"Except that mother knew Dr. Wesley Doolittle, the principal, and she thought we needed to go to some quiet place, after the lively times we had this summer."
"Smoked lobsters!" exclaimed Andy. "I hope it's not too quiet. I want to have some fun when I go off to boarding school. Say, Frank, see that man sleeping over there by the smokestack?" and the lad motioned in the direction.
"Yes, I see him. What of it?"
"I've got one of those rubber spiders in my pocket. You know, the kind that you dangle on a string. I'll sneak up behind him, and hold it over his head. Then you make a loud noise and he'll wake up. He'll have a fit when he sees a big bug about to fall on him. Come ahead," and Andy, who was always on the alert for fun or a joke, started toward the man.
"No, you don't!" exclaimed Frank quickly. "I've gotten into enough trouble with you and your jokes since we started from New York. You wait until you get to school before you try any more funny business. Have you forgotten how the lobster you wanted to nip Chet Sedley nipped you?"
"Wow! I should say not. But this trip is getting slow. I wish something would happen. Come on, let's go on the upper deck where we can see better. We may sight Riverview Hall."
"Oh, we'll see enough of that before we get through with it. But, Andy, I'm as anxious as you are to know what kind of a place it is, and I won't be sorry when we locate it. Come on; walking about is more fun than standing still."
The two boys, Frank Racer, aged about fifteen and his brother Andy, a year younger, who were on their way to boarding school for the first time in their lives, walked away together.
They had left their home in New York city early that morning, and after traveling some distance by train had boarded the steamer that was to take them to Riverview Hall, an institution of learning located on Halcyon river in the western part of New York state.
The boat was making fair time up the stream, which was a good sized one, and quite broad. As the craft made a turn, giving a good view for some distance up the river, Andy, who had taken a position well forward, on the upper deck, uttered a cry.