CELEBRATING THE VICTORY,
"Oh, what luck!"
"And just when we wanted to make time, too!"
"I hope it doesn't take us long to put on another tire!"
These remarks came from the three students as they climbed down from
the car to make an examination of the damage done. Sam had secured his
searchlight, but this was hardly needed. One glance at the left-hand
back tire told the story. They had evidently run over something
sharp--perhaps a piece of glass--and there was a cut in the shoe at
least three inches long. Through this, the inner tube had blown out
with the report that had so startled them.
"Well, boys, everybody on the job!" cried Tom, and lost no time in
stripping off his coat and donning a jumper, which he carried for use
when working on the car.
"I suppose that's my fault," said Songbird, much crestfallen.
"It might have happened to any of us, Songbird," returned Sam. "Let us
see how quickly we can put on another shoe and inner tube." He, too,
put on a jumper, and in a few minutes the boys had the back axle of
the touring car jacked up.
"You hold the light, Songbird," directed Tom. "Sam and I can do this
work without any help." Then the two Rovers set to work, and in a very
short time the old shoe with its inner tube had been removed. In the
meantime, Songbird had brought out another inner tube, and unstrapped
one of the extra shoes attached to the side of the car, and these were
quickly placed over the wheel rim.
"Now, let me do my share of the pumping," insisted Songbird.
"Nothing doing on that score, Songbird!" replied Tom, quickly. "We had
a new power pump installed last week. I will attach it, and then you
can start up the motor."
"A power pump! Say, that beats hand pumping all to pieces."
"Indeed, it does!" broke in Sam. "I never minded putting on a new
tire, but the pumping-up always came hard."
"Say, this puts me in mind of a story," came from Tom, with a grin.
"Some Germans were going on an automobile tour, and a friend was
bidding them good-bye. Says the friend: 'Uf you haf a blowout, be sure
and haf it in de right place--at de hotel!'" And at this little joke
there was a general laugh.
Five minutes more found them again on the way, and now Songbird had
the large lights turned on, which made the roadway ahead as bright as
day. He drove as speedily as possible, but with great care, avoiding
everything that looked as if it might harm the tires.
"Oh, what a splendid time I have had!" exclaimed Minnie, as, all too
soon, the Sanderson homestead was reached. Then Songbird assisted her
to alight, and insisted upon accompanying her into the cottage.
"I will wager he would rather stay here than go on to Brill," remarked
Tom, slyly.
"Sure thing!" returned Sam. "Wouldn't we rather remain at Hope than go
to Brill?" And at this pointed remark both of the girls giggled.
Those outside waited for several minutes, and then Tom sounded the
horn loudly. Soon Songbird re-appeared and took his place at the
wheel, and then the automobile was turned in the direction of the
seminary.
"When will we see you again?" remarked Nellie, when the touring car
had been run through the grounds.
"Oh, it won't be very long," replied Tom. But as he spoke, little did
he realize under what peculiar conditions they would come together
again.
"If you hear anything more about that money affair, let us know at
once," whispered Sam to Grace.
"I will, Sam," returned the girl; and a few minutes later the young
folks bade each other a fond good-night, and the touring car turned
towards Brill.
The lads were still some distance from the college grounds when they
heard the sounds of horns and rattles. Then they beheld a glimmer of
light down by the river bank. Soon the light brightened until it
covered a goodly portion of the sky.
"Some bonfires and some noise!" was Sam's comment.
"Well, we don't defeat Roxley every day in the year," returned Tom,
gaily. "Say, this suits me right down to the ground! Songbird, you
ought to get up a poem in honor of the occasion."
"Perhaps I will," answered the would-be poet of the college, and then
he began to murmur to himself. Evidently the poem was already
beginning to shape itself in his fertile mind.
"I say, you Rovers!" came a call as the car swung into the roadway
lining one side of the campus. "What's the matter with giving us a joy
ride?" and one of the students came running forward, followed by
several others. Two of them carried torches made of old brooms dipped
in tar.
"Nothing doing to-night," returned Sam quickly, and added in a whisper
to Tom: "Those fellows would wreck the car completely."
"I know it," answered the older Rover, and then he said aloud: "We
have had all the run we want this evening. We are going to celebrate
with the rest of the crowd down at the river." And without stopping to
argue the matter, Tom ran the automobile to its garage.
"Back, safe an' sound, eh?" questioned Abner Filbury, as he came
forward to take charge of the machine.
"Ab, you look out that some of the fellows don't take this car
to-night," warned Tom.
"There ain't no cars goin' out less'n I've the correct orders for
'em," replied Abner. "This is the last machine in, an' I'm goin' to
lock up an' stay on guard. If anybody tries to break in here against
orders, they'll git a dose of buckshot in 'em." And Abner pointed
grimly at a shotgun that hung on one of the walls.
"Oh, Ab, don't go in for shooting anybody!" exclaimed Sam, in alarm.
"Turn the hose on them, that will be enough."
"All right, jest as you say. But they ain't goin' to git in here at
these machines without permission."
Tom and Sam made a hasty visit to their room, and then hurried
downstairs again and off to the waterfront. Here, several bonfires had
been lit. They were composed of boxes and barrels with a large
quantity of brushwood added, and one bonfire was nearly twenty feet in
height.
"Here they come!" called out a student.
"Hurrah for our pitcher!"
"And the best fly catcher Brill ever saw!"
"Say, this is certainly some bonfire!" exclaimed Sam, looking at the
big blaze.
"It sure is!" returned his brother. "If the wind should shift, it
might prove dangerous," he added, as he watched a great mass of sparks
floating across the stream and over the woods beyond.
"Oh, it's perfectly safe," came from Paul Orben, who was one of the
students who had helped to pile up the combustibles.
The crowd was certainly a gay one, and the Rovers lost no time in
joining in the festivities. One student had a bugle, and another had
an old base drum which boasted of only one head. These two succeeded
in forming a crowd of their fellow-students into marching order, and,
singing gaily and tooting horns and sounding rattles, and with
numerous torches flickering, the collegians tramped around the college
buildings and over the campus and then back to the bonfires.
"Whoop! Hurrah!" came a sudden yell, and from one of the distant barns
rushed half a dozen students, dragging behind them a buggy. On the
seat, wearing an exceedingly tight jockey jacket, and likewise a
jockey cap, sat old man Filbury, the general caretaker of the
dormitories.
"Hurrah! Here the conquering hero comes!"
"It's a race--a race for a thousand dollars!"
"I'll bet on Filbury, every time!"
"Now, see here, gents, I don't like this at all. You lemme out o' this
here kerridge," wailed the old man-of-all-work. "I ain't doin' none o'
this celebratin'. I got some work to do. You let me go."
"Oh, we couldn't think of it, Filbury," cried Stanley, who was one of
the students at the shafts of the carriage. "Now then, boys,
together!" And along the turnout rattled, past the various bonfires.
"Speech! Speech!" came another cry. "Filbury, can't you say something
about Brill and this glorious victory?"
"Never mind the victory," came from Tom. "Let him tell us about how to
pass our examinations without studying."
"And how to get credit down in town without paying any bills," put in
another student, who, evidently, had hard work making both ends meet.
"I tell you, I ain't a-goin' to make no speech," wailed old Filbury.
"I've got work to do. You lemme go."
"Sam," whispered Tom, catching his brother, by the arm, "what's the
matter with giving William Philander a ride with old Filbury?"
"Just the cheese, Tom!" returned the young Rover. "But how can we do
it?"
The matter was talked over for a short minute, and Spud and Bob were
called in to aid. William Philander Tubbs sat on a small packing case
which had not, as yet, been fed to the flames. He was, as usual,
faultlessly attired, even down to his spats.
Passing the word to those who had charge of the carriage and who were
doing their best to get some fun out of old Filbury, Tom and Sam and
their chums worked their way to a position behind William Philander.
Then came a sudden rush, and the dudish student found himself caught
up and carried bodily over to the carriage, where he was
unceremoniously dumped on the seat beside the old man-of-all-work.
"My gracious me! What does this mean?" gasped the astonished William
Philander. "I don't want any ride, I want you to leave me alone."
"All aboard, everybody!" sang out Tom, and gave the carriage a shove
from behind. Before the dudish student could attempt to leap to the
ground, the turnout was once more in motion and dashing along the
campus roadway as fast as the students could pull and push it.
"Them boys is plumb crazy!" gasped old Filbury.
"Oh, I never! We shall certainly be hurt," wailed William Philander.
And then, as two wheels of the turnout went over a big stone, he
clutched old Filbury wildly by the shoulder. Then the carriage struck
another stone, and both occupants held fast for dear life. Three times
the turnout, with its terrified occupants, circled the campus. All the
while William Philander and old Filbury were yelling wildly for their
tormentors to stop. But now, a long rope had been hitched fast to the
front axle, and fully two dozen students had hold of this, fresh ones
continually taking the places of those who became tired out. As it
was, Sam and Tom went around twice, and then fell out to rest.
"Say, Washer," said a student named Lamar to his close chum, "here's a
chance to square up with old Filbury for the way he treated us."
"What do you mean?" asked the student named Washer.
"Let us get in the lead on the rope, and run the carriage down to the
river."
"Say, that's just the cheese!" chuckled the other. "We'll do it. I
think old Filbury deserves something for reporting us as he did."
On and on went the carriage, but at the turn in the roadway it was
suddenly hauled over the grass and between some bushes.
"Oh, Tom, look! They are heading for the river!" cried Sam.
"All aboard!" yelled Washer. "Now then, straight ahead!" He and Lamar
had headed for the water. Some of the students tried to turn to the
right or the left, but others followed the leaders. In a moment more,
the carriage had reached the sloping bank of the river. Then the crowd
scattered, and a moment later the turnout, with a twist, struck the
water and went over sideways, plunging old Filbury and William
Philander into the stream.