house and river at right angles, and keeping well out -of sight of the windows of the halls. Five minutes of this brought him -to the corner of the hedge. Here the trees ceased abruptly and gave way -to snow-covered fields. Crouching behind the hedge so that his head -was below the top of it, he followed it at right angles to his first -course until opposite the barn and stables. Here he raised his head and -reconnoitered. There was no one in sight and presently he was wriggling -his way through a hole in the hedge. From there he passed around the -back of the small stable and fetched up before a small door leading to -the basement of the barn. That door required careful handling, for it -hung only by one leather hinge. But Dick managed to get through it, -displaying a certain degree of familiarity with its idiosyncrasies, and -closed it behind him. - -He found himself in total darkness, but without hesitation he crossed -the earthen floor and climbed a narrow flight of steps. As he went -upward the darkness gave way to gray twilight and when he reached the -main floor of the barn behind the cow stalls it was light enough to -allow him to see distinctly about him. So far he had made scarcely a -sound since entering the building, and now he crept very quietly along -until he could see the closed door. The barn was deserted save for -the inmates of the boxes across the bare floor, and even they were so -quiet that no one would have suspected their presence. Dick gave a sigh -of relief and walked less stealthily to the back of the barn where a -ladder led straight upward to the edge of the loft. He sprang nimbly -onto it and ascended until he could crawl over the edge of the upper -flooring. - -In front of him was a space some thirty feet broad by twenty deep. On -one side it was used as a storage place for a couple of old sleighs, -the remnants of a windmill and similar discarded truck. On the other -side the remains of last summer’s hay was stowed in a mow which ran -along over the cow stalls. In the center of the loft, under the small -window, was a large packing-box and beside it was a small one. On -the larger one were spread several sheets of brown paper, pencils, a -square, a rule, a pair of dividers and other tools of the draftsman. -There was a good light from the window, in spite of the fact that its -four small panes were obscured with dust and spider webs. - -Dick went to his improvised table, took up a piece of kneaded rubber -which lay there, and played with it while he studied the top sheet of -paper. It was pretty well covered with lines and figures, but only the -designer knew what they stood for. After a moment he drew the small box -up and sat down on it, discarded the eraser for pencil and rule and set -to work. - -It was very quiet in the barn. Now and then Methuselah moved in his -cage and muttered unintelligibly or a bat squeaked somewhere overhead -in the darkness. Soon Dick was quite oblivious to everything save -the work before him. He drew lines with his pencil, used ruler and -dividers, set down figures on a smaller sheet of paper and multiplied -or added or subtracted, erased lines already drawn, and through it all -wore a deep frown which told how wholly absorbed he was in the task. -And so he didn’t hear the soft rustlings which came from the top of the -haymow a few feet away when three heads were thrust into view. Heard -nothing, in fact, until the silence was suddenly shattered by a sudden -“AH, THERE!” - -[Illustration: “Ah, there!”] - -He heard then; oh, yes, quite plainly! - -Down dropped his pencil, over went the smaller box with a slam and Dick -was staggering away in an effort to find his feet, his face very white -and his mouth wide open for the exclamation of alarm which he was too -frightened to give. There followed a brief moment of silence during -which Dick stared at the three laughing, triumphant faces topping the -haymow. Then the color crept back into his cheeks and he slowly closed -his mouth. - -“Humph!” he said at last. - -“Move hand or foot,” cried Chub dramatically, “and you are a dead man!” - -“We have you in our power at last!” added Harry. And-- - -“Little you recked,” said Roy. - -Dick picked up the box and began to grin. - -“Well, you caught me at last, didn’t you?” he asked. “But I don’t see -why Harry left off that lovely disguise of hers.” - -“If you hadn’t seen my hair--” began Harry vehemently. - -“Be careful what you say,” interrupted Chub, sliding down from the top -of the mow, “for it will be used against you.” - -The others followed and Roy playfully dug Dick in the ribs. - -“Old Smarty was caught at last, wasn’t he?” he cried. - -“Took you long enough, though,” said Dick. “And gave you some good -exercise, too, eh?” - -“We don’t deny, my boy, that you fooled us very nicely several times,” -answered Chub, “but the expression on your handsome countenance a -moment ago made up for everything.” - -“I dare say,” laughed Dick. “I was scared stiff. How did you find out -about this drawing-room of mine?” - -“That was Harry,” said Roy. “She came in here this morning before -school and let ’Thuselah out of his cage and he climbed up here and -wouldn’t come down. And as she had to hurry to school she came up and -got him and saw the things here. Then she told us about it and after -school we hurried over here and hid in the hay.” - -“Well,” said Dick regretfully, “I wish I’d stuck to my first plan and -gone to the Cove instead of coming up here. Then you’d all have had a -nice quiet afternoon in the hay.” - -“But you didn’t!” said Harry triumphantly. “And it was the female -detective that discovered you. Sherlock Holmes and Vidocq were -out-detected by Estrella De Vere!” - -“Eh?” asked Dick. - -Then they told him all about their impersonations and he thought it was -a huge joke, and mollified Harry completely by congratulating her on -her triumph over the others. Then they compared notes for the past week. - -“Where did you go the day we followed you to the stationery store?” -asked Roy. - -“I went out the back door and came around to the street and watched -from the next corner until you crossed and went into the store. Then I -went--about my business.” - -“And that reminds me,” said Roy, “that we don’t know yet what you’re up -to. Are you going to ’fess up now?” - -“Sure. I’d have told you all about it long ago if you hadn’t begun this -detective work. When I found what you were up to I thought I’d just -give you a run for your money.” - -“Is it anything about the F. H. S. I. S.?” asked Harry. Dick shook his -head. - -“No,” he replied. “The fact is that’s at a standstill, I guess. I’ve -had it in mind right along, but I can’t think of any way to go ahead. -How about you?” - -“I haven’t thought of anything,” Harry confessed. And Roy and Chub -answered the same way. - -“Well, it’ll come in time,” said Dick. “How about the funds, Harry? Got -them safe?” - -“Yes, they’re--but maybe I oughtn’t to tell where I keep them.” - -“Just as well not to, I guess,” Dick laughed. “Chub might get hard up -and borrow them.” - -“Look here, Dick, what’s all this mean?” asked Roy, who was staring -perplexedly at the drawing on top of the packing-case. “Are you -inventing something?” - -“Pshaw,” said Chub, “that’s just a problem in trig., isn’t it, Dick?” - -“Well, you know all about it, so what’s the use of asking me?” - -“No, go ahead and tell us, like a good fellow,” said Roy. - -“Well, then, it’s the plan of an ice-boat.” - -“Ice-boat!” exclaimed the others in chorus. - -“Yes, why not?” - -“But--but what’s it for?” asked Chub. - -“To sail.” - -“You mean you are going to make one?” - -“Yes, it’s being made now.” - -“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” Chub exclaimed. “Whatever put that into your -crazy head?” - -“Oh, I’ve wanted it ever since I saw that one of Thurston’s the day -that Roy took a cold bath. So I found out all I could about the things; -read everything I could find, you know. That was what I was doing that -night in the library when you thought I was reading about fly-casting -or something.” - -“Didn’t think anything of the kind,” Roy disclaimed. “I saw you turn -the pages as we came up.” - -“Did you? All right. Well, I finally got some idea about the things and -had a talk with a fellow at the Cove. He builds boats, but has never -tried his hand at ice-boats before. He didn’t want to have anything to -do with it at first, but I finally got him interested. He said I’d -better go to some fellow at Poughkeepsie or somewhere who knew all -about them, but I told him I wanted it made where I could have a finger -in the pie. So he got busy. I made the drawings and he’s building -accordingly.” - -“Is this it?” asked Roy interestedly, pointing to the plan before him. - -“No, that’s only the sail-plan. The other’s at the Cove; Johnson has -it.” - -“That’s what you bought the lumber for!” exclaimed Chub. Dick nodded. - -“Yes. And I’ve bought a lot more since then. It’s costing like -anything, but it’s lots of fun. I want you all to go over with me -Saturday and have a look at it.” - -“How big is it, Dick?” asked Roy. - -“It’s just a smallish one,” was the answer. “Twenty-nine feet long by -eighteen wide.” - -“Phew!” cried Roy. “It doesn’t sound small! When will it be done?” - -“I don’t know; about a week, I guess. The worst thing is figuring -about the sails. You see, I don’t know very much about sailing; never -sailed anything in my life but a kite. So it’s puzzling, and I’m more -than half guessing. Maybe the fool thing won’t go when it is done.” - -“Course it’ll go,” said Chub. “A sail’s a sail.” - -“I think it’s perfectly grand!” said Harry with awe. “Will you take me -out in it, Dick, when it’s finished?” - -“Of course; and if it does manage to go I’m going to send a challenge -to that Thurston chap.” - -“Say, that’ll be bully!” cried Chub. “And I’m just dying to see the -thing. Can’t we go over before Saturday?” - -“Maybe, but it won’t be very far along before that time. A lot of -the bolts and braces had to be made, and that takes time, you know. -Besides, that’s only three days from now.” - -“What color are you going to paint it?” asked Harry. - -“Well, I’d like to have her red,” answered Dick, “but I suppose it -wouldn’t do, for that’s Hammond’s color, and, besides, Thurston’s is -red.” - -“Paint her blue,” suggested Roy. - -“Pink,” said Chub. - -“I guess I’ll have her green,” Dick said. “That shows up pretty well at -a distance.” - -“And call her the _Shamrock_ or the _Erin Go Bragh_,” laughed Roy. -“What _are_ you going to call her, by the way?” - -“Haven’t thought much about that yet. Usually they call ’em _Icicles_ -or _Jack Frosts_ or _Blizzards_, but I’d rather have something a little -newer.” - -“Well, you can name her after me if you want to,” observed Chub -modestly. - -“Yes, call her the _Chump_,” said Roy. - -“Let’s all think of names for it,” cried Harry. “We’ll write them down -so as not to forget them and then we’ll give them to Dick and he can -select one.” - -“And the one whose name is selected,” suggested Chub, “gets a prize, -like--like not having to ride on the boat.” - -“You’ll be glad enough to ride on her when you see her,” said Dick. - -“Who? Me?” queried Chub. “Well, maybe so; I’m naturally of a brave and -reckless disposition. In fact, as far as I’m personally concerned I’d -like it, but there is the community to think of. Of course, I owe it to -the community to be careful of myself and not--” - -“You’re talking a great deal of nonsense, Thomas H. Eaton,” said Harry. -“If Dick asks me to go with him I’ll go mighty quick!” - -“If it’s any sort of a boat that’s just the way you will go,” observed -Roy dryly. “So quick you won’t know what’s happening to you.” - -“It must be lovely!” cried Harry, clasping her hands and looking -enraptured. - -“Has any one seen Thurston’s boat lately?” asked Chub. - -“Yes,” Roy answered, “I see it pretty nearly every afternoon. It’s a -hummer, too. I think he goes over to school on it in the mornings and -back to the Cove in the afternoon, because I’ve seen him heading that -way several times about the time we get through hockey practice.” - -“The only thing I’m afraid of,” said Dick, with an uneasy glance -through the grimy window, “is that we’ll have a thaw before I get her -ready.” - -“That’s so,” Chub agreed, “it looks like that now. But you can’t tell; -it may be frozen tight again by morning. Where are you going to get -your sails, Dick?” - -“At the Cove. There’s a fellow there makes them. And, say, you fellows, -I’ve got to finish this plan this afternoon so as to take it over -to-morrow. I don’t want to seem inhospitable, but if you’ll just let me -alone for about an hour I can do it.” - -“Of course we will,” Harry declared. “We’ll go right away. Come on, -Vidocq, and Sherlock Holmes!” - -“You’re sure you don’t want me to stay and help you?” asked Chub. “I’m -a terror at planning; once I planned a dog-house.” - -“I’ll bet it was a peach!” jeered Roy. - -“It was. I put a door at each end so Caesar could get in and out -easily, but the fool dog thought it was a tunnel and used to run -through it full-tilt like an express train.” - -“Get out!” said Dick. - -“Fact, really! He’d get a good start and go through like sixty; and he -used to whistle as he went in.” - -“Chub Eaton!” cried Harry. “You come on home after that!” - -“All right,” laughed Chub. “This is no place for genius, anyway. After -you, Miss Estrella De Vere.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE _BOREAS_ TAKES THE ICE - - -When Saturday came the four walked over to the Cove through a blinding -snow-storm to view the ice-boat. Dick piloted them down to the edge -of the river, where, in a little shed in Johnson’s Shipyard, were two -timbers bolted and braced together in the shape of a cross which Dick -declared was the ice-boat. The mast was ready but not yet stepped -and the narrow oval at one end which Dick called a cockpit was still -unfinished. Harry was distinctly disappointed. - -“I’d be afraid to sail on that, Dick,” she confided earnestly. “I might -tumble off.” - -Roy and Chub, however, were enthusiastic over the craft. The tapering -backbone of shining whitewood and the runner-plank of the same -material looked very business-like. Stays of steel wire led from -the runner-plank forward and back to the ends of the backbone, with -turn-buckles to tighten them. The rigging also, Dick explained, was to -be of wire. The sails were promised for the middle of the next week, -and on the following Saturday the boat was to be launched. On the way -back to school there was little opportunity for conversation, since -it was necessary to fight against the wind and sleet at every step. -But afterward, before a roaring fire in the study room, they discussed -the matter of a name. Harry had written down eleven names and Roy and -Chub had one or two to suggest besides. Harry’s suggestions, much to -her disappointment, didn’t find favor. Such names as _Ice Queen_, -_Reindeer_ and _Fleetwing_ were, Dick thought, rather too ladylike, as -he expressed it. - -“I’d thought of _Storm King_,” said Roy tentatively. - -“Not bad, but it doesn’t suggest speed,” Dick said. “How would -_Tempest_ do?” - -“_Tempest_ sounds like rain,” Chub objected, “with thunder and -lightning on the side.” - -“That’s so. What’s your name for it, Chub?” - -“Oh, I’ve got just the thing,” answered Chub modestly. “What do you say -to _Polar Bear_?” - -“Might as well call it _Teddy Bear_,” scoffed Roy. “Polar bears aren’t -fast.” - -“Aren’t they, though? Did you ever have one chase you?” - -“No, did you?” - -“Lots,” answered Chub. “They can run like sixty!” - -“Besides,” said Harry, “polar bears aren’t green, and the boat’s going -to be green.” - -“Polar bears are green before they’re boiled,” said Chub flippantly. -“And anyway the boat isn’t painted yet. It could just as well be white -as green.” - -“Why don’t you name it _Dick_?” asked Roy. “You’re about the fastest -thing on the ice I know of.” - -“_Glacier?_” queried Chub. - -“Icy, but slow,” said Dick. - -“I know!” cried Harry. “_North Wind!_” - -“That’s not bad, is it?” asked Dick. “Only I suppose it’s been used -dozens of times. I’ll put that down, anyway. Try again, Harry.” - -Harry settled her chin in the palm of one hand and frowned intensely at -the leaping flames. - -“_Blast!_” exclaimed Chub. “You speak of an icy blast, don’t you know?” - -“Yes, but you’d think right away of dynamite,” laughed Dick. - -“I suppose you would if you had no more poetry or romance in your soul -than you have, you wild Westerner!” - -“Isn’t there a bird that lives on ice?” asked Harry suddenly. - -“Never heard of one,” Roy laughed. “He’d get cramps.” - -“I mean that lives where there’s nothing but ice, Smarty,” said Harry -indignantly. - -“Then he’d have to eat it, wouldn’t he?” - -“Quit your fooling,” said Chub. “Estrella De Vere is in earnest. -You are quite right, Harry. The little bird you are thinking of is -the ice-pick. It makes its nest in refrigerators and lives on lemon -ice-cream and pineapple sherbet.” - -“I think you’re all horrid,” said Harry. “There is a bird, Dick, isn’t -there?” - -“There’s the eider-duck,” answered Dick. - -“Which plucks the feathers from its own breast and makes them into -eiderdown quilts,” added Chub. “We will call the boat the _Eiderdown -Quilt_.” - -“Oh, cut it out, Chub,” said Roy. “Talk sense, can’t you?” - -“You ask the impossible,” murmured Chub. - -“Well, so far we’ve got only one worth considering,” said Dick. “That’s -_North Wind_. What do you think of it?” - -“Sounds good to me,” said Chub. - -“All right, I think,” Roy replied. - -“Can’t think of anything better, any of you?” - -Roy and Chub shook their heads. - -“Well, we don’t have to decide on it yet,” said Dick. “And maybe we’ll -think of something else before Saturday. I’m going up-stairs; any one -coming?” - -“Wait!” cried Harry. “I know!” - -“Estrella De Vere has got an idea,” chanted Chub. - -“I know the very thing,” went on Harry with sparkling eyes. - -“Out with it,” said Roy. - -“_Boreas!_” - -The three boys looked at each other inquiringly. - -“Boreas,” muttered Dick. - -“Boreas,” echoed Roy. - -“Boreas,” pondered Chub. - -“That’s not half bad, is it?” asked Dick. “Boreas was--was--who was -he?” - -“He was the north wind,” said Chub. “He’s in mythology, you know.” - -“I like it,” Roy declared. “It sounds sort of blustery and cold -and--and--” - -“_Boreas_ it is!” said Dick with decision. Chub leaped up and seized -Harry’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. - -“I congratulate you,” he said earnestly. “You have won the prize and -won’t have to risk your life on the boat!” - -“But it’s a good name, isn’t it, Dick?” Harry asked eagerly. - -“Fine,” Dick replied. “I had a feeling all along that you would be the -one to find a name for us.” - -“Well, what do you think of that?” asked Chub indignantly. “I could -have suggested Boreas long ago, only I wanted to give Harry a chance to -save her life.” - -“Now we’ve got a name,” said Roy, “all that remains is to get the -boat. I wish it was next Saturday now, Dick.” - -“So do I,” Chub chimed in. “Three cheers for the _Boreas_!” - -Just a week later the _Boreas_ took the water--I should say ice. The -launching was not a ceremonious affair, nor was it largely attended. -There were present that Saturday morning Dick, Chub, the builder, four -small boys and the builder’s assistant. I mention them in the order of -their apparent importance. The _Boreas_, resplendent in new dark green -paint, was awaiting the ceremony on the edge of the ice, varnished -spars shining in the sunlight, creamy sails furled on the booms and the -wire rigging gleaming like silver strands. - -[Illustration: The launching] - -There may be some of my readers who have never met with a real live -ice-boat, and for their benefit a few words about the craft in general -may not be out of place. The plan of an ice-boat is practically a -triangle, the stern being the apex and each angle terminating in a -steel runner. The runner at the apex or stern is movable and does duty -as a rudder. But what might be called the deck plan of an ice-boat -shows an elongated lozenge enclosing a cross. The cross is formed by -the fore-and-aft timber, called the backbone, and the transverse timber -called the runner-plank. At the ends of the latter are attached the -fixed runners, and from a point near-by wire braces run forward to the -bow end of the backbone and aft to the stern, forming the outline of -the lozenge. At the extreme end of the backbone is the steering-box, -which corresponds to the cockpit of a water craft. This is usually -shaped like a flattened oval, cushioned or carpeted and is large enough -to hold two persons, one on each side of the backbone. The mast is set -forward of the intersection of the two timbers. - -There are two popular styles of rig: the jib and mainsail--like a -sloop--and the lateen, a single sail triangular in shape. But whatever -rig is used, the effort is made to have the center of weight as low as -possible, and to this end the sails are made broad and low as compared -with the sails on water boats. By lowering the center of weight the -danger of capsizing is lessened. - -The _Boreas_ was rigged with jib and mainsail. Doubtless experienced -ice-yachtsmen would have found much to criticize. Even Dick acknowledged -that the mast was far too short and the sail area much less than it -should have been. Also there were awkward points of construction -resulting from lack of knowledge. But Dick was very well satisfied for -all that, and Mr. Johnson viewed the result of his labor with pride. The -ceremonies attending the launching--which was really no launching at -all, since the boat was on the ice when the boys arrived at the -scene--were short and simple. Dick handed a check to the builder--a -rather good-sized check it was, too--and Chub, striking an attitude, -cried: “I christen you _Boreas_!” As Chub said, there wasn’t any bow in -sight and so it would have been idle to have brought even a bottle of -root beer along with them. - -Dick unlashed the sails and hoisted them one after the other. They -looked very fine in the sunlight and he ran his eye over their expanse -of creamy whiteness with admiration. Then he and the builder turned -their attention to the mooring line, and Chub, curled up in the -steering-box with his hand on the tiller, sang “Mister Johnson, turn -me loose!” And a moment later they were gliding gently away from the -shore with the runners singing softly as they slid over the hard ice. -Dick took the tiller and the boat’s head turned up-stream. They waved -a good-by to the figures on the shore, and none too soon, for the -gleaming sails caught the wind fairly and the _Boreas_ began to gain -speed every moment. - -“Say, can’t she go?” asked Chub, watching the shore go by with -amazement. - -“She seems all right, doesn’t she?” replied Dick. “But she isn’t -really going now. The wind’s dead astern.” - -“Well, it’s pretty good for a starter,” answered Chub. “A fellow feels -a little bit uneasy just at first, eh?” - -“Well, it’s sort of funny, and that’s a fact,” owned Dick. “And until -I’ve learned a little more about the thing I’m not taking any chances. -There are several tricks I want to try.” - -“How fast do you suppose we’re going?” asked Chub. Dick shook his head. - -“Blest if I know. I was never on one before. We’ll call it fifteen -miles an hour.” - -“Bet you it’s nearer thirty!” said Chub. - -“When you go that fast you’ll know it,” Dick answered grimly. “Hold -fast now; I’m going to tack her a bit.” - -“Don’t you think we’re going fast enough as--” began Chub. - -But the inquiry ended in an exclamation of alarm as one runner lifted -itself off the ice and the boat heeled over. - -“Is that safe?” asked Chub anxiously. - -“Sure; two runners are enough any day,” Dick shouted back. - -But he eased up on the helm and the boat settled back again, and Chub -gave vent to a sigh of relief. Dick looked over and smiled. - -“You see,” said Chub apologetically, “I kind of like to keep in touch -with things.” - -“Watch out for Thurston’s boat,” said Dick. “If we come across her -we’ll sort of get a line on our sailing ability maybe.” - -“Don’t see anything of her,” answered Chub, “but my eyes are watering -so I can’t see much of anything. What’s that over there across the -river?” Dick turned to look. - -“Coleville,” he answered. - -“What!” cried Chub. “Already? Why, we haven’t been going a minute! Talk -about your automobiles!” - -News of the ice-boat had got out days before, and when the _Boreas_ -drew near to the landing at Ferry Hill most of the school was on hand -to welcome it. For a first attempt Dick’s handling of the craft as -he swung it around and ran it nose into the wind beside the landing -was very creditable. Dozens of eager hands aided to hold the boat and -numerous voices were raised in petition. - -“Let me go with you, Somes?” - -“You promised me, Dick! Don’t forget!” - -“I’m going, ain’t I, Dick? Just for a minute, eh?” - -“Don’t bother him! He can’t take every one, can you, Dick? He’s going -to take me this time and then the rest of you fellows will have your -chance.” - -“I’m not going to take any one this time,” answered Dick. “I’m going to -get the hang of her and maybe I’ll turn her over. And I don’t want any -fellow to get hurt. I’ll give every one a ride when I get around to it. -Shove her bow off a bit, will you, Chub?” - -Chub, who had disembarked not altogether unwillingly, obeyed and -the _Boreas_ darted away from the shore with Dick lying low in the -steering-box. For the next half-hour he put the boat through her -paces, while the group on shore watched. He had read everything he -could find on the subject of ice-yachting and there were many things -he wanted to settle to his own satisfaction. One of them was the fact -that an ice-boat will go faster across the wind than with it. Dick -was no sailor and at first the proposition had struck him as a bit -startling. “Many persons,” said his authority, “fancy that a yacht goes -faster before the wind than in any other direction, but this is not -necessarily so. If the wind is blowing at a velocity of ten miles an -hour, the yacht cannot possibly make more than that amount of speed. -In other words, the boat can travel no faster than the wind itself. -If it did the sails would be aback instead of drawing. It is on what -yachtsmen call a ‘reach’--that is, with the wind on the quarter or the -beam--that a yacht may sail faster than the wind is blowing.” - -Dick proved this very speedily, for the _Boreas_, while she slid along -very well with the wind behind, instantly increased her speed when she -was sent on a tack. He also discovered among other things that it was -extremely unwise to move the tiller abruptly when the boat was going -fast. He tried it once and only saved himself from taking a flying leap -across the ice by the veriest miracle. But it was vastly exhilarating, -even in the little eight-mile breeze which was blowing up the river, -and when the boat was on a leeward reach with the windward runner high -off the ice and the runner-plank slanting up at a good angle, the -sensation he received was as near like that of flying as anything could -be, he thought. - -He made up his mind that the next time he ventured out he would be more -warmly dressed, for the wind drove right through his sweater, and his -hands under his woolen gloves felt like pieces of ice. When, at last, -he headed back down the river on a broad tack for the landing he was -quite ready to exchange the steering-box of the _Boreas_ for a place -in front of the fireplace in the study-room. Willing hands helped him -pull the boat up on the bank and furl the sails. Then, with Harry and -Roy and Chub as immediate body-guard, he set off up the hill toward -the dormitory and dinner. To the latter he brought a most appreciative -appetite. - -In the afternoon Roy had his first trip, and later, when he had been -safely returned to the rink for the hockey game, Chub took his place. -The _Boreas_ spun up the river for some fifteen miles and by the time -the cruise was over Chub had got over his nervousness and was as -enthusiastic an ice-yachtsman as ever wept in the teeth of a gale. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE DOCTOR INTERVENES - - -I am sorry to say that for something like a fortnight past Dick’s -lessons had been suffering. He didn’t really intend that they should, -but when one is studying the science of ice-yachting and at the same -time superintending the building of a boat, one is likely to be pretty -busy; and that was the case with Dick. There wasn’t time for ice-boat -and lessons, too, and so he made the mistake of sacrificing the -lessons. And very soon he wished he hadn’t. - -The weather held clear and bitterly cold, and on Monday the _Boreas_ -was once more flying up and down the river. There was a light breeze, -but enough to make the boat show plenty of speed to leeward. Harry -had her first sail that afternoon and enjoyed it immensely. Dick was -careful to run no risk of capsizing and kept a safe distance from -rough ice. They ran down to Silver Cove in a series of long reaches -and then came back up the river before the wind. Off Coleville they -sighted Joe Thurston’s boat, but its skipper refused to come out and -try conclusions, although the _Boreas_ hovered tantalizingly about for -some time. The red boat hugged the shore closely and finally snuggled -up against the Hammond landing and dropped her sails. Although Dick was -anxious to race he was not altogether sorry to have the opportunity -deferred, for with Harry aboard he would not have wanted to let the -_Boreas_ out to full speed. But he made up his mind that to-morrow -afternoon he would run over to Coleville and make Thurston race with -him. But there’s never any knowing what twenty-four hours will bring -forth. - -At breakfast the next morning Dick’s name was among those mentioned -by the Doctor and Dick was one of a half dozen boys required to pay -visits to the Doctor’s office at noon. Dick went out of the dining hall -feeling rather uneasy and wishing that he had given more attention to -his studies of late. Roy and Chub captured him outside and decoyed him -into the study room. They were both looking preternaturally solemn, and -Chub insisted on wringing his hand silently. - -“Of course you can come back next year,” said Roy. “It isn’t likely he -will fire you for good.” - -“That’s so,” said Chub. “Might as well look on the bright side of it. -And if you try you can study at home enough to keep up with your class. -Of course there’s the disgrace of it, but--well, you can live that down -in time.” - -“Of course you can,” Roy assured him, evidently striving to be cheerful -in the face of adversity. “But we’ll miss you, Dick, like anything.” - -“You bet we will,” Chub said. “And--er--you won’t want to take the -ice-boat home with you, I suppose. So I’ll take charge of it for you, -old man.” - -“We both will,” added Roy. “Anything to oblige a friend.” - -Dick listened with a sheepish smile on his face. - -“Go ahead,” he said, “and have a good time. I don’t mind. Children must -be amused.” - -“Ah, don’t let it harden you,” pleaded Chub. “Face it like a man and -live it down. After all, there are worse things in life--” - -But Dick’s patience was at an end and Chub’s philosophizing was cut -short by the sudden necessity of defending himself against Dick’s -onslaught. A minute later Mr. Cobb, passing through the corridor, put -his head in at the door long enough to remark: - -“Boys! No fooling in the study room, remember!” - -The three disentangled themselves, panting and puffing, and proceeded -to repair their attire. Chub, with one end of his collar pointing -toward his ear, observed the torn button-hole out of the corner of his -eye and turned severely to Dick. - -“I just hope he does fire you, you big Western brute! Look what you’ve -done to my collar.” - -“Go and borrow one of Sid’s,” suggested Roy with a laugh. - -“Well, we’re even,” Dick answered unruffledly. “My suspenders are -busted.” - -After the final morning recitation Dick turned his steps toward -the office. Of course there was no question of being expelled, but -nevertheless he was anxious to know what awaited him. There were two -boys ahead of him and he had to wait in the library for almost half -an hour, and, naturally enough, that wasn’t pleasant. But finally the -suspense ended and he found himself facing the Doctor. - -“Somes, I hear from Mr. Buckman and Mr. Cobb that you have been doing -very poorly in your studies of late, and my own observations bear out -their report. What’s the trouble?” - -Dick was silent, searching for a reply that would be at once truthful -and not too self-incriminating. - -“Maybe we made a mistake in putting you in the Second Senior Class. -I was in doubt about the advisability of it at the time, you will -remember. Perhaps you had better drop back a class. Does that appeal to -you?” - -“No, sir,” Dick answered with emphasis. - -“But if the lessons are too hard for you?” - -“They’re not, sir.” - -“They’re not? Well, that’s a refreshing thing to hear, Somes. I’ve just -been talking to several other boys and had begun to think that we were -driving the students too hard here. Then you don’t find the lessons too -difficult?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Then may I ask again what the trouble is? If they are not too -difficult why can’t you learn them?” - -“I can, sir,” answered Dick after a moment’s pause. “I--haven’t been -studying very hard lately. I’m sorry, sir.” - -“So am I. Because you are wasting your time, and you are wasting our -time. When you came here you told me that you would abide by the rules -and be diligent. Didn’t you, Somes?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Exactly. And you haven’t been doing it. For some two weeks or so -you have been coming into class with your lessons half prepared. You -haven’t kept your part of the agreement, my boy. Supposing I were to -tell you that an agreement broken by one of the parties becomes void? -You realize what that would mean?” - -“Yes, sir,” replied Dick troubledly. - -There followed a moment of silence during which the Doctor, leaning -back in his chair and rolling his pen between his fingers, studied -Dick attentively. Then: - -“I believe you have lately bought some sort of an ice-boat, Somes. Is -that correct?” - -“Yes, sir. I got it Saturday.” - -“Hum! Rather an expensive luxury for a boy of your age, it seems to me. -Do you think that your father would approve of your buying it if he -knew?” - -“Yes, sir. He lets me buy what I like.” - -“I see. How long have you been negotiating for this boat?” - -“I--I ordered it about two weeks ago.” - -“Rather a coincidence that, don’t you think, Somes? It looks to me as -though that ice-boat explained matters. What do you think?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“What do you mean by ‘Yes, sir’?” - -“I guess it does explain. I was so--so busy thinking about it, sir, -that I didn’t have time to study much,” answered Dick honestly. - -“Have you sailed it yet?” - -“I was out Saturday and yesterday, sir.” - -“Like it, do you?” - -“Yes, sir, very much.” - -The Doctor was silent a moment. Then, smiling slightly, he asked: - -“Do you know what I am considering, Somes?” - -“I think so, sir. You’re going to take the boat away, I guess.” - -“Not exactly. I couldn’t absolutely take it away from you, for it is, -of course, your property. But I could forbid you to use it while at my -school. You understand that?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Well, what I am going to do is to forbid you to use it again until you -have caught up with your lessons. How long that will be depends on you. -Does that sound unjust to you?” - -Dick studied his hands attentively. - -“Recollect, please, that you came here first of all to study, to -work. A certain amount of play is very necessary, but when play -interferes with work it is time to call a halt. That appears to be -what has happened in your case, Somes. You have allowed yourself to -get far behind in your lessons. It can’t go on, you know. You’ve got -to turn over a new leaf if you want to stay here at Ferry Hill. You -acknowledged yourself that you can learn your lessons, and so I must -insist that you do so. This ice-boat seems to have proved a disturbing -element. So I propose to eliminate it for a while, until, in fact, you -have shown that you mean to keep your part of our agreement. Do you -think I am unjust?” - -Dick gave over examining his hands and looked at the Doctor. - -“No, sir,” he answered. “I guess you’re--pretty white.” - -The Doctor bent his head to conceal the smile that trembled about his -mouth. Then: - -“Well, that’s the way it stands then. Catch up with your studies and -you can go back to the ice-boat. But until then--leave it strictly -alone and try to forget about it. That’s all, I think. Good morning, -Somes.” - -“Thank you, sir. Good morning.” - -Dick found Chub after dinner and pulled him into a corner of the -corridor. - -“Easy now,” Chub protested. “This is the last clean collar I’ve got!” - -“Never mind your collar,” said Dick. “What I want you to do is to sail -the _Boreas_ down to Johnson’s this afternoon and tell him to look -after her for me until I call. Do you think you can do it?” - -“Sail it? Of course I can,” said Chub. “But what--what’s the matter? -Has the Doctor been acting up?” - -Dick told what had passed in the office, and at four o’clock Chub and -the _Boreas_ passed down the river. Dick, from the study room window, -watched them go and then turned with a sigh to his books. - - * * * * * - -For the next week or so Dick studied desperately; even Roy and Chub, -who knew what he was capable of in the way of concentration, were -surprised at the zeal he displayed. All their efforts to entice him -out of the library or the study room in the afternoons went for naught -and in the end they were invariably forced to take their departure -without him, leaving him alone in his glory and often to the undisputed -possession of the room. Day after day of bright, cold weather came and -passed, days with crisp winds which would have brought joy to the heart -of the ice-yachtsman. Harry was very indignant at her father’s action -and confided to Roy and Chub that she had scolded him severely. - -“I guess he felt pretty much ashamed of himself,” laughed Roy. “Is he -going to apologize to Dick?” - -“N--no, he was very unreasonable,” answered Harry. “He said he guessed -things would have to stand the way they were.” - -“You’ll have to manage him better than that,” Roy said with a shake of -his head. “Your authority is in danger, Harry.” - -Saturday evening Dick took a brief vacation from study and there -was a meeting of the F. H. S. I. S. in the barn. But nothing was -accomplished, although ways and means were discussed for some time and -all sorts of schemes for raising the money were advanced. - -“If only Ferry Hill had turned out a few dozen millionaires,” mourned -Chub. “Every school ought to graduate a millionaire a year.” - -“Maybe some of the Ferry Hill grads are millionaires,” said Dick -thoughtfully. “If we only had a list of them we might be able to find -out.” - -“I thought millionaires didn’t go to school,” said Harry. “They’re -self-made, aren’t they?” - -“They always used to be,” Roy replied, “but I guess the new crop is -different.” - -“Yes, they’re degenerating,” Chub added. “It’s the same way with -Presidents. It used to be that you couldn’t be President unless -you had been a poor boy and had worked on a farm. But look at the -Presidents nowadays! Just ordinary rich men! Why, most anybody can be -President now!” - -“There’s a chance for you, Chub,” suggested Roy. “You never split a -rail in your life.” - -“And I’m sure he never studied by the light of a log-fire,” laughed -Dick. - -“I think it’s beautiful about Abraham Lincoln,” said Harry wistfully. -“I wish I had been born a poor boy so I could have done the way he did -and been President of the United States, and had a birthday after I was -dead, with flags and speeches and--and things!” - -“I suppose if you were President,” said Chub, “you’d make Methuselah -Secretary of State, wouldn’t you?” - -“Yes, and you could be Secretary of the Navy, and Dick, Secretary of -War, and Roy--” - -“Secretary of Agriculture,” Dick suggested. - -“No, I’d make him my private secretary.” - -“Roy always does have all the luck,” grieved Chub. “I’m mad; I resign -from the cabinet!” - -And with Chub’s resignation the meeting broke up. - - * * * * * - -On Wednesday Dick had made up his lost studies and the embargo on the -_Boreas_ was removed. And on the same day Harry sought him with tidings -of a challenge from Joe Thurston. - -“He told Grace--that’s his sister, you know--to tell me to tell -you that he wanted to race you with his ice-boat. Its name is the -_Snowbird_. Isn’t that a pretty name, Dick? And he wants to race -to-morrow after school, and says he will meet you at the landing here -at half-past three.” - -“But I can’t get the _Boreas_ up here by that time,” said Dick, -“unless--” he paused and thought a moment. Then, “All right,” he said. -“You tell his sister that I’ll be there, Harry.” - -“But how can you get the boat?” she asked anxiously. - -“I’ll go down in the morning before breakfast,” he answered. “Mr. Cobb -will give me permission all right. Did he say how far he wanted to -race?” - -“No,” said Harry. “And, Dick, I suppose I couldn’t go with you, could -I? I’d like to awfully.” But Dick shook his head. - -“I’d be afraid to have you,” he answered. “I guess I’d better go alone; -unless Thurston takes some one with him; if he does I’ll get Chub to go -with me. You couldn’t kill Chub if you tried.” - -“Do you think you can beat the _Snowbird_?” - -“Well, I guess the north wind is faster than any old bird ever made,” -laughed Dick. “But Thurston knows a heap more about sailing than I do, -I suppose, and that ought to help him a lot. But I’ll do my best.” - -“And, Dick, you must have a Ferry Hill flag on the mast!” - -“That’s so, but I’ll have to borrow one somewhere. I don’t own one.” - -“You shall have mine,” cried Harry. “It’s a lucky flag, Dick, and if -you have it you just can’t help winning the race!” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE RACE OF THE ICE-BOATS - - -A bitterly cold, lowering day with a northeasterly gale blowing almost -straight down the river, nipping fingers and ears and noses. Now and -then a fitful flurry of snow, driving past like a miniature blizzard. - -In front of the Ferry Hill landing two ice-boats, heads to the wind, -sails snapping and wire rigging singing in the blasts; one with red -hull and a cherry-and-black flag whipping from the masthead, the other -glistening in new green and bearing the brown-and-white banner of -Ferry Hill on high. About them some sixty boys from the rival schools, -turning and twisting in and out on their skates in an effort to keep -warm in the face of the biting gale. And over all a leaden, cheerless -sky. - -The race was to be windward and return, a distance of about fourteen -miles. The starting-line was opposite the northern end of the -boat-house, the turning-point some seven miles up the river at a place -called Indian Head, where a small islet rose from the river near the -west bank to serve as a mark. The boats were to finish opposite the -boat-house. On the _Snowbird_ were Joe Thurston and his friend Bob -Cutler, while the _Boreas_ held Dick and Chub. Whitcomb, with a small -starting pistol in his gloved hand, was trying to push the crowd back -so that the boats might swing into the wind at the signal. - -The warning was given, the rival skippers declared themselves ready -and the pistol barked, its sharp report being instantly whisked away -on the wind. The slender noses of the two boats were turned, the sails -filled slowly, and after a moment of seeming hesitation the _Snowbird_ -and the _Boreas_ started slowly across the ice on the first tack to -starboard, while behind them the rival groups shouted encouragement -to the yachtsmen and defiance to each other. With every instant the -boats gathered headway, gliding across the glassy surface like gaily -hued dragon-flies above the surface of a pool. The white wings became -taut under the steady wind and the windward runners left the ice as the -boats heeled further and further. It was nip and tuck on that first -tack, the boats keeping their relative positions until the farther -shore was reached and the helms were put over. Around swung the crafts -and pointed their noses toward the right bank of the river. - -On the _Boreas_ Dick and Chub lay on opposite sides of the backbone -which divided the steering-box into halves. Dick held the tiller. They -were wrapped in the warmest clothing they had been able to find, but -it was far from warm enough. The wind came slanting against them and -bored its way down necks and up sleeves. Fingers were already tingling -and foreheads aching. - -“Cold!” shouted Dick above the singing of the runners and the whistle -of the wind. Chub nodded and made a grimace without taking his gaze -from the _Snowbird_, which, some fifty feet away, was bowling along -finely. - -“She’s gaining,” said Chub presently. Dick turned and looked, glanced -at his sails and eased the helm a little. Then it was time to go about -again, since the shore was becoming dangerously near. The _Snowbird_ -was already turning, slowing for a moment as she pointed dead to -windward and then springing away again as the gale slanted across the -sails. The _Boreas_ had lost and on this tack she was sixty or seventy -yards behind her rival. The latter’s larger sail area was telling. -Chub looked anxiously at Dick, but that youth was gazing across at the -_Snowbird_, a hand held in front of his face to break the wind. When he -turned there was a little frown on his face and he pointed the nose of -the _Boreas_ closer into the wind. For a while she seemed to be holding -her own. Then the _Snowbird_ went about again, this time on a mile-long -reach made possible by a bend in the river. The _Boreas_ was almost -half a minute behind now and Dick was growling things to himself that -Chub couldn’t catch. The wind seemed to be growing stronger, though -perhaps it was merely that it had a broader sweep here where the stream -turned toward the east. - -“How fast?” asked Chub, his hand to his mouth. - -“Twenty-five, I guess,” Dick shouted back. - -Chub tried to whistle, but couldn’t. Beside them the ice was only -a blurred surface that rushed by without form or substance, a -grayish-green nothing, as it seemed, above which they were speeding -with a rapidity that almost took the breath away. The wind shrieked -and roared and strove to blow them from the box to which they were -clinging. A sudden flurry of snow rushed down upon them, hiding the -shore and the other boat from their sight, and blinding them so that -for a moment they had to close their eyes. - -“Look out for the shore!” cried Chub, with a gasp. There was an -unintelligible word from Dick in reply as a gray shape suddenly sprang -out of the snow-mist. “Hold hard!” he shouted. Chub had just time to -obey when over went the tiller, there was a loud _slur--r--r_ as the -runners ground sideways against the ice and the _Boreas_ threw herself -about so suddenly that it was all the boys could do to keep their -places. Then a quick leap forward and the boat was on the other tack -and the snow-squall had passed. They looked eagerly for the _Snowbird_. -She had gained some, but not much. The _Boreas_ with a rush and a roar -swept after her. It was a short tack this time, since Hopple Rock lay -dead ahead off the west shore, and soon they were once more on the port -tack, the windward end of the runner-plank standing high above the ice. - -“There’s the Head!” said Dick. - -Perhaps two miles up the frozen river a somber rock, tree crowned, -arose from the gray ice like a rugged sugar-loaf. There was no -mistaking it, although neither Dick nor Chub had ever journeyed so far -up-stream. The boats must pass around it before they turned homeward. -Dick, as best he could, shading his eyes with one mittened hand, -studied the river. Then he moved the tiller slowly and cautiously -until the boat was heeled so far over that Chub was forced to cling -frantically to the backbone to keep from rolling off onto the ice. But -the boat responded with increased speed. Chub, with the tears streaming -from his eyes, held on, at once fearful and fascinated. Surely they -were flying through air and that grayness flowing swiftly beneath them -was cloud! It was hard to believe that they were on solid ice! - -“Hold tight!” cried Dick. - -Chub wondered how he could hold any tighter with his numbed and aching -fingers. Then the windward runner dropped quickly to the ice, the -_Boreas_ swung about on her heel and Chub found himself rolling over -against the backbone as the new tack began. Half a mile ahead the -_Snowbird_, a low streak of red topped with a snowy spread of sail, was -crossing in the opposite direction, the cherry-and-black flag at the -masthead standing out as stiff as though starched. - -“She’s got us beaten!” said Chub. - -But Dick made no answer. He was calculating his chances. It was evident -that the _Snowbird_ was going to round the rock on the starboard tack. -That meant, as Dick figured it out, that she would make two more -reaches first. But to Dick it seemed that perhaps something was to be -gained by hauling closer to the wind at the next turn and making a long -tack to port until a point was reached near the east shore and slightly -below the rock. From there he could round the mark with a short tack -to starboard and start home on a long course with the wind abeam. It -meant allowing the _Snowbird_ to gain now in the hope of cutting down -her lead later. So when the _Boreas_ again came about Chub found that -it was not necessary to hold on for dear life. The boat was headed -closer into the wind and the steering-box was no longer canted at an -alarming angle. The speed was less, but the boat demonstrated the fact -that she could do fast work when close-hauled. The _Snowbird_ crossed -twice ahead of them during the next few minutes and finally, just as -the _Boreas_ was nearing the end of her final reach to port, she shot -from around the island and turned homeward. Chub looked anxious and -perplexed. Then over went the helm once more, there was a sharp swirl -as the _Boreas_ swung about and the black rock rushed toward them. As -they skirted it the starboard runner was scarcely more than six yards -from the gray boulders that lay about it. Then the wind was behind -them and with a rush and a bound the _Boreas_ started toward home. The -_Snowbird_ was, as Dick estimated, three quarters of a mile ahead, -running fleetly on the opposite tack. - -A stern chase is a long chase, they say, and the crew of the _Boreas_ -found it so. And yet, before half the distance to the finish had been -reeled off, they knew that they were gaining slowly but consistently -on their opponent. Joe Thurston was making the mistake of sailing too -closely before the wind. Dick, on the other hand, strove to keep the -wind well on his beam, and while, in order to do this, it was necessary -to put the _Boreas_ on shorter tacks, the result was warranting it. -Little by little the green boat cut down the distance that separated -her from the red. But with three miles still to run it seemed that the -handicap was too large. The _Snowbird_ looked then very much like a -winner to Chub and he wondered how Harry would reconcile the defeat of -the _Boreas_ with the fact that her lucky Ferry Hill banner was flying -from the masthead. If the boats had made speed going up the river they -were simply flying now, although as the wind was behind them the -difference was not very appreciable to the boys. Thirty miles an hour -when you are scarcely a foot above the surface seems a terrific pace. - -Two miles above Ferry Hill the _Snowbird_ was scarcely a quarter of a -mile ahead. She was starting on a long reach which, if all went well -with her, would be the last but one to bring her to the line. The -_Boreas_ was on the opposite side of the river and as she swung across -on a new tack it was evident that Dick was ready for any hazard. Chub -found himself in danger of rolling off onto the ice, while Dick seemed -every moment about to topple down upon him. The _Boreas_ was like -a boy standing on one leg and kicking the other into the air. Then -another change of course and it was Chub’s turn to go up. There were -moments when he vowed that if he reached home safely he would never -trust himself again on an ice-boat with Dick Somes. But they were -gaining every moment now and the quarter-mile lead was down to an -eighth. Suddenly Chub, who was peering ahead at the _Snowbird_, gave -an exclamation of surprise. The _Snowbird_, then in mid-stream, had -suddenly left her tack and had headed again toward the east shore. - -“Ice-crack!” shouted Dick in explanation. “I saw it when we came up.” - -“Better change your course then,” said Chub anxiously. But Dick only -shook his head. That the _Snowbird_ had decided to go around it and so -give him a good chance of winning was no reason why he should follow -suit. The _Boreas_ held her course. Chub glanced in alarm at the calm, -set face beside him and something he saw there quieted his fears. He -looked forward. Ahead, rushing toward them, was a black fissure, an -ice-crack which extended for over a hundred yards almost directly -across the ice. How wide it was Chub had no idea. Nor did he have time -for much speculation, for: - -“_Hold for all you’re worth, Chub!_” cried Dick. - -[Illustration: “A half-mile away was the finish line”] - -Then a twelve-foot expanse of water and broken ice swept up to them, -Dick eased the helm until the boat was at right angles to the crack -and the fore runners struck the slightly raised edge of the fissure -at the same instant. Chub closed his eyes and held on convulsively. -The _Boreas_ rose bodily in the air, there was a momentary sensation -of being swept through space, and then the runners clanged down upon -the ice with a soft jar and the _Boreas_ was tearing along toward the -finish, having taken the gap with a twenty-foot leap as a hunter takes -a fence! - -Chub opened his eyes. The crack was just a dark thread behind them. -Near at hand the _Snowbird_ was charging along with them neck and neck. -A half-mile away was the finish line and the groups of dark figures. - -“Hold on!” cried Dick again. And this time there was exultation in -his voice. The _Boreas_ heeled to the blast and drew away from the -red boat, foot by foot, yard by yard. Twenty seconds--and there was -a gap between them! Thirty seconds--and there stretched the length of -a boat between! Forty seconds--and the _Boreas_ was charging past the -waving figures at the finish, the brown-and-white flag at the masthead -flapping in triumph. Dick had won by a scant ten yards! - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -FORMING THE TRACK TEAM - - -As though resolved that the _Boreas_ should rest for a while on her -laurels, the weather changed that night within the hour and when -morning dawned there was a warm southwest wind blowing up the river. -That afternoon Dick took Harry for a sail, but the wind by that -time had died down to a thin, warm breeze that scarcely filled the -sails, and in consequence the trip was not an exhilarating one. But -exhilarating or otherwise, it proved to be practically the last of the -season, for the warm weather held until the ice-cracks, air-holes and -expanses of rotten ice which quickly developed made ice-boating at once -dangerous and unpleasant. To be sure, there were occasional trips, -but the river never returned to a state making possible another race -between the _Boreas_ and the _Snowbird_, a race which Joe Thurston was -eager for and which Dick was not at all averse to. Finally the _Boreas_ -was drawn up beside the landing and dismantled, the sails and rigging -being stored in the boat-house. As Chub poetically phrased it, “The -career of the good ship _Boreas_ has been brief, but ah, how glorious!” - -February was a fortnight old when the school was thrown into a fever -of mild excitement by a notice posted on the bulletin board in School -Hall. The notice read as follows: - - It is proposed to form a Track Team, and a meeting for that - purpose will be held to-morrow (Friday) afternoon in the Gym at - 4:15. All fellows are earnestly requested to be present. - - ROY PORTER, - T. H. EATON. - -I think you could have formed most anything at Ferry Hill just then, -from a Croquet Club to a Sewing Society. February is a dull time of -year, and the fellows were eager for anything which promised to supply -a new interest. For two weeks the rink had been unfit to play on, -and the river in scarcely better condition. Ferry Hill had won the -first six games of its hockey schedule, including the first contest -with Hammond. The second game with the rival school had been twice -postponed, and Roy was beginning to lose hope of ever being able to -play it, a thing which disgusted him not a little since the team had -shown itself to be an unusually good one and able, in his and the -school’s estimation, to cope successfully with any hockey team in the -vicinity. With skating and hockey at a standstill, base-ball practice -confined only to light work in the cage, and the golf links still half -a foot deep in snow, the forty-three students at Ferry Hill were ripe -for any excitement. And as a result the meeting on Friday afternoon was -about as well attended as it could possibly have been. Things went -with a rush from the start. Roy outlined the project and introduced -Dick Somes, who had hitherto remained in the background. It didn’t take -Dick more than two minutes of talking to have every fellow on the edge -of his chair with roseate visions of a track and field victory over -Hammond floating before his eyes. - -“Say, Roy,” whispered Chub, “Dick’s father is some sort of a promoter, -isn’t he?” - -“Yes, I think so; sells mines, doesn’t he? Why?” - -“Nothing much, only I know now where Dick gets it!” - -Before the meeting was over thirty-seven out of thirty-nine fellows in -attendance had put their names down for the track team and had agreed -to contribute two dollars apiece. And there wasn’t one of them who -wasn’t firmly convinced that he had the making of a sprinter, distance -runner, hurdler, jumper, pole-vaulter or weight-thrower! - -“I’ve talked with Mr. Cobb,” said Dick, “and he’s right with us in -this; says there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to turn out a -dandy team. Of course, we mustn’t set our hearts on too much this -spring; we’re new at it yet, and it takes a couple of years to get the -stride. But I can’t see why we haven’t as good a chance to lick Hammond -as she has to lick us. (_Enthusiastic applause._) As soon as we’ve -elected officers we’ll get a challenge off to her, and I guess there’s -no doubt but what she’ll be glad to meet us. We haven’t got a very good -outdoor track just now, but we’re going to fix that in time. Meanwhile -we can do a whole lot of work indoors, and Mr. Cobb will arrange -it so that he will be on hand here three afternoons a week to give -instruction. But there mustn’t be any backing down, fellows. If you go -in to this you must keep it up. It may seem like hard work at first, -but after we get out of doors you’ll like it immensely. I’m not afraid -of your backing out then; only that you may get discouraged before -that. But if you’ll just remember all the time that we’re going to show -Hammond that we’re just as good on the cinder track as we are on the -gridiron and the diamond and the river, why, I guess you’ll stick it -out.” - -Dick sat down amid hearty cheers and Roy proposed the election of -officers. - -“I suppose,” he said, “that we’d better leave the selection of a -captain until a little later, until we’ve been together a while and -have seen who’s capable of heading the team. So that leaves us the duty -of selecting a manager and assistant manager. Nominations are in order.” - -Warren proposed Roy for manager, but Roy declined, pleading a press of -other duties. Then Chub, who had his instructions, arose and nominated -Dick. Dick was unanimously chosen. The position of assistant manager -was not so quickly filled, but finally Sid Welch was put up and the -meeting accepted him hilariously, demanding a speech. But Sid refused -to make any remarks except to bob his head and mutter something about -being much obliged. - -On Saturday afternoon the candidates got to work in the gymnasium. A -less optimistic person than Dick Somes would, I think, have been rather -discouraged by the prospect. Few of the candidates for the team had -ever seriously tried the work which they had selected. A good many of -them, in fact, had very hazy ideas of what they had let themselves -in for, and there was a deal of grumbling over chest-weights and -dumb-bells. But the grumbling always ceased when Dick drew near, and -his enthusiasm was contagious. Mr. Cobb shook his head afterward and -said he was afraid there wasn’t enough material there to make a team -that could hope to make a showing against Hammond. But Dick wouldn’t -listen to that. - -“We may be weak in some events,” he said, “but we’ll have some good -sprinters, you mark my words, sir, and if we can get a lot of second -and third places we’ll make a good showing for a new team. I wish -every other fellow wouldn’t insist on being either a hurdler or a -hammer-thrower, though,” he laughed. “I can’t find but one chap who is -willing to go in for the pole-vault, and he’s only doing it as a favor -to me and will probably back out when he’s once tried it and has found -that he can’t do twelve feet the first time.” - -Dick had purchased every book on the subject of track and field -athletics that he could hear of and was studying them diligently. He -knew, perhaps, as little at the start as any fellow in school in regard -to track and field work and training methods. But he talked with every -one who could help him, especially Mr. Cobb, and, as I have said, -studied all the literature to be found. The result was that by the time -outdoor work was reached he knew a good deal on the subject, although -much of his knowledge was as yet theoretical, and would have impressed -the wiliest veteran athlete as being an old hand. A portion of Dick’s -philosophy, if ever formulated in words, would have run something like -this: “Know how if you can; if you can’t, keep your mouth shut and look -wise.” - -When, three weeks after the formation of the team, an election for -captain was held, the members suddenly realized that there was only one -among them who possessed the requisite knowledge to fill the office -successfully, only one whom they placed faith in. Six fellows got on -to their feet at the same moment and nominated Dick Somes and about a -dozen more seconded the nomination. Further nominations not following, -Dick was unanimously elected, accepting the honor with becoming -modesty. Sid was promoted to manager and Fernald became assistant. - -“Well,” said Roy after the meeting was over, “that went all right.” - -“According to program,” agreed Chub cheerfully. - -“You fellows may think it was cheeky of me to get up the team and then -have myself elected captain,” said Dick, “but I know that I’m the only -fellow here who can see the thing through. And I suppose that sounds -conceited.” - -“Well, it might from some one else,” said Roy, “but it doesn’t from -you, Dick. Anyhow, it’s just about so. If any fellow can make a track -team go here it’s you. And I hope you’ll succeed.” - -“Oh, I’ll succeed all right,” answered Dick calmly. “Of course I don’t -look for many victories this year, but if we get the team started it’ll -keep a-going, and next year or the year after that we’ll show a few of -those conceited Hammondites what we can do.” - -“I wish I had some of your confidence,” sighed Chub. “If I had I’d feel -better about base-ball.” - -“Chub’s an optimist when it comes to other people’s affairs,” laughed -Roy, “and a confirmed growler about his own. Last year he was certain -we were going to get licked by Hammond; went around for two weeks -before the game looking as though he’d swallowed a barrel of pickles.” - -“Were you?” Dick asked. - -“Not a bit of it! We won, eight to seven.” - -“It was a close call, though,” said Chub. “If you hadn’t--” - -“Oh, Dick’s heard all about that,” interrupted Roy. “When are you going -to issue that challenge to Hammond, Dick?” - -“Right away now. I told Sid to meet me this evening after supper and -we’d write it out. They’re probably still smarting over losing the -second hockey game to us and that will make them eager to lick us at -something else. I want them to propose their own grounds. In the first -place, ours won’t be fit for much this spring, and in the next place if -we’re beaten, as we’re pretty sure to be, we’ll be able to point to the -fact that Hammond had the advantage of being on her home field; as a -matter of fact, it won’t make much difference to us where we are. Then -next year, when we may have a chance of beating them, they’ll have to -come over here.” - -“Well, if you aren’t the foxy one!” said Chub. - -“Well, I don’t want the fellows to be discouraged when they’re beaten,” -responded Dick. “And the more excuses they have the less they’ll mind -a defeat. I guess I’ll leave you fellows here. I want to go to the -Cottage a minute to see Harry.” - -“We’ll come along,” said Chub. - -Dick smiled and shook his head. - -“It’s a private matter,” he said. “You fellows run along.” - -“What do you think of that?” exclaimed Roy. “He and Harry have been -mighty chummy for the last week or two, Chub. Wonder what’s up, eh?” - -“You’ll find out presently,” said Dick. - -They had been sauntering slowly along the path from the gymnasium and -now Dick turned to the right and walked across the wet turf. - -“Where are you going?” demanded Roy. - -“Just here,” answered Dick, stopping and looking off down the slope -toward the river. “You get a great view from here, don’t you?” - -“Yes,” answered Roy as they joined him. “What of it?” - -“Nothing, only I’ve been thinking that this would be a fine site for -the new dormitory.” - -“Gee!” exclaimed Chub. “I’d forgotten all about it. Anything doing yet?” - -“N-no, not to speak of,” answered Dick as he turned back toward the -path. “Still, I rather think there’ll be a meeting before very long.” - -“Isn’t he the mysterious chump?” asked Chub. “Bet you he’s thought out -a scheme. Have you, Dick?” - -“I’ll tell you after a while,” was the answer. “So long.” - -“Oh, well, of course we don’t want to know,” replied Chub. “Farewell, O -Man of Mystery!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE TREASURY IS LOOTED - - -Hammond accepted Ferry Hill’s challenge to a dual track meet with -alacrity, and, as Dick had hoped they would, suggested that it be -held on the Hammond oval. The only thing that Dick didn’t like was -the choice of dates offered, May 12 and June 16. The Hammond manager -explained that on other Saturday afternoons either the track team had -meets or the oval would be in use by the base-ball team. Dick would -have preferred a date about the last of May could he have had his -choice. Five of the more promising members of the team were members of -the base-ball nine as well, and Dick had that fact to bear in mind. It -would be impossible for them to take part in a meet after the first of -June, for then the important contests on the diamond began, notably the -three games with Hammond. - -Dick and Sid and the manager of the rival team had a conference in -Silver Cove one afternoon, and the former were forced to agree on the -twelfth of May as the date of the meeting, since the June date was out -of the question for Ferry Hill and Hammond had no other dates to offer. -I fancy the Hammond representative wondered why Ferry Hill had sent -her manager along to the conference, because he took practically no -part in the proceedings save to agree instantly and enthusiastically -with whatever Dick said. All details were arranged, and Dick returned -to Ferry Hill very well satisfied with everything save the time agreed -upon. - -[Illustration: Work out of doors] - -“The trouble is, Sid,” he explained, “that it will take tall hustling -to get the team in any kind of shape by that time. It’s too early. -However, there’s no help for it and we’ll just have to do the best we -can. We’ll get up some sort of a class meet for the middle of April and -handicap games for some day about a week ahead of the Hammond meet. The -fellows have got to have some experience in real competitions. You and -I, Sid, are going to be two busy little boys from now on.” - -And Sid looked grave and held himself half an inch taller. - -A couple of days later the track team was picked. They had been at -work out of doors for over a fortnight and Dick and Mr. Cobb had had -opportunities to judge of the fellows’ performances. There had been a -few defections during the period of indoor drudgery, but on the whole -the candidates had stood by the cause very well. After the cut fifteen -fellows were left and they represented what Mr. Cobb and Dick Somes -considered the pick of athletic ability. The team, then, as finally -chosen, consisted of Chase, Cole, Cullum, Eaton, Fernald, Glidden, -Harris, Kirby, Porter, Post, Pryor, Somes, Townsend, Walker, and -Warren; and Manager Sidney Welch, of course. Sid had struggled gamely -for a place on the team, first trying to run the mile, then having a -fling at hurdles and finally striving to distinguish himself at the -broad jump. But his weight was against him and Dick was forced to limit -Sid’s participation in affairs to his managerial duties, and as Dick -attended to most of those himself Sid wasn’t overworked at any time -that spring. - -On the whole the team promised to be fairly good; Mr. Cobb acknowledged -in April that his first judgment had been hasty. In the distances there -were four runners: Somes, Chase, Warren, and Townsend, all of whom -were doing very creditable work. Perhaps there was some disappointment -over Dick himself, for the story had spread throughout the school that -he was a wonder at the mile and his present performances were not -vindicating that reputation. But probably the fact that he had so many -affairs to attend to told against his track prowess. He didn’t seem to -do any troubling about it, anyhow, and it was very generally agreed -that if he continued to make as good a captain as he did at present -he would be doing his full duty. There was one real find, however, to -delight Dick’s heart. And that was Mr. Thomas H. Eaton, familiarly -known as Chub. Chub was doing great work in the 100-yards dash and very -creditable in the two-twenty. Running him close in the former event -was Walker, while at the longer distance Post was showing up well and -promised to become a fine sprinter in time. For the middle distances -there were Roy, Pryor and Kirby, none of them above the average. Kirby -was also hurdling and he and Glidden were showing up fairly well. The -pole vault had but one performer, Cullum of the Second Middle. Walker -and Cole were making hard work of the jumps, and in the weight events -Post, Harris and Fernald were struggling for supremacy. - -The class meet was held the middle of April and, although no remarkable -records were established, it accomplished what it was intended to and -familiarized the participants with the work. The First Senior Class had -no trouble in winning the contest. - -The purchase of such necessary things as jumping and vaulting -standards, poles, hurdles, shots and hammers had left very little of -the original sum subscribed, and so each member of the team was obliged -either to buy his own costume or be content with whatever he happened -to have that would answer. Most of them, however, were too eager to -appear in the white trunks with brown stripes down the legs and white -shirts crossed by a brown ribbon bearing the letters F. H. T. T. to -begrudge the cost, and long before the handicap games came off more -than a dozen such costumes could be counted on the athletic field of -an afternoon. It almost broke Sid’s heart not to be able to sport the -track regalia, but he found balm for his sorrow in a nice little brown -cloth cap bearing the “F. H. T. T.” in front. - -Meanwhile the base-ball season had begun and Ferry Hill was reaping a -harvest of unimportant victories over early-season antagonists. Things -promised well this spring for the nine, and Chub was in fine feather. -And so, by the way, was Sid, for he was holding his place in left -field against all comers and learning to bat with the best of them. -Green Academy and Pottsville High and Prentice Military came and saw -and acknowledged defeat, falling victim to the elusive curves of Post -or Kirby. And April was half gone and the affairs of the F. H. S. I. -S. claimed scant attention from its members. Or so, at least, Roy and -Chub thought until one morning they received formal notices in Harry’s -writing to the effect that there would be a meeting of the society the -following evening at eight o’clock--“a full attendance desired.” A full -attendance was obtained. There wasn’t a member absent when Dick began -proceedings by producing some sheets of foolscap from his pocket. - -“The president and secretary-treasurer of the society,” began Dick with -a smile, “have been getting busy on their own hooks lately, without -authority from the majority. When I’ve got through telling you what -we’ve been up to you can move a vote of censure if you like--” - -“I move it right now,” interrupted Chub. - -“--And as presiding officer I’ll rule it out of order.” - -“Isn’t he haughty?” asked Chub admiringly. - -“Go ahead and ’fess up,” said Roy. “I thought you two were up to -something last month, but since then I’ve kind of forgotten all about -it.” - -“Then I suppose you haven’t thought out a scheme to get that thirty -thousand?” asked Dick. Roy shook his head. “And how about you, Chub?” - -“Me? Bless you, I’ve been too busy thinking up schemes how to hit -Post’s in-shoots.” - -“Well,” said Dick, “Harry and I have done the best we could. It didn’t -seem advisable to ask the Doctor for the names of the graduates. -To tell the truth, I was afraid he’d forbid us to go ahead with the -scheme. So Harry and I have been prospecting around ourselves and -we’ve managed to get hold of the names and addresses of fourteen men -who have graduated from here. We’re not sure about all the addresses, -but I guess we can reach them in time. Now what I propose to do is to -send personal letters to each of them and tell them just what we want -to do and ask them how much they’ll be willing to subscribe to set the -ball rolling. We’ve fixed up a letter here and I’ll read it to you in -a minute. Of course, we may not get a cent this way; it’s one of those -forlorn hopes that Roy was talking about.” - -“Why didn’t you tell me that time that a ‘forlorn hope’ was a ‘touch’?” -asked Chub aggrievedly. - -“To have the thing look right,” Dick continued, “we ought to have -some stationery printed, I think; just ‘Ferry Hill School Improvement -Society, Silver Cove, N. Y., Office of the Secretary and Treasurer’; -something like that. What do you think?” - -“Sounds like the real thing,” answered Roy. - -“Sure,” added Chub. “If you wrote me a letter on that sort of paper I’d -be so pleased I’d want to mortgage the house and send the money to you.” - -“I think it would be perfectly dandy!” said Harry. “Let’s do it.” - -“Moved and carried,” announced Chub. “Let’s hear the letter, Dick. I’ll -bet if you wrote it it’s a corker!” - -“We wrote it between us,” answered Dick. Harry tried her best not to -look vain, but couldn’t smother the gratified smile that insisted on -showing itself. “Here it is.” Dick opened the folded sheets of foolscap -and began to read. - - “‘Dear Sir: The Ferry Hill School Improvement Society has been - recently formed for the purpose of advancing the interests - of that institution of learning, and securing much-needed - improvements, of which the most important is a new dormitory. - The School has outgrown its present equipment, and increased - accommodation for more students is imperative if the usefulness - of the School is to be continued. As an alumnus--(“That’s - great!” Chub commented softly.)--you will, we are sure, - desire to aid your _alma mater_. (“Perfectly swell!” breathed - Chub admiringly.) It is desired to raise the sum of Thirty - Thousand Dollars for the construction of a dormitory building - capable of holding twenty boys. What portion, if not the - whole, of the necessary amount will you subscribe? Letters - similar to this have been sent to fourteen of the School’s - more prominent graduates and a liberal response is confidently - looked for. You will confer a great favor by corresponding at - your earliest convenient opportunity with Miss Harriet Emery, - Secretary-Treasurer, Ferry Hill School, Silver Cove, N. Y. - Trusting that you will be able to aid this most worthy cause, - I remain respectfully and fraternally yours, RICHARD SOMES, - _President_.’” - -Dick folded the letter and looked inquiringly about him. For a -moment there was no comment. Chub sat with his mouth wide open and a -countenance expressing awed and speechless admiration. Even Roy was -apparently too much impressed to speak. Harry waited self-consciously. -Finally, - -“Well,” asked Dick, “any suggestions?” - -“Not a one,” said Roy. - -“Suggestions!” cried Chub, suddenly finding his voice. “Why, that’s -the swellest thing I ever heard! If that doesn’t fetch ’em--why--why -we don’t want their dirty old money! Talk about your language! There’s -more language there than I ever saw before in one pile!” - -“This isn’t a silly joke,” protested Dick shortly. “If you think that -letter can be improved on, why, say so, but don’t get funny.” - -“It can’t,” said Roy with conviction. - -“No, sir,” agreed Chub. - -“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” said Dick with a sigh of relief. “If we’ve -been over that thing once we’ve been over it twenty times. Haven’t we, -Harry?” - -“Yes,” answered Harry. “I know it by heart, every word of it!” She -closed her eyes. “‘The Ferry Hill School Improvement Society has been -recently formed for the purpose of advancing the int--’” - -“We’ll take your word for it,” laughed Roy. “Who’s going to write out -fourteen letters, Dick?” - -“You, because you write better than any one else.” - -“Pshaw,” said Chub, “they ought to be typewritten.” - -“That’s so,” Dick agreed. “I didn’t think of that. It won’t cost much.” - -“Seems to me,” said Roy, “we’re going to spend a lot of money and maybe -we won’t get any in return. We’ll have to pay for printing, paper, and -envelops, typewriting the letters, and for stamps. How much have we -got, anyhow?” - -“Printing and typewriting won’t cost much,” said Dick. “Not over four -dollars; and we’ll only need twenty-eight cents’ worth of stamps. And -we’ve got--how much have we got in the treasury, Harry?” - -“Sixty-four dollars and ten cents,” answered Harry very promptly. -“Twenty-four dollars and ten cents in money and a check for forty -dollars. Chub still owes ninety cents.” - -“So I do,” murmured Chub embarrassedly. “I’d forgotten.” - -“Well, that’s plenty,” said Dick. “We’ll get the printing and -typewriting done right away so we can mail the letters by Saturday. -You’d better let me have about five dollars, Harry, and I’ll give you -an account of what I spend.” - -“You must give me a receipt then,” answered Harry, doubtfully, as she -slid off the grain chest. - -[Illustration: “‘It’s gone,’ wailed Harry”] - -“All right,” Dick laughed. “There’s nothing like doing things in a -business-like way. You and I’ll go over to Silver Cove to-morrow noon, -Chub, and--” - -But Dick’s further remarks were lost for there was a sudden exclamation -of tragic dismay from Harry where, unnoticed by the boys, she had -climbed to a box under one of the old rafters. - -“What’s the matter?” cried Roy. - -“It’s gone!” wailed Harry. - -“Gone? What? Where?” - -“The money! I put it up here for safe keeping and now it’s gone! It’s -been stolen! And--and I’ve betrayed my trust!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE SOCIETY AWAITS RESULTS - - -The three boys stared at Harry’s dismayed countenance in bewilderment. -Dick was the first to find his voice. - -“What do you mean?” he exclaimed. “Our money? The--the funds of the -society?” - -Harry, still perched precariously on top of the empty box, nodded -silently, looking down anxiously from face to face. - -“But what--how did it come here?” demanded Roy. - -“I put it up here on top of this rafter for safe keeping,” wailed -Harry. “I didn’t think it was safe to have so much money in the house; -one summer there was a thief broke in and stole a lot of things, you -know! So I put it in a little chamois bag and tied it up tight and put -it up here on this joist, right in the corner here. And now--now it’s -gone as anything!” And Harry’s voice hinted of tears. - -“Don’t you care,” said Chub cheerfully. “We’ll find it all right, -Harry. It couldn’t have walked off by itself. We’ll have a good hunt -for it. Where is there a ladder?” - -“I know,” answered Roy, disappearing into the shadows at the farther -end of the barn. Harry jumped down from the box and when the ladder -arrived it was placed against the rafter and Dick climbed up to where -he could look along the dusty ledge. - -“Nothing here,” he said promptly. “It must have fallen down. Look -around underneath, fellows. Bring the lantern.” - -“Stop your swearing,” exclaimed Methuselah mildly, his head stuck -interestedly out of his box. Dick, climbing down the ladder, -absent-mindedly stretched out his hand and was rewarded with a playful -nip which almost caused him to lose his footing. Roy had brought the -lantern and for some minutes the four searched carefully about the barn -floor. Methuselah, apparently elated at having nipped Dick’s finger and -much excited by the commotion, strutted and climbed about his cage and -chattered incessantly. In the end they had to acknowledge defeat. They -sat down and eyed each other questioningly. - -“The only thing I can think of,” said Dick finally, “is that rats or -mice must have found it and carried it away.” - -“I don’t believe there are any rats or mice here,” said Harry, “except -those in the cages. Spot caught them all ages ago.” - -“Besides,” said Roy, “it was too big and heavy for a rat to lug away.” - -“They might have chewed it to pieces, though,” Chub suggested. - -“Then we’d have found the pieces,” said Dick. - -“It was stolen,” said Harry solemnly. - -“Who stole it?” Roy asked. Harry shook her head. - -“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe, though, there was a tramp or some one -in the barn when I put it up there, and he saw me do it and went and -got it afterward.” - -“Well, that’s possible,” agreed Dick. “But I don’t think any tramp -would get so far from the road as this, even for a place to sleep. -Besides, there’s Snip.” - -“Snip sleeps at the Cottage,” said Harry. - -“Well, if it was stolen, whoever stole it must have seen you put it -there, because no one would ever think of looking on top of a rafter -in a barn for money.” Dick hesitated. Then, “How about John, the -gardener?” he asked. - -“Oh, he wouldn’t steal anything,” declared Harry emphatically. -“Besides, he wasn’t in here when I put the money there. Because when I -got back to the Cottage he was shoveling the snow from the steps.” - -“How long ago did you put it there?” Chub asked. Harry thought a moment. - -“About a month ago,” she answered. - -“Then if it’s stolen,” Chub said, “I guess the fellow who got it has -spent it by this time. I’m glad I didn’t pay that ninety cents, anyhow.” - -Roy laughed. - -“There’s just one of us here,” he said, “who probably knows who took -it, and he can’t tell.” - -“Who do you mean?” asked Chub. - -“Methuselah, of course.” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Harry. “That’s so, isn’t it? And to think that he can’t -tell us!” - -“You might ask him,” Dick suggested. The others smiled; all save Harry. -She jumped up and walked gravely across to the cage. Methuselah ceased -his chatter as she drew near, put his head on one side and studied her -inquiringly with his beady eyes. - -“’Thuselah,” said Harry, “won’t you please tell us who stole our money?” - -The parrot blinked, ruffled his feathers and put one foot through the -bars until his yellow claws were clasped tightly about Harry’s finger. -Then he chuckled hoarsely. - -“He does know,” said Harry sadly, “and he wants very much to tell me. -Don’t you, you old dear?” - -“Roy!” said Methuselah suddenly and sharply. Harry started back in -alarm and the others broke into laughter. - -“Give it back, Roy,” said Chub. “You might as well, you know; you’re -discovered.” - -“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” said Harry severely. “You mustn’t -tell lies, ’Thuselah.” - -“He saw you all right,” laughed Chub. “Better ’fess up, Roy!” - -“He’s a traitor,” said Roy, smiling. “I gave him a nickel to keep still -about it.” - -“Well, the money’s gone,” said Dick, “and there’s no use in crying over -spilled milk. After all, we’re only out about twenty-four dollars. I’ll -write to the bank and tell them not to pay that check, if they haven’t -done it already. Meanwhile we’ve got to have money to get that printing -done and to pay for the typewriting and stamps. So I’ll advance it. If -we find the money again you can pay it back to me, Harry.” - -“I shall make it up myself,” said Harry resolutely. “It may take me a -long time, but I’ll pay it all back.” - -“Nonsense!” cried Roy. - -“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” said Dick. “It wasn’t your fault.” - -“Yes, it was. I shouldn’t have put it there. It was a very silly thing -to do. I ought to have put it in the bank.” - -“That’s all right,” said Chub. “I guess every fellow is willing to -stand his share of the loss. And I tell you what I’ll do: I’ll pay that -ninety cents I owed next Saturday, as soon as I get my next allowance.” - -“You mustn’t give it to me,” said Harry sadly. “I’m not going to be -treasurer any more.” - -“Oh, yes, you are,” said Dick cheerfully. “As soon as we get some more -funds you’re to look after them. Isn’t she, fellows?” - -“Of course,” answered Roy and Chub heartily. - -“Besides,” said Roy, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we found that money -yet.” - -“Going to give it back, are you?” asked Chub with a laugh. - -“Cut it out,” answered Roy. “I’ll think I did swipe it if you keep on -talking about it.” - -“Thunder!” exclaimed Dick suddenly. “It’s almost ten o’clock! We’ll get -the dickens if we don’t run for it. Grab the lantern and come on. The -meeting’s adjourned!” - -Three days later the fourteen letters, neatly typewritten on paper -bearing the inscription “Ferry Hill School Improvement Society” -printed across the top in impressively large and black type, and -signed “Richard Somes, President,” were mailed to their destinations, -and there was nothing for the members of the society to do but await -results. The barn had been thoroughly searched by daylight, but the -missing chamois bag with the society’s funds had not been found. The -bank in New York had replied that Dick’s check had not been presented -and that if it was it would not be honored. For the rest, the members -accepted their losses philosophically, while Chub, to prove his faith -in the treasurer, paid over to her on Saturday the sum of ninety cents. -This, representing the entire assets of the society, Harry wore pinned -inside of her dress, in an envelop. And for the first day she felt -anxiously for it every few minutes. - -April hurried along with uncertain skies and warm days, and Spring -Vacation came and went. By the first of May the cinder track was in -good hard condition and every afternoon the track team worked like -Trojans, every fellow animated by the resolve to do his full share -toward winning success in the meet with Hammond, now only a little more -than a week distant. Dick grew more hopeful as the days passed, and -after the handicap meeting on the Saturday before the Hammond games, he -even dared think of the possibility of a victory over the rival school. - -“I can figure it out on paper,” he told Roy, “so that we win by three -points. But of course that means that every fellow must do a little bit -better than he did to-day.” - -Roy had won the quarter-mile from Pryor and Kirby with a small handicap -and was consequently feeling pretty optimistic himself. - -“I don’t believe Hammond’s team is so awfully good this year, anyhow,” -he declared. “They lost four of their best men last spring, you know. -If we were only a little better in the field events we might stand a -pretty good show of winning, Dick.” - -“I know, but you can look for Cole to do some good work next Saturday -at the broad jump, and as for the hammer and shot, why, we’ve got just -as good men as they have, I guess. It’s the hurdles and pole-vault that -I’m worrying about. A chap can’t learn how to hurdle in two months. -Both Kirby and Glidden were as slow as cold molasses to-day, and Kirby -knocked down every bar except one in the two-twenty.” - -“I thought you had Chase there in the mile for a while,” said Roy. “It -looked to me as though you were going to pass him at the beginning of -that last lap.” - -“I thought so too,” answered Dick, “but he had more wind left than I -had. I don’t know why it is, but I haven’t been able to do anything -like my best this spring. I’ll have to get a move on next Saturday if -I’m going to win a point. I’d feel like the dickens if I didn’t, you -know.” - -“Don’t you worry,” answered Roy. “You’ll do all right.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -METHUSELAH SUBSCRIBES TO THE FUND - - -Two days later, on Monday, there was a meeting of the F. H. S. I. S., -the call having been hurriedly issued by the secretary-treasurer in -person. And when the members of the society were assembled in the barn -Harry produced triumphantly three letters. - -“They came this morning,” she said excitedly, “and I haven’t opened -them yet. I thought you’d all like to be here when I did, you know. -Here’s two from New York and one from Cleveland, Ohio, and--and they -all feel as though they had something in them!” - -“Bully!” cried Chub. “Open ’em up!” - -“You do it,” said Harry, handing the letters to Dick. There was a -moment of silent suspense while Dick carefully slit the first envelop -with his knife. Out came a letter and--a check! - -“How much?” cried the others in chorus. Dick looked at it, scowled and -glanced at the few lines in the letter. Then: - -“Five dollars,” he said blankly. - -There was a moment of disappointment, broken by Chub. - -“Mail it back to him,” he said disgustedly. - -“Try the next one,” murmured Harry. Dick did so. Again a check came -into sight. - -“Fifty,” said Dick encouragedly. - -“That’s better,” said Roy. “Try the next. Let’s know the worst.” - -Dick opened the third letter, unfolded the sheet of paper within and -looked on all sides of it. There was no check. - -“Rotten!” growled Chub. “What’s the beast say?” - -“It’s all right!” cried Dick who had been reading the letter. “He -promises five hundred whenever we get ready to use the money!” - -“That’s the stuff!” said Roy. “He’s all right, he is! What’s his -beautiful name?” - -“Lemuel Fish,” answered Dick. - -“Well,” said Roy, when the laughter had subsided, “he may not be much -on name, but he’s all right on promises.” - -“He’s a promising man,” murmured Chub. - -“You don’t think the promise is--is fishy?” asked Harry, and for a -moment didn’t know why the others laughed. “But I didn’t mean to make a -pun,” she declared earnestly. - -“Oh, Harry,” teased Roy, “I saw you thinking that up whole minutes ago! -And such a weak pun, too!” - -“I didn’t! I didn’t!” cried Harry, stamping her foot, between smiling -and frowning. Methuselah, who had so far been perched comfortably on -her shoulder and behaving himself thoroughly, resented being jarred and -so climbed down to the lid of the grain chest and from there to the -barn floor, sidling off into the semi-darkness behind the harness-room -with many cunning chuckles. - -“Oh, he will pay all right,” said Dick. “He’s a railroad man according -to his letter-head, and railroad men are all rich, you know.” - -“Are they?” asked Chub. “Let’s start a railroad instead of a dormitory, -then. What do you say?” - -“Let’s see how much we’ve got subscribed,” suggested Roy. “Five hundred -and fifty and five and forty--” - -“Wait,” cried Harry. “I’m secretary! I’ll make a list of the -subscriptions.” She started to work on the pad she carried, and the -others waited patiently while she frowned and labored. Presently, -“There!” she said. “Now listen: - - Dick $50.00 - Roy 5.00 - Chub 5.00 - Harry 5.00 - Lemuel Fish 500.00 - Charles A. Bliss 50.00 - J. L. Hughes 5.00 - ------ - Total $620.00 - Printing, etc. 4.30 - ------ - Amount on hand $615.70” - -“Well,” said Chub, “that’s something, even if it is a long way from -thirty thousand.” - -“And there are eleven people still to hear from,” said Harry hopefully. - -“The one I wanted most to get a reply from,” said Dick, “hasn’t written -yet. I hope he will.” - -“Who is that?” Roy asked. - -“David Kearney.” - -“What? The banker? Why, he’s worth millions!” - -“That’s why I hope he’ll answer us,” said Dick dryly. - -“Do you mean that he went to school here?” asked Chub incredulously. -Dick nodded. - -“He was here for two years just after the school started, about -twenty-three years ago. I don’t think he graduated, though. But that -wouldn’t make any difference if he wanted to give us some money. He -gives lots, you know. Only last fall he gave a small fortune to some -little old college in Pennsylvania that no one ever heard of before.” - -“I wish you’d registered that letter,” said Chub thoughtfully. “I -wouldn’t want it to miss him.” - -“Seems to me it’s time he wrote, if he’s going to,” said Roy. - -“Oh, men like Kearney are pretty busy, I guess,” said Dick. “There’s -plenty of time yet. I was rather hoping that he’d give a good big sum, -say ten or twenty thousand. If we could get some one to give that much -I’ll bet we wouldn’t have much trouble raising the rest.” - -“I love the way Dick talks about ten or twenty thousand as though it -was fifty cents,” sighed Chub. “Why, if I saw twenty thousand dollars -coming along on the other side of the street, I’d be so scared I’d run -up an alley! But Dick--why, Dickums would just smile and walk across -and slap it on the back!” - -“I think,” said Harry seriously, “that we’ve done awfully well. Why, -just think, when we began we didn’t have a cent! And now we’ve got over -six hundred dollars!” - -“By the way, where are you keeping it, Harry?” asked Roy. - -“Hold on! Don’t tell!” Chub cried. “He wants to swipe this, too!” - -“Say, shut up about that, will you?” growled Roy. “I don’t mind a joke, -but you’re wearing it out, you know.” - -“In the bank,” answered Harry. “I’ve opened an account; ‘Harriet Emery, -Treasurer’; and I’ve got a real bank-book! And if we let the money -stay in the bank for three months we’ll get three per cent. interest on -it!” - -“Then I guess that’s the best way to get the thirty thousand,” laughed -Chub. “Just let it lie in the bank until the accumulated interest--” - -“Steady!” cautioned Roy. - -“--amounts to the other twenty-nine thousand four hundred.” - -“You’re a chump,” said Dick. “And you won’t get three per cent. for -three months, Harry; it’s three per cent. a year.” - -“Oh, is that it?” asked Harry disappointedly. “But I’d get something, -wouldn’t I?” - -“Yes, one fourth of three per cent.” Harry began to figure earnestly. - -“What I want to know,” said Chub, “is why you’ve got the money we lost -down on the subscription list.” - -“Because,” answered Dick, “Harry insists that she’s going to pay it -back.” - -“She’s going to do nothing of the sort!” exclaimed Roy indignantly. -“She may pay her five dollars back and we’ll all do the same, but -there’s no reason why she should pay it all!” - -“That’s what I tell her,” Dick replied, “but you know Harry’s a little -bit--well, a little bit stubborn, Roy.” - -“I’m not,” declared Harry, without raising her head from the tablet -upon which she was figuring. “And I am going to pay it back. It was in -my--my custody, and I am responsible. I’d like to know what folks would -do if treasurers could lose money entrusted to them and not have to pay -it back!” - -“But you’re not a real treasurer--” began Chub. - -“Why, Chub Eaton!” exclaimed Harry indignantly. “I am, too!” - -“I mean,” exclaimed Chub lamely, “that you aren’t under bonds, you -know, and--” - -“I don’t care. I’m going to make res--restitution!” - -“I don’t believe,” said Roy just then in an odd voice, “that it’s going -to be necessary to make restitution.” - -“What do you mean?” demanded Harry. - -Roy pointed past her into the twilight of the barn. - -“Ask Methuselah,” he said. - -The others turned, following his outstretched finger with their -eyes. Out from under the shapeless form of a mowing machine walked -Methuselah, his beady eyes glittering in the gloom, his head cocked -on one side and his yellow beak closed over an object which at first -glance looked like a piece of brown paper folded into a tiny parcel. -In an instant Harry had swooped down upon the astounded bird and was -dancing back with a small chamois bag in her hand. - -“It’s the money!” she cried. The boys crowded around her while she -untied the little pink string with trembling fingers and while -Methuselah, quite forgotten, smoothed his feathers and scolded -angrily. Out came the bills and coins and Dick’s check, all intact. - -“Methuselah was the thief, I’ll bet a hat!” cried Chub. - -“Sure,” agreed Dick. “But I don’t see how he ever got up on that -rafter.” - -“Oh, he climbs around everywhere when I let him out,” said Harry -excitedly. “And he’s a terrible thief. Don’t you remember the time he -stole the turnip seeds and ate them?” - -“Well, I’m glad he didn’t eat this,” said Roy. “I wonder where he found -it now.” - -“Oh, he probably lugged it off somewhere and forgot all about it,” said -Dick. “And just now when he went roaming around he came across it and--” - -“And he knew we wanted it,” completed Harry, “and brought it to us! -Isn’t he a darling?” - -“Well, that’s all in the way you look at it,” Roy laughed. “Considering -that he stole it in the first place--and tried to put the blame on -me--!” - -“I tell you what!” exclaimed Chub. “’Thuselah was mad because we -didn’t elect him to office and so he thought he’d make himself -assistant treasurer! Bet you that’s the way of it.” - -Harry left the recovered treasure in Dick’s care and picked up the -disgruntled parrot, stroking his head and murmuring soothingly: - -“He was des a booful ’Thuselah,” she cooed. “An’ he found the money, so -he did, and bringed it straight back, didn’t um?” - -“Um did,” laughed Roy. “Um’s an old rascal.” But he scratched -Methuselah’s head with his finger, and the parrot closed his eyes and -looked forgiving. - -“Look here,” said Chub. “We’d all got fixed to pay back that money, so -let’s do it. Then we’ll put this down as ’Thuselah’s subscription to -the cause. What do you say to that?” - -“Beautiful!” cried Harry. She thrust the parrot into Roy’s arms and -flew to the grain chest. She was busy an instant with pencil and pad, -and then, “Here it is!” she cried: - -“Methuselah ... $24.10.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -GOSSIP AND A MEETING - - -Harry and Dick were sitting on the lower step of the little flight -leading to the Cottage porch. It was between ten and eleven of a -perfect May morning. The crumbling red bricks paving the short path -which led to the curving drive glowed warmly in the sun, and the little -blades of grass springing up between them were very green and pert. The -campus looked vastly different to-day from what it had that January -afternoon when Harry had introduced Dick to Ferry Hill. To-day there -was the bluest of blue skies overhead, and instead of the waste of snow -the grass stretched away on every side fresh and verdant. The Grove was -fast clothing itself in new, tender green, and beyond, at the foot of -the long hill, the river dimpled and shone in the sunshine. Something -of this occurred to Harry, I think, for she stopped pulling Snip’s -ear--an operation which that member of the group, half-asleep in the -sunlight, thoroughly approved of--and asked: - -“Dick, do you remember the day I brought you up here to show you the -school? And how cold it was? And how nasty and dismal everything -looked? After you’d gone I never thought for a minute that you’d come -back.” - -“Neither did I,” answered Dick with a little laugh. “I guess I’d have -stayed at Hammond and liked it all right if I hadn’t got there before -school opened. It seemed so beastly lonesome over there, and the -fellows who stayed during vacation were such a ghastly bunch, that I -just had to get out. It was a toss-up whether I’d come over here and -try this or hit the trail for home.” - -“Are you sorry you came?” asked Harry anxiously. - -“Not a bit,” replied Dick with convincing heartiness. “I like it, and I -like you and Chub and Roy. You’ve all been so decent to me, you know. -You’re all three mighty good fellows, Harry.” - -Harry flushed and looked pleased. - -“I--I guess we liked you,” she said. “I’m glad you like Roy and Chub,” -she continued. “I just love them! They’re--they’re the nicest boys I -ever knew, I guess; and you too, Dick.” - -Dick shook his head sorrowfully. - -“I’m jealous,” he said. “You put Roy and Chub first.” - -“Well, you see, I’ve known them longer, Dick,” answered Harry -earnestly. “You don’t mind, do you?” - -“Not a bit,” he laughed. “Besides, next year they won’t be here, and -you’ll have to like me best.” - -Harry looked grave. - -“That’s the trouble,” she sighed. “When you get to like a boy he goes -and graduates and then you never see him again. I don’t know what I’ll -do when Roy and Chub go.” - -“Don’t know what I’ll do, for that matter,” growled Dick. “It’ll be -beastly lonely at first. Maybe I won’t come back myself.” - -“Oh, Dick, you must!” cried Harry. “Why, then there wouldn’t be any -one! You’ve got to come back! You will, won’t you, Dick?” - -“Maybe.” - -“No, promise!” - -“All right, I’ll come, Harry. You and I’ll have to comfort each other, -eh? Say, isn’t this a dandy day? Hope it’ll be like this Saturday, eh?” - -“It’s going to be,” said Harry decisively. “John says we’re in for a -spell of settled weather, and he knows all about it; he never misses.” - -“Well, I hope he’s right. I want a good hard track on Saturday.” - -“Do you think we can beat them?” asked Harry. - -Dick hesitated, then shook his head slowly. - -“Honestly, I don’t. But I’m not telling the fellows that. It doesn’t -help any, that sort of talk. I tell them we can win if we do our level -best; and we can; the trouble is that every fellow can’t do his level -best when the time comes. Lots of them will be nervous, you know; can’t -help it. I may be myself. By the way, Sid got a note from their manager -yesterday asking if we would mind changing the order of events so that -the mile run will come last; he says two of their men who are going -to run the mile are in the low hurdles and they wouldn’t have time to -get their wind. I told Sid to write and say it would be all right. It -doesn’t matter to us, although I suppose if we insisted on having the -things run off the way we first agreed to we’d have a better chance to -win the meet.” - -“But it wouldn’t seem quite fair, would it, to make those boys run in -the mile just after they’d been hurdling?” - -“Well, it would be fair enough, I guess; that’s their lookout, you -know; only--well, I don’t want to win that way. I say let every fellow -have an even chance, and then the one that wins is the best man.” - -“Are you going to practise this afternoon?” Harry asked. - -“No, on account of the ball game with Whittier. But to-morrow we’ll -have a good stiff afternoon of it. Then Friday we’ll rest up. That -reminds me: Sid’s trying to get up a meet with Prentice Military -Academy for some time the last of June. I hope he fixes it, for if -he doesn’t the fellows won’t keep in training; and if they don’t it -will be all the harder to get in form again next year. I wish we were -sure of having a decent track here next spring. If only the dormitory -business had turned out better I guess the Doctor would have been -willing to spend some money on the field and track.” - -“Do you think we’ll ever get the money for the dormitory, Dick?” asked -Harry wistfully. - -“Sure to, sooner or later,” he answered stoutly. “But it’s slow going, -isn’t it? Haven’t had any more letters, have you?” - -Harry shook her head. - -“Not one. I think some people are too mean for anything!” - -“Well,” Dick laughed, “I dare say they’ve got plenty of uses for their -money. We’ll get it yet. This summer I’ll strike dad for a thousand. -If he’s had good luck he will give it in a minute. And when we’ve got -two thousand pledged I guess your father will be willing to help us. He -will see then that we’re in earnest.” - -“I’m sure he will,” said Harry. “And isn’t it too funny for anything -about his being honorary president and not knowing it? Oh, Dick! What -time is it?” - -“Twenty of eleven,” answered Dick, looking at his watch. - -“I’ll be late if I don’t go this minute! And I’ll have to run half the -way anyhow!” - -“I thought you didn’t have to go until two on Wednesdays,” said Dick. - -“Eleven; it’s that awful music. ‘Do, re, mi, fa, sol--’ Good-by.” - -“Good-by,” answered Dick, getting up and looking around for his books. -“I’ll see you at the game this afternoon.” - -“Yes,” called Harry from the door. “And I hope we win.” - -“Oh, we can’t help it,” laughed Dick. “It’s a way we have at Ferry -Hill!” - -But they didn’t win; not unless the score lied. Seven to five it was -when the last inning was over. Whittier Collegiate Institute had some -good batters on her team and they had little trouble in finding Post -and Kirby for twelve hits. Chub was inclined to be doleful after the -game. - -“Rotten!” he repeated over and over. - -“Not a bit,” said Dick. “The trouble was only that you fellows haven’t -been practising enough the last week. It’s my fault entirely. I’ve -been after you for track work, and you can’t do two things at once and -do them well. I’m sorry, Chub, but after Saturday I’ll let you alone.” - -“Think that’s it?” asked Chub, more cheerfully. “Well, if it is, I -don’t mind so much. Whittier isn’t Hammond, after all. And if we make a -good showing Saturday I shan’t mind losing to-day’s game. What do you -say, Roy?” - -“Me?” asked Roy, trotting away to the shower-bath. “Oh, I’m not -worrying about anything.” - -Events proved John the gardener to be a real weather prophet, for -Saturday dawned clear and warm. The track and field meeting with -Hammond was to begin at half past two, and at half past twelve Harry, -music-roll in hand, was hurrying back along the dusty road from her -music-lesson, fearful that she wouldn’t get through luncheon in time -to cross to Coleville on the first launch. Silver Cove was half a mile -behind her and the tower of School Hall was already in sight above the -tree-tops when the sound of wheels reached her from the road behind. -A station carriage drawn by a dejected white horse and driven by a -freckle-faced youth of seventeen or eighteen years was approaching -unhurriedly from the direction of the Cove. In the rear seat, as Harry -saw when the carriage overtook her, sat a gentleman in a neat gray -suit, derby hat and brown gloves. The gloves were especially noticeable -since they looked very new and were clasped tightly about the handle of -a slenderly rolled umbrella which stood between his knees. He was about -forty years old, had a round, smiling face, shrewd brown eyes and a -short, bristly mustache which terminated at each side in a sharp, waxed -point. As the carriage jolted past in its little cloud of dust the -occupant of the back seat, who had been observing the pedestrian for -several minutes, laid a hand on the driver’s shoulder. - -“Stop,” he said. - -“Whoa!” commanded the boy. “Whoa, I tell yer! Can’t yer stop nohow, yer -pesky brute?” - -The horse showed as little inclination to stop as before it had shown -to go, and when the vehicle finally drew up motionless, with the driver -still scolding fretfully at the steed, it was some little distance -beyond Harry. But it was quite evident that the occupants were awaiting -her, and so she hurried up to it under the smiling scrutiny of the -passenger. She had been walking fast, the forenoon was quite warm -and her face was flushed as a result. Also the dust had settled upon -her shoes and half way up her ankles, and Harry was sensible of not -appearing at her best, a fact which annoyed her since the immaculate -appearance of the stranger seemed to set a standard of neatness. Then -she was looking up into a pair of smiling brown eyes, and-- - -“How do you do?” said the man. “May I offer you a seat?” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -MR. KEARNEY MAKES AN OFFER - - -Well, it really was warm, and she was in a hurry, and the man in the -carriage smiled so nicely, and--and the next thing Harry knew she was -sitting beside him, smoothing her skirts and trying to hide her dusty -shoes, and the horse was once more jogging along the road. She wasn’t -sure whether she had thanked him, so she determined to be on the safe -side. - -“Thank you,” she said in her most polite and ladylike tones. - -“Not at all,” he replied. “I’m under obligations to you, young lady. I -am delighted to have some one to talk to. So far my journey has been a -trifle dull. My friend on the front seat is not communicative and all -my efforts to find a subject of mutual interest have failed. I fancy he -is a very wise youth, he says so little. Did you happen to observe him -as we passed you?” - -Harry nodded a trifle embarrassedly, for the subject under discussion -could hear every word. - -“Yes? And did he strike you as having a most intelligent appearance?” - -“He will hear you,” whispered Harry. - -“That’s true,” replied the man. “So we mustn’t flatter him any more. -Many noble natures, I dare say, have been spoiled by flattery.” - -The boy growled irritatedly at the horse, and the man turned to -Harry with raised brows and an expression which said: “There! Have I -over-praised him? Isn’t he wonderful?” Harry felt a strong inclination -to giggle, but refrained out of consideration for the boy’s feelings -and smiled instead. The man smiled back at her and after that they -suddenly seemed to have become very good friends. - -“You live around here?” he asked. - -“Yes, sir, at Ferry Hill,” answered Harry. - -“Really? Now that’s where I’m bound. Then you must know the principal -there, Doctor Emery, I think his name is.” - -“He’s my father,” answered Harry. “I’m Harry--that is, Harriet Emery.” - -“O--oh!” said the man, and Harry thought he viewed her with a new -interest. “So you’re Miss Harriet, are you? Well, my name is--but -there, it isn’t polite to force one’s acquaintance on a lady.” Harry -didn’t see the logic of this, and would have intimated the fact had -he not gone on. “I used to go to school here myself a good many years -ago,” he said. “I suppose things have changed lots since then. New -buildings, of course, and everything thoroughly up-to-date?” - -“There’s only one new building, I guess,” said Harry, “and that’s the -gymnasium. Was the Cottage there when you went to school?” - -“Cottage? No, I think not. The Cottage is--” - -“It’s where we live,” Harry answered. “There are only four buildings, -you know: School Hall, the dormitory, the gymnasium and the cottage. -But we’re trying to get a new--” Harry stopped suddenly. Then, “Oh!” -she cried, turning with eager eyes, “are you rich?” - -“Well, that’s a difficult question to answer,” replied the man with a -laugh. “I would probably be called rich around here, but where I live -I’m only--well, let us say comfortably off. May I inquire your reason -for asking?” - -“I suppose you think me very impolite,” said Harry earnestly, “but I -didn’t mean to be. I asked, because if you are rich we would like very -much to have you subscribe to the dormitory fund. Do you think you -could?” - -“Possibly. Supposing you tell me something about it. For instance, -how much is it going to cost, and how much is already subscribed? But -perhaps you aren’t acquainted with the details?” - -“Oh, yes, I am. I’m the secretary and treasurer of the society, -the Ferry Hill School Improvement Society, you know.” The man bowed -gravely, but his brown eyes held a disconcerting twinkle. “It--it’s -going to cost thirty thousand dollars,” Harry went on; “and we have got -six hundred and thirty-nine dollars and eighty cents.” - -“I see; you’ve just started, then.” - -“We’ve been at it four months,” answered Harry a trifle disconsolately. - -“Really? Then you haven’t progressed very well, have you? What seems to -be the trouble?” - -And Harry told him. She found a very attentive and sympathetic -listener, and she traced the progress of the undertaking from the -moment of its inception to the present time, becoming now and then very -eloquent and very incoherent. But her audience seemed to approve of her -enthusiasm and toward the end even seemed to catch it. - -“I hope you’ll succeed,” he said when she had finished breathlessly. “I -really do. It was a big undertaking for four young folks like you, but -you’ve shown pluck. I’d like to meet this Dick Somebody; he seems to be -the kind of boy that grows up to big things. But you’ve all been mighty -plucky, I think. We’ll talk about it again, Miss Harriet. I suppose -this is where we turn in, isn’t it?” - -“Yes, sir. If you tell him to drive to the Cottage you’ll find papa -there, I think, because it’s almost time for luncheon. We’re having it -a little earlier than usual on account of the track meet with Hammond -this afternoon.” - -“Hammond!” exclaimed the man. “That sounds natural. When I went -to school here we used to have great fights with Hammond, regular -rough-and-tumble battles out on the island down there; and we played -base-ball with them, too; I used to pitch; thought pretty well of -myself, too; had an in-curve that used to puzzle them all! But we -usually got licked, though. How about it now?” - -“We beat them more times than they beat us,” said Harry proudly. “We -have a dandy base-ball team this spring, and this afternoon we’re going -to meet them at running and jumping and hurdling--track athletics, you -know.” - -“Really? This afternoon? My, I’ll have to see that! Going to beat them, -are you?” - -“I don’t know,” said Harry. “I’m afraid not. You see, it’s our first -year at it; we never had a track team until Dick started it two months -ago; and so we aren’t very good yet. But next year--!” - -“That’s what we used to say,” laughed the man. “And then when next -year came--why, we said it again! Do you know, I’d give a whole lot -to see Ferry Hill beat Hammond? I really would, Miss Harriet! I feel -the old antagonism rising up inside of me at the mention of the name -of Hammond. The fellows there now aren’t the ones I used to know, of -course; ‘Tricky’ Peters and Jerry Gould and--and what was that big -red-headed fellow’s name, I wonder! Prout! That was it; Prout! Dear -me, how I used to hate that fellow Prout! I wonder what became of him. -Jerry Gould has an office in my building and we’ve often talked over -old times. He declares he made a home-run off of me once, but I don’t -believe it, by Jingo! What time does this athletic contest take place?” - -“At half past two, sir.” - -“Just the thing! I’ll go and see it. Will you take me, Miss Harriet? -Good! And--and didn’t you say that this Dick Somebody got up the team?” - -“Dick Somes; yes, sir.” - -“And he’s the same one that’s president of the Improvement Society?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Very well, then. You see him and tell him that if he will lick Hammond -this afternoon I’ll subscribe to the dormitory fund, handsomely too! -What do you say?” - -“I’ll tell him,” answered Harry breathlessly. “But--but I don’t -believe it will make any difference, because he’ll do the best he can -anyhow; and so will the other boys. But I’ll tell him, sir. How much -shall I say you’ll subscribe?” - -“Well, now you’re getting right down to brass tacks, aren’t you?” -laughed the man. “I must think about that. Is this the Cottage? I’ll -have to beg some lunch, I guess. Do you suppose your mother will let me -have some?” - -“Of course,” answered Harry eagerly. “I’ll invite you myself.” - -“Thank you very much,” he answered with a smile. “And I’ll accept -before you change your mind. And after lunch we’ll have another talk -about this matter. You want a new dormitory and I want to see Ferry -Hill lick Hammond, and maybe we’ll be able to get together, eh? Stop -here, my boy.” - -“Whoa thar! Whoa, I tell yer!” chided the freckle-faced driver. “Don’t -yer hear me, yer old galoot? Whoa, I say!” - -Harry’s new friend jumped nimbly out and gallantly assisted her. Then -he paid the boy, adding a dollar for good measure. - -“What are you going to do with it?” he asked. - -“I dunno,” growled the boy. “Gedap!” - -The carriage trundled away and the man looked admiringly after. - -“I leave it to you, Miss Harriet,” he said in awed tones. “Did I -overestimate his intelligence one mite? Did I not rather err on the -side of moderation? And now shall we go in?” - -As they entered Doctor Emery was crossing the hall, and Harry ran to -him. - -“Papa,” she said, “here’s a gentleman who’s come to lunch with us. I -invited him and it’s all right. He used to go to school here and he’s -going to--to--” - -“I’m very glad to see you, sir,” said the Doctor, shaking hands. “Very -glad to welcome one of our old boys back again, although I fancy you -were here before my day. May I ask your name, sir?” - -“Kearney, David Kearney, Doctor. Yes, I left here before you took -hold; over twenty years ago it was. I met your daughter on the road, -begged the pleasure of her company and was rewarded with an invitation -to lunch. But if it is going to put Mrs. Emery to any trouble--” - -“Why, not a bit, Mr. Kearney. We shall consider it an honor to -entertain a man who has--er--fashioned so successful a career, sir.” - -“Thank you,” said Mr. Kearney gravely. “And I shall feel more honored -to lunch with the honorary president.” - -“Eh?” asked the Doctor blankly. - -“Why, I am not mistaken, am I?” asked the other with a twinkle in his -eye. “You occupy the position of honorary president of the Ferry Hill -School Improvement Society, do you not?” The Doctor’s gaze wandered to -Harry’s mischievous face and he smiled. - -“I fear,” he said, “there is more here than I understand.” - - * * * * * - -The launch was to make its first trip across to Coleville at half past -one, carrying the members of the team and a few privileged friends, -returning later for a second load of passengers. At a quarter past one -Dick, Roy, Chub and their team-mates were hurriedly changing their -clothes in the gymnasium, since it had been decided to dress before -crossing to Hammond. Dick was just knotting the cords of his bath-robe -about his waist when Sid put his head in at the dressing-room door and -called to him. - -“Say, Dick! Harry’s outside and wants to see you right off; she says -it’s very important.” - -“All right, tell her I’ll be there in a second, Sid. Get a move on, -fellows; it’s twenty minutes past.” - -He followed Sid through the swinging doors and Roy and Chub, struggling -into their white and brown running costumes, viewed each other -inquiringly. Then Dick thrust the doors open. - -“Roy and Chub!” he called. “Get something on and come out here quick!” - -“Must be something doing,” said Chub excitedly as he laced his spiked -shoes. Then they too disappeared and it was the turn of the others to -wonder and speculate. Five minutes later Sid once more appeared. - -“Dick says for every fellow to come out right away,” he announced. -“He’s got important news.” - -A minute later they were all out on the porch, crowding around Dick. -Roy and Chub were beside him, and Harry was standing with sparkling -eyes and flushed cheeks on the stone railing behind them. - -“What’s up, Dick?” asked Ed Whitcomb anxiously. “Hammond hasn’t -forfeited the meet, has she?” - -“No,” answered Dick. “Shut up a minute, fellows; I’ve got something to -tell you.” When quiet was restored he went on. “It’s a long story, but -I’ve got to make it as short as I can, so if you have any questions to -ask wait until later on. You fellows know--or maybe you don’t know, -but it’s a fact--that we need another dormitory here at Ferry Hill. -The Doctor hasn’t much more than paid expenses the last few years. He -needs more boys, and that means more dormitory room. So a while back, -along in January, four of us--Harry and Roy and Chub and myself--got -up a sort of a club that we called the Ferry Hill School Improvement -Society. The purpose was to get money for a new dormitory. We talked -with the Doctor about it, but he thought we were just sort of fooling, -you know, and wouldn’t have anything to do with it. So we went ahead -alone. We sent letters to some of the graduates and we got about six -hundred dollars. There was one chap we wrote to who didn’t pay any -attention to our letter. You have all heard of him, I guess: Mr. David -Kearney.” - -There was a chorus of assent. - -“Well, he turned up here a couple of hours ago. Instead of answering -our letter he waited until he had a chance and came up here to see us.” - -There was an incipient cheer which Dick waved down. - -“He wants us to lick Hammond. He says that when he was here at school, -about twenty years ago, Hammond used to beat Ferry Hill almost all -the time. Mr. Kearney played on the ball team; used to pitch; and -when Harry told him we were going to meet Hammond on the track this -afternoon he said he was going to see it, said it would do him a lot of -good to see Ferry Hill beat Hammond just once at something.” - -This time the cheer would not be denied, and Dick had to wait until it -had died down before he went on. - -“So he has sent a message to us by Harry. ‘If,’ he says, ‘you beat -Hammond this afternoon, I’ll give the balance of the money needed for -the dormitory,’ which is--how much, Harry?” - -“Twenty-nine thousand three hundred and sixty dollars and twenty -cents,” answered Harry promptly. - -“_Ph--e--ew!_” whistled somebody, and for a moment bedlam broke loose. - -“Now,” continued Dick as soon as he could make himself heard, “I know -you fellows don’t need this--this incentive to do your very best. You’d -have done that anyhow, merely for the sake of beating our rival over -there, for the sake of Ferry Hill! But you’re not going to do any less -now that you know that so much more depends on victory; you’re going -to do a little better than your best, fellows; you’re going over there -with a determination to lick Hammond and bring back the championship -and secure that new dormitory! Now let’s have a cheer for Mr. Kearney.” - -And when it had been given, - -“A cheer for Ferry Hill, fellows!” cried Dick. - -And then, still shouting and cheering, they tumbled down the steps and -raced for the landing. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -FERRY HILL VS. HAMMOND - - -The Oval at Hammond Academy lies on a broad plateau just beyond the -campus. Back of it the hill sweeps abruptly away, covered with a dense -growth of timber. From the top of the grand stand one can almost see -the river over the roof of the nearest dormitory. Nature has supplied -an ideal spot for an athletic ground and human hands have made the -most of it. There is an excellent quarter-mile cinder track twelve -feet wide, supplemented by a straight-away for the 220 yards’ dash -and the low hurdles. Inside the track is a perfectly level expanse of -well-kept turf which made the Ferry Hill visitors sigh with envy. The -grand stand is small but well-built and well-maintained, and at one -end of it there is a tiny building which serves as a dressing-room -and store-house. From its roof a short flag-pole to-day bore the -cherry-and-black banner of Hammond, while from an improvised staff at -the top of the grand stand floated a bedraggled Ferry Hill flag. - -The day was warm and, since there had been no rain for some time, the -little breezes made miniature whirlwinds of dust along the track. By -half past two the stand was well filled. Ferry Hill had preëmpted the -south end, and her small band of supporters were cheering vigorously. -Below, about the starting-line for the 100 yards’ dash, a dozen -officials, instructors and students of the two schools, were awaiting -the contestants. - -Near the curve of the field to the right the entries for the shot put -and broad jump had gathered, the white costumes with their dashes of -cherry-and-black or of brown gleaming brightly against the vivid green -of the level turf. The breezes fluttered the handkerchiefs laid along -the runway to indicate the points at which the jumpers were to find -their strides, and whipped the loose trunks tightly against straining -leg muscles as the white-clad bodies raced over the brown path. - -The clerk of the course, a Hammond youth, bawled importantly for the -contestants in the trial heats of the 100 yards and presently eight -youths gathered at the head of the stretch. Three were Ferry Hill -entries and five wore the Hammond colors. Four at a time they sped down -the alleys and Ferry Hill found cause for rejoicing, for three of her -sprinters had qualified for the finals--Post, Eaton and Walker--while -only one Hammond man had made good. - -Up on the grand stand Harry signified her delight by waving the -brown-and-white banner she carried. Beside her was Mr. Kearney, and -beyond him Mrs. Emery and the Doctor. The visitor had pleaded ignorance -and Harry was explaining volubly. - -“There are twelve events, you see,” she said. “And in each one the -first four fellows count. The winner makes five points, the one coming -in second makes three, third place counts two and fourth place one. -That makes eleven points for each event, or 132 points for the meet. -And of course the team that wins a majority of the 132 points wins the -meet. Do you see what I mean?” - -“I think so. But wouldn’t it be possible for each side to make half of -132 points? Then nobody would win, eh?” - -“It would be a tie. But it doesn’t very often happen that way, Mr. -Kearney. I hope it won’t to-day, don’t you?” - -“Yes, it’s better to have it decided one way or the other, I guess. -What are they going to do now?” - -“I think this is the 120 yards’ hurdles; the high hurdles, they call -it. We won’t do much in this because we have only two fellows entered -and neither of them is much good. That’s Kirby, the tall one. He’s one -of the pitchers on the base-ball team.” - -“I see. He’s a fine looking boy, Miss Harriet. Here they come! Hello, -some one’s taken a tumble!” - -“It’s Glidden,” said Harry disappointedly. “We won’t get a single point -out of this, I’ll-- Oh, yes we will! Go it, Kirb! Go it! There! He was -second, wasn’t he?” - -But when the megaphone was pointed in their direction, Baxter, official -announcer, gave Hammond first, second and fourth places and Ferry Hill -third. - -“That makes Hammond 9 and Ferry Hill 2,” said Harry. “Well, we didn’t -expect anything in the high hurdles, so we’re really two points ahead, -aren’t we?” - -“Half-milers this way!” called the clerk. - -Ferry Hill had three candidates for this event, Porter, Pryor and -Kirby, to Hammond’s six. But both Roy and Pryor were expected to win -places, and Ferry Hill’s supporters cheered confidently. Then the -nine runners were poised on the mark, the pistol barked, and there was -a little struggle for the pole. As they swept by the stand Holmes of -Hammond was making the pace, with Pryor close behind him and Roy well -back in the bunch. At the first turn they strung out along the inner -rim of the track, the pace-maker taking it very easy indeed. Into the -back-stretch they went, nine white-clad bodies agleam in the sunlight, -and a cheer arose from where the brown-and-white flags fluttered as -Pryor stepped around Holmes and took the lead, setting a pace that -opened up several yards between them. After the next turn the runners -were well stretched out along the track, and as they swept into the -home-stretch and finished the first lap and the first half of the -distance it was evident that only five of the nine would dispute the -points. These were Porter and Pryor of Ferry Hill and Holmes, James and -Garrison of Hammond. Kirby apparently had not recovered from the high -hurdles and was running next to last, quite out of the race. - -As the runners passed the stand the flags waved and the cheers urged -them on. It was Pryor, Holmes, James, Porter and Garrison now, and this -order was maintained until they were once more in the back-stretch. -Then Roy passed James and Holmes took the lead from Pryor. An eighth -of a mile from the finish the pace increased. Garrison dropped farther -and farther behind and Roy crept past Pryor. At the turn the latter, -run out, dropped behind James and finally was overhauled by Garrison. -Into the home-stretch sped the first three runners with scarce two -yards dividing first man from last. The stand was on its feet, flags -waving and voices straining. Then, twenty yards from the tape, James -of Hammond spurted magnificently and had passed the two ahead of him -before they knew it. Roy with a final effort worked loose from Holmes -and crossed the line a bare two yards back of James. Hammond 8, Ferry -Hill 3. - -“Oh,” said Harry disappointedly, “that’s too bad. Dick was counting on -six points in the eight-eighty. Let me see, that makes the score 17 to -5 in Hammond’s favor. Isn’t that just too mean for anything?” - -Mr. Kearney agreed smilingly that it was. “But it’s early yet,” he -said. “They’re putting up the strings again. What does that mean?” - -“Final of the hundred yards’ dash,” answered Harry. “Oh, I do hope Chub -will win this!” - -“Chub? Let me see now, he’s one of the four conspirators--I mean one of -the society, isn’t he?” - -“Yes. His real name is Tom, you know. That’s he; the boy with the white -sweater over his shoulders; see?” - -“Yes. So that’s Tom? And your name is Harriet; and then there’s a Dick, -too, isn’t there?” - -“Why, yes, Dick Somes.” - -“To be sure. And the fourth one?” - -“Roy, the boy that just came in second in the half-mile.” - -“Thank you,” said Mr. Kearney. “I think I have you straightened out -now. Shall we stand up so we can see this better?” - -Ferry Hill was certain of three places in the 100 yards since she had -three of the four entries, but it was going to make some difference -which those places were. Chub and Post and Walker were crouching side -by side, each at the head of his alley, and with them was the lone -Hammond entry, a fellow named Ranck. Mr. Kearney ventured a mild pun on -the name, but Harry was too intent to heed it. Then the pistol broke -the stillness and the four leaped away from the mark and came charging -down the track. It was all over in an instant--to be exact, ten and two -fifths seconds--with Chub first by a yard and Ranck in second place. -Harry mourned the loss of second place but looked cheerful as she -scrawled a very big, black 8 to Ferry Hill’s credit. The score so far -stood Ferry Hill 13, Hammond 20; and that looked lots better than 5 to -17. - -There was quite a field for the 220 yards’ dash, and three trial heats -were run before the participants in the finals were decided on. In the -end Ferry Hill won two places and Hammond two, Post and Chub Eaton -qualifying for the brown-and-white. - -The quarter-mile run was a tame affair, Holmes of Hammond taking the -lead at the start and never being once headed to the tape. Roy won -second place again, followed by Pryor and Kirby, and Ferry Hill’s stock -went up several points. The score now stood 19 for the visitors and -25 for the home team. Things began to look more cheerful, and Dick, -looking over Sid’s shoulder as the manager reckoned up the points, felt -encouraged and even hopeful. But ten minutes later the prospect was -very black indeed. The result of the pole vault was made known, giving -Hammond 9½ points and Ferry Hill 1½, Cullum having tied a Hammondite -for third place. Then the best Glidden was able to do in the low -hurdles was to come in a bad fourth. - -“The dickens!” wailed Sid. “That gives them 45½ to our 21½! I guess -it’s all over but the shouting, Dick.” - -“And I guess we won’t have to do any of that,” was the answer. “Isn’t -the broad jump finished? I’m going over to see. By the way, what comes -next? Two-twenty dash? Where’s Chub? Find him and send him over to me, -Sid.” - -But the announcer was already busy with his crimson megaphone, and Dick -stopped to listen. Ferry Hill had secured first and third places in the -broad jump and second, third and fourth in the shot put. Sid’s pencil -worked busily as the cheers swept across from the south end of the -stand. - -“That’s better,” breathed Dick as he watched the totals appear. “Ferry -Hill 34½, Hammond 54½.” - -“We’ve only gained four points,” objected Sid. - -“Yes, but I didn’t look for anything much in either of those events, -and we got the big end of each. Give us six points in the high jump, -six in the hammer throw and five in the two-twenty, Sid, and see what -it foots up.” - -“Only 51½,” said Sid. - -“Is that all?” Dick frowned perplexedly. “We’ll have to find some more -somewhere, then. Oh, Chub! Chub Eaton! Where’s Post? Hurry him up; I -want to see you both.” - -Affairs began to look up for Ferry Hill after the 220 yards’ dash, for -Post won handily and Chub found the tape a bare six inches ahead of -Ranck of Hammond. Another Hammondite, Custis, took fourth. And when the -time was announced it was found that Post had simply knocked the top -off of Hammond’s record for that event. The latter was 24⅖ seconds, -and Post had finished in 24 flat. Then came the results of the high -jump and the hammer throw, and Ferry Hill’s supporters went crazy with -delight. In each event the wearers of the brown-and-white had done -better than any one had dared expect. In the jump they had secured all -but two points and in the hammer throw Fernald had sent the weight 129 -feet 6 inches, securing first place by over four feet from his nearest -competitor, Harris. Post had got third place, leaving only one point -for the cherry-and-black. And the score showed Ferry Hill ahead, 61½ to -59½! - -Up on the stand Harry was dancing with glee, deaf to the smiling -remonstrances of her mother. Mr. Kearney, too, made no effort to -disguise his pleasure and excitement. - -“Well, I fancy that means a victory for us, eh, Miss Harriet?” he -asked. “There’s only one more event, isn’t there?” - -“Yes, the mile run,” answered Harry breathlessly. “And--oh, where’s -my pencil? Quick! Thank you. Oh, dear! We’ve got to get at least five -points or Hammond will win yet! We must get first place or second and -third! Oh, I don’t believe we can ever do it! There’s only Dick and -Chase; the others aren’t any good at all! Dick! Dick! You’ve got to -win!” - -“Well, from what I’ve heard of him, I think he’s quite likely to,” said -Mr. Kearney smilingly. - -“He hasn’t been doing very well, though,” grieved Harry. “You see, he’s -had so much to think about and attend to! I don’t see how it could be a -tie, but if it should--would--do we get the money?” - -“I’d have to think about that,” answered Mr. Kearney gravely. “You -recollect that the terms called for a victory.” - -“Oh, I know! But wouldn’t it be awful if we lost the dormitory by half -a point?” - -“I suppose it would,” said he, looking smilingly at her pale face. -“Well, I won’t promise, Miss Harriet, but maybe in that case I might -give something, say a thousand or two. How would that do?” - -“It--it would be better than nothing,” answered Harry without -enthusiasm. “Oh, I do wish they’d hurry!” - -“It is a bit uncomfortable, this suspense. We ought to call this race -the Dormitory Stakes, eh?” - -“It isn’t too late to cancel that wager, Mr. Kearney,” laughed the -Doctor, leaning across. But the other shook his head. - -“I don’t want to, Doctor. That check will be cheap for a victory over -our old rival.” - -“There!” cried Harry. “They’re on their marks! Why, Warren isn’t there! -That gives us only three men! Isn’t it dreadful?” - -“Which is Dick Somes?” asked the visitor. Harry pointed him out with a -finger that trembled. - -“The big boy with the yellowish hair,” she whispered. “And the little -one is Chase. And Townsend’s next to him on the left. The boy with -black hair, the one with the cherry-and-black ribbon across his shirt -is Connor! He’s Hammond’s crack distance runner. I--I hope he won’t -win!” - -“So do I,” answered Mr. Kearney. “They’re off!” - -The pistol broke sharply on the air and the field of eight runners -leaped forward. - -“_Oh!_” breathed Harry. “It’s four times around, and I’m just sure I’ll -die before they finish!” - -There’s nothing very spectacular about a mile race. It is rather a test -of endurance than of speed when compared to the middle distances and -sprints, and as the time for the distance is likely to be somewhere -around five minutes the pace is not fast enough to be inspiring to the -spectators. As the runners took the first corner they seemed rather to -be out for a gentle exercise jog than taking part in a race which, no -matter how it was won, would decide the fortunes of the day. - -Ferry Hill had entered Dick Somes, Chase and Townsend. Warren had -intended to run, but at the last moment had funked it. For Hammond -there were Connor, Parish, White, Temple and Frothingham. Connor held -the Hammond record of 5 minutes 7⅗ seconds and Parish was credited with -something very close to that. The other wearers of the cherry-and-black -were unknown quantities. Dick had done the mile the year before in -about 5 minutes and 6 seconds, but so far this spring had not been -able to come within ten seconds of that time. Chase was still slower -and Townsend had absolutely no hope of being able to finish inside the -half-minute. But he was going to be useful. - -At the beginning of the second lap he pushed to the front and took the -lead, none disputing it with him. For the next lap he set a hard pace. -Connor was running fifth, with Dick dogging him closely, stride for -stride. At half the distance Townsend drew aside, badly tuckered, and -the lead went to Temple of Hammond. By this time the eight runners were -strung out for fifty yards, with Temple, Parish, Chase, Connor and Dick -well together in the van. As they went by the stand on the beginning -of the third lap the cheering became frantic. As though in response, -Connor suddenly drew out and passed Chase. But Dick was close after -him, and at the turn they had settled down again. Temple gave the lead -to Parish and gradually dropped back. Then Chase began to lose and the -hearts of Ferry Hill’s supporters sank. It was Parish, Connor and Dick -now, with Temple and Chase fighting together yards behind. Then they -were crossing the line and the last lap had begun. - -The voices of the judges announcing the fact were drowned in the shouts -of entreaty and encouragement that broke from the spectators. - -“There’s only Dick left!” wailed Harry. “Chase is out of it entirely! -If Dick doesn’t win we’ll lose! Dick! Dick! Run! You’ve got to win, -Dick!” - -But Harry’s frantic entreaty was lost in the babel of sound and the -runners took the turn, clinging closer to the inner rim of the cinder -track. Around the curve they went, Parish, Connor, Dick, one close -behind the other, heads up, elbows in, strides matched. - -So far Dick had stood the strain well, but now the work was beginning -to tell on him. Breathing was getting difficult, his knees began to -feel a little bit uncertain and his head displayed a tendency to drop -back. He realized that to win better than second place was almost out -of the question. Both Connor and Parish were experienced runners, were -conducting the race according to some plan settled upon between them -and were not going to let their adversary pass if it was possible to -prevent it. And yet if Ferry Hill was to win the meet it was absolutely -necessary for him to reach the tape ahead of the others. If he came -in second and Chase, by good luck, came in fourth it would give them -four points, just enough to lose by one! So it was first place or -nothing--and Dick began to think it would be nothing. - -He believed that somewhere on the back-stretch Parish would let -Connor by and at the same time try to block the enemy. Connor would -then hit up the pace, Parish would follow if he could and if not would -lag and make it necessary for Dick to run outside of him; and in the -last two hundred yards of the mile every effort, no matter how slight, -counts. The idea of risking all on a spurt, passing both opponents -and then trying to keep the lead to the tape occurred to him, but was -relinquished. He believed that he had enough strength left for a sprint -at the finish, but he doubted his ability to make the pace for the rest -of the distance. - -The one encouraging thought that can come to one during a hard race -is that your opponent is probably just as tired and just as worried -as you are. And as Dick followed the others around the turn into the -back-stretch he made the most of that thought. If his own breath came -in scorching gasps from tired lungs so must that of Connor and Parish; -if his own legs ached, so must theirs; if he was at his wits’ end how -to get by them, they were at their wits’ end how to prevent him. - -From across the field came the cheers of the watchers, but he was -scarcely aware of them. His whole mind was on the race, and he watched -Connor as a cat watches a mouse. For him the only sounds were the hard -breathing of the runners and the crunch of the cinders under foot. A -hundred yards behind, although he didn’t know it, Temple and Chase had -finished their battle and the former had won; Chase, with head thrown -back, was following gamely but hopelessly, already out of the race. - -Yard by yard the back-stretch was conquered. The curve was already at -hand and still Dick’s opponents made no move. The three ran steadily -on, stride for stride. Perhaps they were waiting for him to try and -pass, hoping he would kill himself in a useless attempt to take the -lead. Well, he’d fool them! Then the wooden rim at his left began to -curve, and suddenly Connor had slipped from his place with a gasping -warning to Parish and had taken the lead. Dick went after him, but -as soon as he had drawn alongside of Parish that youth, watching for -him, quickly closed up behind Connor. Dick must either drop back to -third place again or run on the outside, covering more ground on the -turn than the enemy. Well, he was probably beaten anyway, and so he’d -stay where he was. Perhaps he could cheat Parish out of second place. -So around the turn they went, Connor hugging the pole in the lead, -Parish right behind him and Dick at his elbow. And now they were on the -home-stretch with the tape and the little knot of judges and timers -scarcely sixty yards away. - -But what a distance sixty yards is when seventeen hundred have gone -before it! And what a deal may happen in that little stretch of cinder -path! The stand was almost deserted and the spectators were lined along -the track almost from the corner to a point beyond the finish, so that -the runners came on through a lane of gesticulating arms, waving flags -and caps and frantic noise. - -Suddenly Connor’s head tipped back a little. Dick, watching, saw and -realized that the last struggle had begun. With a gasp for breath to -carry him on, he began his sprint at the same moment that Connor strove -to draw away. A dozen strides and Parish was no longer beside him. A -dozen more and he was almost even with the Hammond crack. But now his -breath threatened to go back on him utterly at every aching gasp and -his legs weighed hundreds of pounds. The hope of victory, born suddenly -back there by the turn, withered under the knowledge of defeat. - -Then into his range of vision, standing sharply out against the -confusion of dark figures lining the track to the right, leaped a girl -in a white dress, a small, slim form with the reddest of hair and a -pale, entreating face. And in the moment that he saw her her hand shot -out toward him waving a little slip of white paper and beckoning him -on. And in the instant he remembered that there was more in this than -a victory over Hammond; that on his winning or losing depended the -success of the F. H. S. I. S.! To win meant a new dormitory for the -school; to lose--But he wasn’t going to lose now! - -[Illustration: “‘And something else, too!’”] - -Stride! Stride! Gasp! Gasp! He had an idea that Connor had vanished -into thin air; at least he was no longer at his elbow! Faces swept by -like strange blurs. The line was in front of him, half a dozen yards -away. He wondered why nobody spoke, why everything was so still; then -awoke to the knowledge that the shouting was deafening. Cries for -“Ferry Hill! Ferry Hill!” for “Hammond! Hammond!” rent the air. Another -stride--another--and then somebody got in his way and he couldn’t stop -and so tumbled over into somebody’s arms. - -He had a dim idea that he was being dragged across the cinders. Then he -had no ideas at all for a minute. When he got a good, full hold on his -faculties again he opened his eyes to find Chub and Roy beside him. He -smiled weakly. - -“Did I--win?” he gasped. - -“Two yards to the good!” said Chub. “We’ve won the meet, Dick, by a -point: 66½ to 65½!” - -“Yes,” cried another voice, “and something else, too! Look!” - -Harry’s face, flushed, excited and radiant, bent over him as she held a -little slip of white paper before his eyes. Dick looked and read with -dizzy eyes: - - COUNTY NATIONAL BANK OF NEW YORK CITY. - - Pay to the order of Tom, Dick, and Harriet........ - Twenty-nine Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty and 20/100 - Dollars. - - DAVID KEARNEY. - - -THE END - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - --Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - --Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected. - - --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - --The author’s em-dash style has been retained. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Tom, Dick and Harriet, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM, DICK AND HARRIET *** - -***** This file should be named 54747-0.txt or 54747-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/7/4/54747/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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- font-weight: bold; - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -/* Title page borders and content. */ -.title { - font-size: 1.75em; - font-weight: bold; - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -.author { - font-size: 1.25em; - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -.works { - font-size: .75em; - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -/* Hanging indent. */ -.hang { - text-indent: -2em; - padding-left: 3em; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom, Dick and Harriet, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Tom, Dick and Harriet - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Illustrator: C. M. Relyea - -Release Date: May 20, 2017 [EBook #54747] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM, DICK AND HARRIET *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="600" height="650" alt="cover" title="cover" /> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic">Tom, Dick, and Harriet</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 408px;"> -<a id="image01"> - <img src="images/image01.jpg" width="408" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_377">At the finish</a></div> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>Tom, Dick, and Harriet</h1> - -<p class="p2 noic">By</p> - -<p class="noic author">Ralph Henry Barbour</p> - -<p class="noi works">Author of “The Crimson Sweater,” “The Half-Back,”<br /> -“For the Honor of the School,” etc.</p> - -<p class="p2 noic">With Illustrations</p> - -<p class="noic author">By C. M. Relyea</p> - -<div class="pad4"> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 134px;"> -<img src="images/logo.jpg" width="134" height="135" alt="logo" title="logo" /> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noic author">New York<br /> -The Century Co.<br /> -1907</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic">Copyright, 1907, by<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Century Co.</span></p> - - -<p class="p6 noic">THE DE VINNE PRESS</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<col style="width: 20%;" /> -<col style="width: 70%;" /> -<col style="width: 10%;" /> -<tr> - <th class="smfontr">CHAPTER</th> - <th class="tdl"></th> - <th class="smfontr">PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">I</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">A Meeting on the Ice</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">3</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">II</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Dick Somes is Personally Conducted</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">18</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">III</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">The Brand from the Burning</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">32</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">The Beginning of a Great Scheme</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">52</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">V</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">The F. H. S. I. S. Holds a Meeting</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">75</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">On the Ice and Through</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">94</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Harry Evens Old Scores</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">107</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">The Improvement Society has a Setback</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">130</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">On the Trail</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">147</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">X</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Foiled!</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">160</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">The Adventures of Estrella</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">177</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">The Mystery is Solved</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">200</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">The <i>Boreas</i> Takes the Ice</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">223</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">The Doctor Intervenes</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">242</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">The Race of the Ice-boats</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">259</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Forming the Track Team</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">275</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">The Treasury is Looted</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">289</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">The Society Awaits Results</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">308</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Methuselah Subscribes to the Fund</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">319</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Gossip and a Meeting</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">331</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">Mr. Kearney Makes an Offer</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">342</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">Ferry Hill vs. Hammond</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">358</td> -</tr> -</table> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations"> -<col style="width: 80%;" /> -<col style="width: 20%;" /> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image01">At the finish</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"><i>Frontispiece</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"> </td> - <td class="smfontr">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image02">“‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Break your strap?’”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">7</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image03">“‘Where do I live, do you suppose?’ he asked”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">41</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image04">The imaginary letter</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">47</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image05">A meeting of the Ferry Hill School Improvement Society</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">71</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image06">“‘Mama, you mustn’t see!’ she cried. ‘It’s a secret!’”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">77</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image07">“Harry caught her sweater by the end of one sleeve and -tossed it toward him”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">111</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image08">“There was a full attendance of the Improvement Society”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">123</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image09">“‘I’m Sherlock Holmes’”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">149</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image10">“They scuttled hurriedly to the side of the road and subsided -in the bushes”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">167</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image11">“‘That’s the Insane Asylum’”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">193</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image12">“‘Ah, there!’”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">209</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image13">The launching</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">231</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image14">“A half-mile away was the finish line”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">271</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image15">Work out of doors</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">291</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image16">“‘It’s gone,’ wailed Harry”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">305</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image17">“‘And something else, too!’”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">381</td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="noi title">TOM, DICK, AND HARRIET</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<small>A MEETING ON THE ICE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">There had been almost a week of zero -weather and the Hudson River in the neighborhood -of Coleville and Ferry Hill was frozen -hard and fast from shore to shore. They were -cutting ice below Coleville, and Dick Somes had -watched them for some time before crossing the -river in the teeth of a bitter east wind and reaching -the shelter of the opposite shore. There, with -the trees protecting him from the icy blast, he -turned up-stream once more and skated more -leisurely along the margin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was the middle of an afternoon in early January, -to be exact, the third day of the new year; -and overhead sunlight and clouds held alternate -sway. But the sun, already nearing the summit -of the distant hills, held little warmth even when -it managed to escape for a moment from the flying -banks of cloud, and Dick, accustomed though -he was to the intense cold of the western mountains -and prairies, was glad to escape for a while -from that biting wind which apparently entertained -not the slightest respect for his clothing -and which numbed him through and through.</p> - -<p>The river was nearly deserted. Directly across -from him, nearly a half-mile away, a few skaters -were to be seen keeping to the smooth ice near -shore. A mile below black specks moved about in -front of the big ice-houses. But for the rest, Dick -had the river to himself. Or, at least, so he -thought until, rounding a slight curve, he caught -sight of a figure seated on the edge of the bank. -Perhaps the wind whipping the tops of the trees<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> -drowned the ring of Dick’s skates, or perhaps the -girl with the brown sweater, gray skirt and white -tam-o’-shanter was too much absorbed with the -broken skate strap in her hand to heed anything -else. At least, she was unaware of Dick’s approach, -and so that youth had ample opportunity -to observe his discovery as he skated -slowly along.</p> - -<p>Under the white tam-o’-shanter was a good -deal of very red hair, and under the red hair was -a pretty, healthy face with rosy cheeks, an impertinent -little up-tilted nose, a pair of clear blue -eyes and a small mouth which, just at this moment, -was pursed in a pout of annoyance to match -the frown on her forehead. The hanging skate -and the broken strap told their tale and Dick, on -his way past, wheeled and slid up to the distressed -maiden.</p> - -<p><a href="#image02">“Hello,” he said. “Break your strap?”</a></p> - -<p>The girl looked up with a start and studied him -a moment in silence. Then she tossed the longer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -piece of the offending leather to him and he caught -it deftly.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” she said, “just look at the old thing! -And I haven’t another and I’m half a mile from -home. Roy told me I ought to have the other kind -of skates and you can just wager I’m going to -after this!”</p> - -<p>“Well, you could have one of my straps,” answered -Dick, “only I don’t wear them.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and I could pick one off the trees only -they don’t grow there,” she answered sharply. -Dick laughed and in a moment the girl joined him.</p> - -<p>“I dare say it’s a joke,” she said, “but when -you come out to skate you don’t just like to have -to sit on a rock and hold your foot in your hand.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I can fix you up,” said Dick carelessly. -“Here, wait a minute.” He drew off his gloves, -tossed them with the broken strap on to the bank -and drew the neck of his sweater down. “Out -our way we generally mend things with barbed -wire, but there doesn’t seem to be any handy, so -I guess this’ll do until you get home.” With a -final tug he brought forth a blue four-in-hand -necktie and held it forth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;"> -<a id="image02"> - <img src="images/image02.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_5">“‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Break your strap?’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8-<br />9]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But—but that’s your tie!” protested the girl.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but I don’t need it. Besides, it’s old.”</p> - -<p>“It looks brand-new,” answered the girl.</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Put your foot -out, please.”</p> - -<p>“But it’ll spoil it, won’t it?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Don’t care if it does. I’ve got lots more, -and I never liked this one anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“Well—” She put out the foot with the disabled -skate and Dick substituted the blue necktie -for the broken strap. When the skate was -once more firmly in place and a nice blue bow-knot -adorned the instep of her shoe the girl broke -into laughter.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it lovely?” she cried, wriggling her foot -around and viewing it at all angles. “Think of -wearing neckties on your feet! I do wish I had -one for the other foot too!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sorry I haven’t any more,” laughed Dick. -“How would a handkerchief do?”</p> - -<p>She shook her head.</p> - -<p>“No, I tried using my handkerchief, but it -wasn’t big enough. Cold, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Awfully.” She got to her feet and tried the -skate. It held well and she turned a grateful -countenance to Dick. “I’m very much obliged,” -she said sweetly; “and I’ll send the tie to you—or -another one like it—when I get home. Do -you live around here? I’ve never seen you before, -I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, never mind,” he answered. “I don’t -want it. You’ll have to go kind of easy with it, -though, I guess, or it’ll get loose.” He rescued -his gloves and drew them on his chilled fingers. -“I’ll go along with you, if you like, in case it -comes undone.”</p> - -<p>“I asked you a question,” she replied imperiously. -He looked at her amusedly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, so you did,” he said. “You asked if I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -lived around here, didn’t you?” The girl’s head -went into the air and the corners of her mouth -came down.</p> - -<p>“If you don’t care to answer, I’m sure you -needn’t,” she said haughtily. Dick laughed.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t mind. I live over there.” He -nodded across the river. “I’m at Hammond -Academy.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the girl. “You talk as though you -weren’t ashamed of it!”</p> - -<p>“Ashamed of it?” he repeated in a puzzled way. -“Why should I be? Isn’t Hammond all right?”</p> - -<p>“For those who like it,” she replied.</p> - -<p>“Then you don’t like it,” he laughed. “Why -not?”</p> - -<p>“Because—because—” She stopped and drew -the collar of her brown sweater higher about her -neck. “I’m going now,” she announced. “I -don’t think you need come. I’m very much -obliged. And I’ll send the necktie to you at -Hammond.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Who are you going to send it to?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh! That’s so, who is it? I don’t want to -know your name, but if you like to tell me—”</p> - -<p>He shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I saw you first,” he said. “You tell me your -name and then I’ll tell you mine.”</p> - -<p>The girl in the brown sweater had started off -and Dick had taken his place beside her. For a -moment they skated in silence. Then:</p> - -<p>“I’m Harry Emery,” she announced.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” he answered indifferently. “And do -you live around here?” She turned upon him in -surprise.</p> - -<p>“You’re just pretending!” she said after a -moment’s examination of his countenance.</p> - -<p>“Pretending what?”</p> - -<p>“That you don’t know who I am. Why, every -Hammond boy knows the girl that beat their best -skater last winter!”</p> - -<p>“Did you do that?” he asked in admiration. -“I’ll bet you couldn’t do it this winter.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why not?” she demanded.</p> - -<p>“Because I don’t believe you could beat me.”</p> - -<p>“Want to try it?” she challenged. He shook -his head.</p> - -<p>“Not while you’ve got one skate strapped on -with a necktie,” he answered. “But if you think -you’d like a race some time you let me know.”</p> - -<p>She looked him over speculatively and what -she saw must have impressed her a little, for -there was a note of uncertainty in her voice when -she said:</p> - -<p>“I guess I could beat you, Mr. Conceit. I beat -Schonberg last winter. Can you skate faster -than he can?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I never saw him.”</p> - -<p>“Never saw him!” she cried. “How long have -you been at Hammond?”</p> - -<p>“Since about this time yesterday,” he replied -smilingly.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” she said. “You’ve just come? You -weren’t there in the fall?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p> - -<p>He shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Just got here yesterday afternoon and wish -I was back where I came from,” he answered -cheerfully. “There’s only about a dozen fellows -over there and they’re the no-accountest lot I -ever did see. I didn’t know when the new term -began and so I just moseyed up here to find out. -It doesn’t start until the day after to-morrow. -Maybe by that time I’ll get sick of it and pull -my freight for home.”</p> - -<p>“Run away, do you mean?” asked Harry Emery -breathlessly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, just change my mind. I haven’t paid -my tuition yet, and I guess I could light out if I -wanted to, any time before school begins. And -I’ve got a good mind to do it.”</p> - -<p>“Serves you right for not going to a—well, -another school!” said the girl.</p> - -<p>“I suppose so. But I didn’t know. Dad’s -lawyer in New York knew about Hammond -and said it was all right. So I came up. Maybe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -I’ll like it better when the rest of the fellows get -back.”</p> - -<p>“No, you won’t,” answered Harry decidedly. -“Why didn’t you come to our school?”</p> - -<p>Dick looked amused.</p> - -<p>“Is it a girl’s school?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Of course not, silly! It’s Ferry Hill, and -everybody who knows anything says it’s the best -school around here; the best school anywhere!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, boys and girls both, eh? I don’t think -I’d like that.”</p> - -<p>“But it isn’t!”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it? But if you go there—?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t go to school there; I just live there. -My father is the Principal.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, now I savvy,” said Dick. “Where is it? -Is it nice? I’d like to take a look at it.”</p> - -<p>“It’s just up here a bit further,” answered -Harry. “You can see it from Hammond. -Haven’t you noticed?” Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p>“It’s on a hill,” continued Harry, “and you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -would have seen it if you weren’t blind. It’s -the nicest school there is, and the boys are dandy. -And we can beat Hammond at anything—foot-ball, -base-ball, tennis, hock—well, not hockey, maybe, -but we’ve only played one year; but we’ll beat -them this year, at that, too!”</p> - -<p>“Sounds like the real thing,” laughed Dick. -“How big is it!”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s smaller than Hammond,” Harry -acknowledged grudgingly, “but it—it’s more -select! There are forty-two boys this year; there -were forty-three last season when Otto Ferris was -here.”</p> - -<p>“What happened to him?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“He got sick and went home. I’m glad of it; -I hate him.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what you do,” said Dick after a -moment. “You show me what your school is like. -Maybe if I get any more soured on Hammond I’ll -skate over with my trunk and try Ferry Hill.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean it?” cried Harry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“But—but you couldn’t!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes I could. I can do as I like, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“But they wouldn’t let you!”</p> - -<p>“Who wouldn’t let me?”</p> - -<p>“They—them—over at Hammond!”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to see them try and stop me,” answered -Dick with a laugh. “I haven’t entered -their school yet, you know, and I don’t owe them -anything but a day’s board and lodging. You -produce your school, Miss Emery, and I’ll look -it over.”</p> - -<p>“And if you like it you’ll come?” cried Harry, -her blue eyes dancing. Dick hesitated, then:</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’ll come if I like it!” he answered.</p> - -<p>“Promise?”</p> - -<p>“Promise.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, then!” cried Harry. “I’ll race you -to the boat-house!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<small>DICK SOMES IS PERSONALLY CONDUCTED</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">I don’t think Dick tried very hard to win that -race; at least, he exhibited no superhuman efforts; -and the result was that Harry Emery won -by several yards, finishing on one skate and trailing -a blue streamer from the other foot like a -banner of victory. She subsided on the edge of -the boat-house porch, smiling and triumphant.</p> - -<p>“I won!” she cried.</p> - -<p>“Easily,” answered Dick placidly.</p> - -<p>“I told you I could,” continued Harry.</p> - -<p>“I said so too, didn’t I?”</p> - -<p>“No, you said I couldn’t; you know you did.”</p> - -<p>“Guess I was wrong then.” There was a moment’s -silence during which they each busied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -themselves with their skates. Presently Harry -laid hers beside her and looked up with a frown.</p> - -<p>“No, you were right,” she sighed. “I guess -you can beat me. You weren’t trying just now. -You’re like everybody else; you think because -I’m a girl I’m not worth bothering with.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense! You skate finely,” answered Dick -earnestly. “Better than any girl I ever saw.”</p> - -<p>“Any girl!” echoed Harry scathingly. “That’s -it! Girls can’t skate! Why, there isn’t one at -Madame Lambert’s who can keep up with me for -a minute. I can skate faster than any boy here, -too!”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s doing pretty well, isn’t it?” -asked Dick with a smile as he tossed his skates -down beside hers.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like to be beaten—by any one,” grieved -Harry.</p> - -<p>“Then you mustn’t race with me.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! You’d be polite and let me beat you—as -you did just now. I—I hate polite people!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, I wouldn’t,” said Dick grimly. “When -you race with me you’ve got to go as hard as you -know how, for I’ll beat you if I can. And if you -can’t stand being beaten you want to keep out of -it, Miss Emery.”</p> - -<p>Harry studied him a moment in silence.</p> - -<p>“I guess nobody likes to be beaten,” she said -finally; “but I can stand it as well as the next fellow. -What’s your name?”</p> - -<p>“Somes, Dick Somes; Richard for long.”</p> - -<p>“My name’s Harriet ‘for long,’” she laughed. -“But nobody calls me Harriet; it isn’t a very -pretty name, is it?”</p> - -<p>“Harriet? I don’t believe I ever heard it before. -I was wondering how you came to be named -Harry. Harry suits you better, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“How old are you, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Sixteen last August.”</p> - -<p>“I’m fifteen. Wouldn’t you think I was -older?” she asked anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Heaps,” he laughed. “I thought you were -about twenty.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t like to be made fun of,” replied Harry.</p> - -<p>“There’s a good deal you don’t like, isn’t -there?” he asked with a grin.</p> - -<p>“I sha’n’t like you if you talk like that,” she -answered severely.</p> - -<p>“Then I sha’n’t come to your old school.”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t an ‘old school!’” flashed Harry. -“And I don’t care whether you come or not!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you do,” he answered soothingly. “If -I don’t come we won’t have that race.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to race you!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, all right. Then it’s me for Hammond -again. I guess it’s the better school of the two, -anyway.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure it’ll suit you better,” she answered -angrily. Then she caught sight of the merriment -in his eyes, hesitated and laughed softly. “You—you -almost made me angry,” she declared.</p> - -<p>“Almost, eh? Then you must be a terror, Miss -Emery, when you go the limit. Aren’t you going -to show me around? It’s getting late and I’m -freezing to death.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Come on,” answered Harry. “You can leave -your skates here; they’ll be all right. And here’s -your tie. I’m afraid, though, it’s kind of frazzled -and—oh, it’s torn! Look!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you care,” he said. “Here, I’ll carry -your skates.”</p> - -<p>“No,” she answered decisively, “I’ll carry -them myself. I don’t like to be waited on.”</p> - -<p>“I guess if I came here to school,” laughed -Dick, “it would take most of my time finding out -what you didn’t like. I wouldn’t have any time -for lessons.”</p> - -<p>“Do you like to study?” Harry asked.</p> - -<p>“Pretty well; everything but languages. Which -way do we go? Up this path?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. Oh, I forgot. That’s the boat-house -there. We have a crew and we race Hammond -every spring. Last year we were beaten.”</p> - -<p>“I never saw a boat race,” said Dick. “It must -be good sport.”</p> - -<p>“It’s perfectly great,” said Harry, “and awfully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -exciting! This is the Grove and the buildings -are up the hill, only you can’t see them yet. -I’ll go ahead and show you the way.”</p> - -<p>The path wound through a thick growth of -trees, maples and oaks and others, climbing steadily -upward. Presently the trees thinned and -ceased and Dick followed his guide through a gap -in a breast-high hedge which, as Harry informed -him, marked “inner bounds.” I have no intention -of recording the fund of information which -Harry showered upon Dick’s defenseless head. -Needless to say that she colored her remarks with -the rose-tint of enthusiasm and drew a most alluring -picture of life at Ferry Hill. She rattled on -breathlessly and continuously after she had once -become warmed up to her task and Dick’s brain -began to reel under the torrent of information.</p> - -<p>He was shown Burgess Hall, with the dormitories -and the dining-room, School Hall, with its -twilighted class rooms, the Cottage, where Harry -lived—Harry pointed out her room and described<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -the furnishings minutely, even to the pink paper -on the walls—and the Gymnasium, which was -locked, and consequently remained a mystery for -the present. Back of the gym a gate in the hedge -gave access to the Athletic Field, with its snow-filled -stands and gibbet-like goal-posts rising forlornly -out of the white waste. Harry said there -was a running track there, but Dick had to take -her word for it. Then they retraced their steps -and Harry pointed out, at a distance, the stables -and barns and the orchard beyond.</p> - -<p>“I’ll show you my menagerie some time,” she -said. “It lives in the barn. I’ve got a parrot, -three lovely Angora kittens, a squirrel, four guinea-pigs, -six rabbits, lots and lots of white mice, -heaps of pigeons, and a dog.”</p> - -<p>“Phew!” said Dick. “Is that all?”</p> - -<p>“The dog’s name is Snip,” Harry continued. -“He’s a fox terrier. Last year I had two black -rabbits and I called them Pete and Repeat, and -then there was a third and I had to call it Threepete. -Isn’t that silly?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think it’s a pretty good name,” laughed -Dick.</p> - -<p>“Really? The parrot’s name is Methuselah; -he’s awfully old, I guess, but he’s a perfect dear. -You’ll love Methuselah, Dick!”</p> - -<p>“Maybe, but I don’t believe so. I don’t like -parrots.”</p> - -<p>“But he isn’t just—just an ordinary parrot,” -said Harry earnestly. “He’s awfully clever and -wise; he knows heaps of things, really!”</p> - -<p>“I like dogs and horses better,” answered Dick. -“Have you got a horse?”</p> - -<p>“No, there are two in the stable, but they don’t -belong to me. Next year, though, papa is going to -get me a pony and a cart. Then I shall drive to -school every day.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s your school?” Dick asked.</p> - -<p>“Over there at Silver Cove. It’s a very nice -school.”</p> - -<p>They had reached the dormitory again and -Dick stopped and looked about him. It was getting -dark rapidly and the campus, deep with snow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -looked bleak and forlorn. Even Harry had to -acknowledge that fact to herself and her hopes of -inducing Dick to cast his lot with Ferry Hill began -to dwindle. Westward, above the tops of the trees -which crowded the slope, lay the frozen river, and -beyond, on the farther bank, a few yellow points -of light marked the location of Coleville and Hammond -Academy.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” ventured Harry, “things don’t -look very nice now, but you ought to see them -when the trees are out and—and all.”</p> - -<p>But her voice didn’t hold much conviction and -Dick merely nodded his head as he turned toward -the path down the slope.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m much obliged for showing me -around,” he said. “I’d better be getting back.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” sighed Harry. “I—I’ll walk down to -the river with you. You might lose your way.” -She didn’t have the courage to ask him whether -he liked Ferry Hill well enough to come there. -She didn’t believe he did. She wished he might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -have seen it in the morning when the sun was -shining warmly on the red brick walls and the sky -was blue overhead. She was disappointed. Dick -seemed a rather nice sort, if somewhat too—too -self-assured, and it would have pleased Harry -hugely to have wrested a prospective student away -from the rival school. Besides, the sum of money -which the advent of another student meant was -not to be sneered at; Ferry Hill’s expenses so -nearly matched her income that a half-year’s -tuition and board might mean quite a little when -the accounts were balanced. Doctor Emery, as -Harry well knew, had been rather discouraged -for the last two or three years. There was only -the one dormitory hall and forty-six boys filled it -to overflowing, and for that many students the -expense was as great as it would be for twice the -number. The Doctor wanted a new dormitory, -but didn’t know how he was going to get it. With -room for say twenty more students the school -would pay very well. As it was, it sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -didn’t pay at all; there were years when the books -balanced the wrong way and the Doctor and his -family stayed at Ferry Hill all through the hot -weather. Harry thought of all this as she led the -way down the hill through the dim grove, and as -a result what conversation ensued was somewhat -spasmodic. At the boat-house Dick busied himself -with his skates and Harry looked on silently; -but finally:</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe you had any idea of leaving -Hammond, anyway,” she exclaimed aggrievedly.</p> - -<p>“Why not?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“Because—because how could you, if your folks -wanted you to go there—”</p> - -<p>“My folks didn’t have much to do with it,” answered -Dick, pulling his gloves on. “There’s only -my dad, anyway. He didn’t know anything about -the schools here and left it to his lawyer in New -York. I said I didn’t much care, and Mr. Warwick -said he’d heard that Hammond was a very -good place, so after Dad sailed I came up here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Is your father a sailor?” asked Harry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” laughed Dick, “he’s a mining man. -He owns mines and buys and sells them. My -mother died a couple of years ago and we broke -up housekeeping and went moseying around, Dad -and I. Then when he found he’d have to go to -London and Paris for two or three months he -didn’t know what to do with me. So I said I’d -go to school somewhere in the East; I’d never -been very much, anyway. So that’s how it happened; -savvy?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but what’s ‘savvy’?” asked Harry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it means ‘Do you understand?’”</p> - -<p>“Then if—if you did want to leave Hammond -you could?” she asked. Dick nodded.</p> - -<p>“Sure as shooting! Why not? I told Dad I -wouldn’t stay if I didn’t like it, and he said in -that case I could go back to Helena or join him -in London.”</p> - -<p>“My!” exclaimed Harry. “Why don’t you go -to London?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’ve been there twice,” Dick answered.</p> - -<p>“Then—then you—you’ll stay at Hammond?” -asked Harry wistfully.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know,” said Dick. “Maybe.”</p> - -<p>“And you didn’t like Ferry Hill?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I did,” he answered stoutly. “It -seems a mighty nice school.”</p> - -<p>“But you won’t come?”</p> - -<p>Dick hesitated, skating about backward and forward -along the edge of the ice and swinging his -arms to keep warm.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” he answered finally. “I’ll -think it over. When does school begin?”</p> - -<p>“Day after to-morrow, but you’d have to get -here to-morrow before six in the evening.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if I come—I’ll think about it anyway. -And thanks for showing me around. I’ve had a -real jolly time. Good-night, Miss Emery.”</p> - -<p>“Good-night,” answered Harry sadly. “I—I -wish you’d decide to come.”</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe I will,” he shouted back as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -skated off. “But if I’m not here by six to-morrow -tell your father not to wait supper for me. Good-night!” -And laughing at his joke Dick Somes -sped off into the darkness across the frozen river.</p> - -<p>Harry stood there shivering until she could no -longer hear the ring of his skates. Then she -turned and went disappointedly back up the hill.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<small>THE BRAND FROM THE BURNING</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">“Well, you old duffer! I thought you were -going to meet me at the station for the -eleven o’clock.”</p> - -<p>“I really meant to, Roy,” answered Chub -Eaton, “but my train was nearly an hour late -and I got in just four minutes after you’d gone. -How are you? Did you have a good time Christmas?”</p> - -<p>“Bully,” answered Roy Porter. “Did you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, swell! I wish you’d been out with me.”</p> - -<p>“I wanted to go,” answered Roy gravely, “but -my folks were afraid I’d get lost in the smoke. I -told them that was hard on Pittsburg, but—”</p> - -<p>Roy rolled over backward on Sidney Welch’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -bed just in time to avoid the slipper which Chub -hurled.</p> - -<p>“But they said they knew the place, Chub,” he -ended.</p> - -<p>“You run away and play,” grunted Chub as he -returned to the task of unpacking his trunk.</p> - -<p>They were in the Junior Dormitory and up and -down the two sides of the long room was bustle -and excitement and noise. The last train arriving -before six o’clock was in and had brought its load -of students. Trunks and bags were being unpacked, -greetings exchanged and adventures related, -and every one was doing his best to get settled -before dinner-time. Roy, who had arrived on -an earlier train and whose belongings were already -stowed away in his locker in the Senior -Dormitory on the floor above, had met Chub on the -arrival of the coach and had carried one end of the -battered steamer trunk up-stairs. Now he was -reclining comfortably on Sidney’s bed in direct -violation of the dormitory rules, and bothering his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -chum as much as possible. Sid, by the way, a -short, chunky boy of fifteen, was down at the far -end of the hall swapping marvelous tales of vacation -experiences with Chase; his voice, which was -at the changing period, alternately dying away in -gruff whispers and soaring shrilly to a squeaky -falsetto.</p> - -<p>“Just listen to Sid,” chuckled Chub as he rolled -a brown sweater up and stuffed it into the locker. -“Sounds as though he were knocking up flies with -his voice, doesn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Roy. “Say, Chub, did I ever -tell you about the man who went to Pittsburg?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you dry up,” answered Chub good-naturedly.</p> - -<p>“But it’s a true story, honestly, Chub! Of -course the man didn’t go there just for fun; he -had to; it was a matter of life or death, I guess. -Well, when he got back some one asked him if he’d -seen Pittsburg. ‘No,’ says he, ‘but I’ve been -there!’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Go on,” answered Chub. “Have a good time. -I don’t mind. I’d rather live in Pittsburg where -you can’t see than in New York where you don’t -want to.”</p> - -<p>“I guess maybe that’s humor,” said Roy -thoughtfully; “but it’s—er—subtle, Chub, awfully -subtle. Could you give me a hint? Just tell -me what letter the answer begins with!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what letter your name begins -with,” laughed Chub. “And it comes between E -and G.”</p> - -<p>“What am I? A musical note?”</p> - -<p>“No, a flat!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you think you’re sharp!”</p> - -<p>Chub Eaton groaned loudly as he slammed the -lid of his trunk down. He was seventeen years of -age, and looked older; was a trifle thick-set, had -brown hair that was almost brick-red, alert brown -eyes, a good-looking, expressive, good-humored -face, and an ease of manner and a self-assurance -which his enemies called conceit and which his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -friends loved him for. He was in his last year at -Ferry Hill and consequently in the First Senior -Class. The preceding spring he had succeeded -himself as captain of the base-ball team. While -well-liked by almost every fellow in school, he had -not attained to the popularity which his companion -commanded.</p> - -<p>Roy Porter lacked his chum’s air of self-sufficiency -and in looks and manner unconsciously invited -friendship. He was the school leader, and -reigned supreme with none to dispute his title. -Besides that, until the election following Ferry -Hill’s defeat of Hammond on the latter’s gridiron, -a few weeks ago, he had been captain of the foot-ball -team, an honor alone sufficient to turn his -head had that appendage not been very stiffly attached. -Unlike his predecessor in the office of -school leader, one Horace Burlen, who had left -school the previous spring and was now playing -the precarious rôle of freshman in a near-by college, -Roy ruled with a gentle hand and maintained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -his sway by honest, manly service in behalf of the -school and his fellows. The younger boys worshiped -him, secretly resolved to be Roy Porters -when they grew up, and meanwhile copied his ties -and stockings and cocked their hats as he wore his.</p> - -<p>Roy also was a First Senior and would graduate -in June; and like Chub—whose real name, by the -way, was Thomas—was seventeen years old. He -was tall, well-built, athletic, with wavy light-brown -hair, a frank good-looking face and a pair of attractive -gray-blue eyes.</p> - -<p>“Say, Chub,” he exclaimed suddenly; “I almost -forgot to tell you. What do you suppose Harry’s -been up to now?”</p> - -<p>“Ask me something easier,” begged Chub.</p> - -<p>“Swiping students from Hammond!”</p> - -<p>“What!”</p> - -<p>“Fact! She was down at the station and told -me about it. It’s the funniest thing you ever -heard, Chub!” And Roy laid himself back on the -bed and laughed consumedly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Funny’s no word for it,” said Chub soberly. -“I shall die of laughing in a moment.”</p> - -<p>“W-wait till I tell you!” gasped Roy.</p> - -<p>“I am waiting, you gump! Stop that fuss and -tell me! Don’t keep a fellow waiting all day.”</p> - -<p>“Well, listen.” And Roy recounted Harry’s -meeting with Dick Somes, embellishing the tale as -fancy dictated, until Chub too was struggling with -his laughter.</p> - -<p>“But—but she didn’t land him after all?” -asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“She doesn’t know yet. She told him he’d -have to be here by six o’clock to-night. She pretends -she’s sure he’ll be here, but I guess he was -just fooling her.”</p> - -<p>“Too bad,” said Chub. “Wouldn’t it have -been great if he had left Hammond and come here, -eh? Wouldn’t we have had a peachy joke on -them?”</p> - -<p>“And wouldn’t they have hated Mr. Dick Summers, -or whatever his name is? But isn’t Harry -the limit?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p> - -<p>“She’s plucky, all right,” answered Chub with -a grin. “Fancy having the cheek to try and—”</p> - -<p>“Pluck a brand from the burning,” suggested -Roy.</p> - -<p>“Exactly! Suppose we run over to the Cottage -and see if he’s shown up?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he hasn’t come,” answered Roy, glancing -at his watch. “It’s two minutes of six now.”</p> - -<p>“What of it? He might have come half an hour -ago and—” Chub, who was facing the dormitory -door, stopped and stared over Roy’s shoulder. -“Hello!” he ejaculated. Roy turned and followed -his gaze.</p> - -<p>Just inside the doorway stood a big, broad-shouldered, -blond-haired youth of apparently sixteen -years of age. He wore a fur cap, a gray -sweater and dark knickerbockers, while in one hand -was a suit case and in the other a pair of skates. -In spite of the fact that the entire hall was observing -him silently and curiously he appeared -not the least bit embarrassed; in fact his self-possession -was then and afterward something to wonder<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -at. After a slow glance about the hall he had -turned his gray eyes on Chub and Roy. There -was a careless, good-humored smile on his singularly -homely and at the same time perplexingly -attractive face.</p> - -<p><a href="#image03">“Where do I live, do you suppose?” he asked.</a></p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” answered Roy, rising to go to -him. “But I guess you belong on the next floor. -Did the Doctor tell you which dormitory you were -to go to?”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t seen the Doctor,” was the calm reply. -“I just got here. What time is it, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“Just six,” answered Roy.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right then.” The newcomer set his -bag down and placed his skates on top of it. Then -he threw his fur cap and gloves on to the nearest -bed and started to get out of his sweater.</p> - -<p>But Chub, who had said no word so far, but -upon whose countenance a beatific grin had been -growing and spreading with each instant, broke -the silence explosively.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 418px;"> -<a id="image03"> - <img src="images/image03.jpg" width="418" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_40">“‘Where do I live, do you suppose?’ he asked”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42-<br />43]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Where’d you come from?” he shouted.</p> - -<p>“Across the river,” answered the other.</p> - -<p>“From Hammond?”</p> - -<p>“Yep. From Hammond.”</p> - -<p>Chub gave a whoop and hurdled the two intervening -beds, landing on top of the suit case, sending -the skates clanging across the floor and violently -grasping the hand of the astounded youth.</p> - -<p>“It’s he, Roy!” he yelled delightedly. “It’s -the Brand from the Burning!”</p> - -<p>“That’s me,” laughed Dick Somes. “Did she -tell you I was coming?”</p> - -<p>“She said she expected you,” answered Roy; -“but—well—”</p> - -<p>“We didn’t think you’d have the cheek to do -it,” ended Chub admiringly. “Were they mad? -How did you get away from them?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, easy enough. I hadn’t entered, you see. -So I paid them for two days’ board and lodging, -sent my trunk across by sleigh and pulled my suit -case after me. It was quick work,—had to be—but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -the only way I could manage it. It scratched -the suit-case up a bit, but that doesn’t matter. I -guess I’d better go and see the boss now and get -my ticket punched.”</p> - -<p>“What ticket?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I mean see the Doctor, take out my -papers, register, put my name down, get enrolled, -whatever you call it,” explained Dick. “Miss -Emery said I’d have to be here by six and I -thought I wasn’t going to make it. I lost my -bearings skating across and headed away down-stream. -That made me late. When do we feed?”</p> - -<p>“Right away,” answered Roy. “But you’d -better go over to the Cottage first. Chub and I’ll -show you the way. This is Chub here; his full -name’s Mr. Thomas Eaton. By the way, your -name’s Summers, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Somes,” was the reply. He shook hands -warmly with Chub. “Glad to meet you,” he said. -Then he turned to Roy. “You’re Roy; I’ve -forgotten your last name, but Miss Emery spoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -about you. Hope we’ll be friends.” Then he -faced the rest of the fellows who had edged as -close as politeness would allow and who had been -watching the proceedings with unconcealed interest. -“My name’s Dick Somes,” he announced -smilingly, “and I’m glad to meet all you chaps. -We’ll get acquainted later. Now if you’ll lead -the way,” he suggested to Roy, “I’ll get my name -down on the pay-roll.”</p> - -<p>“Say, Somes,” said Chub, as they clattered -down-stairs and across the hall, “I don’t usually -welcome strangers in quite such a demonstrative -way, you know, but Roy had just been telling me -about Harry and you, and it seemed such a blamed -good joke that I just had to let out.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” Dick laughed. “I’m tickled -to death to find some one with what they call -human emotions. Why, say, you chaps, I’ve been -hibernating over at Hammond for two whole days -with a dozen wooden Indians who wouldn’t even -say ‘Good Morning’ to me until I shouted it! Talk<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -about your frozen faces! Phew! But you fellows -act as though you had blood in your veins! I -thought maybe I could stand it over there, but -when the push began to drift in this afternoon I -saw that I’d either have to get out or do murder. -They looked me over as though I was some sort of -a dime museum freak until I thought I’d have to -eat glass to please ’em. The first bunch feased -me; I didn’t wait to see what the rest looked like, -but grabbed my pack and hit the trail, and here I -am. All I ask is kind treatment and a comfortable -home.”</p> - -<p>“Well, here we are,” laughed Roy. “I hope the -Doctor will let you stay.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he will. I’ve got the money right here -and a bunch of letters that thick. And if he wants -any more references I’ll refer him to Hammond.”</p> - -<p>Roy rang the bell and in a moment the door was -thrown open by Harry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 347px;"> -<a id="image04"> - <img src="images/image04.jpg" width="347" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_48">The imaginary letter</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48-<br />49]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hello, Chub!” she cried. But then her eyes -wandered past him to Dick Somes and her face -lighted up. “Oh, it’s you!” she cried. “Father! -He’s here! It’s Dick Somes!”</p> - -<p>“The Brand from the Burning,” murmured -Dick as he followed the others into the little parlor. -Then Harry came dancing back and beckoned -him to the Doctor’s study. The door closed -and Harry returned alone.</p> - -<p>“I told you he would come!” she whispered excitedly -to Roy. Roy nodded. Then they sat, the -three of them, like a trio of conspirators and -waited. Once in a while they exchanged smiles, -and Harry and Roy applauded Chub as he read -from a blank sheet of paper, with widely fantastic -gestures, <a href="#image04">an imaginary letter</a> recounting Dick’s -virtues. Then the door opened and the Doctor and -Dick appeared together in the hall.</p> - -<p>“Ah, boys,” said the Doctor, “I’m glad to see -you again. You spent a pleasant vacation, I hope. -Now will you kindly take Somes over to Mr. Cobb<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -and ask him to assign him a bed in the Senior Dormitory? -Thank you. Good evening. I will see -you here in the morning, Somes.”</p> - -<p>They left Harry, jubilant, on the porch and returned -through the darkness to Burgess.</p> - -<p>“How did it go?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered Dick soberly. “Say, the -Doctor’s fine, isn’t he?” The others concurred -and Dick went on:</p> - -<p>“He wasn’t going to take me at first; said it -wouldn’t be quite fair to the Hammond folks. But -I told him it was all off between them and me and -that if he wouldn’t take me here I’d go somewhere -else. Then I showed my credentials and he -said finally that if I was in earnest about it and -really wanted to come here to learn and would -abide by the rules and all that he’d take me; and -I said I would and we shook hands. Then he -laughed and said he guessed I’d get on.”</p> - -<p>“Good enough,” said Roy. “We’ll find Cobb -and then go down to supper. Are you hungry?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hungry! Man, I’m starved! I’ve been living -on apple-sauce for forty-eight hours! Why, -I only have to close my eyes to imagine myself a -Golden Russet!”</p> - -<p>“Golden Russet be blowed!” laughed Chub. -“You’re a peach!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<small>THE BEGINNING OF A GREAT SCHEME</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Dick Somes, or “The Brand,” as Chub insisted -on calling him, was a success from -the start. The circumstances attending his arrival -at Ferry Hill enveloped him in a mantle of romance, -while to have thrown over Hammond in -favor of the rival school at once endeared him to -his new friends. Besides this, however, it was -hard to resist his personality. As Chub said one -day in awed tones: “He’s just about as homely as -a mud fence, only somehow you forget all about -it.” And you did. You remembered only that his -look was frank and kindly, his voice wonderfully -pleasant, and his laughter infectious. Before he -had been at Ferry Hill a week he knew every one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -of his forty-two companions to speak to, and could -call each one by his name without a mistake. The -younger boys tagged after him whenever they -might, and the older ones were frankly eager to be -with him. He could talk interestingly on a hundred -subjects, and could be as breezy as a Kansas -cyclone or as staid and proper as young Cullum, -of the Second Middle, who, on his arrival from -Boston the year before, had been promptly dubbed -“Culture” Cullum.</p> - -<p>Born in Ohio, Dick had moved west with his -parents at the age of six years. Then had followed -sojourns in a sod house in Nebraska, in a -log cabin in Montana, in an adobe shack in Colorado, -and in a real carpenter-built house in a Nevada -mining town. After that the fortunes of the -Someses had mended rapidly until, when Dick was -twelve, the family was living comfortably in one -of the finest residences of Helena. For two years -Dick attended school uninterruptedly, something -he had not done before. Then came his mother’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -death and two years of hotel life at home and -abroad for him and his father. So, of course, Dick -had seen a good deal of the world for a boy of his -age, had a keen sense of humor, plenty of imagination, -and could rattle off stories that made his -audience sit with wide eyes and open mouths. Dick -never spoke of wealth, but the impression prevailed -generally that his father was remarkably -well off, and the fact that Dick had his own check-book -and could draw money from a New York -trust company whenever he wanted to naturally -did much to strengthen that impression.</p> - -<p>Harry took much credit to herself for Dick’s -capture, and displayed at all times a strong proprietary -interest in him. For his part Dick liked -Harry immensely and endured her tyranny with unfailing -good humor. At Madame Lambert’s School, -in Silver Cove, Harry became quite a heroine, and -the story of how she had induced a Hammond boy -to come to Ferry Hill was in constant demand for -a fortnight after school began again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p> - -<p>Naturally enough, Dick’s closest friends were -Chub and Roy—and, of course, Harry; and I -might include Sid Welch. Sid was fifteen and a -confirmed hero-worshiper. Last year he had -transferred his allegiance from Horace Burlen to -Roy, and now appearances indicated that he was -about to transfer it again to Dick. Dick was very -kind to him, as he was to every one, but Sid’s -youthfulness prevented him from any save occasional -companionship with the three older boys. -To be sure, Dick was only sixteen himself, but he -seemed older than either Chub or Roy. He had -barely managed to convince Doctor Emery of his -right to enter the Second Senior class, and was -working very hard to stay there.</p> - -<p>One morning, a week or so after the beginning -of the new term, Dick, Roy, Chub, and Harry were -seated, the two former on the grain chest and the -two latter on an empty box, in the barn. The big -doors were wide open and the morning sunlight -fell across the dusty floor in a long path of gold.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -The cold had moderated and that day the water -was dripping from the eaves, and the snow was -sliding with sudden excited rustlings from the -roofs of the barn and sheds. Beyond the sunlight -the floor faded into the twilight of the building -wherein the forms of farm wagons and machinery -were dimly discerned. From close at hand, to be -exact, from tiers of boxes and home-made cages -ranged along one side of the barn, came strange -sounds; squeaks, soft murmurs, little rustling -noises, excited chatters, and now and then a plaintive -me-ow. The sounds came from the inhabitants -of Harry’s menagerie, as Roy had nicknamed -the collection of pets. Overhead was the soft cooing -of pigeons, and outside in the warm sunlight -many of them were wheeling through the air and -strutting about the yard. Dick had just been formally -introduced to the inhabitants of the boxes; -to Lady Grey and her two furry, purry kittens, to -Angel and others of his family—white, pink-eyed -rabbits these—, to Teety, the squirrel, to Pete and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -Repeat and Threepete, black rabbits all, to Snip, -the fox terrier, to numerous excitable white mice, -and, last but not least, to Methuselah.</p> - -<p>Methuselah was the parrot, a preternaturally -solemn and dignified bird as long as he refrained -from conversation. When he spoke he betrayed -himself as the jeering old fraud that he was. Just -at present he was seated on Harry’s arm, his head -on one side, and one glittering eye closed. Closing -one eye gave him a very wise look, and I fancy he -knew it. At Harry’s feet lay Snip, stretched out -in the sunshine, and at a little distance Spot, an -Angora cat and the black sheep of the family, sat -hunched into a round ball of furriness and -watched proceedings with pessimistic gaze.</p> - -<p>“When does the first hockey game come, Roy?” -asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“A week from Saturday, with Cedar Grove. By -the way, Dick, can you play hockey?”</p> - -<p>“No, what’s it like?”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t you ever seen a game?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Don’t think so. It’s a sort of shinny on the -ice, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Something like that,” answered Roy. “You -ought to learn. Harry says you’re a dandy -skater, and that’s half the battle.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I never could play games,” said Dick. -“I’ve tried to catch a base-ball, but I never could -do it.”</p> - -<p>“You come out for practice in a month or so,” -said Chub, “and I’ll bet you can learn how. Will -you?”</p> - -<p>“If you like. Do both you fellows play?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Roy plays first base and I play second.”</p> - -<p>“Chub is captain,” added Harry.</p> - -<p>“And where do you play?” asked Dick, turning -to her.</p> - -<p>“They won’t let me play,” answered Harry disgustedly. -“I can play just as well as Sid Welch, -though!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come now, Harry,” laughed Chub, “Sid -played a pretty good game last year.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p> - -<p>“So could I if you’d let me. I can catch any ball -you can throw, Chub Eaton, and you know it!”</p> - -<p>“Of course you can,” said Chub soothingly. -“I’ll put you behind the bat this year, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“How far behind?” asked Roy. “Back of the -fence?” Harry made a face at him.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t think of playing if you bar Harry -out,” said Dick gravely. “Harry rescued me from -a life of idleness at Hammond, and brought me -over here where I’m buzzing my brain out trying -to keep up with my class, and I’m naturally awfully -grateful to her. If you don’t let her play -you can’t have my invaluable services, Chub.”</p> - -<p>“Look here, how about foot-ball?” demanded -Roy.</p> - -<p>“Me?” asked Dick. “I don’t know the first -thing about it. The only game I can play is -chess.”</p> - -<p>“But you ought to do something with those -muscles of yours,” insisted Roy. “Did you ever -do any rowing?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Never even saw a race,” was the cheerful -reply. “Oh, I’m no athlete, me. The only thing -I can do is ride and fish and shoot and throw a -rope and—and run a little.”</p> - -<p>“Run?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, on my feet, you know. Don’t you ever -run hereabout?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” laughed Chub, “we run bases.”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t do that, I guess; a mile’s about my -measure. Don’t you have foot races here?”</p> - -<p>“No, we don’t do anything in that line. Hammond -has a track team, but we haven’t. You -should have stayed where you were put, if you -want to be a runner.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with getting up one of -those things here?” asked Dick. “One of those -track teams? You’ve got a track, haven’t -you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but it’s not much good. We only use it -for exercise,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t it be fixed up?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t believe the Doctor would do it,” answered -Roy. “You see, it would cost a lot, and -I know there isn’t much money to spend.”</p> - -<p>“Why? Doesn’t the school make money?” -asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, but not very much; does it, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Sometimes it doesn’t make anything; it -loses,” replied Harry cheerfully. “Then I wear -my old dresses in the summer, and we stay here at -Ferry Hill; only sometimes I have to go and visit -Aunt Harriet Beverly, which is much worse than -staying at home.”</p> - -<p>“Must be a leak somewhere,” said Dick. “Why, -with forty-three boys at four hundred dollars a -year, I don’t see why the Doctor doesn’t make -slathers of coin.”</p> - -<p>“He used to,” said Harry; “but everything -costs so much more nowadays, you see. Papa says -that if we had accommodations for twenty more -boys the school would make money.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of accommodations?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why, places to sleep and eat,” answered -Harry.</p> - -<p>“But if he’s losing money now with forty boys -I should think he’d lose half as much again with -sixty,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you ever hear the saying that it costs -as much to feed three persons as it does two?” -laughed Dick.</p> - -<p>“Papa means,” explained Harry, “that the expenses -wouldn’t be much larger than they are -now. It would take more food, of course, and—and -things like that, but there wouldn’t have to be -any more teachers, because papa and Mr. Cobb -and Mr. Buckman could teach sixty boys just as -well as forty.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Chub. “But—could he get twenty -more boys? The school isn’t quite full now, you -know.”</p> - -<p>“He could if he advertised in the magazines and -papers,” said Harry. “He never has advertised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -because he says it wouldn’t pay to do it unless he -could take lots more boys.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I like the school as it is,” said Chub. “I -think there is just enough of a crowd here now. -If it was much bigger we wouldn’t hang together -the way we do and we wouldn’t have half so good -a time.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but I’d like the Doctor to make something,” -said Roy. “I’d like Harry to have new -dresses in the summer and not have to visit her -Aunt Harriet,” he continued with a laugh. “Besides, -if the school was making plenty of money -we could have a new boat-house, and an addition -to the grand stand and things like that, probably.”</p> - -<p>“And a new running track,” added Dick. “I’m -in favor of enlarging the school!”</p> - -<p>“Objection withdrawn,” said Chub. “Go ahead -and do it.”</p> - -<p>“Then, too,” said Roy, who had apparently -been considering the matter quite seriously,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -“we’d have a larger number of fellows to pick our -teams from. If we’ve been able to win from Hammond -in most everything in the long run with only -half as many fellows as she has, what could we do -to her if we had three fourths as many?”</p> - -<p>“Third class in algebra!” murmured Chub. -“Mr. Somes may answer.”</p> - -<p>“Not prepared,” said Dick promptly.</p> - -<p>“But it’s so,” cried Harry. “Why, we could—we -could simply lambaste them!”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, Harry!” laughed Chub.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is so,” pursued Roy earnestly.</p> - -<p>“That’s why Hammond can have a track team -and we can’t. She has nearly ninety fellows this -year to our forty-three. That means that she’s -got two chances to our one.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, piffle!” scoffed Chub. “Why doesn’t she -lick us then? We’ve beaten her three times out -of four at foot-ball, and we’re away ahead in -base-ball victories, and in rowing. No, sir, the -reason we’ve been able to lick her is just because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -we have so few fellows that we all stick together -and work for the school, and when we get a lot -more here it will be different and there’ll be -cliques and things like that, and half the school -won’t speak to the other half.”</p> - -<p>“That isn’t so at Hammond, I guess,” objected -Dick. “From what little I learned of the place -the fellows stick together pretty well.”</p> - -<p>“Besides, twenty more wouldn’t make much -difference,” added Roy. “What you say might be -so if we had two or three hundred, like some of the -big schools; but not with sixty. I cast my vote -with Dick; let’s enlarge.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed,” cried Harry, “let’s! How’ll -we do it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t let me interfere,” said Chub good-naturedly. -“I’ll just sit here and keep still while -you do it. But don’t be long, because I’ve got a -lesson in just ten minutes.”</p> - -<p>“Why, there’s only one way to do it,” said Dick -promptly. “We must have a new dormitory.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, is that it?” asked Chub. “I’ll see if I -can find one for you.” He began to peer around -on the floor. “I suppose one slightly used -wouldn’t do?”</p> - -<p>“You dry up and blow away,” said Roy. -“We’re talking business.”</p> - -<p>“And if you want to come in on the ground -floor,” said Dick, “now’s your chance. If you -wait you’ll have to pay a big price to join the -Society.”</p> - -<p>“What’s it called? The Society of Hopeless -Idiots?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; it’s called the Ferry Hill Improvement -Society,” replied Dick. “And its objects -are to obtain a new dormitory, increased attendance, -a new running track and a track team.”</p> - -<p>“Is that all?” jeered Chub. “It sounds so easy -I guess I’ll have to come in. You may put me -down for president.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll put you down for janitor, that’s what -we’ll put you down for,” said Roy scathingly. -“Dick shall be president.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I decline,” said Dick. “I nominate Miss -Harry Emery, Esquire.”</p> - -<p>“No, Roy must be president,” answered Harry, -“and I’ll be secretary and treasurer, because I -have more time than you fellows. And Dick must -be vice-president, and Chub—”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be referee.”</p> - -<p>“No, you’ll be second vice-president.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered Chub cheerfully. -“That’s me. I’m the one who attends banquets -and does the jollying. You folks do the work.”</p> - -<p>“Look here,” said Roy soberly. “Are you fellows -in fun or do you—do you really intend to go -into this?”</p> - -<p>Chub grinned and Harry looked doubtful. Dick, -however, answered promptly.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, there’s no fun about it!” he declared. -“We’re going to do it. Work on the new dormitory -begins as soon as school closes in June. Why -not? What’s a dormitory, anyhow? Thirty thousand -will build it, I guess; and if we can’t scrape -up that much before June we don’t deserve it!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’ll bet you anything he believes it!” said -Chub in awed tones.</p> - -<p>“Of course I believe it,” said Dick stoutly. -“We’ll send letters to the graduates asking for -subscriptions, and we’ll get the fellows in school -interested and make them contribute. I’ll start -the ball rolling myself with fifty dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Chub. “I can’t give much more -than fifty cents, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll give five dollars, anyhow,” declared -Dick. “No subscriptions received for less than -five.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll give five!” cried Harry eagerly. “I’ve -got almost that much in my bank.”</p> - -<p>“Good! Fifty and fifteen are—”</p> - -<p>“Is,” corrected Chub.</p> - -<p>“<em>Am</em>—sixty-five,” said Dick. “That’s a good -starter.”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” laughed Roy. “We only need twenty-nine -thousand nine hundred and thirty-five -more!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, maybe it won’t take thirty thousand,” said -Dick cheerfully. “I only guessed at it. We’ll -find out about that the first thing.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s no harm in trying,” said Roy. -“And it’ll be good fun whether anything comes -of it or not. But I vote that Chub be made president -because I’m going to be too busy during the -next two months to attend properly to the duties -of the office. You see, hockey doesn’t leave much -time for other things.”</p> - -<p>“Not me, though,” Chub protested. “I never -was president of anything, and don’t know what -you do. Besides, I’m going to be pretty busy myself -in another six weeks. Base-ball candidates -are coming out early this year. Dick’s the man -for president; he started the trouble and the subscriptions. -All in favor—”</p> - -<p>“I’d just as lief serve as president,” said Dick, -“only I may be busy myself pretty soon.”</p> - -<p>“What at?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Forming that track team. I’m going to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -captain of it, you know. Roy’s captain of the -hockey team and you’re captain of the nine, and -I’ve got to be captain of something, myself.”</p> - -<p>“Do you really mean that you’re going to try -and get up a team?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, and I want you fellows to help me. Will -you?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” cried Chub. “It’s a good scheme, -Dick. I’ll wager there are lots of fellows here -who will be pleased purple to join.”</p> - -<p>“Will <em>you</em>?”</p> - -<p>“Me? Why, I can’t do anything.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know? I dare say you can run bases, -and if you can do that maybe you can sprint. And -Roy ought to make a good distance runner. You -say he was in the Cross Country last fall.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll join,” said Roy. “I don’t suppose I can -do anything, but I’m willing to try.”</p> - -<p>“Same here,” said Chub. “And while we’re -about it, let’s start a few other things. We -haven’t got a croquet club, nor a sewing circle, -you know.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 428px;"> -<a id="image05"> - <img src="images/image05.jpg" width="428" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_74">A meeting of the Ferry Hill School Improvement Society</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72-<br />73]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And if we started those, Harry could join,” -laughed Dick.</p> - -<p>“I should think you might let me join the track -team,” said Harry. “I can run as fast as anything, -Dick!”</p> - -<p>“As secretary of the F. H. I. S.,” replied Dick, -“you will have no time for trivial affairs, Harry. -You’ve let yourself in for a lot of hard work, if -you only knew it. Now, I propose—”</p> - -<p>“I propose,” exclaimed Chub, jumping up, -“that I go to my recitation. When’s the next -meeting?”</p> - -<p>“The secretary will issue a call for it,” answered -Dick.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me,” suggested Roy, “that the name -ought to be the Ferry Hill <em>School</em> Improvement -Society; people might think we were trying to improve -the Hill.”</p> - -<p>“Settle it to suit yourselves,” cried Chub, making -a dash for the door. “I’m off.”</p> - -<p>Methuselah, who had been dozing for some time, -awoke startled, and broke into angry remonstrances.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -“Well, I never did!” he screeched -hoarsely. “Can’t you be quiet? Stop your swearing! -Stop your swearing! Stop your swearing!”</p> - -<p>And the first <a href="#image05">meeting of the</a> small but very -select <a href="#image05">Ferry Hill School Improvement Society</a> -broke up in confusion.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<small>THE F. H. S. I. S. HOLDS A MEETING</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">A few days later Harry sat at the little desk -in her room, her feet twined around the legs -of her chair, her head very much on one side and -a pen in her hand. Before her, on the pink blotting-pad, -were four postal cards. Two were already -written on, and a third was under way:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Ferry Hill, N. Y.</span>, January 14.</p> - -<p>There will be a meeting of the F. H. S. I. S. at the -rooms of the Society (this means the barn), at 4 o’clock on -the afternoon of January 16th. As the object of the meeting -is to perfect a permanent organization, a full attendance -is desired.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="padr9">Respectfully,</span><br /> -<span class="padr5 smcap">H. Emery,</span><br /> -<span class="right">Sec’y and Treas.</span><br /></p> -</div> - -<p>Harry laid down her pen with a sigh of relief, -and wiped some of the ink from her fingers by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -rubbing them on the edge of the blotter. Then, -getting a new grip on the chair legs with her feet, -she took up the last postal. At that moment -Mrs. Emery passed the open door, smiled and -entered.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing, pet?” she asked, laying -a hand on Harry’s shoulder, and glancing at the -postals.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” Harry gave a start and looked up in -surprise. <a href="#image06">“Mama, you mustn’t see!” she cried. -“It’s a secret!”</a></p> - -<p>“A secret? Well, my dear, I wouldn’t write it -on postals then,” laughed her mother. “Don’t -you know that any one can read it that way?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it isn’t a secret—exactly,” explained -Harry. “But it’s something you and papa -mustn’t know about, yet. Are you reading it?”</p> - -<p>“No, I’ve stopped, dear. But what is the F. H. -S. I. S?”</p> - -<p>“That’s it! That’s the secret. It’s a society.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;"> -<a id="image06"> - <img src="images/image06.jpg" width="411" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_76">“‘Mama, you mustn’t see!’ she cried. ‘It’s a secret!’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78-<br />79]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Don’t you think, pet, that you are a little too -young to belong to secret societies?” asked Mrs. -Emery smilingly.</p> - -<p>“Not this kind, mama; this is—is a benevolent -society.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s for a worthy purpose.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed? And what is the purpose, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s to—now, there, mama, you almost -made me tell you!” Harry turned and pushed -her mother away. “I’m not going to answer any -more questions!” She set her lips tightly and -determinedly together.</p> - -<p>“But, Harry,” said her mother teasingly, “you -know you never can keep a secret! You needn’t -even try. You might as well tell me now as later.”</p> - -<p>Harry shook her head violently, but refused to -speak.</p> - -<p>“Very well, then,” said Mrs. Emery sadly, “if -you can’t trust me, Harry, I suppose—”</p> - -<p>Harry was not proof against this. She jumped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -up and threw her arms about Mrs. Emery’s comfortable -waist, and hugged tight.</p> - -<p>“It isn’t fair!” she cried. “You’re trying to -work on my feelings, mama, and make me feel -naughty; and then I’ll have to tell you! And -it isn’t my secret, dearest, not mine alone, and it -wouldn’t be fair to Roy and Chub and Dick if I -told you. And after a while you’ll know all about -it, if you’ll only wait, and you and papa are to -pick out the site for the dormitory and—”</p> - -<p>“Dormitory? What are you talking about, -child?”</p> - -<p>But Harry had clasped both hands to her mouth -and was looking so distressed that her mother -took pity on her. “Very well, my dear, I won’t -ask you any more questions. But don’t get into -mischief.” She kissed Harry and retired smiling. -Harry returned to the desk with a loud sigh of -relief and seated herself for the completion of her -task.</p> - -<p>“It was the nearest thing!” she thought. “I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -almost told it right out! But just the same I -think it was unkind of mama to say I couldn’t -keep a secret!”</p> - -<p>When the last card was written she addressed -them; one to Roy, one to Chub, one to Dick, and -one to herself.</p> - -<p>“It’s more businesslike,” she declared silently. -“Secretaries of societies are such busy folks that -I guess they are very likely to forget engagements -unless they have notices around where they can -see them.”</p> - -<p>She was forced to own, however, that it wasn’t -necessary to post her notice with the others the -following morning at Silver Cove. But then, for -that matter, it wasn’t absolutely necessary to -post any of them! She could just as well have -handed them to the addressees; but sending them -through the mail made them seem far more important, -and the whole thing more real.</p> - -<p>The second formal meeting of the Society therefore -came off on the following Wednesday afternoon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -but without the desired full attendance. For -Roy was very busy on the rink where the hockey -team was getting ready for the game with Cedar -Grove School three day later. It was decidedly -chilly in the “rooms of the Society” this afternoon, -and the members did not remove their -wraps. A portion of the menagerie made the mistake -of supposing that feeding-time had arrived, -and it was some minutes before order was restored. -Methuselah had such a lot to say that -Harry was forced to drop the canvas in front of -his cage, whereupon, after much disgusted muttering, -he concluded that it was really bed-time -and that he would go to sleep.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” said Harry apologetically, “that -I ought to read the minutes of the last meeting; -only there aren’t any.”</p> - -<p>“In which case,” said Chub, “I move you, Mr. -President, and fellow-members, that the reading -of the minutes be dispensed with.”</p> - -<p>“I move so, too,” said Harry excitedly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You mean you second the motion,” Chub corrected. -“Question, Mr. President!”</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll worry along without parliamentary -procedure,” laughed Dick. “And I don’t believe -it will be necessary yet awhile to keep the -minutes. Here’s the subscription list. I’ve put -my name down for fifty dollars. You two sign, -and get Roy to. Then you had better keep it, -Harry. Now, are we going to take in more members -or keep this thing to ourselves? I’m in favor -of having just us four, because if we have a lot it -will be hard to get anything done; the fellows will -always be wanting to speak and ask questions and -all that. What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“Four’s enough,” said Chub. And Harry nodded -concurrence.</p> - -<p>“All right. Now I’ve been asking questions, -and I’ve found that Burgess Hall cost twenty-seven -thousand dollars. But it was built twelve -years ago, and Mr. Cobb says labor and materials -have almost doubled in cost since then. If that’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -so Burgess would cost about forty-five thousand -to-day; but the new dormitory wouldn’t have to -be more than half as large because it would have -to accommodate only twenty fellows, and wouldn’t -have to have a dining-room. But I think it ought -to be built in such a way that it could be added to -later. I’ve been figuring for a while on the thing, -and I think we’ll need just about what I said the -other day, thirty thousand.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let’s have enough while we’re about -it,” said Chub dryly. “Maybe we’d better say -forty thousand.”</p> - -<p>“So now the thing to do,” continued Dick, “is -to write a letter saying what we’re trying to do, -and asking for subscriptions. We’ll have it -printed and send it around to the grads. I guess -we can get hold of their names all right, for the -Doctor must have a list of them somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he has,” said Harry. “There’s a big -book of names and addresses in the office.”</p> - -<p>“But it’ll cost something for printing and -postage, won’t it?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, and so we’ve got to have some ready -money. I guess twenty-five dollars will be enough -for the present.”</p> - -<p>“Well, but where is it coming from?”</p> - -<p>“From the subscriptions. The treasurer must -collect from us. I’ll pay ten dollars now, and you -fellows can give something, too. Then I’ll give -Harry a check for the rest of what I owe.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll have something to treasure, won’t I?” -cried Harry. “That’s what a treasurer’s for, -you know.”</p> - -<p>“Yes.” Dick brought out his purse and selected -two five-dollar bills from the little roll of money it -contained, and handed them to Harry, who accepted -them with shining eyes. “You must send -me a receipt for it, you know,” said Dick. Chub -fished ruefully around in his trousers pocket and -finally produced a dollar and twenty cents.</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ll keep the change,” he said, “but -you can have the dollar. Gee! I can just see that -dormitory, Dick!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered Dick good-humoredly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -“you go ahead and have your fun. How many -fellows do you suppose have gone to school here?”</p> - -<p>“Fury, I don’t know!” said Chub. “A whole -bunch of ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Well, how many usually enter in the fall?”</p> - -<p>“This year there were fourteen new boys—counting -you,” answered Harry.</p> - -<p>“We’ll call it twelve,—just a dozen,” said Dick. -“How long has the school been running?”</p> - -<p>“About thirty years, I think. Papa has had it -twelve years, and I think it was almost twenty -years old then.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Dick; “thirty times twelve is -three hundred and sixty. Some of them are either -dead or have moved, nobody knows where, I dare -say, so we’ll call it three hundred. If each one -gave five dollars it would be—let me see—”</p> - -<p>“Fifteen hundred,” said Harry, proudly.</p> - -<p>“What! Nonsense! It must be more than -that!”</p> - -<p>“Yep. Fifteen hundred,” said Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But that can’t be right!” exclaimed Dick.</p> - -<p>“It is, though,” Chub said with a smile. Dick -looked thunder-struck.</p> - -<p>“Fifteen hundred! Why, that won’t do any -good! How much would each grad have to give -to make thirty thousand?”</p> - -<p>“One hundred dollars,” answered Harry -promptly.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a lot,” said Dick thoughtfully; -“because some of them probably can’t afford that -much.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe some of them will give more,” suggested -Chub.</p> - -<p>“That’s so; some might give a thousand. If -only ten of them would do that then the others -would have to give only seventy-five, or—well, -something like that.”</p> - -<p>“I guess if we get ten dollars apiece out of them -on the average we’ll be doing well,” said Chub -pessimistically.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got to put it to them so that they’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -want to give a lot,” said Dick. “We’ve got to -get together and work up a letter that’ll make ’em -weep! Roy ought to help with that, and so I suggest -we put that over until the next meeting. -Meanwhile let’s each get up what he thinks would -be about right and we’ll compare the—the appeals -and work them together next time. Then we’ll -have it printed.”</p> - -<p>“Before that, though,” said Chub, “we ought -to talk it over with the Doctor.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we’ll do that when we have the appeal -written out,” answered Dick. “And we’ll get -him to let us have the names and addresses of the -grads. And after we’ve posted the letters we’ll -get up a subscription list and circulate it through -the school. I’ve figured that we ought to get two -hundred and seventy dollars that way, without -anything from the Doctor, and I dare say he’d -like to give something.”</p> - -<p>“Of course he would,” said Harry. “Maybe -he’d give—a hundred! You see, we wouldn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -want to go away this summer, anyhow, if the dormitory -was being built.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you won’t have to stay at home on that -account,” murmured Chub.</p> - -<p>“I think you’re horrid,” said Harry. “You’re -making fun of it all the time. If you don’t think -it can be done, I don’t see why you don’t leave the -Society.”</p> - -<p>“Because,” laughed Chub, “I never belonged -to a society before, and I like it immensely. I don’t -say we won’t succeed, but I don’t believe we’ll -ever get the money by writing some letters to the -graduates; that is, not by just that alone.”</p> - -<p>“What’s your idea?” asked Dick eagerly.</p> - -<p>“I think we ought to get some one to give a big -sum, say five or ten thousand, as a starter. Then -we could find out which of the old boys are well -off, and put it up to them; tell them So-and-So had -given ten thousand dollars and ask them to go -and do likewise. Of course, every grad ought to -be allowed the privilege of contributing to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -worthy cause, but there’s no use expecting to get -much that way. And when the letters or circulars -are sent out, a subscription blank ought to go -along.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a good scheme,” said Dick thoughtfully. -“How can we find out who the wealthy -grads are?”</p> - -<p>“I dare say the Doctor knows,” said Chub. -“Anyhow, we can ask him.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and don’t you think his name ought to go -on the letter? Wouldn’t it look more—more -official?”</p> - -<p>“I guess it would,” answered Chub. “I believe -we ought to elect him honorary something; isn’t -that what’s usually done?”</p> - -<p>“Honorary President,” suggested Dick.</p> - -<p>“That’s lovely!” cried Harry. “He’ll be so -pleased!”</p> - -<p>“He’s elected then,” said Dick, and Chub nodded.</p> - -<p>“Then I say we adjourn the meeting and get together -again as soon as we can when Roy can attend.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -The trouble is that he has hockey every -afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Except Monday.”</p> - -<p>“All right then; Monday it is. That’s five -days from now, and we’ll have time to think up -the letter to the grads. It’s settled then,” added -Dick, as he slid off the grain chest. “Now let’s -go and watch Roy practice hockey awhile.”</p> - -<p>“Please don’t forget, Chub,” said Harry, “that -you owe four dollars to the treasury. And I must -collect from Roy, mustn’t I? Do you think I’d -better open an account at the Silver Cove bank, -Dick?”</p> - -<p>“No, I guess you won’t have it long enough,” -he laughed.</p> - -<p>“But it’ll be a good deal of money to keep in -the house,” Harry objected. “Suppose some one -stole it?”</p> - -<p>“Then you’d have to make good,” said Chub. -“By the way, Dick, isn’t it customary to put the -treasurer under bond?”</p> - -<p>“I believe so. Can you give bond, Harry?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t know what that is,” answered Harry; -“but I know I’m going to keep this money where -no one can find it! You know a thief broke into -the house three summers ago when we were away, -and stole papa’s winter overcoat and a lot of silverware, -and they never got him!”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” laughed Dick. “Don’t you -take any risks with that immense sum you have -there, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have a good deal when Chub and Roy -pay,” said Harry gravely, as they left the barn -and started along the road toward the dormitory.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll settle with you Saturday,” said -Chub. “I’m dead-broke now; there’s only twenty -cents between me and the cold world.”</p> - -<p>“And it <em>is</em> a cold world, too,” muttered Dick, -pulling his sweater up around his chin. “I don’t -believe I want to stand in the snow and watch -those hockey players very long.”</p> - -<p>“Just a little while,” pleaded Chub. “It’s lots -of fun to see Harris fall down; he can fall farther -and harder than any fellow I ever saw.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Aren’t you going to play this year, Chub?” -asked Harry.</p> - -<p>“No, Glidden’s a heap better than I am, and, -besides, I’ll be busy at base-ball before the hockey -schedule’s finished; so I thought I might as well -drop out of it.”</p> - -<p>“Wait for me a minute,” said Harry when they -reached the Cottage. “I’ll put this money away -in the house.”</p> - -<p>They waited for her and then the three went -down the hill to the river, and along the bank to -the rink where Roy and Kirby and Warren and -Harris and a dozen others were charging madly -about the ice in the teeth of a freezing gale.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<small>ON THE ICE AND THROUGH</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">When the thermometer on the north side -of School Hall registers four degrees below -zero at noon it means cold weather; and that -is just what the thermometer did on Saturday. In -sheltered angles where the sun shone it was not so -bad, but on the way across the campus, where the -wind blew unobstructed, fellows in knickerbockers -moved rapidly, Jack Frost in pursuit and pinching -their calves sharply. By half past three, what -time the hockey game with Cedar Grove School -was scheduled to commence, the mercury had -dropped another point and the audience about the -rink consisted of exactly six boys, among them -Dick and Sid Welch, and one girl. Of course the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -girl was Harry. I doubt if there was another girl -for miles up or down the river who would have -braved the cold that afternoon for the sake of -sport and patriotism.</p> - -<p>The rink is some three hundred yards down the -shore from the boat-house. Years before a ferry -plied between this point and the opposite town of -Coleville, but with the completion of the new -bridge below Silver Cove the enterprise, like many -similar ones in the vicinity, had ceased to be -profitable. Ultimately the boat had disappeared -and only the ferry house and landing remained. -But that was last year; now even those were gone, -the lumber—such of it as was fit for the purpose—having -been used in the construction of the barrier -around the rink. Many of the old joists and -planks, however, were too rotten to hold nails and -these had been left piled up on the beach. Sid, -struck by a brilliant idea, had looted the pile, and -by the time the game had begun a big bonfire was -blazing merrily. The handful of spectators divided<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -their attention between the fire and the contest -until the first half was over, with the score -three goals for Ferry Hill and one for Cedar -Grove. Then every one, players, spectators, substitutes, -and referee—who was Chub—gathered as -near the flames as safety permitted and alternately -turned faces and backs to the warmth.</p> - -<p>“You’re a wonder, Sid,” declared Roy. “If I -had half your brain—!” He shook his head eloquently, -at a loss for words.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Sid’s a great fellow for scheming how to -be comfortable,” said Billy Warren, who played -right center for Ferry Hill. “Did you ever hear -about the contrivance he rigged up on his bed the -first year he was here?”</p> - -<p>Every one replied that he had, except Harry; -and Harry demanded to be told.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Warren, “Sid used to go to sleep -with two blankets over him and the comforter -over the foot of the bed, you know. Then along -toward morning it would get cold and Sid would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -want the comforter, but he was too sleepy to reach -down and get it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” interrupted Chub, whose bed -was next to Sid’s in the Junior Dormitory. “I -used to find him all curled up in a ball in the -morning with his teeth chattering like—like—”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t!” declared Sid.</p> - -<p>“Shut up, Sid, you know you did,” said Warren. -“Well, so what does Sid do but get a piece -of clothes-line and tie an end to each corner of the -comforter. Then when he woke up and found he -was freezing to death all he had to do was to take -hold of the rope and pull the comforter up. Oh, -he’s a wonder, Sid is!”</p> - -<p>“Just the same, it worked all right,” said Sid -with a grin, as the laugh went around. “And I -wish I had that comforter now.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how you could get much more on,” -said Dick, as he viewed Sid’s rotund appearance. -“You look like a bale of sweaters now.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve only got two on,” was the reply. “I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -going to borrow Chub’s, but he went and wore it -himself.”</p> - -<p>“How dare you, Chub?” laughed Roy. “You -ought to have more consideration for others.”</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” replied Chub good-naturedly, “Sid -would borrow everything I have if I’d let him. -As it is he wears more of my things than his own. -Last week I tried to find a pair of stockings and -couldn’t; Sid had the whole lot in his locker.”</p> - -<p>“They had holes in them,” answered Sid -gravely.</p> - -<p>“They certainly had when you got through -with them,” laughed Chub. “Come on, fellows; -time’s up.”</p> - -<p>The two teams went back to the ice, peeling off -sweaters and gloves, and presently the game was -on again. It was the first contest of the year and -the play was pretty ragged. But there were exciting -moments, as when Harris, who played point -on the home team, got away with the puck for a -long race down the rink, passed to Fernald in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -front of the Cedar Grove goal, captured the disk -again on the quick return and smashed it past -goal-tender’s knees for a score. Toward the latter -part of the period the visitors weakened and Ferry -Hill’s tally grew rapidly, until at the final call of -time the score stood 12-4 in favor of the home -players. Cheers were exchanged and the Cedar -Grove fellows hurried away toward the station. -The others went back to the replenished fire and -leisurely donned their sweaters. Dick, who had -a moment before wandered away toward the edge -of the river, called to Roy.</p> - -<p>“What’s that thing over there?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“What thing? Where?”</p> - -<p>“Across the river. It looks like a boat, but I -don’t see how any one can sail a boat when there -isn’t any water.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” answered Roy, joining him, “that’s an -ice-boat, you silly galoot. Haven’t you ever seen -one before?”</p> - -<p>“No, but I’ve seen pictures of them. I didn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -recognize it, though. Say, that’s pretty slick, isn’t -it? Look at the way it scoots around over -there! How the dickens is it made?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you make a frame-work of timbers kind -of three-cornered like and stick a skate or a runner -at each corner, and put a mast in with a sail -or two, and have another runner at the back with -a tiller for steering, and there you are.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t say? Well, that’s the most—er—enlightening -explanation I ever heard, Roy; -lucid’s no name for it!”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s the best I can do,” Roy laughed. -“If you want further particulars I advise you -to run over and take a look. I’m no boat-builder.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I’ll do,” answered Dick, tightening -the straps of his skates. “Come along!”</p> - -<p>“Are you crazy? Want me to freeze myself?”</p> - -<p>“Freeze nothing! It’ll warm you up. Come -on; it won’t take but a minute or two.” Roy -hesitated. Then:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right,” he consented, “I’ll go you. Only -it isn’t likely that the boat’s going to stay there -and wait for us.”</p> - -<p>“Bet you I can catch her if she doesn’t have -too big a start,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Oh, sure!” scoffed Roy. “She only makes -about thirty miles an hour!”</p> - -<p>“Get out!”</p> - -<p>“That’s right, though,” answered Roy. “They -say some of them can do pretty near a mile a -minute in a good wind. I don’t know about that -one there, though; don’t think I ever saw her before; -she’s got a red hull, hasn’t she?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if you call that thing a hull,” replied -Dick. “Are there any more around here?”</p> - -<p>“Two or three, I think.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, maybe I’ll let this one go if it tries -to get away,” Dick said. “Are you ready?”</p> - -<p>Roy said that he was, but at that moment Chub -hailed them.</p> - -<p>“Where you fellows going?” he shouted.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Across the river,” answered Roy. “Dick -wants to study ice-boats. Want to come?”</p> - -<p>Chub and Harry and Sid joined them, the latter -begging them to wait until he could get his -skates on.</p> - -<p>“All right, slow poke,” answered Roy. “How -about you, Harry? It’ll be beastly cold out in the -middle there.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m nice and warm,” answered Harry. -“What did you say about an ice-boat?”</p> - -<p>“Dick never saw one before and he wants to -go over and make the acquaintance of that one -over there. Whose is it, Harry? Do you know?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it belongs to Joe Thurston, Grace Thurston’s -brother. He goes to Hammond. She’s in -my class at Madame Lambert’s.”</p> - -<p>“Who, the ice-boat?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“No, Mister Smarty, Grace Thurston. Anyhow, -I said ‘it.’”</p> - -<p>“You said ‘she!’”</p> - -<p>“I said ‘it!’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ladies! Ladies!” remonstrated Roy. “No -disturbance, I beg of you! Remember there’s a -gentleman present.”</p> - -<p>“Where?” asked Chub, looking carefully -around.</p> - -<p>“Here,” grunted Sid, tugging at a strap.</p> - -<p>“For that lie, Sid,” answered Chub severely, -“we will go and leave you. Come on, fellows.”</p> - -<p>“Wait, wait please!” begged Sid. “I can’t get -the buckle in the right hole. My fingers are frozen -stiff. You might help a chap, Chub.”</p> - -<p>“All right, I will if you’ll tell the truth. Are -you a gentleman, Sid?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Sid diplomatically. “It’s that -fourth hole, Chub. That’s it. Thanks.” He got -up, hobbled to the edge of the ice and skated away. -“Neither are you, Chub!” he shouted tauntingly. -Chub instantly gave chase, leaving the other three -to follow more leisurely. Across the frozen river -and a little further down-stream the ice-boat was -skimming up and down near shore, luffing, filling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -and turning in the brisk wind as though trying her -sails.</p> - -<p>“That’s just about what she’s doing, I guess,” -said Roy as they skated, three abreast, a hundred -yards or so behind the flying forms of Sid and -Chub. “Those sails are brand-new, I think. She’s -coming around again. If we were nearer now -you could get a good view of her, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to try, anyhow,” answered Dick, -as he dug his blades in the black ice and sped -away from them.</p> - -<p>“Shall we try it, too?” asked Roy. Harry -nodded her head.</p> - -<p>“I’ll race you,” she cried, and, suiting action -to word, darted off after Dick. She had obtained -a good lead before Roy had gathered his wits together, -and he realized that to attempt to overtake -that flying form was quite useless for him. He -was a good skater, but Harry had held the school -supremacy for several years and had, as she had -stated to Dick, even beaten Hammond’s best talent -the winter before. But Harry had found more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -than her match at last, for, try as she could and -did, she could not gain an inch on Dick, who was -putting in his best licks in an endeavor to head off -the ice-boat as it passed up-stream close to the -farther shore. In a trice Roy was left to himself. -He saw that he could not hope to intercept the -boat even if the others did, and so kept on diagonally -across the river toward the ice-houses below -Coleville. Sid and Chub were still busy with their -own affairs, the former leading the latter a difficult -chase, turning and doubling and thus far avoiding -capture. The wind swept across the ice with stinging -buffets against legs and face, and Roy rubbed -his ears vigorously to keep them from freezing. -Presently he drew near where they had been cutting -ice and found that to continue on toward the -shore and the path of the returning boat he would -either have to cross the cuttings or skate for some -distance up or down the river to get around them. -New ice had formed in the lanes and it looked -fairly thick. Roy slowed down and examined it. -Then he struck at it with the heel of one skate,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -found that it didn’t break, and skated quickly -across. It was a narrow lane down which the -cakes of ice had been floated to the house and he -was soon over it. Then came thick ice again. He -looked up the river. The boat was still before the -wind and had passed Dick while that youth was -some distance away. Now he had paused, apparently -undecided whether to remain there or to -join the others down-stream. Harry had already -given up the chase and headed toward the ice-houses. -Sid and Chub were still chasing madly -about in mid-stream. Roy shouted and the wind -carried his voice so well that both Harry and Dick -heard and waved to him. Then a wide expanse of -new ice confronted him and as he skated unhesitatingly -on to it he noted the different sound which it -gave forth under his blades. And then, without -the least warning, the surface gave beneath him -like paper and he was fighting for breath with the -green water ringing in his ears and clutching at -his heart with icy fingers.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<small>HARRY EVENS OLD SCORES</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">It seemed to Roy many long minutes before he -ceased to sink and was able to struggle upward -again to the surface and daylight. Luckily the -current was sluggish at that point and when he -came up he found himself in the pool of broken -ice. Afterward, remembering how thin that ice -proved to be, he wondered that it had held him -for as long as it had. But now, gasping for breath, -choking and numbed with the cold, his only -thought was to find something to support him until -help came. He gave no outcry, it never occurred -to him to do so, nor, for that matter, had he breath -for it. Weighted with skates and heavy clothing, -including the thick crimson sweater which he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -usually wore, he was seriously handicapped from -the start. And to make matters worse, the thin -ice broke under the slightest weight he put upon -it. If he could keep himself afloat long enough to -break his way to the side of the cutting and reach -the thick ice he might hold on until some one -reached him. But the chill in his body threatened -cramp every instant and made him feel as weak as -a kitten. Gasping and choking, he fought hard, -smashing the ice with one mittened hand and using -the other to keep himself afloat. Now and then, -in spite of his efforts, the water with its scum of -floating ice fragments rose across his face, and -each time a dreadful fear gripped him. But he -thrashed and fought his way back again and again, -each struggle leaving him weaker than before. -There was no time to look for succor; he saw only -the horrid brittle surface against which he battled. -He could not tell whether he was working -toward thick ice or not.</p> - -<p>By degrees hopelessness seized him and he began<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -to feel indifferent; the lower part of his body -seemed to have left him; he believed that he was -working his legs in an effort to tread water, but -there was no sensation there. Once he stopped -struggling, and only when the water had closed -over his eyes did he realize that he was sinking. -Then, terror mastering him, he fought blindly and -impotently for an instant. But the effort did not -last; he was too weak now to even break the imprisoning -ice; a pleasant lassitude crept over him. -It was no use, he told himself; he was going to -give up. And having reached that decision he experienced -a delicious sensation of relief. He had -no thought of drowning; he was merely going to -rest, to sleep; and he was glad, because he could -not remember ever having been so dead tired! -And then two things happened simultaneously; he -heard his name called and found his fingers tightening -about something that was not ice, something -that did not break and dissolve in his grasp. With -a sudden return to his senses he opened his eyes,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -said “Hello, Harry,” quite calmly and closed -them again. He did not remember much about it -after that.</p> - -<p>When Roy had shouted Harry had heard and -waved to him. She was already skating toward -him, although a long distance away, and when, an -instant later, she had looked again to find only -empty ice where he had been she realized instantly -what had happened. With a shrill cry of warning -to Dick, some distance behind, she flew onward, -skating harder than she had ever skated before. -But the wind was almost dead ahead of her and -seemed to be striving to beat her back with its -savage blasts. She repeated a little prayer to herself -over and over as she sped along, in time to the -ringing of her skates: “Please, God, let me be in -time! Please, God, let me be in time!” And -presently, as she drew near, she saw Roy’s head -above the surface and was sure that her prayer -would be answered. Off came the brown sweater -with the white F. H. upon it and away blew Harry’s -tam-o’-shanter across the ice. And then she -was down on her knees, crawling anxiously across -the edge of the treacherous surface.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 494px;"> -<a id="image07"> - <img src="images/image07.jpg" width="494" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_112">“Harry caught her sweater by the end of one sleeve -and tossed it toward him”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112-<br />113]</a></span></p> - -<p>Roy, with white face and closed eyes, his light -brown hair plastered down upon his forehead, was -beating the air feebly with his hands. With a -silent prayer for success <a href="#image07">Harry caught her -sweater by the end of one sleeve and tossed it toward -him</a>. It fell beside his hand but the wind -whipped it past. Again she tried, calling his name -as she did so, and a corner of the sweater fell -under his grasping fingers and with relief she -felt the garment strain and tighten. Roy opened -his eyes and looked at her; even smiled a little, she -thought; and said her name. Then she was putting -all her strength into keeping her place, for he had -closed his eyes again and seemed bent upon pulling -her after him into the water. But help was close -at hand. With a shout of encouragement Sid came -racing up, followed breathlessly by Chub and -Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hold on a minute more,” cried Dick. “Get -hold of my legs, Chub, and I’ll work out to him.”</p> - -<p>But even after Dick had seized Roy firmly by -the hands and was himself lying half in the water -it was no easy task for the others. Chub had Dick -by the ankles and Sid held onto Chub, but it was -slow work getting back to solid ice. Yet in the end -they succeeded, and Roy, dripping and unconscious, -lay safe.</p> - -<p>“Is he dead?” whispered Sid brokenly.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it,” Dick panted. “But we’ve got -to get him home mighty quick or he will catch cold -and have pneumonia and all sorts of things.” As -he spoke he peeled off his sweater and wrapped it -around Roy’s shoulders. “Let me have yours, -you fellows,” he commanded.</p> - -<p>“Look!” cried Harry. “There’s the ice-boat!”</p> - -<p>Chub’s signaling was unnecessary, however, for -the two occupants of the boat had already seen the -catastrophe and were headed toward the group. -Harry’s sweater, as well as Chub’s and the two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -worn by Sid, were thrown over Roy, and Dick and -Chub were rubbing and slapping him when the ice-boat -rounded to and came up into the wind with -flapping sail.</p> - -<p>“Want any help?” asked one of the occupants.</p> - -<p>“Yes, we want to get him home right away,” -answered Dick. “Can you take him aboard and -get him to the Ferry Hill landing?”</p> - -<p>“Sure! You pile out, Bob. Lift him in here, -will you? There isn’t much room, but I guess -you can get him on somehow. That’s the ticket. -Shove her nose around, Bob. All right! I’ll meet -you over there!”</p> - -<p>The sail filled and the boat, with Roy lying like -a log in the tiny cockpit and Joe Thurston -crouched beside him, leaped away. The others, -shouting their thanks to the marooned Bob, who, -having no skates, decided to stay where he was -until his chum returned to pick him up, hurried -after the boat. At any other time they would -have felt the cold terribly, deprived as they were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -of their sweaters, but just now they were far too -excited. All talked at once as they raced along -and Harry was forced to listen to much enthusiastic -praise of her pluck and readiness. When -they reached the landing the boat was up on the -beach and Joe Thurston had lugged Roy into the -boat-house, where, warmed by the piled-up sweaters, -he was beginning to take an interest in life -once more. He waved a hand at them as they -entered, but he still looked pretty white and -weak.</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re a fine one, aren’t you?” asked -Chub in simulated disgust. “What were you trying -to do? Commit suicide?”</p> - -<p>“You mustn’t scold him!” cried Harry. “He -almost drowned!”</p> - -<p>“I guess I would have if it hadn’t been for -you,” said Roy soberly. “Thanks, Harry; you’re -a trump.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t mention it,” answered Harry flippantly, -to hide the fact that her lip was trembling.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -“Besides, I just evened things up. You know,” -she explained, turning to Dick, “I might have -burned up to a cinder last winter if it hadn’t been -for Roy. My dress caught on fire at an entertainment -we gave and I came pretty near frizzling, I -guess.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Chub. “You two are even -now.”</p> - -<p>“Besides,” added Harry, “I didn’t do anything -much, after all. It was Dick and the others who -got you out.”</p> - -<p>“If it hadn’t been for you,” said Dick, “he -wouldn’t have been there when we reached the -place. I didn’t know anything about it until I -heard Harry scream. Then I saw her hitting the -high places down the river and guessed what was -up. Say, Harry, you sure did skate some!”</p> - -<p>“I guess I’d better be getting back,” said Joe -Thurston, edging toward the door. “Bob will be -frozen if I don’t. I hope you’ll be all right,” he -added to Roy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Thanks; and I’m awfully much obliged to you -for bringing me across,” answered Roy.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Dick. “It was mighty nice -of you. Want any help with the boat?” Joe protested -that he didn’t. At the door he hesitated -and finally asked, looking at Dick:</p> - -<p>“Say, are you the fellow that came to our -school and left?” Dick nodded.</p> - -<p>“I’m the chap,” he said. “Why?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, nothing,” was the reply. “Only—” and -this was said over his shoulder as he went out—“only -I’m sorry you didn’t stay!”</p> - -<p>“Cheeky cuss!” muttered Sid.</p> - -<p>“I think he meant it for a compliment,” laughed -Chub.</p> - -<p>“Of course he did!” exclaimed Harry. “And I -think he’s a real nice boy, and I’m going to tell -his sister so. It’s too bad he goes to Hammond, isn’t -it?”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you kidnap him too?” asked Chub -mischievously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now what are we going to do with you, Roy?” -interrupted Dick. “Want a carriage or an automobile? -Or do you think you can walk if we give -you a boost now and then?”</p> - -<p>“Of course I can walk! And look here, you -fellows, I don’t see that it’s necessary for people -to know about this, is it?”</p> - -<p>“I guess the fellows’ll find out pretty quick,” -said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t you go and tell them. How about -you, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“I won’t say anything unless some one asks -me,” said Harry.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right, then,” said Roy. “Here, -take some of these sweaters; you folks must be -freezing to death. I’m as warm as toast now.”</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t make any difference,” Dick declared. -“You keep as many of those around you as you -can. And when you get up the hill you sneak up -to the dormitory and lie down and keep warm until -supper time.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You ought to have some peppermint tea,” said -Harry. “I’ll make some and give it to Chub to -take over to you. It’ll warm you up inside -beautifully!”</p> - -<p>The program was carried out as arranged, and, -save that for the rest of the evening Roy felt -rather played out, he experienced no unpleasant -results from his adventure. Of course the meeting -of the F. H. S. I. S. called for that evening did not -take place, for although Roy professed his readiness -to attend, the others would not hear of it.</p> - -<p>“You’ve had a shock,” declared Harry firmly, -“and must be very careful of yourself for several -days. I’ll make some more peppermint tea for -you to-morrow, and, and—what are you making -such a face about?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, nothing, only couldn’t you manage to get -a little sugar into it the next time?”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I put any—” began Harry. “Oh, I -didn’t, did I? I’m awfully sorry, Roy! Was it -terribly nasty?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, there are some things I haven’t tasted,” -answered Roy judicially, “but it was pretty bad, -Harry.”</p> - -<p>“I forgot all about the sugar,” Harry mourned, -“but I’ll put in enough the next time to make -up!”</p> - -<p>As Chub had predicted, the story of Roy’s accident -and rescue was all over school on Monday, -while on Wednesday a graphic and highly-colored -account of it appeared in the Silver Cove paper. -One result was that Harry found herself once -more in the glare of publicity at Madame Lambert’s -School and another was that Doctor Emery -promulgated a rule restricting skating on the river -to the immediate vicinity of the boat-house.</p> - -<p>On Monday forenoon at eleven <a href="#image08">there was a full -attendance of the Improvement Society</a> in the -barn. It was such a busy meeting that it is quite -impossible to give an account of it in detail. -Strange to say, every one had tried his or her hand -at composing an appeal to the graduates, just as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -they had agreed to do, and each one read his production -aloud and listened good-naturedly to the -criticisms from the others which followed.</p> - -<p>“What we’ve got to do now,” said Dick, “is -take these four and work them over into one. But -I suppose there isn’t much hurry about that, because -we decided that the best way to begin is to -make an appeal to some chap with a lot of money -and get him to give a lump as a starter. To do -that we’ve got to find out who the rich ones are. -That means taking the Doctor into the scheme the -next thing. So I move that Roy and Chub be appointed -a committee of two to wait on him this -afternoon, or as soon as possible, and tell him -about it. And Harry and I will get to work on this -circular.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Chub, “if I must I must, but it -seems to me that Dick ought to take my place because -he can talk a lot better and explain the -thing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 474px;"> -<a id="image08"> - <img src="images/image08.jpg" width="474" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_121">“There was a full attendance of the Improvement Society”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124-<br />125]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Let Roy do most of the talking,” advised -Dick. “I have no objection to taking your place, -only you’re an old boy here and I’ve just come; -he’d pay more attention to what you said.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” sighed Chub. “I’m the goat.”</p> - -<p>“And Roy’s the goatee,” added Dick.</p> - -<p>“Well, let’s do it this afternoon,” said Roy, -“and get it over with.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Dick, “and we’ll meet again here -this evening and hear the committee’s report.”</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” cried Chub. “That’s me! I’m -a Committee!”</p> - -<p>“You’re only half a one,” Roy objected. “I -appoint myself chairman of the committee.”</p> - -<p>“Seconded,” said Chub. “The chairman does -the talking, doesn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t forget to tell papa that we’ve elected -him honorary president,” reminded Harry. -“That will please him, I know.”</p> - -<p>“Bet you he’ll kick us out!” murmured Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Don’t you worry,” laughed Dick. “Roy, as -chairman, will receive all the honors. You can -dodge.”</p> - -<p>Methuselah, who up to this point had been huddled -silently in a corner of his box, with only one -beady eye showing, began to chuckle softly.</p> - -<p>“Hello,” said Dick, “old ’Thuselah’s awake. -I thought he was frozen up. Hello, you old -rascal!”</p> - -<p>The parrot put his head on one side and walked -slowly to the front of the box.</p> - -<p>“Howdy do?” he muttered.</p> - -<p>“Pretty well, thanks,” answered Chub. “How -are you?”</p> - -<p>“Stop your swearing,” replied Methuselah -severely. “Can’t you be quiet?”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a nice way to answer a polite -inquiry,” said Chub. “You ought to teach him -better manners, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t teach him anything,” mourned Harry.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -“He knew all he knows now when I got him. Roy -and I tried one day to—”</p> - -<p>“Roy,” observed Methuselah slowly, experimentally. -Then, as though to hide his embarrassment, -“Well, I never did!” he shrieked. The four -stared at each other in astonishment. Harry -found her voice first.</p> - -<p>“That’s the first new thing he’s ever said!” -she whispered in awe.</p> - -<p>“See if he will say it again,” Dick suggested. -But in spite of all their coaxing Methuselah was -obdurate. You would have thought he had never -heard the word in his life, much less pronounced -it.</p> - -<p>“Well, it shows who’s the favorite, anyhow,” -laughed Chub.</p> - -<p>Harry blushed a little and answered quickly:</p> - -<p>“That’s because Roy has been nice to him, and -doesn’t make fun of him.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe,” teased Chub, “but I notice he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -doesn’t break out with my name or Dick’s. And -Dick just loves him; don’t you, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Of course I do,” answered Dick, walking over -and rubbing Methuselah’s head through the slats. -“We’re pretty good friends considering that we -haven’t known each other very—<em>Ouch! Great -guns!</em>”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” laughed Roy.</p> - -<p>“Why, he pretty near bit my finger off! ’Thuselah, -you’re a hypocrite. After this when you -want your old top-knot scratched you ask Roy; -I’m through with you.”</p> - -<p>“Did he hurt you much?” asked Harry anxiously.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Dick, “he just nipped me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that was just a love-nip,” said Chub. -“That’s the way he shows his affection. He’s -so fond of me that I have to keep away from him; -I was getting all black-and-blue spots!”</p> - -<p>“You’re a naughty ’Thuselah,” said Harry -sternly. “For that you shall go to bed. Good-night.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p> - -<p>She let the piece of canvas fall over the front -of the box. For a moment there was silence. Then -came a subdued rustling followed by insulted mutterings:</p> - -<p>“Well, I never did!” croaked Methuselah.</p> - -<p>“Is the meeting over?” asked Chub. “Because -I’ve got about two minutes to find my books and -get to class.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Dick. “It’s adjourned until -to-night at eight o’clock.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’m off! This half of the committee has -duties!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -<small>THE IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY HAS A SETBACK</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">“You tell him,” said Roy, subsiding on to an -inverted bucket with a sigh.</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” answered Chub; “you’re chairman -and you’ve got to make the report to the—er—meeting.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you don’t have to tell me anything,” -said Harry, who had just entered and was unbuttoning -the cape which she had worn across from -the Cottage. “Papa told mama about it at supper. -He—he thinks it’s a joke!”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” said Roy ruefully, “that’s just -what he does think.”</p> - -<p>“But you told him it wasn’t, didn’t you?” -Dick demanded impatiently.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, several times, but he only smiled and said -he guessed it wasn’t quite practical—”</p> - -<p>“Practicable,” corrected Chub.</p> - -<p>“Practical!”</p> - -<p>“Practicable; I noticed especially and thought -what a nice word it was.”</p> - -<p>“Look here, I’m chairman, and if I say practical—”</p> - -<p>“Practical it is,” said Chub. “I’ll lick the first -fellow that says anything else. I remember perfectly—”</p> - -<p>“Cut it out, you two, and talk sense!” said Dick. -“Do you mean that he has forbidden us to go -ahead with it?”</p> - -<p>Roy looked at Chub and Chub looked at Roy, -and presently each shook his head.</p> - -<p>“No, he didn’t forbid anything,” answered -Roy finally. “He just laughed and—and—”</p> - -<p>“Acted as though he was humoring a couple of -mild lunatics,” added Chub resentfully.</p> - -<p>“But what objections did he make?” Dick -asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Objections? Oh, he wasn’t very—what do -you call it?—specific. He thought at first we were -fooling and then when we both told him we -weren’t, that we’d started the scheme and that -we’d made him honorary president, he—”</p> - -<p>“Laughed as though he had a fit,” finished -Chub, smiling broadly himself in recollection.</p> - -<p>“But what did he <em>say</em>?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he said he guessed we wanted a dormitory, -but that we’d better not force events—or something -like that; said thirty thousand was a big -sum to raise and that maybe we’d better wait -awhile and see—see how things shaped themselves.”</p> - -<p>“Whatever that means,” added Chub.</p> - -<p>“Did he accept the honorary presidency?” Dick -asked.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know; he said something polite, but I -don’t believe he was much impressed.”</p> - -<p>“But he didn’t decline it?”</p> - -<p>“No; did he, Chub?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Nary a decline,” Chub chuckled. “He said -something about you, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“What was it?”</p> - -<p>“Said he liked your enterprise, but maybe -you’d better apply some of it to your studies.”</p> - -<p>“I’m disappointed in papa,” said Harry sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, don’t you care,” Chub replied cheerfully. -“We’ve had a lot of fun out of the scheme. -I guess none of us really expected to make a go of -it, anyhow, so there’s no sense in being disappointed. -I move that the treasurer be instructed -to return the subscriptions and that the Ferry -Hill School Improvement Society be declared disbanded.”</p> - -<p>There was silence. Harry and Roy looked questioningly -at Dick, who, in turn, was gazing -thoughtfully at the lantern.</p> - -<p>“Any one second that?” continued Chub.</p> - -<p>Again silence fell. Finally Dick looked up.</p> - -<p>“There’s no use in you folks trying to bust up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -the society,” he said; “because if you do I’ll organize -it again.”</p> - -<p>“What?” exclaimed Chub. “But what’s the -use, Dick? We can’t do anything without the -Doctor’s help, and he’s as good as told us to forget -it!”</p> - -<p>“He hasn’t forbidden us to raise the money -for a new dormitory,” said Dick doggedly, “and -I, for one, am going to go ahead. If any of the -rest of you want to stay in and help, all right; if -not, you can withdraw and I’ll go it alone.”</p> - -<p>“I want to stay!” cried Harry promptly.</p> - -<p>“Well—” began Roy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you can’t scare me,” said Chub. “If you -want to go ahead, I’m right with you. I don’t see -what we can do, but I’ll stick as long as any one. -We’ll nail the flag to the mast, by jingo! ‘Shoot, -if you will, this old grey head, but spare your -country’s flag! she said!’”</p> - -<p>And Chub danced a jig on the barn-floor, his -shadow leaping about huge and grotesque against -the wall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t want to drop out,” declared Roy. -“I’m as much in earnest about this as any of you. -But what’s your scheme, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t any,” answered Dick promptly. “But -I’ll find one pretty quick. Ferry Hill’s going to -have that dormitory! You wait and see! It may -take longer than I thought, but it’s coming. I’ll -think up a way, all right; just you give me time.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you!” said Chub soberly. “I believe -you will, Dickums. And I’m with you. I -never believed much in that dormitory before, but -hanged if I can’t pretty near see it to-night!”</p> - -<p>“You could make a fellow believe in any old -thing, Dick,” laughed Roy. “You ought to be a -general or something in the army and lead forlorn -hopes.”</p> - -<p>“What’s a forlorn hope?” demanded Chub. -But no one paid any attention to him.</p> - -<p>“Then I’m still secretary and treasurer!” -cried Harry. “I was <em>so</em> afraid you were going to -break up the Society!”</p> - -<p>“No, we’re not going to do anything of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -sort,” said Dick stoutly. “We’re going right -ahead, only we’re going to keep it quiet until we -get things started. We can’t look for help from -the honorary president, and so—”</p> - -<p>“From who?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“The honorary president, Doctor Emery. He -hasn’t declined the office, so he’s still it, whether -he knows anything about it or not.”</p> - -<p>“That’s lovely!” cried Harry, clapping her -hands and beating her heels against the grain -chest on which she was seated. “It’s such a -dandy joke on papa!”</p> - -<p>“Well, he won’t help us,” Dick went on, “and -so we’ll have to make a new start in a new direction. -And I’ll have to find what that new direction -is. But you folks want to think about it, too; -four heads are better than one. And now, as it -seems to be about a thousand degrees below zero -in here, I move we adjourn.”</p> - -<p>“When’s the next meeting?” asked Harry.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. We won’t have another until<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -somebody has thought up something. We’ll adjourn -subject to the call of the president.”</p> - -<p>“That’s great!” said Chub. “I never did that -before. It makes me feel real chesty. The secretary -and treasurer will kindly carry the lantern so -she won’t break her neck. I hope the next time we -hold a meeting the janitor will manage to have the -rooms of the society a little more comfortable as -regards heat. I think I have chilblains.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s discharge that janitor,” laughed Roy as -they went out.</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed Dick. “Who is he?”</p> - -<p>“Methuselah,” answered Chub promptly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Two days later Chub and Roy encountered each -other in the campus. As though at a prearranged -signal each exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“Where’s Dick?”</p> - -<p>Then again, speaking together like members of -a chorus:</p> - -<p>“That’s what I was going to ask,” they added.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What’s become of him?” added Roy. “I -haven’t seen him more than twice since Monday -night.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I, I guess. I thought maybe he was at the -Cottage, but Harry says she hasn’t seen him.”</p> - -<p>“Was he at dinner?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I wonder where—I tell you! Maybe he’s -in the library. Did you look there?” Roy shook -his head.</p> - -<p>“No, that seemed an unlikely place to find him. -What would he be doing there?”</p> - -<p>“Search me,” said Chub. “Maybe he’s grinding. -He’s been having a hard old time lately, I -guess, with Cobb; Cobb asked him in class the -other day if he had ‘an inherent antipathy’ for -French.”</p> - -<p>“What did Dick say?” asked Roy with a smile.</p> - -<p>“Said no, he guessed it was ‘a constitutional -repugnance!’”</p> - -<p>“Lovely!” laughed Roy. “Was Cobb peeved?”</p> - -<p>“No, he just sort of grinned and told Dick he’d<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -better amend his constitution. Let’s go over and -see if he’s there.”</p> - -<p>So they got into sweaters and gloves again and -battled their way across to School Hall. At first -glance their search looked to be fruitless, for none -of the half-dozen boys about the big table in the -library proved to be Dick. But Roy stepped inside -the door and spied their quarry down in a corner of -the room by the magazine shelves. He was seated -on the top of the little step-ladder with a magazine -spread open on his knees and his head bent closely -above it. Roy and Chub tiptoed softly toward him, -but he heard them coming, and smiled placidly -as they drew near. Roy thought he turned the -pages of the magazine, but was not sure; at all -events when Roy snatched it out of his hands it -was opened at an article entitled “The Art of Fly-Casting.”</p> - -<p>“What are you reading that silly rot for?” he -whispered. “Come on over to the study-room and -talk to us.”</p> - -<p>But Dick shook his head calmly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’m very comfortable here,” he answered. -“I’m improving my mind.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t say that isn’t possible,” whispered -Chub scathingly; “but you’d better be -studying other things than fly-casting. Come on, -Dick.”</p> - -<p>But Dick was obdurate and as the rules forbade -noise or scuffling in the library they were forced -to let him have his way. But they had the satisfaction -of telling him softly but earnestly what -they thought of him, and Chub even managed dexterously -to get a grip on his neck and force him to -rub his nose against the magazine before leaving -him. When they reached the door and looked -back Dick was once more intently reading.</p> - -<p>“Silly chump!” growled Chub as they reached -the hall. “What’s he want to study fly-casting -for, especially at this time of year?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe he was reading that at all,” answered -Roy. “I think he turned the pages before -we got to him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He did? Let’s go over after supper and look -through that magazine. Did you notice what it -was?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but not what number; and as there’s a -whole row of them I guess we’d have a long hunt. -We’ll make him tell us the truth when we get hold -of him.”</p> - -<p>“All right. I’ll bet he’s up to something, -though.”</p> - -<p>But when supper was over and they looked -around for Dick that person had again disappeared. -They searched the two dormitories and -then traveled across to the library again. There -sat the missing one, perched once more on the top -of the step-ladder with a magazine before him. -This time they didn’t enter, for Mr. Buckman was -on the other side of the room and they knew he -would not allow any conversation. For a while -they huddled about the radiator in the corridor -and waited for Dick to appear. But he didn’t -come, and as each had studying to do, presently<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -they were forced to depart without him. But Dick -couldn’t hope to elude vengeance forever, and -when bedtime came he found himself in the hands -of his enemies.</p> - -<p>“How’s your mind coming on?” asked Chub -very sweetly, as he pulled Dick over backward on -his bed and sat on him. “Improving, is it?”</p> - -<p>“Know all about fly-casting by this time, I suppose,” -remarked Roy, as he rubbed the captive’s -nose the wrong way. “It’s a fine thing to know -about, fly-casting, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, great!” Chub agreed, jumping himself up -and down to an accompaniment of groans from -Dick. “When I consider, Roy, how little I know -about fly-casting I’m utterly appalled at my -ignorance. And think of the time we’re wasting, -too! Why, we might be out on the river all day -long, Roy, casting the merry little fly across the -ice. Think of that, will you?”</p> - -<p>“Let me up!” groaned Dick.</p> - -<p>“What? Let you up? Why, Chub, I think you’re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -sitting on the gentleman! How careless of you! -Kindly remove yourself from the Champion Fly-Caster -of Ferry Hill School. Let him up, Chub, -and he will cast a few flies for us. Kindly look -around, Chub, and catch a fly or two.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t tell me,” begged Chub almost tearfully, -“that this gentleman here is Mr. Somes, the -World-Famed Fly-Caster! Don’t tell me that I -have offered such an indignity to one so—so honored! -I beg of you not to tell me, Roy!”</p> - -<p>“You get—off of me—or I’ll tell—you something—you -won’t want to—hear!” gasped Dick, -kicking wildly.</p> - -<p>“The gentleman seems uneasy, Roy,” said -Chub. “Supposing you place your thumb on his -nose and bear down gently but firmly. There, -that’s it! I beg your pardon, sir? You will do -what? You will kick— Roy, did you ever hear -such language in all your life? Isn’t it disgraceful? -Why, he absolutely threatens us with bodily -harm! My dear Mr. Fly-Caster, let me beg of you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -to calm yourself! There, I feared you would hurt -yourself! That iron is quite hard, isn’t it! -Broken your shin? Oh, I trust not, Mr. Fly-Caster.”</p> - -<p>“Let him up,” laughed Roy. “We’ll be late -for bed, the whole bunch of us.”</p> - -<p>“Then let us <em>fly</em>,” said Chub. With a bound he -cleared the bed just ahead of the blow Dick aimed -and went racing down-stairs to the Junior Dormitory. -Roy made for the washroom and as Dick -was encumbered with some of the bedclothes which -had wrapped themselves about his legs during the -struggle, he reached it in safety and was able to -stand off the enemy with a tooth-mug filled with -water until terms of peace were agreed upon.</p> - -<p>Strange to say, on the following day Dick was -again mysteriously missing, and this time he was -not to be discovered anywhere. The corner of the -library was deserted, he was not in the dormitory -or the gymnasium, Harry had not seen him and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -in short, he seemed to have taken wings and flown. -Roy and Chub were on their mettle and were resolved -to find him and bring him to book. But at -four o’clock in the afternoon, after a whole hour’s -search, they were forced to own defeat.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see where he <em>can</em> be,” said Chub. -“We’ve looked everywhere. Look here! I’ll -just bet that Harry knows where he is! Let’s go -over and make her own up.”</p> - -<p>But Harry vowed that she knew nothing of -Dick’s whereabouts and the others were again -stumped.</p> - -<p>“It’s mighty funny,” growled Chub. “And -he’s up to something too; you mark my words! -He’s up to mischief!”</p> - -<p>“And we’re not in it,” grieved Roy.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” cried Harry suddenly. “Have you tried -the barn?”</p> - -<p>“No!” answered the others in a breath. “Come -on!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p> - -<p>They raced together along the curving drive -and reached the barn quite out of breath. Chub -held up a warning finger.</p> - -<p>“He must be in here,” he whispered. “We’ve -looked everywhere else. So let’s surprise him. -Go easy and I’ll try the door.”</p> - -<p>They tiptoed up and Chub lifted the wooden -latch. The door yielded. With a frightful yell -Chub threw the door open and they darted in. -There was no one in sight.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -<small>ON THE TRAIL</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Roy and Chub stared at each other blankly.</p> - -<p>“Well!” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Foiled again!” muttered Chub darkly.</p> - -<p>The barn was dim save about the open door and -where, high up, the late sunlight found its way -through the dusty window in the loft. They -peered about in the shadows, but saw nothing but -Methuselah’s eyes gleaming uncannily.</p> - -<p>“Maybe he’s in the loft,” said Roy softly.</p> - -<p>“Pshaw, there’s nothing up there but bats and -spiders and dust,” answered Chub. “What would -he be doing here in the dark, anyhow? Come on; -I’m freezing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, let’s yell out and see if he answers,” -Roy suggested.</p> - -<p>They called “Dick!” several times, but the only -reply was from the parrot, who chuckled wickedly -in the darkness.</p> - -<p>“Come on,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>They left the barn, closing the door behind -them, and walked briskly back to the dormitory.</p> - -<p>“The only way to do,” said Chub, “is to watch -him and not let him know it. After supper we’ll -keep him in sight and when he sneaks off we’ll -follow him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s it! We’ll be detectives,” agreed Roy -with enthusiasm. <a href="#image09">“I’m Sherlock Holmes.”</a></p> - -<p>“I’m Vidocq.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s he?”</p> - -<p>“A French detective,” answered Chub. “He -had Sherlock Holmes fried to a frizzle. Besides, -he was real.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet you Holmes could have given him ten -yards and beaten him,” answered Roy stoutly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image09"> - <img src="images/image09.jpg" width="600" height="544" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_148">“‘I’m Sherlock Holmes’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150-<br />151]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Get out! And Sherlock Holmes is only a fellow -in a book, anyway!”</p> - -<p>“That doesn’t make any difference. He was -the best ever. And I’m he.”</p> - -<p>“All right. We’ll see who discovers the secret -and nabs the criminal,” said Chub. “That’s the -real test. You ought to engage Sid as Doctor Watson; -you know Holmes always had to have Watson -around to run his errands and all that.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right; Doctor Watson didn’t do -any of the real detecting; he was just a sort of a -substitute, and sat on the bench. What we ought to -do, Chub, is to disguise ourselves; every detective -uses a disguise.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, but we haven’t got any,” laughed -Chub. “Supposing, though, we turn our sweaters -inside out?”</p> - -<p>During supper Dick was watched every moment. -Every time he put his fork to his mouth Chub -scowled knowingly; every time he took a drink of -milk Roy looked meaningly at Chub; and when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -Dick called for a second helping of cold meat the -two detectives smiled triumphantly. When Dick -came out of the dining-hall Roy and Chub were -standing near-by, apparently deeply engrossed in -conversation. Chub saw him coming.</p> - -<p>“Don’t let him suspect,” he whispered hoarsely.</p> - -<p>With amazing effrontery Dick joined them.</p> - -<p>“What are you fellows up to?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” answered Chub with great unconcern. -“Just talking.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” agreed Roy, “just talking.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t say!” responded Dick with a grin. -“What are you going to do to-night?”</p> - -<p>“Study,” answered Chub promptly. “I’ve got -a lot to do. And so has Roy. We’re going to be -busy.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right; so am I,” said Dick. “Don’t -let me disturb you. See you later.”</p> - -<p>He put his cap on and walked unhurriedly toward -the door.</p> - -<p>“Watch him!” hissed Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> - -<p>The door closed behind him. Silently they -waited a moment. Then both sprang toward the -portal and as Roy put his hand on the knob it was -opened quickly from without and Dick confronted -them.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” he said quizzically. “Going to study -outdoors?”</p> - -<p>“N—no,” stammered Roy. “We were—”</p> - -<p>“Just going to get a breath of air,” said Chub, -coming to his assistance.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Dick, “well, you’ll find plenty of it -out there.”</p> - -<p>He held the door open and the other two sauntered -out, trying to seem at ease. The door closed -behind them. They looked at each other and -smiled sheepishly.</p> - -<p>“Where’s he going?” whispered Chub.</p> - -<p>“Study-room, maybe. We’ll wait a bit and -then go in. You go up-stairs and I’ll look around -down here. He’s on to us, isn’t he?” Chub -nodded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sure,” he answered. “But it won’t help him. -Vidocq is on his tail—trail, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“And so is Sherlock Holmes,” muttered Roy. -“Come on; we’ve been out long enough to get the -air.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got all I want,” replied Chub with a -shiver as they entered the corridor again. “You -look in the study-room and I’ll go up-stairs.”</p> - -<p>Roy nodded and they separated. Chub found -both dormitories seemingly empty, but to make -certain that Dick was not in hiding he looked under -all the beds. This took some time and when -he got down-stairs again and sought Roy he was -not to be found. There were several boys in the -study-room and as Chub entered unconcernedly -Whitcomb looked up from his book with a frown.</p> - -<p>“It’s the middle window on the end,” he said. -“And please shut it after you; I’m getting tired.”</p> - -<p>“What are you gibbering about?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Whitcomb, “I thought you were in -it too.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<p>“In what?”</p> - -<p>“The game—or whatever it is. First Dick -Somes comes in and jumps out of the window. -Then Roy comes along and I tell him about it and -he jumps out. And neither of them closes the -window after him, and I’m tired of jumping up, -and— Hi! Where are you going? Well, say, -<em>shut it after you, will you</em>?” But Chub was outside, -up to his knees in a snowbank. Whitcomb -sighed, pushed back his chair and slammed down -the window for the third time. “Isn’t it great to -be crazy?” he muttered disgustedly.</p> - -<p>Of course Chub might just as well have gone -out through the front door, but he felt that that -would have been far from professional. He struggled -out of the snowbank and peered about him. -It was very dark and very cold. Lights shone -from the windows of School Hall and from the -Cottage, but there was no sound to be heard and -there was no one in sight. Chub realized that the -correct thing to do was to examine the snow for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -footprints, find the criminal’s and follow his track. -But he had no lantern, not even so much as a -match, and so that course was out of the question. -He wondered where Roy had gone. Perhaps he -had discovered Dick and was on his trail. Well, -it was bitterly cold and there was no sense in -standing there at the edge of the drive and freezing -to death. He’d go over to the library and see -if either Dick or Roy were there. He crossed to -School Hall and as he turned the corner to reach -the doorway a figure detached itself from the shadows -in the angle of the wall and slunk across the -path into a thicket of leafless shrubbery. Chub -paused and drew back into the darkness, his heart -thumping with excitement. The other chap was -discernible, but Chub could not distinguish his -features. For several minutes the two stood -motionless, watching each other. Chub’s toes and -fingers began to ache with the cold. He wished -Dick would go on so that he could move after him -and get warmed up a bit. Finally, just when Chub<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -decided that he would have to stamp his feet to -keep them from freezing, the other chap called -across sternly.</p> - -<p>“You might as well come out,” he said. “I see -you and I know who you are.”</p> - -<p>Chub gave a snort of disgust and walked into -the light.</p> - -<p>“Is that you, Roy?” he called.</p> - -<p>“Yes, is that— Say, I thought you were Dick!” -responded Roy disappointedly, as he scrambled -out of the thicket.</p> - -<p>“That’s who I thought you were,” Chub answered. -“Did you see him?”</p> - -<p>“No, he jumped out of the window in the study-room. -I went after him, but when I got out he -was gone. Then I came over to the library and he -wasn’t there. I was wondering where to look for -him when you came sneaking around the corner -there. Where do you suppose he got to?”</p> - -<p>“How do I know?” answered Chub shortly. -“You’re a nice Sherlock Holmes, you are!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And you’re a fine Vidocq,” replied Roy just -as scathingly. Then they laughed.</p> - -<p>“Well, we mustn’t stand here in the light,” -said Chub. “Because if he is around here he will -see us.” They drew back into the shadow and the -protection of the building. “What shall we do -now?”</p> - -<p>“I guess the best thing to do is to go back and -get to work,” replied Roy. “I’ve got some studying -to do to-night.”</p> - -<p>“So have I. I say, let’s let him go to thunder. -Who cares where he is, anyway? If he doesn’t -want us to know what he’s up to I guess we can -worry along without knowing, eh? Besides—”</p> - -<p>“<em>Hist!</em>” cautioned Roy. “<em>What’s that?</em>”</p> - -<p>A figure emerged from the darkness and paused -some thirty feet away.</p> - -<p>“It’s Dick!” whispered Chub, gripping Roy’s -arm tightly.</p> - -<p>“He sees us,” Roy whispered back. “He’s -watching us.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was a moment of suspense. Then:</p> - -<p>“What are you boys doing there?” asked Mr. -Buckman’s voice.</p> - -<p>“Foiled again!” sighed Chub. “We’re just -playing a—a sort of game, sir,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?”</p> - -<p>“Porter and Eaton, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Well, have you got your lessons yet?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Then you take my advice and go indoors and -get them.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; we were just going,” answered Roy -meekly. The instructor swung past them toward -the entrance of School Hall and the boys went -silently back to the dormitory. As they entered -the study-room Whitcomb looked up wearily.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to be fussy,” he said, “but would -you mind using one of the other windows for a -while? That one blows right on my back, and I’ve -got the sniffles now.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /> -<small>FOILED!</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The next day was Friday and as the hockey -team was to play a hard game on the morrow -there was an hour of steady practice on the -rink. That kept Roy busy from the time he had -finished with his last recitation until it was time -to get ready for supper. Chub too spent a busy -afternoon engaged in matters pertaining to the -base-ball team, and so when they met at supper -neither he nor Roy was able to say whether Dick -had disappeared that afternoon. At all events he -was in plain sight now. Roy turned to Chub.</p> - -<p>“See how queer he’s acting,” he whispered. -“And he isn’t eating much of anything; I’ve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -been watching him. Look, he doesn’t even know -that his fork is empty!”</p> - -<p>It would have been very evident to a much less -careful observer than a detective that Dick was -absent-minded and preoccupied that evening. -Once he laid down his fork and began tracing patterns -on the table-cloth with his thumb nail and -several times he paused with his glass of milk in -mid-air to gaze frowningly into space.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet he’s thinking up some scheme to get -that money,” said Chub, after a few moments of -amused observation. But Roy shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think it’s that,” he answered. “He -wouldn’t have to run away out of sight every day -to just think. He’s <em>doing</em> something; you see if -he isn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he can just go ahead and do it for all I -care,” said Chub. “I’m not going to stand around -in the snow to-night, I’ll tell you that.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I,” replied Roy. “Besides, to-morrow -will be the time to play detective. We won’t have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -anything to do in the morning, Chub, so let’s track -him. Even if we don’t find out anything it will -make him peeved.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t notice that he got much peeved last -night,” observed Chub dryly.</p> - -<p>“Never mind; he won’t get away from us in daylight -as easily as he did then,” responded Roy. -“And whatever he’s up to he will be sure to try -and sneak off in the morning. So let’s watch -him, eh?”</p> - -<p>“All right; Vidocq again takes up the relentless -pursuit.”</p> - -<p>“What we need,” said Roy, “is a clue. Every -detective ought to have a clue.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so; supposing we ask him for one? We -might tell him that if he doesn’t give us a clue -we’ll refuse to pay any more attention to him.”</p> - -<p>“I guess he’d feel pretty bad,” laughed Roy.</p> - -<p>After supper they went into the study-room and -sat where they could watch the front door. Presently -Dick came down-stairs and passed out. Roy -and Chub looked at each other inquiringly, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -Chub got half out of his chair. But Roy shook his -head.</p> - -<p>“Let him go,” he hissed melodramatically. -“Our time will come!”</p> - -<p>After breakfast the next morning, which was -Saturday and a holiday, Chub and Roy went up to -the Junior Dormitory and stationed themselves at -the windows overlooking the campus. Chub from -his post of observation had a clear view of School -Hall and the path to the river, while Roy could see -the gymnasium, the Cottage and the path to the -village. They had left Dick at the breakfast table, -but it was after eight o’clock and he would have to -leave the dining-room shortly. If he came up-stairs -they would hear him, while if he went out of -the building they could not fail to see him. But -the minutes passed and nothing happened to vary -the monotony.</p> - -<p>“Bet you he’s gone into the study-room and is -reading,” said Chub disgustedly. “He’s just -mean enough to do that!”</p> - -<p>“Well, he won’t read very long, I guess,” answered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -Roy cheerfully. “Dick doesn’t care much -for reading.”</p> - -<p>Ten minutes passed.</p> - -<p>“Anything doing, Sister Ann?” asked Chub -boredly.</p> - -<p>“Not much. Billy Warren and Pryor are going -over to the gym and Sid and Chase are throwing -snowballs down here.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, let’s call it off. It’s a dandy day -and I’m not going to waste it up here. Let’s go -skating. We’ll get Harry and—”</p> - -<p>“S-sh! There he goes!” whispered Roy -hoarsely. Chub ran to the other window.</p> - -<p>“Don’t let him see us,” he said. “He’s going -to the village, I’ll bet. We’ll wait until he gets -past the gym and then we’ll scoot down.”</p> - -<p>Dick was swinging off along the path with long -strides. In a moment he had passed the gymnasium -and was making for the gate in the hedge.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” cried Chub.</p> - -<p>Side by side they raced down-stairs, seized their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -caps from the rack in the hall and then cautiously -opened the door. Dick was out of sight. They -hurried after him. At the gate they paused and -reconnoitered.</p> - -<p>“It’s all right,” said Chub. “He’s just turning -into the road toward the Cove. Come on, but -keep low.”</p> - -<p>So they skulked across the athletic field and -reached the road just in time to see Dick pass -around the first turn, some three hundred yards -away. It is a mile to Silver Cove and for that distance -Chub and Roy stalked Dick tirelessly. They -had to keep at the side of the road lest he should -turn around and see them, and frequently, when -the road ran straight for some distance, they were -forced to hide in the bushes or behind walls. Luckily, -however, there are many twists and turns between -Ferry Hill and Silver Cove, and so the detectives’ -task was not so difficult. Never once, as -far as they could tell, did Dick look back.</p> - -<p>“He doesn’t suspect,” said Roy triumphantly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No,” chuckled Chub, “little does he reck that -the human bloodhounds are hot upon his trail.”</p> - -<p>“What’s reck?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you study English?” scoffed Chub.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but I never heard of reck. I don’t believe -there is such a word.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right, my boy. When we get back -I’ll show it to you in a book I was reading the -other day. Look out!”</p> - -<p><a href="#image10">They scuttled hurriedly to the side of the road -and subsided in the bushes.</a> Dick had stopped and -was standing in the middle of the road looking intently -at what appeared to be a roll of paper which -he had taken from his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Must be a map,” said Roy. “Perhaps he’s -lost his way.”</p> - -<p>Chub laughed. “Whatever it is, I wish he’d -put it away again and go on. There’s a peck of -snow down the back of my neck.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, little you reck,” said Roy cheerfully.</p> - -<p>“You dry up,” growled Chub. “There he goes; -come on.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="image10"> - <img src="images/image10.jpg" width="400" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_166">“They scuttled hurriedly to the side of the road and subsided -in the bushes”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168-<br />169]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dick had thrust the roll of paper back into an -inner pocket of his coat and was once more on his -way.</p> - -<p>Ferry Hill is only a small town and the business -portion of it occupies but a few blocks along the -main street, which runs to the river and the -bridge. Dick turned to the left there, and Roy and -Chub hurried after. When they reached the corner -they peeked cautiously around just in time to -see their quarry enter one of the stores.</p> - -<p>“We mustn’t get too near,” said Roy, “or he -will see us when he comes out.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go over to the drug store, buy some hot -chocolate and watch through the window,” suggested -Chub. That seemed a good plan and they -followed it. The drug store was almost opposite -the shop which Dick had entered and for several -minutes the detectives sipped their hot chocolate -and watched for him to reappear.</p> - -<p>“It’s a stationery store,” said Chub. “Wonder -what he wants there.”</p> - -<p>“When he comes out,” said Roy, “one of us<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -might go over and find out what he bought. That -might give us a clue.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but we’d get separated. He is a dangerous -man and we must stick together for mutual -protection. I wish he’d hurry up.”</p> - -<p>They finished their chocolates and Chub bought -ten cents’ worth of lemon drops. They munched -those for a while, their eyes fixed on the door of -the stationery store. Ten minutes passed. Then -Chub grew uneasy.</p> - -<p>“He must have come out,” he said.</p> - -<p>“He couldn’t have. I’ve been watching every -instant.”</p> - -<p>“Then there’s a back door and he’s gone out -that way!”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! Why would he do that? He didn’t -know we were following him.”</p> - -<p>“N-no; at least, I didn’t think he knew it. But -it looks now as though he did. If he doesn’t come -out in five minutes we’ll go over. We can make -believe we want some pencils or something.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right,” Roy agreed. They cast anxious -glances at the store clock from time to time. Never -had five minutes taken so long to pass! But -finally:</p> - -<p>“Come on,” said Roy. “Time’s up.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll ask for some pencils if he’s there,” -whispered Chub as they crossed the street. The -stationery store was small and as soon as they had -closed the door behind them they saw that Dick had -vanished. The only occupant was a middle-aged -man who was arranging some boxes on one of the -shelves back of a counter.</p> - -<p>“We’re looking for a fellow who came in here -a while ago,” said Roy. “Has he gone?”</p> - -<p>“A young fellow about your age?” asked the -shopkeeper. “Yes, he’s been gone about twenty -minutes. But he said you’d be along asking for him -and he left a note. Let me see; where did I put it?”</p> - -<p>“A note?” faltered Chub.</p> - -<p>“Here it is,” said the man. “I guess that’s for -you, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span></p> - -<p>Roy took it and read the address: “Mr. Thomas -Eaton, or Mr. Roy Porter.”</p> - -<p>“Y-yes, that’s ours,” he muttered, looking -sheepishly at Chub. That youth had thrust his -hands in his pockets and was whistling softly. -Roy unfolded the sheet of paper, read the message -and handed it silently across to Chub. Chub read -it, refolded it carelessly and turned toward the -door.</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s no use waiting,” he said. “By -the way, I suppose he went out the back way, -didn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied the shopkeeper. “He wanted -to know if he could get the Ferry Hill road that -way and I told him to keep to the left through the -alley, cross the field back of the saw-mill and—”</p> - -<p>“I see. Did he get what he wanted here?”</p> - -<p>The man chuckled. “Yes, but he said I wasn’t -to tell you what it was because it was a sort of a -surprise to you boys.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he did, eh?” muttered Chub wrathfully as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -they went out. “He thinks he’s mighty smart, -doesn’t he? Let’s see that note again.”</p> - -<p>“You put it in your pocket,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, here it is:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="noi">Dear Friends: A red sweater shows up great against the -snow. Sorry I can’t wait for you. <span class="flright">Dick.</span><br /></p> -</div> - -<p>“It’s all your fault. You might have known -that he could see that sweater a mile off.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think he looked around once,” answered -Roy meekly.</p> - -<p>“Nor did I. But he did. He knew all the time -we were following him. He makes me tired. Let’s -go home.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the use? Now we’re here let’s bum -around a while. It’s only half-past nine.”</p> - -<p>Roy’s advice prevailed. After a while their -good-humor returned and they found the laughable -side of the adventure.</p> - -<p>“Dick’s a cute one, all right,” said Chub admiringly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He surely is,” said Roy. “It isn’t many fellows -could fool Sherlock Holmes and Vidocq at -the same time!”</p> - -<p>“We’re a nice pair of detectives,” laughed -Chub. “But we’ve got to get even with him somehow, -Roy, and we’re going to do it.”</p> - -<p>“I say, let’s tell Harry about it. She’s got -bully ideas—for a girl. Maybe she can suggest -something. What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“All right. We’ll do it as soon as we get back.”</p> - -<p>They had a pretty good time of it until after -eleven; went through the stamping works and saw -them make tin cans and boxes, walked out on the -bridge a way, Roy standing treat for the tolls, and -ended up at the saw-mill. And it was at the latter -place that they found their first clue.</p> - -<p>They were sitting on a pile of new boards, basking -lazily in the sunlight and watching the big -band-saw eating its way through the logs, when -one of the men came by and saw them.</p> - -<p>“Hello,” he said, “want to buy anything?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, sir,” answered Roy. “We are just looking. -Are we in the way?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit, not a bit. Glad to have you. Only -there was a fellow here the other day buying some -stuff. He was about your style and I thought maybe -you wanted something too.”</p> - -<p>“Was he a big fellow with yellow hair?” asked -Chub eagerly. “With a gray sweater on?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I think so. Friend of yours?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. What was he buying?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t remember; some kind of lumber; two -or three sticks, I guess.”</p> - -<p>The man went on and Roy and Chub fell to -speculating eagerly on the meaning of Dick’s purchase.</p> - -<p>“What’s he want with lumber?” asked Chub. -“He couldn’t lug it back to school with him!”</p> - -<p>“Anyway, it’s a clue,” said Roy. “Even if it -doesn’t tell us anything. Let’s get home. We’ll -find him and make him tell us.”</p> - -<p>“He won’t, though,” said Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span></p> - -<p>They trudged back in the noonday sunlight over -the snowy road and had almost reached the school -when one of the rattle-trap carriages which hover -about the Silver Cove station overtook them. -They paid no particular attention to it, save to -draw to the side of the road out of its way, until -the occupant of the rear seat addressed them. -Then they looked up to see Dick lolling there at -ease and smiling down at them as he rattled by.</p> - -<p>“You’d better hurry up,” he called. “It’s almost -dinner time.”</p> - -<p>“<em>What do you think of that!</em>” gasped Chub as -the carriage left them behind.</p> - -<p>“He must have plenty of money,” said Roy. -“They charge fifty cents to bring you over from -the Cove.”</p> - -<p>“But he’s been over there all the morning when -we thought he was back at school! He—he’s just -fooled us right and left! I wish I’d shied a snowball -at his silly head!”</p> - -<p>“Wait till we get hold of him!” muttered Roy.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /> -<small>THE ADVENTURES OF ESTRELLA</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">They were not able to take Harry into their -confidence right away, however, as by the -time they reached school it lacked but a few -minutes of dinner time. And after that meal, when -they called at the Cottage, they found that Harry -had not returned from Silver Cove but had remained -to take dinner with one of her girl friends -in the village. In the dining-room Roy and Chub -had treated Dick with contemptuous indifference -and afterward had observed him pass out of the -building and across to the library with supreme -unconcern. He smiled tauntingly as he passed -them in the corridor, but both Roy and Chub -looked impassively by him.</p> - -<p>“Who’s your friend?” asked Chub audibly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Never met him,” responded Roy loftily. -“Some low person.”</p> - -<p>At two Roy had to go and get ready for the -hockey game, and as Chub had nothing better to -do he went with him. During the half-hour of -practice preceding the game and during the contest -itself he watched from the side of the rink -and, with Sid, Whitcomb, Pryor, Post and others -cheered the home team on to a well-deserved victory. -Harry didn’t turn up at the game—an unusual -thing for her—and so it was not until after -supper next day that Roy and Chub found Harry. -They called again at the Cottage and were ushered -by Mrs. Emery into the little parlor. Harry -joined them soon afterward and in a few moments -was made acquainted with the situation relating -to Dick.</p> - -<p>“It’s a mystery!” she declared excitedly.</p> - -<p>“It surely is,” Roy answered. “And we want -you to help us find out what the silly chap is up -to. Will you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, and I’ll be a detective too!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered Chub, “but I don’t think -I ever heard of a female detective; did you, -Roy?”</p> - -<p>Roy shook his head, but Harry protested vigorously.</p> - -<p>“There are female detectives,” she asserted -stoutly. “I read of one once in some book. She -was awfully smart and found the stolen diamonds -after every one else had failed!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Chub. “What was her -name?”</p> - -<p>“Why, it was—was—oh, dear, I’ve forgotten -it!”</p> - -<p>“Then I don’t see how you can be her,” teased -Roy.</p> - -<p>“I shall recall it,” answered Harry with dignity. -“Besides, detectives have aliases, don’t -they?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, the cheap ones do,” replied Roy. “Sherlock -Holmes didn’t change his name.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Did Vi—Vi—Vidocq?” asked Harry anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Yes, often,” answered Chub. “He was the -real thing, too. He caught more desperate criminals -than Sherlock Holmes ever thought of! And -he was great for disguising himself, too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s it!” cried Harry. “I must have a -disguise!”</p> - -<p>“Wear your hair on top of your head,” suggested -Roy laughingly.</p> - -<p>“Put your shoes on the wrong feet,” added -Chub.</p> - -<p>“Never you mind,” said Harry with sparkling -eyes. “I know what I shall do. You wait and see. -But if you recognize me—if you penetrate my disguise, -I mean, you mustn’t let on. You won’t, will -you? Because it might spoil everything.”</p> - -<p>“You may depend upon us,” replied Roy -gravely.</p> - -<p>“We ought to have a password,” Harry continued. -“So when we meet each other we can communicate.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> - -<p>“‘<em>R-r-r-revenge!</em>’” muttered Chub with a -ferocious scowl. Harry clapped her hands.</p> - -<p>“That’s it! That’s the password! ‘Revenge!’ -Don’t forget it.”</p> - -<p>“Trust us,” said Roy. “We think of nothing -else. ‘Revenge!’”</p> - -<p>“‘Revenge!’” echoed Harry.</p> - -<p>“‘Revenge!’” growled Chub.</p> - -<p>Then they looked at each other and laughed enjoyably. -And suddenly Harry gave an exclamation -of triumph.</p> - -<p>“I remember!” she cried. “It was Estrella!”</p> - -<p>“What was?”</p> - -<p>“The name of that lady detective. Estrella—Estrella—oh, -I can’t remember her last name, but -I guess Estrella will do, won’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I should think so,” Chub said. “It’s a -fine-sounding name, all right. Roy, allow me to -present you to Miss Estrella, the Lady Sleuth.”</p> - -<p>“What’s a sleuth?” asked Harry anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s just a slang name for detective.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t believe lady detectives would use<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -slang,” she said. “So I guess I won’t be a sleuth, -if you don’t mind, Chub.”</p> - -<p>“Have your own way about it. It doesn’t make -much difference what you call yourself, Harry, if -you’ll only find out what Dick is up to. He’s got -to be punished for the way he has treated us all. -It—it’s a low-down trick, that’s what it is!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we owe him something,” Roy agreed. -“And we’ll pay him back, too. But we must try -and make him think that we aren’t watching him -any more.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, lull his suspicions,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Then maybe he will get careless and we’ll -catch him red-handed.”</p> - -<p>“Red-handed!” echoed Harry with gusto. “Isn’t -it lovely? I do wish I could start to-morrow, -but I suppose you can’t detect on Sunday!”</p> - -<p>“Hardly,” Roy agreed. “But on Monday we’ll -begin in earnest. We mustn’t let him out of our -sight a moment.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how we can help letting him out of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -our sight,” Chub objected. “We have our recitations -to attend and Harry has to go to Silver -Cove.”</p> - -<p>“Well, after school, then,” answered Roy. “In -the afternoon we’ll—we’ll—”</p> - -<p>“Dog his very footsteps,” aided Chub. “I read -that somewhere; good, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Fine,” laughed Roy. “Little he recks—!”</p> - -<p>“You dry up,” growled Chub good-naturedly, -“and come on home.”</p> - -<p>Harry went to the porch with them and there, -at her suggestion, they clasped hands and cried -“<em>Revenge!</em>” together in a thrilling chorus.</p> - -<p>“We meet anon,” said Chub. “Farewell!”</p> - -<p>And thereupon Vidocq and Sherlock Holmes -slunk away into the enveloping darkness, and Estrella, -muttering “<em>Revenge!</em>” under her breath, -closed the front door and stole stealthily into the -library to ransack the shelves for the detective -story which recounted the adventures and -triumphs of her namesake.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - -<p>The next day Dick was inclined to be chummy, -but Roy and Chub repulsed his overtures coldly. -And in the afternoon he once more disappeared -and didn’t show up again until supper-time. He -spent most of the evening in the study-room, and -although Roy and Chub watched him surreptitiously -they were unable to gather any incriminating -evidence, since he did nothing more enlightening -than apply himself to his algebra lesson.</p> - -<p>There was no hockey practice on Monday, and -so when Roy had finished his last recitation in -School Hall he hurried across toward the dormitory -to dispose of his books, with the idea of then -finding Dick before that mysterious youth had -whisked himself out of sight. But before he had -covered half of the distance between the two buildings -he had forgotten all about Dick. For on the -steps of Burgess stood a most remarkable figure. -Roy stared and marveled. At first he thought he -was looking at an elderly woman, but the next -moment he changed his mind, for the small, slight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -form was youthful in spite of the attire. There -was a vividly blue cloth skirt which swept the -ground, a black fur cape, rather the worse for service, -which reached almost to the waist, a large -hat with brown feathers and a heavy black veil -which completely hid the face. One hand clutched -a silver-handled umbrella and the other was lost -in the folds of the voluminous skirt.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a funny-looking scarecrow!” muttered -Roy as he approached. The lady, whoever -she was, seemed to be viewing him from behind -the thick veil, and Roy ceased staring. But as he -mounted the steps he could not resist another look. -Through the close meshes of the veil he caught -sight of two bright eyes and a rather impertinent -nose, and—</p> - -<p>“<em>Revenge!</em>” said a smothered voice.</p> - -<p>Roy stopped and stared with wide-open mouth.</p> - -<p>“I—I beg your pardon, ma-am!” he faltered, -uncertain whether he had imagined it. “Did you -speak?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span></p> - -<p>“<em>Revenge!</em>” said the voice again. Roy gasped.</p> - -<p>“Harry!” he exclaimed incredulously.</p> - -<p>“S-sh! Would you betray all?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, but you’re a sight!” said Roy, standing -off to obtain a better view of her. “Where’d you -get the clothes, Harry?” Then he leaned up -against the opposite railing of the porch and gave -way to mirth. Harry stamped her foot and -thumped the silver-handled umbrella.</p> - -<p>“Roy Porter, you’re just as mean as you can -be!” she declared aggrievedly. “And you can do -your own detecting!”</p> - -<p>“But, Harry,” Roy gasped, “if you could only -see the way you look!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care; I fooled you all right enough, -Mister Smarty!”</p> - -<p>“That’s so; I thought you were an old woman -at first! It’s a dandy disguise, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“Do you really think so?” Harry asked, somewhat -mollified. “I had a terrible time getting the -things, because of course I couldn’t ask for them;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -if I had, my disguise would have been no longer a -secret, would it?”</p> - -<p>Roy shook his head.</p> - -<p>“And so I had to swipe—borrow them, I mean, -without saying anything to mama. And if I should -meet her wouldn’t she be surprised?” And Harry -giggled behind the veil.</p> - -<p>“I’ll just bet she would,” laughed Roy. “Have -you seen anything of—”</p> - -<p>“S-sh! Some one approaches!” cried Harry. -“Follow me, but take no notice!”</p> - -<p>Several boys had come out on to the steps of -School Hall and were looking curiously across. -Harry seized the folds of the ridiculous blue skirt -and lifted it so that she could walk without tripping -over it. Then, raising the silver-handled -umbrella in a gesture of caution she turned and -stole stealthily into the building. Roy, vastly -amused, followed. Harry crossed to the dining-room, -opened the door and beckoned. To enter -the dining-room outside of meal-hours was strictly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -against the rules, but Harry was a law unto herself, -and Roy ventured after her. Then she closed -the door, turned the key in the lock and raised the -black veil.</p> - -<p>“Now,” she said, “we are safe for the moment.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s all very well, but supposing Dick -takes it into his silly head to disappear while we -are in here talking?”</p> - -<p>“Then we must find him.”</p> - -<p>“But we said we were going to watch for him -and follow him. What’s the good of letting him -get away? I left him in School Hall and he will be -out in a few minutes.”</p> - -<p>“We-ll, maybe we’d better go,” said Harry. -“But I did want to talk to you a minute.”</p> - -<p>“All right, go ahead. What do you want to talk -about?”</p> - -<p>“Do you think Dick would recognize—would -penetrate my disguise if he met me?” she asked -anxiously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t believe he’d let you get near enough,” -answered Roy with a laugh. “I’ll bet if he saw -you coming he’d run a mile!”</p> - -<p>“Now you’re being mean again,” said Harry -reproachfully.</p> - -<p>“Well, honest then, Harry, I don’t believe your -own mother would know you!”</p> - -<p>“But she’d know her clothes,” Harry said -laughingly. “Supposing, then, that I go over toward -School Hall and wait for him to come out. -Then I can follow him and he won’t suspect anything.”</p> - -<p>“All right, but I wouldn’t let him think you are -after him,” Roy advised.</p> - -<p>“Of course I sha’n’t,” answered Harry indignantly. -“Don’t you suppose I know more about—about -detecting than that? I’ll just make believe -that I’m a visitor looking around the school. -And maybe I’ll meet him and ask him some questions. -Wouldn’t that be funny?”</p> - -<p>“He’d know your voice in a minute,” said Roy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’d disguise it, like this,” Harry replied, sinking -her voice until it sounded like the croak of a -raven. “You couldn’t tell it was me, could -you?”</p> - -<p>“I should say not!” Roy declared with emphasis. -“You sound the way Methuselah did the -time he had a sore throat!”</p> - -<p>“You’re not very complimentary,” said Harry -with a pout. “But I suppose detectives mustn’t -mind that. Now I think we’d better go, don’t -you?”</p> - -<p>Roy agreed and Harry carefully lowered her -veil. At the door she turned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” she said. “I found -that book last night after you went, and my name -is Estrella De Vere. Isn’t it lovely?”</p> - -<p>“Fine and dandy!” answered Roy. “It sounds -almost real.”</p> - -<p>He remained inside until Harry had passed -down the steps and was sauntering with elaborate -unconcern toward School Hall. Then he went out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -on to the porch and watched. Harry, her blue skirt -trailing regally behind her, stopped in front of the -entrance, leaned on her umbrella and studied the -architecture of the building. A group of boys on -the porch stopped talking and viewed her curiously. -Presently, with a nod of approval, Harry -turned and walked slowly up the path toward the -Cottage, pausing at length to take in the details of -that modest structure quite as thoroughly. The -boys on the porch, Roy observed, were laughing -and making fun of the queer figure. At that moment -the door of School Hall opened again and -Dick hurried out and along the path toward Harry, -who had now turned and was sauntering back toward -the hall. As he went he cast a quick and -cautious glance about him and Roy, although he -tried to draw back out of sight, knew that Dick had -seen him. Dick’s gaze now was on the person in -the black veil. When he reached the place where -the path to the Cottage branched off from the road -to the barn he seemed to hesitate an instant. Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -he turned to the right toward the Cottage and Estrella -De Vere.</p> - -<p>By this time Harry had made up her mind to a -desperate venture. As Dick reached her she sank -her voice to sepulchral tones.</p> - -<p>“Pardon me, young man,” she said, “but can -you tell me what building that is?” She pointed -the umbrella toward School Hall.</p> - -<p>Dick stopped and touched his cap, looking very -intently at the black veil. But Harry kept her -head averted as much as she could and flattered -herself that Dick was far from suspecting her -identity. But she did wish he wouldn’t look so -hard!</p> - -<p>“Yes, ma’am,” answered Dick. “That is the -Biological Laboratory.” Harry gave a gasp. -“And further along,” pointing out the dormitory, -“you see the Astronomical Observatory.” Harry -gasped again. Dick swung around and indicated -the gymnasium. “And that building, ma’am, is -called Somes Hall in honor of Mr. Richard Somes, -who gave the money for it. It cost two million dollars -and contains the Phrenological and Optimistic -departments.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 472px;"> -<a id="image11"> - <img src="images/image11.jpg" width="472" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_194">“‘That’s the Insane Asylum’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194-<br />195]</a></span></p> - -<p>Harry had a wild desire to giggle, but conquered -it. She wondered for an instant whether -Dick knew her, after all, and was trying to tease -her. The expression of his face, which was one of -the utmost seriousness, told her nothing. She almost -forgot to disguise her voice as she answered -him.</p> - -<p>“Thank you so much,” she said. “And—and -the small house here?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, <a href="#image11">that’s the Insane Asylum</a>,” answered -Dick readily. “I have but one case confined there -at present, a young girl. It’s really very sad, -ma’am. I don’t think she will ever be any better. -She imagines”—he dropped his voice to a confidential -whisper—“she imagines that she’s a detective! -Very sad, really!”</p> - -<p>He touched his cap again, gravely and politely, -and went on toward the Cottage, leaving Harry a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -prey to conflicting emotions, the strongest of -which was exasperation.</p> - -<p>“Now how did he know me?” she wondered. -“I think he’s just as mean as he can be!”</p> - -<p>She stood motionless and watched Dick ring the -bell. In a moment the door was opened and he -passed into the Cottage.</p> - -<p>“And what do you suppose he’s gone there -for?” she asked herself. “Perhaps he’s going to -tell mama that I’m out here with her old blue -skirt and fur cape on! Let him! I think he’s the -meanest—!”</p> - -<p>But at that moment the mystery was explained. -She had put up one hand to make certain of the -arrangement of her veil, which since she had first -donned it had been giving her not a little trouble, -and discovered that it had become undone at the -back, leaving exposed a small expanse of red hair.</p> - -<p>“That’s how he knew!” she exclaimed. “If it -hadn’t been for that he’d have been fooled just -as Roy was! Beastly old veil! And I just know<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> -he’s told mama and they’re having a lovely joke -about it! I’m going in!”</p> - -<p>She hurried to the Cottage and attempted the -front door, only to find that it was locked. Wrathfully -she rang the bell. Steps sounded in the hall, -the door was opened a little and Mrs. Emery’s -face appeared for a brief moment. Then,</p> - -<p>“Nothing to-day, thank you,” said her mother, -and the door closed again sharply before Harry -had recovered from her surprise. Then she beat -upon the portal with the umbrella and stabbed at -the button until the bell fairly outdid itself. A -window opened up-stairs and Mrs. Emery put her -head out.</p> - -<p>“If you don’t go away at once,” she said, “I’ll -call the man to put you off the grounds. We don’t -allow peddlers here.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not a peddler!” cried Harry. “I want -to get in! I’m Harry!”</p> - -<p>“<em>What! Harry?</em>” exclaimed her mother. -“Well, I am surprised!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span></p> - -<p>But Harry noticed that she was smiling broadly -as she closed the window and disappeared. In a -moment the door was opened and Harry passed -inside, a little bit sulky.</p> - -<p>“You knew it was me,” she declared. “You -just did it to tease me!”</p> - -<p>“What, knew you in those clothes?” asked her -mother. “Why, how could I, my dear? And -with that veil over your face? And tied so neatly, -too!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, you did know; Dick told you! And he’s -as mean as mean can be!”</p> - -<p>“Dick? No, Dick didn’t tell me, my dear. -But I saw you leaving the house half an hour ago -and found my blue skirt missing.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s Dick?” demanded Harry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s been gone a long time, I guess. He -came and asked if he might pass through the -house and go out by the back door; he said you -and he were playing a game called—Detective, -wasn’t it? So I told him he might and the last I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -saw of him from my window he was climbing over -the hedge into the ball field.”</p> - -<p>Harry sank into a chair, the black veil trailing -from one hand and the silver-handled umbrella in -the other.</p> - -<p>“Foiled again!” she cried despairingly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /> -<small>THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Harry told her story later to Roy and -Chub, who laughed immoderately and, as -Harry thought at first, somewhat unkindly. But -after a while she joined her laughter with theirs.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s a peach!” declared Chub. “He’s -too much for us!”</p> - -<p>“Nothing of the sort!” said Harry. “He got -the better of me to-day, but—”</p> - -<p>“A time will come!” suggested Chub.</p> - -<p>“And I’ll catch him yet; you see if I don’t! -He’s not so awfully smart.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he seems to be a heap smarter than any -of us,” said Roy. “I vote we leave him alone. -When he gets good and ready he will probably -tell us what he’s up to.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Leave him alone nothing!” said Chub. -“Even if we can’t find out what he’s doing, we -can make his life a burden to him. And I, for -one, propose to do it. Look at the way he treated -us in Silver Cove the other day! Let him alone? -I guess not!”</p> - -<p>“No, indeed,” agreed Harry. “It’s war to the -death!”</p> - -<p>“‘Revenge!’” suggested Roy laughingly.</p> - -<p>“You bet,” answered Chub.</p> - -<p>The next day Dick, for some reason, refused to -disappear or even attempt to. And that was a -great disappointment to Harry, who had made all -preparations to follow him and discover his secret—although -without the aid of a disguise. When -they met, as they did several times in the course -of the day, Harry passed him with her small nose -held at a disdainful angle. Dick only grinned.</p> - -<p>There was hockey practice that afternoon and -Dick went down to the rink to look on. Of course -Harry and Chub followed at a discreet distance,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -doing their best to appear unaware of his presence -in the world. During practice Dick stood -across the rink and smiled amusedly at them -whenever they glanced across, a proceeding which -drove Harry to heights of exasperation. Once in -a lull of practice Roy skated up to them.</p> - -<p>“Do you see him over there?” he asked softly.</p> - -<p>“Of course we do,” answered Harry disgustedly. -“Do you think we’re blind? He’s been -grinning and grinning at us for half an hour.”</p> - -<p>Roy shook his head gravely.</p> - -<p>“Ah,” he muttered, “little he recks—”</p> - -<p>Then he dashed away out of Chub’s reach.</p> - -<p>But the next day brought triumph to Sherlock -Holmes, Vidocq and Estrella De Vere, proving -the truth of the old adage which declares that he -laughs best who laughs last. For at noon Roy -and Chub, tumbling out of School Hall after a -recitation, found Harry awaiting them. Her eyes -were dancing and she was all excitement.</p> - -<p>“Revenge!” she whispered dramatically.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Good! What’s up?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“I have tracked him to his lair!” whispered -Harry. “All is discovered! The miscreant is in -our power! Estrella De Vere has—”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, Harry? Have you found -out about Dick?”</p> - -<p>“I have discovered all! Listen!”</p> - -<p>And Estrella De Vere, the Female Detective, -with Sherlock Holmes on one side and Vidocq on -the other, passed down the path.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later Dick came out of School Hall -and stood for a minute on the porch, looking idly -about him. The snow which had covered the -campus a foot deep a fortnight before was almost -gone, and in places the sere brown turf showed -through the worn and tattered coverlid of white. -It was quite warm to-day, with a muggy atmosphere -and a leaden sky, almost too warm for -snow, and yet feeling very much like it. There was -a steady <em>drip</em>, <em>drip</em> from the eaves and ledges, and -the walks were showing borders of trickling water.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -Dick frowned and looked anxiously into the sky. -What he saw there seemed to please him but little, -for the frown deepened.</p> - -<p>“Two or three days of this sort of weather,” -he muttered half aloud, “and the ice won’t be -worth a cent.”</p> - -<p>Then, looking carefully about him again, he -went down the steps and turned to the right -toward Burgess. There were several boys in -sight, but, and this was suspicious, neither Chub, -Roy, nor Harry was to be seen. He took his books -into the study room and deposited them on the -big table. Then, the room being deserted, he -crossed to one of the end windows and looked -stealthily out. Apparently the coast was clear. -But he was taking no chances, and so he stole -around to a front window and viewed the prospect -carefully from there. He seemed puzzled, for he -thrust his hands into his pockets, stared steadily -for a whole minute at the engraving of “Washington -Crossing the Delaware,” which adorned the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -wall above the fireplace, and whistled softly to -himself. Then, having apparently decided upon a -course of action, he left the study room, crossed -the corridor and opened a door which gave on to -a descending stairway leading to the cellar. -Down this he went very quietly, reached the furnace -room and from there gained the outer air by -way of a flight of stone steps. He was in a small -stone-paved court behind the building, with the -hedge marking inner bounds but a few paces -away. There was a gate here, and making his -way between a double row of ash barrels he -passed through it and plunged into the Grove. -Then he turned to the right and wound between -the trees, crossing the path to the boat-house and -river at right angles, and keeping well out of -sight of the windows of the halls. Five minutes -of this brought him to the corner of the hedge. -Here the trees ceased abruptly and gave way to -snow-covered fields. Crouching behind the hedge -so that his head was below the top of it, he followed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -it at right angles to his first course until opposite -the barn and stables. Here he raised his -head and reconnoitered. There was no one in -sight and presently he was wriggling his way -through a hole in the hedge. From there he -passed around the back of the small stable and -fetched up before a small door leading to the -basement of the barn. That door required careful -handling, for it hung only by one leather -hinge. But Dick managed to get through it, displaying -a certain degree of familiarity with its -idiosyncrasies, and closed it behind him.</p> - -<p>He found himself in total darkness, but without -hesitation he crossed the earthen floor and climbed -a narrow flight of steps. As he went upward the -darkness gave way to gray twilight and when he -reached the main floor of the barn behind the cow -stalls it was light enough to allow him to see -distinctly about him. So far he had made scarcely -a sound since entering the building, and now he -crept very quietly along until he could see the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -closed door. The barn was deserted save for the -inmates of the boxes across the bare floor, and -even they were so quiet that no one would have -suspected their presence. Dick gave a sigh of -relief and walked less stealthily to the back of the -barn where a ladder led straight upward to the -edge of the loft. He sprang nimbly onto it and -ascended until he could crawl over the edge of the -upper flooring.</p> - -<p>In front of him was a space some thirty feet -broad by twenty deep. On one side it was used -as a storage place for a couple of old sleighs, the -remnants of a windmill and similar discarded -truck. On the other side the remains of last -summer’s hay was stowed in a mow which ran -along over the cow stalls. In the center of the -loft, under the small window, was a large packing-box -and beside it was a small one. On the larger -one were spread several sheets of brown paper, -pencils, a square, a rule, a pair of dividers and -other tools of the draftsman. There was a good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -light from the window, in spite of the fact that its -four small panes were obscured with dust and -spider webs.</p> - -<p>Dick went to his improvised table, took up a -piece of kneaded rubber which lay there, and -played with it while he studied the top sheet of -paper. It was pretty well covered with lines and -figures, but only the designer knew what they -stood for. After a moment he drew the small -box up and sat down on it, discarded the eraser -for pencil and rule and set to work.</p> - -<p>It was very quiet in the barn. Now and then -Methuselah moved in his cage and muttered unintelligibly -or a bat squeaked somewhere overhead -in the darkness. Soon Dick was quite oblivious -to everything save the work before him. He drew -lines with his pencil, used ruler and dividers, set -down figures on a smaller sheet of paper and multiplied -or added or subtracted, erased lines already -drawn, and through it all wore a deep frown -which told how wholly absorbed he was in the -task. And so he didn’t hear the soft rustlings -which came from the top of the haymow a few -feet away when three heads were thrust into view. -Heard nothing, in fact, until the silence was suddenly -shattered by a sudden <a href="#image12">“<span class="lcsmcaps">AH, THERE!</span>”</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;"> -<a id="image12"> - <img src="images/image12.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_208">“Ah, there!”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210-<br />211]</a></span></p> - -<p>He heard then; oh, yes, quite plainly!</p> - -<p>Down dropped his pencil, over went the smaller -box with a slam and Dick was staggering away in -an effort to find his feet, his face very white and -his mouth wide open for the exclamation of alarm -which he was too frightened to give. There followed -a brief moment of silence during which -Dick stared at the three laughing, triumphant -faces topping the haymow. Then the color crept -back into his cheeks and he slowly closed his -mouth.</p> - -<p>“Humph!” he said at last.</p> - -<p>“Move hand or foot,” cried Chub dramatically, -“and you are a dead man!”</p> - -<p>“We have you in our power at last!” added -Harry. And—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Little you recked,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>Dick picked up the box and began to grin.</p> - -<p>“Well, you caught me at last, didn’t you?” he -asked. “But I don’t see why Harry left off that -lovely disguise of hers.”</p> - -<p>“If you hadn’t seen my hair—” began Harry -vehemently.</p> - -<p>“Be careful what you say,” interrupted Chub, -sliding down from the top of the mow, “for it will -be used against you.”</p> - -<p>The others followed and Roy playfully dug -Dick in the ribs.</p> - -<p>“Old Smarty was caught at last, wasn’t he?” -he cried.</p> - -<p>“Took you long enough, though,” said Dick. -“And gave you some good exercise, too, eh?”</p> - -<p>“We don’t deny, my boy, that you fooled us -very nicely several times,” answered Chub, “but -the expression on your handsome countenance a -moment ago made up for everything.”</p> - -<p>“I dare say,” laughed Dick. “I was scared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -stiff. How did you find out about this drawing-room -of mine?”</p> - -<p>“That was Harry,” said Roy. “She came in -here this morning before school and let ’Thuselah -out of his cage and he climbed up here and -wouldn’t come down. And as she had to hurry -to school she came up and got him and saw the -things here. Then she told us about it and after -school we hurried over here and hid in the hay.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Dick regretfully, “I wish I’d -stuck to my first plan and gone to the Cove instead -of coming up here. Then you’d all have had a -nice quiet afternoon in the hay.”</p> - -<p>“But you didn’t!” said Harry triumphantly. -“And it was the female detective that discovered -you. Sherlock Holmes and Vidocq were out-detected -by Estrella De Vere!”</p> - -<p>“Eh?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>Then they told him all about their impersonations -and he thought it was a huge joke, and mollified -Harry completely by congratulating her on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -her triumph over the others. Then they compared -notes for the past week.</p> - -<p>“Where did you go the day we followed you to -the stationery store?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“I went out the back door and came around to -the street and watched from the next corner until -you crossed and went into the store. Then I went—about -my business.”</p> - -<p>“And that reminds me,” said Roy, “that we -don’t know yet what you’re up to. Are you going -to ’fess up now?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. I’d have told you all about it long ago -if you hadn’t begun this detective work. When -I found what you were up to I thought I’d just -give you a run for your money.”</p> - -<p>“Is it anything about the F. H. S. I. S.?” asked -Harry. Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p>“No,” he replied. “The fact is that’s at a -standstill, I guess. I’ve had it in mind right -along, but I can’t think of any way to go ahead. -How about you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I haven’t thought of anything,” Harry confessed. -And Roy and Chub answered the same -way.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’ll come in time,” said Dick. “How -about the funds, Harry? Got them safe?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, they’re—but maybe I oughtn’t to tell -where I keep them.”</p> - -<p>“Just as well not to, I guess,” Dick laughed. -“Chub might get hard up and borrow them.”</p> - -<p>“Look here, Dick, what’s all this mean?” asked -Roy, who was staring perplexedly at the drawing -on top of the packing-case. “Are you inventing -something?”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw,” said Chub, “that’s just a problem -in trig., isn’t it, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Well, you know all about it, so what’s the use -of asking me?”</p> - -<p>“No, go ahead and tell us, like a good fellow,” -said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, it’s the plan of an ice-boat.”</p> - -<p>“Ice-boat!” exclaimed the others in chorus.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, why not?”</p> - -<p>“But—but what’s it for?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“To sail.”</p> - -<p>“You mean you are going to make one?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s being made now.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” Chub exclaimed. -“Whatever put that into your crazy head?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ve wanted it ever since I saw that one -of Thurston’s the day that Roy took a cold bath. -So I found out all I could about the things; read -everything I could find, you know. That was -what I was doing that night in the library when -you thought I was reading about fly-casting or -something.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t think anything of the kind,” Roy disclaimed. -“I saw you turn the pages as we came -up.”</p> - -<p>“Did you? All right. Well, I finally got some -idea about the things and had a talk with a fellow -at the Cove. He builds boats, but has never tried -his hand at ice-boats before. He didn’t want to -have anything to do with it at first, but I finally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -got him interested. He said I’d better go to some -fellow at Poughkeepsie or somewhere who knew -all about them, but I told him I wanted it made -where I could have a finger in the pie. So he got -busy. I made the drawings and he’s building -accordingly.”</p> - -<p>“Is this it?” asked Roy interestedly, pointing -to the plan before him.</p> - -<p>“No, that’s only the sail-plan. The other’s -at the Cove; Johnson has it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what you bought the lumber for!” exclaimed -Chub. Dick nodded.</p> - -<p>“Yes. And I’ve bought a lot more since then. -It’s costing like anything, but it’s lots of fun. -I want you all to go over with me Saturday and -have a look at it.”</p> - -<p>“How big is it, Dick?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“It’s just a smallish one,” was the answer. -“Twenty-nine feet long by eighteen wide.”</p> - -<p>“Phew!” cried Roy. “It doesn’t sound small! -When will it be done?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know; about a week, I guess. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -worst thing is figuring about the sails. You see, -I don’t know very much about sailing; never -sailed anything in my life but a kite. So it’s puzzling, -and I’m more than half guessing. Maybe -the fool thing won’t go when it is done.”</p> - -<p>“Course it’ll go,” said Chub. “A sail’s a -sail.”</p> - -<p>“I think it’s perfectly grand!” said Harry -with awe. “Will you take me out in it, Dick, when -it’s finished?”</p> - -<p>“Of course; and if it does manage to go I’m -going to send a challenge to that Thurston chap.”</p> - -<p>“Say, that’ll be bully!” cried Chub. “And -I’m just dying to see the thing. Can’t we go over -before Saturday?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe, but it won’t be very far along before -that time. A lot of the bolts and braces had to be -made, and that takes time, you know. Besides, -that’s only three days from now.”</p> - -<p>“What color are you going to paint it?” asked -Harry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I’d like to have her red,” answered -Dick, “but I suppose it wouldn’t do, for that’s -Hammond’s color, and, besides, Thurston’s is -red.”</p> - -<p>“Paint her blue,” suggested Roy.</p> - -<p>“Pink,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ll have her green,” Dick said. -“That shows up pretty well at a distance.”</p> - -<p>“And call her the <i>Shamrock</i> or the <i>Erin Go -Bragh</i>,” laughed Roy. “What <em>are</em> you going to -call her, by the way?”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t thought much about that yet. Usually -they call ’em <i>Icicles</i> or <i>Jack Frosts</i> or <i>Blizzards</i>, -but I’d rather have something a little newer.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you can name her after me if you want -to,” observed Chub modestly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, call her the <i>Chump</i>,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Let’s all think of names for it,” cried Harry. -“We’ll write them down so as not to forget them -and then we’ll give them to Dick and he can select -one.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And the one whose name is selected,” suggested -Chub, “gets a prize, like—like not having -to ride on the boat.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll be glad enough to ride on her when you -see her,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Who? Me?” queried Chub. “Well, maybe so; -I’m naturally of a brave and reckless disposition. -In fact, as far as I’m personally concerned I’d -like it, but there is the community to think of. -Of course, I owe it to the community to be careful -of myself and not—”</p> - -<p>“You’re talking a great deal of nonsense, -Thomas H. Eaton,” said Harry. “If Dick asks -me to go with him I’ll go mighty quick!”</p> - -<p>“If it’s any sort of a boat that’s just the way -you will go,” observed Roy dryly. “So quick you -won’t know what’s happening to you.”</p> - -<p>“It must be lovely!” cried Harry, clasping her -hands and looking enraptured.</p> - -<p>“Has any one seen Thurston’s boat lately?” -asked Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes,” Roy answered, “I see it pretty nearly -every afternoon. It’s a hummer, too. I think -he goes over to school on it in the mornings and -back to the Cove in the afternoon, because I’ve -seen him heading that way several times about -the time we get through hockey practice.”</p> - -<p>“The only thing I’m afraid of,” said Dick, -with an uneasy glance through the grimy window, -“is that we’ll have a thaw before I get her -ready.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” Chub agreed, “it looks like that -now. But you can’t tell; it may be frozen tight -again by morning. Where are you going to get -your sails, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“At the Cove. There’s a fellow there makes -them. And, say, you fellows, I’ve got to finish -this plan this afternoon so as to take it over to-morrow. -I don’t want to seem inhospitable, but -if you’ll just let me alone for about an hour I can -do it.”</p> - -<p>“Of course we will,” Harry declared. “We’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -go right away. Come on, Vidocq, and Sherlock -Holmes!”</p> - -<p>“You’re sure you don’t want me to stay and -help you?” asked Chub. “I’m a terror at planning; -once I planned a dog-house.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet it was a peach!” jeered Roy.</p> - -<p>“It was. I put a door at each end so Caesar -could get in and out easily, but the fool dog -thought it was a tunnel and used to run through -it full-tilt like an express train.”</p> - -<p>“Get out!” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Fact, really! He’d get a good start and go -through like sixty; and he used to whistle as -he went in.”</p> - -<p>“Chub Eaton!” cried Harry. “You come on -home after that!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” laughed Chub. “This is no place -for genius, anyway. After you, Miss Estrella De -Vere.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /> -<small>THE <i>BOREAS</i> TAKES THE ICE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">When Saturday came the four walked over -to the Cove through a blinding snow-storm -to view the ice-boat. Dick piloted them -down to the edge of the river, where, in a little -shed in Johnson’s Shipyard, were two timbers -bolted and braced together in the shape of a cross -which Dick declared was the ice-boat. The mast -was ready but not yet stepped and the narrow -oval at one end which Dick called a cockpit was -still unfinished. Harry was distinctly disappointed.</p> - -<p>“I’d be afraid to sail on that, Dick,” she confided -earnestly. “I might tumble off.”</p> - -<p>Roy and Chub, however, were enthusiastic over -the craft. The tapering backbone of shining<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -whitewood and the runner-plank of the same -material looked very business-like. Stays of steel -wire led from the runner-plank forward and back -to the ends of the backbone, with turn-buckles to -tighten them. The rigging also, Dick explained, -was to be of wire. The sails were promised for -the middle of the next week, and on the following -Saturday the boat was to be launched. On the -way back to school there was little opportunity -for conversation, since it was necessary to fight -against the wind and sleet at every step. But -afterward, before a roaring fire in the study room, -they discussed the matter of a name. Harry had -written down eleven names and Roy and Chub -had one or two to suggest besides. Harry’s suggestions, -much to her disappointment, didn’t find -favor. Such names as <i>Ice Queen</i>, <i>Reindeer</i> and -<i>Fleetwing</i> were, Dick thought, rather too ladylike, -as he expressed it.</p> - -<p>“I’d thought of <i>Storm King</i>,” said Roy tentatively.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Not bad, but it doesn’t suggest speed,” Dick -said. “How would <i>Tempest</i> do?”</p> - -<p>“<i>Tempest</i> sounds like rain,” Chub objected, -“with thunder and lightning on the side.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. What’s your name for it, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ve got just the thing,” answered Chub -modestly. “What do you say to <i>Polar Bear</i>?”</p> - -<p>“Might as well call it <i>Teddy Bear</i>,” scoffed -Roy. “Polar bears aren’t fast.”</p> - -<p>“Aren’t they, though? Did you ever have one -chase you?”</p> - -<p>“No, did you?”</p> - -<p>“Lots,” answered Chub. “They can run like -sixty!”</p> - -<p>“Besides,” said Harry, “polar bears aren’t -green, and the boat’s going to be green.”</p> - -<p>“Polar bears are green before they’re boiled,” -said Chub flippantly. “And anyway the boat -isn’t painted yet. It could just as well be white -as green.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you name it <i>Dick</i>?” asked Roy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -“You’re about the fastest thing on the ice I know -of.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Glacier?</i>” queried Chub.</p> - -<p>“Icy, but slow,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“I know!” cried Harry. “<i>North Wind!</i>”</p> - -<p>“That’s not bad, is it?” asked Dick. “Only I -suppose it’s been used dozens of times. I’ll put -that down, anyway. Try again, Harry.”</p> - -<p>Harry settled her chin in the palm of one hand -and frowned intensely at the leaping flames.</p> - -<p>“<i>Blast!</i>” exclaimed Chub. “You speak of an -icy blast, don’t you know?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but you’d think right away of dynamite,” -laughed Dick.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you would if you had no more -poetry or romance in your soul than you have, -you wild Westerner!”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t there a bird that lives on ice?” asked -Harry suddenly.</p> - -<p>“Never heard of one,” Roy laughed. “He’d -get cramps.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I mean that lives where there’s nothing but -ice, Smarty,” said Harry indignantly.</p> - -<p>“Then he’d have to eat it, wouldn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Quit your fooling,” said Chub. “Estrella De -Vere is in earnest. You are quite right, Harry. -The little bird you are thinking of is the ice-pick. -It makes its nest in refrigerators and lives on -lemon ice-cream and pineapple sherbet.”</p> - -<p>“I think you’re all horrid,” said Harry. -“There is a bird, Dick, isn’t there?”</p> - -<p>“There’s the eider-duck,” answered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Which plucks the feathers from its own breast -and makes them into eiderdown quilts,” added -Chub. “We will call the boat the <i>Eiderdown -Quilt</i>.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut it out, Chub,” said Roy. “Talk sense, -can’t you?”</p> - -<p>“You ask the impossible,” murmured Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well, so far we’ve got only one worth considering,” -said Dick. “That’s <i>North Wind</i>. What -do you think of it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sounds good to me,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“All right, I think,” Roy replied.</p> - -<p>“Can’t think of anything better, any of you?”</p> - -<p>Roy and Chub shook their heads.</p> - -<p>“Well, we don’t have to decide on it yet,” said -Dick. “And maybe we’ll think of something else -before Saturday. I’m going up-stairs; any one -coming?”</p> - -<p>“Wait!” cried Harry. “I know!”</p> - -<p>“Estrella De Vere has got an idea,” chanted -Chub.</p> - -<p>“I know the very thing,” went on Harry with -sparkling eyes.</p> - -<p>“Out with it,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“<i>Boreas!</i>”</p> - -<p>The three boys looked at each other inquiringly.</p> - -<p>“Boreas,” muttered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Boreas,” echoed Roy.</p> - -<p>“Boreas,” pondered Chub.</p> - -<p>“That’s not half bad, is it?” asked Dick. -“Boreas was—was—who was he?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He was the north wind,” said Chub. “He’s -in mythology, you know.”</p> - -<p>“I like it,” Roy declared. “It sounds sort of -blustery and cold and—and—”</p> - -<p>“<i>Boreas</i> it is!” said Dick with decision. Chub -leaped up and seized Harry’s hand and shook it -enthusiastically.</p> - -<p>“I congratulate you,” he said earnestly. “You -have won the prize and won’t have to risk your -life on the boat!”</p> - -<p>“But it’s a good name, isn’t it, Dick?” Harry -asked eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Fine,” Dick replied. “I had a feeling all -along that you would be the one to find a name -for us.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you think of that?” asked Chub -indignantly. “I could have suggested Boreas -long ago, only I wanted to give Harry a chance to -save her life.”</p> - -<p>“Now we’ve got a name,” said Roy, “all that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -remains is to get the boat. I wish it was next -Saturday now, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“So do I,” Chub chimed in. “Three cheers for -the <i>Boreas</i>!”</p> - -<p>Just a week later the <i>Boreas</i> took the water—I -should say ice. <a href="#image13">The launching</a> was not a ceremonious -affair, nor was it largely attended. -There were present that Saturday morning Dick, -Chub, the builder, four small boys and the -builder’s assistant. I mention them in the order -of their apparent importance. The <i>Boreas</i>, resplendent -in new dark green paint, was awaiting -the ceremony on the edge of the ice, varnished -spars shining in the sunlight, creamy sails furled -on the booms and the wire rigging gleaming like -silver strands.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;"> -<a id="image13"> - <img src="images/image13.jpg" width="412" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_230">The launching</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232-<br />233]</a></span></p> - -<p>There may be some of my readers who have -never met with a real live ice-boat, and for -their benefit a few words about the craft in general -may not be out of place. The plan of an ice-boat -is practically a triangle, the stern being the -apex and each angle terminating in a steel runner. -The runner at the apex or stern is movable and -does duty as a rudder. But what might be called -the deck plan of an ice-boat shows an elongated -lozenge enclosing a cross. The cross is formed by -the fore-and-aft timber, called the backbone, and -the transverse timber called the runner-plank. -At the ends of the latter are attached the fixed -runners, and from a point near-by wire braces run -forward to the bow end of the backbone and aft to -the stern, forming the outline of the lozenge. At -the extreme end of the backbone is the steering-box, -which corresponds to the cockpit of a water -craft. This is usually shaped like a flattened oval, -cushioned or carpeted and is large enough to hold -two persons, one on each side of the backbone. -The mast is set forward of the intersection of the -two timbers.</p> - -<p>There are two popular styles of rig: the jib and -mainsail—like a sloop—and the lateen, a single -sail triangular in shape. But whatever rig is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -used, the effort is made to have the center of -weight as low as possible, and to this end the sails -are made broad and low as compared with the -sails on water boats. By lowering the center of -weight the danger of capsizing is lessened.</p> - -<p>The <i>Boreas</i> was rigged with jib and mainsail. -Doubtless experienced ice-yachtsmen would have -found much to criticize. Even Dick acknowledged -that the mast was far too short and the sail -area much less than it should have been. Also -there were awkward points of construction resulting -from lack of knowledge. But Dick was very -well satisfied for all that, and Mr. Johnson -viewed the result of his labor with pride. The -ceremonies attending the launching—which was -really no launching at all, since the boat was on -the ice when the boys arrived at the scene—were -short and simple. Dick handed a check to the -builder—a rather good-sized check it was, too—and -Chub, striking an attitude, cried: “I christen -you <i>Boreas</i>!” As Chub said, there wasn’t any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -bow in sight and so it would have been idle to have -brought even a bottle of root beer along with -them.</p> - -<p>Dick unlashed the sails and hoisted them one -after the other. They looked very fine in the sunlight -and he ran his eye over their expanse of -creamy whiteness with admiration. Then he and -the builder turned their attention to the mooring -line, and Chub, curled up in the steering-box with -his hand on the tiller, sang “Mister Johnson, turn -me loose!” And a moment later they were gliding -gently away from the shore with the runners singing -softly as they slid over the hard ice. Dick -took the tiller and the boat’s head turned up-stream. -They waved a good-by to the figures on -the shore, and none too soon, for the gleaming -sails caught the wind fairly and the <i>Boreas</i> began -to gain speed every moment.</p> - -<p>“Say, can’t she go?” asked Chub, watching the -shore go by with amazement.</p> - -<p>“She seems all right, doesn’t she?” replied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -Dick. “But she isn’t really going now. The -wind’s dead astern.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s pretty good for a starter,” answered -Chub. “A fellow feels a little bit uneasy -just at first, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s sort of funny, and that’s a fact,” -owned Dick. “And until I’ve learned a little -more about the thing I’m not taking any chances. -There are several tricks I want to try.”</p> - -<p>“How fast do you suppose we’re going?” -asked Chub. Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Blest if I know. I was never on one before. -We’ll call it fifteen miles an hour.”</p> - -<p>“Bet you it’s nearer thirty!” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“When you go that fast you’ll know it,” Dick -answered grimly. “Hold fast now; I’m going to -tack her a bit.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think we’re going fast enough -as—” began Chub.</p> - -<p>But the inquiry ended in an exclamation of -alarm as one runner lifted itself off the ice and the -boat heeled over.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Is that safe?” asked Chub anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Sure; two runners are enough any day,” Dick -shouted back.</p> - -<p>But he eased up on the helm and the boat settled -back again, and Chub gave vent to a sigh of relief. -Dick looked over and smiled.</p> - -<p>“You see,” said Chub apologetically, “I kind -of like to keep in touch with things.”</p> - -<p>“Watch out for Thurston’s boat,” said Dick. -“If we come across her we’ll sort of get a line on -our sailing ability maybe.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t see anything of her,” answered Chub, -“but my eyes are watering so I can’t see much of -anything. What’s that over there across the -river?” Dick turned to look.</p> - -<p>“Coleville,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“What!” cried Chub. “Already? Why, we -haven’t been going a minute! Talk about your -automobiles!”</p> - -<p>News of the ice-boat had got out days before, -and when the <i>Boreas</i> drew near to the landing at -Ferry Hill most of the school was on hand to welcome<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -it. For a first attempt Dick’s handling of -the craft as he swung it around and ran it nose -into the wind beside the landing was very creditable. -Dozens of eager hands aided to hold the -boat and numerous voices were raised in petition.</p> - -<p>“Let me go with you, Somes?”</p> - -<p>“You promised me, Dick! Don’t forget!”</p> - -<p>“I’m going, ain’t I, Dick? Just for a minute, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t bother him! He can’t take every one, -can you, Dick? He’s going to take me this time -and then the rest of you fellows will have your -chance.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not going to take any one this time,” -answered Dick. “I’m going to get the hang of -her and maybe I’ll turn her over. And I don’t -want any fellow to get hurt. I’ll give every one a -ride when I get around to it. Shove her bow off a -bit, will you, Chub?”</p> - -<p>Chub, who had disembarked not altogether unwillingly, -obeyed and the <i>Boreas</i> darted away<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -from the shore with Dick lying low in the steering-box. -For the next half-hour he put the boat -through her paces, while the group on shore -watched. He had read everything he could find -on the subject of ice-yachting and there were -many things he wanted to settle to his own satisfaction. -One of them was the fact that an ice-boat -will go faster across the wind than with it. Dick -was no sailor and at first the proposition had -struck him as a bit startling. “Many persons,” -said his authority, “fancy that a yacht goes faster -before the wind than in any other direction, but -this is not necessarily so. If the wind is blowing -at a velocity of ten miles an hour, the yacht cannot -possibly make more than that amount of speed. -In other words, the boat can travel no faster than -the wind itself. If it did the sails would be aback -instead of drawing. It is on what yachtsmen call -a ‘reach’—that is, with the wind on the quarter or -the beam—that a yacht may sail faster than the -wind is blowing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dick proved this very speedily, for the <i>Boreas</i>, -while she slid along very well with the wind behind, -instantly increased her speed when she was -sent on a tack. He also discovered among other -things that it was extremely unwise to move the -tiller abruptly when the boat was going fast. He -tried it once and only saved himself from taking -a flying leap across the ice by the veriest miracle. -But it was vastly exhilarating, even in the little -eight-mile breeze which was blowing up the river, -and when the boat was on a leeward reach with -the windward runner high off the ice and the runner-plank -slanting up at a good angle, the sensation -he received was as near like that of flying as -anything could be, he thought.</p> - -<p>He made up his mind that the next time he ventured -out he would be more warmly dressed, for -the wind drove right through his sweater, and his -hands under his woolen gloves felt like pieces of -ice. When, at last, he headed back down the river -on a broad tack for the landing he was quite ready<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -to exchange the steering-box of the <i>Boreas</i> for a -place in front of the fireplace in the study-room. -Willing hands helped him pull the boat up on the -bank and furl the sails. Then, with Harry and -Roy and Chub as immediate body-guard, he set -off up the hill toward the dormitory and dinner. -To the latter he brought a most appreciative appetite.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon Roy had his first trip, and -later, when he had been safely returned to the rink -for the hockey game, Chub took his place. The -<i>Boreas</i> spun up the river for some fifteen miles -and by the time the cruise was over Chub had -got over his nervousness and was as enthusiastic -an ice-yachtsman as ever wept in the teeth of a -gale.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /> -<small>THE DOCTOR INTERVENES</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">I am sorry to say that for something like a -fortnight past Dick’s lessons had been suffering. -He didn’t really intend that they should, -but when one is studying the science of ice-yachting -and at the same time superintending the -building of a boat, one is likely to be pretty busy; -and that was the case with Dick. There wasn’t -time for ice-boat and lessons, too, and so he made -the mistake of sacrificing the lessons. And very -soon he wished he hadn’t.</p> - -<p>The weather held clear and bitterly cold, and on -Monday the <i>Boreas</i> was once more flying up and -down the river. There was a light breeze, but -enough to make the boat show plenty of speed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -leeward. Harry had her first sail that afternoon -and enjoyed it immensely. Dick was careful to -run no risk of capsizing and kept a safe distance -from rough ice. They ran down to Silver Cove in -a series of long reaches and then came back up -the river before the wind. Off Coleville they -sighted Joe Thurston’s boat, but its skipper refused -to come out and try conclusions, although -the <i>Boreas</i> hovered tantalizingly about for some -time. The red boat hugged the shore closely and -finally snuggled up against the Hammond landing -and dropped her sails. Although Dick was -anxious to race he was not altogether sorry to -have the opportunity deferred, for with Harry -aboard he would not have wanted to let the <i>Boreas</i> -out to full speed. But he made up his mind -that to-morrow afternoon he would run over to -Coleville and make Thurston race with him. But -there’s never any knowing what twenty-four -hours will bring forth.</p> - -<p>At breakfast the next morning Dick’s name was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -among those mentioned by the Doctor and Dick -was one of a half dozen boys required to pay visits -to the Doctor’s office at noon. Dick went out -of the dining hall feeling rather uneasy and wishing -that he had given more attention to his studies -of late. Roy and Chub captured him outside and -decoyed him into the study room. They were -both looking preternaturally solemn, and Chub -insisted on wringing his hand silently.</p> - -<p>“Of course you can come back next year,” said -Roy. “It isn’t likely he will fire you for good.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Chub. “Might as well look -on the bright side of it. And if you try you can -study at home enough to keep up with your class. -Of course there’s the disgrace of it, but—well, -you can live that down in time.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you can,” Roy assured him, evidently -striving to be cheerful in the face of adversity. -“But we’ll miss you, Dick, like anything.”</p> - -<p>“You bet we will,” Chub said. “And—er—you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -won’t want to take the ice-boat home with -you, I suppose. So I’ll take charge of it for you, -old man.”</p> - -<p>“We both will,” added Roy. “Anything to -oblige a friend.”</p> - -<p>Dick listened with a sheepish smile on his face.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” he said, “and have a good time. -I don’t mind. Children must be amused.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, don’t let it harden you,” pleaded Chub. -“Face it like a man and live it down. After all, -there are worse things in life—”</p> - -<p>But Dick’s patience was at an end and Chub’s -philosophizing was cut short by the sudden necessity -of defending himself against Dick’s onslaught. -A minute later Mr. Cobb, passing -through the corridor, put his head in at the door -long enough to remark:</p> - -<p>“Boys! No fooling in the study room, remember!”</p> - -<p>The three disentangled themselves, panting and -puffing, and proceeded to repair their attire.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -Chub, with one end of his collar pointing toward -his ear, observed the torn button-hole out of the -corner of his eye and turned severely to Dick.</p> - -<p>“I just hope he does fire you, you big Western -brute! Look what you’ve done to my collar.”</p> - -<p>“Go and borrow one of Sid’s,” suggested Roy -with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re even,” Dick answered unruffledly. -“My suspenders are busted.”</p> - -<p>After the final morning recitation Dick turned -his steps toward the office. Of course there was -no question of being expelled, but nevertheless he -was anxious to know what awaited him. There -were two boys ahead of him and he had to wait -in the library for almost half an hour, and, naturally -enough, that wasn’t pleasant. But finally -the suspense ended and he found himself facing -the Doctor.</p> - -<p>“Somes, I hear from Mr. Buckman and Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -Cobb that you have been doing very poorly in -your studies of late, and my own observations -bear out their report. What’s the trouble?”</p> - -<p>Dick was silent, searching for a reply that -would be at once truthful and not too self-incriminating.</p> - -<p>“Maybe we made a mistake in putting you in -the Second Senior Class. I was in doubt about -the advisability of it at the time, you will remember. -Perhaps you had better drop back a class. -Does that appeal to you?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” Dick answered with emphasis.</p> - -<p>“But if the lessons are too hard for you?”</p> - -<p>“They’re not, sir.”</p> - -<p>“They’re not? Well, that’s a refreshing thing -to hear, Somes. I’ve just been talking to several -other boys and had begun to think that we were -driving the students too hard here. Then you -don’t find the lessons too difficult?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Then may I ask again what the trouble is? -If they are not too difficult why can’t you learn -them?”</p> - -<p>“I can, sir,” answered Dick after a moment’s -pause. “I—haven’t been studying very hard -lately. I’m sorry, sir.”</p> - -<p>“So am I. Because you are wasting your time, -and you are wasting our time. When you came -here you told me that you would abide by the -rules and be diligent. Didn’t you, Somes?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly. And you haven’t been doing it. -For some two weeks or so you have been coming -into class with your lessons half prepared. You -haven’t kept your part of the agreement, my boy. -Supposing I were to tell you that an agreement -broken by one of the parties becomes void? You -realize what that would mean?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” replied Dick troubledly.</p> - -<p>There followed a moment of silence during -which the Doctor, leaning back in his chair and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -rolling his pen between his fingers, studied Dick -attentively. Then:</p> - -<p>“I believe you have lately bought some sort of -an ice-boat, Somes. Is that correct?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. I got it Saturday.”</p> - -<p>“Hum! Rather an expensive luxury for a boy -of your age, it seems to me. Do you think that -your father would approve of your buying it if -he knew?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. He lets me buy what I like.”</p> - -<p>“I see. How long have you been negotiating -for this boat?”</p> - -<p>“I—I ordered it about two weeks ago.”</p> - -<p>“Rather a coincidence that, don’t you think, -Somes? It looks to me as though that ice-boat -explained matters. What do you think?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by ‘Yes, sir’?”</p> - -<p>“I guess it does explain. I was so—so busy -thinking about it, sir, that I didn’t have time to -study much,” answered Dick honestly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Have you sailed it yet?”</p> - -<p>“I was out Saturday and yesterday, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Like it, do you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, very much.”</p> - -<p>The Doctor was silent a moment. Then, smiling -slightly, he asked:</p> - -<p>“Do you know what I am considering, Somes?”</p> - -<p>“I think so, sir. You’re going to take the boat -away, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Not exactly. I couldn’t absolutely take it -away from you, for it is, of course, your property. -But I could forbid you to use it while at my -school. You understand that?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what I am going to do is to forbid you -to use it again until you have caught up with -your lessons. How long that will be depends on -you. Does that sound unjust to you?”</p> - -<p>Dick studied his hands attentively.</p> - -<p>“Recollect, please, that you came here first of -all to study, to work. A certain amount of play<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -is very necessary, but when play interferes with -work it is time to call a halt. That appears to be -what has happened in your case, Somes. You -have allowed yourself to get far behind in your -lessons. It can’t go on, you know. You’ve got -to turn over a new leaf if you want to stay here -at Ferry Hill. You acknowledged yourself that -you can learn your lessons, and so I must insist -that you do so. This ice-boat seems to have -proved a disturbing element. So I propose to -eliminate it for a while, until, in fact, you have -shown that you mean to keep your part of our -agreement. Do you think I am unjust?”</p> - -<p>Dick gave over examining his hands and looked -at the Doctor.</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” he answered. “I guess you’re—pretty -white.”</p> - -<p>The Doctor bent his head to conceal the smile -that trembled about his mouth. Then:</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s the way it stands then. Catch -up with your studies and you can go back to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -ice-boat. But until then—leave it strictly alone -and try to forget about it. That’s all, I think. -Good morning, Somes.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir. Good morning.”</p> - -<p>Dick found Chub after dinner and pulled him -into a corner of the corridor.</p> - -<p>“Easy now,” Chub protested. “This is the -last clean collar I’ve got!”</p> - -<p>“Never mind your collar,” said Dick. “What -I want you to do is to sail the <i>Boreas</i> down to -Johnson’s this afternoon and tell him to look -after her for me until I call. Do you think you -can do it?”</p> - -<p>“Sail it? Of course I can,” said Chub. “But -what—what’s the matter? Has the Doctor been -acting up?”</p> - -<p>Dick told what had passed in the office, and at -four o’clock Chub and the <i>Boreas</i> passed down -the river. Dick, from the study room window, -watched them go and then turned with a sigh to -his books.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For the next week or so Dick studied desperately; -even Roy and Chub, who knew what he was capable -of in the way of concentration, were surprised -at the zeal he displayed. All their efforts to entice -him out of the library or the study room in -the afternoons went for naught and in the end -they were invariably forced to take their departure -without him, leaving him alone in his glory -and often to the undisputed possession of the -room. Day after day of bright, cold weather -came and passed, days with crisp winds which -would have brought joy to the heart of the ice-yachtsman. -Harry was very indignant at her -father’s action and confided to Roy and Chub -that she had scolded him severely.</p> - -<p>“I guess he felt pretty much ashamed of himself,” -laughed Roy. “Is he going to apologize -to Dick?”</p> - -<p>“N—no, he was very unreasonable,” answered -Harry. “He said he guessed things would have -to stand the way they were.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You’ll have to manage him better than that,” -Roy said with a shake of his head. “Your authority -is in danger, Harry.”</p> - -<p>Saturday evening Dick took a brief vacation -from study and there was a meeting of the F. H. -S. I. S. in the barn. But nothing was accomplished, -although ways and means were discussed -for some time and all sorts of schemes for raising -the money were advanced.</p> - -<p>“If only Ferry Hill had turned out a few dozen -millionaires,” mourned Chub. “Every school -ought to graduate a millionaire a year.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe some of the Ferry Hill grads are millionaires,” -said Dick thoughtfully. “If we only -had a list of them we might be able to find out.”</p> - -<p>“I thought millionaires didn’t go to school,” -said Harry. “They’re self-made, aren’t they?”</p> - -<p>“They always used to be,” Roy replied, “but -I guess the new crop is different.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, they’re degenerating,” Chub added. -“It’s the same way with Presidents. It used to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -be that you couldn’t be President unless you had -been a poor boy and had worked on a farm. But -look at the Presidents nowadays! Just ordinary -rich men! Why, most anybody can be President -now!”</p> - -<p>“There’s a chance for you, Chub,” suggested -Roy. “You never split a rail in your life.”</p> - -<p>“And I’m sure he never studied by the light of -a log-fire,” laughed Dick.</p> - -<p>“I think it’s beautiful about Abraham Lincoln,” -said Harry wistfully. “I wish I had been -born a poor boy so I could have done the way he -did and been President of the United States, and -had a birthday after I was dead, with flags and -speeches and—and things!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose if you were President,” said Chub, -“you’d make Methuselah Secretary of State, -wouldn’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and you could be Secretary of the Navy, -and Dick, Secretary of War, and Roy—”</p> - -<p>“Secretary of Agriculture,” Dick suggested.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, I’d make him my private secretary.”</p> - -<p>“Roy always does have all the luck,” grieved -Chub. “I’m mad; I resign from the cabinet!”</p> - -<p>And with Chub’s resignation the meeting broke -up.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>On Wednesday Dick had made up his lost studies -and the embargo on the <i>Boreas</i> was removed. -And on the same day Harry sought him with tidings -of a challenge from Joe Thurston.</p> - -<p>“He told Grace—that’s his sister, you know—to -tell me to tell you that he wanted to race you -with his ice-boat. Its name is the <i>Snowbird</i>. -Isn’t that a pretty name, Dick? And he wants -to race to-morrow after school, and says he will -meet you at the landing here at half-past three.”</p> - -<p>“But I can’t get the <i>Boreas</i> up here by that -time,” said Dick, “unless—” he paused and -thought a moment. Then, “All right,” he said. -“You tell his sister that I’ll be there, Harry.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But how can you get the boat?” she asked -anxiously.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go down in the morning before breakfast,” -he answered. “Mr. Cobb will give me permission -all right. Did he say how far he wanted -to race?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Harry. “And, Dick, I suppose I -couldn’t go with you, could I? I’d like to awfully.” -But Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I’d be afraid to have you,” he answered. “I -guess I’d better go alone; unless Thurston takes -some one with him; if he does I’ll get Chub -to go with me. You couldn’t kill Chub if you -tried.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think you can beat the <i>Snowbird</i>?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess the north wind is faster than -any old bird ever made,” laughed Dick. “But -Thurston knows a heap more about sailing than -I do, I suppose, and that ought to help him a lot. -But I’ll do my best.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And, Dick, you must have a Ferry Hill flag -on the mast!”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, but I’ll have to borrow one somewhere. -I don’t own one.”</p> - -<p>“You shall have mine,” cried Harry. “It’s a -lucky flag, Dick, and if you have it you just can’t -help winning the race!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /> -<small>THE RACE OF THE ICE-BOATS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">A bitterly cold, lowering day with a -northeasterly gale blowing almost straight -down the river, nipping fingers and ears and -noses. Now and then a fitful flurry of snow, driving -past like a miniature blizzard.</p> - -<p>In front of the Ferry Hill landing two ice-boats, -heads to the wind, sails snapping and wire rigging -singing in the blasts; one with red hull and -a cherry-and-black flag whipping from the masthead, -the other glistening in new green and bearing -the brown-and-white banner of Ferry Hill on -high. About them some sixty boys from the rival -schools, turning and twisting in and out on their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -skates in an effort to keep warm in the face of -the biting gale. And over all a leaden, cheerless -sky.</p> - -<p>The race was to be windward and return, a distance -of about fourteen miles. The starting-line -was opposite the northern end of the boat-house, -the turning-point some seven miles up the river -at a place called Indian Head, where a small islet -rose from the river near the west bank to serve -as a mark. The boats were to finish opposite the -boat-house. On the <i>Snowbird</i> were Joe Thurston -and his friend Bob Cutler, while the <i>Boreas</i> held -Dick and Chub. Whitcomb, with a small starting -pistol in his gloved hand, was trying to push the -crowd back so that the boats might swing into the -wind at the signal.</p> - -<p>The warning was given, the rival skippers declared -themselves ready and the pistol barked, its -sharp report being instantly whisked away on the -wind. The slender noses of the two boats were -turned, the sails filled slowly, and after a moment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -of seeming hesitation the <i>Snowbird</i> and the <i>Boreas</i> -started slowly across the ice on the first tack -to starboard, while behind them the rival groups -shouted encouragement to the yachtsmen and defiance -to each other. With every instant the boats -gathered headway, gliding across the glassy -surface like gaily hued dragon-flies above the surface -of a pool. The white wings became taut -under the steady wind and the windward runners -left the ice as the boats heeled further and further. -It was nip and tuck on that first tack, the -boats keeping their relative positions until the -farther shore was reached and the helms were -put over. Around swung the crafts and pointed -their noses toward the right bank of the river.</p> - -<p>On the <i>Boreas</i> Dick and Chub lay on opposite -sides of the backbone which divided the steering-box -into halves. Dick held the tiller. They were -wrapped in the warmest clothing they had been -able to find, but it was far from warm enough. -The wind came slanting against them and bored<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -its way down necks and up sleeves. Fingers were -already tingling and foreheads aching.</p> - -<p>“Cold!” shouted Dick above the singing of the -runners and the whistle of the wind. Chub nodded -and made a grimace without taking his gaze -from the <i>Snowbird</i>, which, some fifty feet away, -was bowling along finely.</p> - -<p>“She’s gaining,” said Chub presently. Dick -turned and looked, glanced at his sails and eased -the helm a little. Then it was time to go about -again, since the shore was becoming dangerously -near. The <i>Snowbird</i> was already turning, slowing -for a moment as she pointed dead to windward -and then springing away again as the gale -slanted across the sails. The <i>Boreas</i> had lost and -on this tack she was sixty or seventy yards behind -her rival. The latter’s larger sail area was telling. -Chub looked anxiously at Dick, but that -youth was gazing across at the <i>Snowbird</i>, a hand -held in front of his face to break the wind. When -he turned there was a little frown on his face and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -he pointed the nose of the <i>Boreas</i> closer into the -wind. For a while she seemed to be holding her -own. Then the <i>Snowbird</i> went about again, this -time on a mile-long reach made possible by a bend -in the river. The <i>Boreas</i> was almost half a minute -behind now and Dick was growling things to -himself that Chub couldn’t catch. The wind -seemed to be growing stronger, though perhaps -it was merely that it had a broader sweep here -where the stream turned toward the east.</p> - -<p>“How fast?” asked Chub, his hand to his -mouth.</p> - -<p>“Twenty-five, I guess,” Dick shouted back.</p> - -<p>Chub tried to whistle, but couldn’t. Beside -them the ice was only a blurred surface that -rushed by without form or substance, a grayish-green -nothing, as it seemed, above which they -were speeding with a rapidity that almost took -the breath away. The wind shrieked and roared -and strove to blow them from the box to which -they were clinging. A sudden flurry of snow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> -rushed down upon them, hiding the shore and the -other boat from their sight, and blinding them so -that for a moment they had to close their eyes.</p> - -<p>“Look out for the shore!” cried Chub, with a -gasp. There was an unintelligible word from -Dick in reply as a gray shape suddenly sprang -out of the snow-mist. “Hold hard!” he shouted. -Chub had just time to obey when over went the -tiller, there was a loud <em>slur—r—r</em> as the runners -ground sideways against the ice and the <i>Boreas</i> -threw herself about so suddenly that it was all -the boys could do to keep their places. Then a -quick leap forward and the boat was on the other -tack and the snow-squall had passed. They looked -eagerly for the <i>Snowbird</i>. She had gained some, -but not much. The <i>Boreas</i> with a rush and a roar -swept after her. It was a short tack this time, -since Hopple Rock lay dead ahead off the west -shore, and soon they were once more on the port -tack, the windward end of the runner-plank standing -high above the ice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There’s the Head!” said Dick.</p> - -<p>Perhaps two miles up the frozen river a somber -rock, tree crowned, arose from the gray ice like a -rugged sugar-loaf. There was no mistaking it, -although neither Dick nor Chub had ever journeyed -so far up-stream. The boats must pass -around it before they turned homeward. Dick, as -best he could, shading his eyes with one mittened -hand, studied the river. Then he moved the tiller -slowly and cautiously until the boat was heeled -so far over that Chub was forced to cling frantically -to the backbone to keep from rolling off onto -the ice. But the boat responded with increased -speed. Chub, with the tears streaming from his -eyes, held on, at once fearful and fascinated. -Surely they were flying through air and that -grayness flowing swiftly beneath them was cloud! -It was hard to believe that they were on solid ice!</p> - -<p>“Hold tight!” cried Dick.</p> - -<p>Chub wondered how he could hold any tighter -with his numbed and aching fingers. Then the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -windward runner dropped quickly to the ice, the -<i>Boreas</i> swung about on her heel and Chub found -himself rolling over against the backbone as the -new tack began. Half a mile ahead the <i>Snowbird</i>, -a low streak of red topped with a snowy -spread of sail, was crossing in the opposite direction, -the cherry-and-black flag at the masthead -standing out as stiff as though starched.</p> - -<p>“She’s got us beaten!” said Chub.</p> - -<p>But Dick made no answer. He was calculating -his chances. It was evident that the <i>Snowbird</i> -was going to round the rock on the starboard -tack. That meant, as Dick figured it out, that she -would make two more reaches first. But to Dick -it seemed that perhaps something was to be -gained by hauling closer to the wind at the next -turn and making a long tack to port until a point -was reached near the east shore and slightly below -the rock. From there he could round the -mark with a short tack to starboard and start -home on a long course with the wind abeam. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -meant allowing the <i>Snowbird</i> to gain now in the -hope of cutting down her lead later. So when the -<i>Boreas</i> again came about Chub found that it was -not necessary to hold on for dear life. The boat -was headed closer into the wind and the steering-box -was no longer canted at an alarming angle. -The speed was less, but the boat demonstrated the -fact that she could do fast work when close-hauled. -The <i>Snowbird</i> crossed twice ahead of -them during the next few minutes and finally, just -as the <i>Boreas</i> was nearing the end of her final -reach to port, she shot from around the island -and turned homeward. Chub looked anxious and -perplexed. Then over went the helm once more, -there was a sharp swirl as the <i>Boreas</i> swung -about and the black rock rushed toward them. -As they skirted it the starboard runner was -scarcely more than six yards from the gray boulders -that lay about it. Then the wind was behind -them and with a rush and a bound the <i>Boreas</i> -started toward home. The <i>Snowbird</i> was, as Dick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -estimated, three quarters of a mile ahead, running -fleetly on the opposite tack.</p> - -<p>A stern chase is a long chase, they say, and the -crew of the <i>Boreas</i> found it so. And yet, before -half the distance to the finish had been reeled off, -they knew that they were gaining slowly but consistently -on their opponent. Joe Thurston was -making the mistake of sailing too closely before -the wind. Dick, on the other hand, strove to keep -the wind well on his beam, and while, in order to -do this, it was necessary to put the <i>Boreas</i> on -shorter tacks, the result was warranting it. Little -by little the green boat cut down the distance -that separated her from the red. But with three -miles still to run it seemed that the handicap was -too large. The <i>Snowbird</i> looked then very much -like a winner to Chub and he wondered how -Harry would reconcile the defeat of the <i>Boreas</i> -with the fact that her lucky Ferry Hill banner -was flying from the masthead. If the boats had -made speed going up the river they were simply<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -flying now, although as the wind was behind them -the difference was not very appreciable to the -boys. Thirty miles an hour when you are scarcely -a foot above the surface seems a terrific pace.</p> - -<p>Two miles above Ferry Hill the <i>Snowbird</i> was -scarcely a quarter of a mile ahead. She was -starting on a long reach which, if all went well -with her, would be the last but one to bring her to -the line. The <i>Boreas</i> was on the opposite side of -the river and as she swung across on a new tack -it was evident that Dick was ready for any hazard. -Chub found himself in danger of rolling off -onto the ice, while Dick seemed every moment -about to topple down upon him. The <i>Boreas</i> was -like a boy standing on one leg and kicking the -other into the air. Then another change of course -and it was Chub’s turn to go up. There were -moments when he vowed that if he reached home -safely he would never trust himself again on an -ice-boat with Dick Somes. But they were gaining -every moment now and the quarter-mile lead was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -down to an eighth. Suddenly Chub, who was -peering ahead at the <i>Snowbird</i>, gave an exclamation -of surprise. The <i>Snowbird</i>, then in mid-stream, -had suddenly left her tack and had headed -again toward the east shore.</p> - -<p>“Ice-crack!” shouted Dick in explanation. “I -saw it when we came up.”</p> - -<p>“Better change your course then,” said Chub -anxiously. But Dick only shook his head. That -the <i>Snowbird</i> had decided to go around it and so -give him a good chance of winning was no reason -why he should follow suit. The <i>Boreas</i> held her -course. Chub glanced in alarm at the calm, set -face beside him and something he saw there -quieted his fears. He looked forward. Ahead, -rushing toward them, was a black fissure, an ice-crack -which extended for over a hundred yards -almost directly across the ice. How wide it was -Chub had no idea. Nor did he have time for -much speculation, for:</p> - -<p>“<em>Hold for all you’re worth, Chub!</em>” cried Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 428px;"> -<a id="image14"> - <img src="images/image14.jpg" width="428" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_272">“A half-mile away was the finish line”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272-<br />273]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then a twelve-foot expanse of water and -broken ice swept up to them, Dick eased the helm -until the boat was at right angles to the crack and -the fore runners struck the slightly raised edge -of the fissure at the same instant. Chub closed -his eyes and held on convulsively. The <i>Boreas</i> -rose bodily in the air, there was a momentary -sensation of being swept through space, and then -the runners clanged down upon the ice with a soft -jar and the <i>Boreas</i> was tearing along toward the -finish, having taken the gap with a twenty-foot -leap as a hunter takes a fence!</p> - -<p>Chub opened his eyes. The crack was just a -dark thread behind them. Near at hand the -<i>Snowbird</i> was charging along with them neck and -neck. <a href="#image14">A half-mile away was the finish line</a> and -the groups of dark figures.</p> - -<p>“Hold on!” cried Dick again. And this time -there was exultation in his voice. The <i>Boreas</i> -heeled to the blast and drew away from the red -boat, foot by foot, yard by yard. Twenty seconds—and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -there was a gap between them! Thirty -seconds—and there stretched the length of a boat -between! Forty seconds—and the <i>Boreas</i> was -charging past the waving figures at the finish, the -brown-and-white flag at the masthead flapping in -triumph. Dick had won by a scant ten yards!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /> -<small>FORMING THE TRACK TEAM</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">As though resolved that the <i>Boreas</i> should -rest for a while on her laurels, the weather -changed that night within the hour and when -morning dawned there was a warm southwest -wind blowing up the river. That afternoon Dick -took Harry for a sail, but the wind by that time -had died down to a thin, warm breeze that -scarcely filled the sails, and in consequence the -trip was not an exhilarating one. But exhilarating -or otherwise, it proved to be practically -the last of the season, for the warm weather held -until the ice-cracks, air-holes and expanses of rotten -ice which quickly developed made ice-boating -at once dangerous and unpleasant. To be sure,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -there were occasional trips, but the river never -returned to a state making possible another race -between the <i>Boreas</i> and the <i>Snowbird</i>, a race -which Joe Thurston was eager for and which Dick -was not at all averse to. Finally the <i>Boreas</i> was -drawn up beside the landing and dismantled, the -sails and rigging being stored in the boat-house. -As Chub poetically phrased it, “The career of the -good ship <i>Boreas</i> has been brief, but ah, how glorious!”</p> - -<p>February was a fortnight old when the school -was thrown into a fever of mild excitement by a -notice posted on the bulletin board in School Hall. -The notice read as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>It is proposed to form a Track Team, and a meeting -for that purpose will be held to-morrow (Friday) afternoon -in the Gym at 4:15. All fellows are earnestly requested -to be present.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Roy Porter</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">T. H. Eaton</span>.<br /></p> -</div> - -<p>I think you could have formed most anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -at Ferry Hill just then, from a Croquet Club to a -Sewing Society. February is a dull time of year, -and the fellows were eager for anything which -promised to supply a new interest. For two -weeks the rink had been unfit to play on, and the -river in scarcely better condition. Ferry Hill had -won the first six games of its hockey schedule, -including the first contest with Hammond. The -second game with the rival school had been twice -postponed, and Roy was beginning to lose hope of -ever being able to play it, a thing which disgusted -him not a little since the team had shown itself to -be an unusually good one and able, in his and the -school’s estimation, to cope successfully with any -hockey team in the vicinity. With skating and -hockey at a standstill, base-ball practice confined -only to light work in the cage, and the golf links -still half a foot deep in snow, the forty-three students -at Ferry Hill were ripe for any excitement. -And as a result the meeting on Friday afternoon -was about as well attended as it could possibly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -have been. Things went with a rush from the -start. Roy outlined the project and introduced -Dick Somes, who had hitherto remained in the -background. It didn’t take Dick more than two -minutes of talking to have every fellow on the -edge of his chair with roseate visions of a track -and field victory over Hammond floating before -his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Say, Roy,” whispered Chub, “Dick’s father -is some sort of a promoter, isn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I think so; sells mines, doesn’t he? -Why?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing much, only I know now where Dick -gets it!”</p> - -<p>Before the meeting was over thirty-seven out -of thirty-nine fellows in attendance had put their -names down for the track team and had agreed -to contribute two dollars apiece. And there -wasn’t one of them who wasn’t firmly convinced -that he had the making of a sprinter, distance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span> -runner, hurdler, jumper, pole-vaulter or weight-thrower!</p> - -<p>“I’ve talked with Mr. Cobb,” said Dick, “and -he’s right with us in this; says there’s no reason -why we shouldn’t be able to turn out a dandy -team. Of course, we mustn’t set our hearts on -too much this spring; we’re new at it yet, and it -takes a couple of years to get the stride. But I -can’t see why we haven’t as good a chance to lick -Hammond as she has to lick us. (<em>Enthusiastic -applause.</em>) As soon as we’ve elected officers -we’ll get a challenge off to her, and I guess -there’s no doubt but what she’ll be glad to meet -us. We haven’t got a very good outdoor track -just now, but we’re going to fix that in time. -Meanwhile we can do a whole lot of work indoors, -and Mr. Cobb will arrange it so that he will be on -hand here three afternoons a week to give instruction. -But there mustn’t be any backing -down, fellows. If you go in to this you must keep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -it up. It may seem like hard work at first, but -after we get out of doors you’ll like it immensely. -I’m not afraid of your backing out then; only that -you may get discouraged before that. But if -you’ll just remember all the time that we’re -going to show Hammond that we’re just as good -on the cinder track as we are on the gridiron and -the diamond and the river, why, I guess you’ll -stick it out.”</p> - -<p>Dick sat down amid hearty cheers and Roy -proposed the election of officers.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” he said, “that we’d better leave -the selection of a captain until a little later, until -we’ve been together a while and have seen who’s -capable of heading the team. So that leaves us -the duty of selecting a manager and assistant -manager. Nominations are in order.”</p> - -<p>Warren proposed Roy for manager, but Roy -declined, pleading a press of other duties. Then -Chub, who had his instructions, arose and nominated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> -Dick. Dick was unanimously chosen. The -position of assistant manager was not so quickly -filled, but finally Sid Welch was put up and the -meeting accepted him hilariously, demanding a -speech. But Sid refused to make any remarks -except to bob his head and mutter something -about being much obliged.</p> - -<p>On Saturday afternoon the candidates got to -work in the gymnasium. A less optimistic person -than Dick Somes would, I think, have been -rather discouraged by the prospect. Few of the -candidates for the team had ever seriously tried -the work which they had selected. A good many -of them, in fact, had very hazy ideas of what they -had let themselves in for, and there was a deal of -grumbling over chest-weights and dumb-bells. -But the grumbling always ceased when Dick drew -near, and his enthusiasm was contagious. Mr. -Cobb shook his head afterward and said he was -afraid there wasn’t enough material there to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span> -make a team that could hope to make a showing -against Hammond. But Dick wouldn’t listen to -that.</p> - -<p>“We may be weak in some events,” he said, -“but we’ll have some good sprinters, you mark -my words, sir, and if we can get a lot of second -and third places we’ll make a good showing for a -new team. I wish every other fellow wouldn’t -insist on being either a hurdler or a hammer-thrower, -though,” he laughed. “I can’t find but -one chap who is willing to go in for the pole-vault, -and he’s only doing it as a favor to me and -will probably back out when he’s once tried it -and has found that he can’t do twelve feet the -first time.”</p> - -<p>Dick had purchased every book on the subject -of track and field athletics that he could hear of -and was studying them diligently. He knew, -perhaps, as little at the start as any fellow in -school in regard to track and field work and -training methods. But he talked with every one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -who could help him, especially Mr. Cobb, and, as -I have said, studied all the literature to be found. -The result was that by the time outdoor work was -reached he knew a good deal on the subject, although -much of his knowledge was as yet theoretical, -and would have impressed the wiliest veteran -athlete as being an old hand. A portion of Dick’s -philosophy, if ever formulated in words, would -have run something like this: “Know how if you -can; if you can’t, keep your mouth shut and look -wise.”</p> - -<p>When, three weeks after the formation of the -team, an election for captain was held, the members -suddenly realized that there was only one -among them who possessed the requisite knowledge -to fill the office successfully, only one whom -they placed faith in. Six fellows got on to their -feet at the same moment and nominated Dick -Somes and about a dozen more seconded the nomination. -Further nominations not following, Dick -was unanimously elected, accepting the honor with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> -becoming modesty. Sid was promoted to manager -and Fernald became assistant.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Roy after the meeting was over, -“that went all right.”</p> - -<p>“According to program,” agreed Chub cheerfully.</p> - -<p>“You fellows may think it was cheeky of me to -get up the team and then have myself elected captain,” -said Dick, “but I know that I’m the only -fellow here who can see the thing through. And I -suppose that sounds conceited.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it might from some one else,” said Roy, -“but it doesn’t from you, Dick. Anyhow, it’s -just about so. If any fellow can make a track -team go here it’s you. And I hope you’ll succeed.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll succeed all right,” answered Dick -calmly. “Of course I don’t look for many victories -this year, but if we get the team started -it’ll keep a-going, and next year or the year after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span> -that we’ll show a few of those conceited Hammondites -what we can do.”</p> - -<p>“I wish I had some of your confidence,” sighed -Chub. “If I had I’d feel better about base-ball.”</p> - -<p>“Chub’s an optimist when it comes to other -people’s affairs,” laughed Roy, “and a confirmed -growler about his own. Last year he was certain -we were going to get licked by Hammond; went -around for two weeks before the game looking as -though he’d swallowed a barrel of pickles.”</p> - -<p>“Were you?” Dick asked.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it! We won, eight to seven.”</p> - -<p>“It was a close call, though,” said Chub. “If -you hadn’t—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Dick’s heard all about that,” interrupted -Roy. “When are you going to issue that challenge -to Hammond, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Right away now. I told Sid to meet me this -evening after supper and we’d write it out. -They’re probably still smarting over losing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span> -second hockey game to us and that will make -them eager to lick us at something else. I want -them to propose their own grounds. In the first -place, ours won’t be fit for much this spring, and -in the next place if we’re beaten, as we’re pretty -sure to be, we’ll be able to point to the fact that -Hammond had the advantage of being on her home -field; as a matter of fact, it won’t make much difference -to us where we are. Then next year, when -we may have a chance of beating them, they’ll -have to come over here.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you aren’t the foxy one!” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t want the fellows to be discouraged -when they’re beaten,” responded Dick. -“And the more excuses they have the less they’ll -mind a defeat. I guess I’ll leave you fellows here. -I want to go to the Cottage a minute to see Harry.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll come along,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>Dick smiled and shook his head.</p> - -<p>“It’s a private matter,” he said. “You fellows -run along.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What do you think of that?” exclaimed Roy. -“He and Harry have been mighty chummy for the -last week or two, Chub. Wonder what’s up, eh?”</p> - -<p>“You’ll find out presently,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>They had been sauntering slowly along the -path from the gymnasium and now Dick turned -to the right and walked across the wet turf.</p> - -<p>“Where are you going?” demanded Roy.</p> - -<p>“Just here,” answered Dick, stopping and looking -off down the slope toward the river. “You -get a great view from here, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Roy as they joined him. -“What of it?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing, only I’ve been thinking that this -would be a fine site for the new dormitory.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” exclaimed Chub. “I’d forgotten all -about it. Anything doing yet?”</p> - -<p>“N-no, not to speak of,” answered Dick as he -turned back toward the path. “Still, I rather -think there’ll be a meeting before very long.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he the mysterious chump?” asked Chub.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span> -“Bet you he’s thought out a scheme. Have you, -Dick?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you after a while,” was the answer. -“So long.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, of course we don’t want to know,” -replied Chub. “Farewell, O Man of Mystery!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /> -<small>THE TREASURY IS LOOTED</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Hammond accepted Ferry Hill’s challenge -to a dual track meet with alacrity, and, as -Dick had hoped they would, suggested that it be -held on the Hammond oval. The only thing that -Dick didn’t like was the choice of dates offered, -May 12 and June 16. The Hammond manager explained -that on other Saturday afternoons either -the track team had meets or the oval would be in -use by the base-ball team. Dick would have preferred -a date about the last of May could he have -had his choice. Five of the more promising members -of the team were members of the base-ball -nine as well, and Dick had that fact to bear in -mind. It would be impossible for them to take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -part in a meet after the first of June, for then the -important contests on the diamond began, notably -the three games with Hammond.</p> - -<p>Dick and Sid and the manager of the rival team -had a conference in Silver Cove one afternoon, -and the former were forced to agree on the twelfth -of May as the date of the meeting, since the June -date was out of the question for Ferry Hill and -Hammond had no other dates to offer. I fancy -the Hammond representative wondered why Ferry -Hill had sent her manager along to the conference, -because he took practically no part in the proceedings -save to agree instantly and enthusiastically -with whatever Dick said. All details were arranged, -and Dick returned to Ferry Hill very well -satisfied with everything save the time agreed -upon.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image15"> - <img src="images/image15.jpg" width="600" height="434" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_292">Work out of doors</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292-<br />293]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The trouble is, Sid,” he explained, “that it -will take tall hustling to get the team in any kind -of shape by that time. It’s too early. However, -there’s no help for it and we’ll just have to do -the best we can. We’ll get up some sort of a class -meet for the middle of April and handicap games -for some day about a week ahead of the Hammond -meet. The fellows have got to have some experience -in real competitions. You and I, Sid, are -going to be two busy little boys from now on.”</p> - -<p>And Sid looked grave and held himself half an -inch taller.</p> - -<p>A couple of days later the track team was -picked. They had been at <a href="#image15">work out of doors</a> for -over a fortnight and Dick and Mr. Cobb had had -opportunities to judge of the fellows’ performances. -There had been a few defections during -the period of indoor drudgery, but on the -whole the candidates had stood by the cause very -well. After the cut fifteen fellows were left and -they represented what Mr. Cobb and Dick Somes -considered the pick of athletic ability. The team, -then, as finally chosen, consisted of Chase, Cole, -Cullum, Eaton, Fernald, Glidden, Harris, Kirby, -Porter, Post, Pryor, Somes, Townsend, Walker,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span> -and Warren; and Manager Sidney Welch, of -course. Sid had struggled gamely for a place on -the team, first trying to run the mile, then having a -fling at hurdles and finally striving to distinguish -himself at the broad jump. But his weight was -against him and Dick was forced to limit Sid’s -participation in affairs to his managerial duties, -and as Dick attended to most of those himself Sid -wasn’t overworked at any time that spring.</p> - -<p>On the whole the team promised to be fairly -good; Mr. Cobb acknowledged in April that his -first judgment had been hasty. In the distances -there were four runners: Somes, Chase, Warren, -and Townsend, all of whom were doing very -creditable work. Perhaps there was some disappointment -over Dick himself, for the story had -spread throughout the school that he was a wonder -at the mile and his present performances were not -vindicating that reputation. But probably the fact -that he had so many affairs to attend to told -against his track prowess. He didn’t seem to do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span> -any troubling about it, anyhow, and it was very -generally agreed that if he continued to make as -good a captain as he did at present he would be -doing his full duty. There was one real find, however, -to delight Dick’s heart. And that was Mr. -Thomas H. Eaton, familiarly known as Chub. -Chub was doing great work in the 100-yards dash -and very creditable in the two-twenty. Running -him close in the former event was Walker, while -at the longer distance Post was showing up well -and promised to become a fine sprinter in time. -For the middle distances there were Roy, Pryor -and Kirby, none of them above the average. Kirby -was also hurdling and he and Glidden were -showing up fairly well. The pole vault had but -one performer, Cullum of the Second Middle. -Walker and Cole were making hard work of the -jumps, and in the weight events Post, Harris and -Fernald were struggling for supremacy.</p> - -<p>The class meet was held the middle of April -and, although no remarkable records were established,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span> -it accomplished what it was intended to and -familiarized the participants with the work. The -First Senior Class had no trouble in winning the -contest.</p> - -<p>The purchase of such necessary things as jumping -and vaulting standards, poles, hurdles, shots -and hammers had left very little of the original -sum subscribed, and so each member of the team -was obliged either to buy his own costume or be -content with whatever he happened to have that -would answer. Most of them, however, were too -eager to appear in the white trunks with brown -stripes down the legs and white shirts crossed by -a brown ribbon bearing the letters F. H. T. T. to -begrudge the cost, and long before the handicap -games came off more than a dozen such costumes -could be counted on the athletic field of an afternoon. -It almost broke Sid’s heart not to be able -to sport the track regalia, but he found balm for -his sorrow in a nice little brown cloth cap bearing -the “F. H. T. T.” in front.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span></p> - -<p>Meanwhile the base-ball season had begun and -Ferry Hill was reaping a harvest of unimportant -victories over early-season antagonists. Things -promised well this spring for the nine, and Chub -was in fine feather. And so, by the way, was Sid, -for he was holding his place in left field against all -comers and learning to bat with the best of them. -Green Academy and Pottsville High and Prentice -Military came and saw and acknowledged defeat, -falling victim to the elusive curves of Post or -Kirby. And April was half gone and the affairs -of the F. H. S. I. S. claimed scant attention from -its members. Or so, at least, Roy and Chub -thought until one morning they received formal -notices in Harry’s writing to the effect that there -would be a meeting of the society the following -evening at eight o’clock—“a full attendance desired.” -A full attendance was obtained. There -wasn’t a member absent when Dick began proceedings -by producing some sheets of foolscap -from his pocket.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The president and secretary-treasurer of the -society,” began Dick with a smile, “have been -getting busy on their own hooks lately, without -authority from the majority. When I’ve got -through telling you what we’ve been up to you -can move a vote of censure if you like—”</p> - -<p>“I move it right now,” interrupted Chub.</p> - -<p>“—And as presiding officer I’ll rule it out of -order.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he haughty?” asked Chub admiringly.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead and ’fess up,” said Roy. “I thought -you two were up to something last month, but -since then I’ve kind of forgotten all about it.”</p> - -<p>“Then I suppose you haven’t thought out a -scheme to get that thirty thousand?” asked Dick. -Roy shook his head. “And how about you, -Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Me? Bless you, I’ve been too busy thinking -up schemes how to hit Post’s in-shoots.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Dick, “Harry and I have done the -best we could. It didn’t seem advisable to ask the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> -Doctor for the names of the graduates. To tell the -truth, I was afraid he’d forbid us to go ahead -with the scheme. So Harry and I have been -prospecting around ourselves and we’ve managed -to get hold of the names and addresses of fourteen -men who have graduated from here. We’re not -sure about all the addresses, but I guess we can -reach them in time. Now what I propose to do is -to send personal letters to each of them and tell -them just what we want to do and ask them how -much they’ll be willing to subscribe to set the ball -rolling. We’ve fixed up a letter here and I’ll -read it to you in a minute. Of course, we may not -get a cent this way; it’s one of those forlorn hopes -that Roy was talking about.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you tell me that time that a ‘forlorn -hope’ was a ‘touch’?” asked Chub aggrievedly.</p> - -<p>“To have the thing look right,” Dick continued, -“we ought to have some stationery printed, I -think; just ‘Ferry Hill School Improvement Society,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span> -Silver Cove, N. Y., Office of the Secretary -and Treasurer’; something like that. What do -you think?”</p> - -<p>“Sounds like the real thing,” answered Roy.</p> - -<p>“Sure,” added Chub. “If you wrote me a letter -on that sort of paper I’d be so pleased I’d want -to mortgage the house and send the money to -you.”</p> - -<p>“I think it would be perfectly dandy!” said -Harry. “Let’s do it.”</p> - -<p>“Moved and carried,” announced Chub. -“Let’s hear the letter, Dick. I’ll bet if you wrote -it it’s a corker!”</p> - -<p>“We wrote it between us,” answered Dick. -Harry tried her best not to look vain, but couldn’t -smother the gratified smile that insisted on showing -itself. “Here it is.” Dick opened the folded -sheets of foolscap and began to read.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>“‘Dear Sir: The Ferry Hill School Improvement -Society has been recently formed for the -purpose of advancing the interests of that institution<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span> -of learning, and securing much-needed improvements, -of which the most important is a new -dormitory. The School has outgrown its present -equipment, and increased accommodation for more -students is imperative if the usefulness of the -School is to be continued. As an alumnus—(“That’s -great!” Chub commented softly.)—you -will, we are sure, desire to aid your <i>alma mater</i>. -(“Perfectly swell!” breathed Chub admiringly.) -It is desired to raise the sum of Thirty Thousand -Dollars for the construction of a dormitory building -capable of holding twenty boys. What portion, -if not the whole, of the necessary amount will -you subscribe? Letters similar to this have been -sent to fourteen of the School’s more prominent -graduates and a liberal response is confidently -looked for. You will confer a great favor by corresponding -at your earliest convenient opportunity -with Miss Harriet Emery, Secretary-Treasurer, -Ferry Hill School, Silver Cove, N. Y. Trusting -that you will be able to aid this most worthy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span> -cause, I remain respectfully and fraternally yours, -<span class="smcap">Richard Somes</span>, <i>President</i>.’”</p> -</div> - -<p>Dick folded the letter and looked inquiringly -about him. For a moment there was no comment. -Chub sat with his mouth wide open and a countenance -expressing awed and speechless admiration. -Even Roy was apparently too much impressed -to speak. Harry waited self-consciously. -Finally,</p> - -<p>“Well,” asked Dick, “any suggestions?”</p> - -<p>“Not a one,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Suggestions!” cried Chub, suddenly finding -his voice. “Why, that’s the swellest thing I ever -heard! If that doesn’t fetch ’em—why—why we -don’t want their dirty old money! Talk about -your language! There’s more language there -than I ever saw before in one pile!”</p> - -<p>“This isn’t a silly joke,” protested Dick -shortly. “If you think that letter can be improved -on, why, say so, but don’t get funny.”</p> - -<p>“It can’t,” said Roy with conviction.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, sir,” agreed Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” said Dick with a -sigh of relief. “If we’ve been over that thing -once we’ve been over it twenty times. Haven’t -we, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Harry. “I know it by heart, -every word of it!” She closed her eyes. “‘The -Ferry Hill School Improvement Society has been -recently formed for the purpose of advancing the -int—’”</p> - -<p>“We’ll take your word for it,” laughed Roy. -“Who’s going to write out fourteen letters, -Dick?”</p> - -<p>“You, because you write better than any one -else.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw,” said Chub, “they ought to be typewritten.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” Dick agreed. “I didn’t think of -that. It won’t cost much.”</p> - -<p>“Seems to me,” said Roy, “we’re going to -spend a lot of money and maybe we won’t get any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span> -in return. We’ll have to pay for printing, paper, -and envelops, typewriting the letters, and for -stamps. How much have we got, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“Printing and typewriting won’t cost much,” -said Dick. “Not over four dollars; and we’ll only -need twenty-eight cents’ worth of stamps. And -we’ve got—how much have we got in the treasury, -Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Sixty-four dollars and ten cents,” answered -Harry very promptly. “Twenty-four dollars and -ten cents in money and a check for forty dollars. -Chub still owes ninety cents.”</p> - -<p>“So I do,” murmured Chub embarrassedly. -“I’d forgotten.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s plenty,” said Dick. “We’ll get -the printing and typewriting done right away so -we can mail the letters by Saturday. You’d better -let me have about five dollars, Harry, and I’ll -give you an account of what I spend.”</p> - -<p>“You must give me a receipt then,” answered -Harry, doubtfully, as she slid off the grain chest.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 446px;"> -<a id="image16"> - <img src="images/image16.jpg" width="446" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_306">“‘It’s gone,’ wailed Harry”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306-<br />307]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right,” Dick laughed. “There’s nothing -like doing things in a business-like way. You and -I’ll go over to Silver Cove to-morrow noon, Chub, -and—”</p> - -<p>But Dick’s further remarks were lost for there -was a sudden exclamation of tragic dismay from -Harry where, unnoticed by the boys, she had -climbed to a box under one of the old rafters.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” cried Roy.</p> - -<p><a href="#image16">“It’s gone!” wailed Harry.</a></p> - -<p>“Gone? What? Where?”</p> - -<p>“The money! I put it up here for safe keeping -and now it’s gone! It’s been stolen! And—and -I’ve betrayed my trust!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /> -<small>THE SOCIETY AWAITS RESULTS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The three boys stared at Harry’s dismayed -countenance in bewilderment. Dick was the -first to find his voice.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” he exclaimed. “Our -money? The—the funds of the society?”</p> - -<p>Harry, still perched precariously on top of the -empty box, nodded silently, looking down anxiously -from face to face.</p> - -<p>“But what—how did it come here?” demanded -Roy.</p> - -<p>“I put it up here on top of this rafter for safe -keeping,” wailed Harry. “I didn’t think it was -safe to have so much money in the house; one summer -there was a thief broke in and stole a lot of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span> -things, you know! So I put it in a little chamois -bag and tied it up tight and put it up here on this -joist, right in the corner here. And now—now it’s -gone as anything!” And Harry’s voice hinted of -tears.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you care,” said Chub cheerfully. “We’ll -find it all right, Harry. It couldn’t have walked -off by itself. We’ll have a good hunt for it. -Where is there a ladder?”</p> - -<p>“I know,” answered Roy, disappearing into the -shadows at the farther end of the barn. Harry -jumped down from the box and when the ladder -arrived it was placed against the rafter and Dick -climbed up to where he could look along the dusty -ledge.</p> - -<p>“Nothing here,” he said promptly. “It must -have fallen down. Look around underneath, fellows. -Bring the lantern.”</p> - -<p>“Stop your swearing,” exclaimed Methuselah -mildly, his head stuck interestedly out of his box. -Dick, climbing down the ladder, absent-mindedly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> -stretched out his hand and was rewarded with a -playful nip which almost caused him to lose his -footing. Roy had brought the lantern and for -some minutes the four searched carefully about -the barn floor. Methuselah, apparently elated at -having nipped Dick’s finger and much excited by -the commotion, strutted and climbed about his -cage and chattered incessantly. In the end they -had to acknowledge defeat. They sat down and -eyed each other questioningly.</p> - -<p>“The only thing I can think of,” said Dick -finally, “is that rats or mice must have found it -and carried it away.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe there are any rats or mice -here,” said Harry, “except those in the cages. -Spot caught them all ages ago.”</p> - -<p>“Besides,” said Roy, “it was too big and heavy -for a rat to lug away.”</p> - -<p>“They might have chewed it to pieces, though,” -Chub suggested.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Then we’d have found the pieces,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“It was stolen,” said Harry solemnly.</p> - -<p>“Who stole it?” Roy asked. Harry shook her -head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe, though, -there was a tramp or some one in the barn when I -put it up there, and he saw me do it and went and -got it afterward.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s possible,” agreed Dick. “But I -don’t think any tramp would get so far from the -road as this, even for a place to sleep. Besides, -there’s Snip.”</p> - -<p>“Snip sleeps at the Cottage,” said Harry.</p> - -<p>“Well, if it was stolen, whoever stole it must -have seen you put it there, because no one would -ever think of looking on top of a rafter in a barn -for money.” Dick hesitated. Then, “How about -John, the gardener?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he wouldn’t steal anything,” declared -Harry emphatically. “Besides, he wasn’t in here<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span> -when I put the money there. Because when I got -back to the Cottage he was shoveling the snow -from the steps.”</p> - -<p>“How long ago did you put it there?” Chub -asked. Harry thought a moment.</p> - -<p>“About a month ago,” she answered.</p> - -<p>“Then if it’s stolen,” Chub said, “I guess the -fellow who got it has spent it by this time. I’m -glad I didn’t pay that ninety cents, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>Roy laughed.</p> - -<p>“There’s just one of us here,” he said, “who -probably knows who took it, and he can’t tell.”</p> - -<p>“Who do you mean?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Methuselah, of course.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” exclaimed Harry. “That’s so, isn’t it? -And to think that he can’t tell us!”</p> - -<p>“You might ask him,” Dick suggested. The -others smiled; all save Harry. She jumped up -and walked gravely across to the cage. Methuselah -ceased his chatter as she drew near, put his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span> -head on one side and studied her inquiringly with -his beady eyes.</p> - -<p>“’Thuselah,” said Harry, “won’t you please -tell us who stole our money?”</p> - -<p>The parrot blinked, ruffled his feathers and put -one foot through the bars until his yellow claws -were clasped tightly about Harry’s finger. Then -he chuckled hoarsely.</p> - -<p>“He does know,” said Harry sadly, “and he -wants very much to tell me. Don’t you, you old -dear?”</p> - -<p>“Roy!” said Methuselah suddenly and sharply. -Harry started back in alarm and the others broke -into laughter.</p> - -<p>“Give it back, Roy,” said Chub. “You might -as well, you know; you’re discovered.”</p> - -<p>“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” said Harry -severely. “You mustn’t tell lies, ’Thuselah.”</p> - -<p>“He saw you all right,” laughed Chub. “Better -’fess up, Roy!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He’s a traitor,” said Roy, smiling. “I gave -him a nickel to keep still about it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, the money’s gone,” said Dick, “and -there’s no use in crying over spilled milk. After -all, we’re only out about twenty-four dollars. -I’ll write to the bank and tell them not to pay that -check, if they haven’t done it already. Meanwhile -we’ve got to have money to get that printing -done and to pay for the typewriting and -stamps. So I’ll advance it. If we find the money -again you can pay it back to me, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“I shall make it up myself,” said Harry resolutely. -“It may take me a long time, but I’ll pay -it all back.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” cried Roy.</p> - -<p>“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” said Dick. -“It wasn’t your fault.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it was. I shouldn’t have put it there. It -was a very silly thing to do. I ought to have put -it in the bank.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Chub. “I guess every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span> -fellow is willing to stand his share of the loss. -And I tell you what I’ll do: I’ll pay that ninety -cents I owed next Saturday, as soon as I get my -next allowance.”</p> - -<p>“You mustn’t give it to me,” said Harry sadly. -“I’m not going to be treasurer any more.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you are,” said Dick cheerfully. “As -soon as we get some more funds you’re to look -after them. Isn’t she, fellows?”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” answered Roy and Chub heartily.</p> - -<p>“Besides,” said Roy, “I wouldn’t be surprised -if we found that money yet.”</p> - -<p>“Going to give it back, are you?” asked Chub -with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“Cut it out,” answered Roy. “I’ll think I did -swipe it if you keep on talking about it.”</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” exclaimed Dick suddenly. “It’s -almost ten o’clock! We’ll get the dickens if we -don’t run for it. Grab the lantern and come on. -The meeting’s adjourned!”</p> - -<p>Three days later the fourteen letters, neatly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span> -typewritten on paper bearing the inscription -“Ferry Hill School Improvement Society” -printed across the top in impressively large and -black type, and signed “Richard Somes, President,” -were mailed to their destinations, and there -was nothing for the members of the society to do -but await results. The barn had been thoroughly -searched by daylight, but the missing chamois bag -with the society’s funds had not been found. The -bank in New York had replied that Dick’s check -had not been presented and that if it was it would -not be honored. For the rest, the members accepted -their losses philosophically, while Chub, to -prove his faith in the treasurer, paid over to her -on Saturday the sum of ninety cents. This, representing -the entire assets of the society, Harry -wore pinned inside of her dress, in an envelop. -And for the first day she felt anxiously for it -every few minutes.</p> - -<p>April hurried along with uncertain skies and -warm days, and Spring Vacation came and went. -By the first of May the cinder track was in good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span> -hard condition and every afternoon the track team -worked like Trojans, every fellow animated by the -resolve to do his full share toward winning success -in the meet with Hammond, now only a little -more than a week distant. Dick grew more hopeful -as the days passed, and after the handicap -meeting on the Saturday before the Hammond -games, he even dared think of the possibility of a -victory over the rival school.</p> - -<p>“I can figure it out on paper,” he told Roy, “so -that we win by three points. But of course that -means that every fellow must do a little bit better -than he did to-day.”</p> - -<p>Roy had won the quarter-mile from Pryor and -Kirby with a small handicap and was consequently -feeling pretty optimistic himself.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe Hammond’s team is so awfully -good this year, anyhow,” he declared. “They lost -four of their best men last spring, you know. If -we were only a little better in the field events we -might stand a pretty good show of winning, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“I know, but you can look for Cole to do some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span> -good work next Saturday at the broad jump, and -as for the hammer and shot, why, we’ve got just -as good men as they have, I guess. It’s the hurdles -and pole-vault that I’m worrying about. A -chap can’t learn how to hurdle in two months. -Both Kirby and Glidden were as slow as cold molasses -to-day, and Kirby knocked down every bar -except one in the two-twenty.”</p> - -<p>“I thought you had Chase there in the mile for -a while,” said Roy. “It looked to me as though -you were going to pass him at the beginning of -that last lap.”</p> - -<p>“I thought so too,” answered Dick, “but he had -more wind left than I had. I don’t know why it is, -but I haven’t been able to do anything like my best -this spring. I’ll have to get a move on next Saturday -if I’m going to win a point. I’d feel like -the dickens if I didn’t, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you worry,” answered Roy. “You’ll -do all right.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a><br /> -<small>METHUSELAH SUBSCRIBES TO THE FUND</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Two days later, on Monday, there was a meeting -of the F. H. S. I. S., the call having been -hurriedly issued by the secretary-treasurer in person. -And when the members of the society were -assembled in the barn Harry produced triumphantly -three letters.</p> - -<p>“They came this morning,” she said excitedly, -“and I haven’t opened them yet. I thought you’d -all like to be here when I did, you know. Here’s -two from New York and one from Cleveland, -Ohio, and—and they all feel as though they had -something in them!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Bully!” cried Chub. “Open ’em up!”</p> - -<p>“You do it,” said Harry, handing the letters to -Dick. There was a moment of silent suspense -while Dick carefully slit the first envelop with his -knife. Out came a letter and—a check!</p> - -<p>“How much?” cried the others in chorus. Dick -looked at it, scowled and glanced at the few lines -in the letter. Then:</p> - -<p>“Five dollars,” he said blankly.</p> - -<p>There was a moment of disappointment, broken -by Chub.</p> - -<p>“Mail it back to him,” he said disgustedly.</p> - -<p>“Try the next one,” murmured Harry. Dick -did so. Again a check came into sight.</p> - -<p>“Fifty,” said Dick encouragedly.</p> - -<p>“That’s better,” said Roy. “Try the next. -Let’s know the worst.”</p> - -<p>Dick opened the third letter, unfolded the sheet -of paper within and looked on all sides of it. -There was no check.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[321]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Rotten!” growled Chub. “What’s the beast -say?”</p> - -<p>“It’s all right!” cried Dick who had been reading -the letter. “He promises five hundred whenever -we get ready to use the money!”</p> - -<p>“That’s the stuff!” said Roy. “He’s all right, -he is! What’s his beautiful name?”</p> - -<p>“Lemuel Fish,” answered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Roy, when the laughter had subsided, -“he may not be much on name, but he’s all -right on promises.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a promising man,” murmured Chub.</p> - -<p>“You don’t think the promise is—is fishy?” -asked Harry, and for a moment didn’t know why -the others laughed. “But I didn’t mean to make -a pun,” she declared earnestly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Harry,” teased Roy, “I saw you thinking -that up whole minutes ago! And such a weak -pun, too!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t! I didn’t!” cried Harry, stamping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[322]</a></span> -her foot, between smiling and frowning. Methuselah, -who had so far been perched comfortably -on her shoulder and behaving himself thoroughly, -resented being jarred and so climbed down to the -lid of the grain chest and from there to the barn -floor, sidling off into the semi-darkness behind the -harness-room with many cunning chuckles.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he will pay all right,” said Dick. “He’s -a railroad man according to his letter-head, and -railroad men are all rich, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Are they?” asked Chub. “Let’s start a railroad -instead of a dormitory, then. What do you -say?”</p> - -<p>“Let’s see how much we’ve got subscribed,” -suggested Roy. “Five hundred and fifty and five -and forty—”</p> - -<p>“Wait,” cried Harry. “I’m secretary! I’ll -make a list of the subscriptions.” She started to -work on the pad she carried, and the others waited -patiently while she frowned and labored. Presently, -“There!” she said. “Now listen:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[323]</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Subscriptions"> -<col style="width: 70%;" /> -<col style="width: 25%;" /> -<col style="width: 5%;" /> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Dick</td> - <td class="tdrb">$50.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Roy</td> - <td class="tdrb">5.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Chub</td> - <td class="tdrb">5.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Harry</td> - <td class="tdrb">5.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Lemuel Fish</td> - <td class="tdrb">500.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Charles A. Bliss</td> - <td class="tdrb">50.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">J. L. Hughes</td> - <td class="tdrb">5.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - <td class="tdrb">———</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Total</td> - <td class="tdrb">$620.00</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Printing, etc.</td> - <td class="tdrb">4.30</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - <td class="tdrb">———</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Amount on hand</td> - <td class="tdrb">$615.70</td> - <td class="tdl">”</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>“Well,” said Chub, “that’s something, even if -it is a long way from thirty thousand.”</p> - -<p>“And there are eleven people still to hear -from,” said Harry hopefully.</p> - -<p>“The one I wanted most to get a reply from,” -said Dick, “hasn’t written yet. I hope he will.”</p> - -<p>“Who is that?” Roy asked.</p> - -<p>“David Kearney.”</p> - -<p>“What? The banker? Why, he’s worth millions!”</p> - -<p>“That’s why I hope he’ll answer us,” said -Dick dryly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[324]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Do you mean that he went to school here?” -asked Chub incredulously. Dick nodded.</p> - -<p>“He was here for two years just after the school -started, about twenty-three years ago. I don’t -think he graduated, though. But that wouldn’t -make any difference if he wanted to give us some -money. He gives lots, you know. Only last fall -he gave a small fortune to some little old college -in Pennsylvania that no one ever heard of -before.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you’d registered that letter,” said -Chub thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t want it to miss -him.”</p> - -<p>“Seems to me it’s time he wrote, if he’s going -to,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, men like Kearney are pretty busy, I -guess,” said Dick. “There’s plenty of time yet. -I was rather hoping that he’d give a good big -sum, say ten or twenty thousand. If we could get -some one to give that much I’ll bet we wouldn’t -have much trouble raising the rest.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[325]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I love the way Dick talks about ten or twenty -thousand as though it was fifty cents,” sighed -Chub. “Why, if I saw twenty thousand dollars -coming along on the other side of the street, I’d -be so scared I’d run up an alley! But Dick—why, -Dickums would just smile and walk across -and slap it on the back!”</p> - -<p>“I think,” said Harry seriously, “that we’ve -done awfully well. Why, just think, when we began -we didn’t have a cent! And now we’ve got -over six hundred dollars!”</p> - -<p>“By the way, where are you keeping it, Harry?” -asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Hold on! Don’t tell!” Chub cried. “He -wants to swipe this, too!”</p> - -<p>“Say, shut up about that, will you?” growled -Roy. “I don’t mind a joke, but you’re wearing -it out, you know.”</p> - -<p>“In the bank,” answered Harry. “I’ve opened -an account; ‘Harriet Emery, Treasurer’; and -I’ve got a real bank-book! And if we let the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[326]</a></span> -money stay in the bank for three months we’ll -get three per cent. interest on it!”</p> - -<p>“Then I guess that’s the best way to get the -thirty thousand,” laughed Chub. “Just let it lie -in the bank until the accumulated interest—”</p> - -<p>“Steady!” cautioned Roy.</p> - -<p>“—amounts to the other twenty-nine thousand -four hundred.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a chump,” said Dick. “And you won’t -get three per cent. for three months, Harry; it’s -three per cent. a year.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, is that it?” asked Harry disappointedly. -“But I’d get something, wouldn’t I?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, one fourth of three per cent.” Harry -began to figure earnestly.</p> - -<p>“What I want to know,” said Chub, “is why -you’ve got the money we lost down on the subscription -list.”</p> - -<p>“Because,” answered Dick, “Harry insists that -she’s going to pay it back.”</p> - -<p>“She’s going to do nothing of the sort!” exclaimed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[327]</a></span> -Roy indignantly. “She may pay her five -dollars back and we’ll all do the same, but there’s -no reason why she should pay it all!”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I tell her,” Dick replied, “but -you know Harry’s a little bit—well, a little bit -stubborn, Roy.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not,” declared Harry, without raising -her head from the tablet upon which she was figuring. -“And I am going to pay it back. It was -in my—my custody, and I am responsible. I’d -like to know what folks would do if treasurers -could lose money entrusted to them and not have -to pay it back!”</p> - -<p>“But you’re not a real treasurer—” began -Chub.</p> - -<p>“Why, Chub Eaton!” exclaimed Harry indignantly. -“I am, too!”</p> - -<p>“I mean,” exclaimed Chub lamely, “that you -aren’t under bonds, you know, and—”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care. I’m going to make res—restitution!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[328]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t believe,” said Roy just then in an odd -voice, “that it’s going to be necessary to make -restitution.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” demanded Harry.</p> - -<p>Roy pointed past her into the twilight of the -barn.</p> - -<p>“Ask Methuselah,” he said.</p> - -<p>The others turned, following his outstretched -finger with their eyes. Out from under the shapeless -form of a mowing machine walked Methuselah, -his beady eyes glittering in the gloom, his -head cocked on one side and his yellow beak closed -over an object which at first glance looked like a -piece of brown paper folded into a tiny parcel. In -an instant Harry had swooped down upon the -astounded bird and was dancing back with a small -chamois bag in her hand.</p> - -<p>“It’s the money!” she cried. The boys crowded -around her while she untied the little pink string -with trembling fingers and while Methuselah, -quite forgotten, smoothed his feathers and scolded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[329]</a></span> -angrily. Out came the bills and coins and Dick’s -check, all intact.</p> - -<p>“Methuselah was the thief, I’ll bet a hat!” -cried Chub.</p> - -<p>“Sure,” agreed Dick. “But I don’t see how he -ever got up on that rafter.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he climbs around everywhere when I let -him out,” said Harry excitedly. “And he’s a -terrible thief. Don’t you remember the time he -stole the turnip seeds and ate them?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad he didn’t eat this,” said Roy. -“I wonder where he found it now.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he probably lugged it off somewhere and forgot -all about it,” said Dick. “And just now when -he went roaming around he came across it and—”</p> - -<p>“And he knew we wanted it,” completed Harry, -“and brought it to us! Isn’t he a darling?”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s all in the way you look at it,” -Roy laughed. “Considering that he stole it in the -first place—and tried to put the blame on me—!”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what!” exclaimed Chub. “’Thuselah<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[330]</a></span> -was mad because we didn’t elect him to office -and so he thought he’d make himself assistant -treasurer! Bet you that’s the way of it.”</p> - -<p>Harry left the recovered treasure in Dick’s care -and picked up the disgruntled parrot, stroking his -head and murmuring soothingly:</p> - -<p>“He was des a booful ’Thuselah,” she cooed. -“An’ he found the money, so he did, and bringed -it straight back, didn’t um?”</p> - -<p>“Um did,” laughed Roy. “Um’s an old rascal.” -But he scratched Methuselah’s head with -his finger, and the parrot closed his eyes and -looked forgiving.</p> - -<p>“Look here,” said Chub. “We’d all got fixed -to pay back that money, so let’s do it. Then we’ll -put this down as ’Thuselah’s subscription to the -cause. What do you say to that?”</p> - -<p>“Beautiful!” cried Harry. She thrust the parrot -into Roy’s arms and flew to the grain chest. -She was busy an instant with pencil and pad, and -then, “Here it is!” she cried:</p> - -<p>“Methuselah ... $24.10.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[331]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a><br /> -<small>GOSSIP AND A MEETING</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Harry and Dick were sitting on the lower -step of the little flight leading to the Cottage -porch. It was between ten and eleven of a -perfect May morning. The crumbling red bricks -paving the short path which led to the curving -drive glowed warmly in the sun, and the little -blades of grass springing up between them were -very green and pert. The campus looked vastly -different to-day from what it had that January -afternoon when Harry had introduced Dick to -Ferry Hill. To-day there was the bluest of blue -skies overhead, and instead of the waste of snow -the grass stretched away on every side fresh and -verdant. The Grove was fast clothing itself in -new, tender green, and beyond, at the foot of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[332]</a></span> -long hill, the river dimpled and shone in the sunshine. -Something of this occurred to Harry, I -think, for she stopped pulling Snip’s ear—an operation -which that member of the group, half-asleep -in the sunlight, thoroughly approved of—and -asked:</p> - -<p>“Dick, do you remember the day I brought you -up here to show you the school? And how cold it -was? And how nasty and dismal everything -looked? After you’d gone I never thought for a -minute that you’d come back.”</p> - -<p>“Neither did I,” answered Dick with a little -laugh. “I guess I’d have stayed at Hammond -and liked it all right if I hadn’t got there before -school opened. It seemed so beastly lonesome -over there, and the fellows who stayed during vacation -were such a ghastly bunch, that I just had -to get out. It was a toss-up whether I’d come -over here and try this or hit the trail for home.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sorry you came?” asked Harry -anxiously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[333]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Not a bit,” replied Dick with convincing heartiness. -“I like it, and I like you and Chub and Roy. -You’ve all been so decent to me, you know. -You’re all three mighty good fellows, Harry.”</p> - -<p>Harry flushed and looked pleased.</p> - -<p>“I—I guess we liked you,” she said. “I’m -glad you like Roy and Chub,” she continued. “I -just love them! They’re—they’re the nicest -boys I ever knew, I guess; and you too, Dick.”</p> - -<p>Dick shook his head sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>“I’m jealous,” he said. “You put Roy and -Chub first.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, I’ve known them longer, Dick,” -answered Harry earnestly. “You don’t mind, do -you?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit,” he laughed. “Besides, next year -they won’t be here, and you’ll have to like me -best.”</p> - -<p>Harry looked grave.</p> - -<p>“That’s the trouble,” she sighed. “When you -get to like a boy he goes and graduates and then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[334]</a></span> -you never see him again. I don’t know what I’ll -do when Roy and Chub go.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t know what I’ll do, for that matter,” -growled Dick. “It’ll be beastly lonely at first. -Maybe I won’t come back myself.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Dick, you must!” cried Harry. “Why, -then there wouldn’t be any one! You’ve got to -come back! You will, won’t you, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe.”</p> - -<p>“No, promise!”</p> - -<p>“All right, I’ll come, Harry. You and I’ll -have to comfort each other, eh? Say, isn’t this a -dandy day? Hope it’ll be like this Saturday, eh?”</p> - -<p>“It’s going to be,” said Harry decisively. -“John says we’re in for a spell of settled weather, -and he knows all about it; he never misses.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I hope he’s right. I want a good hard -track on Saturday.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think we can beat them?” asked -Harry.</p> - -<p>Dick hesitated, then shook his head slowly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[335]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Honestly, I don’t. But I’m not telling the -fellows that. It doesn’t help any, that sort of -talk. I tell them we can win if we do our level -best; and we can; the trouble is that every fellow -can’t do his level best when the time comes. Lots -of them will be nervous, you know; can’t help it. -I may be myself. By the way, Sid got a note from -their manager yesterday asking if we would mind -changing the order of events so that the mile run -will come last; he says two of their men who are -going to run the mile are in the low hurdles and -they wouldn’t have time to get their wind. I told -Sid to write and say it would be all right. It -doesn’t matter to us, although I suppose if we insisted -on having the things run off the way we first -agreed to we’d have a better chance to win the -meet.”</p> - -<p>“But it wouldn’t seem quite fair, would it, to -make those boys run in the mile just after they’d -been hurdling?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it would be fair enough, I guess; that’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[336]</a></span> -their lookout, you know; only—well, I don’t want -to win that way. I say let every fellow have an -even chance, and then the one that wins is the best -man.”</p> - -<p>“Are you going to practise this afternoon?” -Harry asked.</p> - -<p>“No, on account of the ball game with Whittier. -But to-morrow we’ll have a good stiff afternoon -of it. Then Friday we’ll rest up. That reminds -me: Sid’s trying to get up a meet with Prentice -Military Academy for some time the last of June. -I hope he fixes it, for if he doesn’t the fellows -won’t keep in training; and if they don’t it will be -all the harder to get in form again next year. I -wish we were sure of having a decent track here -next spring. If only the dormitory business had -turned out better I guess the Doctor would have -been willing to spend some money on the field and -track.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think we’ll ever get the money for the -dormitory, Dick?” asked Harry wistfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[337]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sure to, sooner or later,” he answered stoutly. -“But it’s slow going, isn’t it? Haven’t had any -more letters, have you?”</p> - -<p>Harry shook her head.</p> - -<p>“Not one. I think some people are too mean -for anything!”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Dick laughed, “I dare say they’ve got -plenty of uses for their money. We’ll get it yet. -This summer I’ll strike dad for a thousand. If -he’s had good luck he will give it in a minute. -And when we’ve got two thousand pledged I -guess your father will be willing to help us. He -will see then that we’re in earnest.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure he will,” said Harry. “And isn’t -it too funny for anything about his being honorary -president and not knowing it? Oh, Dick! What -time is it?”</p> - -<p>“Twenty of eleven,” answered Dick, looking at -his watch.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be late if I don’t go this minute! And I’ll -have to run half the way anyhow!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[338]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I thought you didn’t have to go until two on -Wednesdays,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Eleven; it’s that awful music. ‘Do, re, mi, fa, -sol—’ Good-by.”</p> - -<p>“Good-by,” answered Dick, getting up and -looking around for his books. “I’ll see you at -the game this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” called Harry from the door. “And I -hope we win.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we can’t help it,” laughed Dick. “It’s a -way we have at Ferry Hill!”</p> - -<p>But they didn’t win; not unless the score lied. -Seven to five it was when the last inning was over. -Whittier Collegiate Institute had some good batters -on her team and they had little trouble in -finding Post and Kirby for twelve hits. Chub was -inclined to be doleful after the game.</p> - -<p>“Rotten!” he repeated over and over.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit,” said Dick. “The trouble was only -that you fellows haven’t been practising enough -the last week. It’s my fault entirely. I’ve been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[339]</a></span> -after you for track work, and you can’t do two -things at once and do them well. I’m sorry, Chub, -but after Saturday I’ll let you alone.”</p> - -<p>“Think that’s it?” asked Chub, more cheerfully. -“Well, if it is, I don’t mind so much. Whittier -isn’t Hammond, after all. And if we make -a good showing Saturday I shan’t mind losing -to-day’s game. What do you say, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“Me?” asked Roy, trotting away to the shower-bath. -“Oh, I’m not worrying about anything.”</p> - -<p>Events proved John the gardener to be a real -weather prophet, for Saturday dawned clear and -warm. The track and field meeting with Hammond -was to begin at half past two, and at -half past twelve Harry, music-roll in hand, was -hurrying back along the dusty road from her -music-lesson, fearful that she wouldn’t get -through luncheon in time to cross to Coleville on -the first launch. Silver Cove was half a mile behind -her and the tower of School Hall was already -in sight above the tree-tops when the sound of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[340]</a></span> -wheels reached her from the road behind. A station -carriage drawn by a dejected white horse and -driven by a freckle-faced youth of seventeen or -eighteen years was approaching unhurriedly from -the direction of the Cove. In the rear seat, as -Harry saw when the carriage overtook her, sat a -gentleman in a neat gray suit, derby hat and -brown gloves. The gloves were especially noticeable -since they looked very new and were clasped -tightly about the handle of a slenderly rolled umbrella -which stood between his knees. He was -about forty years old, had a round, smiling face, -shrewd brown eyes and a short, bristly mustache -which terminated at each side in a sharp, waxed -point. As the carriage jolted past in its little -cloud of dust the occupant of the back seat, who -had been observing the pedestrian for several -minutes, laid a hand on the driver’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Stop,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Whoa!” commanded the boy. “Whoa, I tell -yer! Can’t yer stop nohow, yer pesky brute?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[341]</a></span></p> - -<p>The horse showed as little inclination to stop as -before it had shown to go, and when the vehicle -finally drew up motionless, with the driver still -scolding fretfully at the steed, it was some little -distance beyond Harry. But it was quite evident -that the occupants were awaiting her, and so she -hurried up to it under the smiling scrutiny of the -passenger. She had been walking fast, the forenoon -was quite warm and her face was flushed as -a result. Also the dust had settled upon her shoes -and half way up her ankles, and Harry was sensible -of not appearing at her best, a fact which -annoyed her since the immaculate appearance of -the stranger seemed to set a standard of neatness. -Then she was looking up into a pair of smiling -brown eyes, and—</p> - -<p>“How do you do?” said the man. “May I offer -you a seat?”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[342]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a><br /> -<small>MR. KEARNEY MAKES AN OFFER</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Well, it really was warm, and she was in a -hurry, and the man in the carriage smiled -so nicely, and—and the next thing Harry knew she -was sitting beside him, smoothing her skirts and -trying to hide her dusty shoes, and the horse was -once more jogging along the road. She wasn’t -sure whether she had thanked him, so she determined -to be on the safe side.</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” she said in her most polite and -ladylike tones.</p> - -<p>“Not at all,” he replied. “I’m under obligations -to you, young lady. I am delighted to have -some one to talk to. So far my journey has been -a trifle dull. My friend on the front seat is not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[343]</a></span> -communicative and all my efforts to find a subject -of mutual interest have failed. I fancy he is a -very wise youth, he says so little. Did you happen -to observe him as we passed you?”</p> - -<p>Harry nodded a trifle embarrassedly, for the -subject under discussion could hear every word.</p> - -<p>“Yes? And did he strike you as having a most -intelligent appearance?”</p> - -<p>“He will hear you,” whispered Harry.</p> - -<p>“That’s true,” replied the man. “So we -mustn’t flatter him any more. Many noble natures, -I dare say, have been spoiled by flattery.”</p> - -<p>The boy growled irritatedly at the horse, and -the man turned to Harry with raised brows and an -expression which said: “There! Have I over-praised -him? Isn’t he wonderful?” Harry felt a -strong inclination to giggle, but refrained out of -consideration for the boy’s feelings and smiled -instead. The man smiled back at her and after -that they suddenly seemed to have become very -good friends.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[344]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You live around here?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, at Ferry Hill,” answered Harry.</p> - -<p>“Really? Now that’s where I’m bound. Then -you must know the principal there, Doctor Emery, -I think his name is.”</p> - -<p>“He’s my father,” answered Harry. “I’m -Harry—that is, Harriet Emery.”</p> - -<p>“O—oh!” said the man, and Harry thought he -viewed her with a new interest. “So you’re Miss -Harriet, are you? Well, my name is—but there, -it isn’t polite to force one’s acquaintance on a -lady.” Harry didn’t see the logic of this, and -would have intimated the fact had he not gone on. -“I used to go to school here myself a good many -years ago,” he said. “I suppose things have -changed lots since then. New buildings, of course, -and everything thoroughly up-to-date?”</p> - -<p>“There’s only one new building, I guess,” said -Harry, “and that’s the gymnasium. Was the -Cottage there when you went to school?”</p> - -<p>“Cottage? No, I think not. The Cottage is—”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[345]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s where we live,” Harry answered. “There -are only four buildings, you know: School Hall, -the dormitory, the gymnasium and the cottage. -But we’re trying to get a new—” Harry stopped -suddenly. Then, “Oh!” she cried, turning with -eager eyes, “are you rich?”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a difficult question to answer,” -replied the man with a laugh. “I would probably -be called rich around here, but where I live I’m -only—well, let us say comfortably off. May I inquire -your reason for asking?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you think me very impolite,” said -Harry earnestly, “but I didn’t mean to be. I -asked, because if you are rich we would like very -much to have you subscribe to the dormitory fund. -Do you think you could?”</p> - -<p>“Possibly. Supposing you tell me something -about it. For instance, how much is it going to -cost, and how much is already subscribed? But -perhaps you aren’t acquainted with the details?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I am. I’m the secretary and treasurer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[346]</a></span> -of the society, the Ferry Hill School Improvement -Society, you know.” The man bowed -gravely, but his brown eyes held a disconcerting -twinkle. “It—it’s going to cost thirty thousand -dollars,” Harry went on; “and we have got six -hundred and thirty-nine dollars and eighty cents.”</p> - -<p>“I see; you’ve just started, then.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve been at it four months,” answered -Harry a trifle disconsolately.</p> - -<p>“Really? Then you haven’t progressed very -well, have you? What seems to be the trouble?”</p> - -<p>And Harry told him. She found a very attentive -and sympathetic listener, and she traced the -progress of the undertaking from the moment of -its inception to the present time, becoming now -and then very eloquent and very incoherent. But -her audience seemed to approve of her enthusiasm -and toward the end even seemed to catch it.</p> - -<p>“I hope you’ll succeed,” he said when she had -finished breathlessly. “I really do. It was a big -undertaking for four young folks like you, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[347]</a></span> -you’ve shown pluck. I’d like to meet this Dick -Somebody; he seems to be the kind of boy that -grows up to big things. But you’ve all been -mighty plucky, I think. We’ll talk about it again, -Miss Harriet. I suppose this is where we turn in, -isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. If you tell him to drive to the Cottage -you’ll find papa there, I think, because it’s -almost time for luncheon. We’re having it a little -earlier than usual on account of the track meet -with Hammond this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Hammond!” exclaimed the man. “That -sounds natural. When I went to school here we -used to have great fights with Hammond, regular -rough-and-tumble battles out on the island down -there; and we played base-ball with them, too; I -used to pitch; thought pretty well of myself, too; -had an in-curve that used to puzzle them all! But -we usually got licked, though. How about it -now?”</p> - -<p>“We beat them more times than they beat us,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[348]</a></span> -said Harry proudly. “We have a dandy base-ball -team this spring, and this afternoon we’re -going to meet them at running and jumping and -hurdling—track athletics, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Really? This afternoon? My, I’ll have to -see that! Going to beat them, are you?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Harry. “I’m afraid not. -You see, it’s our first year at it; we never had a -track team until Dick started it two months ago; -and so we aren’t very good yet. But next -year—!”</p> - -<p>“That’s what we used to say,” laughed the -man. “And then when next year came—why, we -said it again! Do you know, I’d give a whole lot -to see Ferry Hill beat Hammond? I really would, -Miss Harriet! I feel the old antagonism rising up -inside of me at the mention of the name of Hammond. -The fellows there now aren’t the ones I -used to know, of course; ‘Tricky’ Peters and -Jerry Gould and—and what was that big red-headed -fellow’s name, I wonder! Prout! That<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[349]</a></span> -was it; Prout! Dear me, how I used to hate that -fellow Prout! I wonder what became of him. -Jerry Gould has an office in my building and we’ve -often talked over old times. He declares he made -a home-run off of me once, but I don’t believe it, by -Jingo! What time does this athletic contest take -place?”</p> - -<p>“At half past two, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Just the thing! I’ll go and see it. Will you -take me, Miss Harriet? Good! And—and didn’t -you say that this Dick Somebody got up the -team?”</p> - -<p>“Dick Somes; yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“And he’s the same one that’s president of -the Improvement Society?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, then. You see him and tell him -that if he will lick Hammond this afternoon I’ll -subscribe to the dormitory fund, handsomely too! -What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell him,” answered Harry breathlessly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[350]</a></span> -“But—but I don’t believe it will make any difference, -because he’ll do the best he can anyhow; -and so will the other boys. But I’ll tell him, sir. -How much shall I say you’ll subscribe?”</p> - -<p>“Well, now you’re getting right down to brass -tacks, aren’t you?” laughed the man. “I must -think about that. Is this the Cottage? I’ll have -to beg some lunch, I guess. Do you suppose your -mother will let me have some?”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” answered Harry eagerly. “I’ll -invite you myself.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you very much,” he answered with a -smile. “And I’ll accept before you change your -mind. And after lunch we’ll have another talk -about this matter. You want a new dormitory and -I want to see Ferry Hill lick Hammond, and -maybe we’ll be able to get together, eh? Stop -here, my boy.”</p> - -<p>“Whoa thar! Whoa, I tell yer!” chided the -freckle-faced driver. “Don’t yer hear me, yer old -galoot? Whoa, I say!”</p> - -<p>Harry’s new friend jumped nimbly out and gallantly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[351]</a></span> -assisted her. Then he paid the boy, adding -a dollar for good measure.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do with it?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I dunno,” growled the boy. “Gedap!”</p> - -<p>The carriage trundled away and the man looked -admiringly after.</p> - -<p>“I leave it to you, Miss Harriet,” he said in -awed tones. “Did I overestimate his intelligence -one mite? Did I not rather err on the side of moderation? -And now shall we go in?”</p> - -<p>As they entered Doctor Emery was crossing the -hall, and Harry ran to him.</p> - -<p>“Papa,” she said, “here’s a gentleman who’s -come to lunch with us. I invited him and it’s all -right. He used to go to school here and he’s going -to—to—”</p> - -<p>“I’m very glad to see you, sir,” said the Doctor, -shaking hands. “Very glad to welcome one -of our old boys back again, although I fancy you -were here before my day. May I ask your name, -sir?”</p> - -<p>“Kearney, David Kearney, Doctor. Yes, I left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[352]</a></span> -here before you took hold; over twenty years ago -it was. I met your daughter on the road, begged -the pleasure of her company and was rewarded -with an invitation to lunch. But if it is going to -put Mrs. Emery to any trouble—”</p> - -<p>“Why, not a bit, Mr. Kearney. We shall consider -it an honor to entertain a man who has—er—fashioned -so successful a career, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said Mr. Kearney gravely. -“And I shall feel more honored to lunch with the -honorary president.”</p> - -<p>“Eh?” asked the Doctor blankly.</p> - -<p>“Why, I am not mistaken, am I?” asked the -other with a twinkle in his eye. “You occupy the -position of honorary president of the Ferry Hill -School Improvement Society, do you not?” The -Doctor’s gaze wandered to Harry’s mischievous -face and he smiled.</p> - -<p>“I fear,” he said, “there is more here than I -understand.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[353]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The launch was to make its first trip across to -Coleville at half past one, carrying the members -of the team and a few privileged friends, returning -later for a second load of passengers. At a -quarter past one Dick, Roy, Chub and their team-mates -were hurriedly changing their clothes in the -gymnasium, since it had been decided to dress before -crossing to Hammond. Dick was just knotting -the cords of his bath-robe about his waist -when Sid put his head in at the dressing-room -door and called to him.</p> - -<p>“Say, Dick! Harry’s outside and wants to see -you right off; she says it’s very important.”</p> - -<p>“All right, tell her I’ll be there in a second, Sid. -Get a move on, fellows; it’s twenty minutes past.”</p> - -<p>He followed Sid through the swinging doors -and Roy and Chub, struggling into their white -and brown running costumes, viewed each other -inquiringly. Then Dick thrust the doors open.</p> - -<p>“Roy and Chub!” he called. “Get something -on and come out here quick!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[354]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Must be something doing,” said Chub excitedly -as he laced his spiked shoes. Then they too -disappeared and it was the turn of the others to -wonder and speculate. Five minutes later Sid -once more appeared.</p> - -<p>“Dick says for every fellow to come out right -away,” he announced. “He’s got important -news.”</p> - -<p>A minute later they were all out on the porch, -crowding around Dick. Roy and Chub were beside -him, and Harry was standing with sparkling -eyes and flushed cheeks on the stone railing behind -them.</p> - -<p>“What’s up, Dick?” asked Ed Whitcomb anxiously. -“Hammond hasn’t forfeited the meet, -has she?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Dick. “Shut up a minute, fellows; -I’ve got something to tell you.” When -quiet was restored he went on. “It’s a long story, -but I’ve got to make it as short as I can, so if you -have any questions to ask wait until later on. You<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[355]</a></span> -fellows know—or maybe you don’t know, but it’s -a fact—that we need another dormitory here at -Ferry Hill. The Doctor hasn’t much more than -paid expenses the last few years. He needs more -boys, and that means more dormitory room. So a -while back, along in January, four of us—Harry -and Roy and Chub and myself—got up a sort of a -club that we called the Ferry Hill School Improvement -Society. The purpose was to get money for a -new dormitory. We talked with the Doctor about -it, but he thought we were just sort of fooling, you -know, and wouldn’t have anything to do with it. -So we went ahead alone. We sent letters to some -of the graduates and we got about six hundred -dollars. There was one chap we wrote to who -didn’t pay any attention to our letter. You have -all heard of him, I guess: Mr. David Kearney.”</p> - -<p>There was a chorus of assent.</p> - -<p>“Well, he turned up here a couple of hours ago. -Instead of answering our letter he waited until he -had a chance and came up here to see us.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[356]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was an incipient cheer which Dick waved -down.</p> - -<p>“He wants us to lick Hammond. He says that -when he was here at school, about twenty years -ago, Hammond used to beat Ferry Hill almost all -the time. Mr. Kearney played on the ball team; -used to pitch; and when Harry told him we were -going to meet Hammond on the track this afternoon -he said he was going to see it, said it would -do him a lot of good to see Ferry Hill beat Hammond -just once at something.”</p> - -<p>This time the cheer would not be denied, and -Dick had to wait until it had died down before he -went on.</p> - -<p>“So he has sent a message to us by Harry. ‘If,’ -he says, ‘you beat Hammond this afternoon, I’ll -give the balance of the money needed for the dormitory,’ -which is—how much, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Twenty-nine thousand three hundred and -sixty dollars and twenty cents,” answered Harry -promptly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[357]</a></span></p> - -<p>“<em>Ph—e—ew!</em>” whistled somebody, and for a -moment bedlam broke loose.</p> - -<p>“Now,” continued Dick as soon as he could -make himself heard, “I know you fellows don’t -need this—this incentive to do your very best. -You’d have done that anyhow, merely for the -sake of beating our rival over there, for the sake -of Ferry Hill! But you’re not going to do any -less now that you know that so much more depends -on victory; you’re going to do a little better -than your best, fellows; you’re going over -there with a determination to lick Hammond and -bring back the championship and secure that new -dormitory! Now let’s have a cheer for Mr. -Kearney.”</p> - -<p>And when it had been given,</p> - -<p>“A cheer for Ferry Hill, fellows!” cried Dick.</p> - -<p>And then, still shouting and cheering, they tumbled -down the steps and raced for the landing.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[358]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a><br /> -<small>FERRY HILL VS. HAMMOND</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The Oval at Hammond Academy lies on a -broad plateau just beyond the campus. -Back of it the hill sweeps abruptly away, covered -with a dense growth of timber. From the top of -the grand stand one can almost see the river over -the roof of the nearest dormitory. Nature has -supplied an ideal spot for an athletic ground and -human hands have made the most of it. There is -an excellent quarter-mile cinder track twelve feet -wide, supplemented by a straight-away for the 220 -yards’ dash and the low hurdles. Inside the track -is a perfectly level expanse of well-kept turf which -made the Ferry Hill visitors sigh with envy. The -grand stand is small but well-built and well-maintained,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[359]</a></span> -and at one end of it there is a tiny building -which serves as a dressing-room and store-house. -From its roof a short flag-pole to-day bore the -cherry-and-black banner of Hammond, while from -an improvised staff at the top of the grand stand -floated a bedraggled Ferry Hill flag.</p> - -<p>The day was warm and, since there had been -no rain for some time, the little breezes made -miniature whirlwinds of dust along the track. By -half past two the stand was well filled. Ferry Hill -had preëmpted the south end, and her small band -of supporters were cheering vigorously. Below, -about the starting-line for the 100 yards’ dash, a -dozen officials, instructors and students of the two -schools, were awaiting the contestants.</p> - -<p>Near the curve of the field to the right the entries -for the shot put and broad jump had gathered, -the white costumes with their dashes of -cherry-and-black or of brown gleaming brightly -against the vivid green of the level turf. The -breezes fluttered the handkerchiefs laid along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[360]</a></span> -runway to indicate the points at which the jumpers -were to find their strides, and whipped the -loose trunks tightly against straining leg muscles -as the white-clad bodies raced over the brown -path.</p> - -<p>The clerk of the course, a Hammond youth, -bawled importantly for the contestants in the trial -heats of the 100 yards and presently eight youths -gathered at the head of the stretch. Three were -Ferry Hill entries and five wore the Hammond -colors. Four at a time they sped down the alleys -and Ferry Hill found cause for rejoicing, for three -of her sprinters had qualified for the finals—Post, -Eaton and Walker—while only one Hammond -man had made good.</p> - -<p>Up on the grand stand Harry signified her delight -by waving the brown-and-white banner she -carried. Beside her was Mr. Kearney, and beyond -him Mrs. Emery and the Doctor. The visitor had -pleaded ignorance and Harry was explaining volubly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[361]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There are twelve events, you see,” she said. -“And in each one the first four fellows count. -The winner makes five points, the one coming in -second makes three, third place counts two and -fourth place one. That makes eleven points for -each event, or 132 points for the meet. And of -course the team that wins a majority of the 132 -points wins the meet. Do you see what I mean?”</p> - -<p>“I think so. But wouldn’t it be possible for -each side to make half of 132 points? Then nobody -would win, eh?”</p> - -<p>“It would be a tie. But it doesn’t very often -happen that way, Mr. Kearney. I hope it won’t -to-day, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s better to have it decided one way or -the other, I guess. What are they going to do -now?”</p> - -<p>“I think this is the 120 yards’ hurdles; the high -hurdles, they call it. We won’t do much in this -because we have only two fellows entered and -neither of them is much good. That’s Kirby, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[362]</a></span> -tall one. He’s one of the pitchers on the base-ball -team.”</p> - -<p>“I see. He’s a fine looking boy, Miss Harriet. -Here they come! Hello, some one’s taken a -tumble!”</p> - -<p>“It’s Glidden,” said Harry disappointedly. -“We won’t get a single point out of this, I’ll— -Oh, yes we will! Go it, Kirb! Go it! There! He -was second, wasn’t he?”</p> - -<p>But when the megaphone was pointed in their -direction, Baxter, official announcer, gave Hammond -first, second and fourth places and Ferry -Hill third.</p> - -<p>“That makes Hammond 9 and Ferry Hill 2,” -said Harry. “Well, we didn’t expect anything -in the high hurdles, so we’re really two points -ahead, aren’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Half-milers this way!” called the clerk.</p> - -<p>Ferry Hill had three candidates for this event, -Porter, Pryor and Kirby, to Hammond’s six. But -both Roy and Pryor were expected to win places,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[363]</a></span> -and Ferry Hill’s supporters cheered confidently. -Then the nine runners were poised on the mark, -the pistol barked, and there was a little struggle -for the pole. As they swept by the stand Holmes -of Hammond was making the pace, with Pryor -close behind him and Roy well back in the bunch. -At the first turn they strung out along the inner -rim of the track, the pace-maker taking it very -easy indeed. Into the back-stretch they went, nine -white-clad bodies agleam in the sunlight, and a -cheer arose from where the brown-and-white flags -fluttered as Pryor stepped around Holmes and -took the lead, setting a pace that opened up several -yards between them. After the next turn the -runners were well stretched out along the track, -and as they swept into the home-stretch and finished -the first lap and the first half of the distance -it was evident that only five of the nine would dispute -the points. These were Porter and Pryor of -Ferry Hill and Holmes, James and Garrison of -Hammond. Kirby apparently had not recovered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[364]</a></span> -from the high hurdles and was running next to -last, quite out of the race.</p> - -<p>As the runners passed the stand the flags waved -and the cheers urged them on. It was Pryor, -Holmes, James, Porter and Garrison now, and -this order was maintained until they were once -more in the back-stretch. Then Roy passed James -and Holmes took the lead from Pryor. An eighth -of a mile from the finish the pace increased. Garrison -dropped farther and farther behind and Roy -crept past Pryor. At the turn the latter, run out, -dropped behind James and finally was overhauled -by Garrison. Into the home-stretch sped the first -three runners with scarce two yards dividing first -man from last. The stand was on its feet, flags -waving and voices straining. Then, twenty yards -from the tape, James of Hammond spurted magnificently -and had passed the two ahead of him -before they knew it. Roy with a final effort -worked loose from Holmes and crossed the line a -bare two yards back of James. Hammond 8, -Ferry Hill 3.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[365]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Harry disappointedly, “that’s too -bad. Dick was counting on six points in the eight-eighty. -Let me see, that makes the score 17 to 5 -in Hammond’s favor. Isn’t that just too mean -for anything?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Kearney agreed smilingly that it was. -“But it’s early yet,” he said. “They’re putting -up the strings again. What does that -mean?”</p> - -<p>“Final of the hundred yards’ dash,” answered -Harry. “Oh, I do hope Chub will win this!”</p> - -<p>“Chub? Let me see now, he’s one of the four -conspirators—I mean one of the society, isn’t -he?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. His real name is Tom, you know. That’s -he; the boy with the white sweater over his shoulders; -see?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. So that’s Tom? And your name is -Harriet; and then there’s a Dick, too, isn’t -there?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, Dick Somes.”</p> - -<p>“To be sure. And the fourth one?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[366]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Roy, the boy that just came in second in the -half-mile.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said Mr. Kearney. “I think I -have you straightened out now. Shall we stand -up so we can see this better?”</p> - -<p>Ferry Hill was certain of three places in the -100 yards since she had three of the four entries, -but it was going to make some difference which -those places were. Chub and Post and Walker -were crouching side by side, each at the head of -his alley, and with them was the lone Hammond -entry, a fellow named Ranck. Mr. Kearney ventured -a mild pun on the name, but Harry was too -intent to heed it. Then the pistol broke the stillness -and the four leaped away from the mark and -came charging down the track. It was all over in -an instant—to be exact, ten and two fifths seconds—with -Chub first by a yard and Ranck in second -place. Harry mourned the loss of second place -but looked cheerful as she scrawled a very big, -black 8 to Ferry Hill’s credit. The score so far<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[367]</a></span> -stood Ferry Hill 13, Hammond 20; and that looked -lots better than 5 to 17.</p> - -<p>There was quite a field for the 220 yards’ dash, -and three trial heats were run before the participants -in the finals were decided on. In the end -Ferry Hill won two places and Hammond two, -Post and Chub Eaton qualifying for the brown-and-white.</p> - -<p>The quarter-mile run was a tame affair, Holmes -of Hammond taking the lead at the start and never -being once headed to the tape. Roy won second -place again, followed by Pryor and Kirby, and -Ferry Hill’s stock went up several points. The -score now stood 19 for the visitors and 25 for the -home team. Things began to look more cheerful, -and Dick, looking over Sid’s shoulder as the manager -reckoned up the points, felt encouraged and -even hopeful. But ten minutes later the prospect -was very black indeed. The result of the pole -vault was made known, giving Hammond 9½ -points and Ferry Hill 1½, Cullum having tied a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[368]</a></span> -Hammondite for third place. Then the best Glidden -was able to do in the low hurdles was to come -in a bad fourth.</p> - -<p>“The dickens!” wailed Sid. “That gives them -45½ to our 21½! I guess it’s all over but the -shouting, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“And I guess we won’t have to do any of that,” -was the answer. “Isn’t the broad jump finished? -I’m going over to see. By the way, what comes -next? Two-twenty dash? Where’s Chub? Find -him and send him over to me, Sid.”</p> - -<p>But the announcer was already busy with his -crimson megaphone, and Dick stopped to listen. -Ferry Hill had secured first and third places in -the broad jump and second, third and fourth in -the shot put. Sid’s pencil worked busily as the -cheers swept across from the south end of the -stand.</p> - -<p>“That’s better,” breathed Dick as he watched -the totals appear. “Ferry Hill 34½, Hammond -54½.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[369]</a></span></p> - -<p>“We’ve only gained four points,” objected Sid.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but I didn’t look for anything much in -either of those events, and we got the big end of -each. Give us six points in the high jump, six in -the hammer throw and five in the two-twenty, Sid, -and see what it foots up.”</p> - -<p>“Only 51½,” said Sid.</p> - -<p>“Is that all?” Dick frowned perplexedly. -“We’ll have to find some more somewhere, then. -Oh, Chub! Chub Eaton! Where’s Post? Hurry -him up; I want to see you both.”</p> - -<p>Affairs began to look up for Ferry Hill after -the 220 yards’ dash, for Post won handily and -Chub found the tape a bare six inches ahead of -Ranck of Hammond. Another Hammondite, Custis, -took fourth. And when the time was announced -it was found that Post had simply -knocked the top off of Hammond’s record for that -event. The latter was 24⅖ seconds, and Post had -finished in 24 flat. Then came the results of the -high jump and the hammer throw, and Ferry<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[370]</a></span> -Hill’s supporters went crazy with delight. In -each event the wearers of the brown-and-white -had done better than any one had dared expect. -In the jump they had secured all but two points -and in the hammer throw Fernald had sent the -weight 129 feet 6 inches, securing first place by -over four feet from his nearest competitor, Harris. -Post had got third place, leaving only one -point for the cherry-and-black. And the score -showed Ferry Hill ahead, 61½ to 59½!</p> - -<p>Up on the stand Harry was dancing with glee, -deaf to the smiling remonstrances of her mother. -Mr. Kearney, too, made no effort to disguise his -pleasure and excitement.</p> - -<p>“Well, I fancy that means a victory for us, eh, -Miss Harriet?” he asked. “There’s only one -more event, isn’t there?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, the mile run,” answered Harry breathlessly. -“And—oh, where’s my pencil? Quick! -Thank you. Oh, dear! We’ve got to get at least -five points or Hammond will win yet! We must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[371]</a></span> -get first place or second and third! Oh, I don’t -believe we can ever do it! There’s only Dick and -Chase; the others aren’t any good at all! Dick! -Dick! You’ve got to win!”</p> - -<p>“Well, from what I’ve heard of him, I think -he’s quite likely to,” said Mr. Kearney smilingly.</p> - -<p>“He hasn’t been doing very well, though,” -grieved Harry. “You see, he’s had so much to -think about and attend to! I don’t see how it -could be a tie, but if it should—would—do we get -the money?”</p> - -<p>“I’d have to think about that,” answered Mr. -Kearney gravely. “You recollect that the terms -called for a victory.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know! But wouldn’t it be awful if we -lost the dormitory by half a point?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose it would,” said he, looking smilingly -at her pale face. “Well, I won’t promise, Miss -Harriet, but maybe in that case I might give something, -say a thousand or two. How would that -do?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[372]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It—it would be better than nothing,” answered -Harry without enthusiasm. “Oh, I do -wish they’d hurry!”</p> - -<p>“It is a bit uncomfortable, this suspense. We -ought to call this race the Dormitory Stakes, eh?”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t too late to cancel that wager, Mr. -Kearney,” laughed the Doctor, leaning across. -But the other shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to, Doctor. That check will be -cheap for a victory over our old rival.”</p> - -<p>“There!” cried Harry. “They’re on their -marks! Why, Warren isn’t there! That gives us -only three men! Isn’t it dreadful?”</p> - -<p>“Which is Dick Somes?” asked the visitor. -Harry pointed him out with a finger that trembled.</p> - -<p>“The big boy with the yellowish hair,” she -whispered. “And the little one is Chase. And -Townsend’s next to him on the left. The boy with -black hair, the one with the cherry-and-black ribbon -across his shirt is Connor! He’s Hammond’s -crack distance runner. I—I hope he won’t win!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[373]</a></span></p> - -<p>“So do I,” answered Mr. Kearney. “They’re -off!”</p> - -<p>The pistol broke sharply on the air and the field -of eight runners leaped forward.</p> - -<p>“<em>Oh!</em>” breathed Harry. “It’s four times -around, and I’m just sure I’ll die before they -finish!”</p> - -<p>There’s nothing very spectacular about a mile -race. It is rather a test of endurance than of -speed when compared to the middle distances and -sprints, and as the time for the distance is likely -to be somewhere around five minutes the pace is -not fast enough to be inspiring to the spectators. -As the runners took the first corner they seemed -rather to be out for a gentle exercise jog than taking -part in a race which, no matter how it was -won, would decide the fortunes of the day.</p> - -<p>Ferry Hill had entered Dick Somes, Chase and -Townsend. Warren had intended to run, but at -the last moment had funked it. For Hammond -there were Connor, Parish, White, Temple and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[374]</a></span> -Frothingham. Connor held the Hammond record -of 5 minutes 7⅗ seconds and Parish was credited -with something very close to that. The other -wearers of the cherry-and-black were unknown -quantities. Dick had done the mile the year before -in about 5 minutes and 6 seconds, but so far -this spring had not been able to come within ten -seconds of that time. Chase was still slower and -Townsend had absolutely no hope of being able -to finish inside the half-minute. But he was going -to be useful.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of the second lap he pushed to -the front and took the lead, none disputing it with -him. For the next lap he set a hard pace. Connor -was running fifth, with Dick dogging him closely, -stride for stride. At half the distance Townsend -drew aside, badly tuckered, and the lead went to -Temple of Hammond. By this time the eight runners -were strung out for fifty yards, with Temple, -Parish, Chase, Connor and Dick well together in -the van. As they went by the stand on the beginning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[375]</a></span> -of the third lap the cheering became frantic. -As though in response, Connor suddenly drew out -and passed Chase. But Dick was close after him, -and at the turn they had settled down again. -Temple gave the lead to Parish and gradually -dropped back. Then Chase began to lose and the -hearts of Ferry Hill’s supporters sank. It was -Parish, Connor and Dick now, with Temple and -Chase fighting together yards behind. Then they -were crossing the line and the last lap had begun.</p> - -<p>The voices of the judges announcing the fact -were drowned in the shouts of entreaty and encouragement -that broke from the spectators.</p> - -<p>“There’s only Dick left!” wailed Harry. -“Chase is out of it entirely! If Dick doesn’t win -we’ll lose! Dick! Dick! Run! You’ve got to -win, Dick!”</p> - -<p>But Harry’s frantic entreaty was lost in the -babel of sound and the runners took the turn, -clinging closer to the inner rim of the cinder track. -Around the curve they went, Parish, Connor, Dick,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[376]</a></span> -one close behind the other, heads up, elbows in, -strides matched.</p> - -<p>So far Dick had stood the strain well, but now -the work was beginning to tell on him. Breathing -was getting difficult, his knees began to feel a little -bit uncertain and his head displayed a tendency to -drop back. He realized that to win better than -second place was almost out of the question. Both -Connor and Parish were experienced runners, -were conducting the race according to some plan -settled upon between them and were not going to -let their adversary pass if it was possible to prevent -it. And yet if Ferry Hill was to win the meet -it was absolutely necessary for him to reach the -tape ahead of the others. If he came in second -and Chase, by good luck, came in fourth it would -give them four points, just enough to lose by one! -So it was first place or nothing—and Dick began -to think it would be nothing.</p> - -<p>He believed that somewhere on the back-stretch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[377]</a></span> -Parish would let Connor by and at the same time -try to block the enemy. Connor would then hit up -the pace, Parish would follow if he could and if -not would lag and make it necessary for Dick to -run outside of him; and in the last two hundred -yards of the mile every effort, no matter how -slight, counts. The idea of risking all on a spurt, -passing both opponents and then trying to keep -the lead to the tape occurred to him, but was relinquished. -He believed that he had enough -strength left for a sprint <a href="#image01">at the finish</a>, but he -doubted his ability to make the pace for the rest of -the distance.</p> - -<p>The one encouraging thought that can come to -one during a hard race is that your opponent -is probably just as tired and just as worried as -you are. And as Dick followed the others around -the turn into the back-stretch he made the most of -that thought. If his own breath came in scorching -gasps from tired lungs so must that of Connor and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[378]</a></span> -Parish; if his own legs ached, so must theirs; if he -was at his wits’ end how to get by them, they were -at their wits’ end how to prevent him.</p> - -<p>From across the field came the cheers of the -watchers, but he was scarcely aware of them. His -whole mind was on the race, and he watched Connor -as a cat watches a mouse. For him the only -sounds were the hard breathing of the runners -and the crunch of the cinders under foot. A hundred -yards behind, although he didn’t know it, -Temple and Chase had finished their battle and -the former had won; Chase, with head thrown -back, was following gamely but hopelessly, already -out of the race.</p> - -<p>Yard by yard the back-stretch was conquered. -The curve was already at hand and still Dick’s -opponents made no move. The three ran steadily -on, stride for stride. Perhaps they were waiting -for him to try and pass, hoping he would kill himself -in a useless attempt to take the lead. Well, -he’d fool them! Then the wooden rim at his left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[379]</a></span> -began to curve, and suddenly Connor had slipped -from his place with a gasping warning to Parish -and had taken the lead. Dick went after him, but -as soon as he had drawn alongside of Parish that -youth, watching for him, quickly closed up behind -Connor. Dick must either drop back to third place -again or run on the outside, covering more ground -on the turn than the enemy. Well, he was probably -beaten anyway, and so he’d stay where he -was. Perhaps he could cheat Parish out of second -place. So around the turn they went, Connor hugging -the pole in the lead, Parish right behind him -and Dick at his elbow. And now they were on the -home-stretch with the tape and the little knot of -judges and timers scarcely sixty yards away.</p> - -<p>But what a distance sixty yards is when seventeen -hundred have gone before it! And what a -deal may happen in that little stretch of cinder -path! The stand was almost deserted and the -spectators were lined along the track almost from -the corner to a point beyond the finish, so that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[380]</a></span> -runners came on through a lane of gesticulating -arms, waving flags and caps and frantic noise.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Connor’s head tipped back a little. -Dick, watching, saw and realized that the last -struggle had begun. With a gasp for breath to -carry him on, he began his sprint at the same moment -that Connor strove to draw away. A dozen -strides and Parish was no longer beside him. A -dozen more and he was almost even with the Hammond -crack. But now his breath threatened to go -back on him utterly at every aching gasp and his -legs weighed hundreds of pounds. The hope of -victory, born suddenly back there by the turn, -withered under the knowledge of defeat.</p> - -<p>Then into his range of vision, standing sharply -out against the confusion of dark figures lining -the track to the right, leaped a girl in a white -dress, a small, slim form with the reddest of hair -and a pale, entreating face. And in the moment -that he saw her her hand shot out toward him -waving a little slip of white paper and beckoning -him on. And in the instant he remembered that -there was more in this than a victory over Hammond; -that on his winning or losing depended the -success of the F. H. S. I. S.! To win meant a new -dormitory for the school; to lose—But he wasn’t -going to lose now!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[381]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 378px;"> -<a id="image17"> - <img src="images/image17.jpg" width="378" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_384">“‘And something else, too!’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[382-<br />383]</a></span></p> - -<p>Stride! Stride! Gasp! Gasp! He had an -idea that Connor had vanished into thin air; at -least he was no longer at his elbow! Faces swept -by like strange blurs. The line was in front of -him, half a dozen yards away. He wondered why -nobody spoke, why everything was so still; then -awoke to the knowledge that the shouting was -deafening. Cries for “Ferry Hill! Ferry Hill!” -for “Hammond! Hammond!” rent the air. Another -stride—another—and then somebody got in -his way and he couldn’t stop and so tumbled over -into somebody’s arms.</p> - -<p>He had a dim idea that he was being dragged -across the cinders. Then he had no ideas at all -for a minute. When he got a good, full hold on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[384]</a></span> -his faculties again he opened his eyes to find Chub -and Roy beside him. He smiled weakly.</p> - -<p>“Did I—win?” he gasped.</p> - -<p>“Two yards to the good!” said Chub. “We’ve -won the meet, Dick, by a point: 66½ to 65½!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” cried another voice, “<a href="#image17">and something -else, too!</a> Look!”</p> - -<p>Harry’s face, flushed, excited and radiant, bent -over him as she held a little slip of white paper -before his eyes. Dick looked and read with dizzy -eyes:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">County National Bank of New York City.</span><br /></p> - -<p>Pay to the order of Tom, Dick, and Harriet........<br /> -Twenty-nine Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty and -20/100 Dollars.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">David Kearney.</span><br /></p> -</div> - - -<p class="p4 noic">THE END</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="tnote"> -<p class="noi tntitle">Transcriber’s Notes:</p> - -<p class="smfont">Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">The author’s em-dash style has been retained.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Tom, Dick and Harriet, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM, DICK AND HARRIET *** - -***** This file should be named 54747-h.htm or 54747-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/7/4/54747/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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