nk I'm running a hash mill instead of----"

"By no means, Songbird, dear!" piped Tom. "We all know you're the sole
owner of the largest poem factory in New York state. Let her flow by all
means."

"If you don't recite, we'll sing," said Dick.

"No, don't do that--yet," pleaded Songbird. "I've got a verse or two all
ready," and he began, in slow, measured tones:

"Back to dear old Putnam Hall!
Back to the days of yore!
Back to the good old times we had!
May we have many more!
Back to our lessons and our books,
And to the teachers, too,
Back to the drills and hours off----"

"And to the mutton stew!"

finished Tom. "Don't forget to put in Mrs. Green's wonderful mutton
stews."

"No mutton stews in this!" snorted Songbird. "The last line was, 'When
days were bright and blue,'" and then he continued:

"We love to gather here again,
And talk of times to come,
And plot and plan, and plan and plot----
And plan and plot----and plot and plot----
And plan----and plan----and plan----"

"Songbird, you've plotted and planned too much," interrupted Dick, as
the would-be poet hesitated. "Let's sing a song."

"That's the talk!" cried Fred Garrison, and started up the song well
known to all of them:

"Putnam Hall's the place for me!
Tra la lee! Tra la lee!
Putnam Hall's the place for me!
The best old school I know!"

And then, as the carryall swung up to the campus, they set up the school
yell, which brought out a score of students to witness the arrival of
the Rover boys.

CHAPTER XI

WILLIAM PHILANDER TUBBS

As my old readers know, Putnam Hall was a handsome structure of brick
and stone standing in the center of a large plot of ground, bounded on
two sides by cedar woods. To the front was the campus and the wagon road
and beyond this a slope leading to the lake. To the rear were rich farm
lands, cultivated solely for the benefit of the institution. Besides the
school, there were a building fitted up as a gymnasium, and also several
barns and carriage houses. The Hall was built in the form of the letter
E, and was three stories high. It contained numerous classrooms, a
private office, a large mess hall, or dining room, and both large and
small dormitories.

The master of the school was Captain Victor Putnam, who was a bachelor,
and as kind as he was strict. Captain Putnam was a West Point graduate,
and had