IN THE BELL TOWER.
"Jumping cats!" cried Jimmy; "what was that? Frank, are you there?"
"Certainly I'm here. What's the matter with you to-night? You're
nervous, I guess. That was nothing but the clock striking the quarter
hour. It's a quarter past nine. Sounds a bit startling up here in
this narrow space."
"I thought the whole top of the tower had blown off," said Jimmy with
a shiver. "It doesn't sound half so loud down in the yard."
"And good reason for that, for we are up here about forty feet, and
it isn't cold or anything, either! Hello, I'm up against the roof!
No, it's the trap door."
"Want any help?" said Jimmy just below Frank's heels.
"No; I'm pushing it up with my head. Wow! What was that?" as there
came a scratching and clawing from just above him. "Oh, my, I do
believe it was Pandora, herself. She must have been sitting on that
trap door. Poor thing! She must have thought it was an earthquake.
Come on, I'm through," said Frank in a whisper--although why he
whispered he could not have told himself, for there was none to
hear him in that high belfry excepting the cat and the bell. Jimmy
struggled through the small hole in the floor and stood alongside
Frank at last in the belfry. Just in front of them swung the big bell
which tolled out the hours of the day and night. Through the slender
open arches the boys could see, dimly outlined, the School buildings,
with here and there a twinkling light in the dormitories, and farther
off the lights in the houses of the village. It was bitter cold.
"Well, here we are," said Jimmy, "at last."
"And where's our cat?" said Frank.
"It's a little like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack
to find a black cat in a blacker belfry. I hope you are satisfied
now that it was a wild goose chase," grumbled Jimmy, when they had
searched with foot and hand in all possible places of the narrow
space.
"A wild cat chase, maybe," said Frank chuckling. "Pussy, pussy, poor
old pussy, where are you? There she is, or I'm a flatfish," cried
Frank. "Look--over your head!"
Jimmy looked, and there, ten feet over his head, in the upper tower
and above the beams which supported the bell mechanism, he saw two
fiery eyes gleaming.
"It's awful to see those two balls of yellow fire and nothing else
visible," said Jimmy. "It's uncanny. Now, what are we going to do?"
"Why, go for her," said Frank, reaching for a beam above his head and
pulling himself up to it. "I only wish I had David's arms now. He
could beat that old cat climbing any day. Come on."
"Well, I suppose I might as well," said Jimmy with a sigh of
resignation. "Since I started out to hunt a wild cat with a boy
who has lost his senses, I might as well go on," and he started to
climb after Frank. Their climb now led them out of the little circle
of half light which they had had in the belfry itself. Above their
heads was the blackness of absolute night. Unlike the lower part of
the tower, the upper portion was not pierced by either light or air
holes. Just out of reach burned the yellow eyes of the cat, who had
changed her position several times, each time mounting higher as the
boys followed. She evidently had suspicions as to their intentions
and was going to keep out of what she thought was harm's way.
"Pussy, pussy, poor pussy!" said Frank coaxingly. "We're not going to
hurt you, you idiotic cat." This, as the two gleaming spots of light
disappeared for a moment and appeared higher up in the tower.
"I wonder what they call a cat 'poor pussy' for, anyway," said Jimmy
wrathfully. "Of all the stupid asinine creatures, a cat is the most
stupid, or this one is. Here we are in danger of breaking our necks
and freezing to death to save her from freezing her toes, and she
hasn't sense enough to help us."
"Stop abusing Pandora, you unfeeling kid," said Frank, "and give me a
match if you have it. I'm stuck. Nothing more to reach."
"I don't think I have any, but if I'd known you were going to do a
stunt of this kind, I'd have had three boxes with me."
"And spoiled all this exciting climb! Go on, feel in your pockets. I
have none."
Jimmy, thus adjured, stood on his beam, leaning against the stones of
the tower, and went carefully through his pockets. "Here's one; no,
that's the wrong end of it--here's about a quarter of a match, and,
oh, joy! here's a whole one!"
"Noble youth, you came well prepared," said Frank, laughing. "Light
the quarter match."
"All ready," said Jimmy; "here goes!" He struck the match carefully
against the beam just over his head and a pale gleam showed in the
darkness, lighting the place where they stood faintly. It flickered a
moment and went out, leaving them in a gloom that seemed the thicker
because of the brief light.
"Good!" grunted Frank. "Poor pussy, Mrs. Bowser's angelic Pandora,
is within reach, almost. The masons left these little beams here
probably for poor pussies to climb up on, and I know where my next
step is. Stay where you are, and I'll have her in a moment, and keep
that last match ready for emergencies."
There was a sound in the darkness of Frank's feet scratching against
the wall, prolonged grunting, and then Frank announced that he had
pulled himself to the next beam. There followed a frightened protest
from Pandora, but Frank's voice sounded triumphant. "I've got the
rascal. There you are," soothingly, "you see we weren't going to
kill you. All right, old man, I'm coming. Light your other match so I
can get my toe on that brace."
Frank had indeed captured Pandora, who, now that the chase was ended
and she found only gentle hands upon her, snuggled down on the
shoulder of her protector and began to purr. The trip back was even
more difficult for Frank than the ascent, for he was hampered by the
cat and did not have the free use of both arms. He swung from his
perch at last with his feet dangling in the air, vainly trying to
find with his toes a secure footing.
"Quick, Jimmy, light the match!" There was a scratch from Jimmy's
direction, and in the light that flared up, Frank found his resting
place and settled on it. "Whew, that was a hard one! Now we're all
right. The rest is easier. Go on down first, and I'll follow, for I
can do without you, now; and be careful, for I don't want to have to
carry you back as well as the cat."
"Don't you worry about me. Bring your old cat and I'll take care
of myself. Jiminy, I'm nearly frozen stiff, and if I ever get back
to----"
Before he finished his sentence, a sound came up to their ears from
the belfry just below them. The boys listened intently, while the
cat purred softly on Frank's shoulder.
"Some one coming into the belfry!" whispered Jimmy. There was an
unmistakable murmur of voices and in a moment through the trap door
in the belfry floor, which Frank and Jimmy had left open, there
appeared an indistinct form. Another and still another appeared in
the opening, one after the other.
"Four of them," whispered Jimmy, who being a little lower was able
to get a better view of the belfry floor; "what on earth can they be
doing up here at this time of night?"
The two boys, perched on their narrow beams, were not kept long in
suspense, for one of the intruders began to speak. His voice was
low, hardly more than a whisper, but it carried up clearly to the
listeners overhead. "Have you got the rope there?" said the voice.
"Yes, here it is."
"All right, we'll tie up its tongue first. Gee, but it's cold here!"
"Will it freeze all right, do you think?" inquired another voice,
evidently addressing the first speaker.
"Freeze, you galoot, of course it will; solid as a rock, and they
won't get it out till spring." A low chuckle followed.
"What in the name of time are they doing?" said Jimmy. "Taking the
tongue out of something and freezing it! Can it be a cat?"
"Your mind runs to cats to-night," Frank whispered back. "Those chaps
are going to do something to the bell."
"Drop the cat on them," said Jimmy. "They'd think it was the Old Boy
himself."
"No," returned Frank, who had crouched down till his mouth was about
level with Jimmy's ear. "Let's wait and see what they intend to do.
Keep still as a mouse."
The boys below had already begun work on the big bell. "For the love
of Mike, don't let that tongue hit. I can't get the thing out. It is
held by some kind of a dingus that is riveted in. Some one will have
to hold it, while the rest of us turn the bell up."
From below came the sound of puffing and grunting. "Easy," said some
one, "for heaven's sake, hold that tongue so it doesn't hit, or we'll
have the whole School on our necks. There," continued the same voice,
"good work. Now, prop this beam under that side of her, and the job
is done."
"All but the water," said another voice.
"Fine business," said the first voice. "Now shoot it along quick and
get a move on you." There were sounds of footsteps going down the
ladder below the belfry, and when the last scratching sound had died
away Jimmy spoke up: "Now, what in the great horn spoon are they at?"
"It's easy," returned Frank. "You heard about the water. That
explains the whole business. You know when I fell in the lower
corridor? What do you suppose I fell over?"
"I don't know; what was it?"
"A bucket of water. I slopped some of it over and my trouser leg is
wet now and frozen."
"I don't see that that explains anything."
"Well, it does. Those chaps have turned the bell upside down and
propped it there, and they mean to pour it full of water and let it
freeze, as it certainly will in this weather. And, as one of them
said, it will stay there till spring, unless old Bonesey digs it out
with a pick."
"What a trick!" ejaculated Jimmy. "Let's go down and knock the prop
out from under the bell!"
"Yes, and make an awful rumpus! No, let's wait and see. Some scheme
may offer itself which will be better than that. S-s-s-s-h, here they
come again."
Struggling and puffing with their exertions, two of the four boys
appeared with buckets of water and each deposited the contents of the
buckets in the overturned bell. "About two more will do the trick,"
said one of the plotters, and away they went again. In five minutes'
time the whole four reappeared, and between them they carried more
water. "Douse her in!" said the leader, and there was a splashing
sound as the bell filled up.
"Won't old Bonesey be savage when he finds this in the morning?"
chuckled one of the youngsters.
"Bonesey won't be a circumstance to Dr. Hobart. What are you doing
there?" This was directed to one of the boys, who appeared to be
fussing at the bell.
"Want to see if this prop is all right. It isn't half caught. Give
me a lift, and we'll shove the prop farther under. It's a wonder it
didn't slip out."
The four boys gathered together. There was a shuffling noise as they
got themselves set, and the leader said: "Now, altogether."
Just how it happened will never be known. In their endeavor to make
the overturned bell more secure in its position, in some manner they
disturbed the prop. "Look out, she's giving way," yelled one of them,
and the next instant the tower was filled with the noise of splashing
water and the wild clangor of the bell as it swung on its big beam.
Pandora trembled and sunk her claws into Frank's shoulder hard enough
to make him yell out with pain. Jimmy uttered a shout and started to
scramble down, but in the darkness he missed his footing and fell
with a crash to the swimming floor of the belfry. In the midst of
the alarm, Pandora, with a wild shriek, flew from Frank's shoulder,
gained the belfry floor and whisked out of sight through the open
trap door, through which came the noise of the retreating footsteps
of the boys who were responsible for all the trouble.
The rumpus in the bell tower awoke the whole School to activity.
Windows banged up in the dormitory and boys in scanty clothing stuck
their heads out into the frosty night. From Warren and from Honeywell
came the howls of "Fire! Fire! Fire!" A high-pitched voice in one of
the half-open windows added to the confusion with "Murder! Police!"
Footsteps began to patter on the walks and lights flashed here and
there below. It seemed hardly a minute before Butler, a proctor
of the School, followed closely by two or three boys, appeared at
the opening in the belfry floor. A strange sight met the gaze of
the early arrivals on the scene. They saw Frank sitting in a pool
of water working over Jimmy, who had struck his head a hard blow
either on the floor or on a beam in his fall. He was only about
half-conscious of what was taking place.
"What's going on here?" said Butler sternly. "What are you boys doing
in this tower and how did you get here?"
"We came up here to get Mrs. Bowser's cat, which we heard crying in
this belfry, but the main thing is to get Turner to his room. He
fell and cut his head." Frank's hands were stained with blood which
oozed out of the cut on his friend's forehead. "While we were up in
the tower," pointing overhead, "some fellows came up and tried to
fill the bell with water, so that it might freeze and stop it from
ringing, I suppose."
"Oh, they did, did they?" inquired Butler with an icy smile. "Did you
stop them?"
"No, sir, we were planning to jump down and scare them, when
something happened. The bell capsized and the fellows ran away.
Turner jumped or fell trying to get down to see who it was."
"It's a pretty likely story," said Butler again. "You'll have a
chance to tell that to Dr. Hobart in the morning, sir."
Frank was indignant at the tone of disbelief, but he said nothing
and gave all his attention to Jimmy, who, by this time, was coming
back to his senses and had staggered to his feet. With a good deal of
difficulty they got him down the ladder to the broader stairs beneath.
The entrance of Frank and Jimmy to the former's room threw the
Codfish and David into consternation, accompanied as they were by an
irate proctor and old Bonesey, who had been aroused by this time and
who had hurried to the Chapel to find the wildest excitement reigning.
"I'll report this to Dr. Hobart immediately, and you will have to
face a very disagreeable charge, young man," said Butler, turning to
go.
"All right, sir," said Frank calmly, "I'll answer all the charges
that are made, and satisfactorily, I think."
"I advise you to tell the truth about the whole thing," said Butler,
giving Frank a searching glance; "it will be the best course."
"I'm not in the habit of telling anything but the truth," said Frank,
and turned his attention to his roommates, who were impatient to hear
what had happened.
Frank told the story quickly, but admitted, when he looked at it
calmly, that it certainly had a very queer appearance.
"Butler is a regular old kill-joy, anyway," snorted the Codfish.
"He's the fellow who had Potter fired last year for being off the
School grounds after ten o'clock. He is a suspicious old spy and
every one in the School hates him."
"But he stands sky-high with the Doctor," said David gravely. "Never
mind, Frank, cheer up; all is not lost that's in danger. Your
previous reputation is good, even if you did try to freeze up the
Chapel bell!"
The boys discussed the possibility of trouble in the incident long
after Jimmy left the room. David foresaw difficulty.