JACK IN TROUBLE
The boys crowded around Jack and John, anxious to know if they were
hurt. All were loud in their indignation when they learned what had
happened.
"Let's pay that snob back!" suggested Dick Balmore.
"Make him sleep with you one night," suggested Fred, for Dick was so
tall and thin that he had been christened "Bony" by his chums.
"Dry up!" exclaimed Dick. "I'd rather be thin than a wandering
minstrel like you."
"Easy now!" suggested Jack. "No noise, we are too near quarters.
Ouch! I think I've sprained my ankle, or that auto did it for me."
He tried to walk but had to limp, and was forced to accept the aid of
Sam and John, on whose arms he leaned. In this manner he entered the
Hall just as the monitor was closing up for the night. The other boys
slipped to their rooms, but Jack had to be helped upstairs.
As the trio were passing through the corridors they met Professor
Grimm. Now, Mr. Grimm was an old enemy of Jack's, since Jack had once
caught him smoking, a violation of the school rules.
"Ha! More skylarking!" the instructor exclaimed. "What does this
mean, Ranger?"
"I sprained my ankle," replied our hero.
"What are you doing out at this hour? And what are the others doing?"
"We had permission to go to the village," replied Jack, truthfully
enough, for Dr. Mead had allowed the boys to go; though the object of
the trip, of course, had not been disclosed to the master.
"Go to your rooms," commanded Professor Grimm. "I will look into
this."
"I wish he hadn't seen us," said Jack, when his two chums had taken
him to his dormitory.
"Why?" asked Sam. "Where's the harm?"
"I have a sort of queer feeling that something is going to happen,"
Jack replied. "I want to finish out the term with a good record, for
my aunts' sakes. If there are any pranks played tonight, Grimm will
be sure to suspect me."
"Don't cross a bridge until it trips you up," said Sam. "Now, let's
have a look at that ankle."
They found it was not as bad as Jack had feared.
"I've got a bottle of arnica somewhere," he said. "I think I'll put
some on."
His chums found the bottle, and were rubbing the swelling with the
medicine when there came a knock at the door.
"Who's there?" asked Jack.
"Professor Grimm," was the reply. "I want to see if you are really in
your room."
Sam opened the door and the cross-grained professor entered.
"So you're not fooling this time, eh?" he sneered, as he smelled the
arnica and saw the swelling on Jack's ankle. "It's a good thing you
were not."
"Nice old party, isn't he?" murmured Sam, when the teacher had
withdrawn. "Well, I think I'll say good-night, Jack. Hope you sleep
good. Say, but that Klu-Klux business was the limit!" and chuckling
over the night's fun, he went to bed, leaving Jack and the Indian
student together.
"A few weeks more and we'll not have to sneak around this way to have
a little fun," said Jack. "Vacation will soon be here. I hope I can
carry out a plan I have in mind, John."
"What is it, Jack?"
"I want to go out west and search for my father. I ought to be with
him in his trouble. Besides, the time must be almost up, so he could
come back to civilization again."
"I hope you do find him," said the semi-Indian.
"I wish you could help me, John."
"I wish so, too. Perhaps I can. But you'd better get to bed now. We
don't want Grimm coming around again."
Jack fell asleep dreaming he was crawling through a deep canyon after
his father, who was being carried away captive in a birch bark canoe
by Indians. But in spite of this he slept so soundly that he did not
hear a number of unusual noises under his window. Perhaps it was as
well for his peace of mind that he did not.
It was about half past seven o'clock the next morning when Jack awoke
with a start.
"I wonder what's the matter," he said to himself. "It seems as if
something had happened. Oh, I know, I haven't heard the morning
bell."
It was the custom at the academy to awaken the students by ringing
the big bell in the tower every morning, and Jack had come to depend
on it as a sort of alarm clock.
"I wonder what's the matter," he went on. "Can Martin have forgotten
to sound the tocsin? It's the first time he ever slipped up."
A little later there came the sound of persons moving in the hall,
and then voices could be heard calling one to the other.
He got out of bed, finding that his ankle was much better and looked
from the window. There was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen. He
turned toward his door, just as a loud knock came on the portal.
"Who's there?" he asked.
"Martin, the monitor," was the reply. "Dr. Mead wants to see you at
once in the office."
"Trouble! I knew it!" exclaimed Jack to himself. "Well, I wonder what
it is now. Hope word of that Klu-Klux-Klan business hasn't reached
here already. But I'm not afraid of that. Even Dr. Mead will admit we
acted from a right motive. All right, Martin," he called. "I'll be
there as soon as I dress. Anything special?"
"I'm afraid it is," replied the monitor, as he hurried down the hall.
Jack made a hasty toilet and then went to the office of the head of
the academy. He found a number of the teachers gathered there,
including Professor Grimm, who looked more angry than usual. The
latter was speaking as Jack entered:
"This positively has to stop, Dr. Mead," he said. "I will put up with
this no longer. Either Ranger or I must leave."
"What have I done now?" asked Jack.
"Something more serious than usual, Ranger, if it turns out that you
are guilty," answered Dr. Mead.
"Of course he's guilty," burst out Mr. Grimm. "Haven't I proof?"
"Last night," said Dr. Mead, speaking slowly and sternly, "the big
bell was taken from the tower. It was carried and placed in front of
Professor Grimm's room, and tied to his door so that when he opened
it the bell was pulled into his room. In this way some valuable sea
shells he had on the floor were broken."
"What makes you think I did it?" asked Jack. "I was laid up with a
sprained ankle."
"That's just how I know it was you and some of your chums," cried
Professor Grimm. "Tied on the bell, where it had been used, so the
sharp edge would not cut one's fingers, was this rag. There it is.
Smell of it. What does it smell like?" and he thrust it under Jack's
nose.
"Why--why--it smells like arnica," replied our hero, wondering what
was coming next.
"Arnica! Yes, I guess it does. What was it you were pretending to put
on your ankle last night, Ranger? Arnica, wasn't it? Of course it
was. I've caught you this time! The evidence is all against you! You
didn't think you dropped that rag, and that the arnica would figure
in the evidence. Dr. Grimm, I repeat, Ranger must leave or I shall!"