CHAPTER VII
A GATHERING OF OAK HALL BOYS
"Well, they are gone, that's certain!"
"Yes, and there is no telling where they went to."
"Must have slipped out by a back way."
"They sure are a slick pair."
It was some time later, and Dave and the other boys stood on the broadpiazza of the hotel discussing the situation.
Following the talk with the observation car agent they had looked intothe reading-room only to discover that Job Haskers and Link Merwell hadvanished. At once they had rushed into the building, looking through thehallways and other rooms that were open to the general public. Not atrace of the two evildoers was to be found anywhere. Then they hadconsulted the clerk at the desk, and through him had learned that onlyJob Haskers was stopping at the place.
"But he has a young friend here, a Mr. Smith--Jackson Smith," the clerkhad told them. And then he had described the fellow called JacksonSmith, and Dave and his chums had felt assured that it was Link Merwellunder an assumed name. Finally a visit had been paid to the roomsHaskers and Merwell had occupied, and both had been found vacated, withthe keys sticking in the locks.
"And neither of 'em stopped to pay his bill," the clerk had told them,mournfully.
"I am not surprised," Dave had answered. "They are a bad pair."
The clerk had wanted to know the particulars, and the boys had told himas much as they deemed necessary. Then they had come out on the piazzaof the hostelry, wondering what they ought to do next.
"I don't think it is worth while trying to follow them up," said thesenator's son. "If you caught Merwell you would have to appear in courtagainst him, and you know what a lot of trouble you had appearingagainst Jasniff;" and this statement was true.
"Oh, let them go!" cried Phil. "Say," he added, "did you hear what Linksaid about bleeding his dad for money? Isn't he the limit!"
"That proves he isn't working for a living," remarked Dave. "And tothink that he told me he was going to reform!"
"That sort of a chap doesn't reform," asserted Roger.
"Oh, I don't know. Gus Plum reformed."
"Yes, but Plum isn't like Merwell, or Jasniff. He was simplyoverbearing. These other fellows are downright dishonest."
The four boys walked back to the automobile, and soon they werereturning to the hotel at which Bert was staying. By that time it wasclose to the lunch hour and so the visitors were invited to stay overfor something to eat.
"Didn't catch that man Haskers, eh?" remarked Mr. Passmore, as he cameup, in company with Mr. Fordham.
"No, he ran away," answered Roger, and then he and the others told ofwhat had occurred.
"I am very thankful to you for saving me from a bad investment," saidMr. Fordham. "I shall not forget it." And he kept his word, for lateron, after he had consulted with his son and found out just how worthlesswas the stock in the Sunset Milling Company, he sent each of the boys afine pair of gold cuff-links.
After lunch the lads remained with Bert for about an hour and then tooktheir departure for Roger's home, where they arrived some time beforedark. As they rolled up the driveway a surprise awaited them.
"Look who's here!" exclaimed Dave. "Hello there, Luke!"
"Hello yourself," answered Luke Watson, with a broad grin. "I thoughtyou chaps would be along soon."
"And Shadow!" cried Roger, as another form came into view, from the Morrpiazza. "This is a surprise! I didn't expect to see you quite so soon."
"Oh, we hadn't anything special to do, so we came ahead," answered Luke."Hope it won't put you out?"
"Not at all, glad you are here." There was a general handshaking, forthe automobile had now come to a stop and the boys had piled out togreet their former schoolmates.
"Say, that puts me in mind of a story!" burst out Shadow Hamilton. "Afellow made a date with a girl for six o'clock. Well, at five----"
"Wow!"
"Shadow is onto the game already!"
"Say, Shadow, give us a chance to say how-do-you-do first, won't you?"
"I believe Shadow would try to tell a story if he was going to afuneral."
"Oh, say!" burst out the former story-teller of Oak Hall. "That puts mein mind of another. Two Irishmen went to a funeral and----"
"Shut him off!"
"Put a popcorn ball in his mouth!"
"Make him apologize on the spot!"
At once the four others surrounded the would-be story-teller and pushedhim from the gravel path to the green lawn. Then followed something of awrestling match, all the lads taking part.
"Let up, will you!" panted Shadow, breaking away at last. "I won't tellany stories if you don't want to listen to 'em. But just the same, thatstory about the Irishmen was a good one. And that about the fellow whowent to see the girl at five o'clock is a corker. You see his watch hadstopped and he----"
"Jump him!"
"He can't stop, no matter how hard he tries!"
"Let's stand him on his head and make him tell it backwards!"
Again there was a rush, but this time poor Shadow took to his heels andrushed up on the piazza, just as the door opened and Mrs. Morr came outto greet the boys.
"Roger!" exclaimed the lady of the mansion, turning to her son, "what inthe world----"
"Only a little horse-play, Mom," replied the son, with a smile. "We areso glad to see the fellows that we have to let off a little steam."
"It looked like a fight to me."
"Oh, nothing like that, Mrs. Morr," said Dave, quickly. "Only fun; isn'tthat so, fellows?"
"Of course!" was the quick reply.
"Have you met Luke and Shadow, Mom?" asked Roger.
"Yes, about an hour ago. I told them that you had telephoned that youwere on the way home, so they said they'd remain out here, watching foryou. I showed them what room they were to occupy," added the lady of themansion.
"Fine!" cried Roger. "I'll put the car away for the present, and thenwe'll fix up for dinner and listen to those stories Shadow had to tell."
"Somebody said Buster Beggs was coming," said Luke.
"Yes, he'll be here the night before the Fourth."
Quarter of an hour later found the whole crowd of boys upstairs in thehouse. In anticipation of the Fourth of July party, as she called it,Mrs. Morr had turned over one wing of the second floor of the big houseto the youths. There they could "cut up" to their hearts' content.
"Say, this is something like old times at Oak Hall!" cried Phil, as theyouths gathered in one of the bedrooms and proceeded to distributethemselves in various attitudes on the chairs and the bed. "Somehow, Ithink we are going to miss that school!"
"Miss it! Well I guess yes!" answered Dave. "And that puts me in mind ofsomething. I was thinking----"
"Whoop! Is he going to tell stories, too?"
"Say, Dave, that act belongs to Shadow."
"No, I wasn't going to tell a story," answered Dave. "I've got an ideafor a club."
"A club? What do you mean?" asked Roger. "Do you mean for us to get up aclub?"
"Yes, the Oak Hall Club, to be composed of fellows who attended Oak Hallfor a year or more."
"Great!"
"Let us do it!"
"We'll make Dave president," cried Roger.
"And you treasurer," added Phil.
"And Shadow chief story-teller," put in Luke, with a grin.
"Huh! What's the use of being chief story-teller when you won't let metell a story?" grumbled Shadow. "But I know what I'll do," he added,with a sudden twinkle in his eye. "If you won't let me talk, I'll writeit down. And I'll write a sentence none of you can read and be sure of,"he went on.
"What's that?" asked Phil, curiously. "A sentence none of us can read?Maybe you'll write it in Choctaw, or Chinese."
"No, I'll write it in plain, every-day United States, and none of youwill be sure how to read it."
"What's the riddle?" demanded Dave, who saw that the story-teller hadsomething up his sleeve.
"Give me a sheet of
paper and a pencil and I'll show you," returnedShadow.
Paper and pencil were furnished by Roger, and the story-teller quicklywrote down the following:
_"After a row the sailors had a row!"_
"Now read it out loud!" cried Shadow, as he passed the paper to theothers. All gazed at it for several seconds.
"I pass," remarked Dave, calmly.
"Why, that's easy!" cried Phil. "After a ro----Say, Shadow, what do youmean, did they quarrel or row the boat first?"
"Maybe they rowed the boat twice," suggested Roger, with a grin.
"Or had two quarrels," suggested Luke. And then a general laugh went up.
"You've got us this time, Shadow!" cried Dave. "Give him a lemon,somebody, for a prize," and then another laugh went up.
"That idea of an Oak Hall Club is a good one," said Luke. "But you can'torganize it now--the fellows are too scattered."
"Oh, I was thinking we might do it later on--perhaps this winter,"answered Dave.
The newcomers were much interested in what Dave, Phil, and Roger had totell about Job Haskers and Link Merwell, and various were the opinionsadvanced as to what had become of the pair.
"They are both mighty sore, because they had to leave Oak Hall indisgrace," said Luke. "Every one of us had better keep his eye peeled,for they'll make trouble if they get half a chance." And then the bellrang for dinner and the boys went downstairs.
The next day the lads were all busy getting ready for the Fourth ofJuly. It had been arranged that they should have quite a display offireworks on the lawn of the senator's home, and many folks of thatvicinity were invited to attend.
"Here is Buster Beggs!" cried Roger, that evening, and the youth who wasso fat and jolly hove in sight, suit-case in hand. He shook hands allaround and was speedily made to feel at home.
"Glad you are going to have fireworks," he said to Roger. "I don't caremuch for noise on the Fourth, but I dote on fireworks. Let me set someof 'em off, won't you?"
"Of course," was Roger's reply. "We boys are going to give theexhibition, while the older folks, and the girls, look on."
"But we are going to have a little noise--at sunrise," put in Phil.
"What kind of noise--a cannon?"
"No, some firecrackers."
"Oh, that will be all right," answered Buster, thinking the firecrackerswere to be of ordinary size.
So they were--all but one. But that one was a monster--the largest Philand Roger had been able to buy. They had not told the others about thisbig fellow, not even Dave, for they wanted the explosion of that to be asurprise.
"It will sure make them sit up and take notice," said Phil to Roger, asthe pair hid the big cannon cracker away in the automobile garage.
"We'll set it off back of the kitchen," answered Roger. "It won't do anyharm there."
On the night of the third the boys retired somewhat early, so as to beup bright and early for the glorious Fourth.
They had been sleeping less than an hour when a sudden cry awakenedthem.
"Fire! Fire! Get up, boys! The garage is on fire, and I am afraid thegasoline tank will blow up!"
Dave Porter in the Gold Fields; Or, The Search for the Landslide Mine Page 8