# Dave Porter at Oak Hall/Chapter 11

CHAPTER XI
Dave's first night at the hall
"It looks as if you had put your foot into it the first thing," said Roger, as he ushered Dave into Dormitory No. 12, and closed the door after them. "Gus Plum won't forget this."
"I don't want him to forget it," answered Dave, calmly. "He shan't bully me, and that is all there is to it."
"I don't see what you can do, Dave. He's a good bit heavier and taller than you are."
"That may be true. Still I am not afraid of him."
"You talked to him rather sharply."
"It's the only way to do with bullies, Roger. If you try to smooth it over it only makes them more impudent."
"That may be true. But I don't want to see you get into a row the first thing," went on the senator's son.
The dormitory proved to be a bright and pleasant room, located in an angle of the building and looking toward a turn of the river. There were three beds on one side and three on the other, and ​in the rear of the apartment were three double closets, one half for each boy.
"Here are the two vacant beds," said Roger, pointing them out. "And this is my bed."
"I'll take the one next to you."
"This is the vacant double closet. You'll have it all to yourself until somebody else comes in. You'll have to put your trunk stuff in the closet, and then the trunk will be put in the trunk room by Pop Swingly, the janitor."
"This is very nice indeed," said Dave, gazing around. "And marble basins with hot and cold water, too! No wonder you like this. It couldn't be more comfortable."
"Oak Hall is a second home to me," said the senator's son, dropping on a chair. "The air of the whole establishment is so home-like, don't you know. If it wasn't for such fellows as Gus Plum, Chip Macklin and a few others, the whole outfit would be perfect."
"It's a wonder the crowd doesn't unite to make Plum and his toadies toe the mark."
"There was talk of doing that last season, but the plan fell through. We were going to kidnap Plum, and take him to an island up the river, and keep him there until he promised to behave, but that sneak of a Macklin got wind of it, and then the jig was up."
"He must be a despicable wretch."
​"He is. As soon as he hears of anything he carries it to Plum, or to the teachers."
"Well, if he plays the sneak on me, I'll give him a lesson he won't forget in a hurry."
A moment later came a tramping on the stairs and Buster Beggs came in, followed by Phil Lawrence.
"We stopped below for another bite," said Beggs. "Quite a crowd in the dining room. Gus Plum came in looking like a thunder-cloud. Wonder what was up with him."
"He got into a row with Dave the first thing," answered Roger, and described the meeting in the hallway. Phil Lawrence gave a low whistle.
"That's bad, Dave. Hope it doesn't amount to anything. Plum ought to have some consideration for a new boy."
Phil Lawrence belonged in the dormitory, while Beggs roomed in No. 11, next door. Between the two dormitories was a door which had a bolt upon each side of it, but which was usually left open.
It was not long before other pupils came up, and Dave was introduced to several, including Luke Watson, a lad who was a good deal of a musician, and who had brought with him a banjo and a guitar, and Bertram Vane, a delicate-looking youth, who went by the nickname of Polly, because of his girlish ways. The pupils were all whole-souled fellows, and Dave was surprised to ​find how quickly he felt at home with them. If he acted green in any way they did not appear to notice it, which was to their credit.
"Some of the fellows are talking football already," said Sam Day. "I told them to give me a chance to sit down first."
"Trust Lazy to say something like that," came from Shadow Hamilton, with a grin. "Puts me in mind of a story I heard about a tramp who was going to cut wood for an old lady. He asked her if she'd lend him a rocking-chair to do it in, as he wasn't used to standing," and then there was a general snicker.
With it all, however, the majority of the boys were tired from traveling and glad to retire. Dave unpacked only a portion of his trunk, and by ten o'clock was in his bed and ready to go to sleep.
"Lights out!" came the cry of a monitor passing through the hallway. "Lights out!"
The light in the dormitory was turned low by one of the boys, and then the light in the hall followed suit. Dave stretched himself and turned over to go to sleep. He had hardly done so when there was a vicious tug at the sheet under him, and he found himself flat on his back on the floor.
"Hullo, Porter, are you moving?" came in a low voice from one of the other beds. "Thought you were tired."
​"This is one on me," cried Dave, cheerfully, and started to rise, when swock! something wet hit him in the face. It was a towel saturated with ice water, and the cold fluid ran down over his breast and backbone.
Dave caught a dim glimpse of the boy who threw the towel, and watching his opportunity, he hurled it back, taking the lad full in the mouth. Then a pillow came sailing through the air, followed by a shoe and a cake of soap, and Dave went over once more. But he caught up each article and sent it back.
"Is this a free-for-all fight?" he asked in a low voice. "If it is I want to know it. There you are, and welcome!" and he hurled a rug at a lad who was sending forth another pillow. "Don't be timid. You can have all that is coming to you!"
The fun grew fast and furious, and pillows, shoes, wet towels, and rugs went sailing first in one direction and then another. One lad was almost smothered in a blanket thrown over his head, and another went down with a mattress over him.
"Hi, let up!" came from Buster Beggs. "Enough is enough!"
"I didn't start this," answered Dave. "I'll stop when the others do."
"Cheese it! The monitor!" came the cry, a second later. "Into bed with you, fellows!" ​And then came a wild scramble. With nothing on his bed but a mattress and a blanket Dave laid down. A loud knock sounded out on the door.
"Did any of you young gentlemen call for anything?" came the mild question.
"It's Murphy! Bless his heart!" whispered Shadow Hamilton. "He won't report us."
"It's all right, Murphy," answered Phil Lawrence. "I was only chasing out the mosquitoes."
"Well, please make less noise doing it. The doctor won't stand for such a racket," returned the monitor, and passed on.
"Jim Murphy is a peach," said Roger. "As long as he is monitor we are safe here. But I guess we had better call it off, fellows," he added.
The beds were re-made and the wet towels, shoes, rugs, and soap redistributed, and in a few minutes more all of the lads retired. Some had been pretty well soaked with water, but nobody complained.
"That was a pretty easy initiation," thought Dave. But the country boy had made an error; the real initiation was still to come, but not that night.
It took some time for Dave to get to sleep, but once in the land of Nod he slept soundly, and did not awaken until the clanging of a loud bell broke upon his ear.
"That's the first bell," said Roger, in answer ​to Dave's inquiring look. "We've got half an hour to get dressed and go down to the dining room in."
"That's more time than I need," answered Dave. "I can unpack the rest of my trunk in that time," and he did.
There had been frolics in more than one dormitory that night and several of the pupils appeared in the dining hall with black eyes and numerous scratches. But no complaints had been made and no questions were asked.
In the dining hall Dave was placed at one of the long tables presided over by Andrew Dale, the first assistant to Dr. Clay. At another table was the doctor himself, and not far away was Job Haskers, the second assistant.
It took but a glance to show Dave that Andrew Dale was kind-hearted and considerate, while Job Haskers was exactly the opposite. The first assistant had a mild, winsome manner, which attracted all the boys to him. The second assistant always spoke in a manner that was repellant. But he was really a brilliant teacher, and that was why Dr. Clay retained him.
Not far from Dave sat Gus Plum, who scowled deeply when he caught the eyes of the boy from the country. But Dave did not flinch, and he showed the bully that he was not afraid of him.
​The breakfast was a plain, but substantial one, and Dave fell to with vigor.
"I wish I had such an appetite," said Polly Vane, who sat close by. "But I can't eat more than a bird," he added, sweetly. His girlish manner made it hard for Dave to keep a straight face. It was not until some time later that he learned that Polly was one of the best students at the Hall.
The breakfast over, the new students were told to go to Dr. Clay's private office. They numbered twelve, and began to talk among themselves while waiting for the proprietor of the Hall to join them.
"I came from a school out in Maine," said one boy named Harry Haven. "The master was a softy and the fellows used to ride right over him."
"I don't think you'll ride over Dr. Clay," said Dave.
"You won't ride over Mr. Haskers," put in another. "Oh, but wasn't he sharp at breakfast. He watched us like a hawk. You couldn't make a move but that his eye was on you."
It was not long before Dr. Clay came in briskly. He saw to it that each new pupil had been properly registered, and then he examined each in private. Dave had to wait nearly an hour, but the examination took less than fifteen minutes.
"Your learning does you credit, Porter," said the doctor, at the conclusion. "You are well fitted ​to go into the class you mentioned. I will take you to the proper classroom and introduce you."
Two pupils went with Dave, and all were introduced in a formal way to Job Haskers, who bowed stiffly, and then assigned them to seats. Dave found himself just across the aisle from Roger, which suited him exactly. But behind Dave was Gus Plum, which was not so pleasant. A set of books had been handed over to the boy from the country, and he proceeded to stow these away in his desk.
"So they have put you in this class," whispered Gus Plum. "Didn't know you were so wise."
"I'm too wise to be imposed upon," whispered Dave, in return.
"Don't you get fresh, or there'll be trouble," growled the bully.
"Well, if there is trouble, it will be of your own choosing."
"Silence in the room!" came sharply from Job Haskers. "Those who were talking stand up!"
There was a pause, and then Dave stood up, along with three others. Gus Plum remained seated.
"Hum! Porter, as you are a new pupil, I will excuse you. Pratt, Davis, and Dodd will write the word Silence a hundred times after school hours. We will now turn to our lesson in history for to-day."