SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS
"Say! that isn't one of the students."
"Not much! Why, that's the lawyer who used to do business for the
railroad company--the man the Rovers had so much trouble with!"
"Who knocked his hat off?"
"I don't know--Sam Rover, I guess."
Such were some of the remarks made as a number of the juniors and
seniors began to congregate around Sam and Mr. Belright Fogg. All of the
students could readily see that the lawyer was very much put out over
what had occurred.
"I say, Rover, what do you mean by attacking me in this fashion?"
repeated Belright Fogg, with a savage look at the youth before him.
"If I knocked your hat off, Mr. Fogg, I am sorry for it," answered Sam,
as soon as he could recover from his surprise.
"Knocked my hat off?" roared the lawyer. "You hit me a hard one on the
head; that is what you did!"
"Let me see if you are hurt," put in Stanley, stepping forward. "Where
did the snowball hit you?"
"You keep your hands off me," returned Belright Fogg. "I've a good mind
to have the law on such loafers as you."
"We are not loafers, Mr. Fogg," answered Sam, the color coming quickly
to his face. "We were having our annual snowballing contest, and we did
not know that any outsider was on this back road. If I hit you and hurt
you I am very sorry for it."
"Humph! I think you will be sorry for it if I bring a suit for damages,"
muttered the lawyer. "I don't know why Dr. Wallington permits such
rowdyism."
"This isn't rowdyism, nor are we loafers," put in Stanley, somewhat
sharply. "You seem to forget, Mr. Fogg, that this road runs through the
property belonging to Brill College, and we have a perfect right to hold
our snowballing contest here. If you want to report the matter to Dr.
Wall----"
"Bah! I know you students, and I wouldn't expect any sympathy from your
teacher. He's too afraid of losing any of his students." Belright Fogg
snatched his beaver hat from the hands of Spud, who had picked it up.
"I'll settle with you for this later, Rover," he added, and then turned
on his heel and hurried down the road.
"I wonder what brought him on this back road on foot?" observed Bob.
"He isn't on foot. He has his horse and cutter beside the barn,"
answered another student. "There he is now, picking up a robe out of the
snow. It must have fallen out of the cutter and he walked back to get
it." Which surmise was correct.
"This looks like more trouble for me," said Sam, soberly. "I'm mighty
sorry it was Mr. Belright Fogg I hit with that snowball."
"You can wager he'll make out a case against you if he possibly can,"
remarked Spud. "Lawyers of his calibre always do."
"Well, this settles the snowball fight for us," put in Stanley, as he
looked up and down the road. "The freshies and sophs are clear out of
sight. Let us go back to the campus and celebrate our victory;" and
then, as Belright Fogg drove away in his cutter, the students walked
over the hill in the direction of Brill.
To my old readers the youths already mentioned in these pages will need
no special introduction. For the benefit of others, however, let me
state that Sam Rover was the youngest of three brothers, Dick being the
eldest and fun-loving Tom coming next. They were the sons of one
Anderson Rover, a rich widower, and had for years made their home with
their Uncle Randolph and their Aunt Martha at a beautiful farm called
Valley Brook.
From the farm, and while their father was in Africa, the three Rover
boys had been sent by their uncle to school, as related in the first
volume of this series, entitled "The Rover Boys at School." This place
was called Putnam Hall Military Academy, and there the lads made many
friends, and likewise several enemies, and had "the time of their
lives," as Tom Rover often expressed it.*
* For particulars regarding how Putnam Hall Military Academy
was organized, and what fine times the cadets there enjoyed
even before the Rover boys came on the scene, read "The Putnam
Hall Series," six volumes, starting with "The Putnam Hall
Cadets."--PUBLISHERS.
The first term at school was followed by an exciting trip on the ocean,
and then another trip into the jungles of Africa, where the boys went
looking for their parent. Then came a trip to the West, followed by some
grand times on the Great Lakes and in the Mountains. Then the boys
returned to Putnam Hall, to go into an encampment with their
fellow-cadets.
This term at Putnam Hall was followed by a never-to-be-forgotten
journey on Land and Sea to a far-away island in the Pacific. Then they
returned to this country, sailing down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
After leaving the Father of Waters, they took an outing on the Plains,
and then went down into Southern Waters, where they solved the mystery
of a deserted steam yacht.
After so many exciting adventures the three brothers had been glad to
journey to the home farm for a rest, after which they returned to Putnam
Hall, settled down to their studies, and graduated with considerable
honor.
"Now for college!" Dick Rover had said. But before setting out for
Brill, a fine institution of learning located in the Middle West, the
boys had become involved in a search for a fortune left on Treasure
Isle.
During their days at Putnam Hall the Rover boys had become well
acquainted with Dora Stanhope, who lived near the school with her
widowed mother, and also with Nellie and Grace Laning, Dora's two
cousins, who resided a short distance farther away. It had not been long
before Dick and Dora showed a great liking for each other, and at the
same time Tom often paired off with Nellie and Sam was frequently seen
in the company of Grace.
A few miles away from Brill College was located Hope Seminary, an
institution for girls, and when the Rover boys went to Brill, Dora,
Nellie and Grace went to Hope; so that the young folks met almost as
often as before.
A term at Brill College was followed by an unexpected trip Down East,
where the Rovers brought to terms a rascally ex-schoolteacher, named
Josiah Crabtree, who had given them much trouble while at Putnam Hall.
In those days the art of flying was attracting considerable attention
and, through the indulgence of their father, the Rover boys became the
possessors of a biplane and took several thrilling trips through the
air, their experiences in that line coming to an abrupt finish when the
flying machine was one day wrecked on the railroad tracks. This had
brought on a sharp contest between the Rover boys and the railroad
lawyer, Mr. Belright Fogg. The Rovers had claimed all that was coming to
them, and the railroad had been made to pay up, much to Belright Fogg's
disgust. Later, the lawyer had been discharged by the railroad from its
services.
About this time Mr. Anderson Rover, who was not in the best of health,
was having much trouble with brokers in New York City who were trying to
swindle him out of some property. The brokers were Pelter, Jackson &
Company, and it was not long before the Rover boys discovered that
Pelter was in league with Josiah Crabtree. In a struggle poor Tom Rover
was hit on the head by a wooden footstool thrown by Pelter and knocked
unconscious. This had so affected his mind that he wandered off to
Alaska, and Sam and Dick had many adventures trying to locate him. When
he was found he was brought home and placed under the care of a
specialist, and soon was as well as ever.
Dick Rover was now growing older, and, with his father in such poor
health, it was decided that the youth should leave Brill, become married
to Dora, and settle down in charge of the office in Wall Street, New
York. This plan was carried out, as related in detail in the volume
preceding this, entitled "The Rover Boys in Business." At that time, Sam
and Tom still remained at Brill, but an urgent message from Dick brought
them quickly to the metropolis. A large number of unregistered bonds
belonging to the Rovers had mysteriously disappeared, and all the boys
went on a hunt to recover the securities. In the end it was learned that
their old enemy, Jesse Pelter, was the guilty party, and he was brought
to justice. Then it was felt that Dick needed assistance in the office,
and it was decided, much to Tom's satisfaction, that he might get
married to Nellie Laning and move to the city.
"That will leave me all alone at Brill," said Sam Rover at that time.
"Well, you shouldn't mind that so much," Tom Rover had replied.
"Remember, Grace will still be at Hope," at which words the youngest
Rover had blushed deeply.
When the Rovers had gone to Brill College they had been accompanied by
their old-time school chum, John Powell, always called "Songbird" on
account of his propensity for writing doggerel which he insisted on
calling poetry. At the same time there came to Brill from Putnam Hall
one William Philander Tubbs, a very dudish student with whom the boys
often had great fun.
It did not take the three Rover boys long to make a number of friends at
Brill. These included Stanley Browne, a tall, gentlemanly youth; Bob
Grimes, who was greatly interested in baseball; Will Jackson, always
called Spud, because of his unusual fondness for potatoes; and Max
Spangler, a German-American youth, who was still struggling with the
language, and who had failed to advance in his studies, so that at the
present time he was only in the sophomore class. They had also made
several enemies, but these had for the time being left Brill.
"You'll be the hero of this occasion, Sam," remarked Stanley, as the
students tramped in the direction of the college campus.
"Hero of the occasion, I suppose, for hitting Mr. Fogg in the head,"
returned Sam, with a slight grin.
"Oh, forget that!" burst out Spud. "I don't think he'll do a thing.
Remember the affair occurred on the college grounds, just as Stanley
said."
"Say! where is Songbird to-day?" asked Paul Orben. "He ought to have
been in this fight."
"He wanted to come very much," answered Sam, "but he had a special
errand to do for Mr. Sanderson, who is laid up with a broken ankle."
"Was he doing the errand for Mr. Sanderson or for Minnie?" questioned
Stanley; and then a short laugh went up, for it was well known among the
young collegians that Songbird Powell and the daughter of Mr. Sanderson,
a prosperous farmer of that vicinity, were much attached to each other.
As Sam Rover and his friends reached the college campus, a great cheer
arose.
"There he is!"
"Here the conquering hero comes!"
"Let us put him up on our shoulders, fellows!" and a rush was made
towards the youngest Rover boy.
"Not much! Not to-day!" returned Sam, and slid back behind some of his
friends.
"Aw! come on, Sam!" cried one of the students. "You are the hero of the
occasion, and you know it."
"Forget it, Snips," answered Sam. "What did the fellows do with those
banners?"
"Lentwell has them. He is keeping them for you. I suppose you'll nail
them up in your den?"
"Surest thing you know!"
"Maybe the freshies and sophs will want them back," put in another youth
in the crowd.
"Not much! They can have them back after I graduate next June," answered
Sam. "They have got to understand---- Stop it, fellows, stop it! I don't
want to---- Well, if you've got to, I suppose I'll have to submit." And
an instant later Sam found himself hoisted up on the shoulders of
several stalwart seniors, who tramped around and around the college
campus with him while all the other seniors, and also the juniors,
cheered wildly and waved their caps.
"Doesn't that make you feel proud, Sam?" asked Spud, during a lull in
the proceedings.
"It sure does, Spud," was the quick reply. "I've only got one
regret--that Dick and Tom aren't here to share this victory with us."
"Yes, it's a shame. And just to think of it, after next June, when we
graduate, we'll all be scattered here, there, and everywhere, and the
good old times at Brill will be a thing of the past."
"Don't mention such things," put in Stanley. "It makes me sick clean to
the heels every time I think of it. But I suppose college days can't
last forever. We've got to go out into the world, just as our fathers
did before us."
"Yes, and I've got to get into business," answered Sam. "I want to help
father, as well as Dick and Tom, all I can."
"Hi, fellows!" was the unexpected cry from the lower end of the campus.
"Here come the freshies and the sophs back! Line up and be ready to
receive them!"
"That's it! Line up, line up, everybody!" ordered Stanley. "Give them
our old song of victory!"