Rover Boys at Colby Hall or The Struggles of the Young Cadets

Edward Stratemeyer

Description

MY DEAR BOYS: This book is a complete story in itself, but forms the first volume in a line issued under the general title, The Second Rover Boys Series for Young Americans.

Informations

• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819902393
• Langue: English

Extrait

INTRODUCTION
MY DEAR BOYS: This book is a complete story initself, but forms the first volume in a line issued under thegeneral title, "The Second Rover Boys Series for YoungAmericans."
As mentioned in several of the other volumes of thefirst series, this line was started a number of years ago with thepublication of "The Rover Boys at School," in which my readers wereintroduced to Dick, Tom, and Sam Rover, three wide-awake Americanlads. In that volume and in those which followed I gave theparticulars of their adventures while attending Putnam HallMilitary Academy, Brill College, and while on numerous outings,both in our own country and abroad.
The Rover boys were, of course, growing older; and,having met three young ladies very much to their liking, eachmarried and settled down, as related in detail in the severalvolumes immediately preceding this. They were well established inbusiness; and in due course of time Dick Rover was blessed with ason, as was also Sam, while the fun-loving Tom became the proudpossessor of a pair of twins who were as full of life as theirfather had ever been.
In this volume the younger Rover boys are old enoughto go to boarding school. They are sent to Colby Hall MilitaryAcademy, presided over by an old friend and schoolmate of theirfathers; and there they make both friends and enemies, and havenumerous adventures.
In the beginning this chronicle of the youngerRovers, I wish to thank my numerous readers for all the kind thingsthey have said about the other volumes in these series, and I trustthat they will make just as good friends of Jack, Andy and Randy,and Fred as they did of Dick, Tom, and Sam Rover.
Affectionately and sincerely yours,
EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
CHAPTER I
I NTRODUCING THEYOUNGER ROVERS "For gracious sake! what's that racket?" exclaimedDick Rover, as he threw down the newspaper he was reading andleaped to his feet. "Sounds to me as if there was a battle royalgoing on," returned his younger brother, Sam, who was at a desk inthe library of the old farmhouse, writing a letter. "It's thoseboys!" exclaimed Tom Rover, as he tossed aside a copy of a comicpaper which he had been looking over. "I'll wager they're up tosome mischief again." "Well, if they are your boys, Tom, youmustn't find fault with them," answered Sam Rover, with a twinklein his eye. "If ever there were chips of the old block, your twinsare It with a capital I." "Humph!" snorted Tom Rover. "I don'tthink Andy and Randy are much ahead of your Fred when it comes toplaying tricks, and I think Dick's Jack can hold up his end too.""Never mind about that just now," broke in Dick Rover, hastily."Let's go out and see what those kids are up to." "All right. Butdon't be too severe with 'em," pleaded Tom Rover. "Remember, boyswill be boys." "That's true, Tom. But we've got to take 'em in handsooner or later," remonstrated his brother Sam. "If we don't,they'll grow up the wildest bunch ever known."
A number of cries of alarm and protest, mingled withfierce cheering, had reached the house from the garden just beyondthe broad veranda. As the three Rover brothers hurried through thehallway and outside, the yelling and cheering were renewed. Then,just as Tom Rover stepped out on the veranda, there was a suddenswish and a stream of water from a garden hose caught him directlyin the left ear. "Hi! Hi! Stop that!" cried Tom Rover, doing hisbest to dodge the stream of water, which suddenly seemed to playall over the piazza. "What do you mean by wetting me this way?" "Itwasn't my fault, Dad," came from a boy standing on the lawn, bothhands clutching a rubber hose held, also, by another boy of aboutthe same age. "It was Fred who turned the hose that way." "Nothingof the sort! It was Randy twisted it that way trying to get it awayfrom me," cried Fred Rover. "And he isn't going to do it!" andthereupon ensued a struggle between the two boys which caused thestream of water to fly over the garden first in one direction andthen another.
In the meanwhile, not far away another stream ofwater was issuing from a hose held by two other lads. This, as wellas the water from hose number one, had been directed towards theback of the garden, where an elderly white man and an equallyelderly colored man were trying to shelter themselves behind a lowhedge to keep from becoming drenched. "Fo' de lan's' sake, MassaDick! won't you make dem boys stop?" cried out the old colored man,when he caught sight of Dick Rover hurrying out on the lawn. "Demboys is jest nacherly tryin' to drown old Aleck Pop, dat's what deyis!" "They didn't have no call to touch them hoses," came from theelderly white man. "I tol' 'em they mustn't muss with the water;but they won't mind nohow!" and thus speaking old Jack Ness held uphis hands in comic despair. "Why! we didn't know you were behindthe hedge," came from one of the boys holding the second hose. "Wethought you were both down at the barn." "You can't make believelike that, Andy Rover!" returned the old man of all work, shakinghis head vigorously. "You knowed I was goin' to trim up this hedgea bit and that Aleck was goin' to help me." "You boys let up withthis nonsense," came sternly from Tom Rover. He turned to face oneof his twins. "Randy, I ought to give you a thrashing for wettingme like this." "Don't Fred get half the thrashing?" questionedRandy Rover, quizzically, for he could readily see that his parentwas not as angry as his words seemed to imply. "I don't like to beselfish, you know. He can have more than his share if he wants it.""You'll take your own thrashings – I don't want 'em," broke in hiscousin Fred quickly. "Jack," cried Dick Rover, turning to his son,"turn that water off at once." "I don't know where to turn it off.I didn't turn it on," answered Jack Rover, the oldest of the fourboys who had been fooling. "I'll turn it off and fix it so theycan't turn it on ag'in," came from old Jack Ness, and away hobbledthe man of all work. "I think it's a shame for you boys to drenchold Ness and Aleck," was Sam Rover's sober comment. "Both of themmight catch cold or get rheumatism." "We didn't start to doanything like that, Dad," answered Fred Rover. "We were going tohave a little fight between ourselves, playing rival firemen. Weaimed the water at the hedge, and we didn't see Ness and Aleckuntil they let out a yell." "But I saw two of you playing the waterin that direction," cried Dick Rover. "You were one of them, Jack.""Oh, well, Dad, what was the harm after they were all wet?" pleadedhis son. "They'd have to change their clothing anyway." "That'sjust it," added Andy Rover quickly, with his eyes twinkling frommerriment. "A little more water won't hurt a person when he'salready soaked. It's just like spoiling a rotten egg – it can't bedone," and at this reply, both Dick Rover and his brother, thefun-loving Tom, had to turn away their faces to hide theiramusement. Nevertheless, Dick sobered his face almost instantly ashe answered: "Well, these pranks around the farm have got to stop.You'll have your grandfather and Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha allupset, not to say anything about your sisters and your mothers.It's a fortunate thing that they went down to the town to do someshopping. Otherwise I think all of you would be in for quite somepunishment." "Oh! Then you're not going to punish us, are you?"broke in Randy Rover quickly. "That's fine! I knew you wouldn'tmind our having a little fun." "Don't be so fast, young man,"returned his father. "Your Uncle Dick may be too lenient. I amrather of the opinion that you and your brother, if not yourcousins, have got to be taken in hand." "Oh, please, Massa Tom,don' go fo' to punish 'em," burst out old Aleck Pop. "I – I don'ts'pose dey meant any great ha'm, even do dey did t'row dat streamof wattah right in dis yere coon's mouf;" and he smiled broadly,showing a row of ivories, rather the worse for wear. "I think allof you boys had better go into the house and get some dry clothingon before your mothers put in an appearance," suggested Dick Rover."If they see you like this, all dripping wet, they'll certainly beworried." "All right, Dad; I'll do it," answered Jack, quickly. Andthen he motioned to his cousins. "Come on, let's see how fast wecan make the change;" and off into the big farmhouse rushed theboys, clattering up the back stairs one after the other, to the twobig rooms which they occupied. "Some boys!" was Sam Rover'scomment, as he shook his head doubtfully. "They are certainlygrowing older – and wilder," returned Dick Rover. "We've got totake them in hand – that is dead certain!" said Tom Rover, withconviction. "Why! if I don't do something with Andy and Randypretty soon, they'll be as – as – – " "As bad as you were, Tom, attheir age," finished Dick Rover, with a smile. "Now you've saidsomething, Dick," affirmed Sam Rover. "Andy isn't quite so bad whenit comes to playing tricks, although he certainly says some awfullyfunny things, but when it comes to doing things Randy continuallyputs me in mind of Tom." "Oh, say! To hear you fellows talk, you'dthink that I was the worst boy that ever lived," grumbled TomRover. "What did I ever do to raise such a rumpus as this?" "Phew!What did he ever do to raise such a rumpus as this?" mocked SamRover. "Well, what didn't he do? When father went to Africa anddisappeared and we came down here to good old Valley Brook Farm,wasn't he the constant torment of Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha,and the hired girl, and all the rest of the community until, insheer despair, uncle had to send us off to Putnam Hall? And when wewent to the Hall, who was the first one to get into trouble –exploding a giant firecracker on the campus? Answer me that, willyou?" "Ancient history," murmured Tom Rover, dryly. But then, of asudden his eyes began to twinkle. "No use talking, though, wecertainly did have some good times in those days, didn't we?" hecontinued. "Do you remember how we got the best of old JosiahCrabtree?" "Yes. And how we got