CHAPTER I. JERRY, HARRY, AND BLUMPO. “I’ll race you.” “Done! Are you ready?” “I am.” “Then off we go.” Quicker than it can be related, four oars fell into the water and four sturdy arms bent to the task of sending two beautiful single-shell craft skimming over the smooth surface of the lake. It was a spirited scene, and attracted not a little attention, for both of the contestants... more...

CHAPTER I A BIG CLOUD ON THE SUBMARINE HORIZON "At what time did you say that the 'Pollard' was due to be back, Mr.Farnum?" "At two o'clock," replied the owner of the boat-building yard at the little seaport town of Dunhaven. "It's within five minutes of that hour, now." "So it is," nodded the owner of the yard, after briefly consulting his watch. For half an hour, or a little longer, a middle aged man, with the world of business and large... more...

CHAPTER I TWO BOYS WHO PLANNED TO BECOME GREAT "So this is Dunhaven?" inquired Jack Benson. "Ye-es," slowly responded Jabez Holt, not rising from the chair in which he sat tilted back against the outer wall on the hotel porch. "It looks like it," muttered Hal Hastings, under his breath. "Doesn't look like a very bustling place, does it?" asked Jack, with a smile, as he set down a black, cloth-covered box on the porch and leisurely helped... more...

CHAPTER I "DO YOU SPEAK GERMAN?" "Hey, there, Mister!" called out Jabez Holt, from one of the two office windows in the little hotel at Dunhaven. As there was only one other man in the office, that other man guessed that he might be the one addressed. With a slight German accent the stranger, who was well-dressed, and looked like a prosperous as well as an educated man, turned and demanded: "You are calling me?" "I reckon," nodded Jabez.... more...

CHAPTER I "GUESS DAY" AT SPRUCE BEACH "Has anyone sighted them yet?" "No." "What can be the matter?" "You know, their specialty is going to the bottom. Possibly they've gone there once too often." "Don't!" shuddered a young woman. "Try not to be gruesome always,George." The young man laughed as he turned aside. Everyone and his friend at Spruce Beach was asking similar questions. None of the answers were satisfactory, because nobody knew... more...

BOUND FOR HOME "Hurry up, Sam, unless you want to be left behind!" "I'm coming!" shouted Sam Rover, as he crossed the depot platform on the run. "Where is Tom?" "He went ahead, to get two good seats for us," answered Dick Rover. He looked around the crowd that had gathered to take the train. "Hi, there, Songbird, this way! Come in this car, Hans!" "Say, aren't you fellows coming aboard?" came a voice from the nearest car, and a curly-topped... more...

CHAPTER I BOUND FOR HOME "HURRY Up, Sam, unless you want to be left behind!" "I'm coming!" shouted Sam Rover, as he crossed the depot platform on the run. "Where is Tom?" "He went ahead, to get two good seats for us," answered Dick Rover. He looked around the crowd that had gathered to take the train. "Hi, there, Songbird, this way! Come in this car, Hans!" "Say, aren't you fellows coming aboard?" came a voice from the nearest car, and a... more...

CHAPTER I SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS "Luff up a little, Sam, or the Spray will run on the rocks." "All right, Dick. I haven't got sailing down quite as fine as you yet. How far do you suppose we are from Albany?" "Not over eight or nine miles. If this wind holds out we'll make that city by six o'clock. I'll tell you what, sailing on the Hudson suits me first-rate." "And it suits me, too," put in Tom Rover, addressing both of his... more...

CHAPTER I. A STORM ON LAKE ERIE. "Dick, do you notice how the wind is freshening?" "Yes, Sam, I've been watching it for ten minutes. I think we are in for a storm." "Exactly my idea, and I shouldn't be surprised if it proved a heavy one, too. How far are we from shore?" "Not over three miles, to my reckoning." "Perhaps we had better turn back," and Sam Rover, the youngest of the three Rover brothers, shook his head doubtfully. "Oh, I... more...

CHAPTER I THE ROVER BOYS IN SAN FRANCISCO "Well, Dick, here we are in San Francisco at last." "Yes, Tom, and what a fine large city it is." "We'll have to take care, or we'll get lost," came from a third boy, the youngest of the party. "Just listen to Sam!" cried Tom Rover. "Get lost! As if we weren't in the habit of taking care of ourselves." "Sam is joking," came from Dick Rover. "Still we might get lost here as well as in New York or any... more...