"Higher! Higher!" called some one in the wings of the improvised stage.
"Higher!"
The voice was loud enough to be heard out in the audience, but was intended to be audible only to the person in charge of pulling up the curtain.
It was an unfortunate thing that "Higher" sounded so much like "Fire!"
In fact that is what a number of persons thought the cry was, and, taking it with the smoke, which few knew was a part of the picture, they believed some accident had happened.
"Higher! Higher!" called the stage manager again, not seeing the alarmed look on the faces of the audience. He wanted the curtain to go up, but it was caught on something.
Then the panic-wave, which is always ready to sweep over a big gathering at the slightest provocation, started. A few women screamed. Some girls started to leave their seats and a number of boys made ready to follow.
"It"s a fire!" yelled some thoughtless one.
That was enough. In an instant the entire audience had arisen and was about to make a maddened rush for the exits, of which there were none too many.
The four chums, with their girl friends, were seated in the first row.
They were near enough to know what the matter was and to see there was no danger. Others near them could also see, but the vast majority was in ignorance.
"If they rush for the doors a lot will be killed!" cried Bart.
"Sit down! Sit down!" yelled Frank, and Fenn joined with him in trying to calm those around him. Several girls near them had fainted.
"There"s going to be trouble!" said Ned in a low tone to Fenn. "What can we do?"
"Tell the band to play!" cried Fenn.
Ned turned to where the orchestra had been seated, but the players had fled. The audience was rushing madly for the doors. They were crushing in a terror-stricken ma.s.s around the exits. Ned saw his opportunity and acted.
Grasping a cornet from the chair where the player had dropped it he began to blow. He had learned how to give the army bugle calls while in camp one year, and the memory came back to him. An instant later the sweet notes of "Taps," or "Lights out," sounded above the terrible noise of the frenzied throng. The audience halted in its mad rush.
CHAPTER XVI
A RIVER TRIP
Standing up on his seat Ned continued to blow the notes. Clear and true they rang out. Twice he gave the call, but before he had begun the second round the audience had calmed down. Ned had saved the day; the panic was practically over.
Here and there a frightened woman, a hysterical girl, or a timid man made a movement toward getting out, but the majority had come to a halt and turned to look at the young bugler.
By this time those in charge of the entertainment were on the stage calling rea.s.suringly to the people. The red fire died out and the smoke drifted away.
"Take your seats," said the manager, and nearly every one did so.
"There was an unfortunate mistake," the manager went on. "Luckily no one was hurt. I regret very much that it has happened. I think it will be best to close the entertainment. It was almost over when the panic started."
"I want to add but that for the presence of mind of this young man,"
and he looked at Ned, who tried to hide down in his seat, "there might have been a terrible calamity. By his quickness he prevented the panic from continuing. He deserves the thanks of every one here."
"And he"ll get "em, too," called someone. "Three cheers for Ned Wilding!"
They were given with a fervor that made the chandeliers rattle.
"Good for you, old chap!" exclaimed Bart, clapping Ned on the back, while the other chums began shaking his hands. Ned was blushing like a girl, and was soon the center of an admiring throng. He tried to get away but they would not let him. Every one wanted to shake hands with him.
The audience was now laughing and talking where, but a few minutes before, it had been a maddened, unreasoning throng; and shortly began dispersing, and soon there remained only a few, including those in charge of the entertainment. Miss Mapes was among them.
"I"m sure it was the luckiest thing in the world that you boys came,"
she said to the chums. "What would have happened if Ned hadn"t played that cornet?"
"Oh, anyone could have done that," said Ned, who was wishing he could get away from the praise.
"Of course they could, if they had thought of it, but you were the only one who did."
"I guess some of the other boys would, if I had given them the chance,"
replied the hero of the occasion. "I happened to be nearest the instrument, that"s all."
"Well, it"s a great deal," responded the teacher. "I"ll send you boys tickets to every entertainment we have."
"That will be fine," put in Fenn with a laugh.
"I vote we go home," said Bart. "Don"t seem to be any more panics to put down."
The four chums, and the girls, left, each one trying to outdo the other in telling of what they thought and what they saw during the excitement.
It was as near a tragedy as had ever happened in the town, and the next day"s paper devoted the whole front page to it, including a vivid description of what Ned had done.
"I"m going to leave town," declared Ned the next afternoon, as he met his chums.
"What"s the matter?" asked Frank.
"Why everyone I meet on the street stops me and asks me all about it.
I"m tired of telling of it and hearing about it."
"You"re not used to being a hero," said Bart. "Wait until some society sends you a medal and you"ll be so proud you won"t speak to any of us."
"Speaking of leaving town makes me think it would be a good plan," put in Fenn.
"What! Have you been robbing a bank or doing something else, that you want to skip out?" asked Bart.
"No, but we haven"t had any real sport since school closed, and it"s about time we did. I was going to propose taking a trip up the river say for about twenty miles, and camping out for a week. That would be fun."
"You"re right!" exclaimed Ned. "I"ll go with you for one."
"Count me in," said Bart, and Frank added that he wasn"t going to be left behind.
"This is my plan," went on Fenn. "We can take a small shelter tent, some blankets and a camp cook stove. The boat is big enough to carry all that, besides us, and some things to eat. The weather is fine now, and just right for sleeping out of doors. We can row along slowly, stopping where ever we want to, and tying up along sh.o.r.e for the night. What do you say?"