CHAPTER XVI
PREPARING FOR A LONG TRIP
"Good-by to Oak Hall!"--_Page 137._]
"Whoop! hurrah! Off we go! Good-by to Oak Hall!"
The carryall belonging to the school was moving away from the campus. Itwas loaded with students and behind it came two wagons, full of trunksand dress-suit cases. Back on the campus a crowd was assembled to bidthe departing ones good-by.
"Write to me often!"
"Don't forget, Tom! Atlantic City, middle of August!"
"Be sure and ask him to join the team!"
"Yes, we are going to Casco Bay. Come up, if you can."
"Tell Jack----Say, get off my toes, will you? Tell Jack to come up toLake Titus, back of Malone. We'll give him a dandy----"
"_Toot! toot! toot!_ Now then, Horsehair, start 'em up, and be lively,or I'll miss that connection for Albany!"
"I'll start 'em up, all right, if you young gents will give me a show,"responded the driver. "Say, Buster, don't use the whip. Give me thereins, Master Porter."
"Don't you want me to drive, Horsehair?"
"No, I want----Say, you in the back, give me my hat, will you?" shoutedthe driver, turning around. "I ain't a-going a step till I git thathat!"
"All right, Horsehair, darling!" replied Sam Day. "I thought I'd keep itto remember you by, but if you want----"
"Which puts me in mind of a story," said Shadow Hamilton. He had caughtthe humor of the occasion. "A lady once----"
"No stories allowed," broke in Phil.
"I can't tell a story unless I speak it aloud," answered Shadow, tartly.
"Phew, what a pun!" came from Roger. "Somebody please dump him off forthat."
"Hold tight, all of you!" called out the anxious driver, and with alurch the carryall made a turn and started out of the academy groundsand along the broad highway leading to Oakdale. All of the boys shoutedthemselves hoarse, and horns and rattles added to the din. Such a thingas holding the students in was out of the question, and Doctor Clay andhis assistants did not attempt it. The doctor and Andrew Dale smiledbroadly and waved their hands, and only Job Haskers looked bored. Theother teachers were busy in the building and did not show themselves.
This was the first load to leave, and another was ready to departdirectly after dinner. Nearly all of the boys were in high spirits, andsang and "cut up" all the way to the town, much to the terror of JacksonLemond, known only to the lads as Horsehair, because he carried thesigns of his calling continually.
If there was one boy in the crowd particularly sober at times, it wasShadow Hamilton. Doctor Clay had communicated with his parents, and Mr.Hamilton and the master of the school had had a long conferenceregarding the pins and stamps that had been taken. Shadow's father hadagreed to pay for the missing articles, if they could not be recoveredinside of the next few months. In the meantime, a private detective wasto be called in to watch the movements of Gus Plum.
At Oakdale the party split into three parts, one to go up the railroadline, another to go down, and the third to take the connection forAlbany. Phil, Roger, Ben, and Dave took the same train, and managed toget seats together.
"I wish I had heard from my folks," remarked Roger. "But I think it isall right," he added, hopefully.
"Don't be too sure, Roger," said Dave. "I don't want you to bedisappointed."
"I shall write to you as soon as I get home and can talk to my father,"said Phil to Dave. "We'll be able to arrange everything without muchtrouble, I am sure."
Near the end of their journey Dave and Ben found themselves alone, Rogerand Phil having said good-by at places further up the road. As theyneared Crumville, the heart of the country boy beat quicker. How manythings had happened since he had left that town to go to Oak Hall!
"I see the old white church steeple!" cried Ben, as they came out of apatch of timber. "Looks natural, doesn't it?"
"I feel as if I had been away a year, instead of a few months," answeredDave. He was peering anxiously out of the window. "Here we come to thestation, and, yes, there is Mr. Wadsworth's automobile, and Mr.Wadsworth himself and Jessie!"
Soon the train came to a halt, and they piled out, dress-suit cases inhand, and walked over to the automobile.
"How do you do?" cried Jessie Wadsworth, a beautiful miss of thirteen,with soft eyes and golden curls. "I told papa you would be on thistrain."
"How do you do?" returned Dave, dropping his suit case to lift his capand shake hands. "I hope you are well."
"Oh, I am," replied the miss, shaking back her curls. "How do you do,Ben?" And then there was more handshaking.
Both of the boys were invited to enter the automobile, and did so, andin a few minutes Ben found himself at his own door. Then the machine wasturned toward the Wadsworth mansion.
"I like to go riding with papa," explained Jessie. "I never go out withour man, though. Not since--you know!" and she turned a pair of gratefuleyes upon Dave that made the boy color up.
"The machine appears to be perfectly safe, since we have had itrepaired," put in Mr. Wadsworth. "But our man is better with thehorses."
At the mansion Mrs. Wadsworth, an aristocratic but motherly lady, cameout to greet Dave, followed by Caspar Potts, whose face was wreathed insmiles. All told, it was a homecoming that would have warmed the heartof any lad, and it made Dave forget completely that he was a "poorhousenobody."
"You must tell me all about everything," said Jessie, after a somewhatelaborate supper had been served. "I don't want to miss a single thing!"
"Seems to me you are cutting out a big job for Dave," laughed herfather.
"Well, I guess I can tell all she'll wish to hear," answered the youth,and seated at one end of a couch, with Jessie at the other, he told muchof his life at Oak Hall, with its studies, its pranks, and its athleticsports. Dave could see the humorous side of a thing as well as anybody,and some stories he told made Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth laugh as well asJessie. On his trials he touched but lightly, for he could not dream ofgiving his little lady friend pain.
On the following day Nat Poole came home, and Dave met the aristocraticyouth in one of the stores of Crumville. Poole gave him a glassy stareand did not speak. A few minutes later Dave met Ben.
"Just ran into Poole," said the latter, "and what do you think, he madeout that he didn't see me."
"He was in Parsons' store, but he wouldn't speak to me, either,"answered Dave. "He must feel awfully sore. But I shan't mind."
"Nor I, Dave. I never did like that fellow, and I don't like his father,either. By the way, have you heard anything more about the farm thatbelongs to Professor Potts?"
"Yes, and I am glad, and so is he, that we didn't let Nat's father gethold of it. The new trolley company is going to put a line past it, andMr. Wadsworth says it will be quite valuable in time."
Two days passed, and then Dave got long letters from Phil and Roger.Senator Morr had been to see Mr. Lawrence and had arranged to have hisson go on the long trip to the South Seas. Roger was almost wild withjoy, and said he was going to prepare for the trip immediately.
The letter from Phil told Dave that the start for San Francisco was tobe made on the following Monday morning. All the boys were to meet atthe Grand Central Depot, in New York City, and take the limited expresswhich left for Chicago at noon.
"I will go with you as far as New York," announced Mr. Wadsworth. "Iwish to see that your journey is safely begun."
The last days of the week were busy ones for Dave. A steamer trunk wasprocured for him, and into this was packed his outfit, including asemi-nautical suit that fitted him to perfection and gave him quite asailor look.
"I suppose you'll be a regular sailor by the time you come back," saidJessie.
"I don't know about that," answered Dave. "I am not going for thatpurpose," and his tone grew serious.
"Oh, I know that, Dave. I hope you find what you are going for.But--but----"
"But what, Jessie?"
"Oh, I--I don't want you to leave us, Dave. If you find a fa
ther, or anuncle, or brother, or somebody like that, I suppose you won't stay withus any more." And the young miss pouted engagingly.
"I'll certainly not care to leave you, Jessie," he answered, gently."But you cannot blame me for wanting to find out who I am, I am sure."
"Oh, no, Dave!"
"I don't want to remain a nobody and have folks shun me on thataccount."
"Who would do such a thing?" she asked, her eyes opening widely.
"Oh, a good many folks."
"It is very mean of them," came from the little miss, firmly. "But,never mind, Dave, I'll not shun you," she went on, catching his hand andsqueezing it as hard as she could. "We're going to be just like abrother and sister always, aren't we?"
"If you say so."
"Don't you say so, Dave?"
"Yes, Jessie."
"Then that is settled, and we won't talk about it any more. Shun you! Ijust want to see them do it! I won't speak to anybody that does such athing!" And Jessie looked as tragic as a miss of thirteen can look.
Among the things provided by thoughtful Mr. Wadsworth for Dave was amoney belt, and in this was placed a fair amount of bankbills, and alsoa letter of credit.
"Mr. Wadsworth, you are more than kind!" cried the country boy, andsomething like tears stood in his honest eyes. "How can I ever repayyou?"
"In one way only, Dave. By making a real man of yourself."
"I shall do my best, sir."
"Then that is all I ask."
Billy Dill had been communicated with, and Caspar Potts went after thetar and brought him to Crumville, where Oliver Wadsworth procured thesailor a new outfit. Billy Dill's health was now restored completely,and the only thing he suffered from was a slight loss of memory, andeven that defect seemed to be gradually wearing away.
"I'll be the happiest tar afloat when I have the rolling ocean under meonce more," said he to Dave. "Cables an' capstans! but I do love thesalt breeze!"
"Well, you'll soon get enough of it," answered the boy. "We have a longtrip before us."