CHAPTER VI
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
"I must thank you for ridding us of that fellow," said one of thegirls. "He has annoyed us several times."
"It was a pleasure to assist you," answered Dick, with thepoliteness of a dancing master, and tipped his hat; and hisbrothers and Fred Garrison did the same.
After this there seemed nothing to do but to be introduced, andDick did this for the boys, while the eldest girl acted forherself and her companions.
"My name is Dora Stanhope," she said. "These are my cousinsNellie and Grace Laning. We live at Cedarville."
"Just the place we are going to!" cried Tom. "We are bound forPutnam Hall. I suppose you know the place?"
"We do--very well," answered Dora Stanhope. "It is less thanquarter of a mile away from our farm."
"And it is quite near to our place too," added Nellie Laning.
"Then perhaps we'll see more of each other," remarked FredGarrison.
"Perhaps; but isn't Captain Putnam rather strict about letting youboys out?" questioned, Dora.
"We don't know yet--we are newcomers."
"Newcomers!" cried Nellie. "Then you don't know that fellow whowas just here?"
"No. Does he belong at Putnam Hall?"
"Yes. I know nothing of him, however, further than that I haveseen him several times on the Hall road."
Dick gave a low whistle.
"Perhaps we've put our foot in it," remarked Sam in a low tone tohim.
"Never mind; we did what was right," answered Dick. "No fellow isjustified in acting as Dan Baxter did."
"That's right."
"Tell us something about Putnam Hall, won't you?" said FredGarrison, after a pause.
At this the three girls laughed.
"What should we know about that place?" asked Dora. "We havenever been inside, excepting at one Christmas entertainment."
"But you must see some of the fellows occasionally."
"Not often," said Grace Laning. "Captain Putnam does not allowhis pupils to leave the grounds excepting on special occasions.But papa caught three of the pupils in our strawberry patch once."
"He did? And what happened to the fellows?" put in Tom with deepinterest.
"Father made them pick twelve quarts of berries for him fornothing, and didn't let them eat a single one."
"Great Caesar! What a fine fellow your dad--I mean your father--mustbe."
"Of course he is fine. The boys had no right to attempt stealingthe berries. My father would have given them some for theasking."
"But they wouldn't have been half as sweet as if they were hookedon the sly," said Tom wisely, and everybody laughed.
"You boys ought to have fine times at Putnam Hall," went on Dorato Dick. "I sometimes see the soldier boys marching; and once,last summer, I visited their encampment."
"We are looking forward to a good time,"' was the answer. "And Itrust we see you again," went on Dick; and Dora blushed prettily.
The Golden Star was now approaching a little landing known asHopedale, and all left their chairs to see the village, and peoplegetting on and off. It was an engaging scene, and the did notreturn to the bow of the boat until ten minutes later, aftertaking a walk completely around the steamer's deck.
In the bow a surprise awaited them. During their absence DanBaxter had appropriated four of their camp chairs and wasstretched out on them as if in sleep.
"Oh, what a cheek!" cried Tom.
"Let us haul him off," suggested Sam.
"All right, come ahead," put in Fred.
"Oh, please don't have another row with him!" cried Dora in alarm."Let him keep the seats. We can go somewhere else."
"All right, let the pig sleep," said Dick.
He felt tolerably certain that Dan Baxter was awake and heard him,but the bully made no sign.
The party walked away, and the bully sneered softly to himself.
"They didn't dare to tackle me," was what he thought in hisconceit. "I'd like to meet 'em one by one alone. I'd show each atrick or two."
At last Cedarville was reached and the little steamer tied up atthe dock, and the boys and girls went ashore. Just beforeleaving, Dick took a look at Dan Baxter and saw that he was nowsleeping in earnest.
"I won't wake him," he thought. "If he is carried to the head ofthe lake, it will only serve him right."
Once on the dock, he and Fred hurried off to see about the baggage,and while they were gone a well-dressed and pleasant-looking farmercame up and kissed each of the girls. It was Mr. Laning.
"I hope you had a nice visit to Cousin May's," he said. "Come,the carriage is waiting out in the street."
And he hurried the girls away before they had hardly time to saygood-by.
"Nice girls," remarked Tom.
"Yes, indeed," answered Sam. "Hope we see them again."
"We won't have much of a chance if what they say about Putnam Hallis true, Sam. Evidently Captain Putnam believes in keeping hispupils well in hand."
"Well, Uncle Randolph believes we ought to be taken well inhand."
Dick and Fred returned presently, bringing with them a tall, leanman of apparently fifty.
"Boys," cried Fred, "let me introduce you to Mr. PelegSnugsomebody, general utility man at Putnam Hall."
"Peleg Snuggers, please," said the man meekly. "Excuse me, but Iwas sent to bring you to the Hall."
"Do we walk?" demanded Tom.
"No, sir; the carryall is out on the street, and my boy Pete hasthe wagon for your trunks."
"The trunks are already in the wagon," said Dick. "Come ahead."
"How many of you, please?" went on Peleg Snuggers.
"There is only one of me, thank you," answered Tom meekly.
"Don't joke me so early in the term, please," said the utility manpleadingly. "Goodness knows, I'll get more than my share betweennow and Christmas. I mean, how many it the party?"
"Five of us, Mr. Sluggrub."
"Snuggers, please; Peleg Snuggers--an easy name to remember whenyou get the swing of it, sir."
"To be sure, Smullers. Yes, there are exactly five of us," andTom winked at his companions.
"That's all right; the captain said to bring five. Where is theother?"
"What other?"
"The other boy. I see only four of you."
"You asked me how many there were in the party, Mr. Snugbug."
"Yes, sir; and you said five."
"Four of us, and only one of you. Isn't that five--or do theyhave a different kind of arithmetic at Putnam Hall from what Ihave been studying?"
"Please don't joke, Master Rover, please don't. I was to bring fiveboys." The utility man drew a slip of paper from his pocket. "Four newboys--Richard, Samuel, and Thomas Rover and--Frederick Garrison--andCorporal Daniel Baxter."
"Gracious, the bully is a corporal at the Hall!" came from Sam inso low a tone that Snuggers did not catch it.
"The corporal isn't present," said Fred, gazing around absently.
"So he isn't. Must have missed the boat. Come along, please,"and Peleg Snuggers led the way to where a large and extra-heavycarryall stood. A splendid team of iron-grays was attached to thecarriage; and Dick, who loved good horseflesh, could not help butadmire the animals.
"Oh, they are fine, Master Richard," said Snuggers. "Nothingfiner on the lake shore. Captain Putnam's one recreation is todrive behind a fast team."
"Is it? I wish he would take me out with him some time."
"Always drives alone. Reckon it kind of quiets him, after a noisytime with the boy."
"I suppose."
They were soon on the way, which led out of Cedarville and over ahill fronting the lake.
"By the way, do you know where the farms belonging to Mr. Stanhopeand to Mr. Laning are located?" asked Tom, when they were well outof the village.
"Mr. Stanhope, sir? There isn't any Mr. Stanhope. He died twoyears ago. That place you see away over yonder is Mrs. Stanhope'sfarm."
"She has a daughter Dora?"
"Yes," Peleg Snuggers paused for a moment. "They say the widderthinks of marrying again."
"Is that so!" put in Dick, and then he wondered if Dora would bepleased with her stepfather. "So that is the place?"
"Yes, sir; two hundred and fifty acres, and the fittest dairy inthese parts. If the widder marries again, her husband will fallinto a very good thing. The dairy company at Ithaca once offeredfifty thousand dollars for the cattle and land."
"Gracious!" came from Tom. "We've been chumming with an heiress.Are the Lanings rich, too?"
"Very well to do. That is their place, that side road. Here iswhere we turn off to get to the Hall. Captain Putnam had thisroad made when the Hall was first built."
The road was one of cracked stone, as smooth as a huge iron rollercould make it. They bowled along at a rapid rate, under the widespreading branches of two rows of stately maples. They were closeto the lake, and occasional glimpses of water could be caughtthrough the tree branches.
"It is certainly a splendid locality for a boarding academy," wasDick's comment. "My, what pure air--enough to make a sick boystrong! Do you have much sickness at the Hall?"
"Very little, sir. The captain does not let a cast of sicknessstand, but calls in Dr. Fremley at once."
"That is where he is level-headed," said Fred. "My father said Iwas to call for a doctor the minute I felt at all sick."
They were now approaching Putnam Hall, but there was still anotherturn to make. As they swept around this, they came upon a tramp,half asleep under a tree. The tramp roused up at the sounds ofcarriage wheels and looked first at the driver of the carryall andthen at the four boys.
"Phew!" he ejaculated, and lost no time in diving out of sightinto some brush back of the row of maples.
"Hullo, who was that?" cried Sam.
"A tramp, I reckon," answered the utility man. "We are bothered agood deal with them."
"Begging at the Hall for the left-overs?"
"Exactly. The captain is too kind-hearted. He ought to drive 'emall away," answered Peleg Snuggers; and then the carryall passedon.
When it was gone, and the wagon with the trunks had followed, thetramp came out of the brush and gazed after both turnouts. "Say,Buddy Girk, but dat was a narrow escape," he muttered to himself."Wot brought dem young gents to dis neighborhood? It can't bepossible da have tracked me--an' so quick." He hesitated. "It'ink I had better give dis neighborhood de go-by," and he doveinto the brush again. He was the rascal who had stolen Dick'stimepiece.
The Rover Boys at School; Or, The Cadets of Putnam Hall Page 6