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

“Oh!” murmured the lady, and sank back in a deathlike swoon.

“Oh, Aunt Annie is dying!” shrieked the little girl. “Oh, dear, I never want to ride like this again!”

“She isn’t dying,” said Jack. “She’ll soon be better.”

He looked back and saw some of the cadets hurrying along the road. Soon Pepper came up, followed by Andy and a dozen others, and then Captain Putnam put in an appearance.

The lady was lifted from the automobile and carried to a shady spot under a tree. She had smelling salts with her, and was treated with these, and her face was bathed with water from the brook. Soon she opened her eyes and stared around her.

“You are safe, madam,” said the captain. “Pray take it easy.”

“And Jennie, my niece?”

“She is safe too.”

“What a fearful ride I have had,” went on the lady, with a shudder. “It was awful! The auto got entirely beyond my control. Where is the brave young gentleman who stopped it for me?”

“Here he is,” answered Captain Putnam, pointing to Jack.

“What, you! Why, you – er – you are the young man that – that had the trouble with my husband a few days ago,” faltered the lady, and reddened.

“Never mind about that,” said Jack, quickly. He remembered what the lady had said on that occasion. “I’m glad I happened to be on the bicycle.”

“You sprang from the wheel into the machine?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“It was a brave thing to do. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

A few minutes later a buggy came along, being driven furiously by the man who owned the automobile. He leaped out and ran toward his wife and his little niece.

“Are they hurt?” he demanded.

“No, Carl, we are not hurt,” answered his wife.

“What made you run off so furiously, Annie?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. The machine started up, and I could not stop it.”

“That young soldier saved us, Uncle Carl,” came from the little girl. “He rode on his wheel after us, and jumped into our auto and pulled on the handles till it stopped.”

The man looked at Jack, and his face grew red.

“Why – er – did you – er – you stop the auto for my wife?” he stammered.

“I did,” answered the young major, coldly.

“He did it at the risk of his life, too,” added the lady. “Carl, we owe him a great deal.”

The man’s face became a study.

“How did you do it?” he asked at length. “Tell me the story, won’t you?” And Jack did so, and then the lady had her say, and so did Captain Putnam.

“I thank you, sir,” said the man. “It was handsome of you, handsome. And after I treated you so meanly, too! Say, do you know how I feel? I feel like two cents!”

“Let us drop it,” said Jack, and walked away. But the man came after him, and his voice was full of emotion.

“Don’t go off that way. I want to tell you something. I – I acted like a fool the other day. It wasn’t fair at all. And now you’ve done the handsome thing. It was great, simply great! I thank you, and I ask your pardon at the same time. Won’t you shake hands?”

“Certainly!” cried Jack, and held out his hand, which the other grasped tightly. “It’s all right – only please give us a little more show when we’re on the march after this.”

“You shall have the whole road – you deserve it!” answered the man, heartily. “This has taught me a lesson I’ll not forget,” he added, as he turned back to look after his wife and inspect the automobile. It took some time to repair the big machine, and in the meantime the cadets walked away, and Jack delivered the wheel to the owner.

“That was a great ride of yours,” said the boy. “And that jump into the auto was grand. Do you know that man?”

“No.”

“His name is Carl Reuterman. He is a rich brewer. He runs all over these roads, and he is rather careless. But I guess he’ll be more careful after this.”

“He’ll have to be – or he and his family will get into trouble,” returned Jack.

“Did he reward you, Jack?” asked Pepper, later on.

“No, and I don’t want any reward,” answered the young major. “I don’t risk my neck for pay.”

The march back to school came to an end that evening at seven o’clock. A hot supper awaited all hands, and the manner in which the students pitched in was astonishing.

“We’re going to have cold weather now,” said Pepper, on turning in. “There’s a heavy frost on the ground already.”

“Frost will be good for the nuts,” came from Andy.

“That’s the idea!” put in Henry Lee. “Let us organize a nutting party. I know where we can get a lot of nuts. The trees are just loaded with them.”

“All right, I’m ready any time Captain Putnam will let us off,” came from Jack. “But I don’t believe he will let us off this week, on account of the outing we have already had,” and he was right.

The cold weather continued, and there was a promise of snow in the air. The week passed, and on the following Saturday the master of the Hall said all of the pupils could go out in the woods for three hours, if they wished.

“But you must be careful of two things,” he said. “Do not get lost, and do not poach on private grounds.”

“I don’t think I’ll get lost,” said Andy. He had been out in the woods a number of times.

The boys divided up into half a dozen parties, and set off with light hearts. Each party carried bags for nuts, and Jack had a pocket compass, in case his party should miss the way.

Just after they had started Dale came to Jack.

“Baxter is going up to Top Rock Hill,” said he. “I believe that is private property.”

“I was going there myself,” said the young major, “but not on private grounds. There are a good many trees outside of the inclosures.”