Part 17 (2/2)
”How is your arm, Harry?” she began softly.
”It's pretty fair,” answered the boy politely. ”Won't you come in, Mrs. Fox?”
”Well, I guess not. Harry, I'm sorry for this.”
”So am I sorry, Mrs. Fox.”
”I didn't think you would do it. Why didn't you come up to the house an' ask for them apples?”
The boy looked puzzled, for the simple reason that he was puzzled. ”I don't understand you. What apples?”
”The ones you tried to steal.”
”I didn't try to steal any apples, Mrs. Fox. What makes you think that?”
”Didn't you try to git in our orchard when Joel fired on you?”
cried Mrs. Fox.
”Why, I haven't been anywhere near your orchard!”
”So?” Mrs. Fox looked bewildered. ”Then--then how did you get hurt?” she faltered.
”Why, Mr. Wicks and I were cleaning out pa's old shotgun when it went off accidentally, and I got a couple of the shot in my forearm,” answered Harry Smith promptly.
The answer took away Mrs. Fox's breath.
”Drat them boys--I knowed it!” she muttered, and drove away without another word. Harry Smith was much puzzled, but letters which soon after pa.s.sed between him and Tom cleared up the mystery.
But the boys never heard of how Joel Fox fared when his wife got home. The lady arrived ”as mad as a hornet,” to use a popular saying. ”You're the worst old fool ever was, Joel Fox!” were her first words, and a bitter quarrel followed that ended only when the man was driven out of the house with the ever-trustworthy broom. Joel Fox wanted to go over to the Rover farm, to have it out with Tom and Sam, but somehow he could not pluck up the courage to make the move.
CHAPTER XI
FUN AT PUTNAM HALL
”Back to Putnam Hall at last!”
”Yes, boys, back at last! Hurrah for the dear old school, and all the boys in it!”
Peleg Snuggers, the general utility man of the Hall, had just brought the boys up from Cedarville, to which place they had journeyed from Ithaca on the regular afternoon boat running up Cayuga Lake. With the Rovers had come Fred Garrison, Larry Colby, and several others of their old school chums.
(For the doings of the Putnam Hall students previous to the arrival at that inst.i.tution of the Rover boys, see The Putnam Hall Series, the first volume of which is ent.i.tled, ”The Putnam Hall Cadets.”--PUBLISHERS)
”Glad to welcome you back, boys!” exclaimed Captain Victor Putnam, a pleasant smile on his face. He shook hands all around.
”Did you have a nice trip?”
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