CHAPTER V JOSIAH CRABTREE MAKES A FIND
With bated breaths the cadets awaited developments in the room occupiedby the dictatorial Josiah Crabtree. They were not long in coming.
They heard the teacher turn over several times in bed. Then came a fewseconds of silence and then a snort of disgust.
"What is this stuff?" they heard Josiah Crabtree mutter. "Is it glue, orwhat? I'm stuck full of it! It must be another trick of those confoundedboys!"
Then the teacher bounced up out of bed. The sheets came up with him, andas he started to move toward the light, so that he might illuminate thescene, he got tangled up and fell to the floor with a crash, taking astand full of books with him.
"Oh!" he groaned. "What is the matter with me, anyway? I am all tangledup! That must be glue, and I am full of it! Oh, those boys!" And thenthe lads heard him roll over and over in the darkness, trying to get outof the snarl of sticky bed sheets. Pepper burst out laughing, for hecould hold in no longer.
"Hi, you young rascal, who are you?" roared the irate teacher. "What doyou mean by treating me in such a fashion?"
"I hope you are having a sweet time of it, Professor!" called outStuffer, in a deep bass voice.
"The candy is yours, for nothing!" added Pepper. "But don't eat toomuch, it may give you indigestion."
"Wait till I get hold of you!" cried Josiah Crabtree. "I'll have youexpelled from Putnam Hall!"
He arose to his feet at last and started towards the door. But by thetime he had it open the cadets had fled and he found the hall deserted.
"The villains!" he murmured. "Oh, wait till I catch them! Just wait!"
"What is the trouble, Mr. Crabtree?" came in a voice from a side hall,and Captain Putnam appeared, attired in a dressing gown and slippers.
"The cadets--some of them have been playing tricks on me," splutteredthe teacher.
"Indeed! What sort of tricks?"
"They put molasses candy in my bed. I am stuck full of the stickystuff!"
"Who did it?"
"I don't know. But I am going to find out!" was the savage answer. "Someof them were out skylarking to-night and I went after them, but I didn'tcatch them."
"This skylarking at night must stop," said the master of the Hall. "Ifyou find out who is guilty, report to me," and he went back to his room.
Safe in their dormitories, the cadets lost no time in disrobing andgetting to bed. Some of them expected an immediate inspection, but itdid not come. Josiah Crabtree visited a bathroom, to clear himself ofthe sticky candy, and by the time he had cleaned up it was too late togo after the boys who had played the joke.
"Mum's the word, all around!" said Andy, after things had quieted down.
"Reff Ritter and his cronies may give us away," said Pepper.
"If they do they had better look out!" answered one of the big students."We want no tale-bearers in this school. I'll warn them." And, early inthe morning he did so. It was a good move, for Coulter and Paxton werepreparing to send a note to Captain Putnam, exposing Pepper, Jack andtheir chums.
"You do anything of the sort and you'll catch it good and hot!" said thebig student. "Remember, we haven't forgot how you acted during therebellion. If you don't behave yourselves we'll make it so uncomfortablefor you that you'll want to go home." And then, in fright, Coulter andPaxton tore the note up.
By noon it was known throughout Cedarville that the church had beenvisited and the clapper of the bell taken. Some folks attributed thetrick to the Pornell students, some to the Putnam Hall cadets, and stillothers to some village lads. A deacon of the church went to PornellAcademy and demanded the clapper, and got into a warm row with DoctorPornell.
"My students are young gentlemen, they would not do such a thing!" criedthe head of the academy, wrathfully. "It is an outrage to accuse them."
"They weren't any too good to paint the church porch red," returned thedeacon, pointedly. "If they have the clapper I want it."
At this remark Dr. Pornell subsided and made some inquiries, but, ofcourse, the clapper was not found.
It was not until evening that Josiah Crabtree went to his bureau drawer,to get out a clean dress shirt. He was still in a bad humor over thecandy affair, and he hauled forth a shirt with no gentle hand.
The next instant he let out a cry of commingled pain and astonishmentfor the clapper had rolled from the shirt and fallen on his toes. Hedanced around on one foot, trying to nurse the other.
"Another trick!" he howled. "Oh my toes! The big one must be smashed toa jelly! And what is that iron thing?"
He nursed his foot for several minutes and then picked up the clapperand turned it over.
"A bell clapper! Ha! is it possible! It must be! The clapper belongingto the church! I must inform Captain Putnam of this at once!"
Down the stairs he hobbled as well as his injured foot permitted. Hefound the master of the school just preparing to take a drive.
"I have found it, sir!" cried the teacher. "It was hidden, where do yousuppose? in one of my bureau drawers!"
"Found what?" asked Captain Putnam.
"The bell clapper belonging to the Union church."
"Is it possible?" And now the Captain's face took on a look of concern,for one of the church members had asked him about the clapper during theafternoon.
"I knew some of the boys were up to mischief last night," went on JosiahCrabtree. "We ought to find out who is guilty."
"You are right."
"What of this bell clapper?"
"I'll return it to the church at once."
"And when will you investigate?"
"To-morrow morning, as soon as the school session begins," answeredCaptain Putnam. "Give me the clapper. I'll return it myself." And thearticle was placed in his charge and he drove off with it. He left it atthe home of the church sexton, and it was that evening restored to itsoriginal position in the belfry.
"We are in for trouble to-morrow," said Pepper, late that evening, as hecame in from a visit to the school library.
"On account of the clapper?" asked Jack.
"Yes. Captain Putnam is going to conduct a strict investigationto-morrow morning, as soon as school opens."
"What will you do if he questions every cadet?" asked Dale.
"I'll face the music," answered Jack promptly.
"What do you think he'll do if he finds out you took the clapper?"questioned Fred Century.
"I don't know, I'm sure. Cut off our holidays perhaps,--or reduce me tothe ranks."
"I don't want my holidays cut," said Pepper. "And to have Jack'sofficial position taken from him would be too mean for anything."
All of the boys who had had a part in taking the clapper and putting itin Josiah Crabtree's room were very much worried although they tried notto show it. It was one thing to play a joke and quite another to takethe consequences.
"How Reff Ritter and his crowd will laugh if we are found out andpunished," said Pepper to his intimate chums.
"If they laugh too loud I'll punch 'em," answered Andy.
"I believe what the captain does will depend upon what the church folksdo," put in Joe Nelson. "If they raise a big row he'll have toinvestigate pretty thoroughly. It might be a good thing to smoothmatters over with the church people."
"And how would you do that?" asked Pepper.
"Oh, you might explain that it was only a bit of boyish fun, done on adare--and you might propose to give the church an extra donation if thematter was dropped. I think Deacon Pelham would drop the matter if theextra donation was made--and he's the head man in the church just now."
"Deacon Pelham!" cried Fred Century. You mean Isaac Pelham, who lives upthe lake shore near Grape Creek?"
"Yes."
"Why, I know him well. I took him out in my boat once,--when he was in agreat hurry to get a doctor from across the lake. He was very thankfuland wanted to pay me for my services, but I told him I wasn't runningthe _Ajax_ for money. That was when I was
a student at Pornell."
"Then you are the one to go to Deacon Pelham and smooth matters over,"cried Stuffer. "Go ahead, Fred; it may aid Pep and Jack a good deal."
"Fred needn't to do it unless he feels like it," said the young major ofthe Hall battalion.
"I've got a plan," came from Dale. "Fred needn't to mention any names,only state that some of the boys would like to hush the matter up andalso want to make a contribution."
The matter was talked over, and presently it was decided that Fredshould pay the deacon a visit, accompanied by Dale. They carried withthem a "contribution" amounting to six dollars.
"Might as well go on bicycles," suggested Dale, and got out his machine.Fred used a machine belonging to Pepper, and as the road was good thedistance to Deacon Pelham's home was quickly covered. They found thedeacon coming in from a day of labor in a distant field.
"How do you do, Deacon Pelham," said Fred politely.
"Why, bless my soul, it's Fred Century!" cried the deacon smiling. "Howdo you do!" And he held out his hand. "Who's this with you, anotheryoung sodger, I suppose."
"Yes, sir, my fellow cadet, Dale Blackmore."
"Come into the house. My wife will be glad to see you--she's much betterthan when I had to hurry for a doctor that time," added the church man.
"We haven't much time to spare, Mr. Pelham," said Fred. He lowered hisvoice. "We came on a little business."
"Is that so? What do you want?"
"You once said if you could do me a favor you would," continued theowner of the _Ajax_.
"So I will."
"I came to see you about that bell clapper that was brought back to thechurch this afternoon."
"Ah!" Deacon Pelham's face became a study. "Did you take it?"
"No, sir."
"Glad to hear it. It was a scandalous piece of business. But what do youknow about it?"
"I know that some of the cadets of Putnam Hall wish to hush the matterup. It was only a little joke and----"
"A very bad joke, my boy."
"Perhaps, but they thought that if you'd drop it they would make thechurch a contribution of this."
Fred drew out the money--six new crisp one-dollar bills.
"Hum! Six dollars, eh? Well--er--the church needs money that is sure."
"It will pay for the cut rope and more, sir. It was only a joke. Ifyou'll drop it, it will save some cadets a lot of trouble," went on Fredearnestly. "All you've got to do is to send word to Captain Putnam thatthe matter has been adjusted. You'll do that for me, won't you Mr.Pelham?"
At first the deacon was obdurate, but in the end he weakened. The churchwas in a poor way and needed every dollar it could get. As head of thecommittee he promised to drop the matter, and wrote a note to thateffect and signed it. Then Fred gave him the money.
"But, mind you, no more jokes," said the deacon, as the cadets departed.
"Not that kind anyway," answered Fred, and off he sped on his bicycle,with Dale beside him.
"It was easier than I thought," said Dale. "Now to get that note toCaptain Putnam in secret before he starts his investigation."