Bobby Blake on the School Nine; Or, The Champions of the Monatook Lake League

by Frank A. Warner

  CHAPTER VII

  PAYING AN OLD DEBT

  As Bobby's watch had been the only one in the party, the boys had notbeen able to keep track of the time during the latter part of theirjourney, and they were a little fearful that they might be late fortheir train.

  They were relieved therefore to learn they were in plenty of time. Thetrain was not regularly due for half an hour, and owing to the snowstormit would probably be an hour or more behind time.

  The station agent at Roseville, as the town was named, had charge of thetelegraph office as well. He was a kindly man and listened with thegreatest sympathy to the boys' story. His indignation at the robbers washot, and he promised to put the constable on their trail at once.

  "It's a beastly outrage," he stormed. "That old deserted shack has beentoo handy for fellows of that kind. They make it a regular hang-out.We'll clean out the gang and burn the place to the ground. I've got tostay here now until after the train leaves, but as soon as it's gone,I'll get busy."

  He assured them that he would send on the telegram to be paid for at theother end, and the boys, possessing themselves of some blanks, withdrewto a quiet corner to prepare the message.

  It proved to be a matter requiring some thought, and several blanks werecast aside before it suited them.

  "You see," said Bobby, as he sat frowning over his stub of a pencil, "Idon't want to scare the folks to death by telling them we've beenrobbed. They'd think that perhaps we'd been hurt besides and werekeeping it quiet so as not to worry 'em. We can write 'em a letterafterward and tell 'em all about it."

  The final outcome of their combined efforts stated the matter withsufficient clearness:

  Lost money and tickets. All safe and sound. Please telegraph twenty dollars to me, care station agent, Roseville. Will explain in letter.

  Bobby.

  This suited them all, though Fred suggested that they might save bycutting out the "please." He was voted down however, and the telegramwas handed through the office window and put on the wire at once.

  This being attended to, there was nothing to do but to wait. Then a newworry assailed them.

  "How long do you think it will be before we can get an answer?" askedMouser.

  "Not very long," replied Bobby confidently.

  "The message must be in Clinton this very minute," chimed in Pee Wee.

  "Yes, but that's the least part of it," remarked Fred. "It will have tobe carried up to your house from the station and I've heard my fathersay that Claxton isn't as quick about those things as he ought to be.Sometimes he gets Bailey to deliver for him, and you know what an oldslow-poke he is."

  "And even when it gets to the house your father may be downtown and yourmother may be out sleigh riding or visiting or something," observedMouser gloomily.

  "And then too, it will take some time for your father to get down to thetelegraph office and send the money," was Pee Wee's contribution.

  "Oh, stop your croaking, you fellows," cried Bobby. "I'm sure everythingwill be all right." But, just the same, their doleful suggestions madehim a little uneasy, and he fidgeted about as he watched the hands ofthe station clock.

  "There's another thing," observed Mouser, returning to the charge."Suppose now--just suppose--that the money doesn't get to us before thetrain starts, what are we going to do?"

  "Then we'll be stuck," admitted Bobby. "And we'll have to do a whole lotmore telegraphing to Rockledge telling them that we can't get there tillto-morrow. But even if the money is late, it's sure to come. We can payfor our meals and lodging over night and won't have to go to thepoorhouse."

  "Lucky we got such a dandy feed at Mrs. Wilson's anyway," remarked PeeWee. "That will keep us going until the money comes."

  "It was mighty good of her to give us such a meal and not charge a centfor it," said Mouser.

  "Free meals for five hungry boys," murmured Fred.

  "Five!" exclaimed Pee Wee in surprise. "Why, there were only four ofus."

  "Yes," replied Fred, "but you counted for two."

  Pee Wee made a rush toward him, but Fred dodged adroitly.

  Just then, Mouser, who was looking out of the station window, gave asudden exclamation.

  "Look here, fellows," he cried. "See who's coming!"

  They crowded together, looking over his shoulder.

  "Why, it's Tommy Stone!" ejaculated Bobby.

  "He must be going back to Belden School," added Fred.

  "And that's his father with him, I guess," put in Pee Wee.

  Tommy Stone was a boy who had played quite a part in the lives of Bobbyand Fred a few months before. He had run away from home to go out Westto "fight Indians." He had taken his father's pocketbook with him,intending to use only enough to pay his fare and send the rest back.

  Unluckily for the young Indian fighter--or rather luckily, as it turnedout--he lost the pocketbook out of the car window. Bobby and Fred werestanding by the side of the track as the train went thundering past, andthe wallet fell almost at their feet. They picked it up and were wildlyexcited when they found that it contained no less than four hundreddollars.

  The boys had dreams of unlimited ice-cream and soda water as the resultof their find. Still they and their parents made earnest effort to findthe owner, but as the days passed by and no claimant appeared it lookedas though the money would become the boys' property.

  Late in the fall, Bobby and Fred rescued a small boy from the clutchesof some larger boys who were amusing themselves by tormenting him. Theboy turned out to be Tommy Stone. He had been brought back after hisrunaway and sent to Belden School, which was not far from Rockledge.Tommy had heard that the boys had found a pocketbook and suspected thatit was the one that he had lost. He made a clean breast of it, and themoney was restored to its rightful owner. Mr. Stone wanted to reward theboys handsomely, but their parents would not permit them to accept amoney reward, and Mr. Stone compromised by sending them the material fora royal feast at Rockledge.

  As for Tommy, he had an interview with his father, the nature of whichcan be guessed at by Tommy's statement afterward that he could not sitdown for a week unless he had pillows under him.

  "He doesn't look like an Indian killer," laughed Mouser.

  "Not so that you could notice it," chuckled Pee Wee.

  "I don't see any scalps at his belt," grinned Fred.

  Tommy caught sight of the boys as he entered the station, and ranforward to meet them with exclamations of pleasure and surprise. Mr.Stone looked curiously at the group but said nothing, and went over tothe agent's window to buy his son's ticket.

  "What in the world are you fellows doing here?" cried Tommy.

  "We're just as much surprised to see you as you are to see us," repliedBobby, with a smile.

  "On your way to Belden?" inquired Fred.

  "Yep," answered Tommy, making a wry face, "and I'm not any too glad,either. I've never liked that school. The big fellows are all the timetaking it out on the little ones."

  "You ought to get your father to let you come to Rockledge," suggestedBobby.

  "Then you'd be going to a real school," remarked Fred, who felt to thefull the traditional rivalry between Rockledge and its chief rival.

  "Not but what we've got some bullies of our own," put in Pee Wee.

  "Bill Bronson and Jack Jinks, for instance," observed Mouser.

  "I'd like first rate to change," admitted Tommy, "and perhaps next yearI can. But my father has all his arrangements made now, and I'll have tostick it out at Belden for the rest of this term."

  "Is that your father over there?" asked Bobby.

  "Yes."

  "Looks as though he had a good right arm," said Fred slyly.

  "I'll bet he's practiced with it out in the woodshed," put in Pee Wee.

  "What's the price of strap oil, Tommy?" inquired Mouser.

  Tommy winced a little at the chaffing. It w
as evidently a painfulsubject.

  Bobby came to his rescue.

  "Oh, cut it out, fellows," he remonstrated. "We all make mistakessometimes."

  Tommy flashed him a grateful look.

  "Yes," he agreed. "But you can bet that I'm not going to make the samemistake twice."

  "That's the way to talk," rejoined Bobby heartily.

  Mr. Stone had completed his purchase and now strolled over to the group.He had never seen the boys before, as the return of the pocketbook hadbeen made by Mr. Blake.

  "Some young friends of yours, Tommy?" he asked, with a genial smile.

  "Yes, sir," Tommy answered. "They go to Rockledge School, right on theother side of the lake from Belden."

  He introduced the boys by name, and Mr. Stone pricked up his ears as heheard the names, "Blake" and "Martin."

  "What!" he exclaimed. "Can this be the Bobby Blake and Fred Martin whofound my pocketbook and sent it back to me?"

  "That's who they are," replied Tommy, flushing.

  Mr. Stone took the boys' hands in both of his and wrung them warmly.

  "Well this is a bit of luck," he said heartily. "I can't tell you boyshow glad I am to see you. I've often wanted to lay eyes on the boys whocould find four hundred dollars and never rest till they got the moneyback to the owner."

  "Oh, that was nothing," answered Bobby, who always felt embarrassed whenany one praised him.

  "It was the only thing to do," added Fred, his face getting almost asred as his hair.

  "All the same, there are lots of boys who would never have said a wordabout it," persisted Mr. Stone. "I've always felt sorry that your folkswouldn't let me show my gratitude by making you boys a present ofsomething that would have been worth while."

  "You did give us the stuff for a dandy spread."

  "Some spread that was too, fellows," put in Pee Wee. "I was in on thatand it was just scrumptious."

  "Trust Pee Wee to remember spreads if he never remembers anything else,"laughed Mouser.

  Mr. Stone's eyes twinkled as he took in Pee Wee's generous proportions.

  "Well, I'm glad if you enjoyed it," he smiled. "But tell me now how youboys find yourselves here. I thought you traveled by the road that runsthrough Clinton."

  "So we do," replied Bobby, and started to relate the occurrences of themorning.

  "I see," said Mr. Stone, interrupting before Bobby had got very far intohis story. "And then you found out you could get a train on this roadand tramped over here. Well, you won't have long to wait now, for thetrain will be along in a few minutes."

  "But that isn't all," put in Fred.

  "No?" queried Mr. Stone. "What else is there?"

  "We were robbed on the way," answered Fred.

  Mr. Stone gasped and Tommy showed symptoms of great excitement. Robbed!It was almost as good as Indians.