It occurred in an Ohio college, in the early days when the small college
was struggling for an existence, and the students were struggling for an
education. Many of the boys were very poor, and had to board themselves,
doing all their cooking, sleeping and studying in the same room. To
economize space they were used to keep their little store of groceries
and provisions under the bed, and the bed was of the old bed-cord kind.
The two particular boys of whom we write, for some reason or other, at
this particular time, had a pan full of molasses under the bed.
Boys will be boys, poor as well as rich, and college boys the world over
are full of all manner of tricks. These two chaps had concocted a very
neat little scheme for getting on to the nerves of Professor John, who
had charge of the building in which they were domiciled. For days and
days they had been secretly carrying a lot of stones up into their room
and depositing them in an empty barrel. When the barrel was full, the
trick was ready to be pulled off just at bedtime, the trick consisting
of simply rolling the barrel to the top of the corkscrew staircase, and
letting her go Gallagher, when the perpetrators would skip to their room
hard by, dive into bed and be sound asleep before Professor John could
say Jack Robinson.
But--Professor John knew about all the possible combinations of the
college boy, and could smell a hatching trick a mile away. Knowing that
something was in the air, he had quietly stationed himself in a dark
niche in the wall at the head of the staircase, and was watching the two
night-begowned boys as they tugged with all their strength at the heavy
barrel of stones, gently rolling it to the top of the stairs. "Don't
make a noise," hoarsely whispered the one who was bossing the job, "and
don't let her go till all is ready and I give the word."
When all was about ready to heave away, out stepped Professor John with
a terrible "What's--all--this!"
Away went the boys pell-mell to their room. They tried to slam the door
shut, but the Professor's foot got there first, and they dived into bed.
But alas! there had been a trick within a trick. Some one had cut the
bed-cords! And as the two went down to the floor, one pitifully called
out "Oh--we're in the molasses!"
Professor John knew what that meant. He leaned up against the wall and
laughed till he cried. "Let them go, poor fellows," he said, as he went
to his room, "they have been punished enough."