CHAPTER XXX
THE ROUND-UP--CONCLUSION
"What's this?"
"It's the Rovers!"
"Who is this man--an officer?"
"We are caught!"
"Let me get out of here!"
These and various other exclamations rent the air, when those in thesitting room of the mansion beheld the sheriff of the county and thethree Rover boys standing at the doorway, each armed. All leaped totheir feet and every one present tried to get out of range of thesheriff's pistols.
"The game is up, gentlemen," went on Sheriff Fells. "The best thing youcan do is to submit quietly. I've got fifteen men outside to take careof you."
"Caught!" burst out Bart Larkspur hoarsely, and sank on a chair all butovercome. "Oh, why did I go into this scheme!"
"The--there is--er--some mistake!" stammered Josiah Crabtree, whoseface had gone the color of white chalk.
"Yes, a big mistake, Crabtree--and you and the others are going to payfor it," answered Dick.
"I'll not submit!" yelled Tad Sobber, and sneaking up behind Koswell hesent that individual flying into the sheriff. Then he leaped towards oneof the windows. At the same moment Crabtree leaped for another window.
But the Rover boys were too quick for them, and while the sheriffcontinued to cover Koswell and the so-called doctor, and also kept aneye on Larkspur, the lads leaped on their old enemies. With a rapidswing of his right hand, Tom gave Sobber a blow on the jaw that sent himstaggering against the wall. At the same time Dick attacked JosiahCrabtree.
"That for abducting Dora Stanhope and her mother!" he exclaimed, and hisfist landed on Crabtree's nose with such force that the former teacherwas sent spinning across the room. He let out a yell of agony, andanother yell when Dick hit him in the left eye.
"Don't! don't! I beg of you Rover!" he whined.
While this was going on, Koswell tried to dodge behind Larkspur and goout by a side door. But Sam put out his foot and tripped the rascal up,and then sat on him.
The noise downstairs reached the ears of those above, and in a fewseconds Mrs. Sobber appeared at the head of the stairs, with a lightedcandle.
"What is going on down there?" she asked.
"Madam, you keep where you are!" shouted the sheriff. "This house issurrounded by officers of the law. Don't you dare to come down."
"Oh dear me!" shrieked the woman.
"Sam, go up and see if the girls are safe!" cried Dick. "We can takecare of things down here. Don't let that woman get away."
"I'll take care of that woman, never fear!" answered the youngest Rover.
The sheriff had brought along all the handcuffs necessary, and in a fewseconds he had handcuffed Koswell. He threw a pair of the steelbracelets to Dick and another pair to Tom, and the Rovers had thesatisfaction of handcuffing Josiah Crabtree and Tad Sobber. Then thesheriff made prisoners of the rest of the crowd, and called in the twomen from the outside, at the same time shouting loudly: "You otherfellows remain where you are!" as if the force of a dozen or more werestill there.
"Can we go upstairs now?" asked Dick.
"Sure you can," said the sheriff, with a little grin. "But I'll have togo along--to get the evidence, you know."
Up the stairs bounded Dick and Tom. They found Mrs. Sobber in a cornerof the hallway, the lighted candle on a dusty stand. At a nearby doorSam was inserting a key in the lock.
"Just got the key from the woman," he explained. "Can we come in?" hecalled out.
"Yes! yes!" came eagerly from Dora and Nellie.
The youngest Rover opened the door, and like a flash Dick and Tom spedpast him and into the room. Dora and Nellie rushed to meet them,laughing and crying hysterically.
"Oh, Dick! Dick!" burst out poor Dora, and then sank into his arms, tooweak to stand.
"Dora!" he murmured. "Oh, this is awful! Well, it shall never happenagain, never!" And he pressed her to him.
"Oh, Tom, how glad I am that you came!" said Nellie as she clung to him.
"They didn't hurt you, did they?" demanded Dick.
"They carried us off--that was enough," answered Dora. "Oh, Sam, what ofGrace?"
"It was Grace who told us," answered the youngest Rover. "She got awayfrom them, you know."
"We hoped so, but we weren't sure. They wouldn't tell us about her,"said Nellie. "Are you alone?"
"No, indeed; we have the sheriff and his posse with us. Every one of therascals is under arrest."
"Good! It is what they deserve!"
"Have you got Mr. Crabtree?" faltered Dora.
"Yes," returned Dick. "And this time we'll take care that he is putwhere he will never bother you and your mother again," he continued.
Although told to do so by Mrs. Sobber, the girls had refused to go tobed and were fully dressed. They had been offered supper by the womanbut had found it impossible to eat.
"Well, we haven't had a mouthful ourselves," said Sam.
"But we are going to have the finest kind of a spread just as soon as weget to town and those rascals are locked up," added Tom.
"But how did you manage to follow us so quickly?" asked Dora,wonderingly.
"We came to Hope to call on you in the _Dartaway_," Dick explained. "Andwe followed most of the way by biplane."
"Then you have the flying machine here?"
"Yes, although we didn't bring it very close to the house."
"What are you going to do with me?" cried Mrs. Sobber. "Oh, please donot send me to prison! Tad made me do it!"
"This case is now in the hands of the law," answered Dick, coldly. Thenthe sheriff, who had said nothing, came forward and handcuffed the womanand marched her downstairs.
When the Rovers and the girls went below they found that all of theprisoners had been marched outside. The sheriff was anxious to get themto the jail and the boys did not blame him.
"I don't see how that auto is going to hold all of us," said the countyofficial. "Reckon we'll be kind of crowded."
"Oh, I'd hate to ride with those bad men!" murmured Dora. "I'd ratherwalk!"
"So would I," added Nellie.
"It's too far to walk," answered Dick. "But I'll tell you what you mightdo, if you are willing to risk it. You might sail to town in the_Dartaway_."
"Dick if you do it, so will I," cried Dora.
"You won't be afraid?" he asked, anxiously.
"Why should I be?" she murmured. "If anything happened to you, whyI--I'd just as soon have it happen to me, too!"
"I'll go, if Tom goes," put in Nellie. "I don't want to go anywhere nearthose horrid men."
"Someone will have to run the touring car," said Dick.
"I can do that,--if you will look after the girls," answered Sam,promptly; and so it was finally arranged. A few minutes later theprisoners were marched off by the sheriff and his men and Sam. Dick andTom, and the two girls, went ahead, to walk to where the biplane hadbeen left among the trees.
The girls were a little frightened at first, but did their best not toshow it. Dora sat as close to Dick as she could, and Tom held Nellie ina seat in front of him. Up into the air rushed the _Dartaway_ and bothgirls gave a little gasp. Dick did not sail high, nor did he put on muchspeed, since there was no need.
"I see something in the road!" cried Tom, after they had been sailingalong for several minutes. "It's the auto, with the sheriff's crowd, andthe prisoners!" And then Dick swept down close to the turnout and Samgave three blasts on the horn, to let them know he saw them. Then thebiplane and the touring car continued on the way to Plankville.
News of the intended arrest had been circulated, and a crowd was inwaiting at the sheriff's office when they arrived. As it was pastmidnight, the hearing was a brief one, and soon the prisoners wereplaced behind the bars, to await the further action of the law. Then theRovers and the girls were told they could go where they pleased so longas they agreed to appear when wanted.
"We'll appear all right enough!" cried Tom. "Why, Mr. Sheriff, youcouldn't beat us away with a club! We intend to
see to it that every oneof those rascals gets what is coming to him!"
"I reckon you've got a good enough case," answered the county official,grimly.
The hotel keeper had been at the hearing and he readily offered to givethe girls a room next to that occupied by himself and his wife, and givethe boys rooms also. And he likewise agreed to get the party asubstantial midnight supper.
"But we must send word to the folks first," said Dora.
"Yes," answered Dick. And this was soon done, although they had to get atelegraph operator out of bed to do it. But as the man was well paid forhis trouble, he did not mind this.
"And now to get back to Hope and to Brill!" cried Tom, the followingmorning, when the boys and girls were dining again. "How shall we go?"
"We've got to get the _Dartaway_ back," said Sam. "I can do that, if youfolks want to go by train, trolley and stage."
"It's a long-winded trip that way," answered Tom. "We'd have to makefive changes. I asked the sheriff about it."
"Do you boys want us to go in the biplane?" asked Nellie.
"Would you go?" asked Tom, eagerly.
"I will if Dora will."
"I'll go if Dick wishes it," said Dora, with a fond glance at the youthwho was some day to be her husband.
So it was settled that all should travel in the flying machine, and theboys at once set to work to go over the biplane carefully. The start wasmade an hour later, the sheriff and the hotel keeper and his wife wavingthem a farewell. Sam ran the biplane, and, as was to be expected, Dorasat close to Dick and Nellie close to Tom. There was no wind, only clearsunshine, and after a little nervousness, the girls began to enjoy thetrip. Not a stop was made, all being too anxious to get to Hope.
Grace was on the watch for their return, and as the biplane came downshe ran to greet them, and there was a great jollification, the girlslaughing and crying by turns. The students and teachers crowded around,wanting to know the particulars of what had happened. A little laterSongbird and Stanley appeared, having driven over from Brill to learnif any word had been received from the Rovers.
"Glad you caught those rascals," was Songbird's comment. "And I hopethey send 'em all to prison for life!"
"They'll be sure to get pretty long terms," answered Sam.
Everybody has his or her story to tell, and that day there were but fewlessons both at Hope and at Brill. The Rovers were the heroes of theoccasion, and everybody wanted to congratulate them on what they haddone.
"Well, it was a pretty strenuous experience," said Dick to his friends.He did not realize that still more strenuous happenings were in storefor him and his brothers. What they were, will be told in anothervolume, to be entitled, "The Rover Boys in New York; Or, Saving TheirFather's Honor."
All of the girls had been too upset by what had happened to go on withtheir studies, and it was thought best to let them go home for awhileand take it easy. The boys, too, went home, to let their folks know allthe details of the happening.
"You did very well, boys!" cried their father, when he greeted them."Very well indeed! I am proud of you!"
"And the best of it is, all of those rascals are now where they canbother us no longer," added Randolph Rover.
Then the boys wanted to know about their parent's health and hisbusiness prospects.
"I am feeling quite some better," said Mr. Rover. "And I think thatbefore a great while all those business complications will bestraightened out."
"That's fine, dad!" cried Tom, and threw his cap in the air. "Hurrah! Wecome out ahead every time, don't we?" And then he did a jig, he felt sohappy.
"Let's go for a sail in the _Dartaway_!" came from Sam. "We'll call onPeter Marley and the rest of those folks and let them know how werounded up Crabtree, Sobber & Company."
"That's the talk!" exclaimed Dick. "A sail will just suit me!"
And then off rushed the three Rover boys for an outing in their biplane.And here we will leave them, wishing them all the good times possible.
THE END