s had I have set
down in "Dave Porter at Star Ranch." Not far from Star Ranch was the
home of Link Merwell, and this young man, as before, tried to make
trouble, but was exposed and humbled.

The boys liked it very much on the ranch, but all vacations must come to
an end, and so the lads went back to school, as recorded in "Dave Porter
and His Rivals." That was a lively term at Oak Hall, for some newcomers
tried to run athletic and other matters to suit themselves, and in
addition Link Merwell and Nick Jasniff became students at a rival
academy only a short distance away.

The Christmas holidays were now at hand, and Dave went back to
Crumville, where he and his folks were living with the Wadsworths in
their elegant mansion on the outskirts of the town. At that time Mr.
Wadsworth had some valuable jewels at his works to be reset, and
directly after Christmas came a thrilling robbery. It was Dave, aided by
his chums, who got on the track of the robbers, who were none other than
Jasniff and Merwell, and trailed them to the South and then to sea, as
told in "Dave Porter on Cave Island." After many startling adventures
the jewels were recovered and the thieves were caught. But, at the last
minute, Link Merwell managed to escape.

When Dave Porter returned again to Oak Hall he found himself considered
a great hero. But he bore himself modestly, and settled down to hard
work, for he wished to graduate with honors. His old enemies were now
out of the way and for this he was thankful.

But trouble for Dave was not yet at an end. One of the teachers at Oak
Hall was Job Haskers, a learned man, but one who did not like boys. Why
Haskers had ever become an instructor was a mystery. He was harsh,
unsympathetic, and dictatorial, and nearly all the students hated him.
He knew the branches he taught, but that was all the good that could be
said of him.

Trouble came almost from the start, that term, and not only Dave, but
nearly all of his chums were involved. A wild man--who afterwards proved
to be related to Nat Poole, the son of a miserly money-lender of
Crumville--tried to blow up a neighboring hotel, and the boys were
thought to be guilty. In terror, some of them feared arrest and fled, as
related in "Dave Porter and the Runaways." Dave went after the runaways,
and after escaping a fearful flood, made them come back to school and
face the music. The youth had a clew against Job Haskers, and in the
end proved that the wild ma