"Where in the world have you boys been? Why didn't you come back in time
for supper? Don't you know it is against the rules to stay away like
this?"
Thus it was that Job Haskers, the second assistant teacher of Oak Hall,
greeted Dave and his chums as they came in, after leaving the big sleigh
and settling with Homer Opper.
"We are sorry that we couldn't get here before, Mr. Haskers," answered
Dave. "But something unusual happened and we were delayed."
"I'll not accept any excuses!" snapped the teacher, who had not
forgotten how the boys had hurried away without listening to his call
from the window. "I think I'll send you to bed supperless. It is no more
than you deserve."
"Supperless!" gasped Buster, in dismay. "Oh, Mr. Haskers, we don't
deserve such treatment, really we don't!"
"We have been robbed--that is what delayed us," declared Phil. "I guess
we had better report to Doctor Clay, or Mr. Dale," he went on,
significantly.
"You can report to me," answered Job Haskers, with increased severity.
"There is no need to bother the doctor, and Mr. Dale has gone away for
over Sunday."
"Well, boys, back again!" cried a cheery voice from an upper landing,
and then Doctor Clay came down, wearing his gown and slippers. "A wild
storm to be out in. I am glad you got back safely."
"They are late--and you said you gave them no permission to be out after
hours," said Job Haskers, tartly.
"Hum! Did I?" mused the kindly head of the school. "Well, when it storms
like this it, of course, makes some difference."
"We would have been back in time only we were robbed of our skates and
some other things," answered Dave. "We had to walk a long distance
through the storm, and we'd not be here yet if we hadn't managed to hire
a farmer to bring us in his sleigh."
"Robbed!" echoed Doctor Clay, catching at the word. "How was that?" And
he listened with keen interest to what the boys had to tell. Even Job
Haskers became curious, and said no more about penalizing them for being
late.
"And you are sure the fellows were Merwell and Jasniff?" asked the
assistant teacher.
"All I know on that point is what Mallory and his chums had to say,"
answered Dave.
"I think it would be like that pair to follow you up," said Doctor Clay,
with a grave shake of his head. "They are two very bad boys,--worse,
Porter, than you can imagine," and he looked knowingly at Job Haskers as
he spoke. "Now go in to supper, and after that, you, Porter, Morr, and
Lawrence, may come to my study and talk the matter over further."
Wondering what else had happened to upset the head of the school, Dave
followed his chums to the dining-hall. Here a late supper awaited the
crowd, to which, it is perhaps needless to state, all did full justice.
"Do you think we can track Jasniff and Merwell?" asked the senator's
son, during the course of the repast.
"I don't," answered Dave frankly. "For they will do their best to keep
out of our way."
A little later found Dave, Phil, and Roger in the doctor's private
study, a sort of library connected with his regular office. The head of
Oak Hall was reading a German historical work, but laid the volume down
as they filed in.
"Sit down, boys," said Doctor Clay, pleasantly, and when they were
seated, he added: "Now kindly tell me all you know about Merwell and
Jasniff."
"Do you want to know everything, Doctor?" asked Dave, in some surprise.
"Yes,--and later on, I'll tell you why."
"All right," answered the youth from Crumville, and he told of the many
things that had happened, both at the school and at home--not forgetting
about the auto ride in which Laura and Jessie were supposed to have
participated.
"It all fits in!" cried Doctor Clay, drawing a deep sigh. He tapped the
table with the tips of his fingers. "I wonder where it will end?" he
mused, half to himself.
"You said that Merwell and Jasniff were worse than we imagined,"
suggested Dave, to draw the doctor out.
"So I did, Porter. I will tell you boys something, but please do not let
it go any further. Since Jasniff and Merwell became pupils at Rockville
Military Academy and since they ran away from that institution they have
been doing everything they could think of to annoy me. They have sent
farmers here with produce that I never ordered, and have had publishers
send me schoolbooks that I did not want. Worse than that, they have
circulated reports to my scholars' parents that this school was running
down, that it was in debt, and that some pupils were getting sick
because the sewerage system was out of order. Some of the parents have
written to me, and two were on the point of taking their boys away,
thinking the reports were true. Fortunately I was able to prove the
reports false, and the boys remained here. But I do not know how far
these slanders are being circulated and what the effect will be in the
future."
"And you are sure they come from Merwell and Jasniff?" questioned Phil.
"I am sure at least one letter was written by Merwell, and one farmer
who brought a load of cabbages here said they were ordered by two young
men who looked like Merwell and Jasniff."
"Oh, nobody else would do it!" cried Roger. "Merwell and Jasniff are
guilty, not the least doubt of it! The question is: How can we catch
them?"
"Yes, that is the question," said Doctor Clay. "I have notified the
local authorities to be on the watch for them, and now I think I shall
hire a private detective."
"Do it, Doctor," said Dave eagerly. "I will pay half the expense. I know
that my father will approve of such a course." And so the matter rested.
The private detective came to Oak Hall two days later, and after
interviewing the doctor and the boys, said he would do his best to run
down Link Merwell and Nick Jasniff.
It snowed hard for a day and a night and when it cleared off the boys
had considerable fun snowballing each other and in coasting down a long
hill leading to the river. Pop Swingly, the janitor, came in for his
full share of the snow-balling and so did Jackson Lemond, usually called
Horsehair, the Hall carryall driver. Horsehair was caught coming from
the barn, and half a dozen snowballs hit him at the same time.
"Hi, you, stop!" he spluttered, as one snowball took him in the chin and
another in the ear. "Want to smother me? Let up, I say!" And he tried to
run away.
"These are early Christmas presents, Horsehair!" sang out Ben, merrily,
and let the driver have another, this time in the cap.
"And something to remember us by, when we are gone," added Gus, hitting
him in the arm. Then the driver escaped. He felt sore, and vowed he
would square up.
"Maybe he'll report us," said Ben, after the excitement was over.
"Not he," declared Gus. "He's not that kind. But he'll lay for us,--just
you wait and see." And Gus was right. About half an hour later he and
Ben were told that somebody wanted to see them at the boathouse. They
started for the building, walking past the gymnasium, and as they did
so, down on their heads came a perfect avalanche of snow, sent from the
sloping roof above. When they clawed their way out of the mass and
looked up they saw Horsehair standing on the roof, snow-shovel in hand,
grinning at them.
"Thought I'd give ye some more snow fer snowballs," he chuckled. "Here
ye are!" And down came another avalanche, sending the boys flat a second
time. When they scrambled up they ran off with all speed, the merry
laughter of the carryall driver ringing in their ears.
At last came the final session of the school, with the usual exercises,
in which Dave and his chums participated. Nearly all of the boys were
going home for the holidays, including Dave, Phil, Roger, and Ben. Dave
and Ben were, of course, going direct to Crumville, and it was arranged
that Phil and the senator's son should come there later, to visit our
hero and his family and the Wadsworths. Nat Poole was also going home,
and would be on the same train with Dave and Ben.
"I wish he wasn't going with us," said Ben. "I'm getting so I can't bear
Nat at all."
"Well, he isn't quite as bad as he was when he chummed with Merwell and
Jasniff," answered our hero. "I think their badness rather scared Nat.
He is mean and all that, but he isn't a criminal."
"Well, I think some meanness is a crime," retorted Ben.
The boys had purchased gifts for Doctor Clay, Mr. Dale, and some of the
others, and even Job Haskers had been remembered. Some of the students
had wanted to ignore the tyrannical teacher, but Dave and his chums had
voted down this proposition.
"Let us treat them all alike," said Dave. "Perhaps Mr. Haskers thinks he
is doing right."
"Yes, and if we leave him out in the cold he may be more hard-hearted
than ever," added Gus, with a certain amount of worldly wisdom.
Dave carried a suit-case and also a big bundle, the latter filled with
Christmas presents for the folks at home. Ben was similarly loaded down,
and so were the others.
"Good-by, everybody!" cried our hero, as he entered the carryall sleigh.
"Take good care of the school until we come back!"
"Good-by!" was the answer. "Don't eat too much turkey while you are
gone!" And then, as the sleigh rolled away from the school grounds, the
lads to leave commenced to sing the favorite school song, sung to the
tune of "Auld Lang Syne":
"Oak Hall we never shall forget,
No matter where we roam;
It is the very best of schools,
To us it's just like home!
Then give three cheers, and let them ring
Throughout this world so wide,
To let the people know that we
Elect to here abide!"
"That's the stuff!" cried Roger, and then commenced to toot loudly on a
tin horn he carried, and many others made a din.
At the depot the boys had to wait a little while. But presently the
train came along and they got aboard. Dave and Ben found a seat near the
middle of the car and Nat Poole sat close by them. He acted as if he
wanted to talk, but the others gave him little encouragement.
"Nat has something on his mind, I'll wager a cookie," whispered Ben to
Dave.
"Well, if he has, he need not bother us with it," was Dave's reply. "I
am done with him--I told him that some time ago."
The train rolled on and when near the Junction, where the boys had to
change to the main line, a couple in front of Ben and Dave got up,
leaving the seat vacant. At once Nat Poole took the seat, at first,
however, turning it over, so that he might face the other Oak Hall
students.
"I want to talk to you, Dave Porter," he said, in a low and somewhat
ugly voice. "I want you to give an account of yourself."
"Give an account of myself?" queried Dave, in some astonishment, for he
had not expected such an opening from Nat. "What do you mean?"
"You know well enough what I mean," cried the other boy, and now it was
plainly to be seen that his anger was rising. "You can blacken your own
character all you please but I won't have you blackening mine! If you
don't confess to what you've done, and straighten matters out, as soon
as we get to Crumville, I am going to ask my father to have you
arrested!"