The Rover Boys on the Farm/Chapter 13
That Tad Sobber was in a thorough rage was easily to be seen. His eyes were full of hate and he looked ready to fly at Tom and tear him to pieces.
All of the boys expected to see a great fight, and some backed away from the landing, to give the contestants more room.
But before anything could be done Dick leaped to the front and barred the bully's further progress.
"Stop it, Sobber," he said quietly but firmly.
"Get out of my way, Dick Rover!" roared the bully. "This is none of your affair."
"Then I'll make it my affair," answered the eldest Rover boy. "You shall not attack my brother here."
"Don't worry, Dick—I can take care of him," put in Tom, undauntedly, and doubled up his fists. "Maybe he'd like to go down stairs again and smash some more dishes."
"Not when John Fly am carryin' dem," put in the colored waiter, who stood looking at the wreckage with a sober face. "I don't want no moah such knockovers, I don't!" And he shook his woolly head decidedly.
The noise had summoned numerous cadets to the scene, and now George Strong, the head teacher, appeared.
"What is the trouble here?" he demanded.
For the moment nobody answered him, and he gazed in wonderment at the broken dishes and the scattered food.
"Been a accident, sah," said John Fly. "Dat young gen'man dun fall down de stairs an' knock me ober, tray an' all, sah."
"Did you fall down stairs, Sobber?"
"No, sir, I was thrown down by Tom Rover," replied the bully.
"Thrown down?" repeated the head teacher in surprise.
"He attacked me and I hit back," explained Tom. "It was his own fault that he fell down stairs. Had he let me alone there would have been no trouble."
"It is false—he hit me first," said the bully.
"That is not so," cried Fred. "Sobber struck the first blow."
"Yah, dot is der fact alretty," put in Hans. "He vos caught Dom py der throat und knock his head py der vail chust so hard like nefer vos!"
"He hit me first, didn't he, Nick?" said the bully, turning to his crony.
"I—I think he did," stammered Nick Pell. He did not dare to tell an outright falsehood. "I think it was all Tom Rover's fault," he added, after a surly look from Sobber.
"All of you know it is against the rules to fight in this school," said Mr. Strong, sternly.
"Well, I only fought after I was attacked," answered Tom, doggedly.
"Mr. Strong, whether you believe it or not, my brother speaks the plain truth," came from Dick. "I was coming from Larmore's room and saw it all. Had you been in Tom's place you would have done as he did."
These plain words from Dick made George Strong hesitate. He knew the Rover boys well, and knew that they were generally in the right. More than this, he had caught Tad Sobber in a falsehood only the day before.
"You may all go to your rooms and I will see about this later," he said. "Sobber, as you broke the dishes, you will have to pay for them."
"Can't Rover pay half the bill?" growled the bully.
"No, for I cannot see how he is to blame for that."
After this some sharp words followed. Tad Sobber was impudent, and as a consequence was marched off to a storeroom which was occasionally used as a "guardhouse" by the teachers and Captain Putnam. Here he had to stay in solitary confinement for twenty-four hours and on the plainest kind of a diet. This imprisonment made Sobber furious, and he vowed he would get square with Tom and Dick for it if it cost him his life.
"They may have been able to down other fellows in this school, but they shan't down me," was what he told Nick Pell.
"Well, you want to go slow in what you do," answered Pell. "I've been talking to some of the others and I've learned that they got the best of several fellows who were here at different times—Dan Baxter, Lew Flapp and some others."
"Humph! I am not afraid of them," growled Tad Sobber. "I suppose they think, because they are rich and have traveled some, they can lord it over everybody. Well, I'll show them a trick or two before I'm done with them."
After Tad Sobber came out of confinement the Rover boys thought he might try to play some underhand trick on Tom, and consequently kept their eyes open. But nothing developed for some days, and then it came in a most unexpected way.
The boys settled down to their studies, but it was not in their nature to go in for all work and no play. On the following Saturday they asked for permission to visit Cedarville, to buy some things Sam and Tom needed. They took with them Songbird and Hans, and went on foot, the weather being ideal for walking. Just before leaving they saw Sobber and Pell hurry away, also in the direction of the town.
"I wonder where they are going?" mused Dick.
"Sobber is going to take a run by steamboat to Ithaca," answered Songbird. "I heard him speak to Captain Putnam about it."
"Is Pell going along?"
"I don't think so."
The three Rover boys and their friends were soon on the way. They felt in the best of spirits, and Powell could not resist the temptation to break out into his usual doggerel:
"I love to roam o'er hill and dale,
In calm or storm or windy gale,
I love the valley and the hill,
The brooklet and the running rill,
I love the broad and placid lake"
"Where we can swim or take a skate,"
finished Tom, and then went on:
"And just remember, of the rest,
I love old Putnam Hall the best!"
"That last sentiment hits me," said Fred. "Tell you what, fellows, no place like our school."
"I dink I make me some boetry alretty," said Hans, solemnly, and began:
"I lof to hear der insects hum,
I lof to chew on chewing gum!
I lof to see der moon shine owit"
"And love to eat my sauerkraut,"
added Tom gaily. "Songbird, can't you get up some real nice bit of verse about sauerkraut and Limburger cheese for Hans' benefit?"
"The idea of poetry about sauerkraut and Limburger cheese!" snorted the verse maker in disgust.
"Well, anyway, the lines about the cheese would be good and strong," was Dick's comment.
"A poem about sauerkraut wouldn't do for this automobile age," said Sam, dryly.
"Why not?" asked Tom.
"Because sauerkraut belongs to the cabb-age," answered the youngest Rover, and then dodged a blow Tom playfully aimed at him.
"I shan't try to make up any more verses," said Songbird. "Every time I try"
"Hullo, here comes a carriage with three young ladies in it," called out Dick.
"They look familiar to me," announced Tom. "Yes, they are Dora Stanhope and Grace and Nellie Laning!" he cried.
"Well, this is a pleasure," said Songbird, and forgot all about what he was going to say concerning his verse making.
The carriage was soon up to them. It was a two-seated affair, and on the front seat were Dora and Nellie and in the rear Grace and Mrs. Stanhope.
"We were going to stop at Putnam Hall for a few minutes," said Dora, after the greetings were over. "It was such a lovely day we couldn't resist the temptation to go out for a long drive."
"Sorry we won't be at the Hall to receive you," answered Dick, and he gave Dora such an earnest look that the pretty girl blushed.
"The girls have something up their sleeve," said Mrs. Stanhope. "And they wanted to see you and Captain Putnam about it."
"We are getting up a little party," announced Nellie. "It is to come off at Dora's home some time this fall. We wanted to find out if Captain Putnam would let you and a few of your friends come over."
"Oh, he'll have to let us come!" cried Tom. "Why, I wouldn't miss a party for anything!" And he said this so comically that all of the girls laughed.
"We haven't set any date yet," said Grace. "But you'll speak to Captain Putnam about it, won't you? We thought you might make up a party of say eight or ten boys, and come over in the carryall."
"It's as good as done," announced Sam, with a profound bow. "Please put me down on your card for the first two-step."
"Und put me town for a dree-steps," added Hans, and at this there was another laugh.
"I don't know whether we'll have dancing or not," said Mrs. Stanhope. "But we'll try to have a good time."
"Who do you want us to invite—if we can come?" questioned Dick.
"Oh, Dick, we'll leave that to you. Of course we want all who were on the houseboat," and Dora looked at the Rovers and Songbird and Hans.
"With Fred that will make six. Shall I ask Larry Colby and George Granbury?"
"If you want to—and two more. But please don't ask those boys we just met," went on Dora, hastily.
"You mean Tad Sobber and Nick Pell?" questioned Tom, quickly.
"One called the other Nick. He was a very large lad," said Mrs. Stanhope.
"Sobber and Pell sure," murmured Tom. "What did they do?"
"Stood right in the middle of the road and would not get out of the way," explained Grace. "I think they were perfectly horrid!"
"They made us drive around to one side and we nearly went into a ditch," added Dora.
"And then, after we had passed, they burst out laughing at us," continued Nellie. "They certainly weren't a bit nice."
"We'll have to settle with Sobber and Pell for this," said Dick, and his face took on a serious look that bode no good for the cadets who had played so ungallant a part towards his lady friends.