The Rover Boys on the Farm; or, Last Days at Putnam Hall
been productive of a good deal of sport.
"Let us go down to the steamboat landing and see if we can see anything
of Pell and Sobber," suggested Dick. "If Sobber is going to Ithaca he'll
most likely go by the _Golden Star_."
They were walking along the main street of Cedarville when they chanced
to look into the principal candy store. There, in front of the soda
fountain, were the bully of the Hall and his crony. They were drinking
soda and talking to a young girl who had served them.
"Hullo, here they are!" cried Sam, and came to a halt.
As they looked into the place they saw Tad Sobber reach over the counter
and catch the girl clerk by her curls. He held fast, grinning into her
face, while she tried to pull away from him.
"The mean wretch!" cried Dick. "He tries to make himself as obnoxious as
he can to everybody he meets."
"Oh, please let go!" came in the girl's voice through the open doorway.
"You hurt me!"
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," replied Sobber, still grinning.
"But I--I don't want my curls pulled," pleaded the frightened girl. "Oh,
please let go, won't you?"
"I want you----" began the bully, but did not finish, for at that moment
he felt Dick's hand on his ear. Then he received a yank that pained him
exceedingly.
"Ouch!" he yelled, and dropped his hold of the girl. "Oh, my ear! Dick
Rover, what did you do that for?"
"I did it to make you behave yourself," answered Dick, sternly. "Sobber,
I didn't really think you could be so mean," he went on.
"I--I wasn't hurting the girl," grumbled the bully. "And it's none of
your business anyway," he added, suddenly, in a blaze of passion.
"After this, you leave her alone."
Tad Sobber glared at Dick for an instant. Then he raised his glass of
soda and attempted to dash it into Dick's face. But Sam saw the
movement, knocked up the bully's arm, and the soda went into Nick Pell's
ear.
"Hi, stop!" roared Nick Pell, as the soda trickled down his neck. "What
did you do that for?"
"It was Sam Rover's fault," answered Sobber.
"My brand new collar is spoilt!"
"Charge it to your crony," said Tom.
"I'll fix you fellows!" roared the bully, and raised the empty soda
glass over Dick's head. But now Tom rushed in and wrenched the glass
from Sobber's hand. In the meantime the girl behind the counter had
become more frightened than ever and she ran to the back of the store to
summon assistance.
It looked as if there might be a regular fight, but in a few seconds the
proprietor of the store appeared, armed with a mop stick he had picked
up. He happened to be the father of the girl, and she told him how Tad
Sobber had caught her by the hair.
"See here," began the candy store keeper, and flourished his mop stick
at the bully. Then Sobber retreated from the establishment and Nick Pell
did likewise, and both started on a run up the street.
"What do you cadets mean by coming in here and annoying my daughter?"
demanded the storekeeper hotly. "If you can't behave yourselves, you had
better keep away."
"We didn't hurt your daughter," said Sam.
"My brother here did what he could to save her from annoyance," said
Tom.
"Oh, I know you cadets! You are all tarred with the same brush!"
muttered the storekeeper. "I want you to get out--and stay out!"
"Yes, but----" began Dick.
"No 'buts' about it, young man. I want you to get out."
"Father, he made the other boy let go of my curls," explained the girl.
"He caught the other boy by the ear."
"That may be, Fanny, but these young bloods are all alike. I don't want
their trade. They must clear out, and stay away."
"Come on, fellows," said Dick. "We'll not stay if we are not wanted." He
turned again to the storekeeper. "But I want you to remember one thing:
We had nothing to do with annoying your daughter."
"Did they pay for the soda?" asked the man suddenly.
"No," replied the girl.
"Then this crowd has got to pay," went on the storekeeper, unreasonably.
"How much was it?"
"Ten cents."
"We haven't bought anything and we'll not pay for anything," said Sam.
"Not a cent shall I pay," put in Songbird.
"Did vos a outrages!" burst out Hans. "Of you insult us some more I vos
call a bolicemans alretty!" And he puffed up his chest indignantly.
"Well, you get out, and be quick about it!" cried the man, and raised
his stick. "Don't let me catch any of you in here again either!"
"Don't worry,--we can spend our money elsewhere," said Tom.
"Where we are treated decently," added Dick, and walked from the candy
store.
Once outside, the boys talked the situation over for all of ten minutes,
but without satisfaction. All were indignant over the way the
storekeeper had treated them, and Tom wanted to go back on the sly and
play a trick on him, but Dick demurred.
"Let it go, Tom. He is a mean man, that's all."
"Well, I am going to show folks how generous he is," answered Tom, with
a sudden grin. "Wait here a few minutes," and he darted into a nearby
store where they sold stationery. When he came out he had a good-sized
sheet of paper in his hand and also several big red seals.
"What's that?" asked Sam.
"It's a sign for the candy storekeeper's front window."
With caution Tom went back to the store. He saw that the proprietor was
in the rear parlor, dishing out ice-cream to several customers who had
come in. The girl was also at the back. Swiftly Tom stuck the sheet of
paper up under the show window, fastening it with the gummy seals. The
paper read as follows:
FREE BOUQUETS OF ROSES TO ALL YOUNG LADIES BUYING ICE-CREAM HERE TO-DAY.
COME IN!
"Now let us watch for some fun," said Tom.
They had not long to wait. The steamboat had come in and a number of
passengers were walking up the street. Soon a party of three girls and a
young man espied the sign.
"Oh, Clara," cried one of the girls. "Free roses this time of year, just
think of it!"
"Come on right in," said the young man, and led the way into the store.
Then another young man came along with a girl and they also read the
sign and entered. Soon two old maids stopped and read the announcement.
"I do love ice-cream, Angelina," said one. "Let us go in and get
chocolate and get the bouquets, too." And they followed the crowd
inside.
The store had two side windows to it, which were opened a few inches
from the bottom for ventilation, and the cadets stole up to these
windows to listen to the talk. Everybody ordered cream and began to eat,
and then asked for the bouquets.
"Bouquets?" asked the storekeeper, mystified.
"Why, yes," said the young man who had brought in the three girls.
"If you don't mind, I'd like Jack roses," said one of the maidens.
"And I like American Beauties," said another.
"I don't care what kind I get so long as it is a big bunch," added the
third girl.
"What are you talking about?" demanded the storekeeper.
"We are talking about the bouquets you are giving away," said the young
man. He had eaten nearly all of his cream and the girls had almost
finished.
"I am giving away no bouquets."
"Why, yes you are!" cried the girls.
"Of course!" put in one of the old maids, suspiciously. "And I want just
as good a bunch of roses as anybody."
"So do I," added the second old maid.
"Are you folks all crazy?" demanded the storekeeper. "I am not giving
away anything."
"What!" demanded the young man who had come in with one girl. "Your sign
don't read that way. It says 'free bouquets of roses to all young ladies
buying ice-cream here to-day.' You've got to give this young lady her
bouquet or I won't pay for this cream!"
"Where is that sign?" demanded the storekeeper, and when told rushed out
and tore the announcement down and into shreds. "This is a--an outrage!
I didn't put the sign up!"
After this there was a wordy war lasting several minutes. Nobody wanted
to pay for the cream eaten, and as he could not furnish the bouquets the
storekeeper could not collect. In a rage he chased the would-be
customers out and then started to look for the person who had played him
such a trick. But the cadets of Putnam Hall had withdrawn from that
vicinity and they took good care to keep out of sight.
CHAPTER XV
AN ASTONISHING GIFT
The steamboat had to take on considerable freight at Cedarville, so she
remained at the little dock for the best part of half an hour. During
that time the Rovers and their friends saw Tad Sobber and Nick Pell
walking around the village, but did not speak to them.
"Hullo, here is something new," said Songbird, as they walked past the
stores. "A dime museum!"
"Such a thing as that will never pay here," was Dick's comment. "Not
enough people."
"It is to remain only one week," said Sam, after reading the sign over
the door.
"Wonder if they really have one hundred snakes in the collection?" mused
Tom, also reading the sign. "If so, there would be some fun if the bunch
broke loose."
"Want to go in and look at the snakes?" asked Songbird.
"I ton't," answered Hans. "Of I look at so many of dem nasty dings I
couldn't sleep for a month or sefen days, ain't it!" And he shuddered.
While the boys were walking away they chanced to look back and saw Tad
Sobber and Nick Pell come from the "museum," so called. The bully was
talking to a man connected with the show, a fellow who usually stood
outside, "barking" as it is called,--that is, asking folks to come up
and walk in and see the wonders inside.
"Sobber must know that fellow," was Dick's comment, but thought no more
of this until long afterwards. A little later they saw the bully embark
on the steamboat, and Nick Pell started back for Putnam Hall alone.
The boys purchased the things they wanted and returned to the school.
They did not see Nick Pell until the following day, and then the latter
paid no attention to them. Sobber did not return to Putnam Hall for the
best part of a week. Then he appeared very thoughtful and he eyed all of
the Rover boys in a crafty, speculative way.
"He has got it in for us," said Tom, but how much Tad Sobber "had it in"
for the Rovers was still to be learned.
The boys had not forgotten about the proposed feast, and it was arranged
that it should come off in the dormitory occupied by the Rovers and some
others on the following Tuesday night as soon as all the lights were
out. Word was passed around quietly, and the Rover boys thought that
only their intimate friends knew of what was going on, but they were
mistaken.
By pure accident Nick Pell overheard Larry Colby and Fred Garrison
speaking of the feast. It had been arranged that Larry and Fred should
contribute a big raisin cake and the two boys were wondering how they
could get it from the bake shop in Cedarville and up to the dormitory
without being seen.
"Never mind, we'll manage it somehow, if we have to use a rope," said
Larry.
"They are going to have a spread," said Nick Pell, running up to Tad
Sobber with the story. "We ought to tell Captain Putnam and spoil things
for them."
"That won't do us any good, Nick," answered the bully. "The captain
thinks too much of the Rovers--he wouldn't punish them much, especially
as this is their last term here. I'll think up something else. I want to
do something to 'em that they will remember as long as they live."
"You seem to be extra bitter against the Rovers since you got back from
Ithaca," said Pell, curiously.
"Am I? Well, I have good cause to be bitter," growled Tad Sobber. "Just
let me put on my thinking cap, and I'll fix 'em, and don't you forget
it!"
That night the bully asked for permission to go to Cedarville on
important business. He went alone, and once in the town hurried directly
to the museum already mentioned. The proprietor had done little or no