“Here we are at last!”
It was Fred who spoke as the long train rolled into the Grand Central Terminal, New York City, and came to a stop. The boys had collected their hand baggage and soon the Rovers and Ruth were in the midst of the crowd that was pouring through the gateway into the waiting room of the big station.
“Here you are—and glad to see you!” exclaimed Dick Rover, as he came up, followed by his wife and Fred’s mother.
There was a general handshaking and many kisses, and then Dick Rover took possession of the young folks’ checks for their trunks and led the way to a side street where two of the family touring cars waited.
The trip to the metropolis had been without special incident save for the fact that a number of the cadets, including Andy and Randy, were inclined to indulge in more or less horseplay on the way. They had had to make one change at the Junction, and on account of the heavy travel had been compelled to come down in an ordinary day coach in place of getting seats in a parlor car. They had managed, however, to get lunch on the train and had had considerable fun during the meal.
“I am certainly glad to see you young folks home again,” remarked Dora Rover, as she gazed affectionately at her son and daughter and then at the others. “And you are more than welcome, Ruth,” she added, tapping the visitor on the shoulder.
“Maybe we’re not glad to see little old New York again!” cried Fred.
“I don’t think I’d call it ‘little old New York,’” answered Ruth, with a smile. “To me it’s a wonderfully big and busy city. When I first arrive here I always feel like shrinking back until I can get my bearings.”
“Oh, New York is just all right. I wouldn’t want it any better,” answered Randy.
“But you don’t want to stay here even when you come,” put in his Aunt Grace. “You just stay at home a few days and then away you go on one of those trips.”
“Well, I’m a Rover by name, so why not be a rover by nature?” was the sly reply, and this brought on a general laugh.
Soon the young folks were aboard the two automobiles. In the meantime Dick Rover had turned the checks for the trunks over to an expressman and in a few minutes more the whole crowd was headed for Riverside Drive. Here a surprise awaited them. Not only was Mrs. Tom Rover on hand to greet them, but likewise their grandfather, Anderson Rover, and their old Aunt Martha and Uncle Randolph, who had come from Valley Brook Farm on a short visit to the city.
“My gracious, this is fine!” cried Fred. “A regular family reunion!” and then came more hugs and kisses all around.
“My, my! how big you boys are getting!” said old Aunt Martha, as she surveyed them through her spectacles. “The first thing you know, you won’t be boys any more—you’ll be men.”
“Well, you couldn’t expect them to remain boys all their life, could you?” queried Uncle Randolph. “Now they have graduated from Colby Hall, I suppose they’ll either have to go to college or go into business.”
“No use of shoving them ahead too quickly,” came from Grandfather Rover, as he sat down and rested his chin on the top of his cane. “They have been studying pretty hard for years—let ’em take a rest. They might take a whole year, if it was necessary.”
“Gee, Granddad, you’re a pippin!” exclaimed Randy, going up and placing his arm around the old man’s shoulder. “A year’s vacation would be all to the mustard.”
“It might be if you could only get rid of some of your slang in the meantime,” put in his mother. Yet she had to smile as she spoke.
The boys were glad to get back into their old quarters, and in the meantime Martha escorted Ruth to the room she was to occupy during her visit. All the connecting doors of the three houses had been thrown wide open, making the residences virtually one. While this was going on Dick Rover hurried back to Wall Street, for business with The Rover Company was brisk and he was needed at the offices.
“You must be making a lot of money, Dad,” remarked Jack, as his parent was leaving.
“Well, we’re holding our own, Jack,” was the reply.
“How are the oil wells making out?”
“Very fine.” Dick Rover stepped closer to his son. “Did you hear anything from Carson Davenport?” he asked in a low tone so that the others might not hear.
“Nothing since the girls met him. They said they sent word about that.”
“You want to be very careful, Jack. We’ll talk the whole thing over to-night. That rascal is certainly going to put one over on us if he possibly can.”
“Why did they let him out of prison?”
“I don’t know. He may have got a number of important friends to appear for him before a board of pardons, or something like that. Then again, you must remember that what he was tried for was his trouble with his partners. I did not want to appear against him because it would have taken too much of my time, which, just then, was very valuable to our concern. It’s possible that he got the very people he swindled—or tried to swindle—to sign a petition in his favor and in favor of his other partners, Tate and Jackson. But I must hurry now. We can talk the whole thing over later.”
During the afternoon the twins went out to renew their acquaintance with some of their former boy chums while Jack and Fred accompanied the girls on a sightseeing and shopping expedition.
“I’ll be awfully sorry to leave you, Ruth,” said Jack, when he got a chance to speak to the visitor alone.
“Well, then you’d better stay,” she answered mischievously.
“Oh, you know I couldn’t do that,” he returned hastily. “What would the other fellows say?”
“I was only joking, Jack. You go ahead and have your outing. I hope you enjoy every minute of it. Only, please don’t get into any trouble,” and the girl’s face clouded.
“I think we’ll be able to take care of ourselves, Ruth. And you take care of yourself, too.”
“Are you going to write?”
“Sure I am! And I’ll expect you to answer, too. You will, won’t you?”
“Why, of course.”
There was a brief silence, neither of them seeming to know what to say next. Then the former major of the Colby Hall battalion stepped closer.
“I’m going to take that photograph of you along—you know, the one you gave me some time ago,” he said in a low tone.
“Never!” she returned quickly. “Oh, Jack, suppose—suppose the others saw it!”
“I don’t care! I’m going to take it,” he answered firmly.
“Well, if you’re set on it, I suppose I can’t stop you,” answered Ruth. Her eyes were shining like stars. Then Jack caught her hand and pressed it warmly just as the others came up and interrupted what might have proved a very interesting tête-à-tête.
Dinner that evening was a grand affair, and Ruth, who sat next to Jack, declared she had never enjoyed anything so much in all her life. The twins and Tom Rover were full of fun, and Tom told several stories which convulsed everybody with laughter.
“Gee, Dad, you’re a wonder!” breathed Randy, trying to stop laughing. “I can see where Andy gets his wit from.”
“Yes, and I know where you get your habit of playing tricks from,” put in his mother, gazing fondly at her husband.
“Now, now! No knocking!” cried Tom gayly. “The boys are just all right! They may cut up a little now and then, but as they both bear marks of their mother’s good looks, that will be forgiven them,” and then Tom dodged back, as his wife made a move as if to pull his hair.
Ruth was quite a pianist and had cultivated that talent carefully during her days at Clearwater Hall. After dinner Dora Rover insisted that the girl give them some music. After playing one of her best compositions Ruth gathered all the boys and girls around her and they sang one popular song after another.
“A touch of old times, eh?” said Dick Rover to Dora, as, with his arm around her waist, they surveyed the scene.
“It’s history repeating itself, Dick,” she answered. And then she looked at her husband questioningly and nodded toward where Jack was carefully turning the sheets of music for Ruth. “What do you think of them?” she whispered.
“I think Jack is hit pretty hard,” he returned.
“Well, Ruth seems to be an awfully nice girl, Dick.”
“I agree. I wouldn’t ask for a better girl,” he answered.
“But Jack is so young!”
“He isn’t any younger than I was when I came after you and saved your mother from old Crabtree.”
“Oh, well, that was different!” murmured Dora.
So far the boys had had no opportunity to speak to Tom Rover about the proposed trip to the West. But soon the twins broached the subject, and then the crowd around the piano broke up and Mary and Martha retired, taking Ruth with them.
“We want to talk to the boys in the library,” said Tom Rover to his wife and his sisters-in-law, and thereupon the ladies took the hint and also left them.
“Now, Dad, tell us all about the Rolling Thunder mine and Sunset Trail!” cried Randy. “Gee, I wish I was out there right now!”
“And on horseback!” put in his twin. “Say, we’ll have the best times ever!”
“I certainly hope so,” returned Dick Rover. “At the same time, I want to caution you.”
“Don’t scare the boys into fits, Dick,” said Tom. “You’ll spoil the whole outing if you do.”
“I’m not going to scare them into fits, Tom,” answered the older brother. “But I am going to give them some advice that I think they ought to have.”
“I think so too,” came from Sam Rover. “If any fellow ever got on my nerves, it’s that rascal, Carson Davenport.”