FUN WITH PELEG SNUGGERS
“What’s this?”
“Crows, I declare!”
“They are dropping cards!”
“Say, this is the limit, isn’t it?”
“Hurrah, Pornell has got to eat crow to-day!” cried one Putnam Hall
cadet.
“That’s right,” added another. “Hope they enjoy it.”
The trick Pepper had played made all the cadets laugh loudly. As for the
Pornell students they looked dark and sour.
“This is an outrage!” stormed Roy Bock. “Eat crow indeed! I say we
didn’t lose the match. They didn’t play fair.”
“We did play fair—and that’s the end of it,” answered Dale, and walked
towards the carryall. Others followed, and soon all the Putnam cadets
were ready to depart. Some bitter things were said on both sides, and
several of the rivals came close to getting into a pitched battle.
“I will have no fighting,” said George Strong. “Come, we will depart at
once.”
“But we won fairly, Mr. Strong,” pleaded Dale.
“I feel sure you did, Blackmore, and I give Doctor Pornell no credit for
allowing his scholars to treat you in this style. But I want you to act
as young gentlemen.”
At last the carryall, the carriages, and the cadets on bicycles were on
their way. The bowling team was in the carryall and with them were Jack,
Pepper and a number of others. Mr. Strong was in one of the carriages
ahead.
“I declare, I think they were too mean for anything!” cried Andy. “I
wish I had punched that Roy Bock’s head for him!”
“Yes, and Grimes ought to be thrashed, too,” added Pepper.
“I noticed that Fred Century kept rather quiet,” said Jack. “I don’t
believe he liked the way Bock acted. When Bock claimed a foul he looked
bored.”
“I guess he’s as nice a fellow as there is at that Academy,” was
Stuffer’s comment. “Say, anybody bring any fruit along?” he added. “I’m
half starved.”
“Was there ever a time when you weren’t half starved?” asked Jack,
grinning. “Here’s something I brought for your especial benefit,” and he
handed out an orange.
“Good! You have saved my life!” And Stuffer began to eat the fruit with
great gusto.
“I had a sneaking idea they might provide a little lunch,” said Jack. “I
think Captain Putnam would have done so.”
“Sure an’ Docther Pornell is too mean to do that same,” answered Hogan.
“I’ve been tould he’s only liberal whin there’s money to be made by it.”
“That’s the way of some would-be high-toned folks,” said Dale.
“I want to know about those crows,” came from Harry Blossom. “Where did
they come from?”
“Pepper set them loose—I saw him do it—he and Jack,” answered Bart.
“I’ll have to own up that I’m responsible,” said the Imp, with a broad
smile. “I took the crows along because I felt almost sure Bock’s crowd
would do something dirty—I know Bock so well.”
“But where did you get the crows?”
“I was talking with a young farmer one day and he told me how he had
been trapping crows in his cornfield. As soon as this match was arranged
I got the farmer to catch the crows and boxed ’em up. Then I wrote out
the cards and fastened them on the crows’ wings.”
That evening the Putnam Hall cadets had a little celebration on the
campus in honor of the victory. In this Ritter, Coulter and Paxton took
no part, but all the other students did and they had a jolly time.
Pepper and some others captured Peleg Snuggers and told him he had to
make a speech.
“I don’t know nuthing about no speech,” said the general utility man.
“You better let me go—I’ve got some work to do down to the barn.”
“We want you to tell us about your experience as a soldier,” said
Pepper.
“I never was a soldier—I was a fireman.”
“That’s the talk!” cried Andy. “Tell us how you became a fireman, and
rescued four live kittens from a ten-story burning building, Peleg.”
“Didn’t rescue no kittens. But once I rescued——”
“A three-legged bedstead,” finished Stuffer.
“No, it was a——”
“Broken-backed clothes horse,” suggested Dale. “Did the horse get over
it, Peleg?”
“Now see here, I didn’t say nuthing about a hoss. When I was a member o’
the Cowtown Volunteer Fire Company, Mr. Glasby’s house burnt down, and I
saved——”
“Two pair of overalls and a box of gumdrops,” finished Pepper. “Very
brave, Peleg, very brave! It’s a wonder they didn’t give you a tin
medal.”
“It wasn’t no overalls nor no gumdrops nuther,” cried the general
utility man. “I saved——”
“A lady and her sixteen small children!” exclaimed Jack. “Hurrah for
Peleg Snuggers, the fireman-hero of Cowtown! Peleg, they ought to erect
a monument in the public square in your honor for such heroic
endeavors!”
“Say, look a-here,” gasped Snuggers. “If you want to hear what I
saved——”
“We do! We do!” was the cry. “Tell us!”
“I am really dying to know!” simpered Stuffer.
“It’s meself that can’t wait a minit longer, Peleg, me brave b’y!”
sighed Emerald.
“I saved a sick dog,” yelled the general utility man, in desperation.
“A dog!”
“Well, I never!”
“Peleg, that’s one on us right enough!”
“He was a valuable dog—wuth two hundred dollars,” explained the general
utility man. “He was up on the second floor. I brung him down on the
ladder. We tumbled half the way, but it didn’t hurt the dog none,
’though it did skin my nose. Mr. Glasby give me five dollars fer a-doin’
of it,” added Peleg, proudly.
“What, for skinning your nose?” questioned Jack, innocently.
“No, fer savin’ the dog from the fiery elements—thet’s wot Mr. Glasby
called ’em—’though I didn’t see no elements—it was jest a big, red-hot
fire,” added the general utility man, and then, watching his chance, he
slipped away and kept out of sight for the rest of the evening.
During the past Summer and that Spring the bicycling craze, as it was
called, had struck Putnam Hall hard, and now fully twenty of the cadets
had wheels. As a consequence a number of the lads organized the Putnam
Hall Bicycle Club. Every lad who had a wheel was eligible to membership,
and our friends were not long in joining. Ritter was a member and
Coulter and Paxton also joined. Bart Conners was the leader of the club.
“I move we get up a long distance race,” said Bart, one day. “We have
had several small contests, but a race of fifteen or twenty miles would
show just what the fellows can do.”
His proposal interested some of the cadets at once. Of course there were
many who did not feel they could ride in a race that was so long, but
Pepper, Jack and Andy went in and so did Ritter, Coulter and Paxton.
Bart, of course, entered, and six others followed.
It took a little study to lay out the course, but at last this was
accomplished, and the time of the race was set for a Wednesday afternoon
a week later, Captain Putnam agreeing to close the school an hour
earlier than usual, if the weather was right for the contest.
Reff Ritter was a good bicyclist, and as soon as the race was assured he
went around trying to make wagers on the outcome of the contest. The
majority of the cadets would not bet—it being against their principles,
nevertheless the bully found some willing to put up their money, and he
staked all he had—thirty dollars—on his chance of winning.
“If you are so sure of winning there isn’t much use of our going in the
contest,” said Paxton to Ritter, as he and the bully and Coulter met.
“Well, I am bound to win,” answered Ritter. “I think you can help me to
do it, too. You’d like to see me beat Ruddy and Ditmore and Snow,
wouldn’t you?”
“Very much!” answered Coulter, with emphasis.
“Well, here is the chance. And another thing—what’s the matter with your
betting that Ruddy, Ditmore and Snow will lose? Then, if they do lose,
you’ll stand to win something.”
“But they may win,” said Paxton, who was rather cautious when it came to
putting up his money.
“Yes, and I’ll tell you I haven’t a dollar to spare,” added Coulter, who
was the poorest of the three. On more than one occasion he had borrowed
spending money from Ritter and Dan Baxter.
“I’ve got a plan,” answered Ritter. “Come on out on the lake in a
rowboat. Then we’ll be sure that nobody will overhear us,” and he led
the way to where the rowboats were tied up. Ever since the scare over
the use of the French headache powder Ritter had been more or less
nervous and afraid of exposure.
All unconscious of any plot being hatched out to make them lose the
bicycle contest, Jack, Pepper and Andy spent their spare time in
exercising on their wheels. A prize of a fine story book had been put up
by the club for the winner, and all three were determined to do what
they could to come in ahead.
“One of us must win,” said Jack. “I don’t care who it is. But I do want
to see Ritter and his cronies defeated.”
“Just what I say!” declared Pepper.
“Same here!” added Andy. “The way Ritter goes around blowing makes me
sick!”
“Well, Brag is a good horse, but Win-out is it,” declared Jack.
Fortunately the roads in the vicinity of Putnam Hall had been rolled in
the Spring and were, consequently, in good condition. The route laid out
took in two small hamlets and also passed Point View Lodge, the Summer
residence of a rich gentleman named Rossmore Ford. The boys were fairly
well acquainted with Mr. Ford and his family, and they had on two
occasions done the Ford girls, Laura and Flossie, great service.
“What do you say if we stop at the Lodge and pay our respects?” said
Jack one afternoon, as he and his chums reached that neighborhood on
their bicycles.
“I’m willing,” answered Pepper. “I saw Laura Ford in Cedarville not long
ago and she wanted to know why we hadn’t been up.”
“And he never said a word about it!” cried Andy. “Say, Pepper, did you
want to call alone? I knew you were sweet on those girls, but——”
“Oh, quit it, Andy. I was going to mention it, but it slipped my mind,
really it did.”
“Maybe he was afraid we’d meet another tiger up here if we came,”
suggested Jack. “Say, we had a lively time nailing that beast, eh?”
“That’s what,” answered Pepper. “No more runaway circus tigers for me,”
he added, with a grave shake of his head.
The boys were less than half a mile from Point View Lodge and it did not
take them long to wheel that distance. Then, leaning their bicycles
against some trees, they walked up the piazza and rang the bell. A
servant answered the summons, and led them into the wide and cool
hallway.
“Mrs. Rossmore has gone out,” she announced a minute later. “But the
young ladies will be here shortly.”
“Oh, how do you do!” came a cry an instant later, and Laura Ford rushed
down the broad stairs, followed by her sister. A warm handshaking
followed, and then the girls asked the cadets all about how they had
been, and invited them to come out on the lawn and have a game of
croquet.