The Putnam Hall Rivals

“That was a foul!” grumbled Reff Ritter.

“Of course it was a foul!” chimed in Dan Baxter.

“It was a fair ball,” said the umpire. “Perfectly fair.”

The Medals wanted to argue, but the umpire would not listen. There was a cry from all around the diamond to “Play ball!” and the umpire pulled out his watch.

“Play in two minutes or forfeit the game,” he said, loudly.

Still grumbling, Dan Baxter walked back to the box. He sent in a ball with care and the batsman had a strike called on him. But then came a safe hit and Bart came in, tying the score, 9 to 9, amid a great cheering.

Pepper was now to the bat, but went out on a fly to second. Then came Hogan.

“Now, Emerald, we depend on you,” said Bart, in a low tone.

“I shan’t disappoint yez, not me!” grunted the Irish cadet. “I’m on to his curves, so I am!”

The very first ball came in just as Hogan wished it. He took a step, landed solidly on the sphere, and sprinted like mad for first.

“Foul ball!” sang out the umpire, when poor Emerald was halfway to second base.

“Bad cess to the foul!” panted the batsman, as he walked slowly back to the home-plate. “I thought I had third sure!”

The next ball was too high, and he let it pass. Then came another just right, and once more the Irish youth banged away with all of his might. This time the sphere went down to deep center.

“Run! run!” was the yell. “Run, Emerald!”

“Show ’em what an Irish lad can do!”

And Emerald did run, up to third. Then he saw the second-baseman muff the ball and saw Dan Baxter start for it, and he tore towards home. Over the plate he slid – and the ball came in – but just a second too late.

“The Browns are one run ahead!”

“Andy Snow is up next.”

“He won’t do much.”

“Wait and see.”

Andy had a strike called on him and then got three balls. Evidently Dan Baxter was getting nervous.

“Take your time, Andy,” said Bart. Andy did take his time, and as a result got four balls and walked to first-base.

Harry Blossom followed and Andy got to third. Then came a short hit to first, and Andy came in. By this time the Browns were highly enthusiastic, while the Medals were correspondingly dejected. Dan Baxter “went to pieces” completely, and when the Browns finally went out it was with fourteen runs to their credit.

“Now we must pull up,” said Ritter, with a scowl at Dan Baxter.

“It’s a mountain to climb over,” grumbled Coulter.

Jack was on his mettle and did all he could to steady himself. The first player up to the bat was struck out, and the second went out on a foul. Then one got to first on balls and another followed.

“Steady, Jack, steady!” whispered Pepper. “Don’t go to pieces as Baxter did.”

“I won’t,” said Jack, and shut his teeth hard.

With two out the Medals filled the bases, and then Reff Ritter came to the bat.

“Knock a homer, Reff!” shouted one of his friends. “A home run would mean four runs.”

Reff scowled at Jack as he took his place. Jack looked determined. He threw in the ball with care.

“Strike one!”

“Too high!” grumbled Ritter.

Again the ball came in.

“Ball one!”

Once again the sphere was delivered, and Reff Ritter struck at it with all his might. It sailed over Jack’s head and seemed bound for center-field, when like a flash Pepper at second leaped up and caught it in his left hand.

“Hurrah! What a fine catch!”

“That ends the game!”

“The Browns win! Hurrah!”

CHAPTER XXI

MARCHING TO CAMP

For the victory they had won our friends were warmly congratulated. Many came up and patted them on the back.

“It was a dandy catch, Pepper,” said Joe Nelson. “I never saw a better.”

“That was a fine rap of Emerald,” said Pepper. “That set the ball a-rolling for us.”

Dan Baxter felt thoroughly disgusted at the result and so did Reff Ritter and the others of the Medals.

“We might have won the game if you hadn’t gone to pieces,” grumbled Ritter to the bully.

“Huh!” answered Baxter. “I hadn’t any support,” and then he hurried for the Hall and out of sight.

“Baxter certainly pitched well for eight innings,” said Jack. “One must give him credit.”

As soon as they could get away from their friends, Jack and his chums walked over to where Mr. Ford had stationed his automobile.

“Oh, it was lovely!” cried Laura. “I never enjoyed a game more.”

“I was so afraid you were going to lose at first I hardly knew what to do,” came from Flossie. “The winning out was grand!”

“You must come over to the Lodge, now we are settled down for the summer,” said Mrs. Ford, and the cadets promised to pay them a visit if they could manage to get off for that purpose.

“They are fine people,” remarked Andy, as they watched the departure of the automobile. “And the girls are – ”

“Peaches,” finished Pepper, and then all of the boys laughed.

During the next two weeks came several more ball-matches. The Browns played with four other nines, winning two games and losing two. The Medals played six games, of which they won only two.

“Hurrah! I’ve got news for you fellows!” shouted Jack, as he burst into the gymnasium one afternoon after a long talk with Captain Putnam. “We are to go into camp for three days, starting the middle of next week.”

“Good!” shouted Dale. “That suits me to a T!”

“Me too,” put in Stuffer. “No more hard lessons in algebra, and language – ”

“And plenty to eat, eh, Stuffer?” put in Pepper. “You got more than hardtack when we were out before, didn’t you?”

“You just bet I did, – and I had a dandy time, too,” answered Singleton.

“Where are we to go?” questioned Dale.

“That hasn’t been decided on just yet. If he can arrange it, Captain Putnam is going to let us go to a spot called Bear Island.”

“Great Cæsar, I don’t want to hunt bears!” cried Harry Blossom.

“I don’t think there are any bears on the island now, although there may have been years ago,” answered the young major.

The news soon spread throughout the school that they were to go into camp, and all of the students were correspondingly happy and began to plan what they would do when on the pleasure trip. It may be explained here that Captain Putnam took the cadets out to camp several times a year, just to give them a taste of army life.

“There will be fun in camp,” said Pepper.

“Right you are,” answered Andy, with a wink that meant a great deal.

Andy and Dale were coming through the lower hall that afternoon when they ran into Mumps. The toady was almost as white as a sheet and trembling from head to foot.

“Oh! I – I’m so glad I’ve met somebody!” gasped Mumps.

“What’s the matters, Mumps?” asked Dale.

“A – a burglar!”

“A burglar?” cried Andy, and now he was all attention.

“Yes, a real burglar. I – I just saw him!”

“Where?”

“Up in the dormitories. He was in Number 3, and then he went into Numbers 6 and 7. He – he was packing up all the – the things!” Mumps was shaking so he could scarcely speak.

“Why didn’t you tell the captain?”

“I was going to, but – but I was afraid the burglar would – would – ”

“Catch you?” asked Dale, and the toady nodded.

“We’ll have to report this,” said Andy. “Was there only one?”

“I – I – guess so, but I – I am not sure. Oh, isn’t it awful!”

“Let us see for ourselves,” said Dale. “I am not afraid of a burglar.”

“Oh, he may shoot you!” gasped Mumps.

“I’ll risk that. Come, show us where he is.”

“That’s the talk,” broke in Andy. “We’ll catch him red-handed and turn him over to the captain.”

“I – I don’t want to go back,” pleaded the toady. “Bet – better call Captain Putnam.”

“Not yet, Mumps. Where was the fellow last?”

“In dormitory Number 7.”

“We’ll soon root him out!” cried Dale, and leaped up the stairs with Andy at his heels. “Come on!” And Mumps followed, but at a safe distance behind.

Dale and Andy approached dormitory Number 7 with caution. It was empty and all of the rugs from the floor were gone.

A noise in the next room reached them. They looked in and saw a man kneeling on the floor, tying half a dozen small rugs into a bundle.

“Is this the man?” asked Andy, stepping back to Mumps.

“Ye – yes,” stammered the toady. “Do – don’t let him shoot you!”

“Mumps, you are the most cowardly fellow I ever saw in my life,” went on the acrobatic youth.

“I don’t care, some burglars are desperate characters,” whined Mumps. “I’ve read of them shooting people who tried to catch ’em.”

“This man isn’t a burglar.”

“How do you know?” and now the toady’s eyes opened widely.

“He is the man the captain hired to clean all the rugs and the carpets in the Hall. While we are in camp the school is to have a general cleaning.”

“Well, I never!” murmured Mumps.

“You’re a fine burglar hunter,” said Dale, and began to laugh. “Mumps, you ought to become a detective.”

“Oh, you needn’t make fun of me,” whined the toady, and ran off with a very red face.

The story was too good to keep, and soon many of the students knew how Baxter’s toady had thought to trap a burglar, and Mumps was plagued unmercifully. The man to do the cleaning also heard of it and laughed as loudly as anybody.

On the following Wednesday morning bright and early the cadets left Putnam Hall for the brief encampment. They took with them three wagons, loaded with tents, cooking utensils, and provisions.

The battalion certainly presented a fine appearance when it started off. Every cadet was looking his best, in a well-brushed uniform with shining buttons. Each gun and sword was polished to perfection. Major Jack was at the head, and he was filled with pardonable pride when he gave the order to march.

Tap! tap! tap, tap, tap! went the drums, and then the fifers struck up a shrill and lively air, and off they moved down the road in the direction of Lake Smalley, in the center of which was located Bear Island. The distance to be traveled was seventeen miles, and they calculated to cover it before sundown with ease.

The first few miles were over a smooth road, and good progress was made. Then they struck a hill, with rather a rough highway beyond, and the cadets were ordered to take the route step – that is, walk as you please. The way was past many farms and through some small communities, and many folks came out, to wave handkerchiefs and give them a cheer. One old lady who was on her front porch sweeping shook her broom at them, but did it so pleasantly the cadets had to laugh.

“Ye march well!” shouted one old farmer. “Good! Some day ye can all go to war, maybe, like I did years ago!” And he waved a red bandana at them.

At noon they stopped at a cross-roads hotel for dinner. Their coming had been arranged for by Captain Putnam, and they partook of a good meal of vegetables and rhubarb pie. A rest of an hour followed, and during that time some of the boys strolled to the cross-roads general store and made a few purchases.

By two o’clock the battalion was again on the march. They now passed through a patch of timber and then came to a turn in the road, beyond which were some fields of wheat and corn.

“Hullo, look there!” shouted one of the cadets, and pointed upward. All gazed in the direction and saw coming toward them a big balloon. It was settling rapidly, and before the cadets could get out of the way it came down directly over the entire battalion.

CHAPTER XXII

A NIGHT OF FUN

“Hullo, what’s this?”

“Well, I never saw such a thing before in my life!”

“Where did the balloon come from?”

“Will somebody show me the way out of this circus tent?”

“Everybody lift!” cried Jack.

The cadets did as ordered, some standing their guns up. The guns acted like short tent-poles, and the bag of the balloon was thus kept a short distance from the ground. Slowly one student after another crawled forth into the open air.

“Is anybody hurt?” asked Captain Putnam, anxiously.

“I was knocked down,” came from Gus Coulter, and he showed where he had been rolled over in the dust.

“I was nearly smothered,” said Mumps.

Nobody had been hurt, although not a few had been frightened when the weight of the monstrous bag first settled down upon them. The balloon was rolled up and placed on one side of the road and the loose guns picked up.

“Guess it must be a runaway balloon,” suggested Pepper.

“I believe it has been used for exhibition purposes,” said Captain Putnam. “See there is a trapeze. Probably the performer jumped from the balloon and used a parachute for reaching the ground.”

“Was there to be an exhibition around here?” asked Jack.

“I believe one was advertised to take place at Menville. The wind is blowing from that direction.”

There was nothing to do but to leave the balloon by the roadside, and after a brushing up and a readjustment of equipments the battalion moved on once more. Half a mile was covered when they were halted by two men in a long farm-wagon.

“Excuse me!” shouted one of the men. “But have you seen anything of a balloon around here?”

“I should say we had,” answered Captain Putnam, who was marching by Jack’s side. “It came down in the roadway, directly on our heads.”

“What! I reckon you were scared,” and the man grinned.

“We shouldn’t care to repeat the experiment,” said the captain, coldly. “Some of my students were knocked down, and if they had not held up the balloon with their guns they might have been smothered.”

“Guess that’s right,” said the other man in the wagon. “I am sorry for you.”

“So am I sorry,” said the first man who had spoken. “Where is the balloon?”

“About half a mile back on the road.”

“Thanks; we’ll get it.”

“Whose balloon is it?” asked Jack, curiously.

“It belongs to Professor Aireo,” was the answer. “He made an ascension about an hour ago at Menville and came down with his parachute. I hope the balloon is all right.”

“It appeared to be,” answered Jack, and then the two men drove off and the battalion proceeded on its way.

The road was rather rough, and two hours later the cadets came to another halt. A farm-house was handy and they procured a drink at a fine old well where the water was both pure and cold. The farmer, who was present, told them to help themselves, and as he had a crate of strawberries ready to take to market, the captain purchased them and took them along, for use at the camp.

It was nightfall when Smalley Lake was reached. Some large flatboats were at hand, and on these the boys were rowed over to the island, and the camping outfit followed, the wagons and horses being left at a farm running down to the lake.

“What a fine spot for a camp!” cried Dale, on reaching the island.

It certainly was a nice place. The island was some acres in extent, containing a small grove of trees, a fine patch of grass, and a bit of smooth, sandy beach which would be very fine for bathing.

The tents were pitched on the grass, and after a rest Captain Putnam allowed some of the boys to take a dip in the lake. Then campfires were lit and supper cooked, to which the boys did full justice, topping off the meal with the strawberries that had been brought along.

“I don’t think we’ll have any fun to-night,” said Andy. “Everybody is too tired.” And he was right. The cadets were glad to rest and went to sleep without a murmur, only the guards remaining active. Each cadet had to go on guard two hours each night, in true military style.

“Oh, pshaw! It’s raining!” cried Pepper, on rising the following morning. “Isn’t that too bad!”

“I don’t think it will last,” said Jack, and he was right. By eight o’clock the rain stopped and soon after the sun came out good and strong, drying the grass rapidly. Breakfast was had, followed by a short drill, and then the cadets were told that they could do as they pleased until dinner-time. Some went bathing, others fishing, and a few just lolled around, taking it easy. Baxter and his crowd strolled off by themselves, to smoke some cigarettes Reff Ritter had purchased at the cross-roads hotel on the sly.

“Let us take a walk,” suggested Dale to Pepper and some of the others, and soon they were on the way, going first along the shore and then into the wood. Here it was cool and pleasant, and they enjoyed it thoroughly.

“Couldn’t a fellow have a fine time here if there wasn’t a big crowd?” said Dale. “Just think of six or seven of us with the whole island to ourselves!”

“It would be dandy,” answered Andy.

Having rested awhile in the woods, they moved on, until they came to a sort of shelter among the rocks. Looking through the bushes they saw Reff Ritter moving around.

“It’s the Ritter crowd,” said Jack, in a low voice.

“Wonder what they are up to?” said Pepper. “I am going to see.” And the Imp moved forward before anybody could stop him.

When Pepper was close enough he made out six boys seated in a circle. They were smoking cigarettes and talking in low but earnest voices.

“We can do it,” Dan Baxter was saying.

“Maybe we’ll get caught,” put in Mumps.

“No, we won’t,” came from Reff Ritter. “It’s a boss plan. We’ll carry it out to-night, and make somebody feel sick.”

“Better see if anybody is around,” cried Gus Coulter, and leaped up. Pepper had just time enough to regain his companions when the whole party was discovered. At once the Baxter crowd put away their cigarettes.

“Hullo, are you following us?” demanded Reff Ritter, striding forward.

“I guess you are following us,” said Pepper, quickly.

“Why should we follow you?” asked Jack.

At this Ritter and Baxter muttered something the others could not understand. Then the bully of the Hall and his cronies walked away to another part of the island.

“They are up to something,” said Pepper to his friends, and told what he had heard.

“It will pay to watch out to-night,” said Dale.

That afternoon the boys had a swimming match, in which over twenty cadets participated. The match was won by Harry Blossom, with Andy second, Bart third, Hogan fourth, and Gus Coulter fifth. Reff Ritter was in the match, but dropped out when he saw he could not win.

“I got a cramp in my big toe,” he said, but nobody believed him.

In the evening a happy time was had around the campfires and at ten o’clock the cadets turned in. Hogan and Stuffer were on guard, along with a number of others. Each guard had to walk up and down on his post, and that was all.

Pepper was dozing away when Andy pulled him by the arm.

“Something is doing,” whispered the acrobatic youth.

The Imp was wide-awake on the instant, and so were Dale and Harry, who were sleeping close by. Jack, as major, was in another tent.

Some shadows were moving around, and presently Andy and Pepper saw three cadets steal into the tent and lift up some uniforms and equipments. Instantly they leaped up, and caught two of the intruders.

“No, you don’t!” cried Andy. “Drop those uniforms!”

“Let me go!” muttered the other fellow, and Andy recognized Dan Baxter’s voice. Pepper had Reff Ritter, while Dale got hold of Nick Paxton. The latter slipped flat on his back and Dale came down upon him heavily.

“Oh! Get off of me!” grunted Paxton. “You are smashing in my ribs!”

“What does this mean?” demanded Dale, and caught his prisoner by the arm.

“It’s only a joke,” grumbled Paxton.

“What kind of a joke?”

“We – we were going to hide your uniforms, that’s all!”

“Oh, that’s it!” said Pepper. “Well, it didn’t work, and out you go!” And he gave Reff Ritter a shove that sent him headlong on the ground outside of the tent. Dan Baxter was also pushed out, and Paxton was flung on top of the bully. All three picked themselves up as quickly as they could and sneaked off.

“Coulter wasn’t with them,” whispered Pepper. “He and Mumps and Sabine must be trying the trick elsewhere. Let us go out and investigate.”

The others agreed, and slipping on some clothing they sallied forth in the darkness. Only a few stars were shining, so they had to pick their way with care among the tents.

“Wait, there is somebody – coming from Jack’s tent!” whispered Pepper, and the next moment the Imp had a fellow by the collar, while Andy and Dale caught the second cadet. They were Coulter and Sabine, and they had Jack’s uniform, his hat, shoes, and likewise the young major’s sword.

“Let us alone, will you?” growled Coulter, in a cowed tone.

“Sure, we will!” cried Pepper. “Dale, put those things back, will you?”

While Dale did so, Pepper and Andy held Coulter and Sabine. Jack slept on, totally unconscious of what was taking place.

Despite their protests, Coulter and Sabine were made to march back to the tent from which the other cadets had come. Then they were blindfolded.

“We’ll put them through the forty-fourth degree,” said Pepper.

The others understood what this meant, and in a twinkling the prisoners had their hands bound behind them.

“Let me go!” whined Billy Sabine. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“We won’t hurt you. Keep still.”

“If you don’t let us go, we’ll raise an alarm,” said Coulter.

“If you do we’ll tell how you tried to steal Major Ruddy’s things.”

“We weren’t going to steal them. We were only going to hide them.”

“It amounts to the same thing. March!” said the Imp.

“Where to?”

“You’ll soon find out.”

The prisoners were marched to one end of the camp where there were some low bushes. Then Pepper began to whisper, but in a voice so that Coulter and Sabine could hear.

“Fix the bayonets all around, and don’t forget to set the traps. That’s it, now set that trap too. If they dare to move, well, they’ll wish they hadn’t, that’s all.”

“You don’t want to kill them,” whispered Dale, entering into the spirit of the fun.

“They won’t get killed. It will only nip ’em pretty bad – if they move,” answered Pepper.

He opened and shut his pocketknife several times with sharp clicks. Then he announced that all was ready.

“Now don’t move – don’t budge – unless you want to fall into a sharp trap,” said the Imp, to the two prisoners.

“Ho – how long must we stay here?” asked Sabine, in a trembling voice.

“We’ll be back before sunrise and fix it so you can get away,” answered Andy.

Then the three boys withdrew and left the two prisoners alone.

Neither Coulter nor Sabine dared to move, thinking they would run into some sharp steel-trap, or sword point, and hurt themselves.

“This is awful!” groaned Coulter. “Hang the luck anyway!”

“If we get cut with a rusty trap we may get lockjaw,” groaned Sabine. “I heard of a boy who got caught in a bear-trap once and he died from blood-poisoning.”

Andy, Pepper, and Dale watched the prisoners for a while and then went back to their tent. Here they were joined by Hogan and Stuffer, coming in from guard duty.

There was a brief consultation of war, and it was decided that Baxter, Ritter, and the others must be paid back for what they had attempted to do.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE GENERAL ALARM

Baxter and his chums were just getting to sleep, having grown tired of waiting for the return of Sabine and Coulter, when the bully awoke with a start.

“What’s that?” he cried, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Before him he saw a curious figure jumping up and down. It gave forth a curious glow of light.

“You can’t fool me!” he cried, and leaped from his cot, – to pitch headlong over an empty barrel.

“What’s up?” came from Reff Ritter, and he too got up and bumped into a bag of flour hanging on a level with his head. Down came the bag, and the flour flew in all directions, nearly smothering Mumps, who was still sleeping.

“What’s this?” spluttered the bully’s toady. “Who threw flour over me!”

He too arose, and fell into a lot of loose tinware, creating a great racket. Then came a crash of another sort.

“Look out, the tent is coming down!” called out Ritter, and tried to get out. But he too fell over the empty barrel, and the next moment down came the tent, burying all three of the boys and making more noise than ever.

“Run!” called out Pepper, who had arranged the affair, and he and his chums ran and were soon out of sight.

The noise awoke Captain Putnam and George Strong, who were sleeping in a tent close by. Both ran out, and a lantern was lit.