AT THE MOVING PICTURE THEATRE
"There'll be something doing in a minute or two," murmured Randy, as he
and the others came to a halt before Bill Glutts' door.
"You fellows be careful and don't step on any of these," whispered Andy,
as he bent down and laid the banana skins he had saved on the floor.
"Splendid doormat for them when they come out," he added, grinning.
Fortunately, those within the room were so busy dividing the sandwiches
and cake that they paid no attention to what was going on outside.
"Rather nice of them to remember us," remarked Codfish. "Thank you, I
don't think I care for any sandwiches, but I'll take that piece of cake
instead."
"Me for a sandwich, Bill," murmured Carncross. "I'm quite hungry."
Then the three began to munch away on the sandwiches and the cake at a
lively rate.
All had their mouths full when suddenly Codfish began to splutter.
"Hello! what's the matter?" cried Glutts. "Trying to swallow too much at
once?"
"You don't want to make a pig of yourself, Codfish," admonished
Carncross.
"Oh! Oh!" cried the sneak of the school. "Oh!"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, I'm burning up! Oh, they must have poisoned me!"
"Gee! do you suppose they put something in that cake?" cried Carncross,
in sudden alarm.
"Oh, my mouth is on fire!" groaned Codfish.
To this neither Glutts nor Carncross made any answer. Each was beginning
to feel a sudden strange sensation on his tongue and in his throat. Both
began to feel as if their mouths were burning up.
"It's something they've put in the eats!" exclaimed Glutts. "They're
trying to poison us, or something!"
"It's pepper! That's what it is--cayenne pepper!" came from Codfish.
"Oh, give me a drink of water, or something! This is dreadful!"
The sneak made a dash across the room to where a water pitcher stood on
a stand with a glass beside it. But the pitcher proved to be empty.
"My gracious, this is terrible!" spluttered Carncross, and began to
cough.
In the meantime Glutts smelled of the food that remained on the
improvised tray, and suddenly gave a loud sneeze, followed by several
others.
"Hurrah! they are enjoying it all right enough," remarked Jack, in a low
tone.
"I've got to have a drink!" yelled Carncross recklessly. "Gee! I'm
burning up clean from my mouth to my stomach!"
"You're no worse off than I am," spluttered Glutts. "Oh, just wait until
I get hold of that Walt Baxter!"
"It was the whole bunch that did it. I'll bet the trick was gotten up by
those Rovers!"
The door was flung open, and all of the occupants of the room dashed out
into the hallway, bent upon getting to the nearest bathroom or water
cooler for a drink. Not one of them noticed the slippery banana skins
spread out on the floor, and on the instant Bill Glutts went sliding
along and came down flat on his back. Carncross did likewise, Codfish
tripping over him and pitching headlong.
"Say! what's this?" exploded Glutts. "Oh, my back! I guess I've broken
my shoulder."
"They must have soaked the floor," came from Carncross. "No! It's banana
skins," he added, in deep disgust. "Say, Codfish, take your feet off my
stomach, will you?"
"I--I couldn't help falling over you, you went down so suddenly,"
apologized the sneak. "Oh dear! let me get a drink of water--I'm all on
fire inside."
The Rovers and their chums had retreated to a distance, and this was
wise, for, had Glutts and Carncross been able to get hold of them, there
would certainly have been a fight. But as it was, the bully and his
cronies passed down a back corridor to the nearest bathroom, where they
proceeded to wash out their mouths and get a long drink.
"Now we'd better get back to our rooms and get into bed as soon as
possible," said Jack. "They may report us, and some of the professors
may come around to investigate."
"Let them come! We'll all be asleep like so many innocent lambs,"
remarked Randy.
"They'll find that I've been asleep for the last two hours," added Walt
Baxter, and at this the others had to smile.
The crowd separated, and the four Rovers returned to their rooms, where
they lost no time in getting rid of all the evidences of the feast. Then
they undressed, turned out the lights, and crept into their beds.
"I don't believe they'll dare to report this," whispered Andy to his
twin. And in this surmise the fun-loving Rover was correct. Glutts and
his cronies did a good deal of grumbling, but there the matter, for the
time being, ended.
"But I'll get square some day! You just wait and see!" Glutts told the
others.
The school term was now drawing to an end, and it was definitely
announced that, owing to the war conditions, Colby Hall would remain
closed for a period of six weeks for the winter holidays. This would
give the Rovers and their chums a full month's vacation after New
Year's.
"And what a good time we will have up at Cedar Lodge!" cried Fred.
"It certainly was grand of Gif to ask us to go up there with him and
Spouter," added Jack.
The Rovers and their chums, and especially Walt Baxter, kept a close eye
on Bill Glutts and his cronies. But beyond scowling at them whenever
they passed, the bully did nothing regarding the peppered food which had
been presented.
"He's laying low for something, I suppose," said Walt. "However, I'm not
going to worry."
One day he received a "soaker" of a snowball in his left ear while
hurrying to the gymnasium. He did not know who threw the missile, but
was satisfied in his mind that it came from either Glutts or Carncross.
The examinations for the term were held, and much to the Rover boys'
satisfaction all acquitted themselves creditably. Spouter and Gif did
very well too, and were equally elated.
"Let us go down to town this evening and celebrate," suggested Jack that
afternoon. "I think Captain Dale will let us go, and I understand they
are giving a very good war picture at Mr. Falstein's moving picture
theater."
"That will suit me," answered Fred.
The matter was talked over by a number of the cadets, and they went to
see Captain Dale about it; and as a result nine of them set out for
Haven Point, where was located the moving picture theater at which Jack
and his cousins first met the girls from Clearwater Hall.
"This looks like a pretty good picture," remarked Gif, as he pointed to
one advertised on the billboards. "A real war play with some of the
scenes taken at the front."
"Either at the front or on the Hackensack Meadows," remarked Randy
dryly. "They tell me that more than three-fourths of those so-called war
pictures are faked up."
"Well, you wouldn't expect the moving picture actors to go right out in
the middle of a battlefield and perform, would you?" queried Jack.
"Here's a good comic, too!" put in Fatty Hendry. "That suits me all
right. I like a good laugh."
"Fatty, you ought to go in the movies," remarked Fred. "You would make a
hit as the Living Skeleton."
"He would unless his face broke the camera," added Ned Lowe.
"I understand some of those fat fellows in the movies get a couple of
hundred dollars a week for acting," said Fatty. "I wouldn't mind doing
some of those stunts myself at that price."
The cadets purchased their tickets and were soon inside the showhouse.
An educational film was being thrown on the screen, and they were much
interested in seeing the details of tanning leather and making leather
belts, handbags, and shoes.
"Gee! how easy it is to learn about these things in a moving picture,"
remarked Gif.
"What a pity it is they can't teach a fellow algebra and geometry in the
same way," sighed Randy.
The educational film was followed by the war play, and whether this was
given with faked-up backgrounds or not, it proved to be a very
interesting production, especially to the Rover boys. There were
pictures of life in the soldiers' camps and on the transports bound for
Europe, and then scenes of life in the French trenches, culminating in a
terrific bombardment by big cannons, and then a thrilling charge over
No-Man's Land.
"Gee, isn't that immense!" murmured Fred. "Think of dad being in such a
charge as that!"
"It brings the war pretty close, doesn't it, Fred?" asked Jack.
The scenes of the mighty conflict not alone thrilled the Rover boys but
also sobered them, especially when there came a picture of the dead and
the dying, with the ambulances rushing hither and thither to take the
wounded to the field hospitals.
Poor Fred felt the tears coming into his eyes, and was glad that the
moving picture house was rather dark, so that he might use his
handkerchief without being noticed.
The war picture was followed immediately by one depicting the trials and
tribulations of a fat man who obtained a position as a bell-boy in a
country hotel. He did some wonderful stunts, and managed to break up a
great deal of crockeryware and innumerable pies, and this set all the
cadets, as well as the majority of the audience, to roaring with
laughter.
"I guess those fellows earn their money," remarked Spouter to Fatty.
"Just think of being slammed around in front of the camera like that!"
"Yes. And think of having three or four pies plastered all over your
face," returned the stout youth. "I guess, after all, I'd rather go into
ordinary business."
"I imagine some of those so-called stunts are only trick pictures--I
mean those things like climbing up the side of a house and holding on to
the top of a church steeple," remarked Jack. "Just the same, those
moving picture actors have to risk their lives more than once,
especially when they take wild rides on horse-back or in automobiles, or
get in railroad smash-ups."
Immediately following the comic picture, all the lights in the theater
were turned on and a gentleman stepped on the stage to address the
audience.
"I wonder what he's going to talk about," whispered Randy.
"Liberty Loan, or something like that, I suppose," answered his twin.
He was right. There was a new drive on to raise money for the Government
to be used for war purposes, and this gentleman, as a member of the
local committee, had come forth to urge every man and woman in the
audience to invest in Liberty Bonds.
"That is what my father was doing in and around New York before he went
to war," explained Andy to Walt Baxter. "He made quite a success of it,
too. He was on a whole lot of committees."
"And he did a lot of work for the Red Cross, too," added Randy.
While the lights were turned on the cadets had a chance to look around
the showhouse. They thought that possibly some of the girls from
Clearwater Hall might be present, but they were disappointed.
The talk about Liberty Bonds had come to an end, and several men and
women were passing through the audience trying to get subscribers for
the bonds when half a dozen newcomers entered the moving picture
theater. One of the number was in cadet uniform, and as he came down the
aisle and took a seat on the other side of the showhouse, Jack caught
Fred by the arm.
"Look who's here, will you?" he whispered excitedly.
"Why, it's Bill Glutts!" returned Fred.
"Exactly! And do you see who is with him?"
"No. I can't make out. Who is it?"
"Gabe Werner!"
"Gabe Werner! Are you sure, Jack?"
"Positive! I saw him full in the face just before he sat down."
Soon the lights in the showhouse went out once more, and the moving
picture performance continued.