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[Illustration: HE SAW AN ARM AND A HEAD COME UP.--_Page 240._]
Dave Porter Series
DAVE PORTER
AND THE RUNAWAYS
OR
LAST DAYS AT OAK HALL
BY
EDWARD STRATEMEYER
Author of "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," "The Lakeport Series,"
"Old Glory Series," "Pan-American Series," etc.
ILLUSTRATED BY H. RICHARD BOEHM
BOSTON
LOTHROP LEE & SHEPARD CO.
Published, March, 1913
Copyright, 1913, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.
All Rights Reserved
Dave Porter and the Runaways
Norwood Press
Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass.
U.S.A.
PREFACE
"Dave Porter and the Runaways" is a complete story in itself, but
forms the ninth volume of a line issued under the general title of
"Dave Porter Series."
In the first volume of this series, entitled "Dave Porter at Oak
Hall," the reader was introduced to a typical American lad, and the
particulars were given of his doings at an up-to-date boarding
school.
There was a cloud over Dave's parentage, and in order to solve the
mystery of his identity he took a long voyage over the ocean, as
related in the second volume, called "Dave Porter in the South Seas."
Then he came back to his schoolmates, as told of in "Dave Porter's
Return to School," and then took a long trip to Norway, to hunt up his
father, the particulars of which are given in "Dave Porter in the Far
North."
Having settled the matter of his identity to his satisfaction, our
hero came back to Oak Hall and had a number of strenuous contests,
related in detail in "Dave Porter and His Classmates." Following this
came the summer vacation, and the youth made a trip West, the
happenings of which are set down in "Dave Porter at Star Ranch."
When Dave returned to Oak Hall once more he found the school rivalries
as bitter as ever, and what these led to has been related in "Dave
Porter and His Rivals." His enemies tried hard to do our hero much
injury, but he exposed them and they were forced to flee, to escape
the consequences of their actions.
The winter holidays found Dave homeward bound. He had anticipated some
jolly times among his relatives and friends, but a robbery upset all
his plans, and, almost before he knew it, he found himself bound
southward, as related in "Dave Porter on Cave Island." On the island
he had many adventures out of the ordinary, and he came home more of a
hero than ever, having saved Mr. Wadsworth, his benefactor, from
ruin.
In the present story Dave is back once again at school. There are some
queer happenings, and then some lads run away. How Dave proved his
common sense, and brought the runaways back, I leave for the pages
which follow to tell. I trust the reading of this volume will do all
my young friends good.
Edward Stratemeyer.
_February_ 1, 1913.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. Dave and His Chums 1
II. A Glimpse at the Past 11
III. A Talk of the Future 21
IV. Mr. Job Haskers's Doings 31
V. At Oak Hall Once More 41
VI. Phil Shows His Stubbornness 52
VII. Phil and Ben Make a Move 62
VIII. An Unusual Compact 72
IX. The King of Sumatra 82
X. Nat Poole Wants to Know 91
XI. Bonfire Night at the Hall 101
XII. Plans for a Spread 111
XIII. The Cabin on the Island 121
XIV. The Bandanna Handkerchief 131
XV. At the Hotel 141
XVI. The Blowing up of the Bridge 151
XVII. A Serious Accusation 161
XVIII. The Meeting on the Road 171
XIX. Looking for the Runaways 181
XX. The Wild Man Again 190
XXI. Something of a Clew 200
XXII. After the Runaways 210
XXIII. At the Camp 220
XXIV. Out in the Storm 230
XXV. Perils of the Flood 239
XXVI. Back to the School 249
XXVII. The Trail Through the Woods 259
XXVIII. The Capture of the Wild Man 268
XXIX. A Bit of Evidence 278
XXX. The Exposure--Good-By to Oak Hall 287
DAVE PORTER AND THE RUNAWAYS
CHAPTER I
DAVE AND HIS CHUMS
"I say, Dave, here's an odd piece of news."
"An odd piece of news, Roger? What about?"
"A wild man in the woods back of Oak Hall," answered Roger Morr, who
held a letter in his hand. "Queerest thing you ever heard of."
"I should say it was, if it's about a wild man," returned Dave Porter.
"Who sent that letter?"
"Shadow Hamilton."
"Maybe it's another one of Shadow's innumerable yarns," suggested
Dave, with a faint smile. "If he can't tell them by word of mouth, he
writes them down."
"What has Shadow got to say about the wild man?" asked Phil Lawrence,
looking up from the suit-case he was packing. "Has he been trying to
clean out Oak Hall, or anything like that?"
"No, not exactly," returned Roger, turning back to the letter, which
he had not yet finished. "He keeps in the woods, so Shadow says, and
scares everybody who comes that way."
"How does he scare them?" asked Dave, pausing in the act of stowing a
suit of clothing in a trunk.
"Shadow writes that he and Lazy were out walking one day and the wild
man came after them with a big club. He wears long hair and a long
beard, and his clothes are in tatters."
"What did they do?" questioned Phil.
"They ran back towards the school. The wild man followed 'em as far as
the bridge over the brook, and then jumped into the bushes and
disappeared."
"Humph!" muttered Phil. "Is that all?"
"Oh, no! The day before that, Chip Macklin and two other of the
smaller boys went out, along the river, and the wild man came after
them and shoved Chip into the water. He yelled to them never to come
near him again. The other fellows ran away, and as soon as Chip could
get out of the water he went after 'em. Then, three days later, Doctor
Clay sent out Mr. Dale and Horsehair, the driver, to look into the
matter, and the wild man met them at the bridge and threw mud balls at
'em. One mud ball hit the teacher in the arm, and one struck Horsehair
in the nose and made it bleed. Horsehair was afraid to go on, because
the wild man jumped around and shouted so furiously. Mr. Dale tried to
catch him, but he ran away."
"Poor chap! He must be crazy," was Dave's comment. "He ought to be
taken care of by the authorities."
"Yes, but they can't catch him," continued Roger. "They have tried
half a dozen ways, but he slips 'em every time."
"Who is he?" asked Dave, as he continued to pack his trunk.
"Nobody has the least idea, so Shadow writes."
"Say, that will give us something to do--when we get back to Oak
Hall!" cried Phil. "We'll organize a posse to round up the wild man!"
"I think we'll have plenty of other things to do when we get to
school, Phil," remarked Dave. "Just remember that we have lost a lot
of time from our lessons, and if we want to make up what we have
missed, and graduate from Oak Hall with honor, we've got to buckle
down and study."
"Oh, I know that," answered Phil, and gave a little sigh. "Just the
same, I'm going to have a try at the wild man--if he comes my way."
"So am I," cried Roger. "And Dave will try with us; won't you, old
man?" And Roger caught his chum affectionately by the shoulder. "You
are the fellow to solve mysteries!"
Dave was about to answer when there came a knock on the bedroom door.
He opened it to find himself confronted by a middle-aged lady, who was
smiling but anxious.
"How are you getting along, boys?" she asked.
"First-rate, Mrs. Wadsworth," answered Roger. "We'll soon be finished
now."
"Are the girls getting anxious?" questioned Dave.
"Say, what do you think?" burst out Phil. "We are going back to Oak
Hall to capture a wild man who----"
"Phil!" burst out both Dave and Roger, and the other youth stopped
short in confusion.
"A wild man?" cried the lady of the house, in consternation. "Oh,
Dave, I hope----"
"Oh, don't let him worry you, Mrs. Wadsworth," responded Dave,
quickly. "There is a wild man up there, but I don't think he will
bother us any, and we've got too much to do to hunt for him." And the
lad gave his chum a look that said as plainly as words: "What did you
want to mention it for?"
"Oh--I--er--I was only fooling," stammered Phil. "Of course, if there
is a wild man he won't come near us. Tell the girls we'll be ready in
five minutes--at least I will," he added, and resumed his packing.
"Can I do anything for you?" asked the lady.
"You might try to find my striped cap," answered Dave. "I can't seem
to locate it."
"It is in the library--I saw it a while ago, Dave."
"And my baseball bat--the new one with the black handle."
"That is in the back hall, in a corner. How about your books?"
"I've got all of them. Send Laura with the bat and cap, will you,
please?"
"Yes;" and Mrs. Wadsworth hurried off, anxious to be of all the
assistance possible.
"Say, that was a bad break for me," murmured Phil, as the door closed,
and before Dave or Roger could speak. "I didn't want to worry her,
Dave. I'm sorry I mentioned the wild man."
"And the man may be caught before we get back to Oak Hall," said
Roger. He crossed the room and peered into a closet. "Has anybody seen
my baseball shoes?"
"You left those at the Hall, Roger," answered Dave.
"Did I? All right, then. I came away in such a hurry I can't remember
what I took and what I didn't."
"I guess we've got about everything now," resumed Dave, looking
around the bedroom. He glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes to twelve.
We are to have lunch at a quarter past, and start at one, sharp."
"Provided the auto is ready," interposed Phil.
"It will be--trust my Uncle Dunston for that," answered Dave. "My, but
isn't it jolly to think we are going back to school in the auto
instead of by train!"
"Yes, and to think that the girls and your uncle are going with us!"
added Roger.
"Dave, look out for Roger, he's got his eye on Laura!" said Phil,
slyly.
"Oh, you give us a rest, Phil Lawrence!" burst out Roger, growing red.
"I guess you've got an eye on her yourself."
"Poor me! Poor me!" murmured Phil, as if talking to himself. "Roger
will talk to nobody but Laura, and Dave will see and hear and think of
nobody but Jessie, and I'll be left in the cold! Oh, what a cruel
world this is! If only--wow!" and Phil's pretended musings came to a
sudden end, as Dave shied a pair of rolled-up socks at him and Roger
followed with a pillow. In another instant a mimic battle was on, with
pillows and various articles of clothing for ammunition. Then came
another knock on the door and Laura Porter appeared, with a baseball
bat in one hand and her brother's cap in the other.
"Oh dear me!" she cried, and then stopped short, for a red sweater,
thrown by Roger at Phil, had missed its aim and landed on her head.
"I beg your pardon, Laura, really I do!" gasped Roger, as he sprang
forward and took the sweater from its resting-place. "I--I didn't mean
that for you."
"Oh, Roger, of course you did!" cried Phil, with a twinkle in his eye.
"That's the way he salutes girls always, Laura."
"Is this the way you are packing up?" demanded Dave's sister, with a
little smile, while poor Roger grew redder than ever.
"Oh, we were only waiting for you to bring my things, Laura," answered
her brother, coolly. "We'll be ready in three minutes and a half by
the factory whistles."
"Say, what is this I hear about a wild man?" continued Laura, as she
sat down on a chair Roger shoved towards her. "You've made Mrs.
Wadsworth and Jessie all excited over it."
"Oh, it isn't anything," burst out Phil, quickly. "I made a mistake
even to mention it."
"She came down and told Jessie and me that she was afraid you'd have
more trouble, when you got back to school. As if you haven't had
troubles enough already!" And Laura looked affectionately at her
brother, and then at his chums.
"Oh, this won't amount to anything, Laura," said Dave. "So tell Mrs.
Wadsworth and Jessie not to worry about it."
"But I want to know what it means?" demanded the sister; and in the
end Dave and his chums had to relate what they knew about the wild
man. As they finished the girl shook her head doubtfully.
"I don't like that a bit," she said. "I am sure you'll get mixed up
with that wild man somehow. Why, he might attack you and try to kill
you!"
"We'll be on our guard--when we go near the woods," answered Roger.
"You had better not go alone," insisted the girl.
"We seldom travel alone," said her brother. "Generally Roger, Phil,
and I are together, and very often some of the other fellows are with
us. But don't you worry, Laura, and tell Jessie and her mother it will
be all right."
"And there is another thing to be careful about, Dave," went on Laura,
as she prepared to leave.
"What is that?"
"Be careful of how you treat Nat Poole."
"Why, what do you mean?" cried Dave, and then he added quickly, as he
saw that his sister had something on her mind: "What has happened
now?"
"I don't know exactly, Dave. But I got word through Ben Basswood's
cousin that Nat had told Ben he wasn't going to let you ride over him
this term. I think Nat is jealous because you were so successful in
that trip to Cave Island."
"Did you learn of anything Nat intended to do?" questioned Roger,
curiously.
"No, excepting that he said he wasn't going to play second fiddle to
your crowd any longer. He tried to get into a quarrel with Ben, but
Ben would have nothing to do with him."
"Did Nat go back to the Hall when it opened?" asked Phil.
"Yes, the same day Ben went back."
"I am not afraid of Nat Poole," declared Dave, stoutly. "He is a
bully, always was, and I suppose he always will be. I tried to do him
a favor the last time I saw him--but he doesn't seem to have
appreciated it."
"Laura!" called a musical voice, from the stair landing.
"Coming, Jessie!" answered Laura. "Now you boys, hurry--lunch will be
served in a few minutes;" and she left the room.
"So Nat Poole wants to make more trouble, eh?" mused Dave, as he
resumed packing. "What a chap he is! Why can't he be decent and mind
his own business?"
"Because he isn't that breed, that's why," answered Phil. "He hates to
see another fellow become popular. Dave, you take my advice and watch
him, when we get back to school."
"I'll do it," answered Dave, thoughtfully.