CHAPTER XXX
BACK TO THE HALL – CONCLUSION
“Well, young gentlemen, it would seem that you have been taking matters into your own hands,” remarked Captain Putnam, as he faced those who had just arrived. He looked stern, yet not as angry as they had sometimes seen him.
“Captain Putnam, we felt it was absolutely necessary to do what we have done,” answered Jack.
“Have the others told you how we were treated?” asked Pepper.
“In part, yes. But I wish to hear what you have to say also.”
“And I suppose you’d like to hear what Mr. Crabtree and Mr. Cuddle have to say,” put in Andy.
“Never mind that just now,” said the master of the Hall. “Major Ruddy, I will listen to your story.”
In a plain, straightforward manner Jack told his story from beginning to end, very much as I have set it down here. He did not omit a single important detail. He told of the throwing of the inkwell, the hot potatoes and the bread, but mentioned no names. He also related the particulars of the trouble in the classrooms, and of how Pluxton Cuddle had endeavored to starve them into submission, aided in this work by Josiah Crabtree. When this was told the captain drew down the corners of his mouth and frowned.
“He won’t stand for that – I knew he wouldn’t,” whispered Dale to Stuffer.
“Nobody would stand for starving!” cried the lad who loved to eat.
After Jack had finished, several other cadets were interviewed. Then Captain Putnam wanted to know the whereabouts of Ritter and his crowd.
“We can take you to them,” said Dale.
“That will not be necessary, Blackmore. You may go to their camp and tell them that I want them to return to Putnam Hall at once.” And somewhat against his will, Dale departed on the errand.
“What are we to do?” asked Andy.
“Break camp and return to the school, now,” Captain Putnam turned to Jack. “Major Ruddy, you will give the necessary orders.”
“Gladly, sir – now that you are back, Captain Putnam,” cried Jack.
“Are you really glad that I am back, Ruddy?”
“Yes, sir – and I know the others are glad, too. We didn’t run away just for the fun of it,” he added, earnestly.
“It may give my school a black eye.”
“Not as much of a black eye as the teachers gave it by hiring those men from Cedarville to come down and play guard.”
“This is true – and I have already told Mr. Crabtree so.”
“Oh, then you’ve been to the school?”
“Yes.”
“Then – then – ” The young major hesitated.
“We’ll thrash this whole thing out later, Ruddy. It is too serious a matter to decide now. A storm is coming and I want you to get back if possible before it breaks. Start for the school as soon as you can.”
In less than quarter of an hour the cadets were on the march. Andy drove the wagon, which was piled high with the outfit. Captain Putnam walked by the young major’s side, and the cadets kept step as if on dress parade. All wondered what would be the end of the affair. Would any of them be expelled?
At the entrance to the campus they were met by Peleg Snuggers, and he was directed to take charge of the wagon and its contents. Then the cadets entered the Hall. All was silent within, and neither Josiah Crabtree nor Pluxton Cuddle showed himself. The boys were told to go straight to the general assembly room.
It had begun to rain and soon it was pouring in torrents, while the lightning flashed and the thunder roared incessantly. In the midst of the storm Dale dashed in.
“I went to their old camp, but Ritter and his crowd had moved,” he said. “I couldn’t find them, and not wishing to get soaked I came to the school.”
“It is too bad,” said Captain Putnam. “But it cannot be helped. I will send for them again after the storm clears off.” Then the captain left the cadets in the assembly room, telling them to keep quiet until his return.
“I guess he is going to have it out with Crabtree and Cuddle,” whispered Pepper. And he was right.
An hour passed, and then a side door opened and Captain Putnam entered, followed by Josiah Crabtree and Frank Barringer. The boys started on seeing the teacher for he seemed suddenly to have grown several years older. The master of the Hall ascended the platform and made a speech.
“I have heard both sides of this controversy,” said he. “Mistakes have been made all around. It was a mistake for you cadets to become disorderly in the classrooms and in the mess hall – and it was a mistake on the part of the teachers to attempt to starve you into submission. For trying to starve you I find Mr. Cuddle responsible, and he has this day severed his connection with Putnam Hall.”
“Good!” whispered Andy. “Good-bye to Cuddle, and may we never see his like again!”
“Mr. Crabtree is willing to let bygones be bygones,” went on Captain Putnam. “He realizes his mistakes and regrets them. Supposing I am willing to overlook what you have done, young gentlemen, are you willing to start in to-morrow morning as if nothing unusual had occurred? If so, stand up.”
One after another the cadets stood up until not one remained seated. A smile spread over Captain Putnam’s face, and this was reflected on the face of Josiah Crabtree. The cadets did not know it, but their standing up saved for the teacher his position. Had they not been willing to forgive and forget Crabtree would have been discharged.
“Three cheers for Captain Putnam!” cried Pepper, and though the master of the Hall raised his hand to protest the cheers were given with a will. A faint cheer followed for Crabtree and the teacher arose and very awkwardly bowed his acknowledgement. Then the cadets were dismissed and the bell rang for supper.
“I reckon we won’t see Pluxton Cuddle,” said Andy, and he was right, that unpopular teacher left early the next morning, before any of the cadets were around.
It was not until the next afternoon that Reff Ritter and his crowd showed themselves, and they brought the mail taken from the post-office. They had heard of Captain Putnam’s return and had come in of their own accord. The storm had blown down their tents and they were wet to the skin and terribly hungry. There had been a bitter quarrel among the crowd, and this was kept up after they got back. One of the boys had heard Ritter speak about the exchanging of blank cartridges for those containing bullets at the target practice and immediately upon his return to Putnam Hall he sought out Captain Putnam.
“Well, what do you want, Akers?” demanded the master of the school, sternly.
“I know I have done wrong, sir,” said Akers. “But, Captain Putnam, I came to speak of something else.”
“What is it?”
“It concerns Bob Grenwood, our former quartermaster.”
“What of Grenwood?”
“I suppose you remember about those blank cartridges that were dealt out to some of us when we had target practice.”
“Perfectly.”
“Well, I want to tell you positively, sir, that Grenwood is not guilty – that he had nothing to do with handing them out.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because, when we were out camping, Reff Ritter got to boasting, and he told how he and another fellow got the blanks and distributed them. It was done at the time of the snake scare. There was no snake – the scare was gotten up merely to attract our attention, so that the blanks could be taken from the box.”
“Humph! You are sure of this?” demanded Captain Putnam.
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell me all the particulars.”
Thereupon Akers told his story in detail, to which the master of the Hall listened with close attention. Then several other boys came in, among them Andy and Pepper.
“I want to speak to you about the time Major Jack Ruddy fell from the flying rings and came pretty close to being dangerously hurt,” said Andy. “I guess you remember that, sir.”
“Indeed I do – since he was very sick at the time,” answered Captain Putnam.
“We know just how he got sick.”
“What was the cause, Snow?”
“Reff Ritter put some French headache powders in his drinking water. The powders made him dizzy, and that is how he came to fall from the rings.”
“Can this be true?” And the captain’s face grew very stern.
“Yes, sir, it is – and we can prove it by several boys,” put in Pepper.
“It would seem that Ritter is responsible for many wrongdoings,” mused the master of the school.
“He’s a bad egg,” said Andy. “My own opinion is that he ought to be expelled.”
“We’ll see about that later. Now tell me all you know.”
Andy and Pepper related what they had heard, and then several other boys were called in.
An hour later Captain Putnam sent for Reff Ritter. The moment the bully entered the office he knew that something had gone wrong.
“I have had some very bad reports about you, Ritter,” said the master sternly. “I have a mind to expel you on the spot.”
“What for?” asked Ritter. His voice shook as he spoke.
“For doing some very wicked and mean things.”
“I – I haven’t done anything, sir.”
“You have – and it is useless for you to deny it.”
“Wh – what – er – do you mean?”
“I am speaking of how you took those blank cartridges and used them, and of how you dosed Major Ruddy with those French headache powders.”
“Captain Putnam, I didn’t – ”
“Stop, Ritter, don’t add falsehoods to your other faults. I am positive that you are guilty. And as I said before, I have a good mind to expel you here and now.”
“Don’t! Please don’t!” cried the bully, breaking down. “I – I didn’t mean any harm – it was only done in fun, sir! I – er – I’ll never do such things again! Please don’t expel me!”
“You might have killed Ruddy!”
“I – er – I thought the powders would make him a little sick – so he – er – he wouldn’t want to compete with me – for I was afraid of being beaten. And the blanks – ”
“Made me take Greenwood’s office away from him. But he shall be restored.”
“Please, please, Captain Putnam, don’t expel me!” groaned Ritter.
“Are you willing to apologize to Grenwood?”
“Yes, yes!”
“And to Ruddy?”
“Ye – yes.” It was like pulling teeth for Ritter to utter that last word.
“Ruddy’s folks may want to prosecute you criminally,” continued the captain.
“Oh! I – I hope not.” And now Ritter grew deadly pale.
After that Captain Putnam gave the misguided youth a stern lecture and then sent him to his room. Then Jack was called in.
“I don’t think I’ll make a complaint,” said the young major. “Perhaps, after all, it was only a boyish prank. But I don’t want him to try such a prank again.”
“It was a dastardly piece of business,” was Captain Putnam’s comment.
“I believe Ritter often acts before he thinks,” went on Jack.
“Then you want me to give him another chance?”
“Yes – as far as I am concerned.”
“This is generous of you, Ruddy.”
“I don’t want to be the means of casting Ritter out, sir. Maybe if he was expelled, he’d go to the bad utterly.”
“That is true, too, – yet this school cannot afford to suffer from the actions of such a fellow. But I will give him one more chance,” concluded the master of Putnam Hall. And so the matter rested.
Andy was anxious to hear from the authorities, and one day came word that the man named Levi had been caught. In his possession were the medal and the ring taken from the acrobatic youth, so Andy got back what belonged to Joe Nelson and himself, much to his satisfaction. Levi followed the tramps to prison.
“Well, I am rather glad our running away is at an end,” said Jack, two days after the return to Putnam Hall. “Although I did like the camping out.”
“We are to go camping soon, Captain Putnam said so,” returned Pepper. “We are to go out in true military style too,” he added. How the cadets went out, and what sports and adventures they had, will be told in another volume of this series, to be entitled “The Putnam Hall Encampment; or, The Secret of the Old Mill.” In that book we shall meet all our old friends again, and likewise some of their enemies.
“I don’t think running away did us any harm,” said Dale.
“It was fun,” put in Bob Grenwood, who had been restored to his position as quartermaster of the school battalion.
“Just what I say,” declared Pepper.
And then the drum rolled for the evening parade and the cadets rushed off to get their guns and swords; and here we will leave them, wishing them well.