Stratemeyer Edward
Dave Porter and the Runaways: or, Last Days at Oak Hall

CHAPTER XI
BONFIRE NIGHT AT THE HALL

It was certainly a night long to be remembered in the annals of Oak Hall, – and for more reasons than one.

At the start, several bonfires were lit along the bank of the river, and around these the students congregated, to dance and sing songs, and “cut up” generally. None of the teachers were present, and it was given out that the lads might enjoy themselves within reasonable bounds until ten o’clock.

“Let’s form a grand march!” cried Gus Plum. “Every man with a torch!”

“Yes, but don’t set anything on fire,” cautioned Roger.

“Say, that puts me in mind of a story,” came from Shadow. “A fellow went into a powder shop to buy some ammunition. He was smoking a pipe, and the proprietor–”

“Whoop! Hurrah for Shadow!” yelled somebody from the rear, and the next instant the story-teller of the Hall found himself up on a pile of barrels which had not yet been set on fire.

“Now then, tell your yarns to everybody!” came the cry.

“Speak loud, Shadow!”

“Give us all the details.”

“Tell us the story about the old man and the elephant.”

“No, give us that about the old maid and the mouse.”

“Let us hear about the fellow who was shipwrecked on the Rocky Mountains.”

“Or about how the fellow who couldn’t swim fell into a flour barrel.”

“Say, what do you take me for?” roared Shadow. “I don’t know any story about the Rocky Mountains, or a flour barrel either. If you want to hear–”

“Sure we do!”

“That’s the very yarn we’ve been waiting for!”

“Say, Shadow, won’t you please tell it into a phonograph, so I can grind it out to my grandfather when I get home?”

“Is that the story that starts on a foggy night, at noon?”

“No, this one starts on a dusty day in the middle of the Atlantic.”

“Say, if you fellows want me to tell a story, say so!” grumbled Shadow. “Otherwise I’m going to get down.”

“No! no! Tell your best yarn, Shadow.”

“All right, then. Once two men went into a shoe store–”

“Wow! That’s fifty years old!”

“I heard that when a child, at my grandson’s knee.”

“Tell us something about smoke, Shadow!”

“And fire. I love to hear about a fire. It’s so warm and–”

“Hi! let me get down! Do you want to burn me up?” yelled the story-teller of the school, suddenly, as, chancing to glance down, he saw that the barrels were on fire. “Let me down, I say!” And he made a leap from the barrels into the midst of the crowd.

Shadow landed on the shoulders of Nat Poole, and both went down and rolled over. In a spirit of play some of the students near by covered the rolling pair with shavings and straw. Shadow took this in good part and merely laughed as he arose, but the money-lender’s son was angry.

“Hi, who threw those dirty shavings all over me?” he bawled. “I don’t like it.”

“Don’t mind a little bath like that, Nat!” called one of the students.

“But I do mind it. The shavings are full of dirt, and so is the straw. The dirt is all over me.”

“Never mind, you can have a free bath, Nat,” said another.

“I’ll lend you a cake of soap,” added a third.

“I don’t want any of your soap!” growled the money-lender’s son. “Say, the whole crowd of you make me sick!” he added, and walked off, in great disgust.

“Phew! but he’s touchy,” was the comment of one of the students. “I guess he thinks he’s better than the rest of us.”

“Let’s give him another dose,” came the suggestion, from the rear of the crowd.

“Shavings?”

“Yes, and straw, too. Put some down his neck!”

“Right you are!”

Fully a dozen students quickly provided themselves with shavings and straw, both far from clean, and made after Nat, who was walking up the river-front in the direction of the boathouse.

Before the money-lender’s son could do anything to defend himself, he found himself seized from behind and hurled to the ground.

“Now then, give it to him good!” cried a voice, and in a twinkling a shower of shavings, straw, and dirt descended upon poor Nat, covering him from head to foot.

“Hi! let up!” spluttered the victim, trying to dodge the avalanche. But instead of heeding his pleadings the other students proceeded to ram a quantity of the stuff into his ears and down his collar. Nat squirmed and yelled, but it did little good.

“Now then, you are initiated into the Order of Straw and Shavings!” cried one merry student.

“Just you wait, I’ll get square, see if I don’t,” howled Nat, as he arose. Then he commenced to twist his neck, to free himself from the ticklish straw and shavings.

“Come on and have a good time, old sport!” howled one of his tormentors; and then off the crowd ran in the direction of the bonfires, leaving Nat more disgusted than ever.

“I’ll fix them, just wait and see if I don’t!” stormed the money-lender’s son to himself, and then hurried to the Hall, to clean up and make himself comfortable.

In the meantime the march around the campus had begun, each student carrying a torch of some kind. There was a great singing.

“Be careful of the fire,” warned Mr. Dale, as he came out. “Doctor Clay says you must be careful.”

“We’ll take care!” was the cry.

The marching at an end, some of the boys ran for the stables and presently returned with Jackson Lemond, the driver of the school carryall, commonly called Horsehair, because of the hairs which clung to his clothing.

“Come on, Horsehair, join us in having a good time.”

“Give us a speech, Horsehair!”

“Tell us all you know about the Wars of the Roses.”

“Or how Hannibal crossed the Delaware and defeated the Turks at the Alamo.”

“I can’t make no speech,” pleaded the carryall driver. “Just you let me go, please!”

“If you can’t make a speech, sing,” suggested another. “Give us Yankee Doodle in the key of J minor.”

“Or that beautiful lullaby entitled, ‘You Never Miss Your Purse Until You Have to Walk Home.’ Give us that in nine flats, will you?”

“I tell you I can’t make a speech and I can’t sing!” shouted out the driver for the school, desperately.

“How sad! Can’t speechify and can’t sing! All right, then, let it go, and give us a dance.”

“That’s the talk! A real Japanese jig in five-quarter time.”

There was a rush, and in a twinkling poor Horsehair was boosted to the top of a big packing-case, that had been hauled to the spot as fuel for one of the bonfires.

“The stage!” announced one of the students, with a wave of his hand. “The World-Renowned Horsehairsky will perform his celebrated Dance of the Hop Scotch. Get your opera glasses ready.”

“What’s the admission fee?”

“Two pins and a big green apple.”

“I can’t dance – I ain’t never danced in my life!” pleaded the victim. “You let me go. I’ve got to take care o’ my hosses.”

While he was speaking Buster Beggs had come up behind Horsehair and placed something attached to a dark string on the box, between the driver’s feet. It was an imitation snake, made of rubber and colored up to look very natural.

“Oh my, look at the snake!” yelled several, in pretended alarm.

“Where? where?” yelled Horsehair.

“There, right between your feet! He’s going to bite you on the leg!”

“Take care, that’s a rattler sure!”

“If he bites you, Horsehair, you’ll be a dead man!”

“Take him off! Take him off!” bawled the carryall driver, and in terror he made a wild leap from the packing-box and landed directly on the shoulders of two of the students. Then he dropped to the ground, rolled over, got up, and ran as fast as his legs could carry him in the direction of the stables. A wild laugh followed him, but to this he paid no attention.

“Well, we are certainly having a night of it,” remarked Dave, after the fun had quieted down for a moment. He spoke to Roger.

“Where is Phil?” asked the senator’s son.

“Went off with Ben, I think.”

“Where to?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s queer how much they keep together lately; isn’t it?” continued Roger.

“Oh, I don’t know. Of course that affair with Haskers may have something to do with it,” answered our hero, slowly.

“I wish Haskers would leave this school, Dave.”

“Oh, it won’t make much difference to us, if we graduate, whether he stays or not.”

“I know that. But, somehow, I don’t think he is a good man to have here, even if he is a learned instructor. He never enters into the school spirit, as Mr. Dale does.”

“Well, we can’t all be alike.”

“Would you keep him, if you were in Doctor Clay’s shoes?”

“I hardly think so. Certainly not if I could find another teacher equally good.”

The boys walked on until they found themselves at the last bonfire of the line, close to where the school grounds came to an end. Here was a hedge, and beyond were the woods reaching up from the river.

“Nobody down by this bonfire,” remarked Dave. “Say, this is careless work,” he added. “The wind might shift and set the woods on fire.”

“I didn’t think they’d start a fire so far from the others,” answered his chum.

“Let us kick it into the water,” suggested our hero, and this they started to do, when, unexpectedly, a voice hailed them, and they saw a student sitting in a tree that grew in the hedge which separated the campus from the woods.

“Let that fire alone!” the youth called, angrily.

“Why, it’s Nat Poole!” exclaimed Roger, in a low voice. “Whatever is he doing in that tree?”

“I am sure I don’t know,” returned Dave.

“Is he alone?”

“He seems to be.”

“Do you hear what I say?” went on the money-lender’s son. “Leave that fire alone.”

“Did you build it?” asked Dave.

“I did, and I want you to leave it alone.”

“All right, Nat, if you say so,” answered Roger. “We thought it had been abandoned and that it might set fire to the woods.”

To this Nat Poole did not reply. Plainly he was annoyed at being discovered in his present position. Dave and Roger looked around, to see if anybody else was in the vicinity, and then, turning, walked in the direction of the other bonfires.

“What do you make of that, Dave?” asked the senator’s son, presently.

“It looked to me as if Nat was waiting or watching for somebody, Roger.”

“So it did. The question is, Who was it?”

“I don’t know. But I’ve got something of an idea.”

“Some of the students?”

“No. That wild man.”

CHAPTER XII
PLANS FOR A SPREAD

“That wild man?” exclaimed the senator’s son, stopping short to stare at Dave.

“Yes.”

“How do you make that out?”

“Because I think Nat is interested in the fellow, although just how I won’t pretend to say. But you’ll remember how excited he got when he found out that the wild man called himself the King of Sumatra.”

“Oh, I see. You think he knows the fellow and thought that the bonfire might attract him to the place.”

“Yes. I’ve heard it said that crazy folks were sometimes attracted by the sight of fire. Maybe Nat has heard the same and wants to see if it will work in the case of this man.”

“Shall we go back and see what happens?” suggested Roger.

Dave mused for a moment.

“Would it be just right to play the spy, Roger?”

“Well, this isn’t playing the spy in the ordinary sense of the term, Dave. That wild man ought to be locked up.”

“But it may not be the wild man he is looking for.”

“Oh, let us go back a little while, anyway,” urged the senator’s son.

They retraced their steps until within fifty feet of the bonfire and then walked to the shelter of the hedge. They thought they had not been seen, but they were mistaken.

“Humph! so you think you are going to spy on me, after all!” cried a voice, and Nat Poole came towards them, with a deep frown on his face.

“It’s rather queer you are in the tree,” answered Roger, somewhat sharply.

“It’s my affair, not yours, Roger Morr!” roared the money-lender’s son. Then, without another word, he walked to the bonfire, kicked the blazing sticks into the river, and strode off in the direction of the Hall.

“He’s good and mad,” was Roger’s comment.

“And we didn’t learn anything, after all,” added our hero.

Dave and his chum rejoined the merry throng at the other bonfires. But the celebration in honor of the baseball victory was practically at an end, and a little later the students retired, to skylark a little in the dormitories, and then settle down for the night.

A week passed, and Dave stuck to his studies as persistently as ever. During that time he sent off several letters, and received a number in return, including one from Jessie, which he treasured very highly and which he did not show to his chums.

“Here is news of Link Merwell,” said Luke Watson, one day, as he came along with a letter. “It’s from a friend of mine who knows Merwell. He says he saw Link in Quebec, Canada, at one of the little French hotels in the lower town.”

“What was Merwell doing?” questioned Dave, with interest.

“Nothing much, so my friend writes. He says Link was dressed in a blue suit and wore blue glasses, and he thought his hair was dyed.”

“Evidently doing what he could to disguise himself,” was Phil’s comment.

“My friend writes that he saw Merwell only one evening. The next day he was missing. He made inquiries and says he was at the hotel under the name of V. A. Smith, of Albany, New York.”

“He does not dare to travel around under his own name,” remarked Shadow. “Say, that puts me in mind of a story,” he went on, brightening up. “Once a chap changed his name, because–”

“Say, cut it out,” interrupted Phil. “We want to hear about Merwell.”

“There isn’t any more to tell,” said Luke. “My friend tried to find out where he had gone but couldn’t.”

“He must be having a lonely time of it – trying to keep out of the hands of the law,” murmured Dave.

“And maybe he hasn’t much money,” said Buster. “His father may have shut down on him.”

Gus Plum listened to all this conversation without saying a word. But down in his heart the former bully of Oak Hall was glad that he had cut away from Merwell and Jasniff, and turned over a new leaf, and he resolved then and there that, come what might, he would never again turn aside from the path of right and honor.

“Say, why don’t you listen to my story?” pleaded Shadow, and then related a somewhat rambling tale of a man who had changed his name and, later on, lost some property because of it.

Another day slipped by and it was one of particular interest to Dave and Roger, for in the morning they made up the last of the back lessons imposed upon them by Job Haskers. They had done exceedingly well, but the harsh teacher gave them little credit. Phil and Ben had still three days’ work, but Professor Haskers said nothing of this.

“He doesn’t dare,” declared the shipowner’s son.

“That’s right,” chuckled Ben. “We could give him a good black eye before this whole school if we wanted to.”

Dave had already finished up the back lessons for the other teachers, so he was now free to spend his time on what was ahead of him. He was as enthusiastic as ever to make a record for himself, and pitched in with a will, and his enthusiasm was caught by Roger, who also resolved to do his best.

“Whoop! hurrah! What do you think of this?” came from Phil, late one afternoon, after the mail had been distributed. “Somebody hold me down! I guess I’m going to fly! Or maybe I’m only dreaming!” And he began to caper around gayly.

“What is it all about, Phil?” asked Dave. “Hit your funny-bone?”

“Money, boys, money! That’s what it is about,” replied the shipowner’s son. “I’ve got five thousand dollars, all my own!”

“Five thousand dollars!” gasped Buster.

“All your own?” queried Gus Plum.

“Where did you get it?” asked another.

“Why, it’s this way,” answered Phil, when he could calm down a little. “About two years ago a great-uncle of mine died, leaving considerable money. He was interested in various enterprises and his death brought on legal complications and some litigation. He left his money to a lot of heirs, including myself. My father and I never thought we’d get anything – thought the lawyers and courts would swallow it all. But now it seems that it has been settled, and yours truly gets five thousand dollars in cash.”

“When do you get it, Phil, right away?” asked Buster.

“Well, – er – I, of course, don’t get it until I am of age. It’s to go in the bank.”

“Oh!”

“Won’t you get any of it until then?” asked Shadow. “Your dad might let you have a little, just to celebrate–”

“That’s just it – just what he has done!” cried Phil. “I’ve got– But wait,” cried the shipowner’s son, interrupting himself. “I’ll plan this thing out. You shall all be my guests later on,” he added, mysteriously.

“Will you give a spread?” asked Chip Macklin.

“Don’t ask questions, only wait,” returned Phil. And that was all he would say on the point, although he talked freely about his inheritance.

The next morning Phil and Ben were seen in earnest conversation, and that afternoon the two boys left the school as soon as they could get away, bound on an errand to Oakdale.

“We ought to get a dandy spread for a dollar or a dollar and a half a head,” said Phil, as they hurried along. “And twelve at a dollar and a half will be only eighteen dollars.”

“The music will cost something,” said Ben.

“Yes, I’m counting on two pieces, a harp and a violin, for ten dollars. That’s the price Professor Smuller charges.”

The boys were bound for the Oakdale Union House, a new hotel which had just been opened by a man named Jason Sparr. It was a nice resort, without a bar, and catered to the better class of people, including the students at Oak Hall and at the Military Academy.

The boys found the hotel proprietor glad to see them, and willing to set any kind of a spread that they were able to pay for. Trade was not yet brisk, and Jason Sparr said he would do his best to serve them. He was a smooth, oily man, and a fellow who wanted all that was coming to him.

“I can set you an elegant table for eighteen dollars for twelve,” said he. “I’ll give you oysters, fish, two kinds of meat, several vegetables, salad, ice-cream, coffee, and also nuts, cake, olives, celery, and other fixings.”

“That’s the talk!” cried Phil, enthusiastically. “Just make a nice spread of it, and you can have all our trade in the future.”

“You’ll be well pleased,” answered Jason Sparr.

“Can we have a private dining-room?”

“To be sure – the blue room over yonder,” and the hotel man showed the boys the apartment.

“I want some flowers, too,” said Phil. “You can put two dollars’ worth of roses on the table.”

“Very well – that will make an even twenty dollars.”

“When do you want me to pay?”

“Such spreads are usually paid for in advance,” answered Jason Sparr, shrewdly. He did not intend to take any chances with schoolboys.

“All right, here is your money,” answered the shipowner’s son, and brought forth one of the two crisp twenty-dollar bills his father had mailed to him, with the good news of his fortune.

“Tell him about the music,” suggested Ben.

“Oh, yes, I thought I’d have Professor Smuller furnish some music – harp and violin.”

“Fine! They can sit in the alcove, and we’ll put some of our palms around them,” returned Jason Sparr.

“Remember, this is for next Saturday night, seven o’clock sharp,” said Phil.

“I’ve got it down,” returned the hotel proprietor, as he wrote in his book.

“And don’t say anything to anybody about it. I want to surprise my friends.”

“Very well, mum’s the word,” and the hotel man looked very wise and knowing.

Leaving the place, Phil and Ben sought out the home of Professor Smuller, a violinist, who, with a friend who played the harp, often furnished music for dances and other occasions.

“Yes, yes, I can furnish music,” said the violinist. “Just tell me what you want.” Business was slow and he was glad to get any sort of an engagement.

The matter was explained, and the professor promised to be on hand and bring the harpist with him. He said he could play anything the students desired, including the well-known school songs. He would fill the engagement for the boys for eight dollars, although his regular price was ten. But he would have to have cash in advance.

Again Phil paid out his money, and then, the business concluded, he and Ben left the professor’s home and hurried along the road leading to Oak Hall.

“Have you made up your list yet?” asked Ben, when nearing the school.

“Not quite. I’ll have Dave and Roger and Shadow and Buster, of course. I’ll have to leave out some fellows, but that can’t be helped. I can’t afford a spread for the whole school.”

“Of course you can’t.”

“I think I’ll have Luke and Sam, and maybe Gus and Chip.”

As the boys drew closer to the school Ben had to stop to fix his shoe. Both sat down on some rocks, at a turn in the road. They were about to go on again when somebody made the turn of the road, coming from the town. It was Nat Poole.

“Hello! you been to town?” cried Ben, good-naturedly.

“Yes,” answered the money-lender’s son. “Haven’t I a right to go if I want to?” he added, and then hurried on ahead of them.

“Rather peppery,” mused Ben. “Say, Phil, there is one fellow you won’t invite, and I know it.”

“Right you are, Ben,” was the ready answer. “All I ask of Nat Poole is, that he leave me alone.”

But Nat was not to leave Phil alone, as events were quickly to prove.