The Rambler Club's House-Boat

The Rambler Club's House-Boat

Bob Somers, Dave Brandon, and Tom Clifton, members of the Rambler Club, visit New York with Bob’s father and meet Jack Lyons. Jack invites them to join himself, Joe Preston, Aleck Hunt, and Fred Winter on a house-boat voyage from New York to Albany aboard the Gray Gull. The boys acquire a motor, install it with the help of machinist Jim Benton, choose a puppy mascot named Confuse-us, and set off under Jack’s command. Their first day on the river brings excitement. After narrowly avoiding a tug because they do not understand river signals, they anchor near Yonkers. That night the engine stops because Joe has failed to fill the gasoline tank. When cries for help come from the river, Bob rows out alone in the dory and rescues Norman Redfern, a young man whose leaking rowboat is sinking. Redfern proves intelligent and well educated, and he teaches the boys about the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn through Dave’s telescope. The next day, Redfern tells them that he was unjustly dismissed as tutor to George Clayton, the ward of the wealthy and stubborn Colonel Ellison of Nyack. Although Redfern is timid and reluctant to renew the quarrel, the boys persuade him to travel with them and confront the Colonel again. Before leaving the Palisades, Joe falls into a concealed cleft while chasing a butterfly. He is saved from a ledge above a deeper drop when the boys and two passing artists form a human chain. Later, two tramps invade the Gray Gull, consume the boys’ supplies, and threaten them, but the boys drive them away with mud-balls until the artists arrive and scare the tramps off. A foggy night brings another collision, when a tug strikes the Gray Gull a glancing blow. The house-boat survives, and Confuse-us, thrown overboard, is revived. Redfern then joins the voyage permanently. At Nyack, the boys meet George Clayton by chance. George is wealthy but eager to escape luxury, rough it, and travel with the house-boat party. He invites them to Colonel Ellison’s imposing Greek-style home, where Jack learns that Redfern’s attempt to speak with the Colonel has failed. George nevertheless decides to join the voyage without making his plan clear to his guardian. George leaves Nyack in his automobile with his French chauffeur, Pierre Dufour, catches the Gray Gull, and boards it despite Pierre’s objections and hostility toward Redfern. Pierre returns to report the matter, while George enjoys the freedom of the river journey. The party passes Haverstraw, the Highlands, West Point, Storm King Mountain, and Break Neck Hill, eventually camping near the motor boats of rival schools, Ripley Academy and Thornton Preparatory School. George and Aleck later take his automobile on an unauthorized excursion. Colonel Ellison and Pierre search for George, while Jack and Joe encounter the Colonel on the road but conceal their connection with the house-boat. Ellison, convinced that Redfern has abducted George, reaches the Gray Gull with Thornton boys. He angrily accuses Redfern, but Redfern begins to show more courage, and Jack defends him. When the bank collapses beneath the Colonel, Jack rescues him from hanging over the water, though the Colonel remains resentful. Meanwhile, George and Aleck drive to Newburgh, then toward Poughkeepsie in rain. Their automobile breaks down across streetcar tracks, attracting a crowd and police attention. Fearing detention and exposure to his guardian, George abandons the car with Aleck and flees. They hire Old Bill Hollback’s sailboat, but learn that police are watching for the Gray Gull and for the runaway boy. At Old Bill’s home, a man named Dexter recognizes George’s description, forcing George and Aleck to escape again. Bill Hollback’s son helps them and directs them to a deserted house where they can hide for the night. Entering it, Aleck is struck by a bat, and the boys discover that the dark lower room is full of them.

By W. Crispin Sheppard · First published 1913 · Genre: Juvenile Adventure Fiction, Boys' Fiction, Nautical Adventure · 24 chapters · 67,115 words

First lines

"Well, Bob Somers, I certainly am glad you came on to New York with your father. Dad has been talking so much about you Rambler chaps lately that I've been simply wild to meet the crowd."

"And three of us are here for your inspection, Jack Lyons," laughed Bob. "Dave Brandon" -- his hand fell on the shoulder of a stout, good-humored-looking boy standing by his side -- "is our poet, artist and historian; and this is Tommy, or, perhaps, I'd better say, Mr. Thomas Clifton."

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children's fiction · juvenile adventure · adventure story · mystery · outdoor adventure · boating · houseboat life · river travel · friendship · club members · boys' adventure · early 20th-century fiction

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The Rambler Club's House-Boat is listed on Textopian as a novel by W. Crispin Sheppard, dated 1913 CE.

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