Chapter XXI: The Boys "hold the Fort"

Quarter of an hour passed, and still Josiah Crabtree and Peleg Snuggers remained in the vicinity of the gymnasium, while the boys, from behind the window shades, watched all of their movements.

"They are cold enough," was Dale's comment. "See them slapping their arms."

At last the crabbed teacher could stand it no longer. Leaving the general utility man to remain on guard, he started back for the Hall at a brisk pace.

"He is coming!" whispered Jack. "Now, boys, don't make a sound."

Reaching the door, Josiah Crabtree tried the knob.

"Humph! Who could have locked that?" he asked of himself. "Certainly I did not. Snuggers must have the key."

"Ain't got no key an' I didn't lock the door, Mister Crabtree," said the hired man, on being questioned.

"Well, it is certainly locked now."

"Ain't nobuddy come here neither," said Peleg Snuggers. He was growing tired of waiting around in the cold.

"I'll try the other doors," came from Josiah Crabtree, and he hurried off once more. Of course he found everything tight shut.

"Somebody has locked us out," he muttered. "It must have been those boys. Perhaps they saw Snuggers and myself going to the gymnasium. Confound the luck!"

Again he walked around the Hall, trying all of the doors, and when he had done so, called to Snuggers:

"Have you a key?"

"No, sir."

"They have locked us out."

"You don't say so! Who did it?"

"I don't know."

Josiah Crabtree pondered for a moment and then, walking back to the main door of the Hall, pulled the bell.

Ordinarily the bell pealed loudly, but now no sound came forth, for the clapper had been bent back by one of the cadets.

"Ha! they have disconnected the bell!" growled Josiah Crabtree. "The young scamps! I'll fix them for this! Just wait till I get inside." And then he began to thump on the door with his fist.

"He's getting warmed up," whispered Andy, grinning broadly.

"Never mind, it will keep his blood in circulation," answered Jack, and all of the cadets present snickered.

"Are you going to open that door?" roared Josiah Crabtree, at last. "You young villains, open the door, I say!"

"My, but he's getting complimentary, I must confess," said Dale.

"Do you think the noise will wake up Mrs. Green?" asked one of the boys.

"No, she sleeps like a cow," answered another. "Besides, her room is at the top of the building, and all of the upper doors are shut."

"Open the door!" bellowed Josiah Crabtree.

"Open the door!" echoed Peleg Snuggers.

"Shall we answer?" asked Joe.

"Not yet," returned Pepper. "Wait till he tries to break in. Then I've got another scheme to work on him."

Finding he could do nothing at the door, Josiah Crabtree hurried to one of the windows.

"Now, fellows, is your chance!" cried Stuffer. "A little water from one of the pitchers--"

"Whoop!" came from Hogan. "It's a bath he's afther nadin', sure!" And up the stairs he bounded. Water pitcher in hand, he approached a window over the one the teacher was trying to open. Then down came the water on the teacher's head, wetting him thoroughly.

"Ouch!" roared Josiah Crabtree, and began to dance around. "Oh, the water has gone down my back! It's ice-cold! Oh, I'll pay you for that!"

"Thank you, no payment requoired!" said Hogan, softly, and closed the window again.

"Emerald, you're a gem!" said Andy. "Won't old Crabtree feel fine with a wet back on such a bitter night as this?"

"If you don't let me in I'll--I'll have the law on some of you!" yelled Josiah Crabtree. "This is--er--preposterous! Open the door!"

"All the winders is tight shut," said Peleg Snuggers, who had been making an examination. "I must say, I dunno how we are to git in, Mr. Crabtree."

"We must get in," fumed the teacher. "Why, my back feels like a--er--an icicle."

"Sorry, sir."

"If I stay out here I'll catch my death of cold."

"I've got an idee, sir. I might get a ladder and put it up to the second-story winders."

"Yes, yes. Get the ladder at once."

The general utility man hurried off to the carriage house and presently came forth carrying a long ladder.

"It's all I can do to lift it, sir," he said. "You'll have to help me raise it."

"I can do that."

"They've got a ladder!" whispered Jack. "They are going to try to get into one of the upper windows."

"Come on upstairs," returned Pepper. "Say, has anybody got a blank cartridge left?"

Several had, having saved them from the encampment, and they were passed over to Pepper, who placed one in his gun. Then Andy loaded up likewise.

"Put on your caps, boys," said Pepper. "Pull 'em down over your eyes, so Crabtree can't recognize us in the dark."

This was also done, and a score of students crowded into the room which the teacher and Snuggers expected to enter.

They had scarcely done so when there came an unexpected crash. In trying to raise the heavy ladder both Josiah Crabtree and Snuggers had allowed it to slip, and the end came through the window sash, shattering the window panes into a thousand pieces.

"Phew! That's the time they did it!" exclaimed Henry Lee. "There will be some glass to pay for when this adventure is over."

"Well, that wasn't our fault," came from Harry Blossom. "They should have been more careful with the ladder."

"Snuggers, have a care!" roared Josiah Crabtree. "You have broken the window."

"Twasn't my fault!" howled the hired man. "Why didn't you keep her from slippin'?"

"Hold the bottom of the ladder while I go up," ordered the teacher, ignoring the question. "Be careful now. I don't want to break my neck."

"I'm a-holdin' tight enough," grumbled the hired man.

With caution Josiah Crabtree started to come up the ladder.

"Here comes the burglar, boys!" shouted Pepper, in an assumed voice. "He has broken the window. He deserves to be shot!"

"Yes, yes! shoot the burglar!" came in a shout. "Shoot him!"

"We'll teach 'em that they can't rob Putnam Hall even if Captain Putnam is away."

"Stop!" screamed Josiah Crabtree. "I am no bur----"

"Take careful aim," commanded Pepper, loudly. "All ready?"

"Boys, I am no bur----"

"All ready?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Boys, I command you to sto----"

"Fire!"

Bang! bang! bang! went three of the guns, the cadets shooting high up into the night air. With a wild scream of terror, Josiah Crabtree slid down the ladder, on top of Peleg Snuggers' head, and both sank to the ground.

"There goes Mr. Burglar!"

"Run away, you robber! If you don't we'll give you another dose!"

"Oh, my poor head!" groaned Snuggers.

"They are shooting at me!" moaned Crabtree, scrambling up.

"They be takin' us for burglars!" went on the general utility man.

"There are two of them," came from above. "Shoot them, fellows! They must be regular desperadoes to try such a game as this."

"Let us run!" screamed Peleg Snuggers, and set off at his best pace, with Josiah Crabtree at his heels. Neither stopped until he was safe in the shelter of the barn.

"There they go!" laughed Pepper. "I'll wager they won't come back in a hurry."

"Shove the ladder off," commanded Jack, and this was done, the ladder falling out across the campus.

"Of course they'll come back," came from Dave Kearney. "What shall we do next?"

"Sure an' there is plenthy av water," suggested Hogan.

"That's the ticket. Put the guns away, or we may arouse Mrs. Green after all, or somebody living at a distance."

The guns were restored to the racks on the lower floor of the Hall, and this done, two students stationed themselves at each window upstairs, each with a pitcher of cold water.

"Here is where somebody is going to get a fine ducking," said Bart Conners, with a merry twinkle in his eyes. Bart did not do much talking, but he was as full of mischief as the average cadet.

Soon they saw Josiah Crabtree and Peleg Snuggers sneaking toward one of the lower windows. The hired man had an ax.

"They surely mean business this trip," whispered Pepper. "Give it to them!"

Down went one pitcherful of water after another, and in a trice both the teacher and the hired man were thoroughly drenched. They set up a howl, and Snuggers dropped the ax as he ran off with Crabtree by his side.

"Haven't we had about enough?" questioned Jack, after a wild burst of laughter.

"Let's go to bed, and be as mum as oysters," said Andy, and this was agreed to. All of the upper windows were closed, and then some of the cadets unlocked the door below that had been open, and fixed the door bell.

"Now, then, not a word from anybody, on his life!" said Jack, and the word spread rapidly. Inside of five minutes every cadet was in bed, the lights were put out, and all became as silent as a tomb inside of Putnam Hall.