The Rover Boys Series. Stratemeyer Edward

      "Yes. How are you making out?"

      "Horribly. I believe my feet and ears are already frozen!"

      "Grinder is a beast to put you in here, Sam."

      "I know that well enough. He won't give me any supper, I'm afraid."

      "Then I'll try to get some supper to you."

      "Is the key of this door on a hook outside?"

      "No. If it was I'd have the door open long ago."

      Sam gave a deep sigh, and then began to dance around once more to keep warm.

      "Perhaps I can find a key to fit this lock," went on Tom. "I know there are keys in some of the other doors."

      He ran off and soon returned with four keys, which he tried, one after another. The third was a fair fit, and with an effort the bolt of the lock was forced back.

      "Hurrah! the door's open!" exclaimed Tom. "Now you can go where you please."

      "Then you wouldn't stay here?" questioned Sam anxiously.

      "Not much! I'd hide in one of the dormitories, and I wouldn't show myself until Captain Putnam gets back. I'll see to it that you get something to eat, and when the captain returns you can tell him that if you had remained in this place all night you would have been frozen to death."

      Sam was willing enough to take Tom's advice, and was soon in the hallway. Then the door was locked again.

      "It's heartless to leave poor Tubby in that cell," said Tom. "Let's get him out too."

      "All right — if you can find a key to fit the lock."

      Losing no time, the brothers tried one key after another in the lock to the door of the stone cell.

      "Who's that?" came in a chatter from Tubbs.

      "Tom Rover," was the answer. "I've just released Sam, and now we are going to release you, if we can."

      "Good for you, Rover."

      "There she goes!" cried Tom a few seconds later, and in a moment more the door was opened and Tubbs stood in the hallway with the Rover boys.

      Tubbs was about to say something, when Sam suddenly caught him by the arm.

      "Hush!" he whispered. "Somebody is coming! I hope it isn't old Grinder!"

      CHAPTER IV

       DORMITORY NUMBER TWO

       Table of Contents

      For the moment none of the three students knew what to do. They felt that if the approaching personage should be Jasper Grinder there would certainly be "a warm time of it," to say the least.

      Yet the approaching man was not the teacher, but Peleg Snuggers, the man of all work around the Hall, a good-natured individual, well liked by nearly all the students. Snuggers was in the habit of taking many a joke from the scholars, yet he rarely retaliated, contenting himself with the saying that "boys will be boys."

      "It's Snuggers!" whispered Sam, after a painful pause. "What shall we do?"

      "Perhaps we can get him to keep quiet," returned Tom, also in a low voice. "He's a pretty good sort."

      "Do — don't trust him," put in Tubbs, in a trembling voice. "If I'm put back in that cell I'll die; I know I will!"

      "I have it," said Tom, struck by a sudden idea. "Into the storeroom with you, quick!

      "But he may be coming after me!" said Sam.

      "Never mind — I'll fix it. Be quick, or the game will be up!"

      On tiptoe the three students hurried into the storeroom and Tom shut the door noiselessly. Then he slipped the key he still held into the lock and turned it.

      "Now groan, Sam," he whispered. "Pretend to be nearly dead, and ask Peleg to bring Grinder here."

      Catching the idea, Sam began to moan and groan most dismally, in the midst of which Peleg Snuggers came up.

      "Poor boy, I reckon as how he's nearly stiff from the cold," murmured Snuggers. "And this bread and water won't warm him up nohow. I've most a mind to bring him some hot tea on the sly, and a sandwich, too."

      The general utility man tried to insert a key in the lock, but failed on account of the key on the inside.

      "Oh! oh!" moaned Sam. "Help! help!"

      "What's the row?" questioned Snuggers.

      "Is that you, Snuggers?"

      "Yes, Master Rover."

      "I'm most frozen to death! My feet and ears are frozen stiff already!"

      "It's a shame!"

      "Tell Mr. Grinder to come here."

      "He won't come, I'm afraid. He just sent me with some bread and water for you and for Master Tubbs."

      "Water? Do you want me to turn into ice? Oh, Snuggers, please send him. I know I can't stand this half an hour longer. I'll be a corpse!"

      "All right, I'll fetch him," answered Snuggers. And setting down the pitcher of water and loaf of bread he had been carrying he hurried off.

      "Now is our time! " whispered Tom, as soon as he was certain the man of all work was gone.

      "But which way shall we go?" questioned Sam.

      "Follow me, and I'll show you."

      Leaving the storeroom, Tom led the way through the semi-dark hallway and up the stairs. At the rear of the upper hall was a bedroom reserved for the captain's private guests.

      "Come in here for the present," said Tom. "And when I tap on the window unlock the sash and be prepared to climb from the window to the next, which connects with Dormitory No. 2."

      "Good for you!" said Sam. "But how are you going to get to the dormitory?"

      "Leave that to me."

      Leaving Sam and Tubbs to take care of the selves, Tom left the bedroom and walked out in the upper hall once more.

      He was just in time to hear Peleg Snuggers returning with Jasper Grinder.

      "It's all nonsense," he heard, in the teacher's harsh voice, "The cold will do both of the boys good."

      "He said he was half frozen," insisted Snuggers. "If anything serious-like happened to them, I dunno what the captain would say."

      "I know nothing serious will happen," growled Jasper Grinder. "He was merely trying to work upon your sympathies. Both could stay there till morning easily enough."

      "The wretch!" murmured Tom to himself. "I'm mighty glad I let them out!"

      A few seconds later he heard a cry of dismay.

      "Rover is gone!"

      "Gone?" came from Snuggers.

      "Yes, gone. Snuggers did you leave the door unlocked?"

      "No, sir, I couldn't get the key in the lock. Here it is." And the general utility man proiduced it.

      "Ah! here is a key on the inside. What can this mean?"

      "I don't know, sir. I left him a-groanin' only a few mintues ago."

      "It is very strange." Jasper Grinder gazed around the empty storeroom. "Did you hear anything from Master Tubbs?"

      "No, sir."

      The teacher stepped out of the storeroom and made his way to the stone cell.

      "He is gone too!" he ejaculated.

      "Really, sir, did you say 'gone'?" cried Peleg Snuggers, in dismay.

      "Yes. This is — ah — outrageous, Snuggers, Where can they be?"