WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CAMPUS FENCE
"Gone?"
"Yes, gone Are you sure you put it in the carriage?"
"Positive," was Tom's answer. "I put it on top of yours and Dick's."
"Then it must have jounced out somewhere on the road."
"What's up?" asked Dick, catching a little of the talk.
"Tom's case is gone. He put it on top of ours, and I suppose coming
over that rough road jounced it out."
"One of the satchels gone, eh?" came from Mr. Sanderson. "Sure you put
it in?"
"Yes, I am positive."
"Too bad. Reckon I'd better go back at once and pick it up."
"I'll go with you," said Tom.
The matter was talked over for a minute and then Tom and the farmer
re├źntered the carriage and drove off. As they did this a man came out
to meet Dick and Sam.
"New students?" he asked shortly.
"Yes," replied Dick.
"Please step this way."
The doorman led them along a broad hall and into a large office. Here
they signed a register and were then introduced by an under teacher
to Dr. Wallington, a gray-haired man of sixty, tall and thin, with a
scholarly aspect. The president of Brill shook hands cordially.
"I feel that I know you young gentlemen," he said. "Your father and I
were old school chums. I hope you like it here and that your coming
will do you much good."
"Thank you, I hope so too," answered Dick, and Sam said about the
same. The two boys felt at once that the doctor would prove their
friend so long as they conducted themselves properly, but they also
felt that the aged president of Brill would stand for no nonsense.
Having been questioned by the doctor and one of the teachers, the boys
were placed in charge of the house master, who said he would show
them to their rooms in the dormitory. Dick had already explained the
absence of Tom.
"Your father wrote that you would prefer to room together," said
the house master. "But that will be impossible, since our rooms
accommodate but two students each. We have assigned Samuel and Thomas
to room No. 25 and Richard to room No. 26, next door."
"And who will I have with me?" asked Dick with interest. He did not
much fancy having a stranger.
"Well, we were going to place a boy with you named Stanley Browne, a
very fine lad, but day before yesterday we received a new application
and the applicant said he desired very much to be put with the Rovers.
So he can go with you, if you wish it."
"Who was the applicant?" asked Dick quickly.
"John A. Powell. He said he was an old school chum of yours at Putnam
Hall and had been on a treasure hunt with you during the past summer."
"Songbird!" cried Dick, and his face broke out in a smile. "Oh, that's
good news! It suits me perfectly."
"Did you call the young man Songbird?" queried the house master.
"Yes, that's his nickname."
"Then he must be a singer."
"No, he composes poetry--or at least verses that he calls poetry,"
answered the eldest Rover.
"I wish some more of the old Putnam Hall crowd were coming," put in
Sam. "Think of having Hans Mueller here!" And the very idea made him
grin.
"Hans isn't fit for college yet, Sam. But there may be others," added
Dick hopefully.
They soon reached the dormitory, located across the campus from the
main building and followed the house master up-stairs and to rooms
No. 25 and 26. Each was bright, clean and cheerful, with big windows
looking to the southward. Each contained two clothes closets, two
beds, two bookshelves, a bureau, a reading table, two plain chairs and
a rocker. The walls were bare, but the boys were told they could hang
up what they pleased so long as they did not mar the plaster.
"The lavatories are at the end of the hall," said the house master.
"And the trunk room is there, too. Have you had the trunks sent up
yet?"
"No, sir," answered Dick.
"Then let me have your checks and I will attend to it. I see the man
has already brought up your suit cases. I hope your brother has no
trouble in recovering the one that was lost."
"When is John Powell coming?" asked Dick.
"To-morrow, so he telegraphed."
The house master left Dick and Sam and the two boys looked over the
rooms and put some of the things from their suit cases in the closets
and in the bureaus. Then they walked down to one of the lavatories and
washed and brushed up. Everything was so new and strange to them that
they did not feel at all at home.
"It will take a few days to get used to it I suppose," said Sam, with
a trace of a sigh. "I know I felt the same way when first I went to
Putnam Hall."
"Let us go down and take a look around and watch for Tom," replied his
brother. "Say, but I'm glad Songbird is coming," he added. "I don't
care much for his doggerel, but John's a good fellow just the same."
"None better," replied Sam heartily. "And his poetry isn't so very
bad, always."
The two brothers went below and strolled around. They found the main
building formed the letter T, with the top to the front. In this were
the offices and the classroom and also the private apartments of the
president and his family and some of the faculty. To the east of the
main building was a long, one-story structure, containing a library
and a laboratory, and to the west the three-story dormitory the lads
had just left. Somewhat to the rear was another dormitory and beside
it a large gymnasium, with a swimming pool attached. A short distance
away was a house for the hired help and a stable and carriage sheds.
Down by the river was a boathouse, not unlike that at Putnam Hall but
larger.
"This is a fine layout and no mistake," observed Dick with
satisfaction.
"Did you see that fine athletic field beyond the campus?" returned
Sam. "That means baseball and football galore."
Having walked around the outside of the various buildings the Rover
boys made their way to the highway to watch for the coming of Tom.
Hardly had they reached the road when they saw a crowd of six students
approaching. Among the number were Dudd Flockley and Jerry Koswell.
"See those two, Dick?" whispered Sam. "Won't they be mad when they see
us here?"
"Well, I don't care," answered Dick coolly. "If they say anything, let
me do the talking." And thus speaking, Dick sat down on the top of a
stone fence and his brother hopped up beside him.
The six students came closer, and of a sudden Dudd Flockley espied the
Rovers. He stopped short and pulled his crony by the arm, and Jerry
Koswell likewise stared at Dick and Sam.
"You here?" demanded Flockley, coming closer and scowling at the
youths on the fence.
"We are," answered Dick briefly.
"Freshmen?"
"Yes."
"Humph!" And Flockley put as much of a sneer as possible in the
exclamation.
"How did you get here?" asked Koswell.
"Got a carriage at the Sanderson place," answered Sam with a grin.
"You did!" cried Flockley. "Say, you're a fresh lot, aren't you?" he
went on, glaring at Dick and Sam. "Where's the third chap?"
"None of your business," answered Dick sharply.
"Don't you talk to me like that!" cried Dudd Flockley, and then his
face took on a look of cunning. "Freshmen, eh? Then you don't know
what we are. We are sophs, and we want you to answer us decently."
"That's the talk!" cried Koswell. "Boys, these are freshmen, and on
the fence, too. We can't allow this, can we?"
"No freshies allowed on that fence!" answered another boy of the
crowd. "Off you go and quick!"
As he spoke he approached Sam and tried to catch him by the foot to
pull him off. Sam drew in his foot and then sent it forth so suddenly
that it took the sophomore in the stomach and sent him reeling to the
grass.
"At them!" yelled Flockley. "Show them how they must behave! Sophs to
the front!"
"Wait!" The command came from Dick, and he spoke so clearly and firmly
that all the sophomores paused. "Is this an affair between Flockley
and Koswell and ourselves or is it simply two freshmen against six
sophs?"
"Why--er--have Flockley and Koswell anything against you two?"
demanded one of the boys curiously.
"I think so," answered Dick. "We had the pleasure of knocking them
both down a few hours ago. As it was a private affair, we won't go
into details."
"Didn't do it because you were freshmen?" asked another lad.
"Not at all. We were total strangers when the thing occurred."
"Yes, but--" came from another sophomore.
"Sorry I can't explain. Flockley and Koswell can if they wish. But I
advise them to keep a certain party's name out of the story," added
Dick significantly. He felt bound to protect Minnie Sanderson as much
as possible.
"It's all stuff and nonsense!" roared Dudd Flockley. "They are
freshies and ought to be bounced off the fence and given a lesson in
the bargain."
"That's it--come and hammer 'em!" added Jerry Koswell.
"What's the row here?" demanded a tall lad who had just come up. He
had light curly hair, blue eyes and a face that was sunshine itself.
"Two freshies on the stone fence, Holden," said one of the sophomores.
"We can't allow that, you know."
At this Frank Holden, the leader of the sophomore class, laughed.
"Too bad, fellows, but they've got you. Term doesn't begin until
to-morrow and they can sit where they please until twelve o'clock
midnight. After that"--he turned to Dick and Sam--"well, your blood
will be on your own heads if you disturb this fence or the benches
around the flagstaff."
"My gracious! Frank's right, term isn't on until to-morrow," cried
another student. "I beg your pardon, boys!" And he bowed lowly to the
Rovers.
"Gee, it's a wonder you fellows wouldn't say something before I was
kicked off the earth!" growled the sophomore who had been sent to the
grass by Sam.
"Don't thank me for what I did," said Sam pleasantly, and this caused
some of the other college fellows to grin.
"Don't say a word," cried the one who had gone down. "Only--well, if I
catch you on the fence, it will be who's best man, that's all."
"Aren't we to do anything to these freshies?" demanded Dudd Flockley.
He did not at all relish the turn affairs had taken.
"Can't do a thing until to-morrow," answered Frank Holden decidedly.
"Bah! I believe in making a freshie toe the mark as soon as he
arrives."
"So do I," added Jerry Koswell.
"Can't be done--against the traditions of Brill," answered the class
leader. "You've got to give a freshman time to get his feet planted on
the ground, you know," he added kindly and with a smile at Dick and
Sam.
"Thank you for that," answered the older Rover. "We'll be ready for
the whole sophomore class by to-morrow."
"We'll see," answered Holden and passed on, and the majority of the
second-year fellows followed. Flockley and Koswell lingered behind.
"See here, you chaps," said Flockley. "What are your names?"
"If you want to know so bad, my name is Dick Rover and this is my
brother Sam."
"And who was the other fellow?" asked Koswell.
"My brother Tom."
"Three brothers, eh, and named Rover!" growled Dudd Flockley. "All
right, I'll remember that, and I'll remember how you treated us up to
the Sanderson place."
"And I'll remember it too and square up," added Koswell.
"We'll make Brill too hot to hold you," snapped Flockley, and then he
turned into the gateway leading to the campus and his crony followed.