CHAPTER XXX
GOOD-BYE TO PUTNAM HALL
Leaving John Pike in charge of the others, the three Rover boys set offafter Sobber and Merrick. They followed the trail for awhile with ease,for the fugitives were dripping wet from their involuntary bath.
"We have one advantage," said Dick, as they ran along. "Being wet theywill attract attention, and we'll be able to follow them up that way."
About a quarter of a mile was covered when they heard a crashing in thebrushwood not far ahead of them. Then came a yell of pain from bothMerrick and Tad Sobber.
"Ouch! I'm being stung to death!"
"Get off of me! Oh! oh! oh!"
"They are hornets, Tad! Run, or they'll be after us!"
"I--I can't run! Oh! one stung me in the eye!" screamed Tad Sobber.
Then the Rover boys heard the man and the boy plunge on, Tad screamingwith pain at every step.
"Wait! we can't go that way!" cried Tom, who had no desire to tumbleinto the hornets' nest as the others had probably done. "Let's goaround!" And he leaped to the left.
As they progressed they heard Tad Sobber still crying wildly, and theyheard Sid Merrick urging him to run faster.
"I'm stung, too--in about a dozen places!" said the bond thief. "But wemustn't be captured."
"Oh, it is awful!" groaned Tad. "I can hardly bear the pain!" And hewent on, clutching his uncle by the arm. Both were indeed in a sorryplight.
But coming out on a road, fortune favored them. They met a colored manrunning a touring car. He was alone and they quickly hired him to takethem to the nearest town.
"We fell into the lake by accident," said Sid Merrick. "We want to getwhere we can change our clothing."
"And get something for these hornet stings," added Tad Sobber. "If Idon't get something soon I'll go crazy from pain."
As the three Rover boys ran towards the roadway Dick saw a big, flatpocketbook lying on the ground. He darted for it and picked it up.
"Merrick must have dropped this," he said. "It's wet, and here is a deadhornet stuck fast to it. Guess the hornets made him forget that he hadit."
Slipping the pocketbook into his pocket, Dick ran out on the roadway andlooked up and down. But Merrick and Sobber were gone, and what hadbecome of them the boys did not learn until the next day, and then itwas too late.
"What's in that pocketbook?" asked Sam, after the hunt had come to anend for the time being.
"We'll soon learn," said his big brother, and opened up the still wetleather. Inside were several bank bills and a fat envelope.
"Uncle Randolph's missing traction company bonds!" cried Dick, bringingthem forth. "This is the best ever!"
"Are they all there?" asked Tom.
Dick counted them over rapidly.
"Yes--ten for one thousand dollars each."
"Hurrah!" shouted Sam. "Won't Uncle Randolph be glad when he hears ofthis!"
The boys were highly elated over the find, and now they had the bondsthey concluded that a further search for Sid Merrick could wait. Theydid not care whether Tad Sobber was captured or not, as they did notthink the bully was much of a criminal.
When they got back to the sloop they found that the others had boundJohn Pike's hands behind him. The robber was very meek, and he declaredthat Sid Merrick was to blame for everything.
"He wanted to sell the bonds many times," said Pike. "But he knew thatMr. Rover had advertised the numbers in the newspapers and he was afraidto do it. He said he would wait until the affair blew over. Then he wasgoing to sell out, divide up, and go to Europe."
Pike added that the boat had belonged to himself. She was an old craftand was allowed to remain on the rocks. It came out later that Pike hadformerly lived on the lake shore and had thus become acquainted withMerrick and the Sobbers.
As soon as possible the captured robber was handed over to theauthorities, and Dick sent a message home acquainting his uncle withwhat had occurred. This brought on both Randolph Rover and the boys'father.
"You have certainly done wonderfully well," said Randolph Rover, as hetook his bonds. "Were you not so rich already I should want to rewardyou."
"We don't want any reward," said Dick. "But I am sorry we didn't catchMerrick."
For a long time the authorities tried to catch Sid Merrick and alsoendeavored to learn the whereabouts of Tad Sobber, but without success.They had disappeared, and that seemed to be the end of it. The old housewas visited again, but nothing of value was found there. Later on sometramps set it on fire and it was burnt to the ground. A month later JohnPike and one other freight thief who was captured were tried for theirmisdeeds and sent to prison. The authorities used Bill Dangler as awitness against them, and Dangler, consequently, was let go. Strange tosay, Dangler turned over a new leaf and became a hard working man in arailroad stone quarry some miles from Carwell.
With the mystery of the traction company bonds cleared up, the Roverboys returned to Putnam Hall to complete their last term at thatinstitution of learning. They applied themselves diligently to theirstudies, and when the final examinations came off all passed with flyingcolors.
"Whoop! I'm glad those exams are over!" cried Tom. "I feel as if ahundred-pound weight was taken off my shoulders."
"I am glad, too," answered Sam.
"And I am glad all of us did so well," put in Dick. "Our reports willplease father and Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha."
It had been arranged that the commencement exercises should be carriedout on rather an elaborate scale, and many people were invited toattend. This brought all the Rovers and also the Stanhopes and theLanings to Putnam Hall. Dick had been called on to deliver thevaledictory and he made such a stirring address that he was vigorouslyapplauded. Sam and Tom appeared in a humor dialogue, with Fred andLarry, and this was received with shouts of laughter. Songbird recitedan original poem which was a vast improvement over the most of hisdoggerel, and Hans and some of the others sang in a quartet which wouldhave done credit to the average college glee club.
"Oh, it was splendid, Dick!" said Dora, after it was over andcongratulations were in order. And her eyes shone like stars as shepressed his hand.
"I saw only you, Dora, when I got up to speak," he whispered. "Andthat's why I did my best."
"You and Sam had better go on the stage," said Nellie to Tom. "Thatdialogue was too funny for anything!"
"I laughed till the tears came," added Grace. "It was a splendidprogramme all the way through."
"Well done, my boys, well done," said Anderson Rover, as he took each bythe hand. "I was never so proud of you as I am to-day."
"Now that we have finished our studies here what are we to do next?"questioned Dick, earnestly.
"We will settle that question this summer," answered his father. "But inthe meantime--" Mr. Rover paused and looked at his oldest sonthoughtfully.
"But what, father?"
"I will tell you when we get home, Dick--there is no use of my trying todo so in this excitement. I have something very unusual to propose,"answered Anderson Rover, and what that proposal was, and what came ofit, will be related in another volume, to be entitled, "The Rover Boyson Treasure Isle; Or, The Strange Cruise of the Steam Yacht." In thatvolume we shall meet many of our old friends again, and also learnsomething concerning the disappearance of Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber.
That evening the celebration at Putnam Hall was continued. The cadetslit a huge bonfire on the campus and around this they danced and sangand made speeches. They cheered everybody, from Captain Putnam down toPeleg Snuggers, and the festivities were kept up until midnight. Thenthe boys went to bed--but not to sleep--for was this not the last nightat school? Innumerable tricks were played, including one on Peter Sladethat that youth never forgot. This made the bully so angry he declaredhe was going to quit Putnam Hall for good, and he did, and nobody missedhim.
"And now for home!" cried Dick the next morning on dressing.
"And fresh adventures," added Tom.
"But I do hate to leave
dear old Putnam Hall," sighed Sam, and then theothers sighed, too.
It was not until noon that the three Rover boys were ready to go, havingfirst bid farewell to their numerous friends. Then they shook hands withCaptain Putnam.
"We hate awfully to leave you," said Dick, earnestly.
"And I hate to have you go, Richard," was the reply. "You must visit theHall some time in the future."
"And you must come and see us, Captain Putnam," said Tom.
"Yes, indeed," added Sam.
"I will," answered the master of the Hall.
Then the boys shook hands all over again and ran for the carryall. Someboys left behind set up a shout:
"Good-bye, Dick!"
"Sorry to have you go, Tom!"
"May we meet again, Sam!"
"Good-bye, everybody!" was the answering shout. "Good-bye to dear oldPutnam Hall!"
Then the whip cracked, the carryall rolled from the door; and the Roverboys' days at Putnam Hall military school were at an end.
THE END