The Rover Boys at College | Page 4

but his face grew very red as he spoke.
"Never in the wide, wide world!" cried Tom.
"I leave that for my sentimental brothers, big and little."
"Who is sentimental?" exclaimed Sam. "Maybe I don't remember you and Nellie on the deck of the steam yacht that moonlight night--"
"Aw, cut it out!" muttered Tom. He turned to his father, who had been called from the room for a moment. "If you think Brill College a good one, dad, it will suit me."
"And it will suit me, too," added Sam.
"I mentioned Brill for two reasons," explained Mr. Rover. "The one was because it is near Hope Seminary and the other is because I happen to know the president, Dr. John Wallington, quite well; in fact, we went to school together. He is a fine gentleman--as fine a fellow as Captain Putnam--and I am sure his college must be a good one."
"If it's as good as dear old Putnam Hall, I shall be well content," answered Dick.
"Then you are satisfied to go there, Dick?"
"Yes, sir."
So it was settled and arrangements were at once made for the three boys to go to Brill. Fortunately it was found that their diplomas from Putnam Hall would admit them to the freshmen class without examination. All of the boys wrote letters to the girls and received answers in return.
The college was to open two weeks before the seminary, so that to journey to Ashton together would be out of the question.
"Well, we'll see the girls later, anyway," said Dick. "I hope they like it at Hope and we like it at Brill; then we'll have some splendid times together."
"Right you are," answered Sam, and Tom said the same.
At last came the day for the boys to leave home. Trunks and dress-suit cases were packed, and not only their father but also their Uncle Randolph and their Aunt Martha went to the depot to see them off.
"Now be good and take care of yourselves," said Mr. Rover on parting.
"Learn all you can," added Uncle Randolph. "Remember that knowledge is better than wealth."
"Oh, I'm going to cram my head full of learning this trip," answered Tom with a grin.
"Take care of yourselves and don't get sick," was Aunt Martha's warning. "If you do, get a doctor right away." And then she gave each of the boys a warm, motherly kiss and a hug. She thought the lads the very best in all this wide world.
The train came and the boys were off. After a two hours' ride they had to change to the main line and got into the parlor car already mentioned. Then they had dinner in the diner and went back to the other car to read and to look at the scenery. Thus several hours slipped by, when of a sudden came the jar and shock that told them something out of the ordinary had happened.
CHAPTER II
AT THE SANDERSON HOUSE
When the Rover boys reached the head of the train they found an excited crowd beginning to collect. The locomotive of the express had cut into the last freight car a distance of several feet, smashing a number of boxes and barrels and likewise the headlight of the engine. Nobody had been hurt, for which everybody was thankful. But the engineer of the express was very angry.
"Why didn't you send a man back with a flag or put a torpedo on the track?" he demanded of the freight train conductor.
"Did send a man back," was the answer, "but he didn't go back far enough--hadn't time. This happened only a few minutes ago."
"You can't expect me to stop in a hundred feet," growled the engineer. As a matter of fact he had not stopped in many times that distance.
"Well, I did what I could," grumbled the freight conductor.
By making inquiries the Rover boys learned that the freight train had jumped a frog at a switch and part of the cars were on one track and part on another. Two trucks were broken, and nobody could tell how long it would take to clear the track upon which the express stood.
"May be an hour, but more likely it will be six or eight," said one of the brakemen to Tom. "This section of the road is the worst managed of the lot."
"And how far is it to Ashton?" asked Dick.
"About twelve miles by the railroad."
"Then walking is out of the question," came from Sam. "I shouldn't mind hoofing it if it was two or three."
"The railroad has to run around the hill yonder," went on the train hand. "If you go up the tracks for a quarter of a mile you'll come to a country road that will take you right into Ashton, and the distance from there isn't more than seven or eight miles."
"Any houses on that road?" asked Tom.
"Of