CHAPTER VII
PRISONERS IN THE SCHOOL
Dave and Phil had indeed made a serious mistake, and they knew at once that they were in for a severe lecture, and worse. Job Haskers was naturally an irascible man, and for the past few days he had been in a particularly bad humor.
"Excuse me, Mr. Haskers," said Dave, respectfully. "I didn't know you were in the cutter."
"You did it on purpose – don't deny it, Porter!" fumed the teacher. "It is outrageous, infamous, that a pupil of Oak Hall should act so!"
"Really, Mr. Haskers, it was a mistake," spoke up Phil. "We thought it was Horsehair – I mean Lemond, who was driving."
"Bah! Do I look like Lemond? And, anyway, what right would you have to snowball the driver for this school? It is scandalous! I shall make an example of you. Report to me at the office in five minutes, both of you!"
The boys' hearts sank at this order, and they felt worse when they suddenly remembered that both Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale were away and that, consequently, Job Haskers was, for the time being, in authority. The teacher went back to the cutter, took up the reins, and drove out of sight around the campus entrance.
"Too bad!" was Roger's comment. "I yelled to you not to throw."
"I know you did, but I had already done so," answered Dave.
"And so had I," added Phil.
"Say, that puts me in mind of a story," exclaimed Shadow, who was in the crowd. "A man once had a mule – "
"Who wants to listen to a story at this time?" broke in Ben Basswood.
"Never mind, let's have the yarn," said Dave. "Perhaps it will serve to brighten our gloom," and he smiled feebly.
"This man had a mule in which a neighbor was very much interested," continued Shadow. "One day the mule got sick, and every day after that the neighbor would tell the owner of some new remedy for curing him. One day he came over to where the mule-owner lived. 'Say,' he says, 'I've got the best remedy a-going. You must try it.' 'Don't think I will,' answered the mule-owner. 'Oh, but you must, I insist,' said the neighbor. 'It will sure cure your mule and set him on his feet again.' 'I don't think so,' said the mule-owner. 'But I am positive,' cried the neighbor. 'Just give it a trial.' 'Never,' said the mule-owner. Then the neighbor got mad. 'Say, why won't you try this remedy?' he growled. 'I won't because the mule is dead,' answered the other man. Then the neighbor went home in deep thought."
"Well, that's to the point," said the senator's son, laughing. "For I told them to stop after the damage was done."
In no enviable frame of mind Dave and Phil walked into the school, took off their outer garments and caps, and made their way to the office. Job Haskers had not yet come in, and they had to wait several minutes for him.
As has been said, the teacher was in far from a friendly humor. Some months before he had invested a portion of his savings in some mining stock, thinking that he would be able to make money fast. Now the stock had become practically worthless, and that very morning he had learned that he would never be able to get more than ten per cent. of his money back.
"You are a couple of scamps," he said, harshly. "I am going to teach you a needed lesson." And then the two boys saw that he held behind him a carriage-whip.
Dave and Phil were astonished, and with good reason. So far as they knew, corporal punishment was not permitted at Oak Hall excepting on very rare occasions, – where a pupil had taken his choice of a whipping or expulsion. Was it possible that Job Haskers intended to chastise them bodily?
"Mr. Haskers, I am very sorry that I hit you with that snowball," said Dave. "As I said before, I did not know it was you, and it was only thrown in fun."
"What Dave says is true," added Phil. "I hope you will accept my apology for what happened."
"I'll accept no apologies!" fumed Job Haskers. "It was done on purpose, and you must both suffer for it," and the teacher brandished the whip as if to strike them then and there.
"Mr. Haskers, what do you intend to do?" asked Dave, quietly but firmly.
"I intend to give you the thrashing you deserve!"
"With that whip?"
"Yes, with this whip."
"You'll not do it, sir!"
"What!"
"I say, you'll not do it, sir."
"Hum! We'll see about this!" And the teacher glared at Dave as if to eat him up.
"You have no authority to whip us," put in Phil.
"Who says so?"
"I say so."
"And Phil is right," added Dave. "I'll not allow it, so you may as well put that whip away."
"I'd like to know who is master here, you or I?" demanded Job Haskers, turning red with rage.
"Doctor Clay is master here, and we are under his care. If you try to strike me with that whip I'll report the matter to him," answered Dave. "You may punish me any other way, if you wish, but I won't put up with a whipping."
"And I won't be whipped either," added Phil.
"I'll show you!" roared Job Haskers, and raising the whip he tried to bring it down on Dave's head. The youth dodged, turned, and caught the whip in his hands.
"Let go that whip, Porter!"
"I will not – not until you promise not to strike at me again."
"I'll promise nothing! Let go, I say!"
The teacher struggled to get the whip free of Dave's grasp, and a scuffle ensued. Dave was forced up against a side stand, upon which stood a beautiful marble statue of Mercury.
"Look out for the statue!" cried Phil, in alarm, but even as he spoke Dave was shoved back, and over went the stand and ornament, the statue breaking into several pieces.
"There, now see what you've done!" cried Job Haskers, as the battle ceased for the moment, and Dave let go the whip.
"It wasn't my fault – you shoved me into it," answered Dave.
"It was your fault, and you'll pay the damages. That statue was worth at least fifty dollars. And you'll take your thrashing, too," added the teacher, vindictively.
"Don't you dare to hit Dave," cried Phil, "or me either, Mr. Haskers. You can punish us, but you can't whip us, so there!"
"Ha! Both of you defy me, eh?"
"We are not to be whipped, and that settles it," said Dave.
"I presume you think, because you are two to one, you can get the better of me," sneered the teacher. He knew the two boys were strong, and he did not wish to risk a fight with them.
"I don't want to get the better of anybody, but I am not going to let you whip me," answered Dave, stubbornly.
"If you are willing, we'll leave the matter to Doctor Clay," suggested the shipowner's son.
"You come with me," returned the teacher abruptly, and led the way out of the office to a small room used for the storage of schoolbooks and writing-pads. The room had nothing but a big closet and had a small window, set up high in the wall. The shelves on the walls were full of new books and on the floor were piles of volumes that had seen better days.
"Going to lock us in, I guess," whispered Phil.
"Well, he can do it if he wants to, but he shan't whip me," answered Dave, in an equally low tone.
"Now, you can stay here for the present," growled Job Haskers, as he held open the door. "And don't you dare to make any noise either."
"What about supper?" asked Dave, for he was hungry.
"You shall have something to eat when the proper time comes."
The boys walked into the room, and Job Haskers immediately closed the door and locked it, placing the key in his pocket. Then the lads heard him walk away, and all became silent, for the book-room was located between two classrooms which were not in use on Saturdays and Sundays.
"Well, what do you make of this?" asked the shipowner's son, after an awkward pause.
"Nothing – what is there to make, Phil? Here we are, and likely to stay for a while."
"Are you going to pay for that broken statue?"
"Was it my fault it was broken?"
"No – he ran you into the stand."
"Then I don't see why I ought to pay."
"He may claim you had no right to fight him off."
"He had no right to attack me with the whip. I don't think Doctor Clay will stand for that."
"If he does, he isn't the man I thought he was."
The two youths walked around the little room, gazing at the rows of books. Then Dave stood on a pile of old books and looked out of the small window.
"See anything worth looking at?" asked his chum.
"No, all I can see is a corner of the campus and a lot of snow. Nobody is in sight."
"Wonder how long old Haskers intends to keep us here?"
"I'm sure I don't know."
With nothing to do, the boys looked over some schoolbooks. They were not of great interest, and soon it grew too dark to read. Phil gave a long sigh.
"This is exciting, I must say," he said, sarcastically.
"Never mind, it will be exciting enough when we face Doctor Clay."
"I'd rather face him than old Haskers, Dave."
"Oh, so would I! When will the doctor be back?"
"I don't know."
An hour went by, and the two prisoners heard a muffled tramping of feet which told them that the other students had assembled in the dining hall for supper. The thought of the bountiful tables made them both more hungry than ever.
"I'd give as much as a dollar for a couple of good sandwiches," said the shipowner's son, dismally. "Seems to me, I'm hollow clear down to my heels!"
"Wait, I've got an idea!" returned Dave.
He felt in his pocket and brought forth several keys. Just as he did this they heard footsteps in the hallway, and Dave slipped the keys back in his pocket.
The door was flung open and Job Haskers appeared, followed by one of the dining room waiters, who carried a tray containing two glasses of milk and half a dozen slices of bread and butter.
"Here is something for you to eat," said the teacher, and directed the waiter to place the tray on a pile of books.
"Is this all we are to have?" demanded Dave.
"Yes."
"I'm hungry!" growled Phil. "That won't satisfy me."
"It will have to satisfy you, Lawrence."
"I think it's a shame!"
"I want no more words with you," retorted Job Haskers, and motioned the waiter to leave the room. Then he went out, locking the door and pocketing the key as before.
"Well, if this isn't the limit!" growled Phil. "A glass of milk and three slices of bread and butter apiece!"
"Well, we shan't starve, Phil," and Dave grinned to himself in the semi-darkness.
"And no light to eat by – and the room more than half cold. Dave, are you going to stand this?"
"I am not," was the firm response.
"What are you going to do?"
"Get out of here – if I possibly can," was Dave's reply.
CHAPTER VIII
A MOVE IN THE DARK
Dave took the bunch of keys from his pocket and approached the door. He tried one key after another, but none of them appeared to fit. Then Phil brought out such keys as he possessed, but all proved unavailable.
"That is one idea knocked in the head," said Dave, and heaved a sigh.
"I am going to tackle the bread and milk," said Phil. "It is better than nothing."
"It won't make us suffer from indigestion either," answered Dave, with a short laugh.
Sitting on some of the old schoolbooks the two youths ate the scanty meal Job Haskers had provided. To help pass the time they made the meal last as long as possible, eating every crumb of the bread and draining the milk to the last drop. The bread was stale, and they felt certain the teacher had furnished that which was old on purpose.
"I'll wager he'd like to hammer the life out of us," was Phil's comment. "Just wait and see the story he cooks up to tell Doctor Clay!"
"Wonder what the other fellows think of our absence, Phil?"
"Maybe they have asked Haskers about it."
Having disposed of all there was to eat and drink, the two lads walked around the little room to keep warm. Then Dave went at the door again, examining the lock with great care, and feeling of the hinges.
"Well, I declare!" he cried, almost joyfully.
"What now, Dave?"
"This door has hinges that set into this room and are held together by little rods running from the top to the bottom of each hinge. If we can take out the two rods, I am almost certain we can open the door from the hinge side!"
This was interesting news, and Phil came forward to aid Dave in removing the tiny rod which held the two parts of each hinge together. It was no easy task, for the rods were somewhat rusted, but at last both were removed, and then the boys felt the door give way at that point.
Now that they could get out, Phil wanted to know what was to be done next.
"I think I'll go out and hunt up something to eat on the sly," answered Dave. "Then we can come back here and wait for Doctor Clay's arrival."
"Good! I'll go with you. I don't want you to run the risk alone."
They waited until they felt that the dining room was deserted and then pried the door open and stole from their prison. Tiptoeing their way through the side hall, they reached a door which led to a big pantry, connecting the dining room and the kitchen. As they had anticipated, the pantry held many good things on its shelves, and a waiter was bringing in more food from the tables.
"Quick – take what you want!" whispered Dave, when the waiter had disappeared, and catching up a plate that contained some cold sliced tongue he added to it some baked beans, some bread and jam, and two generous slices of cake.
Phil understood, and taking another plate he got some of the baked beans, some cold ham, some bread and cheese, and a pitcher of milk. Then the two boys espied some crullers and stuffed several in their pockets. Then Dave saw a candle and captured that.
"He's coming back – skip!" whispered Phil, and ran out of the pantry with Dave at his heels. A moment later the waiter came in with more things, but he did not catch them, nor did he notice what they had taken.
As quickly as they could, the two boys returned to the book-room, and setting the stuff on the books, they lit the candle, and placed the rods back into the hinges of the door. So that nobody might see the light, they placed a sheet of paper over the keyhole of the door, and a row of books on the floor against the doorsill.
"Now we'll have a little better layout than that provided by Mr. Dictatorial Haskers," said Dave, and he proceeded to arrange some of the schoolbooks in a square in the center of the floor. "Might as well have a table while we are at it."
"And a couple of chairs," added Phil, and arranged more books for that purpose. Then they spread a sheet of paper over the "table," put a plate at either end, and the two sat down.
"It's a shame to make you eat without a fork, Phil," said Dave, solemnly. "But if you'd rather go hungry – "
"Not on your collar-button!" cried the shipowner's son. "A pocketknife is good enough for me this trip," and he fell to eating with great gusto, and Dave did the same, for what food they had had before had only been "a flea bite," as Dave expressed it.
Having eaten the most of the food taken from the pantry they placed the remainder on the plates on a bookshelf. Then Dave looked at his watch.
"Half-past eight," he said. "Wonder how long we are to be kept here?"
"Don't ask me, I was never good at conundrums," answered Phil, lightly. Plenty to eat had put him in a good humor. "Maybe till morning, Dave."
"I shan't stay here until morning – without a bed or coverings."
"What will you do?"
"Go up to the dormitory – after all the lights are out."
"Good! Wonder why I didn't think of that?"
"You ate too much, that's why." And Dave grinned. He, too, felt better now that he had fully satisfied his appetite.
Slowly the time went by till ten o'clock came. The prisoners heard tramping overhead, which told them the other students were retiring. They looked for a visit from Job Haskers, but the teacher did not show himself.
"He is going to keep us here until the doctor gets back, that is certain," said Dave.
"But the doctor may not come back to-night. I heard him say something the other day about going to Boston."
At last the school became quiet. By this time the boys' candle had burnt itself out, leaving them in total darkness. By common impulse they moved toward the door.
"What if we meet Murphy?" asked Phil.
"We'll do our best to avoid him, but if we do see him I rather think he'll side with us and keep quiet," answered Dave. "I know he hates Haskers as much as we do."
Hiding what was left of their meal in a corner of a shelf, behind some books, the two lads stole into the semi-dark hall and up one of the broad stairs. They met nobody and gained their dormitory with ease. Going inside, each undressed in the dark and prepared to retire.
"Who's up?" came sleepily from Roger.
"Hush, Roger," whispered Dave.
"Oh, so it's you! Where have you been, and what did old Haskers do to you?"
In a few brief words Dave and Phil explained what had taken place.
"We'll tell you the rest in the morning," said Phil, and then he and Dave hopped into bed and under the warm covers. Less than a minute later, however, Dave sat up and listened intently. He had heard the front door of the school building bang shut in the rising wind.
"Phil!"
"What is it now, Dave?"
"I think I just heard Doctor Clay come in."
"Oh, bother! I'm going to sleep," said the shipowner's son, with a yawn. "I don't think he'll trouble us to-night."
"I'm going to see what happens," answered Dave, and got up again. Soon he had on a dressing gown and slippers, and was tiptoeing his way down the hallway. He heard a murmur of voices below, and knew then that both the doctor and Mr. Dale had arrived. Then he heard Mr. Dale walk to the rear of the lower floor, and heard somebody else come out of the library.
"Mr. Haskers, what is it?" he heard Doctor Clay say.
"I must consult you about two of the students, sir," answered Job Haskers. "They have acted in a most disgraceful manner. They attacked me on the road with icy snowballs, nearly ruining my right ear, and when I called them to account in the office one of them began to fight and broke your statue of Mercury."
"Is it possible!" ejaculated the doctor, in pained surprise. "Who were the pupils?"
"David Porter and Philip Lawrence."
"Is this true, Mr. Haskers? Porter and Lawrence are usually well-behaved students."
"They acted like ruffians, sir – especially Porter, who attacked me and broke the statue."
"I will look into this without delay. Where are they now – in their room?"
"No, I locked them up in the book-room, to await your arrival. I did not deem it wise to give them their liberty."
"Ahem! prisoners in the book-room, eh? This is certainly serious. They cannot remain in the room all night."
"It would serve them right to keep them there," grumbled Job Haskers.
"There are no cots in that room for them to rest on."
"Then let them rest on the floor! The young rascals deserve it."
"Perhaps I'd better talk it over with the boys and see what they have to say, Mr. Haskers," went on the doctor, in a mild tone. "I do not believe in being too harsh with the students. Perhaps they only snowballed you as a bit of sport."
"Doctor Clay, do you uphold them in such an action?" demanded the irascible instructor.
"By no means, Mr. Haskers, but – boys will be boys, you know, and we mustn't be too hard on them if they occasionally go too far."
"Porter broke that statue, – and defied me!"
"If he broke the statue, he'll have to pay for it, – and if he defied you in the exercise of your proper authority, he shall be punished. But I want to hear what they have to say. We'll go to the book-room at once, release them, and take them to my office."
"It won't be necessary to go to the book-room, Doctor Clay," called out Dave from the upper landing.
"Why – er – is that you, Porter!"
"How did you get out?" cried Job Haskers, in consternation. "Didn't I lock that door?"
"You did, but Phil Lawrence and I got out, nevertheless," answered Dave.
"Where is Lawrence?"
"Up in our room in bed, and I was in bed, too, but got up when the doctor came in," added Dave.
"Well, I never!" stormed Job Haskers. "You see how it is, Doctor Clay; they have even broken out of the book-room after I told them to stay there!"
"We weren't going to stay in a cold room all night with no beds to sleep on, and only bread and milk for supper," went on Dave. "I wouldn't treat my worst enemy that way."
"Did you say you were in bed when I came in?" questioned Doctor Clay.
"Yes, sir – and Phil is there now, unless he just got up."
"Here I am," came a voice from behind Dave, and the shipowner's son put in an appearance. "Do you want us to come downstairs, Doctor? If you do, I'll have to go back and put on my clothes and shoes."
"And I'll have to go back and dress, too," added Dave.
Doctor Clay mused a moment.
"As you are undressed you may as well retire," he said. "I will look into this matter to-morrow morning, or Monday morning."
"Thank you, sir," said both boys.
"But, sir – " commenced Job Haskers.
"It is too late to take up the case now," interrupted Doctor Clay. "There is no use in arousing anybody at this time of night. Besides, I am very tired. We'll all go to bed, and sift this thing out later. Boys, you may go."
"Thank you, sir. Good-night."
And without waiting for another word the two chums hurried to their dormitory, leaving Job Haskers and the doctor alone.