The Putnam Hall Encampment; or, The Secret of the Old Mill

by Edward Stratemeyer

  CHAPTER I IN THE BELFRY

  "I say, Jack!"

  "What's the matter now, Pepper?" demanded Major Jack Ruddy, for the crywas a startling one.

  "We are locked in!" answered Pepper Ditmore.

  "Locked in?" repeated the young major of the Putnam Hall battalion."What do you mean?"

  "I mean that the trap door is fastened. I can't budge it."

  "Oh, it must be stuck," said Jack, as he started to climb down a ladderupon which he stood. "Why, there is nobody in the belfry but ourselves."

  "Don't be so sure of that, Jack. Some of the other fellows may havefollowed us," answered Pepper. He was down on his knees on the floor,pulling at an iron ring with all his strength. "Maybe you want to trythis," he added, as he gave an additional tug.

  The young major of the school cadets leaped from the bottom of theladder and took hold of the iron ring, which was set in the edge of aheavy trap door. He pulled with might and main, but the trap doorrefused to budge.

  "Regular tug-of-war!" he panted. "Say, if we can't get this door openwhat are we to do?"

  "Don't ask me."

  "It's the only way out of the belfry, Pep."

  "I know that--unless we climb out of one of the windows."

  "Ugh! I don't care to risk my neck in that manner." And Jack Ruddy gavea slight shiver as he spoke.

  "Well, we've got to get out somehow," continued Pepper, making a wryface. "We don't want to stay here all night."

  "If some of the other fellows played this trick on us----"

  "They ought to be hammered for it."

  "Right you are. Maybe it was Reff Ritter."

  "Say, that's so! Don't you remember, we saw him and his cronies on theirway to the Hall when we came here? Maybe they followed us, came up thestairs on the sly, and bolted the trap from the under side. I shut thedoor myself--so that we wouldn't fall through the hole in the dark."

  "Well, if Reff Ritter & Company did this thing we'll have an account tosettle with them--when we get free."

  "Right you are. But before we talk about getting square let us get thistrap door open and get out of here."

  The scene was the tall tower of a village church. The time was aboutnine o'clock of a fine moon-light night, and on all sides everything wasquiet and serene.

  An hour before, the two boys already introduced had left the schoolwhich they attended on a "dare" from some of their chums. The dareinvolved visiting the Cedarville Union Church. The boys were to stealinto the edifice by way of a side window, usually left open to admitfresh air. They were to make their way into the gallery and thence tothe tower where hung a big bell. They were to remove the clapper of thebell and bring it back to the school with them. If they accomplished thefeat the other students were to get up a feast in their honor.

  To those who have read the previous volumes of this "Putnam Hall Series"the two lads will need no special introduction. But for the benefit ofothers let me state that Jack Ruddy and Pepper Ditmore were chumsliving, when at home, in the western part of New York state. Jack was alittle the older of the two, and was of a more or less serious turn ofmind. Pepper was full of fun, and was frequently called The Imp, anickname that fitted him well.

  As related in the first volume of this series, called "The Putnam HallCadets," the boys had been sent to a new institution of learning,located on Cayuga Lake. This military academy was presided over byCaptain Victor Putnam, a retired army officer, who ran the placesomewhat on the lines of our National school at West Point. The placewas a large one, consisting of the school building proper, thegymnasium, the boathouse, and several other buildings. The captain was astrict disciplinarian, but he had a kindly manner about him, and themajority of the students liked him very much.

  When Jack and Pepper came to the Hall everything was, of course, new tothem. But it did not take them long to make some good friends, includingAndy Snow, who was of an acrobatic turn, Stuffer Singleton, whopreferred eating to studying, Dale Blackmore, who was a great footballplayer, Joseph Hogan, who, because of his Irish accent, was usuallycalled Emerald, and Joe Nelson, a lad who was the best scholar in theacademy. They also made some enemies, including Reff Ritter, alreadymentioned by them, and his cronies, Gus Coulter and Nick Paxton.

  At first the cadets were given their regular school studies and taughthow to drill and march, but when they could do creditable duty as cadetsCaptain Putnam allowed them to ballot for their officers. This electionresulted in Jack becoming major of the Putnam Hall Battalion, with HenryLee captain of Company A and Bart Conners captain of Company B. Jackwanted Pepper to try for an officer's position, but The Imp declined.

  "I'll continue to be a high private in the rear rank," said Pepper, witha wink. "I can have more fun that way--especially if I have a major overme who knows when to keep his eyes shut."

  "Humph! I expect to have fun myself, even if I am a major," had beenJack's answer.

  There had been a keen contest over the election of officers. Anoverbearing youth named Dan Baxter had wanted to be major, and he hadbribed Gus Coulter and some others to vote for him, but without success.Baxter was now away on a vacation, and Jack and Pepper hoped he wouldremain away for good.

  Following the election of officers, the chums had had severaladventures, not the least of which was their aiding in the rescue ofGeorge Strong, one of the teachers, who had been made a prisoner in ahut in the woods by some insane relatives.

  The teacher's ancestry dated back to the Revolution, and he told theboys of a treasure buried by his relatives during war times. How thelads unearthed the treasure has been related in detail in the secondvolume of this series entitled, "The Putnam Hall Rivals."

  With the coming of summer, the cadets turned their attention to sportsin the field and on the lake. Jack's uncle had presented him with a finesloop, and in this the youthful major sailed several races, as toldabout in "The Putnam Hall Champions." The boys also had a bicycle raceand a hill-climbing contest, and likewise went bowling against a rivalinstitution of learning called Pornell Academy. At Pornell at the timewas a youth named Fred Century, but this lad became so disgusted at theactions of some of the boys, and at Doctor Pornell, that he left theschool and came to Putnam Hall.

  As time went on Reff Ritter showed up as the worst boy at Putnam Hall.He did all in his power to get Jack and Pepper and their chums intotrouble, and even dosed the young major with some French powders thatmade Jack violently sick. But this trick was eventually exposed andRitter came close to being expelled. It was Jack who asked CaptainPutnam to give the wayward youth another chance to reform, but Ritterdid not appreciate his rival's generosity.

  For a short while matters ran along smoothly at Putnam Hall, but thencame a happening far out of the ordinary, as related in full in "ThePutnam Hall Rebellion." During the absence of the head of theinstitution, and of George Strong, the Hall was left in charge of JosiahCrabtree, a teacher hated by nearly all the cadets, and a new assistantnamed Cuddle. Cuddle was a peculiar man who did not believe in heartyfood for boys, and he almost starved the cadets, so that they had torebel. For this they were locked in their dormitories. But they escapedat night, and went off to camp in the woods. Here the crowd split intwo, Reff Ritter heading the insurgents. Ritter did all he could toannoy the crowd under Jack, and there might have been a pitched battlehad not Captain Putnam put in an appearance. He made the cadets marchback to the Hall, and there held some interesting interviews with allconnected with the rebellion. As a consequence the students were allowedto return to their studies and Cuddle was pre-emptorially dismissed fromthe institution, while Josiah Crabtree escaped with a lecture.

  The Ritter crowd did not come back to the Hall until after a severestorm had drenched all to the skin. They were in far from a good humorand many of them blamed Reff for the discomforts they had suffered, andgave their former crony the cold shoulder.

  "It's all that Jack Ruddy's fault," growled Ritter. "He and Pep Ditmorewant to run everyt
hing. If I had had my say from the start we would havehad a fine time." But only Coulter, Paxton and a few others believedthis. The others said very frankly they thought Ritter had made a messof it when he got them to run away from the main body of the rebellingcadets.

  With the return of Captain Putnam and George Strong, the studentssettled down once more to their studies. The dictatorial Josiah Crabtreewas, for the time being, much subdued, yet the cadets knew that sooneror later he would become as harsh as ever. The one point in his favorwas that he was a learned man and could teach well when he put his mindto it.

  It was Andy Snow who had proposed the trip to the belfry of theCedarville church, located about a mile and a half from the Hall. He haddared Jack and Pepper to make the trip with him, and the talk had beentaken up by Stuffer Singleton, Fred Century, Dale Blackmore, and half adozen others.

  "They won't dare to do it," said Dale. "I'll bet an apple pie on it."

  "And I'll wager ice-cream for the crowd," added Stuffer.

  "With most of the ice-cream for Stuffer himself," put in Pepper.

  "I'm willing to try it," declared Jack.

  "So am I," added Pepper. "We owe the sexton of that church one anyway,for chasing us from Mr. Dalter's orchard when he had no right to do it."

  "Let us get the clapper and hide it in old Crabtree's bed," said Andy.But just then he was called away by one of the monitors. Then he sent anote back stating Captain Putnam wished him to do an errand, so he couldnot make the trip.

  "I suppose that ends it," said Dale Blackmore.

  "Nobody dares to go," said another cadet.

  "Yes, I'll go," said Pepper promptly.

  "So will I," came from Jack. "But mum's the word, remember. We don'twant any of the teachers to learn what is going on."

  "We'll be as silent as oysters in a stew," said Stuffer.

  "Sure an' 'twill be a great sphort to put the clapper in ould Crabtree'sbed," said Emerald Hogan.

  "Who is going to do that?" asked another.

  "I'll do it--if Pep and Jack get the clapper," answered the Irish cadetpromptly.

  A little later Jack and Pepper set off on their quest, stealing awayfrom Putnam Hall campus unobserved. They got half way to the church andthen passed Reff Ritter and his cronies, who went by without speaking.

  "This is dead easy," remarked Jack, as they climbed in the churchwindow. They had a lantern with them, and lighting this, mounted thestairs to the gallery, and then ascended the long ladder leading to thebelfry floor. Here they opened the trap door and then closed it again,as already stated.

  The bell was close at hand and it was a comparatively easy matter todetach the iron clapper. Pepper came down the ladder with it and thenmade the startling discovery with which our story opens. The trap doorhad been bolted from the under side and the two cadets were prisoners inthe belfry, at a distance of seventy-five feet from the ground.