"I am sure at least one letter was written by Merwell, and one farmer who brought a load of cabbages here said they were ordered by two young men who looked like Merwell and Jasniff."

"Oh, n.o.body else would do it!" cried Roger. "Merwell and Jasniff are guilty, not the least doubt of it! The question is: How can we catch them?"

"Yes, that is the question," said Doctor Clay. "I have notified the local authorities to be on the watch for them, and now I think I shall hire a private detective."

"Do it, Doctor," said Dave eagerly. "I will pay half the expense. I know that my father will approve of such a course." And so the matter rested.

The private detective came to Oak Hall two days later, and after interviewing the doctor and the boys, said he would do his best to run down Link Merwell and Nick Jasniff.

It snowed hard for a day and a night and when it cleared off the boys had considerable fun s...o...b..lling each other and in coasting down a long hill leading to the river. Pop Swingly, the janitor, came in for his full share of the snow-balling and so did Jackson Lemond, usually called Horsehair, the Hall carryall driver. Horsehair was caught coming from the barn, and half a dozen s...o...b..a.l.l.s. .h.i.t him at the same time.

"Hi, you, stop!" he spluttered, as one s...o...b..ll took him in the chin and another in the ear. "Want to smother me? Let up, I say!" And he tried to run away.

"These are early Christmas presents, Horsehair!" sang out Ben, merrily, and let the driver have another, this time in the cap.

"And something to remember us by, when we are gone," added Gus, hitting him in the arm. Then the driver escaped. He felt sore, and vowed he would square up.

"Maybe he'll report us," said Ben, after the excitement was over.

"Not he," declared Gus. "He's not that kind. But he'll lay for us,-just you wait and see." And Gus was right. About half an hour later he and Ben were told that somebody wanted to see them at the boathouse. They started for the building, walking past the gymnasium, and as they did so, down on their heads came a perfect avalanche of snow, sent from the sloping roof above. When they clawed their way out of the ma.s.s and looked up they saw Horsehair standing on the roof, snow-shovel in hand, grinning at them.

"Thought I'd give ye some more snow fer s...o...b..a.l.l.s," he chuckled. "Here ye are!" And down came another avalanche, sending the boys flat a second time. When they scrambled up they ran off with all speed, the merry laughter of the carryall driver ringing in their ears.

At last came the final session of the school, with the usual exercises, in which Dave and his chums partic.i.p.ated. Nearly all of the boys were going home for the holidays, including Dave, Phil, Roger, and Ben. Dave and Ben were, of course, going direct to Crumville, and it was arranged that Phil and the senator's son should come there later, to visit our hero and his family and the Wadsworths. Nat Poole was also going home, and would be on the same train with Dave and Ben.

"I wish he wasn't going with us," said Ben. "I'm getting so I can't bear Nat at all."

"Well, he isn't quite as bad as he was when he chummed with Merwell and Jasniff," answered our hero. "I think their badness rather scared Nat.

He is mean and all that, but he isn't a criminal."

"Well, I think some meanness is a crime," retorted Ben.

The boys had purchased gifts for Doctor Clay, Mr. Dale, and some of the others, and even Job Haskers had been remembered. Some of the students had wanted to ignore the tyrannical teacher, but Dave and his chums had voted down this proposition.

"Let us treat them all alike," said Dave. "Perhaps Mr. Haskers thinks he is doing right."

"Yes, and if we leave him out in the cold he may be more hard-hearted than ever," added Gus, with a certain amount of worldly wisdom.

Dave carried a suit-case and also a big bundle, the latter filled with Christmas presents for the folks at home. Ben was similarly loaded down, and so were the others.

"Good-by, everybody!" cried our hero, as he entered the carryall sleigh.

"Take good care of the school until we come back!"

"Good-by!" was the answer. "Don't eat too much turkey while you are gone!" And then, as the sleigh rolled away from the school grounds, the lads to leave commenced to sing the favorite school song, sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne":

"Oak Hall we never shall forget, No matter where we roam; It is the very best of schools, To us it's just like home!

Then give three cheers, and let them ring Throughout this world so wide, To let the people know that we Elect to here abide!"

"That's the stuff!" cried Roger, and then commenced to toot loudly on a tin horn he carried, and many others made a din.

At the depot the boys had to wait a little while. But presently the train came along and they got aboard. Dave and Ben found a seat near the middle of the car and Nat Poole sat close by them. He acted as if he wanted to talk, but the others gave him little encouragement.

"Nat has something on his mind, I'll wager a cookie," whispered Ben to Dave.

"Well, if he has, he need not bother us with it," was Dave's reply. "I am done with him-I told him that some time ago."

The train rolled on and when near the Junction, where the boys had to change to the main line, a couple in front of Ben and Dave got up, leaving the seat vacant. At once Nat Poole took the seat, at first, however, turning it over, so that he might face the other Oak Hall students.

"I want to talk to you, Dave Porter," he said, in a low and somewhat ugly voice. "I want you to give an account of yourself."

"Give an account of myself?" queried Dave, in some astonishment, for he had not expected such an opening from Nat. "What do you mean?"

"You know well enough what I mean," cried the other boy, and now it was plainly to be seen that his anger was rising. "You can blacken your own character all you please but I won't have you blackening mine! If you don't confess to what you've done, and straighten matters out, as soon as we get to Crumville, I am going to ask my father to have you arrested!"

CHAPTER VII-NAT POOLE'S REVELATION

Both Dave and Ben stared in astonishment at the son of the money-lender of Crumville. Nat was highly indignant, but the reason for this was a complete mystery to the other lads.

"Blacken your character?" repeated Dave. "Nat, what are you talking about?"

"You know well enough."

"I do not."

"And I say you do!" bl.u.s.tered the bully. "You can't crawl out of it.

I've followed the thing up and I've got the evidence against you, and against Roger Morr, too. I was going to speak to Doctor Clay about it, but I know he'd side with you and smooth it over-he always does. But if I tell my father, you'll find you have a different man to deal with!"

Nat spoke in a high-pitched voice that drew the attention of half a dozen men and women in the car. Ben was greatly annoyed.

"Say, Nat, don't make a public exhibition of yourself," he said, in a low tone. "If you've got anything against Dave, why don't you wait until we are alone?"

"I don't have to wait," answered Nat, as loudly as ever. "I am going to settle this thing right now."

Fortunately the train rolled up to the Junction depot at this moment and everybody, including the boys, left the car. Several gazed curiously at Dave and Nat, and, seeing this, Ben led the others to the end of the platform. Here there was a freight room, just then deserted.

"Come on in here, and then, Nat, you can spout all you please," said Ben.

"You ain't going to catch me in a corner!" cried the bully, in some alarm.

"It isn't that, Nat. I don't want you to make a fool of yourself in front of the whole crowd. See how everybody is staring at you."

"Humph! Let them stare," muttered the bully; yet he followed Ben and Dave into the freight room, and Ben stood at the doorway, so that no outsiders might come in. One boy tried to get in, thinking possibly to see a fight, but Ben told him to "fly on, son," and the lad promptly disappeared.

"Now then, Nat, tell me what you are driving at," said Dave, as calmly as he could, for he saw that the money-lender's son was growing more enraged every minute.

"I don't have to tell you, Dave Porter; you know all about it."