"I wonder if we could hire a rig at the next farmhouse."

"Well, we can try that," answered Pepper.

Trundling their bicycles, they hurried along the country road until they reached a farmhouse.

"Looks as if they were all out or gone to bed," was Jack's comment, for not a light showed about the place.

"We'll soon know," returned Pepper, and he pounded l.u.s.tily on the front door.

There was no answer to this summons, and he pounded again. But n.o.body appeared.

"Gone away for the day, I guess," he said. "Now what?"

"Let us leave our wheels in the barn," said Jack. "We can come back for them any time."

This they did, and after a look around the place, to make certain n.o.body was there, they pa.s.sed out on the road once more. Pepper looked at his watch.

"Fifteen minutes to six," he announced.

"Oh, we'll never get there on time," groaned Andy.

"We'll be lucky if we get there at all to-night," answered the young major.

"They are looking for us by now," came from Pepper. "Wonder what they will think when we don't show up?"

"They'll think we are pretty mean, I guess," answered the acrobatic youth.

"Here comes some kind of a turnout now!" cried Pepper.

He pointed down the highway. They could see a lantern swinging idly to and fro. It was hung under a farm-wagon, and presently they saw the turnout, drawn by a pair of good-looking horses. The wagon was filled with barrels of potatoes, and on the seat sat a raw-boned old farmer, half asleep.

"h.e.l.lo, there!" challenged Jack out of the darkness. "Hold up a minute, please!"

"Hi, what's this, a hold-up?" exclaimed the old farmer, and then of a sudden he reached between the barrels of potatoes and brought forth a long horse-pistol and pointed it at them.

"Don't shoot!" cried Pepper, thinking the old fellow might be just scared enough to pull the trigger of his ancient weapon. "This isn't any hold-up."

"Who be you?" and the farmer peered forth anxiously in the darkness.

"We are cadets from Putnam Hall."

"Oh! I see! Waal, don't ye try to play no trick on Ezra Cole, or I'll let fly with this hoss-pistol, sure ez you're born!"

"We don't want to play any tricks, Mr. Cole," answered Jack. "We are in trouble, and I was wondering if you could help us out."

"Wot's the trouble?"

In as few words as possible the young major and his chums explained the difficulty. The old farmer listened with interest.

"I know Mr. Ford; he buys garden sa.s.s from me," he said.

"We don't know how we are going to get to the Lodge, unless we can find somebody to drive us over," said Pepper. "Could you do it, if we paid you?"

"Wot, with this load o' potatoes? Not much!"

"Couldn't you leave your potatoes here?" asked Andy. "I'll give you fifty cents to drive me over."

"And so will I," added Pepper.

"That will be a dollar and a half for the three of us, Mr. Cole," put in Jack.

"Hum!" The old farmer began to look interested. "It's a putty stiff drive to Point View, an' I'd have to come back fer the potatoes."

"Make it two dollars!" cried Jack. "And do it as quickly as you can."

"Hum! Got the cash with you, young man?"

"Yes, here it is!" And the young major held up two one-dollar bills.

"All right, I'm your man!" cried Ezra Cole. "I ain't in no hurry to git to hum, an' two dollars ain't picked up every day. Jest wait till I drive in an' leave my potatoes where they will be safe."

"Might leave 'em with our bicycles," said Jack.

"So I will."

It did not take the old farmer long to unload his barrels of potatoes.

Then he swept out his farm-wagon and spread some horse-blankets for the boys to sit upon. They leaped in and he took up the lines once more.

"G'lang!" he shouted to his team and cracked his whip, and off they went along the road at a good gait.

"Great Julius Caesar!" cried Andy, after a quarter of a mile had been pa.s.sed. "Talk about b.u.mping the b.u.mps! This road has 'em beaten to a frazzle!"

"Getting your money's worth, Andy?" asked The Imp, with a grin.

"Ain't no springs on this wagon!" said Ezra Cole, with a grin. "But don't you mind; it will give you a fine appet.i.te fer that dinner when you git there!"

"It will, if it doesn't knock out our teeth so we can't chew!" murmured Jack.

On and on they rattled at a good pace until the lights of Point View Lodge shone in the distance.

"Just drop us off at the gate!" cried Jack. "We don't want to ride up to the piazza in such a rig as this."

"Why, h.e.l.lo, have you arrived at last?" cried a voice from out of the darkness, and then Laura and Flossie appeared, standing by the gate. The three cadets looked glumly at each other, and then Pepper commenced to snicker and all burst into a hearty spell of laughter.

CHAPTER XIV