Edward Stratemeyer

“ Soon they left the house, on the buckboard that had brought them to the Lodge.
“Oh, how thankful I am that they are gone,” said Flossie. “Do you know, I am getting afraid of Roy Bock!”
“He’s a—a—puppy,” said Andy. “Excuse the word, but I can’t describe him in any other way.”
“I think he is very mean,” came from Laura. “I wish he would keep away for good.”
“His companions are about as bad as he is,” said Pepper. “They seem to be all tarred with the same brush.”
“They are always together,” said Flossie. “They always come here in a bunch and stay and stay. ”

“ But neither Jack nor Baxter paid attention. Baxter had Jack bent far over and was hitting him on the neck.
“That’s not fair!” cried Andy, but scarcely had he spoken when Jack ducked still lower, and like a flash Baxter was raised in the air and thrown over the young major’s back. He came down with a thud, and before he could get up Jack was on top of him.
“Do you give in, Baxter?” he demanded.
“I—er—I——”
“Get off of him!” cried Paxton. “That’s no fair way to fight. Let him up.” ”

“ Do you mean with money?” queried Jack.
“So somebody told me.”
“Oh, that can’t be true, Jerry. Why, who in this school would be mean enough to sell his vote?”
“Well, Baxter has got a wad of rocks all right enough. I saw the money myself.”
[26]
“I’m going to watch him,” came from Pepper, and he motioned for Andy Snow to go along.
“What will you do, if you learn he is really offering money for votes?” questioned Andy, as they hurried away.
“I don’t know yet, Andy. But it would be a mean piece of business. Why, in politics that is bribery, and they can arrest a man for it.” ”

“ By going down to the boathouse first, and then stealing along a fringe of bushes skirting the lake shore, they reached the bath-houses without being seen. As it was past the bathing season, the houses were supposed to be “out of commission,” and locked up, but one of them—the largest—stood wide open.
“Well, that is the chance of your life, if you only know it,” reached their ears, in the voice of Dan Baxter. “Besides, you know well enough that I would make as good a major as anybody in the school.”
“That’s a fine way to blow one’s own horn,” murmured Pepper. ”

“ Slowly Henry Lee arose and started to dress himself. Then Pepper turned away. Like a flash Henry ran to a window, got some snow, and whacked it on Pepper’s neck, allowing some to run down the Imp’s backbone.
“Great mackerels!” howled Pepper. “Let up! I’ll turn into an icicle!” And he began to dance around.
“It’s all right—you don’t want to miss the benefits of the storm,” said Henry, calmly.
[205]
The cadets were soon below, and snowballs flew fast and furious across the campus. All of the boys were happy, and all too soon they had to go in to breakfast and then take up their studies. ”

“ Money was raised among the cadets to present the captain with a fine set of encyclopedias, and of this gift Captain Putnam was justly proud.
“All things considered, you are doing very well,” said the master to his pupils. “I am proud of you, and happy to think that Putnam Hall is earning such a good reputation for itself.”
“I shouldn’t want to go to a better school,” said Jack. “It just suits me exactly.”
“So say I,” came from Pepper. “Of course we might do without Baxter and that crowd——”
“Every school seems to have its bully,” put in Andy. “All we can do is to make him keep his place.” ”

“ The automobile was coming around a turn of the road, and soon it was almost on top of Company A. The cadets were marching on the right side of the road, but the automobile crowded them closely.
“Hi, there, keep to your side of the road!” shouted Jack.
“Go to Halifax!” growled the man who was running the machine, a big burly fellow, with a red face.
“If you don’t keep to your side of the road there will be trouble,” answered Jack, sharply, and then the young major commanded the battalion to halt. He was in sole charge, Captain Putnam and his assistants having gone ahead to arrange for dinner. ”

“ As Gus Coulter had had trouble with the teacher, he was willing to keep the man out, and so, after some talk, it was decided that nobody should aid in letting the teacher get into the Hall building.
“If anybody tries it, he’ll catch it good and hard,” warned Pepper.
“So say we all of us!” shouted a score of others. “No sneak wanted here!” And some glanced at Mumps in a fashion that made that youth slink out of sight in short order.
Going to an upper window, Pepper, Andy, and Jack looked out, and saw Crabtree and Snuggers stealing softly around the gymnasium. ”

“ But George Strong came out, and took a snowballing in good part. He even threw a few balls himself, showing that his aim was as good as any of the boys.
“He’s the kind of a teacher to have,” was Andy’s comment. “A fellow can’t help but take to him.”
The snow continued all of that day, and by nightfall was nearly a foot deep. It was very blustery, and in some spots the drifts reached up to one’s head.
“This will make traveling bad,” said Jack, and he was right. On the roads in that vicinity horses with their turnouts could scarcely get through. ”

“ Mumps, who was bringing up the rear, had slipped and let his basket fall, breaking a drinking glass and a bottle of ginger ale.
“Hi, there, what’s that?” came from Jack, who was standing in the water up to his waist. “Who’s breaking glass?”
“I’m not,” answered one of the cadets on shore. “It was——”
“Hullo, there is Dan Baxter!” yelled Pepper. “He’s got one of our baskets!”
“They are running off with our things!” broke in Andy. “Hi, stop, Baxter! Stop, Paxton!”
[46]
“Go to grass!” roared the bully of Putnam Hall. He flung himself into the rowboat. “Quick, Paxton; quick, Mumps!” ”

“ And when they arrived on the football grounds all of Baxter’s cronies as well as the bully himself put up money that Putnam Hall would be beaten.
“I just heard Baxter is betting against our club,” said Andy, coming in with the news.
“How mean!” cried Jack. “To bet against his own school! I don’t believe in betting, but if I did want to lay a wager, I’d do it on my own school.”
“That’s just how I feel about it,” put in Pepper. “Well, I hope now, more than ever, that we win.” ”

“ They were in charge of George Strong, and many carried small flags and horns.
“Hurrah for Wildman’s Great International Circus!” cried Pepper. “Largest Aggregation of Wild Beasts on the Globe! See the wild man from Samoa, and the elephant-faced monkey from Greenland! All for the one price of admission, twenty-five cents—quarter of a dollar! Walk up, crawl up, tumble up, anyway to get up, ladies and gentlemen! Children half price, babies no price at all. If you don’t get your money’s worth, ask the manager to refund your hard-earned savings! ”

“ On the following day one of the students brought in news that interested all of the cadets. A circus was to stop at Cedarville, and the boy had brought one of the handbills along.
“This looks as if it might be a pretty good show,” said Pepper, after reading the handbill. “Andy, let’s go if we can.”
“Don’t think the captain will let us off,” answered Andy.
“We can sound him anyway,” put in Jack.
The master of Putnam Hall was appealed to, and finally said the big boys could go to the circus if they wished, but all must promise to behave themselves.
“To be sure we’ll behave ourselves,” said Jack. ”

“ They arrived at the Ford mansion without mishap, having met absolutely nobody on the road. Laura and Flossie were there, and also Mrs. Ford and a niece from Rochester, and all did what they could to make the time pass pleasantly for the boys. They played croquet and lawn tennis, and went out for a short row.
“You boys can certainly handle the oars,” said Laura, with a sunny smile. “I wish I could row half as well.”
“It’s practice that does it,” answered Jack. “Now, all of you girls can play croquet better than we can.” ”

“ Work lively, boys!”
They did work lively, throwing the snow on all sides. The teacher worked with them.
“Look out that you don’t hurt somebody with your shovels,” said Jack, cautiously.
Soon he caught sight of a foot and then a leg. He began to pull, and George Strong aided him, and up came Harry Blossom, almost black in the face.
“Oh!” gasped the cadet.
“Who is under there?” demanded George Strong.
“Andy Snow and Pepper Ditmore,” answered Harry. “Oh, get them out if you can! If you don’t, they’ll surely be smothered to death!”
“Yes, we must get them out,” came from Jack. ”

“ We may have better luck another time.” And without another word the two men hoisted the mainsail of the sloop and sailed away across Cayuga Lake.
“Well, of all the odd things I ever heard of!” murmured Pepper. “If I wasn’t sure I was wide awake I’d say I was dreaming.”
“They are after something,” answered Jack. “The question is, what? I’m rather sorry we didn’t call Peleg Snuggers and capture that fellow who came ashore. Perhaps Captain Putnam could get something out of him.” ”

“ With the coming of the football season Dale Blackmore was in his element. Not only was Dale a good athlete, but it was speedily learned that he had been captain of a good amateur football team in the town he hailed from, and that the team had in one season won nine games out of twelve.
“Dale is the man for our team,” said Jack, and by a popular vote the lad was made captain. There was a slight opposition by Dan Baxter but this quickly subsided. ”

“ He did not stop to consider that those who had informed on him had probably saved him from a term in the Cedarville jail.
During those days spent by Baxter in his cell, Jack, Pepper, and Andy, along with a number of other students, had an exceedingly hard time of it with Josiah Crabtree. For some reason or other, the head teacher was feeling particularly cross, and he vented his anger on those under him, until they could scarcely stand it. He made them do all sorts of extra tasks, and “nagged” at them until some felt like open rebellion. ”

“ As among men, and especially politicians, there was a good bit of “log-rolling” and electioneering.
“I think Henry Lee ought to be major,” said Jack. “He is one of our best soldiers.”
“He is no better soldier than you are, Jack,” returned Andy.
“Just what I say,” came from Pepper. “Jack ought to be major, and Henry one of the captains.”
“Dan Baxter is working hard to become major,” came from a cadet who had just strolled in. “Somebody told me he was actually trying to buy votes!” ”

“ The cadets who had gone off with the ice-boat did not know much about running such a craft, although Mumps knew all about ordinary sailing boats, having come from the Hudson River, as previously stated. The wind carried the trio out of sight of the Hall, and they sat down to enjoy themselves.
“This is all right!” said Coulter, enthusiastically. “Nick, we ought to build a boat of our own.”
“Too much labor,” grumbled Paxton. “What’s the use, when you can get someone else’s craft for nothing?” And he laughed. ”

“ The only one who could match him at all was Andy, who did things on the flying rings which would have done credit to a professional acrobat or gymnast.
“Andy, you could go into a circus,” said Jack, after watching the agile youth.
“Perhaps I will go into a circus some day,” answered Andy, seriously. “I’ve heard that some daring fellows earn two or three hundred dollars per week at it.”
“They do,” put in Pepper. “But they risk their necks every time they perform.”
“I don’t see how you can do some of those tricks,” put in Joe Nelson. ”

“ Poor Peleg Snuggers came in for his full share of the snowballing. As soon as the general utility man appeared, he was bombarded from all sides, and had to run for his life.
POOR PELEG SNUGGERS CAME IN FOR HIS FULL SHARE OF THE SNOWBALLING.
[206]
“Let up, please let up!” he bawled. “You ain’t fer killin’ an old man, be you?”
“The snow will do you good, Peleg. It will make you grow,” sang out Pepper.
“It will make you handsome,” put in Dave Kearney. “You want to be handsome, don’t you, Peleg?”
“It will teach you how to dance,” came from Harry Blossom. “See, he is dancing already.” ”

“ The Pornell Academy made a fine showing during practice, but when the game started it was quickly found that the Rigsby team was too heavy and too clever for them. In each half of the game the Rigsby Club made a touchdown and a goal, and when the contest came to a close the score stood, Rigsby 12, Pornell Academy 0.
“That’s as bad as the boat-race defeat,” said Pepper. “They must feel sick.”
“Those Rigsby chaps are heavy and full of ginger,” said Dale, seriously. “We’ll have no picnic playing against them.” ”

“ A brisk wind cleared some of the snow from the lake, and the cadets spent a large portion of their off time in skating. Some of the cadets built themselves ice-boats, and had not a little fun in sailing up and down the lake shore. One ice-boat was the property of Dale and Harry Blossom, and on an afternoon Coulter, Paxton, and Mumps made off with the craft, without asking permission to use it. ”

“ The cadets of Putnam Hall were now getting ready for an outing to last several days. Before winter set in, the captain wished to give them a taste of camp life, and so decided to make a march to a beautiful valley some twenty miles away. Here the boys were to go into camp for two nights, returning on the next day.
[139]
“That is what I’ll like!” exclaimed Stuffer Singleton. “No lessons to study. Only to march, get up an appetite, and eat!”
“Especially eat!” said Andy. “That hits Stuffer every time.”
“We’re to go on army rations,” put in Pepper, with a wink at his chums. ”

“ The lantern was lit and hung over the dashboard, yet it did not light the road very well, and they had to proceed with care.
“This isn’t so nice,” observed Andy, when they were in a black portion of the woods. “Supposing some tramps or highway robbers should pounce out on us?”
“Andy must have been reading some trashy five-cent library,” laughed Pepper. “I caught Link Smiley reading one the other day, and I had to laugh at all the hair-breadth escapes the so-called hero had.”
[83]
“Excuse me, but I’m not giving up my good nickels for such rot,” answered Andy. “Good books are too plentiful. ”