Edward Stratemeyer

The Rover Boys at Colby Hall Edward Stratemeyer

Publisher Marketing: "For gracious sake! what's that racket?" exclaimed Dick Rover, as he threw down the newspaper he was reading and leaped to his feet. "Sounds to me as if there was a battle royal going on," returned his younger brother, Sam, who was at a desk in the library of the old farmhouse, writing a letter. "It's those boys!" exclaimed Tom Rover, as he tossed aside a copy of a comic paper which he had been looking over. "I'll wager they're up to some mischief again." "Well, if they are your boys, Tom, you mustn't find fault with them," answered Sam Rover, with a twinkle in his eye. "If ever there were chips of the old block, your twins are It with a capital I." "Humph!" snorted Tom Rover. "I don't think Andy and Randy are much ahead of your Fred when it comes to playing tricks, and I think Dick's Jack can hold up his end too." "Never mind about that just now," broke in Dick Rover, hastily. "Let's go out and see what those kids are up to." "All right. But don't be too severe with 'em," pleaded Tom Rover. "Remember, boys will be boys." "That's true, Tom. But we've got to take 'em in hand sooner or later," remonstrated his brother Sam. "If we don't, they'll grow up the wildest bunch ever known." A number of cries of alarm and protest, mingled with fierce cheering, had reached the house from the garden just beyond the broad veranda. As the three Rover brothers hurried through the hallway and outside, the yelling and cheering were renewed. Then, just as Tom Rover stepped out on the veranda, there was a sudden swish and a stream of water from a garden hose caught him directly in the left ear. Contributor Bio:  Stratemeyer, Edward Edward Stratemeyer (1862-1930) is known primarily for his novels for the young. Creator of such classic series as The Bobbsey Twins, The Hardy Boys, and the Nancy Drew series, he also wrote many historical novels. Most, including FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS, relate to the great conflicts of the nineteenth century.