ly hurted," said the farmer who owned
the orchard.

Pepper caught his chum in his arms and brought him out and laid him on
the grass.

"He is still breathing!" he cried. "Get some water and we'll bathe his
face. Maybe that will bring him around."

"I'll get the water!" exclaimed Dale, and ran towards a well located at
the side of the orchard.

To those who have read the other volumes in this "Putnam Hall Series,"
the lads already mentioned will need no special introduction. For the
benefit of others, let me state that Jack Ruddy and Pepper Ditmore were
close chums, living, when at home, in the western part of New York
State. Jack was slightly the older of the two and was of rather a
serious turn of mind. Pepper was full of fun, and on that account was
frequently called "The Imp."

As related in my first volume, entitled "The Putnam Hall Cadets," the
lads left home to become cadets at a new institution of learning located
on Cayuga Lake. This new school was presided over by Captain Victor
Putnam, a retired army officer, who had modeled his institution somewhat
after the famous military academy at West Point. It was a large school,
ideally located on the shore of the lake, and had attached to it a
gymnasium, a boathouse, and several other buildings. On the lower floor
of the main building were the classrooms, the mess-hall, and the
offices, and upstairs were the dormitories.

Arriving at the school, Jack and Pepper soon made a host of friends,
including the acrobatic Andy Snow; Dale Blackmore, who was a great
football player; Paul Singleton, who was usually called "Stuffer"
because of his constant desire to eat; Joseph Hogan, commonly addressed
as "Emerald" because of his Irish blood, and Joe Nelson, who was one of
the best scholars the school ever had. They also made some enemies, the
greatest of them being Reff Ritter, the big bully, and Gus Coulter and
Nick Paxton, his cronies.

Not long after the students learned how to drill and to march they were
allowed to ballot for officers. A bitter contest was waged, which
resulted in Jack being chosen major of the Hall battalion. A bully named
Dan Baxter had wanted to be major, and he bribed Gus Coulter and some
others to vote for him, but without avail. It may be added here that
Baxter was now away on a vacation, but had written that he was going to
return to the school before long.

During their first term at Putnam Hall the chums had several adventures,
not the l