Edward Stratemeyer

“ I tried to do him a favor the last time I saw him—but he doesn’t seem to have appreciated it.”
“Laura!” called a musical voice, from the stair landing.
“Coming, Jessie!” answered Laura. “Now you boys, hurry—lunch will be served in a few minutes;” and she left the room.
“So Nat Poole wants to make more trouble, eh?” mused Dave, as he resumed packing. “What a chap he is! Why can’t he be decent and mind his own business?” 10
“Because he isn’t that breed, that’s why,” answered Phil. “He hates to see another fellow become popular. Dave, you take my advice and watch him, when we get back to school.” ”

“ On and on sped the big touring car, and soon the stirring incident on the road was, for the time being, forgotten. Crumville had been left far behind, and now they passed through one pretty village after another. On the broad, level stretches Dunston Porter allowed the boys to “spell” him at the wheel, for each knew how to run an automobile.
“Twenty miles more to Ryeport!” cried Dave, as they came to a crossroads and read a signboard. ”

“ At the entrance to the campus the boys, who were a little late, met the first assistant to Doctor Clay. As my old readers know Mr. Dale was as pleasant as Job Haskers was disagreeable.
“Had a fine walk, boys?” he asked, with a smile.
“We had an adventure,” answered Dave, and then he and his chums told what it was.
“Well! well! that wild man again,” mused the instructor. “This is getting truly serious. I was hoping he would leave this neighborhood. And so he calls himself the King of Sumatra? That is strange.”
“It certainly is strange,” answered Dave. ”

“ Early in the morning Prime drove past the school, and seeing Dave on the campus, hailed him.
“Come over here, I want to tell you something, Porter,” said Prime, mysteriously.
“What do you want?” asked Dave, good-naturedly.
“Ride a bit with me, will you? I don’t want nobody to hear us,” went on the man, lowering his voice.
Wondering what was coming, Dave got up on the seat of the man’s wagon and they drove to the far end of the Oak Hall grounds. There Andy Prime told of all he had learned. ”

“ Let us go over them and see what can be done,” responded the doctor. “If the students are willing to work we do not want to overburden them, Mr. Haskers.”
A discussion lasting over a quarter of an hour followed, and in the end the lessons were cut down, much to the satisfaction of the whole class, who felt like cheering the head of the school. The only person who was not satisfied was Job Haskers. He was invited to go out with the doctor to his private office, and came back some time later, looking anything but happy.
“I’ll wager he got a calling down!” whispered Phil to Dave. “I hope he did.” ”

“ The new shoe fitted the rim of the wheel rather tightly and they had all they could do to get it into place.
“Phew! this is work and no mistake!” murmured Roger. “I wonder why they can’t get tires that won’t blow out or go down.”
“Maybe some day they will have them,” answered Dunston Porter.
“I reckon this is all my fault,” put in Phil, ruefully. “I must have gone over some extra sharp stone, and it cut like a knife.”
“Oh, such accidents are liable to happen to anybody,” answered Dave. He looked at his watch. “Twenty-five minutes, and we haven’t blown it up yet! No record job this time.” ”

“ Red flags had been placed around, and nobody was allowed to get very close to the old structure.
“There is where they have the dynamite stored,” said Phil, pointing to a shanty not far away. “See the sign?”
“That’s a good spot to steer clear of,” returned Dave, with a grin.
“Oh, I’m not afraid of the stuff,” answered the shipowner’s son.
In the crowd of men and boys the students became more or less separated. There was a great thrill when the word was passed that everything was in readiness for the blowing up of the old bridge.
“She’s going!” cried Roger to Dave. ”

“ He looked sharply about the apartment and waved his hand to Luke.
“Watson, how many times have I told you that you make too much noise with your musical instruments?” he said, harshly. “You disturb the students who wish to study.”
“I thought this was the recreation hour, Mr. Haskers,” answered the lad, who loved to play the guitar and banjo.
“True, but I think we get altogether too much of your music,” growled the instructor. He turned to Dave, Roger, and Phil. “So you are back at last. It is high time, if you wish to go on with your regular classes.” ”

“ You auto fellows seem to think you own the whole road.”
“What about your motor-boat, Nat?” asked Dave. He remembered how the money-lender’s son had played more than one mean trick while running the craft.
“Oh, my boat is all right, Dave Porter!” sniffed Nat; and then he moved on, with a scowl on his face.
“The same old Nat,” soliloquized our hero. “Too bad that he can’t make himself a bit more agreeable.”
That day was a particularly trying one in the classroom. The lessons were unusually hard, and Dave had all he could do to pass, especially in those studies presided over by Professor Haskers. ”

“ Thereafter the conversation became general, Dave and his chums telling of their quest of the Carwith diamonds, and the other students relating the particulars of a feast they had had in one of the dormitories, and of various efforts made to catch the so-called wild man.
“I don’t believe he is what one would call a wild man,” said Ben Basswood, Dave’s old chum from home, who had just come in from some experiments in the school laboratory. “He is simple-minded and very shy. He gets excited once in a while, like when he threw those mud-balls.”
“Well, you ought to know,” remarked Buster. ”

“ Everybody was glad to see Dave back, and after supper it was all he could do to get away from many of his friends. But he managed it at last, and he, Roger, and Phil went upstairs, to put away their things and get out their schoolbooks.
“We have got to study and that is all there is to it,” said Dave, firmly. “Fun is one thing and getting ready to graduate is another. We have got to get down to the grind, boys.” ”

“ The boys were bound for the Oakdale Union House, a new hotel which had just been opened by a man named Jason Sparr. It was a nice resort, without a bar, and catered to the better class of people, including the students at Oak Hall and at the Military Academy.
The boys found the hotel proprietor glad to see them, and willing to set any kind of a spread that they were able to pay for. Trade was not yet brisk, and Jason Sparr said he would do his best to serve them. He was a smooth, oily man, and a fellow who wanted all that was coming to him. ”

“ Wadsworth,” answered Roger. “We’ll soon be finished now.”
“Are the girls getting anxious?” questioned Dave.
“Say, what do you think?” burst out Phil. “We are going back to Oak Hall to capture a wild man who––”
“Phil!” burst out both Dave and Roger, and the other youth stopped short in confusion.
“A wild man?” cried the lady of the house, in consternation. “Oh, Dave, I hope––”
“Oh, don’t let him worry you, Mrs. Wadsworth,” responded Dave, quickly. “There is a wild man up there, but I don’t think he will bother us any, and we’ve got too much to do to hunt for him.” ”

“ The news quickly circulated throughout the school that the wild man had been caught and that he was Wilbur Poole, an uncle to Nat, and all the boys were anxious to catch a sight of the strange individual. The teachers and servants were likewise curious, and looked at him as he ate his dinner in a corner of the dining-hall, surrounded by those who had captured him and who were watching, to see that he did not get away. ”

“ It was certainly a night long to be remembered in the annals of Oak Hall,—and for more reasons than one.
At the start, several bonfires were lit along the bank of the river, and around these the students congregated, to dance and sing songs, and “cut up” generally. None of the teachers were present, and it was given out that the lads might enjoy themselves within reasonable bounds until ten o’clock.
“Let’s form a grand march!” cried Gus Plum. “Every man with a torch!”
“Yes, but don’t set anything on fire,” cautioned Roger. ”

“ The trunks and suit-cases had been shipped off, and the big six-cylinder car—a new machine belonging to the Porters—had been brought around, with Dunston Porter at the wheel, for the old hunter and traveler had taken a strong liking to autoing. The girls and boys had piled in, after 18 much handshaking and some kisses, and now the car was rolling out of the grounds, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth, Dave’s father, and old Caspar Potts standing on the piazza, waving the travelers adieu.
“Take care of yourself, my boy!” shouted Mr. Porter.
“I will, Dad!” called back Dave. ”

“ In the meantime, while Constable Hickson was running after the fugitives, Jason Sparr and the driver of the covered wagon confronted Dave and Roger.
“Don’t you try to run!” bawled the hotel-keeper.
“I’m armed,” added the keeper of the town lockup, suggestively.
“I don’t intend to run, Mr. Sparr,” answered Dave.
“Why should we run, since we have done nothing wrong?” added the senator’s son. He tried to follow Dave’s example and remain calm, but he was tremendously disturbed. ”

“ Porter took the car around to the garage. They had sent word ahead for rooms, and all soon felt at home. The girls had a fine apartment on the second floor, front, with Dunston Porter next to them, and the three boys in a big room across the hallway.
When the young people assembled in the dining-room, after brushing and washing up, a surprise awaited them. They had a table to themselves, ordered by Dunston Porter, and decorated with a big bouquet of roses and carnations. A full course dinner was served.
“Oh, this is lovely!” cried Jessie, as she caught sight of the flowers. ”

“ Nat 276 swallowed another lump in his throat. “I’m sorry I did it now, Phil, honest I am,” he went on, brokenly.
“Well, if that’s the case, let us drop the matter, Nat,” was the instant reply. “I don’t believe in hitting a fellow when he is down. You haven’t got to pay me anything. The whole thing is past and gone,—and that ends it.”
“Thank you.” Nat wanted to say something more, but his voice suddenly broke and he turned away to hide his emotion, and then walked away.
“He’s hit and hit hard,” said Roger, in a low voice.
“And you did well to drop that matter, Phil,” added Dave. ”

“ In the classroom he left his mark—a big circle, with a cross inside, in blue chalk.”
“And how do you know that is the mark of the wild man?” asked Laura.
“Oh, we found that out some time ago,” answered Shadow. “He seems to have a mania for blue chalk, and even puts it on his face sometimes, and he chalks down that circle with the cross wherever he goes.”
“Then, if he does that, why can’t they trail him down?” asked Dave.
“Because he is like a flea—when you try to put your hands on him he isn’t there,” answered Shadow. “And say, that puts me in mind of another story. ”

“ And the old expressman chuckled again.
“You were waiting for him?” continued Dave.
“Might be as I was.”
“And you took the baggage to the depot?”
“Maybe I did.”
“And had them checked on railroad tickets?”
“No, Buster went one way, and the bags went tudder—leas’wise so I was given to understand. Maybe he done it to put me off the track,” continued Isaac Dowling.
“But where did the bags go to?” demanded Dave. “Come, out with it, Mr. Dowling. I give you my word that I am acting for Buster’s good. I wouldn’t get him into trouble for the world. He is my chum, and so are those other boys my friends.” ”

“ All washed up, using soap and towels carried in the car. Then Dave went to the door of the farmhouse and knocked. In answer to the summons Laura appeared.
“Oh, Dave, come in!” she cried. “I want you to meet the lady here.”
Wondering what his sister wanted, our hero stepped into the sitting-room, which was small and plainly but neatly furnished. In a rocking-chair sat an elderly woman, pale and careworn.
“Mrs. Breen, this is my brother,” said Laura. “And these are his school chums,” she added, nodding towards Phil and Roger. ”

“ The other teachers have given me and Dave Porter and Roger Morr several weeks in which to make up those lessons we missed while we were away. You wish to give us only a week.”
“And you didn’t give me a fair chance to make up,” added Ben.
“See here, who is master here, you or I?” 68 demanded Job Haskers, drawing himself up. “Boys, you are impudent! I will not stand it!”
“Yes, you will stand it,” cried Phil, throwing caution to the winds. “All we ask is a fair deal, and you have got to give it to us. We’ll make up those lessons, if you’ll give us a fair amount of time. ”

“ But I heard afterwards that if he had struck it ever so lightly, it might have blown us all as high as a kite.”
“It sure is great stuff,” remarked Phil. “Say,” he went on suddenly, “I wish they were going to blow up old Sparr’s hotel instead of the bridge.”
“So do I,” added Ben. “He’s about as mean as they make ’em.”
“That man ought certainly to have something done to him,” was Roger’s comment.
“Well, he won’t make a success of his hotel if he treats everybody as he treated Phil,” said Dave.
“He doesn’t deserve any success,” growled the shipowner’s son. ”

“ In the sand our hero and Roger could plainly see the marks of the motor-boat and many footprints. They followed the footprints to a road leading through a stretch of woods, and then came out on a highway leading to Barrelton.
“The town is about half a mile from here. Wonder if they went there?” mused Roger.
“Maybe we can learn something at the nearest farmhouse,” suggested Dave.
They hurried on, and presently reached a farmhouse set close to the road, with a barn on the other side. At a grindstone a tall, thin boy was sharpening a sickle. ”

“ When asked about this, the dictatorial teacher shrugged his shoulders.
“Some of the boys are wild enough for me,” he said. “I want nothing to do with the insane.” 271
“It is a sad case,” said the teacher who was addressing Job Haskers.
“There are many just as bad,” responded the other, coldly. “It is up to the Poole family to look after that man and see that he doesn’t break out again.”
It was decided to take the wild man down to Oakdale in the school carryall, to be driven by Horsehair. Mr. Dale was to go along, and so were Phil, Dave, Ben, Buster, and Doctor Clay. ”

“ Horsehair was afraid to go on, because the wild man jumped around and shouted so furiously. Mr. Dale tried to catch him, but he ran away.”
“Poor chap! He must be crazy,” was Dave’s comment. “He ought to be taken care of by the authorities.”
“Yes, but they can’t catch him,” continued Roger. “They have tried half a dozen ways, but he slips ’em every time.”
“Who is he?” asked Dave, as he continued to pack his trunk.
“Nobody has the least idea, so Shadow writes.”
“Say, that will give us something to do—when we get back to Oak Hall!” cried Phil. “We’ll organize a posse to round up the wild man!” ”

“ A little more conversation followed, and then Dave and Roger left the office and started on the search for the runaways.
“We ought to have a motor-boat ourselves, to follow them up the river—that is, if they went any distance,” said the senator’s son.
“We might try to borrow one, Roger.”
“Not Nat Poole’s—he wouldn’t lend it to us.”
“I know that.”
The two students walked to the river and looked up and down the stream. A rowboat and a sailboat were in sight, but that was all.
“There is Jack Laplow in his sloop,” cried Dave, mentioning a riverman they knew. “The wind is blowing up the stream. ”

“ I am not afraid of him,” declared Phil, recklessly.
“If he tries any of his games we’ll expose him,” added Ben.
“Better go slow,” advised Roger. He, too, felt that Job Haskers might become very vindictive.
Spring was now at hand, and a week later came the first baseball game of the season. It was a contest with Esmore Academy from Daytonville and held on the Oak Hall grounds. Quite a crowd was present, including some of the town folks. Gus Plum was in the pitcher’s box for the 100 Hall, and Sam Day was on first base, and Chip Macklin on third.
“I hope we win!” cried Dave. ”