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Dave Porter Series

DAVE PORTER IN THE FAR NORTH

Or

The Pluck of an American Schoolboy

by

EDWARD STRATEMEYER

Author of "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," "Dave Porter in the South Seas,"
"Dave Porter's Return to School," "Old Glory Series," "Pan American
Series," "Defending His Flag," etc.

Illustrated By Charles Nuttall







[Illustration: In a twinkling the turnout was upset.--_Page 206._]



[Illustration: Publishers mark]

Boston
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.

Published, March, 1908

Copyright, 1908, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.
All rights reserved

DAVE PORTER IN THE FAR NORTH

Norwood Press
BERWICK & SMITH CO.
Norwood, Mass.
U. S. A.



PREFACE


"Dave Porter in the Far North" is a complete story in itself, but forms
the fourth volume in a line issued under the general title of "Dave
Porter Series."

In the first volume, entitled "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," I introduced a
typical American lad, full of life and vigor, and related the
particulars of his doings at an American boarding school of to-day--a
place which is a little world in itself. At this school Dave made both
friends and enemies, proved that he was a natural leader, and was
admired accordingly.

The great cloud over Dave's life was the question of his parentage. His
enemies called him "that poorhouse nobody," which hurt him deeply. He
made a discovery, and in the second volume of the series, entitled "Dave
Porter in the South Seas," we followed him on a most unusual voyage, at
the end of which he found an uncle, and learned something of his father
and sister, who were at that time traveling in Europe.

Dave was anxious to meet his own family, but could not find out just
where they were. While waiting for word from them, he went back to Oak
Hall, and in the third volume of the series, called "Dave Porter's
Return to School," we learned how he became innocently involved in a
mysterious series of robberies, helped to win two great games of
football, and brought the bully of the academy to a realization of his
better self.

As time went by Dave longed more than ever to meet his father and his
sister, and how he went in search of them I leave the pages which follow
to relate. As before, Dave is bright, manly, and honest to the core, and
in those qualities I trust my young readers will take him as their model
throughout life.

Once more I thank the thousands who have taken an interest in what I
have written for them. May the present story help them to despise those
things which are mean and hold fast to those things which are good.

                                                    EDWARD STRATEMEYER.

January 10, 1908.



                        CONTENTS


CHAPTER                                        PAGE

     I.  ON THE TRAIN                             1

    II.  A ROW IN A RESTAURANT                   12

   III.  OFF THE TRACK                           22

    IV.  WHAT HAPPENED AT THE BARN               32

     V.  BACK TO OAK HALL                        42

    VI.  GUS PLUM'S CONFESSION                   51

   VII.  HOW JOB HASKERS WENT SLEIGH-RIDING      59

  VIII.  A MYSTERIOUS LETTER                     69

    IX.  DAVE TALKS TO THE POINT                 78

     X.  AN ADVENTURE ON ROBBER ISLAND           87

    XI.  A HUNT FOR AN ICE-BOAT                  97

   XII.  THE MEETING OF THE GEE EYES            107

  XIII.  AN INTERRUPTED INITIATION              116

   XIV.  GOOD-BYE TO OAK HALL                   125

    XV.  DAVE AND ROGER IN LONDON               134

   XVI.  SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION             143

  XVII.  ON THE NORTH SEA                       152

 XVIII.  IN NORWAY AT LAST                      162

   XIX.  OFF TO THE NORTHWARD                   171

    XX.  AN ENCOUNTER WITH WOLVES               181

   XXI.  CAUGHT IN A WINDSTORM                  190

  XXII.  SNOWBOUND IN THE MOUNTAINS             200

 XXIII.  LEFT IN THE DARK                       210

  XXIV.  THE BURGOMASTER OF MASOLGA             219

   XXV.  TO THE NORTHWARD ONCE MORE             228

  XXVI.  DAYS OF WAITING                        237

 XXVII.  DAVE STRIKES OUT ALONE                 246

XXVIII.  A JOYOUS MEETING                       255

  XXIX.  BEARS AND WOLVES                       264

   XXX.  HOME AGAIN--CONCLUSION                 274



                           ILLUSTRATIONS


In a twinkling the turnout was upset (page
206)                                          _Frontispiece_

                                                        PAGE

Roger shoved it aside and it struck Isaac Pludding
full on the stomach                                       25

"Can't stop, I'm on the race-track!" yelled
Shadow                                                    58

The mule shied to one side and sent Dave
sprawling on the ice                                     101

What was left of the camp-fire flew up in the
air                                                      120

Once they ran close to a three-masted schooner           160

"Out with the lot of them! I will take the
rooms"                                                   229

Dave received a blow from a rough paw that
sent him headlong                                        267



DAVE PORTER IN THE FAR NORTH




CHAPTER I

ON THE TRAIN


"Here we are at the station, Dave!"

"Yes, and there is Phil waiting for us," answered Dave Porter. He threw
up the car window hastily. "Hi, there, Phil, this way!" he called out,
lustily.

A youth who stood on the railroad platform, dress-suit case in hand,
turned hastily, smiled broadly, and then ran for the steps of the
railroad car. The two boys already on board arose in their seats to
greet him.

"How are you, Dave? How are you, Ben?" he exclaimed cordially, and shook
hands. "I see you've saved a seat for me. Thank you. My, but it's a cold
morning, isn't it?"

"I was afraid you wouldn't come on account of the weather," answered
Dave Porter. "How are you feeling?"

"As fine as ever," answered Phil Lawrence. "Oh, it will take more than
one football game to kill me," he went on, with a light laugh.

"I trust you never get knocked out like that again, Phil," said Dave
Porter, seriously.

"So do I," added Ben Basswood. "The game isn't worth it."

"Mother thought I ought to stay home until the weather moderated a bit,
but I told her you would all be on this train and I wanted to be with
the crowd. Had a fine Thanksgiving, I suppose."

"I did," returned Ben Basswood.

"Yes, we had a splendid time," added Dave Porter, "only I should have
been better satisfied if I had received some word from my father and
sister."

"No word yet, Dave?"

"Not a line, Phil," and Dave Porter's usually bright face took on a
serious look. "I don't know what to make of it and neither does my Uncle
Dunston."

"It certainly is queer. If they went to Europe your letters and
cablegrams ought to catch them somewhere. I trust you get word soon."

"If I don't, I know what I am going to do."

"What?"

"Go on a hunt, just as I did when I found my uncle," was Dave Porter's
reply.

While the three boys were talking the train had rolled out of the
station. The car was but half filled, so the lads had plenty of room in
which to make themselves comfortable. Phil Lawrence stowed away his suit
case in a rack overhead and settled down facing the others. He gave a
yawn of satisfaction.

"I can tell you, it will feel good to get back to Oak Hall again," he
observed. "You can't imagine how much I've missed the boys and the good
times, even if I was laid up in bed with a broken head."

"You'll get a royal reception, Phil," said Dave. "Don't forget that when
you went down you won the football game for us."

"Maybe I did, Dave, but you had your hand in winning, too, and so did
Ben."

"Well, if the fellows---- Say, here comes Nat Poole." Dave lowered his
voice. "I don't think he'll want to see me."

As Dave spoke, a tall, fastidiously dressed youth came down the car
aisle. He was not bad-looking, but there was an air of dissipation about
him that was not pleasant to contemplate. He wore a fur-trimmed overcoat
and a cap to match, and heavy fur-lined gloves.

"Hello!" he exclaimed, on catching sight of Phil Lawrence. "Going back
to the Hall, eh?"

"I am, and you are going back too, Nat, I suppose."

"Yes," drawled Nat Poole. He turned and caught sight of Dave and Ben.
"Humph!" he muttered, and without saying more continued on his way down
the aisle and through to the next car of the train.

"He's real sociable, he is," observed Ben Basswood, with a grin.

"I knew he wouldn't want to see me," said Dave.

"What's up--more trouble, Dave?" questioned Phil. "Remember, I've been
away from Oak Hall so long I've rather lost track of things."

"This trouble didn't occur at the school," answered Dave. His face grew
a trifle red as he spoke.

"It happened back at Crumville," broke in Ben, and winked one eye. "You
see, Nat wanted to come to a Thanksgiving party the Wadsworths gave. But
Dave told Jessie just what sort Nat was, and she left him out at the
last moment. It made Nat furious, and I've heard that he is going to do
his best to square up with Dave this winter."

"You're mistaken, Ben; I didn't have to tell Jessie anything," corrected
Dave. "A fellow named Bangs wanted Nat invited, but Jessie didn't want
him and neither did her folks. Bangs got mad over it, and said he
wouldn't come either, and he and Nat went to a show instead."

"Well, I heard that Nat blamed it on you."

"He is apt to blame everything on me--if he can," said Dave, with a
short, hard laugh. "It's his style. I suppose he'll even blame me for
getting Gus Plum to reform."

"Well, you did get Gus to do that," declared Ben, heartily. "It's the
best thing I ever heard of, too."

"If Plum cuts Poole, what's the dude to do?" asked Phil. "The two used
to be great cronies."

To these words Dave did not reply. He was wiping the steam from the car
window. Now he peered out as the train came to a stop.

"Hurrah! Here we are!" he cried, and leaped from his seat.

"Where are you going?" demanded Ben.

"After Roger. I know he'll be at the station, for I sent him a special
message," and away went Dave after Roger Morr, one of his best and
dearest schoolmates. The two met on the car platform, and as the train
moved off again, both came in to join Ben and Phil.

To those who have read the former volumes in this "Dave Porter Series"
the boys already mentioned need no special introduction. They were all
pupils of Oak Hall, a first-class boarding school located in the heart
of one of our New England States. At the academy Dave Porter seemed to
be a natural leader, although that place had been at times disputed by
Nat Poole, Gus Plum, and others. It was wonderful what a hold Dave had
on his friends, considering his natural modesty. Physically he was well
built and his muscles were those of a youth used to hard work and a life
in the open air. Yet, though he loved to run, row, swim, and play games,
Dave did not neglect his studies, and only a short time before this
story opens had won the Oak Hall medal of honor, of which he was justly
proud.

In times gone by Dave's enemies had called him "a poorhouse
nobody"--something which had caused him a great deal of pain. When a
child, he had been picked up alongside of the railroad tracks by
strangers and taken to the Crumville poorhouse. At this institution he
remained until he was nine years old, when a broken-down college
professor named Caspar Potts, who had turned farmer, took him out and
gave him a home. At that time Caspar Potts was in the grasp of a
hard-hearted money lender, Aaron Poole, the father of Nat Poole, already
mentioned, and the outlook soon became very dark for both man and boy.

Then came an unexpected turn of affairs, and from that moment Dave's
future seemed assured. As related in my first volume, "Dave Porter at
Oak Hall," the boy called upon Mr. Oliver Wadsworth, a rich manufacturer
of that neighborhood. The gentleman had a daughter Jessie, a bright-eyed
miss some years younger than Dave. She was waiting to take an
automobile ride when the gasoline tank of the machine caught fire. It
was plucky Dave who rushed in and, at the peril of his own life, saved
the girl from being fatally burned.

The Wadsworths were more than grateful, and when Mr. Wadsworth
discovered that Caspar Potts was one of his former college teachers, he
insisted that both the old man and Dave come to live at his mansion. He
took a great interest in Dave, more especially as he had had a son about
Dave's age who had died.

"The lad must go to some boarding school," said Oliver Wadsworth, and at
his own expense he sent Dave to Oak Hall. With Dave went Ben Basswood, a
friend of several years' standing.

Dave made friends with great rapidity. First came Roger Morr, the son of
a United States senator, then Phil Lawrence, whose father was a wealthy
ship-owner, Sam Day, who was usually called "Lazy," because he was so
big and fat, "Buster" Beggs, "Shadow" Hamilton, and a number of others,
whom we shall meet as our story proceeds.

For a while all went well with Dave, but then came trouble with Nat
Poole, who had come to the Hall, and with Gus Plum, the school bully,
and Chip Macklin, his toady. The cry of "poorhouse nobody" was again
raised, and Dave felt almost like leaving Oak Hall in disgust.

"I must find out who I really am," he told himself, and fortune
presently favored him. By a curious turn of circumstances he fell in
with an old sailor named Billy Dill. This tar declared he knew Dave or
somebody who looked exactly like him. This unknown individual was on an
island in the South Seas.

"My father's ships sail to the South Seas," Phil Lawrence told Dave, and
the upshot of the matter was that Dave took passage on one of the
vessels, in company with the ship-owner's son, Roger Morr, and Billy
Dill.

As already related in the second volume of this series, "Dave Porter in
the South Seas," the voyage of the _Stormy Petrel_ proved to be anything
but an uneventful one. Fearful storms arose, and Dave and some others
were cast away on an uninhabited island. But in the end all went well,
and, much to the lad's joy, he found an uncle named Dunston Porter.

"Your father is my twin brother," said Dunston Porter. "He is now
traveling in Europe, and with him is your sister Laura, about one year
younger than yourself. We must return to the United States at once and
let them know of this. They mourn you as dead."

There was a good deal of money in the Porter family, a fair share of
which would come to Dave when he became of age. The whole party returned
to California and then to the East, and word was at once sent to Europe,
to David Breslow Porter, as Dave's father was named. To the surprise of
all, no answer came back, and then it was learned that Mr. Porter and
his daughter Laura had started on some trip, leaving no address behind
them.

"This is too bad," said Dave. "I wanted so much to see them."

"We'll get word soon, never fear," replied his uncle, and then advised
Dave to finish out his term at Oak Hall, Mr. Porter in the meantime
remaining a guest of the Wadsworth family.

How Dave went back to Oak Hall, and what happened to him there has
already been related in detail in "Dave Porter's Return to School." His
enemies could no longer twit him with being a "poorhouse nobody," yet
they did all they could to dim his popularity and get him into trouble.

"He shan't cut a dash over me, even if he has money," said Nat Poole,
and to this Gus Plum, the bully, eagerly agreed. There was likewise
another pupil, Nick Jasniff, who also hated Dave, and one day this
fellow, who was exceedingly hot-tempered, attempted to strike Dave down
with a heavy Indian club. It was a most foul attack and justly condemned
by nearly all who saw it, and thoroughly scared over what he had
attempted to do, Nick Jasniff ran away from school and could not be
found.

There had been a number of robberies around Oakdale, where the academy
was located, and one day when Dave and his chums were out ice-boating
they had come on the track of two of the robbers. Then to his surprise
Dave learned that Nick Jasniff was also implicated in the thefts. He
knew that Jasniff and Gus Plum were very intimate, and wondered if the
bully of the school could be one of the criminals also. At length, one
snowy day, he saw Plum leave the Hall and followed the fellow. Plum made
for the railroad, where there was a deep cut, and into this cut he fell,
just as a train was approaching. At the peril of his life Dave scrambled
to the bottom of the opening and drew the bully from the tracks just as
the train rolled by.

If ever a boy was conquered, it was Gus Plum at that time. At first he
could not realize that Dave had saved him. "To think you would do this
for me--you!" he sobbed. "And I thought you hated me!" And then he broke
down completely. He confessed how he had tried to injure Dave and his
chums, but said he had had nothing to do with the robberies. Nick
Jasniff had wanted him to go in with the robbers, but he had declined.

"I am going to cut Jasniff after this," said Gus Plum, "and I am going
to cut Nat Poole, too. I want to make a man of myself--if I can."

But it was hard work. A short time after the railroad incident the two
robbers were caught and sent to prison, to await trial, and Plum had to
appear as a witness for the state and tell how he had been implicated.
In the meantime Nick Jasniff ran away to Europe, taking several hundred
dollars of the stolen funds with him. Dave thought he had seen the last
of the young rascal, but in this he was mistaken, as the events which
followed proved.




CHAPTER II

A ROW IN A RESTAURANT


The majority of the boys had been home only for the Thanksgiving
holidays. The exception was poor Phil Lawrence, who had been laid up for
a number of weeks as the result of a blow on the head while playing a
game of football. Phil said he felt as well as ever, but he was somewhat
pale and in no humor for anything in the way of roughness.

As the train stopped at one station and another along the line, it began
to fill up with passengers, including a goodly number of Oak Hall
students. At one place Sam Day and Shadow Hamilton came on board,
followed by half a dozen snowballs, sent after them by boys who had come
to see them off.

"Hi! stop that!" cried Sam Day, as he tried to dodge, and just then a
snowball meant for his head took a somewhat stout man in the ear. The
man uttered a cry of surprise, slipped on the platform of the car, and
fell flat, crushing his valise under him. At this a shout of laughter
rang out from the depot platform, and the lads standing there lost no
time in disappearing.

"You--you villains!" roared the stout man when he could catch his
breath. "I'll--I'll have you locked up!"

"It wasn't my fault," answered Sam Day, trying hard to suppress the grin
on his face. "Shall I help you up?"

"No," grunted the man, and arose slowly. "Do you know I have a dozen
fresh eggs in that valise?"

"Sorry, I'm sure."

"A dozen eggs!" cried Shadow Hamilton. "Well, I never! Say, that puts me
in mind of a story. Once a man bought some eggs that weren't strictly
fresh, and----"

"Pah! who wants to listen to your stories?" interrupted the stout man.
"You had better pay for the eggs that are smashed," and he entered the
car in anything but a pleasant humor.

Dave had come to the car door to greet Sam and Shadow and conduct them
to a seat near his own. The stout man was so upset mentally that he
bumped roughly into the youth.

"Get out of my way, will you?" grunted the irate passenger.

"Excuse me, I didn't know you owned the whole aisle," said Dave, coldly.
He did not like the manner in which he had been addressed.

"See here, are you another one of them good-for-nothing schoolboys?"
bellowed the stout individual. "If you are, I want you to understand you
can't run this train--not as far as I am concerned, anyhow."

Dave looked at the man for a moment in silence. "You are very polite, I
must say," he observed. "I haven't done anything to you, have I?"

"No, but you young bloods are all in together. I know you! Last spring I
was on the train with a lot of college boys, and they tried to run
things to suit themselves. But we fixed 'em, we did. And we'll fix you,
too, if you try to run matters here," and with a savage shake of his
head the stout man passed down the aisle and dropped heavily into the
first vacant seat he reached.

"Isn't he a peach?" murmured Sam Day to Dave. "Meekest man I ever saw,
and ought to have a monument for politeness."

"I hope all his eggs are smashed," said Shadow Hamilton. "He certainly
deserves it."

"Shouldn't wonder if they are--he came down hard enough," answered Dave.

By good luck all the students had seats close to each other, and as the
train rolled along they told of their various holiday experiences and
discussed school matters.

"Just four weeks and then we'll close down for Christmas," said Roger.

"We ought to have lots of fun," said Ben. "We can go skating and
ice-boating, and we can build a fort----"

"And snowball Pop Swingly and Horsehair," interrupted Sam, mentioning
the janitor of Oak Hall and the driver for the institution. "Don't
forget them or they'll feel slighted."

"What's the matter with snowballing Job Haskers?" asked Phil, mentioning
a teacher who was anything but popular with the students.

"Oh, we'll attend to him, never fear," answered Roger Morr.

"Has anybody heard from Plum?" questioned Sam, during a lull in the
conversation.

"I got a letter from him," answered Dave, seeing that nobody else
replied. "He is afraid he is going to have a hard time of it to reform.
I hope you fellows will treat him as well as you can."

"I shall," said the senator's son, and several nodded.

"I think I have always treated him better than he deserved," said Shadow
Hamilton. He could not forget what serious trouble the former bully of
Oak Hall had once caused him, when Doctor Clay's valuable collection of
postage stamps had disappeared.

It had been snowing slightly since morning, and now the flakes began to
come down thicker than ever. As a consequence the engineer of the train
could not see the signals ahead and had to run slowly, so that when the
Junction was gained, where the boys had to change for Oakdale, they were
half an hour late.

"We've missed the connection and must remain here for just an hour and a
quarter," declared Dave, after questioning the station master. "We can't
get to Oak Hall until after dark."

"I move we have something to eat," said Roger. "A sandwich, a piece of
mince-pie, and a cup of hot chocolate wouldn't go bad."

"Second the commotion!" cried Ben. "All in favor raise their