Capwell Wyckoff

“ When Don came back he grinned at Jim. “Well, you’re in for it, kid,” he said. “Cadet Willis brought to me, your second, a formal declaration of war. If you aren’t scared to death you will kindly meet Mr. Vench in physical combat back of the gym at eight o’clock this evening!”
“Well,” grinned Jim. “I’m scared to death, all right, but I’ll meet him just the same. I’ll be so nervous I won’t be able to run or study all afternoon!”
The news of Vench’s challenge spread like wildfire, and just before eight o’clock a group of the cadets, constantly increasing in number, assembled back of the gym. ”

“ And at that moment there was a step on the snow close by. Quick as lightning Vench crouched down behind the nearest bush and looked out. The major was coming up the driveway toward the old school, muffled in his overcoat, his head sunk forward in his collar. It was evident that he had no fear of detection, for he glanced neither to the right nor to the left, but walked confidently up to the door, inserted a key in the lock and opened the barrier. ”

“ His companion took the colonel’s other arm.
“Goodbye, Mercer,” said the colonel. “We’ll get the best of these scoundrels yet.”
“I’m sure of it, colonel,” returned Don. “Take good care of yourself, sir.”
“You two have become very friendly in a short time, haven’t you?” sneered the major.
“Well, that’s bound to happen, major,” said Morrell slowly. “When two men get together they feel some sort of natural ties. Some day, if you ever become a man, you’ll know what I mean!”
The major raised his fist in a threatening attitude and Don sprang forward to the colonel’s defense. ”

“ Jim didn’t do that and so you will not do what you said you will do!”
“Mercer,” snarled the major. “I will order you under arrest!”
“You may do what you like,” retorted Don. “But it will do you no good. Every cadet in this school knows that what happened is your fault, Major Tireson, and not anyone else’s. Every cadet is blaming Lieutenant Stillman for having taken demerit marks from you. You yourself know that you made no effort to check up and find out if the second lieutenant knew his orders, and under those circumstances Jim will not take any punishment from you or from anyone else!” ”

“ But Jim and I don’t actually need ours. Perhaps some of the rest of you do. That old station agent is pretty well along in life, and some of that money would make the rest of his days a whole lot easier for him. If he hadn’t furnished us with the card we would have been in the dark on several points. Jim and I have agreed to turn over our money to him.”
“You may turn mine over, too,” said Vench. “I have all the money I need, and I’d gladly see him get it.”
“That goes for me, too,” nodded Captain Rhodes. “I am not rolling in wealth, but my father takes excellent care of me. ”

“ He was a man past forty-five, with a weather-beaten face and piercing gray eyes. He looked keenly at Don and his uniform as he stopped the car.
“What are you doing here, son?” he asked.
“I have a letter for you, from Major Tireson,” Don answered. “Are you Mr. Dennings?”
“Yes,” nodded the man and swung out of the car. He closed the door with a slam and took the letter.
“Major Tireson told me to wait for an answer,” said Don, as the man hesitated.
“All right,” Dennings answered, leading the way toward the house. “Let’s get inside. We won’t get much done by standing out here.” ”

“ Jim called, “Come in.”
The door opened to admit a fine-looking fellow in full uniform with stripes of a cadet captain. He had a nice smile and the newcomers felt a friendliness toward him at once.
“How do you do, boys?” greeted the cadet. “I am Captain Rhodes of the senior class, and I’ve come to look in on you. One of the traditions of the seniors here is to make fourth class men feel at home, and so I’ve come to introduce myself. I’m not intruding, I hope?”
“Not at all, Captain Rhodes,” replied Don. “Very glad to have you, and we appreciate your tradition. ”

“ Rhodes nodded, but not cheerfully. “Yes, and I’m sure the fellows wouldn’t like that. Not that Major Tireson is a tyrant or anything like it, but he simply isn’t in the same class with the colonel. You can’t get close to him, if you see what I mean. Why, any guy in the corps could walk up to the colonel and talk to him without fear of being frowned down on, but the major is pretty much aloof. I personally like a man you can feel respect for and yet know him in a friendly way, but you can’t do that with the major. So here’s hoping our beloved colonel turns up safely.” ”

“ On the following afternoon Vench, Don and Jim walked down to town together. Terry was wrestling in the gym with Chipps, and the three boys, having nothing better to do, and wishing to buy a few things, gained the necessary permission and set out. After making their purchases Don led the way to a local drugstore.
“Pretty cold for ice cream,” he grinned. “You boys want a coke instead?”
“I can always eat ice cream,” smiled Vench, his white teeth flashing out in his dark face. ”

“ To the colonel it was an enjoyable holiday also, and he appeared on the ice to skate for a brief time with his boys. The fourth class men, just making the acquaintance of their real headmaster, were more than pleased with him.
Captain Chalmers was made assistant headmaster in Tireson’s place. In due time the major and Dennings, with three hangers-on, were all given prison terms on various charges. School life settled down to a regular run of routine that was now thoroughly enjoyable, and the boys began to find the days slipping by rapidly and pleasurably. ”

“ The man with the cane had thought Jim and Vench alone, but when he saw the other two cadets drawing near his tactics abruptly changed. He dropped his weapon and reached into his back pocket. It was then that Jim had his opportunity. Although his shoulder pained him greatly he threw himself forward, gripping the man’s arm. Then, while Terry and Rhodes knocked the man down, Jim twisted a revolver from his grasp.
Cadet Vench was having a tough time of it. The man beneath him was powerfully built, and with a single heave he sent the little cadet floundering to one side. ”

“ Standing in the rough yard near the back door was an expensive looking car. The boys halted in the shelter of some large trees to consider, well out of sight of anyone in the house.
“Look at the upper back windows,” directed Rhodes. “They are above the level of the tree tops, and from them anyone could plainly catch a signal from Clanhammer Hall. What shall we do, now that we are here?”
“I don’t see that there is anything to do,” returned Don. “We can’t go up to the place, and we know that it isn’t deserted. Perhaps——”
Jim grabbed his arm. “Pipe down,” he whispered. “Someone is coming!” ”

“ Vench. In that way you will save yourself a few ‘groan marks.’”
“Groan marks” were demerits, and if enough of them were gathered by a cadet he was expelled. If a cadet accumulated a few of them he lost valuable privileges. But Cadet Vench smiled and shook his head.
“I guess we’ll just forget all about it, eh, Mercer?” he suggested.
But Jim shook his head calmly. “No we won’t, Mr. Vench. Smoking is absolutely against the rules of the institution. You may enjoy it, and perhaps some of the other fellows do too, but they don’t do it, and if you see fit to, you’ll have to stand what comes to you.” ”

“ At sight of them the students set up a cry and Terry fairly threw himself upon them.
“Gosh, I thought you two were surely lost,” greeted the red-headed one, in relief.
“Well, we did lose our trail,” explained Don, as they walked up to the fire. “Who won?”
“It was a draw,” Rhodes answered. “We were lucky enough to split this year. An equal number of hounds captured an equal number of hares and brought them in. For awhile we hoped you had been successful, but when Powers and Cranmer came in we knew that you had been left behind. You’ve got just time enough to prepare for supper. ”

“ Terry picked up his suitcase and went out of the screen door and out onto the well-kept driveway. A wide expanse of lawn spread out before him and off in the distance he saw the hall which was to be his dormitory. Just beyond it he could see the roof of another building that they had not been able to see from the main road. Terry was not sure which of them was Inslee Hall, especially as the path ran, after a split, to both of them.
“Must be the one in the rear,” he thought, and started toward it. ”

“ Don explained. “From eleven ’til twelve I patrol from the end of the campus to the east gate, up the hill and down.”
“And while you are walking we’ll be blissfully sleeping,” smiled Terry.
“Oh, I don’t mind, tonight,” answered Don. “It looks as though it is going to be a peach of a night, with a big moon. I may be a whole lot luckier than you two, at that. You may get something like two or three in the morning, perhaps on a rainy morning, and I’ll be the one to sleep blissfully.”
“Say,” spoke up Jim. “Your patrol takes you right back of Clanhammer Hall, doesn’t it?” ”

“ I am Don Mercer, and this is my brother Jim. This is Terry Mackson.”
“Glad to know you all,” nodded the captain, shaking hands with them. “Is this the fellow who pinned up Sommers’ trousers?”
“My fame has run before me!” murmured Terry, smiling.
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“Yes, Terry’s the culprit,” laughed Don. “A bad boy all around, always into something, but he means well, Mr. Rhodes.”
“I don’t doubt it,” returned the cadet. “You may drop the mister, Mercer. Speaking of Terry’s well-meaning attempt on Mr. Sommers, I can safely say that no harm was done except a temporary bruising of the lieutenant’s feelings. ”

“ Agreeing to call the colonel immediately if anything came up Rhodes left him, and after getting his skates, went back to school. After a good supper the cadets studied for an hour and then rushed with whoops to the lake, where a half dozen big fires blazed along the edge of the sheet of ice. In a short time the runners of scores of skates were ringing with sharp, crisp sounds over the hard surface.
A dozen games were immediately started, games of snap the whip, hockey and races, but the four friends carefully avoided these and kept to themselves. ”

“ The events of the day had worn him out, and he slept soundly. It was daylight when he awoke, and his first sensation upon awakening was that of hunger.
A faint light entered the room from a very high and dirty skylight, and Don saw at once that there was no use in looking in that direction for a possible outlet. The skylight was too high for him to reach and there was nothing to stand on. His impressions of the previous night were confirmed, the room was empty and had no windows. It had evidently been a small classroom at one time, for two sides of the wall were composed of blackboards. ”

“ At seven o’clock in the morning a bugle pealed out and the Mercer brothers woke to find the sunlight streaming in their windows. They jumped out of bed, washed quickly and then went to chapel, meeting Terry in the hall. When all of the cadets had been seated a thin man in the uniform of a major came out on the platform and opened the session with a prayer. ”

“ The sound of the gongs then died down abruptly, but a rushing, scattering sound told them that the cadets were all up and hurrying into their clothes.
“Wonder where it is?” speculated Jim, as he pulled on his shirt. “I don’t see any blaze or smell any smoke.”
“It may only be a very small one,” said Terry, who was now fully dressed. “I suppose we report in assembly, don’t we? Or maybe we march out on the campus. One thing they have neglected to do around here is to give us any fire regulations.” ”

“ Terry laughed as he thought of the agent.
“This Christmas will be quite a shock to him,” he said.
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“I’m glad of it,” replied Jim. “Well, I wonder what is in store for us in the future?”
“Oh, nothing much, I guess,” laughed Don. “I guess we’ll study through the spring, play a little baseball, and then go home for a summer vacation. You know, we have a plain vacation, while the first and second class go to camp.”
“Just the same,” maintained Jim, stoutly. “I’ll bet we’ll have some more adventures. We just can’t seem to keep out of things.”
“Perhaps you’ll go sailing again,” suggested Terry. ”

“ Once or twice strange men came and talked with the major, men who had the look of police detectives, but evidently nothing new had been learned of the missing headmaster’s whereabouts. The four friends kept a close watch on their own account and several times passed close to Clanhammer Hall purposely to see if there was anything to be learned. But they did not find out anything until Cadet Vench broke his long silence. ”

“ Between them they pushed Don into the hall and out into the kitchen, where the leader lighted a candle. Don discovered that the man who had captured him was a powerfully built man, with a rough, hard face and narrow eyes. He kept his grasp on the cadet’s arm until Dennings ordered him to let go. ”