THE ROVERS AT HOME
The young captain of the Colby Hall cadets was right. A small fire was
blazing fiercely in one corner of the boathouse but a few feet away
from where two of the racing shells were stored.
“Sound the alarm, Randy!” cried Jack. “And you, Andy, run for a pail of
water. Fred and I will get the fire extinguishers.”
The young cadets had had more than one fire drill and knew exactly how
to go to work to get the best of the incipient conflagration. While
Randy ran off toward Colonel Colby’s cottage to give the alarm, Andy
grabbed up two fire buckets which were already filled and hurried with
them toward the blaze. In the meanwhile Jack ran to the far end of the
boathouse, where was located a fire extinguisher, while Fred sped off
to the gymnasium to get another.
When Andy arrived with his water he found the blaze mounting up one
side of the boathouse. He dashed the water as high as possible,
realizing that the fire would spread rapidly if it reached the loft
overhead, which was stored with all sorts of combustible material. Then
the youth ran out to refill the buckets at the side of the dock.
By the time Jack managed to arrive with the fire extinguisher the blaze
was covering one whole end of the boathouse. He got the extinguisher
into action as speedily as possible, squirting the fire destroying
compound where he thought it would do the most good. As Fred appeared
with another extinguisher the bell outside began to ring and half a
dozen men came running toward the boathouse, most of them in their
bathrobes and slippers.
“How did this happen, Major Rover?” demanded Captain Dale in a somewhat
harsh voice.
“I’ll tell you after the fire is out, Captain,” answered the young
major of the school battalion. “We’ve got to work quickly here if we’re
going to put this out.”
“Form a bucket brigade,” ordered Captain Dale, addressing the others
who were arriving. And while this was being done he caught the fire
extinguisher from Fred’s hands and began to spray the contents as high
up as he could reach on the boathouse wall.
Inside of three minutes the whole school was aroused and the cadets
came tumbling out on the campus in all sorts of dress and undress. As
they came out they were stopped by Fred and Captain Glasby of Company
A, who quickly formed them into a fire brigade and sent them for the
fire buckets and fire ladders.
“Gee, that’s going to be some blaze!”
“I hope the boathouse doesn’t burn down and all our boats with it!”
“Why can’t we get the boats out?”
“We can! Come on, fellows, quick!” And thereupon part of the crowd
rushed into the boathouse to save whatever could be handled.
In the meanwhile a hose had been attached to a new water tower near the
gymnasium, and soon a stream from this was directed upon the flames.
For fully ten minutes it seemed to be a toss-up as to whether the
boathouse would be consumed or not. But the professors and the cadets
worked vigorously and presently it was seen that the flames were going
down.
“Hurrah, boys, we’ve got the best of it!” shouted Jack encouragingly.
“Keep it up! Pass that water along lively!” And the buckets came along
the line so rapidly that it was all three cadets and two professors at
the front could do to empty them.
At last the spot where the fire had originated was only a smoking and
steaming mass. With the conflagration out it was quite dark in and
around the boathouse and lights had to be lit so the workers could see
what they were doing.
“I guess it’s out,” said Colonel Colby at last, and gave a sigh of
relief.
“I’ll place Nixon and Crews on guard with a number of pails of water,”
said Captain Dale. “They can remain here for the rest of the night just
as well as not.”
“Has any one any idea how this fire started?” demanded the owner of the
school, looking around at the assembled professors and cadets.
“I have,” answered Jack. “I’m quite sure the place was set on fire.”
“You surprise me, Major Rover,” answered Colonel Colby. “What have you
to tell?”
In a few words Jack related his story and then the other Rovers told of
what they knew concerning the affair. As the recital proceeded Colonel
Colby’s brow grew dark.
“You say there were three persons in that motor-boat?” he questioned.
“So far as I could see,” answered Jack. “Of course the moonlight isn’t
very strong to-night.”
“I saw the three fellows as they rushed back to the motor-boat after
they came from the boathouse,” put in Randy.
“So did I,” added his twin, and Fred said the same.
“Did any of you recognize any of those persons?”
At this the Rover boys shook their heads.
“Did you recognize the motor-boat?” put in Captain Dale.
At this Jack grew thoughtful and looked at Fred.
“I don’t like to say as to that,” answered the major of the school
battalion slowly. “I might be mistaken and get the wrong people into
trouble.”
“But you think you know something?” put in Colonel Colby quickly.
“I didn’t recognize the motor-boat so far as looks go,” answered Jack.
“It was the peculiar put-put the engine made when the boat came in and
when it went away. You know, motor-boats are apt to have a peculiar
sound of their own.”
“What did this motor-boat sound like, Rover? If you have any definite
idea I think you ought to let me know.”
“I don’t want to hide anything, Colonel Colby. In fact, I’m almost as
anxious to find out who set this fire as you are,” went on Jack, with
a little smile. “But I’d hate to accuse anybody wrongly. If, however,
you insist upon knowing what is in my mind, I’ll say that the put-put
of that engine sounded to me like the put-put of one of the Longley
Academy boats.”
“Longley Academy!” exclaimed Colonel Colby and Captain Dale
simultaneously.
“Are you sure of this?” demanded the captain.
“No, I’m not. That’s the reason I didn’t want to say anything about it.”
“Why should any one from Longley come over here and want to burn down
our boathouse?” demanded the colonel.
“Maybe they’re sore because they lost those races,” put in Andy.
“I don’t believe they’d be mean enough to go as far as that,” said the
owner of the institution. “However, I’ll start an investigation the
first thing in the morning.”
The cadets went back to their quarters and soon the Rover boys were
once more preparing to retire.
“I wonder if Flanders, Halliday and Sands would be wicked enough to
come over here and start a fire?” questioned Fred.
“I’d hate to accuse anybody of doing that,” answered Randy.
“Perhaps it was some rascals who have a grudge against Colonel Colby,”
suggested Jack.
“Who could have such a grudge as that?” demanded Fred. “He treats all
his hired help fine. I don’t know of a single person around Colby Hall
who doesn’t like the colonel. And all the tradespeople in town like him
too.”
“I wasn’t thinking of the people who work for him,” answered the young
major. “I was thinking of the fellows who used to be cadets here and
who were fired out――fellows like Werner and Martell.”
The boys talked the matter over for several minutes, but could arrive
at no conclusion and finally retired. But it was some time before any
of them got to sleep.
In the morning Colonel Colby, aided by Captain Dale, started his
investigation into the origin of the fire. A hunt was made up and down
the lake for the mysterious motor-boat, and Captain Dale even paid a
visit to Longley Academy. There he was received with decided coldness.
“None of our boats were out last night. I am sure of that,” said the
head of the newly organized military academy. “To think that any of our
cadets would be guilty of setting fire to your boathouse is ridiculous,
Captain Dale.”
“I did not say that they were guilty,” answered the captain briefly.
“We are simply trying to get at the bottom of this affair. I am sure if
one of your buildings were burned you would like to find out who did
it.”
“I think this is simply a move on Colonel Colby’s part to bring Longley
Academy into disrepute,” said the master of the institution frigidly.
“It is an outrageous proceeding! I warn you not to make this matter
public. If you do, you may find yourselves confronting a suit for
damages.”
“I am not saying anything in public,” returned Captain Dale, and a few
minutes later took his departure.
Of course the cadets talked the matter over freely among themselves.
A few thought that some of their athletic rivals might have committed
the crime, but the majority were of the opinion that it must have been
done by outsiders, and possibly by those who in years gone by had been
dismissed from the Hall. The actual damage did not amount to more than
two hundred dollars, and Colonel Colby said he would have the boathouse
repaired just as soon as the present school term came to an end.
At last, much to the cadets’ satisfaction, the examinations were at
an end. All of the Rovers and their friends had acquitted themselves
creditably, passing with from ninety-two to ninety-six per cent. Of the
three cadets at the Hall who did not pass, one was Henry Stowell. But
to this that sneak gave little consideration.
“Why should I break my head to pass when I’m going to leave Colby Hall
for good in a couple of days?” said Codfish to the few who would listen
to him. “No more of this institution for me! I’m going to a first-class
place this fall,” and he stuck his nose up in the air.
“We’ll miss you, Codfish,” remarked Andy, who chanced to hear these
words. “We’ll miss you just like a fellow misses the toothache or a
corn on his toe.”
“Huh! Don’t you talk to me, Andy Rover,” grumbled Codfish. “I know
you!” and then he hurried away without anything more to say.
It had been decided that the Rovers should return home for over the
Fourth of July, and then they were to meet Gif and Spouter in Boston
for the journey to Big Bear Lake.
“Good-by to Colby Hall!” cried Randy, when the term had at last come to
an end. “Hurrah for Big Bear Lake!”
“And hurrah for all the bears we’re going to shoot!” put in his twin.
“And the fish we’re going to catch!” added Fred.
“And the jolly times generally we’re going to have!” finished Jack.
The journey to New York City did not take long, and at the Grand
Central Terminal the boys, as usual, found their mothers awaiting them
with the family automobiles. There was a good deal of hugging and
kissing, and then all drove up Fifth Avenue and over to the elegant
homes on Riverside Drive.
“Gee, it’s fine to be home again, Mother!” cried Fred.
“Yes, Fred. Only you don’t like to stay in it after you get here,”
replied his parent fondly.
“Oh, well, you know a boy has got to be a boy,” he answered.
That evening there was a grand family party between the boys and their
parents, the girls having already departed for Valley Brook Farm with
Ruth and May. Dick, Tom and Sam Rover wanted to know all about how the
boys had been getting along at the school, and then told a little of
how business matters were going with them.
“The oil wells in Texas and Oklahoma are doing wonderfully well,” said
Dick Rover in reply to a question from his son. “It was the best work I
ever did to go down into those oil fields.”
“How about matters in Wall Street?” questioned Randy.
“Couldn’t be better, Randy,” responded Tom Rover. “Everything seems to
be coming our way now.”
“Any more trouble with the Martell crowd?”
“No. Since we got rid of Martell and Brown everything has been going
along swimmingly,” replied Tom Rover.
“What are you folks going to do this summer?” questioned Andy. “Why
can’t you come and visit us while we’re at Big Bear Lake?”
“Perhaps we shall,” answered his Uncle Sam.
“Oh, Dad! that would be fine,” burst out Fred. “Come up, by all means!”
“Well, we’ll see about that,” answered his father. “Your mother and
your aunts want to go up to Valley Brook Farm first and stay with the
girls.”
“Oh, bring the whole bunch up to Big Bear Lake!” cried Jack. It must
be confessed though that when he spoke he was thinking mainly of Ruth.
“Gif says it’s a great big bungalow――in fact, a small-sized hotel.”
“It used to be used for a fishing club, you know,” came from Andy. “It
would be great if we could all be up there together just like when we
were out at Big Horn Ranch.”
“Well, that’s something we’ll have to think over,” said Dick Rover.