The Putnam Hall Encampment: or, The Secret of the Old Mill. Stratemeyer Edward

of the school was going. He watched the captain turn into the lake road and then uttered a low whistle.

      “I’ll bet a button he is going to visit Deacon Pelham!” he murmured. “Maybe he wants to learn if that note was genuine.”

      The roll of the drum soon summoned all of the cadets to the campus, and with Jack at the head of the battalion, they went through the manual of arms and then marched around the Hall and into the messroom. Jack and Pepper both put on a bold front, yet each felt far from easy.

      “They’ll catch it – just wait!” whispered Ritter to Coulter. “Before noon they’ll wish they had let that clapper alone!”

      After breakfast the cadets went to chapel. The services here were almost over when Captain Putnam came in and took his place on the platform.

      “Now you’ll hear something drop!” said Ritter gleefully, to his cronies.

      “Ritter, stop your talking!” said George Strong, who was near.

      “I – er – I only wanted the window closed,” stammered the bully. “I feel cold.”

      “Couldn’t you close it yourself?”

      “Coulter was right there – I thought he could do it.” Then the window was closed, and the conversation came to an end.

      “I have a few words to say to you young gentlemen,” said Captain Putnam, coming to the front of the platform. His eyes swept the auditorium and Jack and Pepper felt something cold run up and down their backbones. “As you all know, the clapper of the bell of the Union Church was taken night before last, and the deed was done by some cadets of this institution.”

      The captain paused, and the silence was so intense that the ticking of the clock could be plainly heard.

      “The taking of the clapper was a foolish prank, and it was an equally foolish prank to place it where it was found,” continued Captain Putnam. “Yesterday I resolved to make a thorough investigation and punish the offenders.”

      “Quite right, eminently proper,” murmured Josiah Crabtree.

      “I heard, too, that a plan had been put through by you cadets to stand together – that everybody was to keep mum, as it is called. This you know is a violation of the agreement made after the – er – the unfortunate affair which – er – led to a rebellion among you.”

      “I didn’t hear of that,” murmured one of the cadets.

      “Nor I,” added another.

      “What did you say, Farhaven?” asked the captain quickly.

      “I didn’t hear of any agreement to keep mum,” replied the cadet addressed.

      “Nor did I,” put in Bob Grenwood, the quartermaster of the battalion.

      “Nor I,” came from several others.

      At these words the captain’s face showed relief.

      “All who have not agreed to band together will raise their hands,” said the captain loudly, and instantly nearly every cadet raised his hand.

      “This is really gratifying,” went on Captain Putnam, with almost a smile on his face. “To my mind, to take the clapper was bad enough, but to band together to overthrow the discipline of the school would be much worse. I am glad to learn you young gentlemen have not done such a thing.”

      Again the head of the school paused, and the boys wondered what was coming next.

      “Now, to return to the clapper. I have received a communication from one of the officers of the church and he had made an earnest request that the whole matter be dropped. The church has the clapper back, and the ones who took it have expressed their regrets over the affair, and have made the church a donation which had been gratefully received. Under the circumstances, I am going to leave this matter in the hands of yourselves.”

      “Wonder what he means by that?” murmured Dale to Andy.

      “All in favor of dropping the matter will rise. Those wishing to see the culprits punished will remain seated,” went on Captain Putnam.

      Almost instantly three-quarters of the cadets arose to their feet. More followed, until but half a dozen remained seated. These were Reff Ritter, Coulter, Paxton, and their cohorts.

      “Get up, you fellows!” cried Bart Conners, captain of Company B. And somewhat shamefacedly Ritter and the others got up. The bully realized that his plan to have Jack and Pepper punished had fallen through.

      “Three cheers for Captain Putnam!” cried Dale and before the head of the school could interfere, the cheers were given with a will. Then came a cheer for the teachers.

      “I’ll wager old Crabtree doesn’t like this,” whispered Andy to Joe Nelson, and he was right. Josiah Crabtree felt very much put out, for he had expected to see somebody punished, not only for putting the clapper in his bureau drawer but also for placing the molasses candy in his bed.

      “I have another important announcement to make,” said Captain Putnam, after order and quietness had been restored. “As you know, we were to go on the term encampment two weeks from to-day. I have arranged to have some alterations made to this school by carpenters and masons, and they wish to start the work next week. Consequently, I am going to start the encampment next Tuesday – that is, we’ll leave the Hall on that day.”

      “Hurrah!” came from the cadets, for they looked forward to the encampment with much pleasure. During that time there would be no studies.

      “I have arranged for an outing up at Lake Caboy,” continued Captain Putnam. “The spot will be not far from the Caboy River with its magnificent falls, and will be ideal in every respect. I camped there once some years ago, and I know the fishing is good and also the swimming.”

      “That suits me!” cried Pepper. He was much relieved to think the clapper affair had been dropped.

      “I have hired a tract of land over a hundred acres in extent,” went on Captain Putnam. “We’ll go out as we did before, taking all our tents and our camping outfit with us.”

      “And how long will the encampment last?” asked Jack. He was as much relieved as Pepper over the outcome of the clapper affair.

      “At least two weeks, Major Ruddy, and perhaps longer – if the carpenters and masons do not finish up here in time. I do not want the students to come back here until the alterations are complete. To-morrow I shall announce more of the details. The students will now go to their classes as usual.”

      As the boys poured forth from the chapel exercises Jack and Pepper worked their way over to Dale and Fred.

      “Your visit to Deacon Pelham did the trick,” whispered the young major. “I am a thousand times obliged to you.”

      “And so am I,” added The Imp.

      “I want to know about this banding together the captain mentioned,” said Fred. “I never heard of it before.”

      “I think I can put you wise,” came from Bob Grenwood, who was near. “I overheard Ritter and Coulter talking about it.”

      “It would be like Ritter to get up that report!” cried Pepper. “He would do anything to get our crowd into trouble.”

      “I know it,” said Grenwood, who had once suffered greatly at the hands of the bully, as I have related in detail in “The Putnam Hall Rebellion.”

      “We’ll have to watch Ritter as closely as we ever did,” said Jack. “The trouble he got into a few weeks ago doesn’t seem to have made him a bit better than he was before.”

      Ordinarily the clapper incident would have been the main topic of conversation among the cadets. But the announcement that the term encampment was to start in the near future turned the thoughts of the students in that direction.

      “We’ll have the time of our lives,” declared Andy. “Just think of the fine swimming and fishing!”

      “And no lessons!” put in Dale.

      “And