The Rover Boys at College | Page 3

the exact location of the treasure.
Before sailing it was learned that some rivals were also after the treasure. One of these was a sharper named Sid Merrick, who had on several occasions tried to get the best of the Rovers and failed. With Merrick was Tad Sobber, his nephew, a youth who at Putnam Hall had been a bitter foe to Dick, Tom and Sam. Sobber had sent the Rovers a box containing a live poisonous snake, but the snake got away and bit another pupil. This lad knew all about the sending of the reptile and he exposed Tad Sobber, and the latter, growing alarmed, ran away from the school.
The search for the treasure proved a long one, and Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber did all in their power to keep the wealth from falling into the hands of the Rovers and their friends. But the Rovers won out in the quest and sailed away with the treasure on board the steam yacht. The vessel of their enemies followed them, but a hurricane came up and the other ship was lost with nearly all on board.
"Well, that's the end of Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber," said Dick when he heard this news. "If they are at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean they can't bother us any more." But Dick was mistaken in his surmise. It was true that Sid Merrick had been drowned, but Tad Sobber was alive, having been rescued by a schooner bound for London, and he was now on his way back to the United States, more bitter than ever against the Rovers, and with a determination to do all in his power to bring Dick, Tom and Sam to grief and gain possession of the money which he and his uncle had claimed belonged to them instead of to the Stanhope estate.
On arriving at Philadelphia from the West Indies the treasure was deposited in a strong box of a local trust company. From it the expenses of the trip were paid, and the sailors who had aided in the search were suitably rewarded. Later on the balance of the treasure was divided according to the terms of Mr. Stanhope's will. This placed a large sum of money in the hands of Mrs. Stanhope, both for herself and Dora, and also a goodly amount in the hands of Mrs. Laning for herself and Grace and Nellie.
The Stanhopes had always been fairly well off, but not so the Lanings. John Laning was a farmer, and this sudden change to riches bewildered him.
"Why, mother," he said to his wife, "whatever will you and the gals do with the money?"
"Several things, John," she answered. "In the first place, you are not going to work so hard and in the next place the girls are going to have a better education."
"Well, I'm not afraid of work," answered the farmer. "About eddication, if they want it--well, it's their money and they can have all the learnin' they want."
"Dora is going to a boarding school and Nellie and Grace want to go with her," went on Mrs. Laning.
"Where is Dora going?"
"To a place called Hope Seminary. Her mother knows the lady who is the principal."
"Well, if it's a good place, I reckon the gals can go too. But it will be terrible lonesome here without 'em."
"I know, John, but we want the girls to be somebody, now they have money, don't we?"
"Sure we do," answered Mr. Laning readily.
So it was arranged that the three girls should go to Hope Seminary, located several miles from the town of Ashton, in one of the Central States. In the meantime the Rover boys were speculating on what college they were to attend. Yale was mentioned, and Harvard and Princeton, and also several institutions located in the Middle West.
"Boys, wouldn't you like to go to Brill College?" asked their father one day. "That's a fine institution--not quite so large as some but just as good." And he smiled in a peculiar manner.
"Brill? Where is that?" asked Dick.
"It is near the town of Ashton, about two miles from Hope Seminary, the school Dora Stanhope and the Laning girls are going to attend." And Mr. Rover smiled again.
"Brill College for mine," said Sam promptly and in a manner that made his brothers laugh.
"Sam wants to be near Grace," said Tom.
"Well, don't you want to be near Nellie?" retorted the youngest Rover.
"Of course I do. And I reckon Dick won't be angry at being where he can occasionally see Dora," went on the fun-loving Rover with a sly wink. "Of course it's nice enough to write letters and send boxes of chocolates by mail, but it's a good deal better to take a stroll in the moonlight and hold hands, eh, Dick?"
"Is that what you do?" asked Dick,