OVERHEARING A PLOT
"Professor Lemm has left Colby Hall!"
"What do you mean, Jack? Left the Hall for good?"
"Yes, Randy."
"Who told you that?" questioned Fred eagerly.
"I just got it from Professor Brice. He said that old Lemon resigned,
took his pay, and left yesterday afternoon while we were in classes."
"Hurrah! that's the best news I've heard in a year of Sundays!" cried
Andy. "Gone for good! Just think of it!" and, in high spirits, he began
to do a jig, and ended with a handspring across the room, landing with a
violent thump on the bed.
"Hi, you, Andy!" remonstrated Jack. "Just because you are happy is no
reason you should bust up my sleeping place."
"Wow! I feel fine enough to do almost anything," returned the fun-loving
Rover. "Just to think of it! We won't be worried by Asa Lemm any more!"
"Don't you be too sure of that," went on his cousin. "Asa Lemm is gone,
it is true; but we may hear from him, nevertheless. When he went away he
was an angry as ever, so Professor Brice said."
As was usual, the Rovers had congregated in their rooms, along with
several of their chums. Outside it was snowing once again, the soft
particles whirling in all directions and clinging fast to the window
panes. It was the off hour of the afternoon, but none of the lads had
cared to go outside, or even visit the school library.
The news that Asa Lemm had left the Hall was true. Following his heated
interview with Colonel Colby, he had written out his resignation,
accepted his pay for the month, packed his baggage, and left the school,
never to return. Only several of the teachers and the man who had driven
him away had seen him go; and this was as Colonel Colby wished it, for
he was afraid that if the cadets were present at the disliked teacher's
departure, they would make some sort of demonstration against him.
Strange as it may seem, Colonel Colby had said nothing further about
punishing the cadets. Evidently he had taken their word for it that
they would not have played the trick on any other teacher in the
school, and possibly he remembered what Andy had said to the effect that
the boys had been punished beforehand for what had been done. A few of
the lads were afraid that the matter might be taken up later, but the
majority had reached the conclusion that they would hear no more
concerning it.
"It's too bad it's snowing," said Jack, after he and the others had
tired of speaking about the departed teacher. "I had an idea we would be
able to get in some fine skating before we left for the Christmas
holidays."
The Rover boys had not forgotten the fact that both Asa Lemm and Colonel
Colby had received notes concerning the joke that had been played. They
remembered well how Slugger Brown, as related in a previous volume, had
sent an anonymous communication to Elias Lacy, accusing them of having
shot the old farmer's cows.
"If Slugger was mean enough to send that letter, he'd be mean enough to
send these notes," was the way Jack put it.
"I wish we could see one or both of the letters," remarked Randy. "We
could very quickly tell if they were in Slugger's handwriting, or
Nappy's either."
"Oh, you can bet they'd disguise their handwriting as much as possible,"
said Fred.
The snow continued the next day, and it was so windy and unpleasant
outdoors that the battalion had to dispense with its outdoor parade and
spend that time in a drill in the gymnasium. After this was over the
Rovers and some of their chums amused themselves on the bars, swinging
rings, and with the exercising machines the gymnasium afforded.
The boys were doing all sorts of stunts, when suddenly Fred called Randy
to one side.
"Come on with me," he said in a low voice. "I think I've discovered
something."
His manner showed that he had something unusual on his mind, and Randy
lost no time in doing as was bidden. The two cousins hurried to a corner
of the gymnasium, and then Fred led the way up a narrow stairway, which
opened up on the second floor of the building, a place which was heated,
but seldom used by the majority of the cadets. It was used more as a
storeroom, and contained a lot of disused gymnasium paraphernalia and
boxes and barrels.
"What's going on up here?" questioned Randy, when his cousin placed a
hand over his mouth.
"I just saw Slugger and Nappy come up here with Codfish," whispered
Fred. "And those three wouldn't come to such an out-of-the-way place if
there wasn't something in the wind."
"You're right there, Fred," was the equally low reply. "When those three
get together on the sly there is generally something brewing."
Before emerging on the second floor of the gymnasium, they looked around
cautiously. At the far end, near a steam radiator, they saw Slugger and
Nappy seated on a couple of boxes, while Codfish rested on the top of an
old nail keg. The two older boys were puffing away at cigarettes,
something that was against the school rules.
"Might as well have a cigarette, Henry," Slugger was saying
good-naturedly, and, at the same time, holding out a box.
"I--I don't think I will," answered Codfish.
"Oh, go ahead. It will make a man of you," put in Nappy; and, somewhat
against his will, the small cadet took a cigarette and lit it.
While this was going on, Fred and Randy had managed to step from the top
of the stairs to where a number of boxes were piled up. They moved along
cautiously, and soon got to within a few feet of where the other three
cadets were seated, without being noticed.
"Now, then, let's come to business!" remarked Slugger, after puffing
away at a cigarette for a moment. He blew a cloud of smoke to the
ceiling. "I think now is a dandy time to get square with those Rovers."
"But you want to be careful--they are awful sly," said Codfish.
"I think you are mistaken, Henry. They didn't find out about those
notes," and the bully chuckled.
"Just the same, Slug, I think we ought to take Cod's advice and be
careful," broke in Nappy, lighting a fresh cigarette. "I have a hunch
that the Rovers are watching us like a cat watches mice."
"Maybe they are. But I guess we know how to fool them," went on the
bully swaggeringly. "And now is just our chance to get them into a
hole."
"Explain, please."
"It's just like this, Nappy. Of course, they haven't admitted it, but
you know just as well as I do that Colonel Colby must have punished them
pretty severely for the trick they played on Lemm. What he did to them,
we don't know, but probably he has given 'em some extra lessons to do,
and maybe he's punished 'em in other ways."
"Oh, sure! he must have punished them somehow."
"I haven't seen any of them going down to town since it happened," put
in Codfish. "Maybe Colonel Colby made them promise to stay within
bounds."
"Perhaps. Well, as I was saying, being punished, they, of course, are
pretty sore on the colonel. Now then, if we can only play some dirty
trick on Colonel Colby and make it appear as if the Rovers and their
crowd did it, they'll sure get into hot water over it."
"I'm willing to do anything to square up with those fellows," grumbled
Nappy. He paused for a moment to puff away at his cigarette. "What do
you propose doing?"
"That, of course, is something we'll have to figure out. We'll want to
be careful, so as not to get our own fingers burnt."
"I'll tell you what you might do!" broke in Codfish eagerly. "You might
drop ashes all over Colonel Colby's office and his bedroom, and then
leave some of the ashes in a box in the Rovers' rooms, and somebody
might say something about having seen Jack Rover getting the ashes from
the boiler-room."
"That's good as far as it goes, Henry, but it isn't quite strong
enough," returned Slugger. "We ought to do something that will make
Colonel Colby hopping mad."
"I'll tell you what let's do!" broke out Nappy. "We'll use the ashes,
and we'll use some other things too. I was down past the kitchen a while
ago, and I heard one of the cooks complaining about some of the canned
tomatoes which were all spoiled and he was going to throw out. Now,
suppose we use some of those spoiled tomatoes with the ashes, and maybe
a quart or two of ink. How about it?"
"Great!" exclaimed Slugger. "Ashes, ink and decayed tomatoes will make
one fine combination, believe me!"
"Oh, you want to be very careful," remarked Codfish, his voice shaking a
little. "The ink will be sure to spoil some things, not to mention the
bad tomatoes."
"Well, we want to spoil something," returned Slugger. "We want to get
Colonel Colby real mad. Maybe then he'll send the Rovers home."
"How soon do you suppose we can play this joke?" questioned Nappy, while
Slugger lit a fresh cigarette.
"Perhaps we can play it very soon. We'll have to watch our chance," was
the answer. Slugger held out his box of cigarettes to Codfish. "Here,
Henry, have another."
"N-n-no, th-thank you," stammered the sneak. "I--I do--don't care to
smoke any more. It--it makes my head dizzy."
"Oh, you'll soon get over that. Come on, be a real man and smoke up!"
urged Slugger; and much against his will poor Codfish lit a second
cigarette, he having dropped the other behind the nail keg.
This talk was followed by an animated discussion between Slugger and
Nappy as to just how the proposed trick might be played. Codfish said
but little. He was growing pale, and at the first chance threw away the
second cigarette.
Of course Fred and Randy had listened to every word that was said.
Ordinarily, the Rovers did not favor playing the part of eavesdroppers,
but just now they thought they were amply justified in listening to
everything that their enemies might have to say.
"They are a fine bunch if ever there was one!" whispered Randy.
"Come on away; I guess we've heard enough," answered his cousin. "The
best thing we can do is to report to Jack and Andy, and then make up our
minds what we are going to do next."