The Adventures of Rover Boys: 26 Illustrated Adventure Novels. Stratemeyer Edward

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СКАЧАТЬ he cried, and disappeared from sight, but reappeared a moment later, to shake his fist at Tom.

      "You young rascal! You did that on purpose!" he spluttered, and brought forth his handkerchief, for his nose had begun to bleed. "Was anyone ever tormented so by three boys?"

      "Now you are in for it again, Tom," whispered Sam.

      "I didn't mean to hit you, Uncle Randolph. Why didn't you catch it on the fly?"

      "On the fly?" repeated the uncle. "Do you suppose I am accustomed to catching cannon balls?"

      "Didn't you ever play baseball?"

      "Never. I spent my time in some useful study." The elderly gentleman continued to keep his handkerchief to his nose, and adjusted his spectacles. "Thank fortune, you are all to go to boarding school next week, and we will once more have a little peace and quietness around Valley Brook!"

      "Where are we to go, Uncle Randolph?" asked Sam.

      "You will learn that Monday morning, when you start off."

      "It wouldn't hurt to tell us now," grumbled Tom.

      "You must learn to be patient, Thomas. My one hope is that life at boarding school makes a real man of you."

      "Of course we are all to go together?"

      "Yes, you are to go together, although I can get along with Richard very well — he is so much more quiet and studious than you or Samuel."

      "I reckon he takes after you, Uncle Randolph."

      "If so, he might do worse. By the way, what were both of you doing here?"

      "Nothing," came from Sam.

      "We haven't anything to do. This farm is the slowest place on earth," added Tom.

      "Why do you not study the scientific and agricultural works that I mentioned to you? See what I have done for scientific farming."

      "I don't want to be a farmer," said Tom. "I'd rather be a sailor."

      "A sailor!" gasped Randolph Rover. "Of all things! Why, a sailor is the merest nobody on earth!"

      "I guess you mean on the sea, uncle," said Sam with a grin.

      "Don't joke me, Samuel. Yes, Thomas — the calling of a sailor amounts to absolutely nothing. Scientific farming is the thing — nothing more noble on the face of the earth than to till the soil."

      "I never saw you behind a plow, Uncle Randolph," answered Tom, with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "Besides, I heard you say that the farm ran behind last year."

      "Tut, tut, boy! you know nothing about it. I made a slight miscalculation in crops, that was all. But this year we shall do better."

      "You lost money year before last, too," commented Sam.

      "Who told you that?"

      "Mr. Woddie, the storekeeper at the Corners."

      "Mr. Woddie may understand storekeeping, but he knows nothing of farming, scientific or otherwise. I spent several thousands of dollars in experimenting, but the money was not lost. We shall soon have grand results. I shall astonish the whole of New York State at the next 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 to-morrow."

      "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 — er — go down to the cornfield, and study the formation of the ears —— "

      "Send them blackberrying," suggested Mrs. Rover. "We want the berries for pies to-morrow, 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 you in 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 СКАЧАТЬ