Dave Porter's return to Oak Hall is anything but routine. Back at the boarding school where rivalries, pranks, and danger always seem to lurk, Dave, Roger, Phil, Laura, and Jessie must face rumors of a wild man in the woods, a jealous Nat Poole, and hints that old enemies may be stirring trouble again. The journey to school brings its own excitement as the friends travel by touring car, narrowly avoid a crash on a steep road, and meet the cold hostility of Aaron Poole before arriving in style at the National Hotel. As the boys settle into another term, mystery and comedy mix with schoolboy mischief. A stolen rowboat, a suspicious handkerchief tied to a sanitarium clue, and a worried schoolmaster deepen the sense that something serious is unfolding. At the same time, Phil's planned hotel feast collapses in a tangle of mistaken messages and accusations, forcing the boys to salvage the night elsewhere and leaving him determined to settle the score. With danger, humor, and investigation all in motion, the story builds toward even greater upheaval, including the ominous threat of a bridge explosion. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.