The Rover Roys on the Ocean | Page 5

that?" And Dan Haskett placed his hand to his ear.
"Can-we-have-her-by-tomorrow?" yelled Dick.
"I guess so. I'll have to see how badly she is damaged first."
Haskett got out a small boat of his own and, taking Dick with him, rowed over to the wreck. He pronounced the injury small and said the boys could have their boat by noon the next day. The charges would be twelve or fifteen dollars.
"We'll be getting off cheaper than I thought," said Tom, on Dick's return. "Ought to come out of Mumps' pocket."
"That's so," added Sam. "By the way, I wonder what he meant by saying we were dogging him?"
"I can't say," replied Dick. "But I've been thinking that he can't be up to any good, or he wouldn't be so suspicious."
"Just exactly my idea!" burst out Tom. "Do you know what I half imagine?"
"Well? "
"That Mumps is cruising around waiting for Dan Baxter to join him."
"But Baxter went to Chicago."
"He won't stay there -- not as long as his father is in the East. He will be back before long, if he isn't back already."
"But he took that money belonging to hi! father."
"What of that? His father can't do anything against him, for he himself is worse than his son, as we all know. Besides, his father is most likely still in the hospital."
"If you young gentlemen want to sail around until tomorrow noon, I can take you out in one of my boats," remarked Martin Harris. "I've got a first-class yacht, the Searchlight, that I can let you have reasonably."
"Thanks, but I would just as lief stay on shore until our boat is mended," answered Dick. "But I want to pay you for what you did for us," he added.
"Oh, that's all right."
But the boys thought otherwise, and in the end gave Martin Harris two dollars, with which the boatman was highly pleased.
"Remember, I saw that accident," he said, on parting. "I can prove it was the Falcon's fault."
"We'll remember that," answered Dick.
From time to time they had watched the Falcon's course until the yacht had disappeared down the river.
After a short debate the brothers decided to put up at a hotel which stood not far away, on a high cliff overlooking the noble Hudson.
"We've been on the water for nearly two weeks now," said Dick, "and to sleep in a real bed will be something of a novelty."
As it was in the height of the summer season the hotel was crowded; but some guests were just departing, and they managed to get a fairly good room on the second floor. This had a double bed, and a cot was added, to accommodate Sam; Dick and Tom sleeping together, as usual.
It was supper time when the boys arrived, and as soon as they had registered and washed up and combed their hair, they descended to the spacious dining room, where fully a score of tables were set.
"This way, please," said the head waiter, and showed them to a table at one side, overlooking one of the wide verandas of the hotel.
"I'm as hungry as a bear!" exclaimed Tom. "You can't serve us any too quick," he added, to the waiter who came up to take their orders.
"Yes, sah, do the best I can, sah," grinned the colored man. "What kind of soup, please?"
"I'll have ox-tail -- " began Tom, when he happened to glance out of the window. As his gaze fell upon a man sitting in an easy chair on the veranda he uttered a low whistle. "By jinks, boys, look! Josiah Crabtree, as sure as you're born!" he whispered.
CHAPTER III
JOSIAH CRABTREE FREES HIS MIND
Then individual to whom Tom referred had been a former master at Putnam Hall, but his disagreeable ways had led to his dismissal by Captain Putnam.
Josiah Crabtree was a tall, slim individual, with a sharp face and a very long nose. During the past term at Putnam Hall he had been very dictatorial to the Rover boys, and it must be confessed that they had made life anything but a bed of roses for him. Crabtree had been very desirous of marrying a certain widow by the name of Stanhope, but the marriage was opposed by Dora, the widow's daughter, and as Dick was rather sweet on Dora, he had done all he could to aid the girl in breaking off the match, even going so far as to send Crabtree a bogus letter which had taken the teacher out to Chicago on a hunt for a position in a private college that had never existed. Dick knew that Crabtree was comparatively poor and wished to marry the widow so that he could get his hands on the fortune which the lady held in trust for her only child.
"It is Crabtree," said Dick, as he gave a look.
"I wonder