CHAPTER XXVI
SAM SHOWS WHAT HE CAN DO
"It was another trick. He knocked me down on purpose."
Thus spoke Sam, as soon as he could get a hearing.
"Well, if that isn't beastly!" cried Franell, in apparent surprise. "Iknocked him over! Why the little clown plumped right into me!
"Were you running on your side of the path?" questioned George Strong.
"I was, sir. Flapp and Pigley can prove it."
"That's right, Mr. Strong," said Lew Flapp.
"It was entirely Rover's fault," added Pigley. "He didn't keep to theright as he should."
The other runners were questioned, but could give no testimony, as theyhad not been close enough at the time of the collision.
"It is too bad it happened," said Captain Putnam.
"I would have won if it hadn't been for the fall," said Sam bitterly."I was in the lead."
"Yes, but you were about winded," said Flapp. "I saw you gettinggroggy. That's what made you fall into Franell, I guess."
This remark made the youngest Rover more angry than ever.
"Mr. Strong," he said, turning to the head teacher suddenly, "will youdo me a favor?"
"What do you wish, Rover?"
"Will you time me if I run that race over again?"
"You mean to run it over alone?"
"Yes, sir--unless Flapp will run against me."
"I've won the race and that's all there is to it," grumbled the tallboy doggedly.
"Certainly I'll time you, if you wish it," said Mr. Strong, who saw howdisappointed Sam was. "But it won't be a race, you know."
"I don't care--I want to show them what I can do."
"Very well."
Sam drew up to the mark and declared himself ready.
"Shall I run with you?" asked Tom. "Just to urge you on, you know?"
"All right, Tom, come on."
"Go!" cried George Strong, watch in hand and his eye on the secondhand.
Away went the brothers side by side, while a cheer went up from thosewho had wished to see Sam win.
Tom kept close to his brother until the rounding rock was gained andhere Sam compelled him to drop behind.
"Go on!" yelled Tom good-naturedly. "Go! I'm after you!" and he put onan extra spurt. Sam also spurted and kept the lead by about two yards.
"Humph! that ain't running!" muttered Lew Flapp to Rockley, butnevertheless, he was greatly disturbed.
Down the line swept the two runners with the speed of the wind, Samkeeping his two yards' lead in spite of Tom's efforts to overtake him.
"Won!" was the shout. "And Tom Rover is close behind." And then thecrowd gathered around George Strong to learn the time.
"Eight seconds better than Lew Flapp!" was the cry. "And Tom Rover camein four seconds better!"
"That shows what Sam Rover would have done had Franell kept out of hisway."
"The race should have gone to Sam Rover!"
So the cries kept up until Captain Putnam compelled the cadets to quietdown.
Lew Flapp and his cronies were much disgusted and left the field almostimmediately.
"He's afraid to stay," declared Dick. "He doesn't want Sam to challengehim," and this was the truth.
The foot races were followed by some prize shooting, a race on thelake, and then by a tub race, and a race in sacks, which called forthmuch laughter, not only from the cadets, but also from the visitors.
"It was just splendid!" declared Alice Staton to Dick, when it was allover. "I never had such a lovely time in my life."
"Nor I," added her twin sister. "But your brother should have had thatrunning race. It was a shame to knock him down."
"Never mind," said Tom, who had come up. "All the boys know he can runfaster than the winner anyway."
A luncheon was served to the visitors by Captain Putnam's order andafter that the cadets and their newly-made friends were allowed to gowalking, boating, or driving, as they saw fit. Swings had been erectedin the grove close to the encampment and these were constantlypatronized.
"It must be lots of fun to be a cadet," said Alice Staton, when readyto depart. "If I was a boy I should want to go to a military academy."
"Oh, it's not all play," said Tom. "We have to work pretty hard overour studies and sometimes a fellow doesn't feel like drilling, but hasto do it all the same."
It can truly be said that the Flapp crowd were much disappointed overthe results of the day's contests. Only two events had been won--a boatrace of small importance and the race in which Lew Flapp had come offvictor, and the latter victory was dimmed by the knowledge that SamRover had cut down Flapp's time over the course by eight seconds.
"We may as well sell out and go home," said Pender, in deep disgust.
"But we can't go home," returned Rockley. "We've got to stay right hereand take all the taunts that come along."
"Nobody shall taunt me," cried Jackson. "If they try it I'll punchsomebody's nose."
"And to think we lost our money, too," said Ben Hurdy, after a pause."That's what makes me sick."
"Reckon you didn't lose much," said Lew Flapp, with a sickly grin.
"I lost all I had, and that's enough."
"Who won it?"
"Hans Mueller. That crazy Dutch boy was yelling for Tom Rover and Itook him up."
The Flapp crowd did not feel like mingling with the visitors, and atthe first opportunity Lew Flapp and his intimate cronies slipped awayfrom the camp and hurried to the hermit's den they had discovered.
"We'll have a little jollification of our own," said Rockley, and hisplan was speedily carried into effect, in a fashion which would nothave been approved by Captain Putnam or any of the teachers under him.
"We must get after Dick Rover," said Flapp, while smoking ablack-looking cigar. "As a captain he stands pretty high. If we canpull him down we'll be striking a blow at the whole Rover family andalso at their intimate friends."
"Right you are. But the question is, How are we to get hold of him, andwhat are we to do?" put in Jackson.
"I've got a plan, but I don't know exactly how it will work."
"Let us have it, Lew," came from Gus Pender.
"Some dark night we'll go to Rover's tent and haul him from his cot.We'll wear masks and he'll think he's in for a bit of hazing and won'tsqueal very loud. Then we can blindfold him and bring him here."
"So far, so good," put in Rockley. "And after that?"
"You know how he hates liquor?"
"Does he, or is it all put on?" questioned Ben Hurdy.
"I can't say as to that, but anyway he pretends to hate it, so itamounts to the same thing. Well, after we have him here we can get himto drink something by hook or by crook, and when he falls asleep we canput an empty bottle in his hand and then somebody can bring CaptainPutnam to the spot. That will wipe out Dick Rover's record as a modelpupil all in a minute."
"Good!" almost shouted Rockley. "We can dose him easily. You just leavethat for me."
"Wish we could get his brothers into it, too," came from Pender.
"Oh, we can serve them out some other way," answered Lew Flapp. "At thestart, we don't want to bite off more than we can chew," he addedslangily.
The matter was discussed for fully an hour, and when the meeting brokeup each member understood fully what was to be accomplished.
Two days after the athletic contests the cadets had a prize drill. Thecadets had been preparing for this for some time and each company didits best to win.
"I am greatly pleased with the showing made by all three companies,"said Captain Putnam after the drilling and marching were at an end."Companies B and C have done very well indeed. But for generalexcellence the average of Company A is a little above the others, sothe prize must go to Captain Rover's command."
"Hurrah for Dick Rover!" was the cry, and this was followed by a cheerfor First Lieutenant Powell and for Second Lieutenant Tom Rover.
"Humph! Forever cheering those Rovers!" muttered Flapp, who was inCompan
y C. "My, but it makes me sick!"
"Never mind," whispered Rockley. "Just wait till we get the chance towork our little game."
At once Lew Flapp's face took on a cunning look.
"I've got an idea," he whispered in return. "Why not try it onto-night? Then Captain Putnam would say Rover had been celebratingbecause his company won the prize."
"You are right there, Lew, I didn't think of that. Wait till I soundthe other fellows."
It did not take Rockley long to talk to his cronies, and presently hecame back with a knowing look on his face.
"It's settled," he said. "By to-morrow morning Dick Rover will be indisgrace and will lose his position as captain of Company A."