HOME ONCE MORE
“Here we are at last!”
It was Fred who spoke as the long train rolled into the Grand Central
Terminal, New York City, and came to a stop. The boys had collected
their hand baggage and soon the Rovers and Ruth were in the midst of
the crowd that was pouring through the gateway into the waiting room of
the big station.
“Here you are――and glad to see you!” exclaimed Dick Rover, as he came
up, followed by his wife and Fred’s mother.
There was a general handshaking and many kisses, and then Dick Rover
took possession of the young folks’ checks for their trunks and led the
way to a side street where two of the family touring cars waited.
The trip to the metropolis had been without special incident save for
the fact that a number of the cadets, including Andy and Randy, were
inclined to indulge in more or less horseplay on the way. They had had
to make one change at the Junction, and on account of the heavy travel
had been compelled to come down in an ordinary day coach in place of
getting seats in a parlor car. They had managed, however, to get lunch
on the train and had had considerable fun during the meal.
“I am certainly glad to see you young folks home again,” remarked Dora
Rover, as she gazed affectionately at her son and daughter and then at
the others. “And you are more than welcome, Ruth,” she added, tapping
the visitor on the shoulder.
“Maybe we’re not glad to see little old New York again!” cried Fred.
“I don’t think I’d call it ‘little old New York,’” answered Ruth,
with a smile. “To me it’s a wonderfully big and busy city. When I
first arrive here I always feel like shrinking back until I can get my
bearings.”
“Oh, New York is just all right. I wouldn’t want it any better,”
answered Randy.
“But you don’t want to stay here even when you come,” put in his Aunt
Grace. “You just stay at home a few days and then away you go on one of
those trips.”
“Well, I’m a Rover by name, so why not be a rover by nature?” was the
sly reply, and this brought on a general laugh.
Soon the young folks were aboard the two automobiles. In the meantime
Dick Rover had turned the checks for the trunks over to an expressman
and in a few minutes more the whole crowd was headed for Riverside
Drive. Here a surprise awaited them. Not only was Mrs. Tom Rover on
hand to greet them, but likewise their grandfather, Anderson Rover,
and their old Aunt Martha and Uncle Randolph, who had come from Valley
Brook Farm on a short visit to the city.
“My gracious, this is fine!” cried Fred. “A regular family reunion!”
and then came more hugs and kisses all around.
“My, my! how big you boys are getting!” said old Aunt Martha, as she
surveyed them through her spectacles. “The first thing you know, you
won’t be boys any more――you’ll be men.”
“Well, you couldn’t expect them to remain boys all their life, could
you?” queried Uncle Randolph. “Now they have graduated from Colby Hall,
I suppose they’ll either have to go to college or go into business.”
“No use of shoving them ahead too quickly,” came from Grandfather
Rover, as he sat down and rested his chin on the top of his cane. “They
have been studying pretty hard for years――let ’em take a rest. They
might take a whole year, if it was necessary.”
“Gee, Granddad, you’re a pippin!” exclaimed Randy, going up and placing
his arm around the old man’s shoulder. “A year’s vacation would be all
to the mustard.”
“It might be if you could only get rid of some of your slang in the
meantime,” put in his mother. Yet she had to smile as she spoke.
The boys were glad to get back into their old quarters, and in the
meantime Martha escorted Ruth to the room she was to occupy during her
visit. All the connecting doors of the three houses had been thrown
wide open, making the residences virtually one. While this was going
on Dick Rover hurried back to Wall Street, for business with The Rover
Company was brisk and he was needed at the offices.
“You must be making a lot of money, Dad,” remarked Jack, as his parent
was leaving.
“Well, we’re holding our own, Jack,” was the reply.
“How are the oil wells making out?”
“Very fine.” Dick Rover stepped closer to his son. “Did you hear
anything from Carson Davenport?” he asked in a low tone so that the
others might not hear.
“Nothing since the girls met him. They said they sent word about that.”
“You want to be very careful, Jack. We’ll talk the whole thing over
to-night. That rascal is certainly going to put one over on us if he
possibly can.”
“Why did they let him out of prison?”
“I don’t know. He may have got a number of important friends to appear
for him before a board of pardons, or something like that. Then again,
you must remember that what he was tried for was his trouble with his
partners. I did not want to appear against him because it would have
taken too much of my time, which, just then, was very valuable to our
concern. It’s possible that he got the very people he swindled――or
tried to swindle――to sign a petition in his favor and in favor of his
other partners, Tate and Jackson. But I must hurry now. We can talk the
whole thing over later.”
During the afternoon the twins went out to renew their acquaintance
with some of their former boy chums while Jack and Fred accompanied the
girls on a sightseeing and shopping expedition.
“I’ll be awfully sorry to leave you, Ruth,” said Jack, when he got a
chance to speak to the visitor alone.
“Well, then you’d better stay,” she answered mischievously.
“Oh, you know I couldn’t do that,” he returned hastily. “What would
the other fellows say?”
“I was only joking, Jack. You go ahead and have your outing. I hope you
enjoy every minute of it. Only, please don’t get into any trouble,” and
the girl’s face clouded.
“I think we’ll be able to take care of ourselves, Ruth. And you take
care of yourself, too.”
“Are you going to write?”
“Sure I am! And I’ll expect you to answer, too. You will, won’t you?”
“Why, of course.”
There was a brief silence, neither of them seeming to know what to say
next. Then the former major of the Colby Hall battalion stepped closer.
“I’m going to take that photograph of you along――you know, the one you
gave me some time ago,” he said in a low tone.
“Never!” she returned quickly. “Oh, Jack, suppose――suppose the others
saw it!”
“I don’t care! I’m going to take it,” he answered firmly.
“Well, if you’re set on it, I suppose I can’t stop you,” answered Ruth.
Her eyes were shining like stars. Then Jack caught her hand and pressed
it warmly just as the others came up and interrupted what might have
proved a very interesting tête-à-tête.
Dinner that evening was a grand affair, and Ruth, who sat next to Jack,
declared she had never enjoyed anything so much in all her life. The
twins and Tom Rover were full of fun, and Tom told several stories
which convulsed everybody with laughter.
“Gee, Dad, you’re a wonder!” breathed Randy, trying to stop laughing.
“I can see where Andy gets his wit from.”
“Yes, and I know where you get your habit of playing tricks from,” put
in his mother, gazing fondly at her husband.
“Now, now! No knocking!” cried Tom gayly. “The boys are just all right!
They may cut up a little now and then, but as they both bear marks of
their mother’s good looks, that will be forgiven them,” and then Tom
dodged back, as his wife made a move as if to pull his hair.
Ruth was quite a pianist and had cultivated that talent carefully
during her days at Clearwater Hall. After dinner Dora Rover insisted
that the girl give them some music. After playing one of her best
compositions Ruth gathered all the boys and girls around her and they
sang one popular song after another.
“A touch of old times, eh?” said Dick Rover to Dora, as, with his arm
around her waist, they surveyed the scene.
“It’s history repeating itself, Dick,” she answered. And then she
looked at her husband questioningly and nodded toward where Jack was
carefully turning the sheets of music for Ruth. “What do you think of
them?” she whispered.
“I think Jack is hit pretty hard,” he returned.
“Well, Ruth seems to be an awfully nice girl, Dick.”
“I agree. I wouldn’t ask for a better girl,” he answered.
“But Jack is so young!”
“He isn’t any younger than I was when I came after you and saved your
mother from old Crabtree.”
“Oh, well, that was different!” murmured Dora.
So far the boys had had no opportunity to speak to Tom Rover about the
proposed trip to the West. But soon the twins broached the subject, and
then the crowd around the piano broke up and Mary and Martha retired,
taking Ruth with them.
“We want to talk to the boys in the library,” said Tom Rover to his
wife and his sisters-in-law, and thereupon the ladies took the hint and
also left them.
“Now, Dad, tell us all about the Rolling Thunder mine and Sunset
Trail!” cried Randy. “Gee, I wish I was out there right now!”
“And on horseback!” put in his twin. “Say, we’ll have the best times
ever!”
“I certainly hope so,” returned Dick Rover. “At the same time, I want
to caution you.”
“Don’t scare the boys into fits, Dick,” said Tom. “You’ll spoil the
whole outing if you do.”
“I’m not going to scare them into fits, Tom,” answered the older
brother. “But I am going to give them some advice that I think they
ought to have.”
“I think so too,” came from Sam Rover. “If any fellow ever got on my
nerves, it’s that rascal, Carson Davenport.”