"Then I shall perish in a good cause," laughed Frank. "Fun is better than medicine, and we were beginning to stagnate."
"Help!" cried Professor Gunn, in tones of deep anguish. "Take these beasts away! They are devouring me!"
"Meow! me-e-eow! S"pt! s"pt! Me-e-e-e-ow!" howled the cats, as they continued to scratch the professor"s face till it began to look like the colored map of a country that had been disturbed by a violent earthquake.
Somehow Hot Scotch had gotten into a wrangle with High Jinks, whom he was holding down and punching vigorously.
"Hit me in the ribs, will ye! Pound me in the eye, will ye? Tackle me when down, will ye? Well, I"ve got a score against you, and I"ll settle it now!"
"Take him off!" squealed Jenks, thrashing about with his long legs.
"Save me! save me!"
Having untangled themselves from the ma.s.s and become freed of the crawfish in the struggle, Hans and Barney sat on the floor and stared in astonishment at the spectacle. The sight was too much for the risibilities of the Irish boy, and he forgot that he had been severely bitten by "centipades."
"Begorra! Dutchy, this is a roight loively avening, Oi do belave," he chuckled. "Will yez look at this fer a racket, Oi dunno! Hurro! Sail in, b"ys!"
"Vell, I don"t efer seen der peat uf dot!" gasped Hans, his eyes bulging. "Uf dot don"t peen a recular fight, I vos an oysder!"
"Now, boys, it"s time to take a hand," said Frank Merriwell. "Be lively! Gather up the crawfish, and throw "em out of the windows.
Work quick! Here, Windsor, dispose of this bag!"
His words put the cadets in motion. Down the stairs he ran, and quickly gathered up every crawfish he could find, while others followed his example. Then, leaving the boys to take care of the cats and separate the fighting professors, he bounded up the stairs and hurried to the room occupied by Barney and Hans, where he removed every crawfish he could find in the beds or upon the floor. He worked with great swiftness, and accomplished all this in a very few seconds.
In the meantime, some of the boys who had been in the joke from the start, took hold and aided Frank to clear out all signs of the crawfish, while others hastened to Professor Gunn"s a.s.sistance, and pulled off the cats, removing the string from their tails.
Barney and Hans were beginning to call for the doctor again, declaring they had been bitten by "centibedes," or "cintipades," and Professor Gunn was glaring over a handkerchief held to his bleeding face, while High Jinks and Hot Scotch stood apart and glowered at each other, ready to resume hostilities at the slightest provocation.
Lieutenant Gordan was on hand, looking very stern, and asking a few very pointed questions. He fully understood a practical joke had been perpetrated, and woe to the perpetrator if the lieutenant found proof against him. Gordan was stern and as unwavering as the hills in the discharge of his duty.
But the lieutenant found five very excited and incoherent persons in the group that had a.s.sembled at the foot of the stairs. Professors Jenks and Scotch would not say much of anything, only mutter and glare daggers at each other, while Professor Gunn was too furious and too confused to tell anything straight. Barney and Hans declared over and over that they had been bitten by "centipedes," and showed the wounds.
The jumbled story told by them puzzled the lieutenant more than anything else.
Having been released, the cats had taken flight.
Lieutenant Gordan did not say much, but the expression on his face told that he meant to investigate the affair thoroughly. The time, however, was not suitable for an investigation, and so he ordered everybody to their rooms. Barney called for a drink of milk and vinegar, but the lieutenant a.s.sured him that he was not in danger of dying immediately if he did not obtain what he desired, so both the Irish lad and the Dutch boy were sent to their rooms, like the others.
In a brief time silence settled over the academy, and no one could have fancied there had been such an uproar there a short while before.
In the morning, Bartley said to Frank.
"What in the world has got into you, old man? You are full of the Old Harry, lately. You will have this academy turned bottom up, if you keep on."
Frank smiled.
"We"ve got to have something to break the monotony," he said. "A fellow gets tired of plugging away at his studies all the time."
"That"s so," admitted Bart, who was a dark-faced, reserved sort of boy; "but such tricks as you perpetrated last night are dangerous."
"How?"
"What if Lieutenant Gordan finds out you were at the bottom of it? You know what will happen."
"Sure!"
"Well, you are taking big chances for a little fun."
"A little fun!" echoed Frank. "Didn"t you consider that something more than a little fun last night? It struck me as a roaring farce."
A faint trace of a smile came to Hodge"s dark face.
"You enjoy anything of the kind far more than I do, Merriwell," he said. "I like fun of a different sort."
"Well, I fancy you will acknowledge I take some interest in other sports, Bart?"
"That"s all right, Frank; you are the leader of our cla.s.s in everything, because you are a natural leader. But you have a dangerous rival."
"Think so?"
"I know it. There is a fellow in this school who is aiming to stand at the head in athletics. Up to a few weeks ago he remained in the background, so that little or no notice was taken of him; but he is coming to the front now, and I believe he means to give you a hot race for first position. He has even declared openly that he is a pitcher, and means to make a try for a position on the team."
"That"s all right, Bart. I am not hoggish enough to want all the honors, and, if we play as much ball as we intend to next spring and summer, we"ll need another pitcher. I can"t do all the twirling."
"But he says he will not play under you as captain of the team."
"Ha! That is interesting! Now you are waking me up. I suppose the fellow you speak of is Paul Rains?"
"Yes, he is the one."
"Then Rains is something of an enemy, as well as a rival. Well, we"ll see who is the better man."
CHAPTER XVI.
PAUL RAINS.
The short, dark days of winter had brought about changes in Fardale Academy. Drills had been discontinued, and, except for weekly inspections and occasional guard duty, there were no formations under arms. The hours for study were longer, as also were the lessons. Some of the plebes were negligent and regardless of the fact that the January examinations were close at hand, while others were "boning"
steadily, doing their level best to stand well in their cla.s.ses.
For all of his mischievous disposition, Frank was studying enough to hold his own in his cla.s.s, and he was looked on favorably by his instructors. He was magnetic, and had a winning way, so that he made many friends, always among the better cla.s.s at the school. No one, either man or boy, is ever popular without having enemies, and this was true of Frank; but his enemies were those who were jealous of him, or those with whom he did not care to a.s.sociate, for the best of reasons.
Hodge was not a fellow to make friends, being haughty and proud, and Merriwell obtained many enemies because he roomed with Bart, and seemed to stand up for the fellow.
The friendship of the two lads was rather remarkable, considering how they had once been enemies, and how Hodge had worked hard to injure Frank.
Among the plebes there were a few who stood head and shoulders above their companions in athletics. Hodge went in for fencing, and Professor Rhynas declared he would make a master of the foil. Hugh Bas...o...b.. with a pugilist"s thick neck and round head, was spending all his spare time boxing, and it was said that he could strike a blow that would stagger an ox. His admirers declared it was a beautiful sight to see him hammer the punching-bag, and they a.s.sured him over and over that he was certain to make another Sullivan. Naturally, this gave Bas...o...b..the "swelled head," and he got an idea into his brain that he was really cut out for a fighter, and that n.o.body in Fardale could stand up before him for four rounds.