CHAPTER VI
THE FUN OF A NIGHT
"My gracious, Plum acts as if he was scared to death," observed Phil, after the bully and his companion had departed, leaving the others a clear field.
"He certainly was worked up," returned Dave. "I wonder what he'll have to say to-morrow?"
There was no answering that question, and the two boys hurried to where they had left Sam without attempting to reach a conclusion. They found their chum watching out anxiously.
"Well?" came from his lips as soon as he saw them.
"It's all right," answered Dave, and told as much as he deemed necessary. "Come, we must hurry, or Job Haskers will get back before we can fix things."
"This ram is going to be something to handle," observed Phil. "No 'meek as a lamb' about him."
"I'll show you how to do the trick," answered the boy from the country, and with a dexterous turn of the horns, threw the ram over on one side. "Now sit on him, until I tie his legs with the straps."
In a few minutes Dave had the animal secured, and the blanket was placed over the ram's head, that he might not make too much noise. Then they hoisted their burden up between them and started toward the Hall.
It was no easy matter to get the ram upstairs and into Job Haskers' room. On the upper landing they were met by Roger and Buster Beggs, who declared the coast clear. Once in the room of the assistant teacher, they cleared out the bottom of the closet and then, releasing the animal from his bonds, thrust him inside and shut and locked the door, leaving the key in the lock.
"Now, skip!" cried Dave, in a low voice. "He may cut up high-jinks in another minute."
"Here is an apple he can have that will keep him quiet for awhile," said Roger, and put it in the closet, locking the door as before. The ram was hungry, and began to munch the fruit with satisfaction.
A few minutes more found the boys safe in their dormitory, where they waited impatiently for the second assistant teacher to get back to Oak Hall. At last they heard him unlock the front door and come up the broad stairs. Then they heard his room door open and shut.
"Now for the main act in the drama," whispered Roger. "Come on, but don't dare to make any noise."
All of the boys, including little Macklin and Polly Vane, were soon outside of dormitories Nos. 11 and 12—the two rooms the "crowd" occupied. They went forth on tiptoe, scarcely daring to breathe.
Arriving at Job Haskers' door, they listened and heard the teacher preparing to go to bed. One shoe after another dropped to the floor, and then came a creaking of the bed, which told that he had lain down.
"That ram isn't going to do anything," began Sam, in disgust, when there came a bang on the closet door that caused everybody to jump.
"Wha-what's that?" cried Job Haskers, sitting up in bed. He fancied somebody had knocked on the door to the hall.
Another bang resounded on the closet door. The ram had finished the apple, and wanted his freedom. The teacher leaped to the middle of the bedroom floor.
"Who is in there?" he demanded, walking toward the closet. "Who is there, I say?"
Getting no answer, he paused in perplexity. Then a grin overspread his crafty face, and he slipped on some of his clothing.
"So I've caught you, eh?" he observed. "Going to play some trick on me, were you? I am half of a mind to make you stay there all night, no matter who you are. I suppose you thought I wouldn't get back quite so early. In the morning, I'll"
Another bang on the door cut his speculations short. He struck a match and lit the light, and then unlocking the closet door, threw it wide open.
What happened next came with such suddenness that Job Haskers was taken completely by surprise. As soon as the door was opened, the ram leaped out. He caught one glimpse of the teacher, and, lowering his head, he made a plunge and caught Job Haskers fairly and squarely in the stomach, doubling up the man like a jack-knife. Haskers went down in a heap, and, turning, the ram gave him a second prod in the side.
"Hi! stop! murder! help!" came in terror. "Stop it, you beast! Hi! call him off, somebody! Oh, my!" And then Job Haskers tried to arise and place a table between himself and the ram. But the animal was now thoroughly aroused, and went at the table with vigor, upsetting it on the teacher and hurling both over into a corner.
By this time the noise had aroused nearly the entire school, and pupils and teachers came hurry ing from all directions.
"What is the trouble here?" demanded Andrew Dale, as he came up to where Dave was standing.
"Sounds like a bombardment in Mr. Haskers' room, sir," was the answer.
"Mr. Haskers is trying some new gymnastic exercises," came from a student in the rear of the crowd.
"Maybe he has got a fit," suggested another. "He didn't look well at supper time."
The racket in the room continued, and now Doctor Clay, arrayed in a dressing-gown and slippers, came upon the scene, followed by Pop Swingly, the janitor.
"Has Mr. Haskers caught a burglar?" asked the janitor.
"That's it!" shouted Phil, with a wink at his friends. "Look out, Swingly, that you don't get shot!"
"Shot?" gasped the janitor, who was far from being a brave man. "I don't want to get shot, not me!" and he edged behind some of the boys.
Doctor Clay hurried to the door of the room, only to find it locked from the inside.
"Mr. Haskers, what is the trouble?" he demanded.
Another bang and a thump was the only reply, accompanied by several yells. Then, of a sudden, came a crash of glass and an exclamation of wonder.
"Something has gone through the window, as sure as you are born!" whispered Dave to Roger.
"Oh, Dave, you don't suppose it was Haskers? If he fell to the ground, he'd be killed!"
"Open the door, or I shall break in!" thundered Doctor Clay, and then the door was thrown open and Job Haskers stood there, a look of misery on his face and trembling from head to foot.
"What is the trouble?" asked the doctor.
"The ram—he butted me—knocked me down—nearly killed me!" spluttered the assistant teacher.
"The ram—what ram?"
"He's gone now—hit the window and jumped out."
"Mr. Haskers, have you lost your senses?"
"No, sir. There was a ram in this room—in the closet. I heard him, and opened the door—I—oh! I can feel the blow yet. He was a—a terror!"
"Do you mean a real, live ram?" questioned Andrew Dale, with a slight smile on his face—that smile which made all the boys his friends.
"I should say he was alive! Oh, it's no laughing matter!" growled Job Haskers. "He nearly killed me!"
"An' did he go through the winder?" asked Pop Swingly, as he stepped to the broken sash.
"He did—went out like a rocket. Look at the wreck of the table! I am thankful I wasn't killed!"
"How did the ram get here?" asked Doctor Clay.
"How should I know? He was in the closet when I came in. Some of those villainous boys—"
"Gently, Mr. Haskers. The boys are not villains."
"Well, they put the ram there, I am sure of it."
The doctor turned to the janitor.
"Swingly, go below and see if you can see anything of the ram. He may be lying on the ground with a broken leg, or something like that. If so, we'll have to kill him, to put him out of his misery."
The janitor armed himself with a stout cane and went downstairs, and after him trooped Andrew Dale and fully a score of boys. But not a sign of the ram was to be seen, only some sharp footprints where he had landed.
"Must have struck fair an' square, an' run off," observed the janitor. "Rams is powerful tough critters. I knowed one as fell over a stone cliff, an' never minded it at all."
"Let us take a look around," said the first assistant. "Boys, get to bed, you'll take cold in this night air." And then the students trooped back into the Hall.
Upstairs they found that Job Haskers and Doctor Clay had gotten into a wrangle. The assistant wanted an examination of the boys at once, regardless of the hour of the night, but Doctor Clay demurred.
"We'll investigate in the morning," said he. "And, as the window is broken out, Mr. Haskers, you may take the room next to mine, which is just now vacant."
"Somebody ought to be punished"
"We'll investigate, do not fear."
"It's getting worse and worse. By and by there won't be any managing these rascals at all," grumbled the assistant teacher. "Some of them ought to have their necks wrung!"
"There, that is enough," returned the doctor, sternly. "I think we can manage them, even at such a time as this. "Now, boys," he continued, "go to bed, and do not let me hear any more disturbances." And he waved the students to their various dormitories.
"Say, but isn't old Haskers mad!" exclaimed Roger, when he and his chums were in their dormitory. "He'd give a good bit to find out who played the joke on him."
"I hope that ram got away all right," came from Dave. "I didn't want to see the animal injured."
"I think Pop Swingly is right, animals like that are tough," was Buster Beggs' comment. "More than likely he is on his way back to Farmer Cadmore's farm."
"We'll find out later on," put in Sam Day.
"There is another thing to consider," continued Dave. "It wouldn't be right to let Doctor Clay stand for the expense of that broken window. I think I'll send him the price of the glass out of my pocket money."
"Not a bit of it!" exclaimed Phil. "Let us pass around the hat. We are all in this as deep as you." And so it was decided that all of the students of dormitories Nos. 11 and 12 should contribute to the fund for mending the broken sash. Then, as Andrew Dale came around on a tour of inspection, all hopped into bed and were soon sound asleep.