Stratemeyer Edward
The Putnam Hall Rivals

CHAPTER VII
IN THE CLASSROOM

“It’s time for us to get out!” whispered Jack to his chums. “Baxter is going on a rampage!”

“To our dormitory!” whispered Andy, and led the way on tiptoes. The others followed, and in less than a minute they were safe in their room with the door tightly closed.

“Perhaps we had better get into bed for the present,” suggested Stuffer Singleton. “Baxter may come this way.”

This was considered good advice, and it did not take them long to put out the light that had been lit and get into bed. With ears on the alert they awaited developments.

They were not long in coming. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and then they heard some whispered conversation in front of their door. Pepper wanted to laugh outright and had all he could do to hold in.

“I don’t hear them,” came softly in Dan Baxter’s voice.

“They are foxy,” answered Ritter.

The door was tried and Dan Baxter looked into the room. He could see next to nothing in the almost total darkness.

“Who – who’s there?” asked Andy, sleepily. “Is it time to – to get up?”

A grunt from Dan Baxter was the only response, and then the door was closed again, and they heard Baxter and some others moving away.

“Say, Andy, that was rich!” whispered Pepper, and gave a low laugh.

“Don’t stir too much yet,” cautioned Jack. “They may come back.”

“I am going to the door to watch,” answered Pepper. “If they come this way again I can crawl back to bed in a jiffy.”

Standing at the door, which he held on a crack, the Imp saw Baxter and several others move from one dormitory to another, listening and spying at every door.

“Cheese it, here comes Mr. Strong!” he heard Coulter say, a short while later, and off the bully’s crowd scampered to their rooms. Then the second assistant teacher came up the stairs and Pepper hurried back to his bed. George Strong looked around the hallway and walked to several dormitories, and then passed on to the third floor of the building.

“Will they come back again?” asked Andy, after a long spell of silence.

“Better wait a while longer and see,” said Hogan.

“I’m itching to get at that stuff,” came, with a sigh, from Stuffer.

“Did you ever know a time that you wasn’t hungry, Stuffer?” asked Andy.

“Humph! I guess you’ll get away with your full share, Andy,” was the retort.

At last the boys considered themselves safe and crawled from their beds once more. A dim light was made, and sitting in a circle, they divided the good things on hand and devoured them with a keen relish. The turkey proved to be of the best, and the pie was “prime,” as Andy expressed it.

“Oh, if Baxter could only see us now,” whispered Pepper, with a mouth half full of turkey.

“It would make him dance with joy, I don’t think,” answered Jack.

The little feast kept up the best part of half an hour.

“Here goes the last of the pie!” cried Stuffer.

“Baxter, we thank thee for this feast!” added Pepper.

“Come again,” put in Jack.

“Just you fellows wait, that’s all!” came an unexpected voice from the doorway, and turning swiftly, they saw Dan Baxter standing there. He was shaking his fist at the crowd.

“Hullo!” gasped Pepper. For the instant he could say no more.

“I suspected it from the start,” fairly hissed the bully of Putnam Hall. “Just wait, that’s all! If I don’t square up you can shoot me!” And away he went, giving the door the hardest kind of a bang after him.

“Now our cake is dough,” came from Stuffer.

“Sure an’ I’d like to know what he’ll be after doin’,” came curiously from Emerald.

“I wonder if he’ll have the nerve to call Captain Putnam?” mused Andy.

“No,” answered Jack, promptly. “He won’t report this, for if he did he knows we would tell on him too. He’ll try to get square some other way.”

“To bed, all of you!” cried Pepper. “Don’t forget how he slammed that door. Some of the teachers may be along before we know it.”

The remains of the feast were cleared away and the room put in order. Then the cadets went to sleep, and slumbered soundly until the bell awoke them in the morning.

It was not until the boys entered the mess-hall that they saw Dan Baxter again. The bully of the school looked like a thundercloud, and so did Reff Ritter, Coulter, and Paxton.

“They have it in for us, that is dead certain,” whispered Andy to Pepper.

“Yes, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for them,” was the reply.

“Ditmore, stop your talking!” came sternly from Josiah Crabtree.

“Yes, sir,” answered the Imp, meekly.

“You talk altogether too much at meals,” went on the sour-looking teacher.

“Yes, sir.”

“Silence!”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you say another word I’ll send you from the table,” stormed Josiah Crabtree, and after that Pepper said no more.

That morning everything seemed to go wrong in the classroom. Many lessons were missed and several teachers were out of humor. Josiah Crabtree stormed around, and finally told both Pepper and Jack that they would have to stay in after school in the afternoon.

“Mr. Crabtree, I do not think I am to blame in this,” said Jack. “I understood you to say we were to take up pages 180 and 181 in the history only.”

“I said 180 to 184,” snapped the teacher.

“He did not,” murmured Pepper under his breath.

“You are growing very negligent in your studies,” went on the teacher, tartly. “I shall not stand for it.”

“Then sit down,” grumbled Andy.

“Snow, did you speak?” thundered Crabtree.

Andy was silent.

“Snow, answer me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then you may remain in after school also.”

“Thank you for nothing,” growled Andy, but this time under his breath.

“I am going to fix old Crabby,” said Pepper, during recess. “I think it is a shame to keep us in – with the last of the skating at hand.”

Pepper’s opportunity to torment the teacher came sooner than expected. That afternoon Josiah Crabtree had to leave the classroom for several minutes. At noon the Imp had secured some flour in a paper bag. He passed up to the platform, and on the sly placed the bag of flour in the teacher’s desk, turning it upside down, with the bottom fastened by a slit in the paper to the lock part of the desk lid.

“We will now take up our next study,” said Josiah Crabtree, a little later. He looked around for a lead pencil, but could find none. Then he walked to his desk, sat down, and started to raise the lid.

The lid did not work very easily, and he gave it a nervous jerk. Up it came, and as it did so, the flour shot down out of the bag, into the desk and over the teacher’s lap. Some arose in a cloud, covering Crabtree’s face and neck.

“Wooh!” spluttered the teacher, leaping back. “Wh – what is this? Who – er – who – wooh! – played this trick on me!”

He was covered from head to foot with the flour, which got into his eyes and nose and caused him to sneeze loudly. His appearance was so comical all of the students set up a very loud roar.

“Silence! silence! I will have silence!” roared the teacher, wrathfully. Then he had to sneeze some more, and the classroom burst into another roar.

“Crabtree has turned miller!” whispered Stuffer.

“Doesn’t he make a fine-looking statue?” came from Dale.

“Boys! boys! be quiet!” stormed Josiah Crabtree. “This is – ker-chew! outrageous! I demand to know who – ker-chew – ker-chew!”

“Anybody ker-chew around here?” asked Pepper, calmly.

“Who did this?” fairly yelled the teacher. “Who did it, I say?”

“The flour,” whispered Jack, and this made some of the boys snicker.

“Ruddy, what did you say?” demanded Josiah Crabtree.

“I said the flour did it,” answered Jack.

“Really! you are a monument of wisdom,” said the teacher, sarcastically. “You may remain after school.”

The teacher shut up the flour-covered desk and brushed himself off with a whisk-broom.

“The whole class may stay in after school,” he thundered, a moment later.

“I didn’t do that, Mr. Crabtree,” whined Gus Coulter.

“Then who did?”

“I – er – ” Coulter glanced at Pepper, who quickly doubled up his fist. “I – er – I don’t know.”

“All stay in – for one full hour,” snapped the angry teacher, and then went on with the studies.

“We ought to tell on Ditmore,” whispered Ritter, to Dan Baxter.

“Never mind – that crowd will catch it tomorrow,” answered the bully of the Hall.

“It was too rich for anything,” said Andy to Pepper, when they were out of school at last. “My, but old Crabby was mad!”

“Coulter wanted to tell on me, but he didn’t dare.”

“He respects your fist, that’s why,” put in Dale.

“Those chaps have something up their sleeve,” said Jack, with a grave shake of his head. “Everybody keep on the watch, is my advice.”

“We’ll watch ’em,” answered Pepper. But the watch was not close enough, as later events proved.

CHAPTER VIII
THE BOATHOUSE FIRE

On the following evening Pepper was getting ready to go to bed when, on passing through the hallway, a folded sheet of paper dropped upon his head:

“Hullo, what’s this?” he murmured and looked up to the floor above, but could see nobody. He unfolded the sheet and read the following:

“To Pepper Ditmore and Jack Ruddy: Go down to the old, disused boathouse at once if you want to hear something to your advantage.

“A Friend.”

“This is certainly queer,” said the Imp to himself. “I wonder who wrote it?”

He sought out the young major and showed him the communication. Jack read it with care. It was written in a loose and evidently a disguised hand.

“Maybe it is some sort of a trick – to get us to the old boathouse, Pep,” said Jack, after a moment’s thought.

“Don’t you think it best to go?”

“Oh, yes, we can go. If it is one of Baxter’s tricks I’ll show him I am not afraid of him.”

“Shall we take the others along?”

“This note is for you and me only. Are you afraid?”

“Not a bit.”

“Then come on – we have just time enough,” said the young major, glancing at a clock on the wall.

Slipping on their overcoats and donning their caps, they ran to a side door of the building. They were soon out into the night without anybody seeing them depart but the boy upstairs who had dropped the note. He chuckled to himself and then ran to a window at the end of the long hallway.

“Something will be doing pretty soon now,” he said to himself, as he made a signal from the window.

All unconscious of the trap that had been set for them, Jack and Pepper hurried towards the old, disused boathouse. It was a dark night, with a suggestion of either rain or snow in the air.

“Go slow,” whispered Jack, as they came close to the building. “We don’t want to run into any trouble.”

They soon found themselves at the side of the building. All was dark, so far as they could see.

“I don’t see anybody,” whispered Pepper.

“Let us go inside – just to show somebody that we are not afraid,” suggested his chum.

They pushed open the door. A strong smell of cigarette smoke greeted them. Then Pepper stepped on an empty bottle and almost fell flat.

“That smoking and drinking crowd has been here again,” said the fun-loving youth.

“Look! look!” ejaculated Jack, pointing to a corner of the boathouse.

Pepper gazed in the direction and gave a gasp. And well he might, for as if by magic there came a spurt of flame, and some dead leaves and dry wood caught on the instant.

“Hi! what does that mean?” called out Jack. “Take care, or you’ll set this place on fire!”

No answer came back. The spurts of flame increased, and in a twinkling the old boathouse was on fire in half a dozen places!

“Jack, we must get out of here!” exclaimed Pepper. “I don’t like this at all!”

“Neither do I. Come on!”

They turned, to find the door shut behind them. They tried it.

“Something is against it!” ejaculated the young major. “We are shut in!”

“Push!” was the answer, and both pushed with all of their might. The door gave way some, but not enough.

“Again!” said Jack, and now they shoved as never before. In the meantime the flames were increasing with marvelous rapidity.

“We must get out, or we’ll be burnt up!” said Pepper, and a final attack was made on the door, and it went back, showing that a heavy timber had been placed against it.

“They are out!” they heard somebody cry, and then they saw three forms sneaking around to the back of the school building.

“Fire! fire! fire!” was the cry from Putnam Hall, and from the school poured some students and several teachers, including George Strong.

“It’s the old boathouse,” said George Strong. “I wonder how it caught?”

“Ha! here come Ruddy and Ditmore!” exclaimed Josiah Crabtree. “They have been down there!”

“Fire! fire!” yelled Pepper and Jack. “The old boathouse is burning up!”

The alarm was soon a general one, and it was not long before Captain Putnam appeared upon the scene.

“I am afraid the old building is doomed,” said the master of Putnam Hall. He was the calmest man present. “The Hall hose will not reach to this spot. We can try our buckets, though.”

Some weeks before the boys had formed a bucket brigade, as it is termed, and they had the drill down to perfection. At the word from Captain Putnam they ran for their buckets and formed a line from the barn to the burning building. At the barn there was a big tub of water, and this was kept filled by some, while others passed along the buckets. Thus an almost steady stream of water was poured on the growing fire.

“I say, let us use snowballs!” cried one cadet, who was not in the bucket line, and in a twinkling the snowballs began to fly.

“We are going to get the best of that fire yet,” said Dale, passing the buckets to George Strong, who was throwing the water on the conflagration.

“It looks so,” answered the teacher.

It soon began to snow. The flakes were thick and wet, and this put an additional damper on the fire. Presently the flames died down and ten minutes later the last spark was extinguished; and the excitement came practically to an end.

Everybody wanted to know how the fire had started. It soon became noised around that Jack and Pepper had been seen coming from the burning building.

“What have you to say to this, Major Ruddy?” asked Captain Putnam, in rather a stern voice.

Jack knew not what to say. He looked at Pepper.

“Come, answer me,” went on the master of the academy.

“We – er – we went out to see if we could find some other boys,” said Jack.

“We got a note,” put in Pepper. He placed his hand in his pocket and drew out the folded sheet of paper. “We – well, I declare!”

“What is it, Ditmore?”

Pepper did not answer, for he was staring at the sheet. It was almost blank, only a few traces of letters remaining on it!

“Ditmore, answer me!” came from Captain Putnam, and now his voice was more stern than ever.

“Why, I – er – look at that!” and he held out the sheet.

The captain glanced at the paper.

“I see nothing but paper.”

“Yes, but it – er – it had something written on it awhile ago,” stammered Pepper.

“Maybe you’ve got the wrong paper,” suggested Jack.

“I don’t think so.” The Imp began to search his pockets. “No, this is the right one.”

“Then it was written in evaporating ink,” said the young major. “It’s a trick,” he murmured to his chum.

“Faded out, and so soon,” murmured Pepper. “That stumps me!”

“Why do not you two boys explain?” went on Captain Putnam.

“I do not believe they can explain,” put in Josiah Crabtree, who stood near. “They have been up to mischief. More than likely they set the boathouse on fire.”

“It isn’t so!” cried Jack.

“We didn’t even have a light.”

“Mr. Crabtree, let the boys explain,” said the captain, stiffly.

“Captain Putnam, I think I can explain,” retorted the teacher. “To-day I made a discovery.”

“Well?”

“Some of the students have been in the habit of going down to the old boathouse to smoke and to drink.”

“To smoke and to drink!” cried the master of the Hall, “You are sure of this?”

“I am, sir.”

“Why did you not report to me at once?”

“I did not find it out until this afternoon. I was on my way to speak to you about it when the alarm of fire rang out.”

“Ahem! And you think, Mr. Crabtree – ?” The captain paused suggestively.

“I think Ruddy and Ditmore are guilty. They were smoking and they set the building on fire, perhaps by accident.”

“Mr. Crabtree, there isn’t a word of truth in that!” cried Jack, his temper rising.

“Ha! don’t contradict me!” cried Josiah Crabtree.

“But we shall contradict you,” said Pepper. “We have not been smoking, neither have we been drinking.”

“But you were down to the old boathouse,” put in Captain Putnam.

“We admit that,” said Jack. “We went down there for a certain purpose.”

“What was that purpose?”

“I can’t tell you, exactly.”

“We were looking for some other students,” said Pepper. “Some fellows who are enemies of ours.”

“Did you find them?”

“No.”

“Was the building on fire when you got there?”

“We didn’t see any fire.”

“Hum!” The master of the Hall mused for a moment. “How did the fire start?”

“It sprang up all at once,” said Pepper. “We got scared and started to run away. Then we found the door closed, and we had a big job getting out of the place.”

“That is a fine story to tell,” sneered Josiah Crabtree. “Captain Putnam, if I were you, I’d place them in a room by themselves, while we make an investigation.”

“But, Mr. Crabtree – ”

“I am certain we shall learn a good deal,” went on the assistant teacher. And then he whispered something into the ear of the master of the Hall.

“If you think best,” said Captain Putnam. “Come with me, boys,” he added, to Jack and Pepper, and led the way to the school, and then to his private office.

“Captain Putnam – ” began Jack.

“I will listen to what you have to say later, Major Ruddy,” said the master of the Hall. “For the present both of you must remain here.”

Then Captain Putnam walked out, locking the door after him, and leaving Jack and Pepper in a decidedly unsettled state of mind.

CHAPTER IX
UNDER SUSPICION

“What do you make of this, Jack?”

“I give it up.”

“Something is in the wind.”

“I know that. If possible, old Crabtree is going to get us into trouble.”

“Not Crabtree alone.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the work of Dan Baxter and his crowd. Don’t forget the three fellows we saw sneaking from the old boathouse.”

“That’s so! Do you suppose they set the place on fire?”

“I do – either by accident or design.”

“You don’t suppose they meant to burn us up?”

“Oh, no, they knew we could get out. But it would take time, and they wanted to detain us, so that we’d be found down there.”

“Well, we were found, and now we’re in a mess over it.”

After that both cadets looked at the sheet of paper once more.

“The writing has entirely evaporated,” said Pepper. “I can’t see a scratch.”

“Have you any idea who dropped the note?”

“Not the slightest.”

“Perhaps it was a friend who wanted us to learn what the Baxter crowd was up to.”

“I don’t think so. I think the whole thing is a plot against us.”

The boys talked the matter over for some time, but could make no progress towards a solution of the mystery.

“If Baxter did it, it was done to get square because we spoilt their feast,” said Jack.

“No doubt of that.”

“Shall we squeal on them?”

“I don’t want to be a tale-bearer.”

“Neither do I.”

For fully an hour nobody came near them. They heard the students retire, and later on heard a murmur of voices in the hallway. Then Captain Putnam appeared.

“Both of you will come with me,” he said, coldly.

“But, captain – ” began Jack.

“It is too late to discuss the situation to-night,” cut in the master of the Hall. “We will talk it over in the morning, and then I will decide what is to be done.”

He would not listen to another word, and meekly they followed him out of the office and down a side hallway to where there was a small room.

This room had been designed for stores, but it was almost empty. The two boys saw that in it had been placed two cots and a quantity of blankets.

“You will remain here all night,” said Captain Putnam. “There is a pitcher of water for you.” And then he withdrew, leaving them to themselves. The door was locked and bolted, and they heard the captain walk rapidly away.

“Well, what do you think of that?” declared Pepper, gazing around blankly. “Are we prisoners?”

“It certainly looks like it, Pep.”

“And for nothing at all! It’s an outrage, Jack!”

“Captain Putnam appeared to be very angry.”

“Yes, and he wouldn’t listen to a word! I never dreamed it of him, never!”

“Well, one thing is certain – we’ve got to stay here until morning. Look at the window.”

The blinds were closed, and over them had been nailed several heavy slats. The room was rather cold, and they had only a small lamp for illumination.

When Pepper awoke he thought somebody was whistling in his ear. He listened intently and soon discovered that the whistling came through the keyhole of the door.

“Who is there?” he asked, rising.

“Is that you, Pep?” came in Andy’s voice.

“Yes.”

“Is Jack there, too?”

“Yes.” And now the Imp aroused his chum.

“What is it all about anyway? Our crowd is all upset over it,” continued Andy, in a low voice.

Pepper and Jack told as much as they knew, and their acrobatic friend listened with interest.

“I’d like to let you out, but the door is locked and I haven’t any key,” went on Andy.

“Never mind, we can stay here just as well,” said Jack.

“Something was doing in our dormitory too,” went on Andy. “We started to go to bed, when old Crabtree came up and ordered us out. Then he went in and shut the door.”

“What did he do there?”

“I think he made some kind of a search. Presently he called for Captain Putnam, and then both stayed in the room quarter of an hour. After that we were told to go to bed.”

“Something is certainly wrong,” mused Pepper. “Well, we’ll have to await developments, that’s all.”

It was too cold for Andy to remain in the hall long, and soon he went back to his dormitory, and Pepper and Jack went to sleep as before.

At eight o’clock in the morning Peleg Snuggers came in, with a big tray containing the boys’ breakfast.

“What! are we to remain here?” cried Jack.

“I dunno,” answered the general-utility man of Putnam Hall. “I was ordered to bring your breakfast, that’s all.”

“Who ordered it?”

“Mr. Crabtree.”

“Does Captain Putnam know of it?” asked Jack.

“Captain Putnam went away at six o’clock this morning. Had some special business in Rochester, I think.”

“Went away!” echoed Jack. “Then old Crabby – I mean Mr. Crabtree, is in charge.”

“That’s it.”

“Humph! Pep, that won’t be to our advantage.”

“I know it. He hates us.”

“I think he hates most o’ you young gents,” whispered Peleg Snuggers, who had no great love for the teacher in question.

“You tell Mr. Crabtree that we want to see him,” said Jack.

“It won’t do no good.”

“Never mind. You tell him we insist upon seeing him,” put in Pepper.

Peleg Snuggers placed the breakfast on a stand and withdrew, locking the door as before.

“Rather a slim meal,” observed the young major, looking at what had been brought.

“He is going to starve us as well as keep us prisoners,” was the Imp’s answer.

As both boys were hungry it did not take them long to stow away everything in sight. Then both began to walk around the cold cell, in order to keep warm.

“This is outrageous!” cried Pepper, at last. “I am not going to stand it another minute!” And going to the door he began to hammer upon it loudly. Jack, also out of sorts, did the same.

The racket was soon heard in the classrooms, and presently Josiah Crabtree came rushing to the place, a heavy switch in his hand.

“Hi! hi! stop that noise!” thundered the assistant teacher. “Stop it, I say!” And he threw open the door and confronted the pair, with snapping eyes and with a face red from indignation.

As soon as the door was opened Jack and Pepper stopped kicking and pounding. Both faced the instructor fearlessly.

“What do you mean by such a noise?” demanded Josiah Crabtree, after an ominous pause.

“We wanted to attract attention,” answered Pepper, calmly.

“I want you to keep quiet!”

“Mr. Crabtree, will you tell us why we are prisoners here?” asked Jack.

“You are prisoners because you have disobeyed the rules of this institution,” snapped the instructor, and there was a certain gleam of triumph in his eyes.

“How have we disobeyed the rules?”

“You know well enough.”

“We don’t know,” came from Pepper.

“Don’t contradict, Ditmore! Captain Putnam and myself have found you out.”

“Won’t you please explain?” asked Jack, as calmly as he could.

“Well, in the first place, you are responsible for the fire at the boathouse.”

“No! no!” came from both boys.

“We have made a rigid investigation,” returned Josiah Crabtree. “It is useless to deny it,” he continued. “But that is not the worst of it, in the eyes of myself and Captain Putnam.”

“Well, what is the worst?” asked Jack, curiously, and wondering what was coming.

“Both of you went down to the old boathouse to smoke and drink.”

“I deny that flatly,” said the young major.

“So do I,” added Pepper.

“Denials will do you no good. We have the evidence,” returned Josiah Crabtree, and once again his rather fishy eyes showed a gleam of triumph.

“What evidence have you?” demanded Jack.

“After we locked you up here, I suggested to the captain that we search your dormitory. This was done, and we have uncovered your secrets. The captain is amazed, and so am I. We did not dream that any cadet at this school would be guilty of such a thing.”

“Guilty of what?” asked Jack and Pepper, in a breath.

“Guilty of such bad habits. We went into your lockers and your trunks, and we discovered two bottles of liquor, eight packages of cigarettes, and three packs of playing-cards, all belonging to you two students. You know our rules. You have broken them, and you must either be punished or else be dismissed from this school!”