I'm not the happiest boy in the world--well, I
ought to be, that's all."

"And what a fine man he is--and looks very much like your Uncle Dunston,
and looks like you, too," added the girl. She lowered her voice and it
trembled a little. "I am so happy--for your sake, Dave!" And the tears
stood in her deep, honest eyes.

It was truly a great home-coming, and Dave's father was told to make
himself perfectly at ease by Mr. Wadsworth.

"You have been more than kind to Dave," said Mr. Porter. "You and your
family, and Professor Potts. Dave has told me all about it. I do not
know if I can ever repay you, but I shall try my best." And he shook
hands all over again.

On the very day that Dave reached Crumville came a letter from Phil
Lawrence, who had received word that Dave was coming home. In this
communication Phil said that matters were running smoothly at Oak Hall.
Sam Day and Ben Basswood had had some trouble with Nat Poole, and the
dude had received a well-deserved thrashing. Gus Plum was keeping very
quiet, and had made a few more friends.

"You will be surprised to hear the news about Link Merwell," wrote
Phil. "I cannot tell you the start of it, but it ended in a great
row between Merwell and Mr. Dale. Merwell is very bitter about it,
and claims that I in some way got him into trouble. He went home
for a vacation, and before he left he shook his fist in my face and
said, 'I'll get even with you some day, and I'll get even with
that friend of yours, Dave Porter, too.' He was fearfully ugly, and
acted as if he wanted to eat somebody up."

"Humph, that is cheerful news," remarked Roger, after Dave had shown him
the letter. "Dave, you want to watch out for Merwell."

"I certainly will, Roger. Don't you remember what I once said? In some
respects he is a worse chap than Nick Jasniff and a good deal worse than
Gus Plum ever was." And that Dave was correct will be proved in the next
volume of this series, to be entitled, "Dave Porter and His Classmates;
or, For the Honor of Oak Hall." In that volume we shall meet all our
friends again, and also Laura Porter, and learn how Dave met the
underhanded work of Link Merwell and what was the result.

On Friday evening following Dave's return to the Wadsworth home he was
surprised to receive a visit from Phil, Ben, Sam, and Shadow. They burst
into the house like a cyclone and nearly hugged him to death, and then
shook hands all around