CHAPTER XII
MUGGINS IS EXPELLED
Dick learned the story the next morning while the boys were dressing,and, to Trevor’s pained surprise, subsided onto the hearth-rug, wherehe sprawled at length, and gave way to heartless mirth.
“Oh, I dare say _you_ don’t care,” said Trevor with wounded dignity.“He wasn’t _your_ dog. If he had been”--savagely--“I dare say _I_should have laughed!” Dick stopped rolling and sat up against thewood-box.
“But--but, don’t you see, Trevor,” he gurgled, “I’m--I’m not laughingbecause you’ve lost Buggins----”
“Muggins,” corrected Trevor coldly.
“I--I mean Muggins. I’m awfully sorry about that, honest injun!But--but think of Longworth--it must have been Longworth, yousee--think of him rolling over there on the ice, all tangled up withBug--Muggins and the chain! Oh, jiminy!” And Dick went off into anotherspasm of laughter.
Trevor stared thoughtfully into the flames, trying to summon up thepicture that appeared so delightful to his roommate. After a moment hesmiled faintly.
“Yes, I see; yes, I fancy it was comical. But--but wasn’t it awfullybrave of Muggins?”
“Awfully,” answered Dick with emphasis as he sat up again, dried hiseyes with a towel, and proceeded with his dressing. “Perhaps you’llfind him again.”
But Trevor shook his head sadly.
“No chance of that. Poor Muggins!”
After chapel that morning Professor Wheeler, the principal, arose.“One of the professors while returning through the yard late lastevening came across a--a young dog wearing a collar and chain. Thereare reasons to believe that the animal belongs to one of you, as theprofessor caught sight of a boy running toward a dormitory.”
A murmur of surprise, amusement, and excitement traveled through thehall. Boys studied each other’s faces questioningly. “He saw you afterall!” whispered Dick. “I don’t see how he could,” whispered Trevor.
“There is a rule,” continued the principal, “forbidding the keeping ofdogs, or any sort of animals, in the academy buildings.” He paused, andthen added grimly: “I will ask the owner of the animal to stand up.”
There was a flutter of excitement; heads turned expectantly for sightof the unlucky youth. Silence reigned save for the whisperings of theboys. But no one arose. The principal waited calmly, patiently, forseveral minutes.
“Very well,” he said then. “I want every resident of Masters Hall tocome to my office at a quarter of nine, prompt.” He moved down thesteps and the boys flocked from their seats and hurried out of chapel,laughing, whispering in the throes of a new sensation. Trevor groanedas he arose.
“I fancy it would have been better if I’d ’fessed up,” he said to Dick.“Perhaps he’d have let me off easier. What do you think?”
“Blessed if I know. Anyhow, there’s no harm done so far; you have aright to refuse to incriminate yourself. Only what he wants us atthe office for I can’t see, unless he’s going to ask each one of usseparately. In that case it’s all up with you.”
“In that case I’ll own up, of course,” said Trevor. “But it’srather tough getting into another fuss just when I’ve got over thatstage-coach business. Maybe it’ll be probation this time.”
“Oh, I guess not,” answered Dick as they crossed the dining-hall. “Andit isn’t like Wheels to ask the fellows to tell on each other; andthat’s why I can’t understand this office business.”
At the appointed time forty-two youths of various ages and sizescrowded into the principal’s office in Academy Building. The officeconsists in reality of two rooms, an outer and an inner apartment, thefirst used by the secretary, the second sacred to Professor Wheeler.The outer room was crowded when the principal entered, and a gasp ofsurprise went up when it was seen that under one arm he carried asmall, wriggling, greatly excited bull puppy, which strove earnestlyto reach his face with an eager pink tongue. The principal appeared toappreciate the humor of his entrance, for there was a slight twitchat the corners of his mouth, as though he would have liked to smile.At sight of Muggins Trevor started and made as though to move forwardand claim his property, but Dick laid a warning hand on his arm, andhe kept his place and watched professor and dog disappear into theinner office. The forty-two youths--or to be strictly truthful--fortyof them--gazed wonderingly into each other’s faces while titters ofsuppressed laughter ran up and down the ranks. Then the principal cameout again still with the squirming puppy in his arms, and the tittersdied away abruptly.
“Are we all here?” he asked. “Supposing you form into, say, threelines across the room here; that’s it; now I can count you. Exactly;forty-two; a full attendance, I see. Kindly give me your attention fora moment.” He held up the puppy, a squirming white mass of legs, tail,and pink tongue. “I have here, as you see, a young dog, of just whatbreed, age, and previous condition of servitude I am in doubt. But ithas, as you will observe, a collar of Hillton crimson and a strongsteel chain; possibly we shall be able to identify it by those. Now theowner, or at least the companion at a late hour last night, of thisanimal is known to room in your dormitory. I have called you togetherhere in order that he may claim his property. I will ask him to do so.”
Each boy viewed his neighbor suspiciously, but none said a word. Asbefore, the principal waited calmly, patiently, for several moments.Then:
“Very well. You will perhaps recollect the saying in regard to Mahometand the mountain. The mountain having refused to go to Mahomet, Mahometvery sensibly decided to go to the mountain. In this case, as the ownerrefuses to go to the dog, we will see if the dog will go to the owner.”
Professor deposited the puppy on the floor. Forty-two--or, to beagain truthful, forty--youths viewed the animal with apprehension. Itwas all very clever, of course, and no doubt had a flavor of humor,but--but supposing that silly dog got it into his head that _they_were his owner! How could they prove that they weren’t? How produce asatisfactory _alibi_? They stirred uneasily, and frowned at the puppy.
The puppy, meanwhile, sat down and industriously scratched his neck.
But after that a spirit of adventure seized him, and he cast aninquiring glance over the breathless assembly. Then he moved forwardand sniffed tentatively at the damp boots of Todd, who stood in themiddle of the front line. Todd held his breath and turned pale. ButMuggins evidently didn’t fancy wet leather, for he moved off downthe line, sniffing here and there, but without enthusiasm. Once hepaused and cocked an interrogatory brown eye up at Williams. And it wasWilliams’s turn to wish himself away. He frowned darkly, threateningly,and Muggins, scenting animosity, turned tail. Williams heaved a sigh ofrelief.
Muggins now crawled laboriously between the feet of the next youth,and found himself confronted by a second rank of motionless, silent,and unsympathetic persons. He began to feel nervous. He stopped and,pointing his blunt nose toward heaven, howled long and dismally. Someone laughed, and the spell of terror was broken. Even Professor Wheelersmiled, while Muggins, delighted at the evidence of companionship,wagged his tail and began his search anew. Dick and Trevor stood, backsto the wall, in the last of the three lines. Trevor watched the puppy,scowling ferociously. The suspense was awful. He never for an instantdoubted that sooner or later Nemesis in the shape of Muggins would findhim out. Meanwhile he frowned, clenched his fists, and waited for hisdoom. His doom when it came came speedily.
Muggins had apparently lost interest in the proceedings, and had begunto whine softly, when suddenly he stopped dead short, and putting hishead aloft, twitched the wrinkled end of his pink nose and sniffedsuspiciously. One ear went up at an animated angle, and he put hislittle bullet-shaped head on one side. Professor Wheeler moved softlyforward to a point where he could better watch events, and Trevor,after one annihilating glance at the puppy, stared straight beforehim. Muggins squirmed through the second rank, showing signs of strongexcitement. And then--
Then there was a yelp of triumph, of delight, and Muggins was leapingdeliriously at Trevor, givi
ng vent to his joy in short explosive barksand gurgling yelps.
“I won’t keep you any longer,” said the principal. “If any of you arelate at recitations, you may explain that it was my fault. I will askNesbitt to remain for a few minutes.”
And with grins of relief and amusement the forty-one boys crowdedforth, leaving Trevor standing there alone, very red in the face, andwith the puppy clasped close in his arms. Then the principal and Trevorand Muggins adjourned to the inner room. And there, while Muggins laycurled contentedly against the boy’s breast--simply because he couldn’tbe induced to stay anywhere else--Trevor, rather haltingly, explained.
“And you had the dog in your study ever since Saturday?”
“Yes, sir.”
“But how--I can’t understand why no one discovered it. Didn’t the‘goody’ see it there?”
“No, sir.” And Trevor explained his manner of keeping that worthyperson in ignorance. And once or twice during the recital, althoughTrevor really didn’t do the narrative half justice, the professorconcealed his smiles with difficulty. And then, when there was nothingmore to be said on Trevor’s side, the principal sat silent for severalmoments, gazing out of the window. And Trevor took heart.
“Well, the whole case seems to have been one of sudden infatuationbetween a boy and a dog,” said Professor Wheeler at last, “rather thana preconceived plan to create mischief or transgress the rules. Underthe circumstances---- But, of course, you understand that the dog cannot remain in the grounds?”
“I suppose not, sir.” And the principal smiled at the lad’s doloroustones.
“No; now I would suggest that you take him to the village and findsome one there to look after him for you; I think you can do it; youmight try Watson’s stables, back of the Eagle. Then you can see the dogoccasionally, though you must promise never to bring him onto schoolgrounds.”
“Yes, sir; thank you, sir.”
“And I think that that will be punishment enough for the case. You maygo, Nesbitt. And you may leave the puppy here, if you like, until youhave an opportunity to go to the village.”
“Thank you very much, sir,” answered Trevor gratefully.
“By the way, it’s a bulldog, isn’t it?” asked the principal. “Yes, Ithought so; that head, you know; very intelligent creature, to be sure.”
And then Trevor placed Muggins on the principal’s big leather couch,with never a doubt but that that was the most appropriate place forhim, and sneaked to the door. And when he hurried down the steps ofAcademy Building, shrill and faint came to his ears the wailing ofMuggins.
After dinner, accompanied by Dick, he conveyed the puppy to the villageand arranged for his board and room--the latter a comfortable soap-boxin the office--at Watson’s livery-stable. And after a heartrendingparting the two boys returned to the academy and two o’clockrecitations.
“Do you think he’ll be happy there?” asked Trevor wistfully.
“Sure to be,” Dick assured him. “He’ll be as happy as--as a bull pup!”
The following afternoon Carl Cray burst excitedly into the study, wherethe two were deep in the morrow’s lessons.
“It’s come!” he cried triumphantly. “She’s here!”
“Who’s come?” asked Dick blankly.
“What’s here?” echoed Trevor.
“Why, the ice-yacht--The Sleet!”