NEWCOMERS AT THE ACADEMY
"Dan Baxter has escaped!" repeated Dick. "That is news indeed.
Does your father give my particulars?"
"He says it is reported that the jailer was sick and unable to
stop Dan."
"Humph! Then they must have had some sort of a row," put in Tom.
"Well, it does beat the nation how the Baxters do it. Don't you
remember how Arnold Baxter escaped from the hospital authorities
last year?"
"Those Baxters are as slick as you can make them," said Frank.
"I've been thinking if Dan would dare to show himself around
Putnam Hall."
"Not he!" cried Larry. "He'll travel as far can and as fast as he
can."
"Perhaps not," mused Dick. "I rather he will hang around and try to
help his father out of prison."
"That won't help him, for the authorities will be on strict guard
now. You know the stable door is always locked after the horse is
stolen."
At this there was a general laugh, and when it ended a loud roll
of a drum made the young cadets hurry to the front of the parade
ground.
"Fall in, Companies A and B!" came the command from the major of
the battalion, and the boys fell in. Dick was now a first
lieutenant, while Tom and Sam were first and second sergeants
respectively.
As soon as the companies were formed they were marched around the
Hall and to the messroom. Here they were kept standing in a long
fine while George Strong came to the front with half a dozen new
pupils.
"Young gentlemen, I will introduce to you several who will join
your ranks for this season," said the head assistant. Then he
began to name the half dozen. Among others they included a
round-faced German youth named Hans Mueller, and a tall, lank,
red-haired boy, of Irish descent who rejoiced in the name of Jim
Caven.
"I'll wager the Dutch boy is full of fun," whispered Sam to Tom.
"You can see it in his eyes."
"I don't like the looks of that Jim Caven," returned Tom. "He
looks like a worse sneak than Mumps ever was."
"I agree there. Perhaps we had better keep, our eyes open for
him."
Despite this talk, however, the newcomers were welcomed cordially,
and to the credit of the students be it said that each old cadet
did all in his power to make the new boys feel perfectly at home.
"Mine fadder vos von soldier py der Cherman army," said Hans
Mueller. "Dot's vy he sent me py a military academy ven we come
py dis country."
"Glad to know you intend to help us fight the Indians," answered
Tom innocently.
"Me fight der Indians? Vot you means py dot?" demanded Hans, his
light-blue eyes wide open with interest.
"Why, don't you know that we are here to learn how to fight
Indians?" went on Tom, with a side wink at those around him.
"No; I dink me dis vos von school only."
"So it is--a school to learn how to shoot and scalp."
"Schalp! Vot's dot?"
"Cut an Indian's top-knot off with a knife, this way," and Tom
made an imaginary slash at Hans' golden locks.
"Ton't do dot!" stammered the German boy, falling back. "No, I
ton't vant to learn to schalp, noputty."
"But you are willing to fight the Indians, are you not?" put in
Sam. "We are all going to do that, you know."
"I ton't like dem Indians," sighed Hans. "I see me some of dem
vonde by a show in Chermany, und I vos afraid."
At this a laugh went up. How much further the joke would have
been carried it is impossible to say, but just then a bell rang
and the boys had to go into the classroom. But Tom remembered
about the Indians, as the others found out about a week later.
As the majority of the scholars had been to the Hall before, it
did not take long for matters to become settled, and in a few days
all of the boys felt thoroughly at home, that is, all but Jim
Caven, who went around with that same sneaking look on his face
that Tom had first noticed. He made but few friends, and those
only among the smaller boys who had plenty of pocket money to
spend. Caven rarely showed any money of his own.
With the coming of spring the cadets formed, as of old, several
football teams, and played several notches, including one with
their old rivals, the pupils of Pornell Academy. This game they
lost, by a score of four to five, which made the Pornellites feel
much better, they having lost every game in the past. (For the
doings of the Putnam Hall students previous to the arrival at that
institution of the Rover boys see, "The Putnam Hall Series," the
first volume of which is entitled, "The Putnam Hall Cadets."--Publisher)
"Well, we can't expect to beat always," said Tom, who played
quarterback on the Putnam team. "We gave them a close brush."
"Yes, and we might have won if Larry hadn't slipped and sprained
his ankle," put in Sam. "Well, never mind; better luck next time.
We'll play them again next fall." Sam was right so far as a game
between the rival academies was concerned, but none of the Rover
boys were on hand to take part in the contest--for reasons which
the chapter to follow will disclose.
With the football came kite-flying, and wonderful indeed were some
of the kites which the boys manufactured.
"I can tell you, if a fellow had time he could reduce kite-flying
to a regular science," said Dick.
"Oh, Dick, don't give us any more science!" cried Sam. "We get
enough of science from, Uncle Randolph, with his scientific
farming, fowl-raising, and the like. I would just as lief fly an
old-fashioned kite as anything."
"Dick is right, though," put in Fred Garrison. "Now you have a
big flat-kite there, three times larger than mine. Yet I'll wager
my little box kite will fly higher than your kite."
"Done!" cried Sam. "What shall the wager be?"
"Ice cream for the boys of our dormitory," answered Fred.
"All right, but how is a fellow to get the cream if he loses?"
"That's for him to find out, Sam. If I lose I'll sneak off to
Cedarville, as Dick did once, and buy what I need."
"Ice cream for our room it is," said. Frank.
"And mum's the word about the wager, or Captain Putnam will spoil
the whole affair if he gets wind of it."
"Make me stakeholder," grinned Tom. "I'd just like to lay hands on
about two quarts of chocolate cream."
"There won't be any stakeholder," said Dick.
"But when is this kite-flying contest to come off?"
The matter was talked over, and it was decided to wait until the
next Saturday, which would be, as usual, a half-holiday. In the
meantime some of the other boys heard there was going to be a
contest, although they knew nothing of the wager made, and half a
dozen other matches were arranged.
Saturday proved to be cool and clear with a stiff breeze blowing
directly from the west. This being so, it was decided, in order
to get clear of the woods in front of the Hall, to hold the
contests on Baker's Plain, a level patch of ground some distance
to the westward.
The cadets were soon on the way, shouting and laughing merrily
over the sport promised. Only a few remained behind, including
Jim Caven, who gave as his excuse that he had a headache.
"I'm glad he is not with us," said Dick. "I declare, for some
reason, I can't bear to have him around."
"Nor I," returned Frank. "It's queer, but he gives me the shivers
whenever he comes near me."
"It's a wonder he came here at all. He doesn't belong in our
style of a crowd."
To reach Baker's Plain the cadets had to make a detour around a
high cliff which overlooked a rocky watercourse which flowed into
Cayuga Lake. They moved slowly, as nobody wished to damage his
kite, and it was after two o'clock before all hands were ready for
the first trial at kite-flying.
"Gracious, but it is blowing!" cried Tom.
"Sam, have you a good strong cord on your kite?"
"The strongest I could get," answered the youngest Rover. "I
guess it is stronger than what Fred has."
"My kite won't pull like yours," said Fred Garrison. "All ready?"
"Yes."
"Then up they go--and may the best kite win!"
Soon a dozen kites of various kinds were soaring in the air, some
quite steadily and others darting angrily from side to side. One
went up with a swoop, to come down with a bang on the rocks, thus
knocking itself into a hundred pieces.
"Mine cracious, look at dot!" burst out Hans Mueller. "Mine
Gretchen kite vos busted up--und I spent me feefteen cents on
him alreety!" and a roar went up.
"Never mind, Hans," said Dick. "You can help sail the Katydid.
She will pull strong enough for two, I am sure."
The Katydid was a wonderful affair of silver and gold which Dick
had constructed on ideas entirely his own. It went up slowly but
surely and proved to be as good a kite as the majority.
A number of girls living in the neighborhood, bad heard of the
kite-flying contests, and now they came up, Dora Stanhope with the
rest, accompanied by her two cousins, Grace and Nellie Laning. As
my old readers may guess, Dick was very attentive to Dora, and his
brothers were scarcely less so to the two Laning sisters.
"And how is your mother?" Dick asked of Dora, during the course of
their conversation.
"She is much better," replied Dora, "although she is still weak
from her sickness."
"Does she ever mention Josiah Crabtree?"
"She mentioned him once. She said that she had dreamed of him and
of you, Nick."
"Me? And what was the dream?"
"Oh--it was only a silly affair, Dick, not worth mentioning."
"But I would like to know what it was."
"Well, then, she dreamed that both of you were in a big forest and
he was about to attack you with a gun or a club, she couldn't tell
which. She awoke screaming and I ran to her side, and that is how
she told me of the dream."