Bobby Blake at Rockledge School; or, Winning the Medal of Honor — A Reader’s Guide

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In Category - School Stories

Authors: Warner, Frank A. Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2013 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Schools -- Juvenile fiction; Friendship -- Juvenile fiction; Sports stories; Athletics -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 54,153

Reading time 236 min

Text sections 9

Bobby Blake at Rockledge School; or, Winning the Medal of Honor — A Reader’s Guide can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 54,153 words, 3 hr 56 min estimated reading time, and 9 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 12.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Schools -- Juvenile fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #39799

Bobby Blake arrives at Rockledge School where a Medal of Honor is offered for studiousness, good conduct, manliness, and popularity. The opening chapters establish his character through playful antics and a keen eye for detail, while later excerpts reveal the school's honor system and the blue-and-white button symbol.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg39799

Read the Text

Meena was tall and rawboned, with very red elbows usually well displayed, and her straw-colored hair was bound in a tight "pug" on top of her long, narrow head. Meena had sharp blue eyes and she could see boys a great way off.

"Mis’ Blake—she ban gone out," said Meena, before the red-haired boy could speak. "You vant somet’ing? No?"

"I—I was looking for Bobby," said the visitor, stammeringly. He and Mrs. Blake’s Swedish girl were not on good terms.

"I guess he ban gone out, too," said Meena, who did not want to be "bothered mit boys."

The boy looked as though he thought she was a bad guesser! Somewhere inside the house he heard a muffled voice. It shouted:

"Whoo! whoo! whoo-whoo-who-o-o-o!"

The imitation of a steam whistle grew rapidly nearer. It seemed to be descending from the roof of the house—and descending very swiftly. Finally there came a decided bang—the landing of a pair of well-shod feet on the rug—and the voice rang out:

"All out! All out for last stop! All out!"

"_That’s_ Bobby," suggested the boy with the red hair, looking wistfully into Meena’s kitchen.

"Vell!" ejaculated the girl. "You go in by the dining-room door, I guess. You not go to trapse through my clean kitchen. Vipe your feet, boy!"

The boy did as he was bade, and opened the dining-room door. A steady footstep was thumping overhead, rising into the upper regions of the three-story house.

The red-haired youngster knew his way about this house just as well as he knew his own. Only he tripped over a corner of the dining-room rug and bumped into two chairs in the darkened living-room before he reached the front hall.

This was wide and was lighted above by ground-glass oval windows on all three flights of stairs. The mahogany balustrade was in a single smooth spiral, broken by no ornament. It offered a tempting course from garret to ground floor to any venturesome small boy.

"All aboard!" shouted the voice overhead.

"The Overland Limited," said the red-haired boy, grinning, and squinting up the well.

"Ding-dong! ding-dong! All aboard for the Overland Limited! This way! No stop between Denver and Chicago! All aboard!"

There was a scramble above and then the exhaust of the locomotive was imitated in a thin, boyish treble:

"Sh-h! sh-h! sh-h! Choo! choo! choo! Ding-dong-ding! We’re off—"

A figure a-straddle the broad banister-rail shot into view on the upper flight. The momentum carried the boy around the first curve and to the brink of the second pitch. Down that he sped like an arrow, and so around to the last slant of the balustrade.

"Next stop, Chi-ca-_go_!" yelled the boy on the rail. "All o-o-out! all out for Chicago!"

And then, bang! he landed upon the hall rug.

"How’d you know the board wasn’t set against you, Bobby?" demanded the red-haired one. "You might have had a wreck."

"Hello, Fred Martin. If I’d looked around and seen your red head, I’d sure thought they’d flashed a danger signal on me—though the Overland Limited is supposed to have a clear track, you know."

Fred jumped on him for that and the two chums had a wrestling match on the hall rug. It was, however, a good-natured bout, and soon they sat side by side on the lower step of the first flight, panting, and grinned at each other.

Bobby’s hair was black, and he wore it much longer than Fred. To tell the truth, Fred had the "Riley cut," as the boys called it, so that his hair would not attract so much attention.

Fred had all the temper that is supposed to go with red hair. Perhaps red-haired people only seem more quick tempered because everybody "picks on them" so! Bobby was quite as boisterous as his chum, but he was more cautious and had some control over his emotions. Nobody ever called Bobby Blake a coward, however.

He was a plump-cheeked, snub-nosed boy, with a wide, smiling mouth, dancing brown eyes, and an active, sturdy body. Like his chum, he was ten years old.

"Thought you had to work all this forenoon, cleaning the back yard?" said Bobby. "That’s why I stayed home. ’Fraid some of the other fellows would want me to go off with them, and we agreed to go to Plunkit’s Creek this afternoon, you know."

"You bet you!" agreed Fred. "I got a dandy can of worms. Found ’em under that pile of rubbish in the yard when I hauled it out."

"But you haven’t cleared up all that old yard so soon?" determined Bobby, shaking his head.

Continue Reading →

The story begins not at school but on the porch of Bobby Blake's home, where a red-haired boy hesitates to enter. Bobby's presence is announced by a muffled "Whoo! whoo!" and a thumping descent from the roof—a playful imitation of a steam train. The narrative voice is brisk and observant, noting details like Meena's "very red elbows" and the mahogany balustrade that tempts small boys to slide. This opening establishes Bobby as energetic and imaginative, traits that will be tested at Rockledge School.

When Bobby and his friend Fred Martin arrive at Rockledge, they encounter a structured world of dormitories, cheers, and a mysterious blue-and-white button. The principal, Doctor Raymond, introduces the Medal of Honor—a five-pointed gold star—and explains that it rewards not just academics but restraint under provocation and general popularity. The excerpts suggest the story will follow Bobby's navigation of this honor system, though the complete outcome is not revealed here.

A Playful Entrance and a Watchful Eye

The opening chapter, "The Overland Limited," introduces Bobby through sound and motion. He mimics a train whistle from the roof, then lands with a "bang" on the rug. This playful energy is balanced by his friend's cautious approach and Meena's sharp-tongued supervision. The narrative pays close attention to physical details: the "freckled face and fiery red hair" of the visitor, the "tight 'pug'" of Meena's hair, and the "ground-glass oval windows" lighting the stairwell. These details ground the story in a specific domestic setting before the action moves to school.

Bobby's curiosity is evident when he later notices the blue-and-white enameled buttons worn by some boys. He guesses there is "some society, or inner circle" at Rockledge. This observation, made during the welcoming assembly, shows his alertness to social structures—a quality that will likely serve him in the medal competition.

The Honor Medal and Its Rules

Doctor Raymond's speech about the Medal of Honor is the centerpiece of the excerpts. He describes it as a "five-pointed gold star" with a "beautiful blue-velvet background" and outlines the criteria: studiousness, good conduct, manliness, and general popularity. Notably, he emphasizes that the faculty votes on deportment and class standing, but the boys themselves "must—after all—choose the winner." This dual system creates a tension between official approval and peer recognition.

The principal also warns that the medal is not always won by the one who sets out to win it. He praises the boy who "restrains himself under provocation" and "keeps straight on his way without turning aside because of any temptation." These words, spoken to the whole school, set up a moral framework that Bobby and his friend Fred must navigate. The excerpts do not show how Bobby responds to this challenge, but the groundwork is laid for a story about character as much as achievement.

School Cheers and Social Signals

When Captain Gray calls for a Rockledge cheer, the boys shout in unison: "One, two, three—boom! Boom—Z-z-z—ah! Rockledge! Rockledge! Sword and star! Who's on top? We sure are—Rock-ledge!" This chant, with its rhythmic syllables and proud boast, reinforces school spirit. The motto "Sword and star" echoes the doctor's later speech about the "Sword of Determination" hewing a way to the goal. The cheer is a ritual that bonds the students and marks newcomers like Bobby and Fred as outsiders.

The blue-and-white button with a star and sword is a visible symbol of belonging. Bobby notices that not all boys wear it—Pee Wee and others from his dormitory do not. This detail hints at social divisions within the school. The button may represent an honor society or a group of older students, but the excerpts do not clarify its exact meaning. Readers are left to infer that Bobby's journey will involve earning or understanding this emblem.

Narrative Voice and Structural Hints

The prose is direct and action-oriented, with short sentences and vivid dialogue. The narrator often reports characters' thoughts, as when Bobby "guessed that there was some society" behind the buttons. This technique keeps the reader close to Bobby's perspective. The story moves quickly from home to school, with the train journey and arrival at Rockledge implied rather than shown. The excerpts skip over the travel and focus on key scenes: the home porch, the assembly, and the dormitory.

The table of contents lists chapters with intriguing titles like "The Poguey Fight," "The Bloody Corner," and "Red Hair Stands for More Than Temper." These suggest conflicts and character development ahead. The final chapter, "The Winner," implies a resolution to the medal contest. However, the excerpts do not reveal who wins or how Bobby's red-haired friend (possibly Fred Martin) factors into the story. The incomplete text leaves readers with a clear setup but an open outcome.

These excerpts establish Bobby Blake as an observant, energetic boy entering a school where honor is both a prize and a code. The Medal of Honor is presented as a goal that requires not just good grades but moral character and peer respect. Readers should pay attention to the blue-and-white button and the school cheer as recurring symbols. The incomplete story leaves the medal's winner unknown, but the groundwork is laid for a tale of competition, friendship, and self-discipline.

Years among these stacks have shown me how a boy’s striving for a simple blue button, as in Bobby Blake, mirrors the quiet footsteps of those two little travellers. Both books breathe the same patient air—of small tests, small triumphs, and the unspoken code between companions. A shelf holds them closer than you might think. Two little travellers — Edition Insights whispers that same gentle truth.