Fred Fenton on the Crew

Fred Fenton on the Crew, by Allen Chapman

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Title: Fred Fenton on the Crew or, The Young Oarsmen of Riverport School
Author: Allen Chapman
Release Date: May 24, 2007 [EBook #21594]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: "WE WIN! WE WIN! RIVERPORT TAKES THE RACE!" Fred Fenton on the Crew Page 196]

FRED FENTON ON THE CREW
Or
The Young Oarsmen of Riverport School

By
ALLEN CHAPMAN
OF "FRED FENTON THE PITCHER," "FRED FENTON IN LINE," "TOM FAIRFIELD SERIES," "THE CHUMS SERIES," "BOYS OF PLUCK SERIES," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY PUBLISHERS

BOOKS FOR BOYS
BY ALLEN CHAPMAN
FRED FENTON ATHLETIC SERIES 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.
FRED FENTON THE PITCHER FRED FENTON IN THE LINE FRED FENTON ON THE CREW FRED FENTON ON THE TRACK
TOM FAIRFIELD SERIES 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.
TOM FAIRFIELD'S SCHOOLDAYS TOM FAIRFIELD AT SEA TOM FAIRFIELD IN CAMP TOM FAIRFIELD'S PLUCK AND LUCK
THE DAREWELL CHUMS SERIES 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.
THE DAREWELL CHUMS THE DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE CITY THE DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE WOODS THE DAREWELL CHUMS ON A CRUISE THE DAREWELL CHUMS IN A WINTER CAMP
BOYS OF PLUCK SERIES 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.
THE YOUNG EXPRESS AGENT TWO BOY PUBLISHERS MAIL ORDER FRANK A BUSINESS BOY'S PLUCK THE YOUNG LAND AGENT
CUPPLES & LEON CO. PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
Copyrighted 1913, by CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
FRED FENTON ON THE CREW
Printed in U. S. A.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. The Finger of Suspicion 1 II. The Tricky Canoe 9 III. A Boat Club Meeting 17 IV. In Camp on the Mohunk 26 V. Hoofs and Horns 33 VI. A Sudden Awakening 41 VII. Ice Cold Waters 49 VIII. A Surprise 56 IX. A Lucky Win 63 X. Fred's Home Coming 71 XI. News From Over Sea 79 XII. Bristles Has an Idea 87 XIII. A Call for Help 96 XIV. The Missing Opals Again 104 XV. Fred's Brave Stand 113 XVI. The Trial Spin 121 XVII. Snagged and Wrecked 130 XVIII. Lying in Wait 138 XIX. Nipped in the Bud 147 XX. In the Hollow Oak 156 XXI. A Plan to Catch the Thief 165 XXII. Telling the Good News 173 XXIII. The Start of the Race 181 XXIV. A Great Victory 189 XXV. Bright Skies 198

FRED FENTON ON THE CREW
CHAPTER I
THE FINGER OF SUSPICION
"Hello! there, Bristles!"
"Hello! yourself, Fred Fenton!"
"Why, what ails you this fine summer morning, Bristles? You don't look as jolly as you might."
"Well, I was only waiting to see if you cared to speak to me, Fred."
"Why in the wide world shouldn't I, when you're one of my chums, Bristles Carpenter?"
Andy Carpenter was known far and wide around the town of Riverport as "Bristles," on account of the way in which his mop of hair stood upright most of the time, much after the manner of the quills on a fretful porcupine.
Usually he was a very good-natured sort of a chap, one of the "give-and-take" kind, so universally liked among schoolboys. But, on this particular early summer morning, with the peaceful Mohunk river running close by, and all Nature smiling, Bristles look glum and distressed, just as his friend Fred Fenton had declared.
"You haven't heard the latest news then?" remarked the boy with the thick head of stiff, wiry hair; and he made a grimace as he spoke.
"If you mean anything about you, then I haven't, for a fact," Fred replied, his wonder deepening into astonishment; for he now saw that Bristles was not playing any kind of a joke, as he had at first suspected.
"Huh! didn't know you had an awful thief for a chum, did you, Fred?" the other went on, laying emphasis on that one suggestive word, and frowning.
"Rats! what sort of stuff are you giving me now, anyway, Bristles?"
"Well, some people think that way, Fred; you ask Miss Alicia Muster, f'rinstance," grumbled the other, shaking his head dolefully.
"But she's your rich old aunt, Bristles!" cried Fred, more surprised than ever.
"That doesn't make any difference," complained the boy who was in trouble; "she believes I took 'em, all the same; 'cause, you see, I just happened to drop in to see her twice inside the last week, worse luck for me; and, Fred, each time one of 'em disappeared the funniest way ever."
"Go on and tell me what you mean; I can only guess that your aunt has met with some sort of loss. But why should she try to lay it on you, Bristles?"
"Huh! you don't know how good that makes me feel, Fred, just to