For Quiz, whose curiosity threatened to be the death of him some day,
and who was always snooping around, learned, not many days later, that
the Crows were planning to give a great banquet in a room over the
only restaurant in the village. This feast had been intended as a
grand finale to the season of hazing, and it was to be paid for by
the poor wretches who had been given the pleasure of being hazed,
and taxed a dollar apiece for the privilege. Strange to say, the two
Lakerim men whom the Crows had tried to haze were neither invited to
pay the tax nor to be present at the banquet. In fact, the unkind
behavior of the Lakerimmers had hurt the feelings of the Crows very
badly, and cast a gloom over the whole idea of the banquet.
As soon as Quiz learned, in a roundabout way, where and when the feast
was to be held, he came rushing into Tug's room, where the Dozen had
gathered Saturday evening after a long day spent in skating on the
first heavy ice of the winter.
Quiz crashed through the door, and smashed it shut behind him, and
yelled: "I've got it! I've got it!" with such zeal that Sleepy, who
was taking a little doze in a tilted chair, went over backward into a
corner, and had to be pulled out by the heels.
History spoke up, as usual, with one of his eternal school-book
memories, and piped out:
"You remind me, Quiz, of the day when Archimeter jumped out of his
bath-tub and ran around yelling, 'Euraker! Euraker!"
But Heady shouted:
"Somebody stuff a sofa-cushion down History's mouth until we learn
what it is that Quiz has got."
"Or what it is that's got Quiz," added Jumbo.
When History had been upset, and Sleepy set up, Quiz, who had run
several blocks with his news, found breath to gasp:
"The Crows are going to have a banquet!"
Then he flopped over on the couch and proceeded to pant like a
steam-roller.
The rest of the Dozen stared at Quiz a moment, then passed a look
around as if they thought that either Quiz was out of his head or they
were. Then they all exclaimed in chorus:
"Well, what of it?"
And Jumbo added sarcastically:
"It'll be a nice day to-morrow if it doesn't rain."
Quiz was a long time getting his breath and opening his eyes; then it
was his turn to look around in amazement and to exclaim:
"What of it? What of it? Why, you numskulls, don't you see it's just
the chance you wanted for revenge?"
"What do you mean?" exclaimed the others. "Do you mean that we should
go down and eat the banquet for 'em?" queried Sleepy, whose first
thought was always either for a round sleep or a square meal.
"I hadn't thought of that," said Quiz. "That would be a good idea,
too. What I had in my mind was doing what they do in the big colleges
sometimes: kidnap the president of the crowd so that he can't go to
the dinner."
"Great head! Great scheme!" the others exclaimed; and they jumped to
their feet and indulged in a war-dance that shook the whole building.
When they had done with this jollification, Tug, who objected to doing
things by halves, asked:
"Why not kidnap the whole kit and boodle of them?"
Then there was another merry-go-round. But they all stopped suddenly,
and Quiz expressed the sentiment of all of them when he said:
"But how are we going to do it?"
Then they all put their heads together for a long and serious debate,
the result of which was a plan that seemed to promise success.
The banquet was to be held on the next Friday night at night o'clock,
and the Dozen had nearly a week for perfecting their plot.
Sawed-Off suggested the first plan that looked feasible for taking
care of the whole crowd of the Crows, about two dozen in number. The
chapel, over which Sawed-Off had his room, had a large bell-tower--as
Sawed-Off well knew, since it was one of his duties to ring the bell
on all the many occasions when it was to be rung. In this cupola there
was a loft of good size; it was reached by a heavy ladder, which could
be removed with some difficulty. Under the chapel there was a large
cellar, which seemed never to have been used for any particular
purpose, though it was divided into a number of compartments separated
by the stone walls of the foundation or by heavy boarding. A few
hundred old books from the library were about its only contents. The
only occupant of the chapel, except at morning prayers and on Sundays,
was Sawed-Off. The gymnasium on the ground floor was not lighted up
after dark, and so the building was completely deserted every evening.
Some unusual scheme must be devised to enable twelve men to take care
of twenty-four. Fortunately it happened that half a dozen of the
twenty-four took the six-o'clock train for their homes in neighboring
towns, where they went to spend Saturday and Sunday with their
parents. This reduced the number to eighteen. Friday evening a number
of the Crows appeared at the "Slaughterhouse," though there was to be
a banquet at eight o'clock. With true boyhood appetite, they felt,
that a bun in the hand is worth two in the future; and besides, what
self-respecting boy would refuse to take care of two meals where he
had been in the habit of only one? It would be flying in the face of
Providence.
Now, Sawed-Off, who, as you know, was paying his way through the
Academy, earned his board by waiting on the table. He had an excellent
chance, therefore, for tucking under the plates of all the Crows a
note which read:
The Crows will meet at the Gymnasium after dark and go to
Moore's resteront in a body.
N.B. Keep this conphedential.
To half a dozen of the notes these words were added:
You are wanted at the Gymnasium at a 1/4 to 7 to serve on a cummitty.
Be there sharp.
The Crows naturally did not know the handwriting of every one of
their number, and did not recognize that the notes were of History's
manufacture. They were a little mystified, but suspected nothing.
The Dozen gathered in full force at the gymnasium as soon after supper
as they could without attracting attention. Sawed-Off, who had the
keys of the building, then posted a strong guard at the heavy door,
and explained and rehearsed his plan in detail.
At a quarter of seven the six who had been requested to serve on the
"cummitty" came in a body, and finding the door of the gymnasium
fastened, knocked gently. They heard a low voice from the inside ask:
"Who's there?"
And they gave their names.
"Do you all belong to the Crows?"