The Riverpark Rebellion

he platform of the station looked on with interest, su

nvoluntarily over the captain's prostrate body. In an instant both boys were up and facing each othe

east heaving with exhaustion and indigna

oard!" and the engine gave its first long puff at starting, he plunged his hand into his po

e money over rapidly. "Wait! This

dly by him, he swung himself to the step. Some one helped him up to the platform, and he looked back with a curse on his white lips as the train bore him swiftly out of sight. By this time the entire party had disembarked, and were hurrying toward the station. Brightly, after a few words of explanation to the men who gathered abo

ed on the las

of him," he replied. "We

m a dozen voices at once, and the

h 'im?" asked

" was th

the m

r pay as soon as you lan

e white caps were riding the crests of the waves; and when they were fairly out into the stream, the boats rocked and plunged violently. The timid ones clung to the sides and the benches in fear,

had been smooth. As it was, darkness was settling down when both boats reached the western shore; and besides bei

ck leading, the party turned again to the south, and soon be

len on them from a starless sky. They said little as they toiled up the long stretches of hilly road; the time

r boys, the strangeness of the situation and the darkness of the night added a touch of terror. Patchy was crying softly as he stum

eceding summer vacation, and knew the place well. The party waited outside by the gate while Glück went in to acquaint his uncle with the situation, and to bespeak his kind

believe that his tale was true. But the door was opened at last, the light shone out cheer

more astonished wife. Places to sit were found for the exhausted lads in the sitting-room and

af pelieved it! Heinrich," turning to his nephew

g coffee in the pantry; and almost before they could realize it, the boys in the kitchen saw the biscui

e given to him, and later on, when appetites were well sharpened, hot biscuits and coffee were added to the repast. Every one was satisfied

cleared away, than many of the boys, especially the younger ones, bega

hat was to be done with the party for the night. There were but five beds in the house.

e Carl. We could all sl

d do very nicely. We should be glad

rty response. "Indeed w

of the romantic in these boys, and they caught at the suggestion with great eagerness. Glück's uncle left the room with a puzzled ex

went up to him, put her hand on his arm, and

will go with the boys. We m

S

od-night

e na

y a low door at one corner, went along a narrow aisle between two high board partitions, and came in finally on the wide threshing-floor between the bays. This floor extended the entire

s quite empty; on the other side the mow reached to a height of only eight or ten feet from the floor. The farmer

the firs

e!" he cried. "Oceans

o up was Plumpy the Freak. Glück's uncle looked in amused astonishment at the ponderous, aw

n high, in order to see the more clearly, "uf

ights from the mow, and made his way through the darkness, back across the barnyard to his house. On almost any other occasion there would have been an unlimited amount of horse-play, before these boys could

round him to break the stillness; with only the dim light of the lantern to make partly visible and wholly weird the huge timbers and vast spaces of the great barn

Gently disengaging himself from Patchy's arm, which the child had thrown across his protector's breast at the very moment when

dows, until it became impossible

able to walk up and down the entire length of the building without in any way disturbing the sleep

verpark, beginning with the appointments six months before

and fed and fostered with a lie. Colonel Silsbee had sought to make it plain to him, but without success;

e saw. One sweep of his own hand at last had brushed away the clinging

was beyond recall. It would lie forever behind him, a great shadow

next day, next week? Could he ever retrieve the disasters he had brought upon himself? Was it

of the agony below them, knowing nothing of the storm that raged in their companion's heart. But when the storm passed, the atmosphere it left was clean and pure; and when, in the small hours of the mornin

d from their clothing and the hay-dust from their eyes, and went over, in little groups, to the farm-house. Glück's aunt had prepared for them a

t, a storm of rain, and as soon as the lads had done

kfast, and when he entered the barn he fo

, "what we shall do. We've got to do something, tha

s back to the doorpost

ed, "and talking with Glück's uncle about it. We've got to ge

ll ass

ow of any better plan than to go as we came,-on foot. We have enough money to pay our passage across the river, and once on the other side we can get up to Riverpark easily e

's awkward pause, Brightly continued, somewhat hesitating

ous matters to face when we get back. I don't know what the colonel will do. I shouldn't be surprised at anything in the way of punishment; I'm sure we deserve all that we shall get. But if he lets us stay at Riverpark,

shamed when the speaker sto

eople who have fed and sheltered us, that we should express our thanks to

ve that Bright and Glück go over to the house

was unanimo

lows," said one of the party; "tell 'e

of tears in their eyes. Something that the g

hes that they were to carry with them for their lunch. The rain

ssigning to places of command su

d; "we can make better time, and keep together bet

erly precision; but when they came in front of the large

ht f

rned as

for Glück's un

Hurrah!

th a will, and a r

e! Forwar

retreating column in open-m

y vanished from his sight around a curve in the road,

roadside many times to rest. Once they took refuge in an open barn from the pelting rain. They were drenched, ragged, splashed with mud, footsore, weak from

t every step brought them nearer and yet nearer to the longed for destination,-th