THE END OF THE CRUISE
President Mosley, accompanied by Uncle Dan, Redfern and Pierre
Dufour, entered the Academy building, while the boys wandered off to
the athletic field. The events, rapid and unexpected, and the happy
termination of the house-boat trip, had put everybody in the best of
humor.
The Ripley flag still floated proudly from the top of the pole. Bill
Stiles and his followers, hot, victorious, husky-voiced and tired,
marched around the field. They had won the second event, and Ripley was
crowned with glory.
Owen Andrews picked up his tin horn. It was now a battered and twisted
wreck.
Andrews looked at it sadly, put it to his lips, and, with a tremendous
effort, managed to draw forth a thin, dismal groan.
“Too bad it didn’t last for just one more blow,” put in George Clayton.
“Why, Bill number one?” demanded Stiles.
“Because I intend to enter Ripley,” answered George, calmly.
The hoots, yells and jeers which this remark brought forth from the
Thorntons filled the hearts of the Ripleys with pure, unalloyed joy.
“I say, Joe Preston,” remarked Fred Winter, abruptly, “I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“That you wouldn’t do a stroke of work on the history of our trip.”
“But I have; I wrote the heading. When I get home, I’ll finish it
sure,” laughed Joe. “Anyway, I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“We’ll try to get the governor to put a bill through the legislature
for the state to buy the ‘Gray Gull’ and place it in a museum.”
“You silly thing! Do be serious.”
“Let’s see: there was the ‘Half-moon,’ the ‘Clermont,’ and now the
‘Gray Gull.’ I’m going to put that in my history, too.”
“One thing we came near forgetting, fellows,” put in Jack Lyons. He
seized Aleck Hunt by the shoulder. “How about that story of yours?”
“That’s so,” chorused the others.
“What story?”
“What story? Why, about Joe Archer and Battery Park, of course.”
“Oh, yes! Do you fellows really think I’m going to tell it now?”
“You bet we do.”
“Well, I put it in pickle some time ago; and the jar’s been left on
the house-boat. It won’t be taken out before I get a bite to eat--no
siree.” And Aleck backed away.
Joe Preston winked at the others; his grin grew to positively enormous
dimensions. Then he burst into a loud, long laugh.
“I wonder what we’re going to do next, Bob?”
It was Tom that asked the question.
“Well, Ramblers,” spoke up Jack Lyons, heartily, “we’ve had such a
jolly good time on this trip I should say we’d all better take another.”
“Hooray!” shouted his hearers. “That’s what we’ll do.”
Other Stories in this Series are
THE RAMBLER CLUB AFLOAT
THE RAMBLER CLUB’S WINTER CAMP
THE RAMBLER CLUB IN THE MOUNTAINS
THE RAMBLER CLUB ON CIRCLE T RANCH
THE RAMBLER CLUB AMONG THE LUMBERJACKS
THE RAMBLER CLUB’S GOLD MINE
THE RAMBLER CLUB’S AEROPLANE
* * * * *
Transcriber’s note
Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice. Spelling has
been retained as published.
The following printer errors have been changed.
=CHANGED FROM TO=
Table of
Contents: “XXIII. THE COLONEL IS” “XVIII. THE COLONEL IS”
Page 105: “there was no reponse” “there was no response”
Page 150: “could gee together” “could get together”
Page 172: “assuming definate shape” “assuming definite shape”
Page 208: “became a confused blurr” “became a confused blur”
Page 302: “took their opponent” “took their opponents”