The Rover Boys at School | Page 3

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meeting of our agricultural society," and Mr. Randolph Rover waved
his hand grandiloquently. It was easy to see that scientific farming was
his hobby.
"Randolph!" It was the voice of Mrs. Rover, who now appeared beside
her husband. "What is the matter with your nose?"
"Tom hit me with his ball. It is all right now, although it did bleed
some."
"The bad boy! But it is just like him. Sarah has given notice that she
will leave at the end of her month. She says she can't stand the pranks
Tom and Sam play on her."
"She need not go -- for the boys are going to boarding school, you
know."
"She says you promised to send them off before."
"Well, they shall go this time, rest assured of that. I cannot stand their
racing up and down stairs, and their noise, any longer. They go
Monday morning."

"Better send them off tomorrow."
"Well - er -- that is rather sudden."
"Sarah's month is up Friday. She will surely go unless the boys are out
of the house. And she is the best cook I have ever had."
"Excepting when she burnt the custard pies," put in Tom.
"And when she salted the rice pudding!" added Sam.
"Silence, both of you. Randolph, do send them off."
"Very well, I will. Boys, you must go away from the house for an hour
or two."
"Can we go fishing or swimming?" asked Tom.
"No, I don't want you to go near the river, you may get drowned."
"We can both swim," ventured Sam.
"Never mind -- it is not safe -- and your poor father left you in my,
care."
"Can we go down to the village?"
"No, you might get into bad company there."
"Then where shall we go?" came from both boys simultaneously.
Randolph Rover scratched his head in perplexity. He had never had any
children of his own, and to manage his brother's offspring was clearly
beyond him. "You might go down to the cornfield, and study the
formation of the ears -"
"Send them blackberrying," suggested Mrs. Rover. "We want the
berries for pies tomorrow, and it will give them something to do."

"Very well; boys, you may go blackberrying. And mind you keep out
of mischief."
"We'll mind," answered Tom. "But you might let me have that ball."
"I will give it to the morning," answered Randolph Rover, and turned
away from the window with his wife.
As soon as they were out of sight, Tom threw up both, hands in mock
tragedy, "Alack, Horatio, this excitement killeth me!" he cried in a
stage whisper. "Sent blackberrying to keep us out of mischief! Sam,
what are we coming to?"
"Well, it's better than moping around doing nothing. For my part, I am
glad we are to go to boarding school, and the sooner the better. But I
would like to know where to?"
"If only we were going to a military academy!"
"Hurrah! Just the thing! But no such luck. Get the berry baskets and let
us be off. By the way, where is Dick?"
"Gone to the village for the mail. There he, comes down the road now,"
and Tom pointed to a distant path back of the meadows.
The two boys hurried into a woodshed behind the large farmhouse and
procured a basket and two tin pails. With these in hand they set off in
the direction of the berry patch, situated along the path that Dick Rover
was pursuing, their intention being to head off their brother and see if
he had any letters for them.
Of the three Rover boys, Richard, commonly called Dick, was the
eldest. He was sixteen, tall, slender, and had dark eyes and dark hair.
He was a rather quiet boy, one who loved to read and study, although
he was not above having a good time now and then, when felt like
"breaking loose," as Tom expressed it.
Next to Richard came Tom, a year younger, as merry a lad as there was

ever to be found, full of life and "go," not above playing all sorts of
tricks on people, but with a heart of gold, as even his uncle and aunt
felt bound to admit.
Sam was the youngest. He was but fourteen, but of the same height and
general appearance as Tom, and the pair might readily have been taken
for twins. He was not as full of pranks as Tom, but excelled his
brothers in many outdoor sports.
The history of the three Rover boys was a curious one. They were the
only children of one Anderson Rover, a gentleman who had been
widely known as a mineral expert, gold mine proprietor, and traveler.
Mr. Anderson Rover had gone to California a poor young man