BACK TO THE SCHOOL
They waved frantically to the person on the shore, and he waved
frantically in return, and at last all were convinced that it must
really be their missing chum.
"He must think I am Jerry," said Dave. "Won't he be surprised to see
me!"
"He will be, unless he was at the cabin last night and read the note,"
returned Buster.
"The note wasn't touched," said Ben. "I noticed that it was exactly as
we left it."
All gave a parting wave and pointed to the shore, and then left the
hill. They made their way down to the cabin, and told the camp-worker
what they had seen.
"It must be Lawrence," said Jerry Blutt. "Maybe he'll come over here,
instead of waiting for us to go to him."
"Gracious, I never thought of that!" cried Buster.
"We'll be like the men in one of Shadow's stories," said Ben. "One was
upstairs in a big office building and one downstairs. The man
upstairs went down, and the downstairs man went up, and they kept that
up until both stopped, tired out, one upstairs and one down." And the
others had to smile at the brief yarn.
All journeyed to the lower shore of the island, where they could get a
better view of the spot where the person they thought was Phil had
been. They saw the party walking up the river bank, looking for a good
place to ford. All shouted loudly and waved their hands to keep him
where he was, and he nodded his head deeply, to show that he
understand.
"It must be Phil," said Dave. "Oh, how thankful I am that he wasn't
carried away by the flood!"
The boys were impatient to get back to the shore, and Jerry Blutt did
not blame them. To carry any of the stuff over was still out of the
question, and they did not attempt it.
"You can come and get it some day, Jerry," said Buster. "You can ship
it to us by express, and we'll pay you for your trouble;" and so it
was arranged.
It was as hard to gain the shore as it had been to reach the island,
and all were well-nigh exhausted when they finally left the water, not
to return again. Phil saw them coming, and when he made out Dave he
was almost dumfounded.
"Where in the world did you come from?" he demanded, as he caught our
hero by the hand.
"From Oakdale, Phil."
"Did you run away, too?" demanded the shipowner's son.
"Hardly," answered Dave, with a grin. "I came to bring you fellows
back. But first tell us, how did you get out of the flood last
night?"
"Oh, I had a fierce time of it. I tried to get back to the camp, but
stumbled over some tree-roots and went down in a hole and hurt my
ankle. When I got up I couldn't see the others, and I must have lost
my way. Then it began to rain and get dark, and I didn't know which
way to turn. I yelled dozens of times, but I didn't hear any answer. I
tried to locate the cabin, but I must have been completely turned
around, for I came out on the shore. Then the flood came along, and
before I knew it I was floating down the river. I hit a tree and clung
to that, and we drifted a mile or more before the tree got stuck on a
sandbar. I stayed there, in the rain and darkness, until morning and
then waded and swam ashore. I was so tired out I had to rest for
awhile, and then I came up here, to try to find out something about
our crowd. I was thinking of getting over to the island again when I
saw you on the top of the hill. Of course, I thought Dave was
Jerry."
"We were scared to death, thinking you had been drowned," said Ben.
"Well, I came pretty close to it," was the serious reply. "No more
such flood for me!"
All turned towards the cabin where four of the party had spent the
night, and there Jerry was called on to prepare the best meal their
limited stores afforded. On the river-bank they had picked up some
fish cast up by the flood, and these were broiled, making a welcome
addition to the meal.
While the meal was being prepared, and after it had been eaten, Dave
had a serious talk with Phil and the others, and all realized the
folly they had committed in running away from Oak Hall. Phil in
particular, was much disturbed and said he had been thinking of coming
back.
"But we saw that article in the newspaper, and it scared us," went on
the shipowner's son. "Of course, it didn't mention any names, but we
knew it was meant for us. I know now, just as well as the others, that
it was a mistake to run away."
"Then, you'll go back with me?" questioned Dave, eagerly.
"Yes."
"And you'll go back, too, Ben and Buster?"
"Yes."
"I am mighty glad to hear it--and I feel that this thing will come
out all right in the end," returned Dave.
"By the way, there is one thing I haven't told you, Dave," said
Buster, a minute later. "The general excitement drove it clean out of
my head. We know who it was that spoiled the feast Phil got up for the
crowd."
"You do?" asked our hero, with interest.
"Yes. It was Nat Poole. He went to Rockville and sent those telephone
messages to Jason Sparr and that musical professor, calling the whole
affair off. He did it because he wasn't invited to take part."
"How did you learn this?"
"I heard it the night I went to the Hall to get our baggage. When I
was in hiding, waiting for a chance to go to the dormitory, I saw Nat
Poole come in, along with that new student, Will Fasey. They had been
out somewhere having a good time, and Nat was telling Fasey how he had
sent the telephone messages and queered the feast. I would have
pitched into him then and there only I didn't dare expose myself,"
went on the stout youth.
"But he'll get what is coming to him from me, when I get back to the
school," put in Phil. "It was a contemptible piece of business, and I
want everybody to know it. Besides, he has got to pay for what I lost
by the transaction."
"If it wasn't for that, maybe we wouldn't have been suspected of
blowing up the hotel," said Ben. "Then you really think the wild man
did it, Dave?"
"Yes."
"But what of that letter Jason Sparr got, saying our crowd was
guilty?"
"I don't know what to make of that, Ben. I don't think the wild man
could write that."
"Would Nat Poole be bad enough to do it?"
"Maybe. But it was an awful thing to do. I didn't think Nat would be
as mean as that."
The boys had dried and pressed their clothing as best they could, and
put on clean collars, cuffs, and neckties, and therefore looked quite
presentable once more.
"As soon as we get to town we can get cleaned up a little better,"
said Dave. "So we won't look quite like tramps when we return to the
Hall."
"I hate to face Doctor Clay," remarked Phil, dubiously.
"So do I," added Ben and Buster.
"Well, it has got to be done," answered Dave. "So make the best of it.
The doctor understands the situation, so I don't think he'll be hard
on you."
"I hope they have got the wild man, and that they prove he blew up the
hotel," said Phil, wistfully. "That is the only thing that will
really clear us."
"Oh, they are bound to get the wild man sooner or later," answered
Dave, hopefully.
It was decided to take the one afternoon train from Camptown Falls,
and at the proper time the boys walked to the little depot, Dave with
his suit-case, and the others with some hand baggage. Instructions
were left with Jerry Blutt regarding the other baggage, and the man
was paid for his services. He said he was glad that nobody had been
drowned in the flood, and added that he was going up to the
broken-away dam later on to see how matters looked.
It was a rather quiet crowd that got aboard the train when it came
along. The conductor wanted to know how they had fared in the flood,
and they told him. At Lumberport the boys had to wait an hour for the
next train to Oakdale Junction, and they spent the time in getting a
good supper, and in having their shoes shined, and in brushing up
generally.
"I'll be glad to get back late at night," said Phil to Dave. "I'd hate
to have the whole crowd staring at us when we came in."
At the Junction they waited but a few minutes, and the run to Oakdale
did not take long. They were the only ones to get off at the depot,
and the spot was all but deserted. But they had telegraphed ahead,
and Horsehair was on hand, with a carriage, to meet them.
"Glad to see you young gents back, indeed I am," said the school
driver.
"Any news, Horsehair?" asked Dave, as they piled into the carriage.
"Not as I know of."
"Have they got that wild man yet?" questioned Phil.
"No, sir. But they seen him--along the river--day before yesterday. He
was sleepin' in a barn. But he got away before the farmer and his man
could git him."
"Where was that?" questioned Ben.
"Up to the Morrison place."
"The Morrison place," mused Buster. "I know that family. When I get a
chance I am going to ask them about this," he added.
When the boys arrived at Oak Hall they found Doctor Clay sitting up to
receive them. He smiled at Dave, but was somewhat cold towards the
others.
"It is too late to listen to what you have to say to-night," said he.
"All of you may report in my office directly after our opening
exercises in the morning."
When the boys went upstairs there were a good many exclamations of
surprise, and Roger and the others wanted to ask innumerable
questions. But a monitor cut all talk short, and Dave and the
runaways got to bed as quickly as possible.
All were up early, and Dave, Phil, and the others had to tell their
story before going down to breakfast. Roger and those who had been
left behind with him listened eagerly to the tale of the flood and the
other happenings.
"I guess Dave got there just in time," said the senator's son. "How
about it, Buster?"
"He sure did," said the stout lad, and shuddered to think how close he
had been to drowning.
It can well be imagined that Phil, Ben, and Buster did not have much
appetite for breakfast. Phil looked around for Nat Poole, but the
money-lender's son had not yet returned to the school.
"Now, tell me everything," said Doctor Clay, when the boys at length
filed into his office. "As they say in court, we want the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
"And that is what I'm going to give you, Doctor Clay," answered Phil.
"I made a big mistake in running away, and I am glad Dave came to
bring us back. I haven't done anything wrong, and I am here to face
the music, as the saying goes."
"And so am I," came from Ben and Buster.
Then the boys told their story in detail, omitting nothing, and Dave
related how he had gone to Camptown Falls, and how the flood had
caught him. In the midst of the narrative came a sharp knock on the
door.
"Come in," said the doctor, and one of the servants entered.
"A man to see you, sir," said the servant. "He says it is very
important--something about that wild man, sir! He's terribly excited,
sir!"
"The wild man again!" murmured the master of the school, while the
boys looked at him and the servant with interest. "Show the visitor in
and I will hear what he has to say."