an to rain, and the storm increased in v

indoors, at which Tom w

e the time by looking over our school books. That will make it e

" said Randolph Rover. "Whatever yo

?" said Tom, referring to something that had been his uncle's hobb

ruth, Thomas, not as w

op a thousand or tw

t over fif

u got of

ar. The potatoes already s

round soon. Then you won't have the bother of digging

all have some very large

a wate

dly,

muskmelo

xactly

size of a c

ey will be

" pleaded Tom, while Sam f

little cocoa

tatoes in Californi

what v

hing like that. Sam, what

g like it, Tom," grinn

some of those potatoes

mas, surely y

elling nothing but

tatoes must have bee

t they did weigh a good

o men liftin

, Uncle Randolph. I said

E

d a barrel

y. "At your old tricks, I see. I might have known

ugh on Uncle Randolph,"

g boxed up, when one might be fishing or swimming, or pl

nounced Jack Ness came up from the

go," he said. "He looked like a tramp. I wanted to

d any tramps here in

er. "Where d

rd the ber

follow

but he got

Randolph Rover bluntly. "I don't want any of them ge

derson Rover. "Make them keep away

eeled for 'em," ans

use to creak and groan, and banging more than one shutter. But the

he way Tom expressed himself. "I don't like anything better tha

se, and Dick had a small bedchamber adjoining. The boys were soon undressed,

. Anderson Rover was the last to leave the sitting room, where h

outside of one of the windows. He drew up the curtai

," he murmured. "But, someh

eeling took possession of him-a feeling hard to

doors and windows are properly locked," he told himse

llway, and stepped into the ki

indow-latch he heard a quic

eceived a blow on the head from a club that stagge

e close to his ear. "Don't

s mean-" he ma

was the short answer. "

hit you

perhaps, take his life, Anderson Rover said no more. He heard a match struck, and

tall man, beardless, and with his head closely cropped. One glance into

ld Ba

sh reply. "Not so loud, please, unles

here, and at such

t to travel during the ni

e are on y

t as well y

you wan

he has been stripped of all h

none f

w you and your boys swindled me out of

you, Baxter. The cla

loud, remember that. No, don't try to get up," went on the midnight v

now he brought forth a strip of cl

on Rover's mouth, when the latter leaped up and be

ou!" cried Arno

r another blow, this time directly across the temple. The gentleman wave