CHAPTER XIII
PLANS FOR A FEAST
It was not long before the rowboat which our friends occupied reached the mouth of a creek flowing into the river, and up this smaller watercourse they pursued their way, under the oaks and weeping willows that lined the banks.
"What a beautiful bit of scenery!" was Dave's admiring comment. "Some artist ought to paint this!"
"It has been painted, and photographed, too," said Phil. "I took a time exposure of it one day last summer. It made a fine photo, I can tell you. The painting was done by an artist from Springfield, who was stopping with Dr. Clay."
Half an hour was spent up the creek and then they turned back into the river. As they did this Phil consulted the watch he carried.
"Half an hour yet," he said.
"Oh, we can get back in plenty of time," answered Roger. "Listen!"
He and Dave stopped rowing, and all of the boys listened. From a distance came a strange pup, pup, pup!
"I know what it is," declared Roger. "It's one of those gasoline launches."
"I didn't know they had them at the Hall," returned Dave.
"We haven't any, but there are several on the river. Here she comes now!"
As Roger spoke, the gasoline launch shot into view. The craft was about twenty-five feet long and correspondingly broad of beam, and carried an engine of several horse-power.
"Why, I declare, there are Gus Plum and Chip Macklin!" cried Phil. "They must have hired that craft."
"They are coming this way," said Dave. "I hope they don't come too close."
"Hi, there, look where you are going!" cried Roger, loudly. "Don't run us down!"
"Get out of the way!" came roughly from Gus Plum. And he kept the gasoline launch to her course.
"They'll certainly run us down!" ejaculated Phil, leaping up in alarm. "Hi, Gus, turn to your left! To your left!" he yelled.
By this time the launch was dangerously close. With frantic haste Roger set to work to row out of the way and Dave did the same. They had to pull directly for the bank of the river, and as they shot shoreward the launch scraped their stern, and turned the rowboat over on its side.
As the craft went over, the three occupants went with it, and all landed in the water and mud heels over head. Then the launch went on, but Gus Plum turned off the power.
"That's the time you did it," was Chip Macklin's whispered comment. "Won't they be mad!"
"Mind, it was their fault, not ours," answered the bully, in a low voice. "We were steering a straight course and they got in our way," and the sneak nodded, to show that he understood.
When the three unfortunates managed to scramble to their feet they did a good deal of spluttering before they got rid of the water that had entered their mouths, noses, and ears. The boat, still on its side, was stuck in the mud of the river bank.
"All—all safe?" asked Roger, when he could speak.
"I'm safe, but I've got a lot of mud on me," answered Dave.
"Ditto here," came from Phil. "Boys, that was a mean trick," he added, indignantly.
"Hi, Gus Plum, I want you to stop!" yelled out Roger.
"What do you want?" came coolly from the bully.
"We want you to come back," added Dave.
"I'm not coming back."
"If you don't come back you'll be sorry for it."
"Humph! It wasn't my fault that your boat went over."
"It was your fault, Gus Plum," came from Phil.
"I'm going to get square for this," continued Dave, his eyes flashing. "I'll teach you to let me alone after this."
"Ha! So you threaten me!" roared the bully. "Do you suppose I'm afraid of such a country greeny as you? Not much!"
"Perhaps you'll be afraid when I get through with you," retorted Dave, who was thoroughly angry. "You've been picking a quarrel with me ever since I arrived."
"Pooh! I'm not putting myself out to pick quarrels with such country bumpkins as you!" retorted Gus Plum. "If you don't like the way I treat you, you can do the other thing."
"I believe you ran into us on purpose," said Roger.
"Maybe you'll report me to Dr. Clay," sneered the bully.
"You certainly ought to be reported."
"All right, play the sneak and tell,—it's just your style."
"We can tell our side of the story," came from Chip Macklin. "We can prove that you got in our way, and that the accident wasn't our fault at all."
"I shan't report this," called out Dave, for the launch was now drifting further away. "I'll settle it with you two fellows myself."
No more could be said, for the launch was now a goodly distance away. Once more Gus Plum started up the engine, and soon he and his companion and their craft disappeared around a bend of the winding stream.
"That Dave Porter talks as if he meant business," said Macklin, nervously.
"Humph, I'm not afraid of him, Chip. Why I think I can fight him with one hand, if it comes to that!" added the millionaire's son, boastfully.
"He's a country boy, and most country boys are pretty strong."
"Well, I'm strong, too, and I've taken boxing lessons in the bargain. If Mr. Dave Porter don't want to get hurt he had better keep his distance."
"Do you suppose they'll report us?"
"I don't care if they do. Our story will be as good as theirs," answered Gus Plum.
Left to themselves, the three boys in the water righted their rowboat and bailed it out, and then rowed swiftly back to the boathouse.
"After all, I don't think it will do us any good to report this," said Roger. "Plum and Macklin will do their best to squeeze out of it."
"Roger is right," said Phil. "But I am going to make that bully keep his distance after this."
"That's my idea of it," said Dave. "He has been at me ever since I arrived. I'm going to give him fair warning, and if he does the least thing after that, I'll pitch into him roughshod."
Leaving the boathouse, the three students hurried into the Hall and up to their dormitory, where they lost no time in changing their wet clothes for dry. They had just finished when the bell rang for supper.
"That was a close shave," said Phil. "Wonder if Plum and Macklin are back?"
They entered the dining hall and sat down. The meal had just started when the bully and the sneak came in, and slipped into their places.
"Late, eh?" said Job Haskers, eying both severely. "I cannot permit this. Both of you will write the word, Late, one hundred times to-morrow, after school hours."
"Mr. Haskers, I——" began Gus Plum.
"Silence, Plum, I wish no explanation. You have been late too many times. Eat your supper." And after that there was silence.
Roger, Dave, and Phil had expected to talk to Gus Plum and his toady the next day, but the pair did their best to keep out of the way.
"They know we have it in for them," said Roger.
Several days passed and still the bully and his toady kept their distance. By that time Dave's anger had cooled somewhat, and he turned his attention to other matters. There was much for him to do, and he was kept busy from early morning until it was time to retire.
During those days he received word which pleased him greatly. A letter came from Ben Basswood, which read in part as follows:
"I have at last got my parents' consent to my going to Oak Hall, and father is writing to-day to Dr. Clay about it. If all goes well, I shall come along next Monday, and in my trunk I expect to bring a lot of good things, so that we can celebrate in a fitting style. From what you have written about your classmates, I know I shall like them, and I trust to have a bang-up time during the term."
"Hurrah!" cried Dave, on reading this communication, and then he read it out loud, for Roger and Phil's benefit.
"I'm glad Ben is coming," said the senator's son. "Oh, you'll like him," he added to Phil. "All the boys do."
"Speaking of a celebration, that is just what I have had in mind ever since all of the fellows arrived," said Phil. "Let us go in for a regular blow-out. We can join with the fellows in No. 11 and have a dandy time."
"When?" questioned Dave, doubtfully.
"After bedtime, of course."
"All right, I'm with you. But we mustn't get found out."
"Don't fear for that. We can put out a guard—same as we always do when we have a feast. The only person we have to fear is Job Haskers."
"And that sneak of a Chip Macklin," put in Roger. "If he blabs on us I'll wring his neck for him."
"I've got a plan to get rid of Haskers," went on Phil. "Let us send him a message in the afternoon asking him to come to town on important business. He'll get Murphy to do the monitor work for him, and Murphy will be easy."
So it was agreed, and after that, during spare hours, hardly anything was talked over but the proposed midnight feast. All the students of dormitories Nos. 11 and 12 were carefully sounded, and each voted favorably on the project. Roger "passed around the hat," and by this means four dollars and fifteen cents were collected to pay for the spread.
Dave was fearful that Ben might fail them at the last minute, but upon asking Dr. Clay he was informed that his friend would arrive on the following Monday afternoon.
"And as he is well acquainted with you and with Roger Morr, I have decided to let him occupy the empty bed in your room," added the master of the Hall.
"Oh, thank you very much, Doctor," cried Dave, warmly. "I was wishing you'd do that." And then he ran off to spread the good news.
Dave and Roger had been delegated to buy the things for the spread, and for that purpose asked permission to go to Oakdale to meet Ben. This was readily granted, and they went down in the Hall carryall, immediately after dinner.
"I hope the train is late," said Roger on the way. "It will give us a little time to do some shopping," and he winked at Dave.
"Train is 'most generally late," said Jackson Lemond. "I reckon it won't be here for an hour or more," and so it proved.
"Come and have some root beer and a cigar, Horsehair," said Roger, and to this the driver for the Hall readily consented. While he was enjoying his treat, Dave and the senator's son slipped away to buy the things they wanted.
"We mustn't waste time," said Roger. "If we do, Horsehair may suspect something is wrong."
"It won't take long to buy what we want," answered Dave. "Lead the way. You know where the stores are. As yet, I'm a stranger here, but I don't expect to remain so long."