IN WHICH THE GIRLS ARRIVE
"You may be sure of one thing, Tom," remarked Dick while he and his
brothers were walking back to Brill, some time later, "Jerry Koswell
has it in for you. You had better watch him closely."
"I intend to do so," answered Tom. "But there is another thing which
both of you seem to have forgotten. That's about the dress-suit case.
Did Koswell find it, and if so, did he take anything else besides the
box of pencils and crayons?"
"He'll never admit it," put in Sam. "Not unless you corner him, as
Songbird did about the photo."
"He'll have to tell where he got the box, Sam."
"I doubt if you get any satisfaction."
And Sam was right, as later events proved. When Tom tackled Koswell
the latter said positively that he knew nothing of the dress-suit
case. He said he had found the box on a stand in the hallway near
Professor Sharp's door, and had used it because it suited his purpose.
"But you saw it had my name on it," said Tom.
"No, I didn't. It was rather dark in the hall, and all I saw was that
it contained pencils and crayons," answered Jerry Koswell.
"Well, I don't believe you," answered Tom abruptly. "You did it on
purpose, and maybe some day I'll be able to prove it." And he walked
off, leaving Koswell in anything but a comfortable frame of mind.
Tom was curious to see how Professor Sharp would act after the affair.
During the first recitation the instructor seemed ill at ease, but
after that he acted as usual. Tom half suspected the professor still
thought him guilty.
"Well, it was a pretty mean thing to do," soliloquized the fun-loving
Rover. "If anybody did that to a picture of Nellie I'd mash him into a
jelly."
All of the Rovers were awaiting the arrival of the girls with
interest, and each was fearful that some poor recitation might keep
him from going to meet them at the Ashton depot on Wednesday. But,
luckily, all got permission to go to town, and they started without
delay as soon as the afternoon session was ended.
"Where bound?" asked Songbird, in some surprise, as he saw them
driving off in a carriage Dick had ordered by telephone.
"Going to meet Dora and Nellie and Grace," answered Dick. "Do
you--er--want to come along?"
"Oh, sure. I'll see them all home myself," answered the would-be poet
with a wink of his eye. "No, thank you. I know enough to keep out
of somebody else's honey pot. Give them my regards," he added, and
strolled off, murmuring softly:
"If them love me as I love thee,
How happy thee and I will be!"
The boys got down to the depot ahead of time, and were then told that
the train was fifteen minutes late. They put in the time as best they
could, although every minute seemed five.
"Hello! There is Dudd Flockley!" exclaimed Sam presently, and pointed
to the dudish student, who was crossing the street behind the depot.
"Maybe he came down to meet somebody, too," said Tom. "More than
likely there will be quite a bunch of girls bound for the seminary."
At last the train rolled in, and the three Rovers strained their eyes
to catch the first sight of their friends.
"There they are!" shouted Dick, and pointed to a parlor car. He ran
forward, and so did his brothers. The porter was out with his box, but
it was the boys who assisted the girls to alight, and Dick who tipped
the knight of the whisk-broom.
"Here at last!" cried Dick. "We are so glad you've come!"
"Thought the train would never get here," added Sam.
"Longest wait I've had since I was able to walk," supplemented Tom.
"Oh, Tom, you big tease!" answered Nellie merrily, and caught him by
both hands.
"Yes, we are late," said Dora a bit soberly. She gave Dick's hand a
tight squeeze. They looked at each other, and on the instant he saw
that she had something to tell him.
"How long it seems since we saw you last," said Grace as she took
Sam's hand. Then there was handshaking all around, and all the girls
and boys tried to speak at once, to learn how the others had been
since they had separated after the treasure hunt.
"We'll have to look after our trunks," said Dora. "There they are,"
and she pointed to where they had been dumped on a truck.
"I'll take care of the baggage," said Tom. "Just give me the checks."
"And we've got to find a carriage to take us to Hope," added Grace.
"All arranged," answered Sam. "We are going to take you up. Dick is
going to take Dora in a buggy, and Tom and I are going to take you and
Nellie in a two-seated. The baggage can go in a wagon behind."
"But I thought there was a seminary stage," began Grace.
"There is, and if you'd rather take it--"
"Oh, no! The carriage ride will be much nicer." And Grace looked at
Sam in a manner that made his heart beat much faster than before.
"Do you know, it seems awfully queer to be rich and to be going to a
fine boarding school," said Nellie. "I declare, I'm not used to it
yet. But I'm glad on papa and mamma's account, for neither of them
have to work as hard as they did."
"Papa is going to improve the farm wonderfully," said Grace. "He is
going to put up a new barn and a carriage house and a new windmill for
pumping water, and he has bought a hundred acres from the farm in the
back, and added, oh, I don't know how many more cows. And we've got a
splendid team of horses, and the cutest pony you ever saw. And next
year he is going to rebuild the wing of the house and put on a big
piazza, where we can have rocking-chairs and a hammock--"
"Yum! yum!" murmured Sam. "The hammock for mine, when I call."
"Built for two, I suppose," remarked Dick dryly.
"Dick Rover!" cried Grace, and blushed,
"He'll want it for himself and Dor--" began Sam.
"Here comes Tom," interrupted Dick hastily. "All right about the
baggage?" he asked loudly.
"All right. The trunks and cases will go to the seminary inside of an
hour," answered Tom, "so we might as well be off ourselves. We can
drive slowly, you know."
"Well, you can go ahead and set the pace," answered his elder brother.
The buggy and the carriage were already on hand, and soon the boys and
girls were in the turnouts, and Tom drove off, with Dick following.
As they did so they saw Dudd Flockley standing near, eyeing them
curiously. They had to drive close to the dudish student, who was
attired in his best, and he stared boldly at Dora and the Laning
girls.
"What a bold young man!" was Dora's comment after they had passed.
"He's a student at Brill," answered Dick. "Not a very nice kind,
either." Dick was much put out, for he did not like any young man to
stare at Dora.
Ashton was soon left behind, and carriage and buggy bowled along
slowly over a country road lined on either side with trees and bushes
and tidy farms. Under the trees Dick allowed his horse to drop into a
walk, and managed to drive with one hand while the other found Dora's
waist and held it.
"Dick, somebody might see you!" she half whispered.
"Well, I can't help it, Dora," he answered, "It's been such a long
time since we met."
"Yes, it seems like years and years, doesn't it?"
"And to think we've got to go through college before--before we can--"
"Yes, but Dick, isn't it splendid that we are going to be so close to
each other? Why, we'll be able to meet lots of times!"
"If the seminary authorities will let you. I understand they are very
strict."
"Oh, well, we'll meet anyhow, won't we?"
"If you say so, dear."
"Why, yes, dear--that is--Oh, now see what you've done!--knocked
my hat right down on my ear! Now, you mustn't--one is enough! Just
suppose another carriage should come up--with somebody in it from the
seminary?"
"I've got my eye open," answered Dick. "But just one more--and then
you can fix your hat. They've got to make some allowance for folks
that are engaged," he added softly, as he pressed her cheek close to
his own.
"Are we engaged, Dick?" she asked as she adjusted her hat.
"Aren't we?" he demanded. "Why, of course we are!"
"Well, if you say so, but--but--I suppose some folks would think we
were rather young."
"Well, I'm not so young as I used to be--and I'm growing older every
day."
"So am I. I am not near as young as I was when we first met--on that
little steamboat on Cayuga Lake, when you and Tom and Sam were going
to Putnam Hall for the first time."
"No, you're not quite so young, Dora, but you are just as pretty. In
fact, you're prettier than ever."
"Oh, you just say that!"
"I mean it, and I'm the happiest fellow in the world this minute,"
cried Dick, and caught her again in his arms. Once more the hat went
over on Dora's ear, but this time she forgot to mention it. Truth to
tell, for the time being she was just as happy as he was.
But presently her face grew troubled, and he remembered the look she
had given him at the depot.
"Something is on your mind, Dora," he said. "What is it?"
"Dick, do you know that Tad Sobber is alive? That he escaped from that
dreadful hurricane in West Indian waters?"
"Yes, I know it. But I didn't know it until a few days ago, when
Songbird Powell came to Brill He said he had met Sobber in Ithaca,"
"He came to see mamma."
"I was afraid he would. What did he say?"
"He came one evening, after supper. It was dark and stormy, and he
drove up in a buggy. Mamma and I and the servants were home alone,
although Nellie had been over in the afternoon. He rang the bell, and
asked for mamma, and the girl ushered him into the parlor. He asked
the girl if we had company, and he said if we had he wouldn't bother
us."
"Guess he was afraid of being arrested."
"Perhaps so. He told the girl he was a friend from New York. I went
down first, and when I saw him I was almost scared to death. I thought
I was looking at a ghost."
"Naturally, since you thought he had been drowned. It's too bad he
scared you so, Dora."
"He said he had come on business, and without waiting began to talk
about the treasure we had taken from the isle. He insisted upon it
that the treasure belonged to him, since his uncle, Sid Merrick, was
dead. When my mother came in he demanded that she give him some money
and sign some papers."
"What did your mother do?"
"She refused, of course. Then he got very wild and talked in a
rambling fashion. Oh, Dick, I am half inclined to think he is crazy!"
And Dora shuddered.
"What did he say after your mother refused to do as he wished?"
"He got up and walked around the parlor, waving his hands and crying
that we were robbing him, that the treasure was his, and that the
Rovers were nothing but thieves. Then mamma ordered him out of the
house and sent the girl to get the man who runs the farm for us. But
before the man came Sobber went away, driving his horse as fast as he
could,"
"Have you heard from him since?"
"Yes. The next day we got an unsigned letter. In it Sobber said that,
by hook or by crook, he intended to get possession of the treasure,
and for the Rovers to beware,"