The Putnam Hall Cadets: or, Good Times in School and Out

“Hullo, Dan Baxter’s crowd is drinking soap coffee!” shouted one of the cadets.

“How do you like the flavor, Dan?” asked another.

“Better than Java, eh?” came from a third cadet.

“I have heard of all sorts of tastes in coffee, but I never heard of soap being used before,” was Pepper’s comment.

“Baxter’s afther wantin’ a good wash on th’ insoide!” came from Hogan.

“Ah, you fellows shut up!” growled the bully, and taking the chunk of semi-soft soap, he hurled it at Pepper. But the Imp dodged, and the soap landed in Mumps’ left eye.

“Oh! oh!” howled the sneak. “Oh! you have put out my eye! Oh!” And he began to dance around wildly.

“Didn’t mean to hit you, Mumps,” said Baxter. “I say,” he called out; “who put that soap in the coffee?”

“Here’s a riddle,” came from Andy. “A lima bean to the one who solves it last.”

“Coffee in the soap is good for warts,” said Dale, with a grin, for Baxter’s hands were covered with warts.

“Just wait – I’ll get square!” growled the bully; and there the talk had to come to an end.

Breakfast over, there was a long drill, and then the cadets were allowed to do as they pleased for several hours. Some wandered through the woods, while others went to a nearby brook to fish. Half a dozen of Baxter’s crowd went off through the woods by themselves.

“Where are they going?” asked Pepper.

“I don’t know – and don’t much care,” answered Jack.

Baxter’s crowd walked through the woods to where there was a farmhouse, and there stopped to get some apples and some milk. While stopping at the place they got into conversation with the farmer’s daughter, a pleasant-looking damsel of eighteen.

“She’s a beauty,” said Coulter.

Baxter followed the farmer’s daughter to the dairy, and began to talk to her in a pleasant way. Then he tried to put his arm around her waist.

“Stop that!” she said sharply.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” said he. “Won’t you give me just one kiss?”

“I’ll give you – this!” she answered quickly, and, taking up a can of sour milk, she threw it directly into his face. Then she ran into the house, shrieking with laughter.

“Dan got it that time!” said Paxton, with a snicker.

“It was real sweet, too!” added Coulter.

Wild with rage, Baxter wiped the sour milk from his face and hair.

“I’ll fix you for that!” he roared, and started to go into the house, but the girl appeared with a broom.

“You keep away!” she cried, shrilly. “If you don’t, I’ll set our dog on you!”

“Oh, come on away!” put in Mumps, in alarm. “Come on!” And he hurried towards the road.

“I guess we had better go,” whispered Coulter. “If the farmer should report us to Captain Putnam, there would be the Old Nick to pay,” and he too walked off, with Paxton and the sneak beside him. Seeing there was no help for it, Baxter withdrew, the girl laughing merrily at him as he did so.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE YOUNG MAJOR SHOWS HIS COURAGE

All too soon for the young cadets the encampment in the grove came to an end, and the march back to Putnam Hall was taken up.

“This gives us a taste of what the annual encampment will be like,” said Andy. “My, but won’t we have just boss times!” And his face glowed with anticipation.

The day was positively cold, and the young soldiers were glad enough to march along briskly. Mile after mile was covered, until they came to the place where they had taken dinner when coming from the Hall.

While they were resting Jack and Pepper fell in with a boy of the neighborhood, who was riding a bicycle. The boy asked them about life at the Hall, and in return they questioned him about his wheeling trips.

“You can try my wheel if you wish,” said the youth to them, and Pepper took a short spin up the road and back. Then Jack turned his sword over to his chum and hopped into the saddle.

“The seat isn’t quite high enough for me,” said the young major. “But it’s a good wheel and I feel as if I could pedal ten or twenty miles without half trying.”

Jack had gone quite a distance down the road when he heard a whirring sound, and looking in the direction, saw an automobile approaching. It was coming at good speed, and swaying from side to side.

“Hullo, I’ll have to get out of the way, or run the risk of being run over,” he said to himself, and drew up near a stone fence.

As the automobile came closer he saw that it contained only a lady and a little girl. The lady was holding on to the steering wheel with one hand, and holding the girl with the other.

“Oh, help!” she cried out, as the automobile passed Jack. “Help! I cannot stop the machine!” And then she passed by in a cloud of dust.

For the moment Jack did not comprehend. Then he shut his teeth hard, turned around, and raced after the automobile on the bicycle.

“I’ll have to stop that machine for her if I can!” he reasoned. “I suppose she is afraid the girl will fall out, or else the lever is stuck.”

The automobile was now a good distance down the road, and running dangerously close to the stone fence. Then it swayed to the other side, two wheels going into some mud.

“Help! help!” the lady shrieked, at some cadets standing near.

“Here comes Jack on the bicycle!” exclaimed Andy.

“Look, he is going after the auto!” put in Pepper.

Along the road swung the ponderous machine, the lady continuing to call for help, and the little girl crying in her terror. Behind, Jack was doing his best to catch the runaway machine.

It was a stiff race, and for several minutes it looked as if the young cadet would not make it. But at last he closed the gap ahead, and came up directly behind the automobile. Then, with a quick leap, he cleared the bicycle handle bars and caught hold of the back seat of the turnout ahead.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, as he piled forward. “Can’t you stop it?”

“No, the lever is stuck!” gasped the woman. She was on the point of fainting through excitement and fear.

Jack bent down, and his knowledge of automobiles stood him in good stead. He saw how the lever had become bent. With all of his might he tugged upon it, and brought it back. At once the automobile began to slacken its pace. Then came another pull, and the ponderous machine came to a complete standstill.