THE STRANGE FIGURE IN THE HALLWAY
At the fearful outcome of the joke Tom had been perpetrating the
boys concealed in the bushes were almost struck dumb, and for
several seconds nobody could speak or move.
"Oh, Heavens, Tom is killed!" burst out Dick, who was the first to
find his voice. He ran forth as speedily as possible, and one
after another the other cadets followed.
Tom lay as quiet as death, with his eyes closed and the blood
trickling over his temple and left cheek. Quickly Dick knelt by
his side and felt of his heart.
"Tom, Tom, speak to me! Tell me you are not seriously hurt!" he
faltered.
But no answer came back, and Sam raced off to get some water,
which he brought in a tin can he had discovered lying handy. The
water was dashed over Toni's face, and presently he gave a little
gasp.
"Oh my! what struck me?" he murmured, and then tried to sit up,
but for the minute the effort was a failure.
"The pistol exploded," said Frank. "A piece must have hit you on
the head," and he pointed at a nasty scalp wound from which the
flow of blood emanated.
As well as it could be done, Frank and Dick bound up Tom's head
with a handkerchief, and presently the fun-loving lad declared
himself about as well as ever, "Only a bit light-headed," as he
added.
In the meantime the others had given their attention to Hans, who
had been struck both in the scalp and in the shoulder. It was a
good quarter of an hour before the German youth came around, and
then he felt so weak that the boys had to assist him back to the
academy.
"Honestly, I thought the pistol was empty," said Tom, on the
return to the Hall. "Why, I think I've pulled that trigger a
dozen times."
"Don't mention it," said Frank with a shiver. "Why, only last
week I pointed the thing at Peleg Snuggers and played at firing
it. Supposing it had gone off and killed somebody?"
And he shivered again.
"Dot vos almost as pad as von Indian's schalping," put in Hans
faintly. "I dink, Tom, you vos play no more such dricks, hey?"
"No, I've had enough," replied Tom very soberly. "If you had been
killed or seriously hurt I would never have forgiven myself." And
it may be added here that for some time after this event
fun-making and Tom were strangers to each other.
At the proper time the feast which had been planned came off, and
proved to be an event not readily forgotten. It was no easy
matter to obtain the good things required, and the boys ran the
risk of being discovered by George Strong and punished; but by
midnight everything was ready, and soon eating was "in full
blast," to use Sam's way of expressing it.
A few of the boys from the other dormitories had been invited, and
the boys took turns in standing out in the hall on guard.
"You see," explained Tom, "Mr. Strong may come in, and I won't be
able to play nightmare again, as I did last year."
"Say, but that was a prime joke," laughed Frank.
"And Mumps!" cried Larry. "I'll never forget the orange flavored
with kerosene," and a general laugh followed.
Somebody had spoken of inviting Jim Caven to the feast, but no one
cared particularly for the fellow, and he had been left out.
"Perhaps he'll tell on us," suggested Larry, but Frank shook his
head.
"He hasn't got backbone enough to do it. He's a worse coward than
Mumps was."
Soon it came time for Sam to do his turn at guarding, and stuffing
a big bit of candy in his mouth, the youngest Rover stepped out
into the dimly lit hallway and sat down on a low stool which one
of the guards had placed there.
For ten or fifteen minutes nothing occurred to disturb Sam, and he
was just beginning to think that watching was all nonsense when he
saw a dark figure creeping along the wall at the extreme lower end
of the hallway, where it made a turn toward the back stairs.
"Hullo, who's that?" he muttered. "It doesn't look much like Mr.
Strong."
He continued to watch the figure, and now saw that it was dressed
in a black suit and had what looked like a shawl over its head.
"That's queer," went on the boy. "What can that man or boy be up
to?"
Presently the figure turned and entered one of the lower
dormitories, closing the door gently behind it. Then it came out
again and made swiftly for the rear of the upper hallway. By
this time Sam was more curious than ever, and as the figure
disappeared around the bend by the back stairs he followed on
tiptoes.
But as what light there was came from the front, the rear was very
dark, and the youth could see little or nothing. He heard a door
close and the lock click, but whether or not it was upstairs or
down he could not tell.
For several minutes he remained in the rear hallway, and then he
went back to his post. Soon Tom came out to relieve him, and Sam
re-entered the dormitory and told his story to the others.
"That's certainly odd," was Dick's comment
"Was it a man or a boy, Sam?"
"I can't say exactly. If it wasn't a man it was a pretty big
boy."
"Perhaps we ought to report the matter to Captain Putnam,"
suggested Frank. "That person may have been around the hallways
for no good purpose."
"Oh, pshaw! perhaps it was somebody who was trying to spy on us,"
put in Fred. "If we tell the captain we will only be exposing
ourselves, and I guess you all know what that means."
"It means half-holidays cut off for a month," said Dick.
"Besser you vait und see vot comes of dis," said Hans, and after a
little more talk this idea prevailed, and then the boys went in to
clear up what was left of the feast. Everything was gone but a
little ice-cream, and it did not take long to dispose of this.
Sam was bound to have some fun, and instead of eating his last
mouthful of cream he awaited a favorable opportunity and dropped
it down inside of Fred's collar.
"Great Scott!" roared Fred Garrison. "Whow!" And he began to
dance around. "Oh, my backbone! That's worse than a chunk of
ice! Oh, but I'll be frozen stiff!"
"Go down and sit on the kitchen stove," suggested Dick.
"Sit on the stove? I'll sit on Sam's head if I get the chance!"
roared Fred, and made a rush for Sam. A scuffle ensued, which
came to a sudden end as both sent a washstand over with a loud
crash.
"Wow you've done it!" cried Frank. "That's noise enough to wake
the dead."
"Great Caesar, stop that row!" burst out Torn, opening the door.
"Do you want to bring the captain down on us at the last minute?"
"Clear up that muss, both of you," said Dick to Sam and Fred. But
the latter demurred. It was Sam's fault--he started the racket.
"I won't touch it." And Fred proceeded to go to bed.
"I reckon we had best dust," said one of the boys from another
dormitory.
"So you had!" burst out Tom. "I hear somebody coming already,"
and in a twinkle the outsiders ran for their various quarters,
leaving the occupants of Dormitory No. 6 to fix up matters as best
they could.
It was no easy job to straighten out the washstand, clear up the
general muss, and disrobe. But the boys were on their mettle, and
in less than two minutes the light was out and all were under the
covers, although, to be sure, Sam had his shoes still on and Tom
was entirely clothed.
"Boys, what is the row up here?" The call came from Captain
Putnam himself. He was ascending the front stairs, lamp in hand,
and attired in a long dressing gown.
As no one answered, he paused in the upper hallway and asked the
question again. Then he looked into one dormitory after another.
"All asleep, eh? Well, see that you don't wake up again as soon
as my back is turned," he went on, and soon after walked below
again, a faint smile on his features. He knew that boys were
bound to be more or less mischievous, no matter how strict his
regulations.
"I'll tell you what, the captain's a brick!" whispered Tom, as he
began to disrobe noiselessly.
"So he is," answered Frank. "You wouldn't catch old Crabtree
acting that way. He'd have bad every cadet out of bed and sent
half a dozen of us down to the guard-room."
"I guess the captain remembers when he was a cadet himself,"
remarked Dick. "I've heard that they cut up some high pranks at
West Point."
"George Strong would be just as kind," came from Tom. "But say, I
am growing awfully tired."
"So am I," came from several others,
Then the good-night word was passed, and soon all of the cadets
were sound asleep, never dreaming of the surprise which awaited
them in the morning.