The Rover Boys at Colby Hall | Page 5

to pack my trunk and leave this house right away!"
"What's the matter?" demanded Tom Rover, quickly.
"Are you hurt?" came anxiously from Dick.
"What have the boys done now?" questioned Sam.

"What have they done?" wailed the hired girl. "I just went into the
pantry and opened the closet door and out jumped about a thousand
mice at me!"
"Yes! and they are running all over the house!" broke in the cook
savagely. "One of 'em ran right over my foot and tried to bite me! I'm
going to pack my trunk and leave! I won't stay here another minute!"
CHAPTER II
SOMETHING OF THE PAST
At the announcement of the hired girl that their sons had let loose in the
farmhouse a thousand mice--more or less--the three Rover brothers
looked at each other enquiringly.
"Another joke--and so soon!" gasped Sam Rover.
"That certainly is the limit!" broke out Dick Rover, as he started for the
house.
"If I find Andy and Randy have been up to another trick right on top of
this water-hose nonsense, I'll give them a tanning they won't forget in a
hurry," added Tom Rover; and then he and Sam followed Dick up the
back porch and into the kitchen.
To the readers of the former volumes in these two "Rover Boys Series,"
Dick, Tom and Sam Rover will need no special introduction. For the
benefit of others, however, let me state that the sober-minded and
determined Dick was the oldest of the three, with the fun-loving Tom
coming next and sturdy Sam being the youngest. They were the sons of
one Anderson Rover, who, when not traveling, made his home at
Valley Brook Farm, in New York State, living there with his brother
Randolph Rover and wife Martha.
While Dick, Tom, and Sam were quite young, and while their father
was off exploring in the interior of Africa, the three Rovers had been
sent to Putnam Hall Military Academy, where they had made a few

enemies and likewise a host of friends, including a manly and
straight-forward cadet named Lawrence Colby. After many adventures
both at school and in various portions of the globe, they had graduated
from Putnam Hall with honor and then entered Brill College.
At that time, Mr. Anderson Rover, who had long since returned from
Africa, was not in the best of health. He had numerous business
interests both in Wall Street, New York City, and in the West to take
care of, and presently it was found necessary that Dick leave college
and take charge of business matters for his parent. In this task Dick was
soon aided by Tom, leaving Sam the only member of the family to
graduate from Brill.
While at Putnam Hall the three Rovers had become acquainted with
three charming girls, Dora Stanhope and her cousins, Nellie and Grace
Laning. This acquaintance had ripened into loving intimacy; and when
Dick went into business he took Dora Stanhope for his life-long partner.
A little later Tom was married to Nellie Laning, and, after he had left
Brill and joined his brothers in conducting their father's various
business enterprises, Sam married Grace Laning.
With the aid of Mr. Anderson Rover and some others, The Rover
Company was organized with offices on Wall Street, New York City.
The company dealt in stocks, bonds, real estate, and other investments;
and Dick was now president, with Tom secretary and Sam treasurer.
The company had been prosperous from the start, although on several
occasions enemies had done their best to give the concern a black eye.
When they were first married, Dick and his beautiful wife Dora had
begun housekeeping in a cosy apartment in the metropolis, and they
had presently been followed by Tom and Sam. But two years later the
three brothers had a chance to buy a beautiful plot of ground on
Riverside Drive facing the noble Hudson River, and on this they built
three fine houses adjoining each other, Dick living in the middle house
with Tom on one side and Sam on the other.
Before the happy young folks moved into the new homes, Dick and
Dora were blessed with a little son, who later on was named John, after

Mr. John Laning. Later still, this couple had a daughter, whom they
named Martha, after Aunt Martha of Valley Brook Farm. Little Jack, as
he was called in those days, was a wonderfully bright and clever lad
with many of the clear-minded qualities which had made his father so
successful in life.
About the time young Jack was presented with a baby sister, Tom and
Nellie Rover came forward with twin boys, one of whom was named
Anderson, after his grandfather, and the other Randolph, after his uncle.
Andy and Randy, as they were always called for