“Then—then you’ll meet Mr. Flockley and Mr. Koswell again.”
“What, are they students there?” cried Tom.
“Yes. This is their second year, I believe. I know they were there last spring, for they called here.”
Sam gave a low whistle.
“We are making friends first clip, aren’t we?” he murmured to his brothers.
The boys related a few of the particulars of the accident and their experience at the farmhouse near the railroad.
“Oh, that’s old Mrs. Craven!” cried Minnie Sanderson. “She would talk you out of your senses if you’d let her. But about a carriage, I don’t know. If papa was here—”
At that moment came the sound of carriage wheels on the gravel path near the barn.
“There is papa now!” cried Minnie Sanderson. “You can talk to him. I guess he’ll take you to the college quick enough.”
“How did those two young fellows get here?” asked Sam.
“I don’t know. And please—that is—you won’t say anything to my father about that, will you? It would make him very angry, and I don’t know what he’d do.”
“We’ll not say a word if you wish it that way,” answered Dick.
“I don’t think they’ll bother me again after the way you treated them,” added the girl.
She led them toward the barn and introduced her father, a fat and jolly farmer of perhaps fifty. Mr. Sanderson had been off on a short drive with one horse and he readily agreed to take them to Brill College for two dollars.
“Just wait till I put in a fresh team,” he said. “Then I’ll get you over to the college in less than an hour and a quarter.”
While he was hooking up he explained that he had been to a nearby village for a dry battery for the electric doorbell.
“We don’t use the bell much, but I hate to have it out of order,” he explained.
“That’s why it didn’t ring,” said Sam to his brothers.
The carriage was soon ready and the three dress-suit cases were piled in the rear. Then the boys got in and Mr. Sanderson followed.
“Good-by!” called the boys to Minnie Sanderson.
“Good-by,” she returned sweetly and waved her hand.
“Maybe we’ll get down this way again some day,” said Dick.
“If you do, stop in,” returned the girl.
The farmer’s team was a good one and they trotted out of the yard and into the road in fine shape. Dick was beside the driver and his brothers were in the rear. The carriage left a cloud of dust behind as it bowled along over the dry country road.
“First year at Brill?” inquired Mr. Sanderson on the way.
“Yes,” answered Dick.
“Fine place—no better in the world, so I’ve heard some folks say—and they had been to some of the big colleges, too.”
“Yes, we’ve heard it was all right,” said Tom. “By the way, where is Hope Seminary?”
“About two miles this side of Brill.”
“Then we’ll pass it, eh?” came from Sam.
“Well, not exactly. It’s up a bit on a side road. But you can see the buildings—very nice, too—although not so big as those up to Brill. I’ll point ’em out to you when we get there.”
“Do you know any of the fellows at Brill?” questioned Tom, nudging Sam in the ribs as he spoke.
“A few. Minnie met some of ’em at the baseball and football games, and once in a while one of ’em stops at our house. But we are most too far away to see much of ’em.”
Presently the carriage passed through a small village which the boys were told was called Rushville.
“I don’t know why they call it that,” said Mr. Sanderson with a chuckle. “Ain’t no rushes growing around here, and there ain’t no rush either; it’s as dead as a salted mackerel,” and he chuckled again. “But there’s one thing here worth knowing about,” he added suddenly.
“What’s that?” asked Dick.
“The Jamison place—it’s haunted.”
“Haunted!” cried Tom. “What, a house?”
“Yes, a big, old-fashioned house, set in a lot of trees. It ain’t been occupied for years, and the folks say it’s haunted, and nobody goes near it.”
“We’ll have to inspect it some day,” said Sam promptly.
“What—you?” cried the fat farmer.
“Sure.”
“Ain’t you scared?”
“No,” answered the youngest Rover. “I don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Well, they say it’s worth a man’s life to go in that house, especially after dark.”
“I think I’d risk it.”
“So would I,” added Tom.
“We’ll pay the haunted house a visit some day when there is no session at the college,” said Dick “It will give us something to do.”
“Hum!” mused the farmer. “Well, if you do it you’ve got backbone, that’s all I’ve got to say. The folks around here won’t go near that Jamison place nohow.”
The road now became hilly, with many twists and turns, and the farmer had to give his entire attention to his team. The carriage bounced up and down and once Sam came close to being pitched out.
“Say, this is fierce!” he cried. “How much more of it?”
“Not more’n a quarter of a mile,” answered Mr. Sanderson. “It is kinder rough, ain’t it? The roadmaster ought to have it fixed. Some of the bumps is pretty bad.”
There was one more small hill to cross, and then they came to a level stretch. Here the horses made good time and the farmer “let them out” in a fashion that pleased the boys very much.
“A fine team and no mistake,” said Dick, and this pleased Mr. Sanderson very much, for he was proud of but two things—his daughter Minnie and his horses.
“There is Hope Seminary,” said Mr. Sanderson presently and pointed to a group of buildings set in among some large trees. “That’s a good school, I’ve been thinking of sending my daughter there, only it’s a pretty long drive, and I need her at home. You see,” he explained, “Minnie keeps house for me—has ever since my wife died, three years ago.”
The boys gazed at the distant seminary buildings with interest, and as they did so Dick thought of Dora Stanhope and Tom and Sam remembered the Lanings. All thought how jolly it would be to live so close together during the college term.
“Now we’ve got only two miles more,” said Mr. Sanderson as he set his team on a trot again. “I’ll land you at Brill inside of fifteen minutes, even if the road ain’t none of the best.”
The country road ran directly into the town of Ashton, but there was a short cut to the college and they turned into this. Soon the lads caught sight of the pile of buildings in the distance. They were set in a sort of park, with the road running in front and a river in the rear. Out on the grounds and down by the stream the Rover boys saw a number of students walking around and standing in groups talking.
With a crack of his whip Mr. Sanderson whirled from the road into the grounds and drove up to the steps of the main building.
“This is the place where new students report,” he said with a smile. “I’ll take your grips over to the dormitory.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sanderson,” said Dick. “And here are your two dollars,” and he handed the money over.
While Dick was paying the farmer Sam turned to the back of the carriage to look at the dress-suit cases. He gave an exclamation.
“What’s the matter?” asked Tom.
“Didn’t you have a suit case, Tom?”
“Certainly.”
“Well, it’s gone.”
CHAPTER IV
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CAMPUS FENCE
“Gone?”
“Yes, gone Are you sure you put it in the carriage?”
“Positive,” was Tom�
��s answer. “I put it on top of yours and Dick’s.”
“Then it must have jounced out somewhere on the road.”
“What’s up?” asked Dick, catching a little of the talk.
“Tom’s case is gone. He put it on top of ours, and I suppose coming over that rough road jounced it out.”
“One of the satchels gone, eh?” came from Mr. Sanderson. “Sure you put it in?”
“Yes, I am positive.”
“Too bad. Reckon I’d better go back at once and pick it up.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Tom.
The matter was talked over for a minute and then Tom and the farmer reëntered the carriage and drove off. As they did this a man came out to meet Dick and Sam.
“New students?” he asked shortly.
“Yes,” replied Dick.
“Please step this way.”
The doorman led them along a broad hall and into a large office. Here they signed a register and were then introduced by an under teacher to Dr. Wallington, a gray-haired man of sixty, tall and thin, with a scholarly aspect. The president of Brill shook hands cordially.
“I feel that I know you young gentlemen,” he said. “Your father and I were old school chums. I hope you like it here and that your coming will do you much good.”
“Thank you, I hope so too,” answered Dick, and Sam said about the same. The two boys felt at once that the doctor would prove their friend so long as they conducted themselves properly, but they also felt that the aged president of Brill would stand for no nonsense.
Having been questioned by the doctor and one of the teachers, the boys were placed in charge of the house master, who said he would show them to their rooms in the dormitory. Dick had already explained the absence of Tom.
“Your father wrote that you would prefer to room together,” said the house master. “But that will be impossible, since our rooms accommodate but two students each. We have assigned Samuel and Thomas to room No. 25 and Richard to room No. 26, next door.”
“And who will I have with me?” asked Dick with interest. He did not much fancy having a stranger.
“Well, we were going to place a boy with you named Stanley Browne, a very fine lad, but day before yesterday we received a new application and the applicant said he desired very much to be put with the Rovers. So he can go with you, if you wish it.”
“Who was the applicant?” asked Dick quickly.
“John A. Powell. He said he was an old school chum of yours at Putnam Hall and had been on a treasure hunt with you during the past summer.”
“Songbird!” cried Dick, and his face broke out in a smile. “Oh, that’s good news! It suits me perfectly.”
“Did you call the young man Songbird?” queried the house master.
“Yes, that’s his nickname.”
“Then he must be a singer.”
“No, he composes poetry—or at least verses that he calls poetry,” answered the eldest Rover.
“I wish some more of the old Putnam Hall crowd were coming,” put in Sam. “Think of having Hans Mueller here!” And the very idea made him grin.
“Hans isn’t fit for college yet, Sam. But there may be others,” added Dick hopefully.
They soon reached the dormitory, located across the campus from the main building and followed the house master up-stairs and to rooms No. 25 and 26. Each was bright, clean and cheerful, with big windows looking to the southward. Each contained two clothes closets, two beds, two bookshelves, a bureau, a reading table, two plain chairs and a rocker. The walls were bare, but the boys were told they could hang up what they pleased so long as they did not mar the plaster.
“The lavatories are at the end of the hall,” said the house master. “And the trunk room is there, too. Have you had the trunks sent up yet?”
“No, sir,” answered Dick.
“Then let me have your checks and I will attend to it. I see the man has already brought up your suit cases. I hope your brother has no trouble in recovering the one that was lost.”
“When is John Powell coming?” asked Dick.
“Tomorrow, so he telegraphed.”
The house master left Dick and Sam and the two boys looked over the rooms and put some of the things from their suit cases in the closets and in the bureaus. Then they walked down to one of the lavatories and washed and brushed up. Everything was so new and strange to them that they did not feel at all at home.
“It will take a few days to get used to it I suppose,” said Sam, with a trace of a sigh. “I know I felt the same way when first I went to Putnam Hall.”
“Let us go down and take a look around and watch for Tom,” replied his brother. “Say, but I’m glad Songbird is coming,” he added. “I don’t care much for his doggerel, but John’s a good fellow just the same.”
“None better,” replied Sam heartily. “And his poetry isn’t so very bad, always.”
The two brothers went below and strolled around. They found the main building formed the letter T, with the top to the front. In this were the offices and the classroom and also the private apartments of the president and his family and some of the faculty. To the east of the main building was a long, one-story structure, containing a library and a laboratory, and to the west the three-story dormitory the lads had just left. Somewhat to the rear was another dormitory and beside it a large gymnasium, with a swimming pool attached. A short distance away was a house for the hired help and a stable and carriage sheds. Down by the river was a boathouse, not unlike that at Putnam Hall but larger.
“This is a fine layout and no mistake,” observed Dick with satisfaction.
“Did you see that fine athletic field beyond the campus?” returned Sam. “That means baseball and football galore.”
Having walked around the outside of the various buildings the Rover boys made their way to the highway to watch for the coming of Tom. Hardly had they reached the road when they saw a crowd of six students approaching. Among the number were Dudd Flockley and Jerry Koswell.
“See those two, Dick?” whispered Sam. “Won’t they be mad when they see us here?”
“Well, I don’t care,” answered Dick coolly. “If they say anything, let me do the talking.” And thus speaking, Dick sat down on the top of a stone fence and his brother hopped up beside him.
The six students came closer, and of a sudden Dudd Flockley espied the Rovers. He stopped short and pulled his crony by the arm, and Jerry Koswell likewise stared at Dick and Sam.
“You here?” demanded Flockley, coming closer and scowling at the youths on the fence.
“We are,” answered Dick briefly.
“Freshmen?”
“Yes.”
“Humph!” And Flockley put as much of a sneer as possible in the exclamation.
“How did you get here?” asked Koswell.
“Got a carriage at the Sanderson place,” answered Sam with a grin.
“You did!” cried Flockley. “Say, you’re a fresh lot, aren’t you?” he went on, glaring at Dick and Sam. “Where’s the third chap?”
“None of your business,” answered Dick sharply.
“Don’t you talk to me like that!” cried Dudd Flockley, and then his face took on a look of cunning. “Freshmen, eh? Then you don’t know what we are. We are sophs, and we want you to answer us decently.”
“That’s the talk!” cried Koswell. “Boys, these are freshmen, and on the fence, too. We can’t allow this, can we?”
“No freshies allowed on that fence!” answered another boy of the crowd. “Off you go and quick!”
As he spoke he approached Sam and tried to catch him by the foot to pull him off. Sam drew in his foot and then sent it forth so suddenly that it took the sophomore in the stomach and sent him reeling to the grass.
“At them!” yelled Flockley. “Show them how they must behave!
Sophs to the front!”
“Wait!” The command came from Dick, and he spoke so clearly and firmly that all the sophomores paused. “Is this an affair between Flockley and Koswell and ourselves or is it simply two freshmen against six sophs?”
“Why—er—have Flockley and Koswell anything against you two?” demanded one of the boys curiously.
“I think so,” answered Dick. “We had the pleasure of knocking them both down a few hours ago. As it was a private affair, we won’t go into details.”
“Didn’t do it because you were freshmen?” asked another lad.
“Not at all. We were total strangers when the thing occurred.”
“Yes, but—” came from another sophomore.
“Sorry I can’t explain. Flockley and Koswell can if they wish. But I advise them to keep a certain party’s name out of the story,” added Dick significantly. He felt bound to protect Minnie Sanderson as much as possible.
“It’s all stuff and nonsense!” roared Dudd Flockley. “They are freshies and ought to be bounced off the fence and given a lesson in the bargain.”
“That’s it—come and hammer ’em!” added Jerry Koswell.
“What’s the row here?” demanded a tall lad who had just come up. He had light curly hair, blue eyes and a face that was sunshine itself.
“Two freshies on the stone fence, Holden,” said one of the sophomores. “We can’t allow that, you know.”
At this Frank Holden, the leader of the sophomore class, laughed.
“Too bad, fellows, but they’ve got you. Term doesn’t begin until tomorrow and they can sit where they please until twelve o’clock midnight. After that”—he turned to Dick and Sam—“well, your blood will be on your own heads if you disturb this fence or the benches around the flagstaff.”
“My gracious! Frank’s right, term isn’t on until tomorrow,” cried another student. “I beg your pardon, boys!” And he bowed lowly to the Rovers.
“Gee, it’s a wonder you fellows wouldn’t say something before I was kicked off the earth!” growled the sophomore who had been sent to the grass by Sam.
“Don’t thank me for what I did,” said Sam pleasantly, and this caused some of the other college fellows to grin.
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