The Rover Boys at Colby Hall Part 14

"I don't see him anywhere," remarked Andy, as he and his cousins approached the mess hall of the school.

The cadets were entering in little groups of twos and threes, for as yet the regular term at Colby Hall had not begun. With the real opening of the school, the cadets would have a dress parade previous to dining and would then stack their arms outside and march in in regular order.

"Who are you talking about?" questioned Fred.

"Professor Asa Lemm. I don't see him at any of the tables."

"Maybe he didn't come to the Hall to-night. He might have had quite some business to transact with that man who left the train with him."

As there were more tables than professors, some of the boards were presided over by the senior cadets. There was a little confusion, due to the entrance of so many new pupils, and then the Rovers were a.s.signed to a table presided over by a senior named Ralph Mason, who was the major of the school battalion.

"I am glad to meet you," said Major Mason, as he shook hands cordially.

"I hope you will make yourselves at home," and he smiled in a manner that won the confidence of all the boys at once.

The meal was a good, substantial one--for Colonel Colby believed in setting a homelike table--and soon the clatter of knives and forks and the rattle of dishes filled the air. Most of the boys had come in from long journeys and were, consequently, hungry, so but little was said while the meal progressed. Spouter and Fatty and several other boys they had met sat at a table next to that occupied by the Rovers, but Nappy Martell and his cronies were on the opposite side of the mess hall, for which our friends were thankful.

"I think if I had to look at the face of Codfish while I was eating, it would spoil my appet.i.te," was Andy's comment during the meal. "They ought to photograph his mouth and put it in the comic supplements."

"Yes. Or else they ought to get him to act in some of the funny movies," returned his twin.

As soon as the repast was at an end, Fred sought out Professor Brice and asked him if anything had been learned concerning the missing suitcase.

"I am sorry to say I haven't learned anything," answered the professor, a troubled look coming over his face. "I really must say, Rover, I don't know what to make of it. Do you suspect anyone in particular of having taken it?"

Fred was on the point of mentioning Nappy Martell's name, but suddenly held himself in check.

"I wouldn't like to say anything about that, Professor," he answered slowly. "I might be accusing a fellow cadet unfairly. If the suitcase isn't returned by to-morrow I may have something to say about it."

"Very well. I think I understand how you feel about it," and the young professor looked knowingly at the boy. "Did you have much in the suitcase?"

"Yes, sir. It was well packed. You see, I wasn't sure whether my trunk would come right along, so I carried all I could in my handbaggage."

When Fred joined the others, all of the crowd, led by Spouter, walked down to the gymnasium. Here the Rovers were introduced to a number of other pupils, including Ned Lowe, who was quite a mandolin player and also a good singer, and a tall, studious youth named Dan Soppinger.

"Ned is our great singer," announced Spouter. "We expect some day that he'll be singing in grand opera on the Metropolitan stage."

"Did you say grand opera or grand uproar?" questioned Andy, slyly.

"Opera, my boy! Opera!" repeated Spouter. "I expect some day that he will thrill great audiences with exquisite renderings of the famous solos by Wagner, Beethoven, Mozart, Donizetti----"

"Great mackerel, Spouter! what are you giving us--a musical directory?"

interrupted Randy.

"No. I was only giving you a list of the things I expect to hear Ned sing sooner or later. Now, as for Dan here--he is the human encyclopedia."

"If there is anything you don't want to know, ask Dan and he'll be sure to tell you all about it," put in Fatty with a grin. "How about it, Dan?"

"Say! that's a fine way to introduce a fellow," cried Dan Soppinger, with a doubtful grin on his studious face. "Of course, I'm trying to learn as much as possible, but there are a whole lot of things that I don't know, and I'm not ashamed to acknowledge it. But say! by the way, can any of you tell me what the date was when Jefferson was inaugurated president?"

At this question there came a sudden groan, not only from Fatty, but also from Spouter and Ned Lowe. Then with one voice the three shouted:

"Down with him! He's at it again!"

"I don't believe any of you know the date," retorted Dan Soppinger. "If you did, you'd tell me. I am writing an article about the presidents, and I've got to put that in. And then, here's another thing. Can any of you tell me who crossed the Pacific Ocean to----"

But whatever the question was, it was never finished, for at that moment Spouter, Fatty, Ned and several others piled on Dan Soppinger and brought him to the gymnasium floor.

"Hi! You let up!" cried the victim, squirming from under the others as best he could. "Can't a fellow ask a question or two without you starting such a rough-house as this?"

"No questions to be asked, Dan, until the regular school term begins,"

answered Spouter. "Then all you've got to do is to go to the Rover boys----"

"Not much!" came simultaneously from Andy and Randy.

"Do you take us for a school library?" questioned Fred, gaily.

"I'll answer all the easy ones, Dan," said Jack, good-naturedly. "The hard ones I'll turn over to Spouter. If the question is a real sensible one, he'll give you a nice little answer--one about twelve hundred words long."

"Hurrah! Spouter is discovered at last!" cried Fatty. "Twelve hundred words long just fits it--that is, if Spouter is in a hurry to cut it short."

The Rover boys were much interested in what was taking place in the gymnasium, and they even tried out some of the bars and swinging rings, as well as one of the exercising machines.

"This is certainly an up-to-date inst.i.tution," remarked Jack. "This gym couldn't be better."

"How about the boats?" questioned Randy. He and his brother had owned a rowboat on the Hudson River, and had often gone out in the craft.

"Oh, we've got half a dozen good rowboats, as well as several racing sh.e.l.ls," answered Spouter. "You'll probably get a chance to look them over later."

While the Rover boys were taking in the sights to be seen in and around the gymnasium, their attention was attracted to a tall, well-formed cadet who was doing some clever work on one of the bars.

"He's doing that almost as well as a circus performer," was Fred's comment.

"Yes; he's certainly very graceful," returned Jack. "I wonder who he is."

"That is Walt Baxter," announced a cadet who had heard the talk.

"Walt Baxter!" exclaimed Randy. "I wonder if he can be the son of Dan Baxter, the man who made so much trouble for our fathers while at Putnam Hall."

"I'll soon find out," returned Jack. "But please remember--Dan Baxter reformed, and more than likely his son is a first-rate fellow."

As soon as Walter Baxter had gotten through with his exercise and had dropped to the floor, Jack, followed by his cousins, went up to him.

"Are you Walt Baxter--the son of Mr. Daniel Baxter?" he questioned.

"Yes," returned the other, and looked at Jack and the others with him curiously.

"I am Jack Rover--the son of Mr. Richard Rover. These are my cousins,"