HOME AGAIN
"Good riddance to bad rubbish!"
"You told the truth that time, Andy. We're certainly well rid of Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell."
"Say! I'd like to know some of the particulars of the interview Slugger and Nappy had with Colonel Colby. It must have been a pippin," remarked Fred.
"One thing is certain—Colonel Colby must have laid down the law pretty severely to them; otherwise they would never have gotten out of this school in such a hurry," came from Jack.
"I'm mighty glad I got that one crack in on Martell," remarked Fred. "Some day I'll give that fellow a licking, big as he is," continued the youngest of the Rover boys.
"The only fellow I'm sorry for is Codfish," came from Randy. "That poor little rat looks about as miserable as any kid could look."
"He ought to be thankful that he wasn't kicked out with the others," said Spouter. "He certainly deserved it."
"He did," agreed Jack. "Just the same, now that Slugger and Nappy are gone, if Codfish wants to turn over a new leaf and make a man of himself, I'm not going to stand in his way."
Twenty-four hours had passed since the events recorded in the previous chapter. They had been filled with both mystery and excitement for the Rover boys and their chums. Only a little of what had taken place in Colonel Colby's office had filtered out to the cadets, but it was enough to show them that the master of the Hall had dealt severely with Slugger and Nappy. Those two unworthies had come forth looking both cowed and excited, and they had rushed up to their rooms to pack their belongings without delay.
In the meanwhile, Codfish had come forth sobbing, and had been allowed to go to his room, where he locked himself in and denied himself even to Mrs. Crews, the matron who looked after the younger scholars.
"I—I don't want to see no—nobody!" Codfish had cried out. "Go away and leave me alone! I—I didn't mean to do anything! It was Brown and Martell made me do it!" and then he had burst into another fit of weeping.
Both the Rover boys and their chums had wanted to see how the bully and his crony would act after their interview with Colonel Colby. They met Slugger and Nappy in the hall as they were on the point of leaving the school, and some sharp words had passed. Nappy had threatened Fred, and made a savage pass at him with his fist. In return, the youngest Rover had landed on the other's chin, and sent Nappy staggering up against the wall.
In the meanwhile, there had been a set-to between Slugger and Jack, and although the oldest Rover boy was struck on the shoulder, he had had the satisfaction of making the bully measure his length on his back. Then the approach of Professor Brice, backed up by Captain Dale and Bob Nixon, had brought the brief contests to a close, and Slugger and Nappy had lost no time in hurrying below, where the auto-stage was already in waiting to take them and their baggage to Haven Point. Many of the cadets assembled had jeered at the departing youths, and they, in their rage, had shaken their fists at those left behind as the auto-stage departed.
"I hope we never see those fellows again," remarked Randy. But this wish was doomed to disappointment—the Rovers were to see a good deal more of Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell.
The boys had now to apply themselves to their examinations, and they went at this with a will, resolved to make the best showing possible.
"We've got to do it," was the way Jack expressed himself. "We want the folks at home to know that we are keeping at our studies. Then, if they happen to hear of some of the jokes we play, they will know that we're doing something else here besides having fun."
The lads had already written home regarding the Christmas holidays and what they would like to do. In return, they received word that they could have Gif and Spouter down for the week between Christmas and New Year's if they so desired. And Jack's mother also sent a letter to Spouter inviting him to bring along his Cousin May and her friend, Ruth.
"All of us, including Martha and Mary, will be glad to become acquainted with your cousin and her school chum," wrote Mrs. Dick Rover. "The girls are very anxious to learn more about Clearwater Hall, and it is just possible that we may send them to that school later on."
"Hurrah! that's fine!" cried Jack, when Spouter showed him the letter. "If only May and Ruth go to New York, I'm sure they'll be able to persuade Martha and Mary that there is no better girls' school on earth than Clearwater Hall."
"You leave that to me, Jack," answered Spouter. "I'll tell May just what to do."
Of course the Rover boys were all very anxious after the examinations were over to find out how they had fared. On the following Friday afternoon Colonel Colby read the results. Fred and Randy had received ninety-four per cent., Jack had gotten ninety-two, and Andy had reached eighty-eight. As seventy per cent. was the passing mark, it can be seen that the boys had passed with considerable to spare.
"My, that's a relief!" sighed Andy. "Somehow, at the last minute, I was afraid I had fallen down completely. There were a few examples in algebra that were regular stickers for me."
"Physiology was what got me," observed Jack grimly. "How do I know how many bones I've got in my body? I never saw them," and at this there was a general smile.
After the examinations there was but little to do at the school apart from the drills. There was an entertainment given by the boys in which both Jack and Andy took part. Then, almost before they knew it, the session came to an end, and the cadets had packed up and were on their way home.
"After all, I'll be glad to see little old New York once more," remarked Randy, when they and their friends were seated on the train.
"Right you are!" cried Fred. "I think, after the semi-country life at Haven Point, a big city will look mighty good to us."
"Say, fellows, do you remember when we came up to the school, how we fell in with Asa Lemm?" remarked Andy.
"I haven't forgotten it!" cried his twin, and then he added quickly: "I wonder if old Lemon wrote to our folks."
"I don't think so," answered Jack. "If he had, I think we would have heard of it."
When the boys arrived at the Grand Central Terminal, they found Martha and Mary and Tom Rover awaiting them.
"Glad to see you back, boys!" cried the father of the twins, as he greeted them warmly, and then greeted the others.
"Oh, Jack, I declare you're growing awfully tall!" burst out his sister Martha, as she embraced him.
"Well, I guess Fred is growing tall, too," put in Mary Rover.
"Well, you wouldn't expect any of us to grow shorter, would you?" queried Andy gaily, and this made both of the girls laugh.
With greetings all around finished, the whole party pushed its way through the crowd to the Forty-second Street entrance of the Terminal, where two of the Rover limousines were in waiting.
"This looks something like!" remarked Jack, when the automobiles were on their way through the busy streets to Riverside Drive. "I haven't seen so many people since I left."
"And how do you like Colby Hall?" questioned his sister eagerly.
"Dandy, Martha! It couldn't be beat! I can tell you, we boys are mighty glad that our dads picked out such a bully good school for us," and his face showed his satisfaction.
"And what about Clearwater Hall?"
"That's a dandy place, too,—at least, the girls who go there say it is. If May Powell comes down with Spouter, she'll tell you all about it."
The home-coming of the Rover boys was a gala occasion. Dick Rover and his brother Sam had just come up home from the offices in Wall Street, and they and their wives, as well as the twins' mother, greeted the lads affectionately.
"It's been kind of lonely since you went away," said Mrs. Tom Rover, as she caught each of the twins around the waist.
"I suppose you missed our tricks, Ma," returned Andy slyly.
"Maybe I did, Andy. But I wouldn't mind the tricks so much if only you were here," and she gave a little sigh.
"Well, we're going to be here for a week, anyway," put in Randy, and then both of the twins gave their mother such a hug as she had not received for a long time.
Jack was already telling his father and his two uncles something about Colby Hall. All of the men listened with close attention and considerable satisfaction.
"I guess Larry has patterned it pretty closely after Putnam Hall and West Point," remarked Sam Rover. "And that's as it should be, to my way of thinking."
"He'd have to go a long way to do better," answered Tom Rover. "Everybody knows that West Point is an ideal school, and dear old Putnam Hall was a close second to it."
"I hope you lads haven't been playing too many tricks," went on Dick Rover, as he gazed from one face to another before him.
"Well, Uncle Dick, we had to play some tricks," answered Andy, a bit lamely.
"You couldn't expect us to just sit still and hold our hands," added Randy.
"We might as well own up to one thing," said Jack boldly. "We did play a trick on one of the teachers—a fellow named Asa Lemm. Nobody liked Lemm, and when Colonel Colby had a rumpus with him and made him resign, all of us felt better."
Fortunately for the boys, an interruption came just at that moment in the way of an announcement that dinner was ready. This was served in the Dick Rover home, and was participated in by all of the members of the Rover family. It made quite a table full.
"Gee! but it's nice to be here once more!" exclaimed Andy, while he was eating.
"Beats a meal in the mess-room at the Hall all hollow, doesn't it?" returned his twin.
"And yet you talk about going away on a hunting trip," broke in their father quizzically.
"Oh, yes! But Uncle Tom, we are going to spend a whole week in New York before that!" broke in Fred.
"I want to know a little more about this trip you're planning to Snowshoe Island," remarked Dick Rover. "I want to make sure that it's a perfectly safe place for you to visit."
"Oh, I'm sure it's safe enough," answered Jack; and thereupon he and the others told what they knew about the island and Barney Stevenson.
"That old lumberman must be quite a character," was Dick Rover's comment. "Well, we'll see about this trip later," and there, for the time being, the matter was dropped.
The boys had gotten home just two days before Christmas, and they spent their entire time the next day in shopping for presents. In this they were partly aided by Martha and Mary, especially when it came to selecting presents for their mothers. Then, however, they sent the girls away, so that they might buy something for them. Although they did not mention this, Jack also wished to get a little reminder for Ruth, while Fred was equally desirous of obtaining something for May.
Christmas dawned bright and clear, and many were the cries of joy which rang throughout the three Rover households. All the young folks spent over an hour in running back and forth, wishing this one and that one "Merry Christmas!" Then came the distribution of presents.
"Just what I wanted!" cried Fred, as he inspected his pile of gifts. There was a new watch, some gorgeous neckties, several books, and a splendid little double-barrelled shotgun.
"Don't say a word! It couldn't be better!" came from Randy.
"The best Christmas ever!" echoed his twin. They, too, had numerous gifts, including little diamond stickpins, new skates, some boxing gloves, and bright-colored sweaters, into which their cousins had knitted the initials C. H.
"Now, I presume, you'll be real Colby Hall cadets," said their mother, when they had donned the sweaters and were strutting around in them.
"This sure is one grand Christmas!" said Jack. He, too, had fared well, receiving a beautiful seal ring, a new traveling bag, completely equipped, several sets of books for which he had longed greatly, and also a small, but first-class, repeating rifle.
"Now we've certainly got to go on that hunt," remarked Fred, placing his new shotgun beside the new rifle.
"Right you are, Fred!" responded Jack. "But first we're going to have one dandy time down here in New York."