CHAPTER VII
TOM GETS INTO TROUBLE
Putnam Hall was a fine building of brick and stone, standing inthe center of a beautiful parade ground of nearly ten acres. Infront of the parade ground was the wagon road, and beyond was agentle slope leading down to the lake. To the left of thebuilding was a playground hedged in by cedars, at one corner ofwhich stood a two-story frame building used as a gymnasium. Tothe right was a woods, while in the rear were a storehouse, astable, and several other outbuildings, backed up by some farmlands, cultivated for the sole benefit of the institution, so thatthe pupils were served in season with the freshest of fruits andvegetables.
The Hall was built in the form of the letter F, the upright lineforming the front of the building and the other lines representingwings in the rear. There were three entrances--one for theteachers and senior class in the center, one for the middleclasses on the right, and another for the youngest pupils on theleft. There were, of course, several doors in the rear inaddition.
The entire ground floor of the Hall was given over to class anddrill rooms. The second floor was occupied by Captain Putnam andhis staff of assistants and the pupils as living and sleepingapartments, while the top floor was used by the servants, althoughthere were also several dormitories there, used by young boys, whocame under the care of Mrs. Green, the housekeeper.
Captain Victor Putnam was a bachelor. A West Point graduate, hehad seen gallant service in the West, where he had aided thedaring General Custer during many an Indian uprising. A fall froma horse, during a campaign in the Black Hills, had laid him on along bed of sickness, and had later on caused him to retire fromthe army and go back to his old profession of school teaching. Hemight have had a position at West Point as an instructor, but hehad preferred to run his own military academy.
"Hurrah, here we are at last!" cried Fred Garrison, as thecarryall swept into view of the Hall. "I see twenty or thirty ofthe students, and all togged out in soldier clothes!"
"I suppose we'll be wearing suits soon,", answered Tom. "ByGeorge! I'm going to give them a salute."
(For the doings of the Putnam Hall students previous to thearrival at that institution of the Rover boys see "The Putnam HallSeries," the first volume of which is entitled, "The Putnam HallCadets."--Publishers)
"How?" asked Sam.
"Never mind. Just wait and see."
In a minute more they swept up to the gateway leading to theparade ground. Some of the pupils had seen the carriage coming,and they ran down to learn if any old friends had arrived.
"Hullo!" yelled several.
"Hullo yourself!" came in return, and then Tom drew out thefirecracker still in his pocket and lit it on the sly. Just as itwas about to explode he threw it up into the air.
Bang! The report was loud and clear, and everybody within hearingrushed to the spot to see what it meant. There were forty orfifty pupils and two assistant teachers, but Captain Putnam hadgone out.
"Hi! Hi! What does this mean?" came in a high-pitched voice, andJosiah Crabtree, the first assistant, rushed up to the carryall."What was that exploded?"
"A big firecracker, sir," answered Peleg Snuggers.
"And who exploded it?"
Before the utility man could answer there came a cry from theparade ground:"Don't peach, Peleg, don't peach!"
"Silence, boys!" burst from Josiah Crabtree wrathfully. "Such adisturbance is against the rules of this institution."
"We didn't fire the cracker," piped up a tall, slim boy. "It camefrom the carriage."
"Mumps, you're nothing but a sneak and tattle-tale," was the replyto this, from several older cadets; and, afraid of having his earsboxed on the sly, John Fenwick, nicknamed Mumps by everybody inthe Hall, ran off.
"Which of you fired the cracker?" demanded Josiah Crabtree,advancing to the carriage step.
There was no reply, and he turned to the driver.
"Snuggers, what have you to say?"
"I can't say anything, sir. I was taking care of the horses,sir," answered the hired man meekly.
"I will find out who fired the cracker before I have finished withyou," growled the head assistant. "Get down and march into theHall."
"Gracious, what have we struck now?" whispered Fred to Dick.
"Is this Captain Putnam?" asked Dick, without answering his chum.
"No, young man; I am Josiah Crabtree, A. M., Captain Putnam'sfirst assistant. And you are--" He paused.
"I am Dick Rover, sir. These are my brothers, Tom and Sam."
"And I am Fred Garrison," finished that youth.
"Very good. I hope, Richard, that you were not guilty of firingthat cracker?"
"Was there any great harm in giving a... a salute upon ourarrival?"
"Such a thing is against the rules of the institution. Article 29says, 'No pupil shall use any firearms or explosive at any timeexcepting upon special permission'."
"We are not pupils yet, Mr. Crabtree."
"That argument will not pass, sir. So you fired the cracker?Very well. Mr. Strong!"
The second assistant came up. He was a man of not over twenty-five,and his face was mild and pleasant.
"What is it, Mr. Crabtree."
"You will take charge of the other new pupils, while I take chargeof the one who has broken our rules on his very arrival."
"Hold on!" cried Tom. "What are you going to do with my brother?"
"That is... none of your business, Master Rover. You will go withMr. Strong."
"He didn't fire the cracker. I did that! And I'm not ashamed ofit. I wasn't a pupil when I did it, and I'm not a pupil now, so Ican't see how you can punish me for breaking one of your rules."
At this there came a titter from the cadets gathered around.Hardly any of them liked Josiah Crabtree, who was dictatorialbeyond all reason. The head assistant flushed up.
"You are a pupil here, and I will show you that you cannot breakour rules with impunity, and be impudent to me in the bargain!"cried Crabtree. "Come with me!" And he caught Tom by the arm,while Dick and the others were led off in another direction.
"Surely, this is a fine beginning," thought Tom as he walkedalong. He was half inclined to break away, but concluded to awaitdevelopments.
"Are you going to take me to Captain Putnam?" he questioned.
"We do not permit cadets placed under arrest to ask questions."
"Great smoke! Am I under arrest?"
"You are."
"Perhaps you'll want to hang me next."
"Silence! Or I shall be tempted to sentence you to a caning."
"You'll never cane me, sir."
"Silence! You have evidently been a wayward boy at home. If soit will be best for you to remember that all that is now at anend, and you must behave yourself and obey orders."
"Can't a fellow breathe without permission?"
"Silence!"
"How about if I want a drink of water?"
"Silence, I say!" stormed Josiah Crabtree. "I'll warrant you'llnot feel so smart by the time you are ready to leave Putnam Hall."
There was a silence after this, as the head assistant led the wayinto the building and conducted Tom to a small room looking outtoward the rear.
"You will remain here, Rover, until Captain Putnam returns."
"How long will that be?"
"Didn't I tell you not to ask questions?"
"But Captain Putnam may not return for a day or a month," went onTom innocently.
"Captain Putnam will be back in an hour or two." Without anotherword, Josiah Crabtree turned and left the room, locking the doorbehind him.
"Well, by crickety!" came from the boy when he was left alone."I've put my foot into it from the very start. I wonder whatCaptain Putnam will say to this? If he's half as sour minded asold Crabtree, I'll catch it. But I haven't done anything wrong,and they shan't cane me--and that's flat!" and he shook hiscurly head decidedly.
The room was less than ten feet square and plainly furni
shed withtwo chairs and a small couch. In one corner was a washstandcontaining a basin and a pitcher of water.
"This looks a good deal like a cell," he mused as he gazed around.Suddenly his eyes caught some writing on the wall in lead pencil.He stepped over to read it.
"Josiah Crabtree put me here, And I am feeling very queer; He boxed my ears and pulled my hair Oh, when I'm free won't I get square!"
"Somebody else has been here before me," thought Tom. "I ratherreckon I'll get square too. Hullo, here's another Whittier orLongfellow:
"In this lock-up I'm confined; If I stay long I'll lose my mind. Two days and nights I've paced the floor, As many others have before."
"I hope I don't stay two days and nights," said Tom half aloud.Then he walked to the single window of the apartment to find thatit was heavily barred.
"No escaping that way," he went on to read another inscription,this time in blank verse:
"And I am jugged, Alone in solitude, and by myself Alone. I sit and think, and think, And think again. Old Crabtree, Base villain that he is, hath put me here! And why? Ah, thereby hangs a tale, Horatio! His teeth, the teeth that chew the best of steak Set on our table--those I found and hid; And Mumps, the sneak, hath told on me! Alas! When will my martyrdom end?"
"Good for the chap who hid the teeth!" continued Tom, and smiledas he thought of the rage Crabtree must have been in when hediscovered that his false teeth were gone. A rattle in thekeyhole disturbed him, and he dropped onto a chair just as thehead assistant again appeared.
"I want the keys to your trunk and your satchel," he said.
"What for, sir?"
"Didn't I tell you before not to ask questions?"
"But my keys are my own private property, and so is what is in thetrunk and the satchel."
"All pupils' baggage is examined, Rover, to see that nothingimproper is introduced into the Hall."
"Want to see if I've got any more firecrackers?"
"We do not allow dime novels, or, eatables, or other things thatmight harm our pupils."
"Eating never harmed me, sir."
"Sometimes parents load up their boys with delicacies which aredecidedly harmful. Come, the keys."
Josiah Crabtree's tones were so harsh that Tom's heart rebelled onthe moment.
"I shan't give them to you, Mr. Crabtree. You have no right toplace me here. I wish to see the proprietor, Captain Putnam, atonce."
"Do you--er--refuse to recognize my authority over you?" criedJosiah Crabtree passionately.
"I do, sir. When I have met Captain Putnam and been enrolled as acadet it may be different. But at present I am not a cadet andnot under your authority."
"We'll see, boy, we'll see!" came hotly from the head assistant."Before I am done with you, you will be sorry that you have defiedme!"
And with these words he went out, slamming the door after him.Tom had made an enemy at the very start of his career as a cadet.