CHAPTER IX THE INSPECTION
"Battalion, attention! Shoulder arms! Forward march!"
The drums beat, the fifes struck up a lively air, and off marched thetwo companies of Putnam Hall cadets, across the campus and back, downthe road a pace, and then formed in a long line fronting the schoolbuilding. Every sword shone like silver, every gun was bright, and everyuniform was brushed to its best. At the head of the command was MajorJack Ruddy, as stiff as a ramrod, looking the equal of any West Pointcadet.
"Battalion, attention! Carry arms! Support arms! Shoulder arms! Rightface! Left face! About face. Load! Aim! Fire!"
One order after another was delivered by Jack, and the cadets of the twocompanies obeyed like one big machine. Only two boys were a little slow,Reff Ritter and Gus Coulter. Paxton wanted to drag, too, but did notdare.
"Very good! Very good indeed!" cried General Wallack, enthusiastically."Captain Putnam, you are to be congratulated on having such a body ofstudents under you."
"I did not dream they could drill so well," added Major Darrowburg."Why, you are almost, if not quite, up to our West Point standard."
"I trust you will do me the honor to inspect them more closely, GeneralWallack," said Captain Putnam.
"With pleasure," answered the regular army officer. "Major, will youcome?"
"To be sure," answered Major Darrowburg.
The two United States army officers came down from the piazza of theschool followed by Captain Putnam. They approached Major Ruddy, whoimmediately saluted.
"This is Major John Ruddy," said the master of Putnam Hall. "Ruddy, thisis General Wallack and this is Major Darrowburg."
"Glad to meet you, young man," said the army general, and shook hands."Some day I presume you'll be in the regular army," and he smiledpleasantly.
"Perhaps," answered Jack. Then he shook hands with Major Darrowburg, andafter that answered a number of questions put to him. The visitorspraised the drill that had taken place and this made the young majorblush not a little. But he was very happy, and doubly so to think thathe had outwitted Reff Ritter and his cronies. His uniform did not show aspot and his sword and scabbard were as bright as the polish used couldmake them.
An inspection lasting fully half an hour followed, Captain Putnamshowing his visitors along the line of cadets. Nearly everybody wassmiling and happy. Only a few boys looked glum, and those lads were ReffRitter and his cohorts.
"A really remarkable showing," was General Wallack's comment, after theinspection was over.
"If we could always do as well as this at the Point we'd have nothing toworry about," added Major Darrowburg. "Captain Putnam, you certainlyought to feel proud of your school."
"I am proud," was the reply.
After the inspection the cadets marched around the campus once more.They were about to be dismissed when Pepper signed to Jack, who in turnbeckoned to Captain Putnam and whispered something into his ear.
"I see no harm in it," said the master of the Hall.
"Battalion, attention!" called out Jack. "I move we give three cheersfor General Wallack and Major Darrowburg!"
"Hurrah!" cried the cadets, and the cheers were given with a will. Thenthe two army officers bowed and made little speeches, and more cheersfollowed; and that was the end of the inspection. Soon the visitors weredriven away by Captain Putnam in the Hall carriage, and George Strongannounced that for the rest of the day the cadets might do as theypleased, so long as they did not leave the Hall grounds.
"It was a perfect success," said George Strong to the young major.
"I am very glad of it, Mr. Strong."
"I know Captain Putnam is greatly pleased. I am sure he will havesomething to say to the boys when he gets back." And Mr. Strong wasright, the master of the Hall complimented all on their appearance anddeportment, and said he was sure the visitors had been unusuallyimpressed.
"I knew you would all do well," said the captain. "But it has surpassedmy expectations."
The only fellows who were not happy were Reff Ritter and his cronies.They could not understand how it was that Jack and his chums had comeforth looking so spotless and bright.
"That druggist must have humbugged you, Reff," said Gus Coulter. "Iguess he gave you water instead of those chemicals."
"I don't understand it at all," answered Ritter. "But if the druggistdid really humbug me I'll fix him some time, see if I don't!"
"Let us look at the stuff left in the bottles," suggested Coulter. "Mustbe a few drops at least."
The two passed into the school. On the stairs they met Pepper and Dale.
"It was beastly stuff," said Pepper, in a loud tone. "I'd like to knowwho used it. If we hadn't had that patent preparation to take out thestains we would have been in a pickle, I can tell you, Jack especially,"and then the Imp and Dale passed on.
"I see it all," groaned Ritter, when he and Coulter were alone. "No needto look for those bottles now. The stuff worked too quickly, and thosechaps got some other preparation and cleaned up with it."
"Yes, that must be it," said Coulter. "Well, better luck next time."
Of course, Pepper had uttered his words merely to throw Ritter and hiscrony off the track, and the Imp's trick had worked to a charm. Ritternever learned how he had been fooled.
When Pepper went down into the library that evening, to get a book toread, he was met by Andy and Joe Nelson. Andy was quite excited.
"Pepper, we made a mistake last night," cried the acrobatic youth.
"A mistake? What do you mean?" and he looked at Joe Nelson.
"Andy tells me that you took me and Harry Blossom for the fellows withthe green masks and the green hoods," said Joe. "You made a mistake."
"Joe and Harry saw those fellows, too," continued Andy.
"You did? Where?"
"At the back of the Hall--just as we came in. We had been down to theboat-house looking for a gold stickpin Harry lost. We found the pin in acrack of the floor and then came up to the school. The men came around acorner. When they saw us, they ran off, across the corn-patch back ofthe barns."
"Then they weren't some of the students?"
"I don't think so. But, of course, I am not sure," answered Joe Nelson."You can question Harry about it."
Harry Blossom was in the music-room, playing on the piano and singingfor the benefit of several of his friends. Later on, however, he cameaway and told what he had seen.
"I thought they were strangers, but now you mention it, I think they mayhave been some cadets out on a lark."
"Certainly no men out to rob anybody would act as they did," saidPepper, thoughtfully. "Why, they acted, for all the world, as if it wasa huge joke!"
"Well, this is a mystery, true enough," said Andy, and the others agreedwith him. They concluded to say nothing more about the affair, but tokeep their eyes "peeled," as Pepper expressed it, for the nextappearance of the two persons in green.
It galled Reff Ritter to see Jack Ruddy triumphant in the matter of theinspection, and the bully wondered to himself how he could make theyoung major "eat humble pie," as he termed it.
"Don't you meet Ruddy on the flying-rings tomorrow?" asked Paxton.
"Yes," was Ritter's short answer.
"Well, you ought to be able to best him there--you're such a perfectgymnast."
"Ruddy has been taking extra lessons from the gym. teacher. I just heardof it this morning. That's the reason he was so ready to take me up,"responded Reff Ritter, sourly.
"Are you afraid to meet him?" asked Paxton in astonishment.
"Not at all. But it is going to be no walk-over to outdo him, that'sall."
"I wish he'd fall and break his neck," growled Paxton.
"So do I. But he won't fall--he is too strong and steady."
Reff Ritter walked down to the gymnasium in a thoughtful mood. Only afew boys were about and none near the flying-rings.
"I wish I could fix it so Ruddy would get a good tumble," he
muttered."It would serve him right."
He leaped up on the flying-rings and tried one pair after another. Hehad a notion to cut some of the ropes half in two, but reflected thatthis might bring harm to somebody else instead of the young major.
"Wonder if I could dope him?" mused the bully. "Let me see, how did thatfellow in Paris do that trick? He told me all about it at that boxingmatch. Ah, I have it! The question is, can I work the game without beingcaught?"
Ritter knew he must go at what was in his mind with extreme caution. Heremembered that Jack was a copious water-drinker, and usually drank oneglass of water at least at every meal.
"That's my cue," said the bully to himself. "Now, if I can only get thestuff out of the Hall medicine closet." He referred to a medicine closetlocated at the back of the main hall of the school. In this were kept avariety of medicines, to be used in case of emergency.
Once Reff had been sick, and to make him sleep--for he was verywide-awake and nervous at the time--Captain Putnam had given him somekind of powder in water. This had lulled his senses to repose in a shorttime. He remembered that box with the white powder very well.
It had been arranged that Jack should meet Ritter that evening, shortlyafter supper--during the off hour of that part of the day. If Reff couldonly get some of that powder into Jack's drinking-water during theevening meal he felt certain the young major would soon feel too dulland sleepy to make much of a showing on the flying-rings.
With the craft of a real criminal, Ritter stole into the main hall ofthe school and looked around. Nobody was in sight, and swiftly heapproached the medicine closet and opened it. There were numerous boxesand bottles there, and the appearance of them somewhat confused therascally youth. He read the various inscriptions and at last picked outa square box containing several spoonfuls of a white powder.
"This is the stuff," he murmured, and just then he heard somebody comingdown the main stairs. He closed the medicine closet swiftly, tip-toedhis way across the hall and entered one of the class-rooms. Here severalof the windows were open and he dropped from one of these, nobody beingin the room at the time. In a few seconds more he had stepped around thecorner of the building and then he turned to a side door and entered themess-room of Putnam Hall.
The mess-room, or dining-hall, was a long, low room, with windows on oneside. There were half a dozen long tables and the chairs at these tableswere numbered. Jack, as the major of the battalion, sat at one end ofone of the tables. At the other end of this table sat Josiah Crabtreewhen he was at the school, but just now this seat was not being used.
Watching his opportunity Reff Ritter slipped up to the seat the youngmajor usually occupied. On the table in front of this seat was a glassof ice-water, and into this Ritter skillfully dropped a generous portionof the white powder from the box. Then he glided out of the mess-roomjust as the gong sounded for the evening parade.
"Now we'll see what we will see, Jack Ruddy!" he muttered to himself."If you drink that I don't think your performance on the flying-ringsthis evening will amount to much!"