TURNING THE TABLES
For several days after this there were review examinations so that
all the students at the academy were kept busy, and there was little
time for anything but study. At the end of the week Adrian Bagot
returned from his period of suspension. He did not seem to have
suffered much, and the boys heard him boasting of having ridden
nearly a thousand miles in his auto.
One evening Sam and some of his chums paid a visit to Jack Ranger.
"Got anything on to-night?" asked Sam.
"Nothing special, why?"
"Well, I'll not tell you the particulars, and then, if anything
happens you can truthfully say you never knew a thing about it. But
if you want to see something, put on an old pair of slippers, so you
can walk through the corridors softly, and follow us."
"Some fun?" asked Jack.
"Well, we wouldn't go to all this trouble if it was work or study,"
replied Sam with a grin. "But say nothing, only saw wood and come
on."
Jack, nothing loath, did as he was told. He got an old pair of felt
slippers, and noticed that the others were also wearing similar foot-gear.
"First to Professor Socrat's room," whispered Sam when the boys,
including Will Slade, Fred Kaler and Bony Balmore were out in the
corridor.
"He's not going to fight a duel with Professor Garlach, is he?" asked
Jack, recalling an occasion when the two teachers nearly did.
"Not this time," replied Sam, "but there may be a fight in it."
With Sam in the lead the boys went to the room of the French
professor.
"Now stay back in the shadows," advised the leader. "You can see and
listen, but keep quiet."
Sam knocked on the door, and, in his most polite tones said:
"I was asked, my dear professor, to leave this with you with the
compliments of the sender."
"Ah, I zank you extremely, sir," said Professor Socrat, bowing low,
"I zank ze giver, an' I zank you for ze most polite attention you
have bestowed on me."
"You are very welcome, I'm sure," murmured Sam, as he hurried away to
join his waiting comrades.
"I don't see anything funny about that," said Jack.
"Wait until he opens it," whispered Sam.
A few seconds later the hidden boys heard the door of the French
teacher's room open, and saw him come out.
"It is some meestake," they heard him murmur. "Zis ees for Professor
Grimm. I will take it to heem," and he walked along the corridor
toward the elderly instructor's apartment.
"Act one," whispered Sam. "Now for the second."
Silently in their slippers the boys followed the French professor to
Mr. Grimm's room.
"What is it?" asked the latter when the Frenchman had knocked.
"I come wiz a package, left by mistake wiz me," Mr. Socrat remarked,
in his usual polite way. "It is addressed to you inside, but ze
outside wrapper was wiz my name inscribed. I ask your pardon."
"Thanks," said Mr. Grimm shortly, as, with a polite bow, Mr. Socrat
went back to his room.
Professor Grimm left his door open a little way, and the boys could
see him quite plainly. They saw him take off the wrapper, and
disclose a small white box. This he opened and, as he took the cover
off, there dropped out something that gave a musical clang.
"A bell!" exclaimed Jack in a whisper.
"Hush!" cautioned Sam. "Let's hear what he says."
"Ha!" exclaimed Mr. Grimm. "So this is a joke, eh, Mr. Frenchman?
Well, we'll see about this!"
He grasped the bell, which was a small one, by the handle, and
started down the corridor, a scowl on his face, as the boys could see
by a flickering gaslight, as they were hidden around the corner.
"Now back to Mr. Socrat's room for the third act," said Sam. "Come
on."
Without the formality of a knock, Mr. Grimm entered the French
teacher's room.
"So this is your idea of a joke, eh?" he cried, shaking the bell
under Professor Socrat's nose. "I'll report you to Dr. Mead for this.
You frog-eater you!"
"Sir-r-r-r!" fairly shouted Professor Socrat. "You call me a frog-
eater-r-r-r-r?"
"Yes, and a donkey also!" exclaimed Mr. Grimm. "You knew how I've
felt since that bell joke, and you dare to send me a miniature one!"
"I sent nossing!"
"Didn't I see you just bring this?" demanded Mr. Grimm, holding out
the bell.
"It was addressed to you on ze paper!"
"Yes, and you did it!"
"I did not!"
"I say you did!"
"Zen you mean zat I tells a lie?"
"If you want to take it that way!"
"Zen I say you also are one who knows not ze truth!"
"Don't call me that name or I'll--"
What the excited professor meant to say was not disclosed as, at that
moment, in shaking his fist at Professor Socrat he let slip the bell,
which, with a clang struck the French teacher on the chest.
"A blow! I am insult!" Mr. Socrat exclaimed. "It must be wiped out
wiz ze blood of my insulter!"
He caught up a book to throw at Mr. Grimm, and let it fly, just as
Adrian Bagot entered the room. The sporty student caught it full in
the face.
"Pardon, my dear young friend!" exclaimed the French teacher, seeing
his missile had gone wide of one mark, though finding another.
"What does this mean?" demanded Adrian, as he saw the two
belligerents.
"Leave the room, sir!" ordered Professor Grimm. "This is none of your
affair!"
"I was asked to come here," said Adrian.
"Ha, so this is another part of your plan to play a joke on me,"
cried Mr. Grimm, glaring at the Frenchman. "You ask this student, who
was responsible for the original trouble to come here to see a
repetition."
"Your talk, it ees of ze incomprehensible!" exclaimed Mr. Socrat. "I
have sent for no one."
"I got a note, signed with your name, asking me to call at your room
at eight o'clock," said Bagot.
"Hold me, some one, before I die laughing," whispered Sam to his
chums. In fact they were all laughing so that only the excitement on
the part of the three in Mr. Socrat's room prevented the boys from
being discovered.
"Let me see ze writing," said the French teacher.
Adrian showed it to him.
"I nevair wrote that, nevair, nevair, nevair!" exclaimed the
representative of France.
"But you brought me the bell," put in Mr. Grimm.
"I did, because your name, it was on ze covair of ze box. I not write
heem."
"Then if you didn't, who did?" asked Mr. Grimm.
"I am no readair of ze mind," replied the Frenchman.
"I'll bet it is one of Jack Ranger's tricks," said Adrian. "It is
just like him."
"Are you sure you had no hand in it?" asked Mr. Grimm suspiciously,
turning to Bagot.
"You don't think I'd risk another suspension with graduation so near,
do you?" asked Bagot.
"I guess you're innocent this time," admitted Mr. Grimm unwillingly.
"If I discover who did this I'll settle with him."
"You've got to catch 'em first," murmured Sam.
"Well I guess I'll go," went on Mr. Grimm.
"I have been insult, I demand satisfaction," said Mr. Socrat, drawing
himself to his full height and glaring at the other teacher. "Will
you name a friend, sir, to whom I can send my representative?"
"You--you don't mean to fight a duel, do you?" asked Professor Grimm,
nervously.
"Of a certainly yes! I have been struck! I have been insult! I must
have ze satisfaction!"
"If it comes to that so have I," said Adrian, rubbing his face where
the book had hit him.
"I have apologized to you. I beg your ten thousand pardons, my young
friend," said Mr. Socrat, bowing low. "I know when I am at fault. It
was all an accident. Still, if you demand satisfaction I am bound to
give it you. I will send ze--"
"Oh, I accept your apology," said Adrian, hastily.
"But I have been called ze eater of ze frogs, an' I have been struck
by--by a--person!" exploded the Frenchman. u I must see ze blood
flow, or--"
"Oh, I'll apologize, if it comes to that," said Mr. Grimm, rather
awkwardly. "I didn't mean to hit you with the bell. As for calling
you names, why--why I was all excited. I beg your pardon."
"Zen you have made ze amend honorable, an' I accept it," said the
Frenchman, bowing almost to the floor. "We will regard ze incident as
closed."
"I'll not, by a long shot," murmured Bagot. "I want satisfaction from
whoever got me into this and I'll find out sooner or later."
"Mostly later," murmured Sam.
"Where did you get the package?" asked the sporty student of Mr.
Socrat.
"It was brought to me a little while ago, by one of ze students. It
was dark in ze hallway and I could not see ze face of heem."
"Luck for me," murmured Sam.
"I see my name on ze wrappair," went on Professor Socrat. "Zen I open
it an' I see ze name of Mr. Grimm. I go to heem. Ha! Zings begin to
what you call happen--after zat!"
"Vamoose!" whispered Sam. "I guess we've seen all the fun. They'll
disperse now. Everyone to his room and undress. Be studying in bed.
If there's an investigation we can't be accused."
A little later the boys heard Professor Grimm tramping to his room,
muttering dire vengeance on his tormentors. They heard him open his
window and throw something out. It fell with a tinkle to the ground.
"The bell," whispered Sam, as he hurried to his room.
"How did you manage it?" asked Jack an hour or so later when Sam had
entered his chum's apartment, matters having quieted down.
"It was too easy," explained Sam. "I did up the bell, and left it
with Socrat. I purposely addressed it double. I figured out what
would happen. Then I sent a fake note to Bagot, telling him Socrat
wanted him. It came out better than I expected."
"I hope there's no trouble over it," Jack said.
There was none, for neither of the professors cared to have the facts
made public, and Bagot did not want to let it be known that he had
been fooled.