Several days slipped by and during that time Dave paid close attention to his lessons. He had also a theme to write on “The Future of Our Country,” and he devoted considerable time to this, hoping it would receive at least honorable mention, even if it did not win the prize offered for the best production.
“Come on down to town!” cried Roger, one 155 afternoon, as he rushed in, “Big excitement on! Going to blow the railroad up!”
“Blow the railroad up?” queried our hero. “What sort of a joke is this, Roger?”
“No joke, at all. You know the old stone bridge over the creek?”
“Sure.”
“Well, the railroad wants to get rid of it and do it quickly, so they can build another, so the contractors are going to blow the old bridge up with dynamite at half-past four o’clock.”
“Let’s go!” burst out Phil. “It will be a great sight—to see that old bridge go up.”
“Right you are!” cried Ben.
All the boys were enthusiastic, and in the end fully fifty students got permission to go down to Oakdale to see the old stone bridge destroyed.
“None of you must go very close,” warned Doctor Clay, “for dynamite is powerful stuff—eight times more powerful than gunpowder.”