The Rover Boys in the Air; Or, From College Campus to the Clouds

by Edward Stratemeyer

  CHAPTER XIII

  SOME INTERESTING NEWS

  Before the biplane had come to a complete standstill the students on thecampus made a rush and surrounded the three Rover boys.

  "The grandest arrival I ever heard of!" cried Songbird Powell, as hecaught one after another by the hand. "I shall have to write some versesabout this."

  "However did you manage it?" queried Stanley Browne. "I didn't know youcould run an aeroplane."

  "It's out of sight alretty!" came from Max Spangler. "But we could seeit, yes!" he added hastily.

  "Oh, we thought we'd give the fellows a little surprise," answered Dickmodestly. "We purchased the biplane some time ago. It's easy to runafter you get the knack of it."

  "But carrying three!" went on Stanley. "I've heard of 'em carrying twobut not more than that."

  "It's quite a load," said Tom. "We've got to have a more powerful engineif we want to carry that many right along."

  "And the streamers and confetti!" cried Songbird. "I'll bet those wereTom's idea!"

  "You're right," answered Dick.

  "And he thought of the flags and horns, too," put in Sam, bound to placethe credit where it was due.

  "I had to do something to let off steam," said Tom lightly. "Dickwouldn't allow me to fire a bomb, or a cannon, or anything like that,"he continued dryly.

  During this talk many of the students and instructors commenced toinspect the biplane, and soon the Rover boys were kept busy answeringquestions.

  "Well, young gentlemen, allow me to congratulate you on your successfulflight to this place!" said a pleasant voice, and turning the youthsfound themselves confronted by Doctor John Wallington, the head of thecollege. He smiled broadly as he shook hands. "This surely marks anepoch in the history of Brill," he went on. "First arrival of studentsby airship," and he turned to Professor Blackie, who was with him.

  "You are right, sir," returned that instructor. "We'll have to make anote of it." And this was done; and anybody going to Brill can see therecord in the "history book" of that famous institution.

  "Look who's here!" suddenly cried a cheery voice, and Will Jackson,usually called "Spud," because of his liking for potatoes, pushed hisway to the Rover boys' side. "I was upstairs dressing when you arrived,but I saw it all from the window. Say, that flight couldn't be beaten.You must have come about three miles a minute, eh? Puts me in mind ofthe time I was caught in a Kansas cyclone. The wind carried me off myfeet, and landed me high up on the side of a big building, and there Ihad to stick until the wind went down! Fact, and if you don't believeit, some day I'll show you one of the bricks from that same building. Ikeep it to sharpen my penknife on."

  "The same old Spud!" cried Dick, while the others laughed outright."Telling a yarn before he even shakes hands. How are you?" And he gaveWill's hand a squeeze that made the story-teller wince.

  "We'll have to have some place in which to store the biplane," said Samto Dr. Wallington. "Do you think we could put it in the boathouse forthe present--or in the shed of the gymnasium?"

  "You may use the gymnasium shed, if you can get the machine inside,"replied the head of the college. "I presume we'll have to build regularhangars here,--if the students are going to own flying machines," headded, with a smile.

  "Well, they are good advertisements, Doctor," put in Tom. "Nothing likebeing up-to-date, you know."

  "Perhaps, Rover, perhaps. And it will be instructive to all here, towatch you and your brothers manipulate the biplane. But do not let theuse of the machine interfere with your studies."

  "Oh, we'll use it like we would our bicycles, or a motor boat, or anauto," said Sam. "We came back to make a record for ourselves."

  "I am glad to hear it, Samuel, very glad indeed." And then the gooddoctor hurried away to attend to his official duties.

  Some of the late arrivals wanted the Rover boys to give anotherexhibition flight, and for their benefit Tom took a little sail byhimself, and then Sam went up for five minutes. Then the biplane wasrolled over to the big shed attached to the gymnasium,--a place usuallyused for housing carriages and automobiles during athletic contests.Here one end was cleaned out and the _Dartaway_ was rolled in, and theengine was covered with a tarpaulin brought from the boathouse.

  During the time that all this was being done, one student of Brill hadkept to himself, even though greatly interested in what was going on.This was Dudd Flockley, the dudish youth who had once been the crony ofJerry Koswell and Bart Larkspur. There was a sneer on his handsome face.

  "Great work, eh, Dudd?" said Bob Grimes, one of the students, inpassing.

  "I don't know what you mean," returned Flockley, coolly.

  "Oh, yes you do, Dudd," retorted the other. "But I suppose it's sourgrapes for you," he added pointedly, for he was a friend to the Roversand knew something about the troubles of the past.

  "Bah!" came from Dudd Flockley, and he turned and hurried away. "Nowthose Rover boys have come back I suppose they'll try to lord it overeverybody, just as they did before. How I hate them! I wish I could dosomething to get them in a hole!" He had forgotten completely thekindness the Rover boys had shown him, and how they had gone to the headof the college and pleaded for him, so that he had been allowed toremain at Brill. Perhaps Flockley was not as wicked at heart as hisformer college cronies, Larkspur and Koswell, but he was equallyungrateful.

  Soon the Rover boys and their chums were up in the dormitory where theyhad their rooms. As before, Tom and Sam were together, in Number 25,with Dick and Songbird in Number 26, and Stanley and the others not faroff.

  "Home again!" sang out Tom, as he dropped in an easy chair. "My, butthis looks natural!" he added, glancing around.

  "I want to tell you something," said Stanley, who had followed the threebrothers and Songbird into one of the rooms. "Maybe we'd better shut thedoor," he added, significantly.

  "Yes, he's got news," added Songbird. "Say, it beats the nation how somefellows hold a grudge," he went on.

  "What's the trouble now?" demanded Dick, quickly.

  "Day before yesterday I was over to Ashton," answered Stanley, after thedoor to the room had been closed and locked. "I went by the upper roadand I had to pass that new roadhouse, the place called the RedHorseshoe. Well, who was sitting on the piazza but Jerry Koswell andBart Larkspur. They had been having a gay time, I guess, and both weretalking loudly. When they saw me they called to me to stop, and thenthey asked me if you fellows had come back to Brill."

  "What did you tell them?" asked Tom.

  "I told them no, but that you were expected in a few days. Then both ofthem began to brag, and said they had it in for all three of youRovers."

  "Did they say what they intended to do?" questioned Tom.

  "Not exactly, but Koswell intimated that if you didn't look out youmight be blown up."

  "Blown up!" exclaimed Dick, and he thought instantly of what Tad Sobberand Josiah Crabtree had said to Dora and Nellie.

  "That's what he said. I wanted to find out what he meant, but Larkspurstopped him from talking and told him to shut up. But, Dick, I feel surethey mean something, and all of you fellows better be on your guard,"added Stanley earnestly.

  "This is surely getting interesting," said Tom. "First Sobber and oldCrabtree promise to blow us up and now Koswell and Larkspur propose thesame thing."

  "They must be in league with each other!" cried Sam.

  "It looks that way--especially after what happened on Casco Bay,"returned Dick. And then he told Songbird and Stanley of the recenthappenings near the Rovers' home, and elsewhere.

  "Well, my advice is, keep your eyes wide open all the time," saidSongbird. "Those fellows are desperate--their actions show it--andthey'll play you foul if they get half a chance."

  "And to that advice let me add something more," said Stanley. "Don'ttrust Dudd Flockley. He pretended to reform for a while, but behind itall I think he is as bad as ever. If you gave him any information he maycarry it straight to those others."

  "Thank you, St
anley, I'll remember that," said Dick.

  "So will I," added Tom, and Sam nodded in approval.

  "Well, to let you in behind the scenes," went on Dick, to Stanley andSongbird, "I am not so much worried about ourselves as I am about Mrs.Stanhope and Dora and the Lanings. Sobber and old Crabtree want thatfortune from Treasure Isle the worst way and they'll do anything to gethold of it. Koswell and Larkspur are probably short of funds, and, asthey like to live high, they'll help Sobber and Crabtree all theycan,--for a rake-off of the proceeds."

  "I reckon you are right," said Songbird. "But what do all of them meanby blowing you sky high."

  "That remains to be seen," said Sam.

  "Or rather felt," added Tom, who had to have his little joke. "Maybethey'll plant some dynamite under the college and blow us up!"

  "Hardly that, Tom," returned his older brother. "But they may try somekind of a dirty trick along those lines."

  "Don't worry, boys, don't worry!" cried Songbird soothingly. "Let thetroubles of the future take care of themselves", and then he murmuredsoftly:

  "Though the skies be dark and dreary And hope be almost dead, And hearts are all so weary----"

  "Each one can go to bed!"

  finished Tom. "A fine bit of poetry truly, Songbird, old sport."

  "Who said anything about going to bed?" snorted the would-be poet. "Ihad a finer line than that, Tom. It was--er--it was--a--er--a----Oh,dear, you've quite driven it out of my head!"

  "Never mind, it will come back day after yesterday, or before andsooner," went on the fun-loving Rover blandly. "Now let us put away ourthings and get ready for supper. I'm as hungry as a wolf in a famine."

  "That's right," chimed in Sam. "Aeroplaning can give one a wonderfulappetite."

  "It's the air," said Stanley.

  That evening, after a good meal, the Rover boys had to tell of theirvarious experiences with the biplane. Not a student of Brill had evergone up in a flying machine although several had gone up in balloons atcounty fairs and elsewhere. The Rovers had to promise to take up half adozen of their chums. So far during the fall, talk of football hadfilled the air, but now all became flying and flying machines. Severalof the richer students promised themselves machines in the near future.

  "That's the talk!" cried Tom, enthusiastically. "Then we can have someraces!"

  "Maybe we can even get up an intercollegiate aeroplaning contest,"remarked Sam.

  "I'm afraid it's a little too early for that yet," answered Dick. "Butsuch contests may come one of these days."

  The Rover boys were tired out from their day of labor and excitement andten o'clock found them in their rooms ready to go to bed. Tom and Samhad started to take off their shoes when there came a faint tap on thedoor and Bob Grimes appeared.

  "Hello, Bob!" cried Tom. "What can I do for you?"

  "Hush! not so loud!" whispered the other student, with a glance over hisshoulder down the corridor. "Listen, both of you," he went onhurriedly. "Don't ask me any questions, but if you don't want yourbiplane ruined be sure and guard it closely!" And having spoken thus,Bob Grimes hurried down the corridor and out of sight.