The Rover Boys Down East: or, The Struggle for the Stanhope Fortune. Stratemeyer Edward
of my business, Dudd. But, just the same, I am going to talk to you about it. You know all about what happened in the past. Koswell and Larkspur are bad eggs – and if they can drag you down with them they will do it. Now, you promised to turn over a new leaf and on the strength of that we went to Doctor Wallington and persuaded him to give you another chance. It isn’t fair for you to go back on your word, and take up with Koswell and Larkspur again.”
“Are you going to tell the doctor that I met them?” asked Flockley, in alarm.
“No – at least, not for the present. But I want you to promise to drop that pair.”
“I have dropped them – that is, as much as I can.”
“Then why do you meet them?”
“I’ll tell you why!” burst out the dudish student, bitterly. “Because I can’t drop them altogether. They know everything of what happened as well as I do, and they said if I dropped them entirely – refused to help them – they would expose me to the whole world! If they should tell my folks – ” Flockley did not finish, but his head sunk on his breast, and Dick and Tom understood.
“It’s too bad – a burning shame!” murmured Tom. “Flockley, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart!”
“I don’t think I would take their threats too seriously,” said Dick. “They are down and out, and, of course, very bitter. But they don’t dare to come out against you openly.”
“Yes – but they can do a whole lot of things behind my back!” groaned Dudd Flockley. “Oh, you don’t know what I have suffered since Jerry and Bart ran away! They have written me letters, and they have demanded money – ”
“Demanded money. Then they are blackmailers, Dudd!”
“Oh, they said I owed them the money on bets. But I didn’t – at least, I don’t think I did. But I had to give up. At the depot that day I gave them thirty dollars – all I could scrape up.”
“Where did they go to?”
“To New York, and from there they are going to Boston and then to some place off the coast of Maine.”
“And they wanted you to join them?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you do it!” cried Dick, earnestly. “Don’t you do it, Dudd! Wash your hands of them and refuse to have anything more to do with them.”
“I will – if I can,” murmured Dudd Flockley. And then, as some other students approached, the talk had to come to an end.
CHAPTER V
A CELEBRATION ON THE CAMPUS
“Say, Tom, this is great!”
“What now, Sam?”
“All of us have passed the exams with credit marks.”
“All of us? Are you sure?”
“Yes, I was in the classroom not five minutes ago and got the good word.”
“Say, that makes me feel like dancing a jig!” cried Tom Rover, and he did a few steps on the floor of the gymnasium. “Won’t the folks at home be tickled when they hear of it!”
“Dick got the highest marks of the class,” went on the youngest Rover. “Stanley is next.”
“Where do we come in?”
“You are seventh.”
“Oh, lucky seventh!” murmured the fun-loving Rover. “It’s always that way! At baseball if I do anything at all it is usually in the seventh innings.”
“Don’t grow superstitious, Tom.”
“Where do you come in?”
“I stand fifth.”
“That’s splendid, Sam! Oh, come on and jig!” And Tom caught his brother by the waist and whirled him around. Over the gymnasium floor they went, to land suddenly into the form of William Philander Tubbs, who had just entered.
“Oh, I say, don’t you know – ” spluttered William Philander. He had the breath all but knocked out of his body.
“Excuse me, Tublets,” cried Tom.
“Don’t call me Tublets, please,” expostulated the tall student. “And please don’t run into me again.”
“Oh, Sam and I were only doing a war dance,” cried Tom, gaily. “We have passed our exams.”
“You are very rude, don’t you know.”
“It shan’t occur again, Philliam Willander.”
“William Philander, Tom.”
“To be sure, I am glad I am sorry that I remember I forgot,” answered Tom, gravely. “It shan’t occur again the last time, I assure you.”
“Oh, Tom, let up!” put in Dick, who had come up. “We have passed – doesn’t that make you feel good?”
“And you at the head of the class, Dick! Say, if I had wings, or an aeroplane, I’d fly!”
“Come on for a last swing on the rings!” exclaimed Dick, and led the way, and soon all of the brothers were exercising on the flying rings with which the college gymnasium was equipped.
It was Monday afternoon and studies were practically at an end and all the boys had to do was to pack up their things and wait for the time to go home.
On Sunday morning the three Rovers had driven over to Hope Seminary and taken Dora and the Lanings to church. At that time it had been arranged that all should start for home on the early morning train on the following Wednesday. They would travel together as far as a place called Cartown and then separate, the girls to go on to Cedarville and the lads to journey to Oak Run, the nearest railroad station to the farm.
“Some of the fellows are going home Tuesday night,” said Dick. “So if we are going to have any fun we had better have it Monday night,” and so it was arranged.
The Rovers had had no further opportunity to talk to Dudd Flockley. They noticed that Flockley avoided them and seemed to be in deep thought.
“I suppose he is thinking of Koswell and Larkspur,” said Dick. “Poor fellow, I feel sorry for him! I hope he doesn’t let them drag him down any deeper.”
“He has only himself to blame for the position he is in,” said Sam. “We did what we could for him – more than most fellows would do, Dick.”
“That is true, Sam.”
Supper was had at the usual hour and then the students commenced to gather on the campus and down by the river. Nearly everybody was in good humor, and they sang, and made a racket generally. Bonfires were lit, and also a string of paper lanterns.
“I’ve got a surprise for the crowd,” said Tom to Sam. “Come on and help me to wake Brill up.”
“How?” questioned the younger Rover.
“I’ll soon show you – come with me.”
Tom led the way to a storeroom behind the gymnasium. In one corner, under some old canvas, was a box several feet long, that had come in by express.
“I had the time of my life getting this here without having it pass inspection by the Head,” said Tom.
“What’s in it, Tom?”
“Fireworks – a regular Fourth of July outfit – rockets, Roman candles, pinwheels, bombs, and all. I sent the order to the city a week ago.”
“Good for you!” cried Sam, with a grin. “This will certainly wake up the natives.”
“See if you can get Dick to help us. But be careful – I want to surprise all the rest, even Stanley.”
“I’ll get him,” answered Sam, and hurried off.
A little later, when it was quite dark, the three Rover boys shouldered the big box