Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker

by Matthew M. Colton

  CHAPTER XIX.

  IN THE BELL TOWER.

  "Jumping cats!" cried Jimmy; "what was that? Frank, are you there?"

  "Certainly I'm here. What's the matter with you to-night? You'renervous, I guess. That was nothing but the clock striking the quarterhour. It's a quarter past nine. Sounds a bit startling up here inthis narrow space."

  "I thought the whole top of the tower had blown off," said Jimmy witha shiver. "It doesn't sound half so loud down in the yard."

  "And good reason for that, for we are up here about forty feet, andit isn't cold or anything, either! Hello, I'm up against the roof!No, it's the trap door."

  "Want any help?" said Jimmy just below Frank's heels.

  "No; I'm pushing it up with my head. Wow! What was that?" as therecame a scratching and clawing from just above him. "Oh, my, I dobelieve it was Pandora, herself. She must have been sitting on thattrap door. Poor thing! She must have thought it was an earthquake.Come on, I'm through," said Frank in a whisper--although why hewhispered he could not have told himself, for there was none tohear him in that high belfry excepting the cat and the bell. Jimmystruggled through the small hole in the floor and stood alongsideFrank at last in the belfry. Just in front of them swung the big bellwhich tolled out the hours of the day and night. Through the slenderopen arches the boys could see, dimly outlined, the School buildings,with here and there a twinkling light in the dormitories, and fartheroff the lights in the houses of the village. It was bitter cold.

  "Well, here we are," said Jimmy, "at last."

  "And where's our cat?" said Frank.

  "It's a little like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystackto find a black cat in a blacker belfry. I hope you are satisfiednow that it was a wild goose chase," grumbled Jimmy, when they hadsearched with foot and hand in all possible places of the narrowspace.

  "A wild cat chase, maybe," said Frank chuckling. "Pussy, pussy, poorold pussy, where are you? There she is, or I'm a flatfish," criedFrank. "Look--over your head!"

  Jimmy looked, and there, ten feet over his head, in the upper towerand above the beams which supported the bell mechanism, he saw twofiery eyes gleaming.

  "It's awful to see those two balls of yellow fire and nothing elsevisible," said Jimmy. "It's uncanny. Now, what are we going to do?"

  "Why, go for her," said Frank, reaching for a beam above his head andpulling himself up to it. "I only wish I had David's arms now. Hecould beat that old cat climbing any day. Come on."

  "Well, I suppose I might as well," said Jimmy with a sigh ofresignation. "Since I started out to hunt a wild cat with a boywho has lost his senses, I might as well go on," and he started toclimb after Frank. Their climb now led them out of the little circleof half light which they had had in the belfry itself. Above theirheads was the blackness of absolute night. Unlike the lower part ofthe tower, the upper portion was not pierced by either light or airholes. Just out of reach burned the yellow eyes of the cat, who hadchanged her position several times, each time mounting higher as theboys followed. She evidently had suspicions as to their intentionsand was going to keep out of what she thought was harm's way.

  "Pussy, pussy, poor pussy!" said Frank coaxingly. "We're not going tohurt you, you idiotic cat." This, as the two gleaming spots of lightdisappeared for a moment and appeared higher up in the tower.

  "I wonder what they call a cat 'poor pussy' for, anyway," said Jimmywrathfully. "Of all the stupid asinine creatures, a cat is the moststupid, or this one is. Here we are in danger of breaking our necksand freezing to death to save her from freezing her toes, and shehasn't sense enough to help us."

  "Stop abusing Pandora, you unfeeling kid," said Frank, "and give me amatch if you have it. I'm stuck. Nothing more to reach."

  "I don't think I have any, but if I'd known you were going to do astunt of this kind, I'd have had three boxes with me."

  "And spoiled all this exciting climb! Go on, feel in your pockets. Ihave none."

  Jimmy, thus adjured, stood on his beam, leaning against the stones ofthe tower, and went carefully through his pockets. "Here's one; no,that's the wrong end of it--here's about a quarter of a match, and,oh, joy! here's a whole one!"

  "Noble youth, you came well prepared," said Frank, laughing. "Lightthe quarter match."

  "All ready," said Jimmy; "here goes!" He struck the match carefullyagainst the beam just over his head and a pale gleam showed in thedarkness, lighting the place where they stood faintly. It flickered amoment and went out, leaving them in a gloom that seemed the thickerbecause of the brief light.

  "Good!" grunted Frank. "Poor pussy, Mrs. Bowser's angelic Pandora,is within reach, almost. The masons left these little beams hereprobably for poor pussies to climb up on, and I know where my nextstep is. Stay where you are, and I'll have her in a moment, and keepthat last match ready for emergencies."

  There was a sound in the darkness of Frank's feet scratching againstthe wall, prolonged grunting, and then Frank announced that he hadpulled himself to the next beam. There followed a frightened protestfrom Pandora, but Frank's voice sounded triumphant. "I've got therascal. There you are," soothingly, "you see we weren't going tokill you. All right, old man, I'm coming. Light your other match so Ican get my toe on that brace."

  Frank had indeed captured Pandora, who, now that the chase was endedand she found only gentle hands upon her, snuggled down on theshoulder of her protector and began to purr. The trip back was evenmore difficult for Frank than the ascent, for he was hampered by thecat and did not have the free use of both arms. He swung from hisperch at last with his feet dangling in the air, vainly trying tofind with his toes a secure footing.

  "Quick, Jimmy, light the match!" There was a scratch from Jimmy'sdirection, and in the light that flared up, Frank found his restingplace and settled on it. "Whew, that was a hard one! Now we're allright. The rest is easier. Go on down first, and I'll follow, for Ican do without you, now; and be careful, for I don't want to have tocarry you back as well as the cat."

  "Don't you worry about me. Bring your old cat and I'll take careof myself. Jiminy, I'm nearly frozen stiff, and if I ever get backto----"

  Before he finished his sentence, a sound came up to their ears fromthe belfry just below them. The boys listened intently, while thecat purred softly on Frank's shoulder.

  "Some one coming into the belfry!" whispered Jimmy. There was anunmistakable murmur of voices and in a moment through the trap doorin the belfry floor, which Frank and Jimmy had left open, thereappeared an indistinct form. Another and still another appeared inthe opening, one after the other.

  "Four of them," whispered Jimmy, who being a little lower was ableto get a better view of the belfry floor; "what on earth can they bedoing up here at this time of night?"

  The two boys, perched on their narrow beams, were not kept long insuspense, for one of the intruders began to speak. His voice waslow, hardly more than a whisper, but it carried up clearly to thelisteners overhead. "Have you got the rope there?" said the voice.

  "Yes, here it is."

  "All right, we'll tie up its tongue first. Gee, but it's cold here!"

  "Will it freeze all right, do you think?" inquired another voice,evidently addressing the first speaker.

  "Freeze, you galoot, of course it will; solid as a rock, and theywon't get it out till spring." A low chuckle followed.

  "What in the name of time are they doing?" said Jimmy. "Taking thetongue out of something and freezing it! Can it be a cat?"

  "Your mind runs to cats to-night," Frank whispered back. "Those chapsare going to do something to the bell."

  "Drop the cat on them," said Jimmy. "They'd think it was the Old Boyhimself."

  "No," returned Frank, who had crouched down till his mouth was aboutlevel with Jimmy's ear. "Let's wait and see what they intend to do.Keep still as a mouse."

  The boys below had already begun work on the big bell. "For the loveof Mike, don't let that tongue hit. I can't get the thing out. It isheld by some kind of a dingus that is
riveted in. Some one will haveto hold it, while the rest of us turn the bell up."

  From below came the sound of puffing and grunting. "Easy," said someone, "for heaven's sake, hold that tongue so it doesn't hit, or we'llhave the whole School on our necks. There," continued the same voice,"good work. Now, prop this beam under that side of her, and the jobis done."

  "All but the water," said another voice.

  "Fine business," said the first voice. "Now shoot it along quick andget a move on you." There were sounds of footsteps going down theladder below the belfry, and when the last scratching sound had diedaway Jimmy spoke up: "Now, what in the great horn spoon are they at?"

  "It's easy," returned Frank. "You heard about the water. Thatexplains the whole business. You know when I fell in the lowercorridor? What do you suppose I fell over?"

  "I don't know; what was it?"

  "A bucket of water. I slopped some of it over and my trouser leg iswet now and frozen."

  "I don't see that that explains anything."

  "Well, it does. Those chaps have turned the bell upside down andpropped it there, and they mean to pour it full of water and let itfreeze, as it certainly will in this weather. And, as one of themsaid, it will stay there till spring, unless old Bonesey digs it outwith a pick."

  "What a trick!" ejaculated Jimmy. "Let's go down and knock the propout from under the bell!"

  "Yes, and make an awful rumpus! No, let's wait and see. Some schememay offer itself which will be better than that. S-s-s-s-h, here theycome again."

  Struggling and puffing with their exertions, two of the four boysappeared with buckets of water and each deposited the contents of thebuckets in the overturned bell. "About two more will do the trick,"said one of the plotters, and away they went again. In five minutes'time the whole four reappeared, and between them they carried morewater. "Douse her in!" said the leader, and there was a splashingsound as the bell filled up.

  "Won't old Bonesey be savage when he finds this in the morning?"chuckled one of the youngsters.

  "Bonesey won't be a circumstance to Dr. Hobart. What are you doingthere?" This was directed to one of the boys, who appeared to befussing at the bell.

  "Want to see if this prop is all right. It isn't half caught. Giveme a lift, and we'll shove the prop farther under. It's a wonder itdidn't slip out."

  The four boys gathered together. There was a shuffling noise as theygot themselves set, and the leader said: "Now, altogether."

  Just how it happened will never be known. In their endeavor to makethe overturned bell more secure in its position, in some manner theydisturbed the prop. "Look out, she's giving way," yelled one of them,and the next instant the tower was filled with the noise of splashingwater and the wild clangor of the bell as it swung on its big beam.Pandora trembled and sunk her claws into Frank's shoulder hard enoughto make him yell out with pain. Jimmy uttered a shout and started toscramble down, but in the darkness he missed his footing and fellwith a crash to the swimming floor of the belfry. In the midst ofthe alarm, Pandora, with a wild shriek, flew from Frank's shoulder,gained the belfry floor and whisked out of sight through the opentrap door, through which came the noise of the retreating footstepsof the boys who were responsible for all the trouble.

  The rumpus in the bell tower awoke the whole School to activity.Windows banged up in the dormitory and boys in scanty clothing stucktheir heads out into the frosty night. From Warren and from Honeywellcame the howls of "Fire! Fire! Fire!" A high-pitched voice in one ofthe half-open windows added to the confusion with "Murder! Police!"Footsteps began to patter on the walks and lights flashed here andthere below. It seemed hardly a minute before Butler, a proctorof the School, followed closely by two or three boys, appeared atthe opening in the belfry floor. A strange sight met the gaze ofthe early arrivals on the scene. They saw Frank sitting in a poolof water working over Jimmy, who had struck his head a hard bloweither on the floor or on a beam in his fall. He was only abouthalf-conscious of what was taking place.

  "What's going on here?" said Butler sternly. "What are you boys doingin this tower and how did you get here?"

  "We came up here to get Mrs. Bowser's cat, which we heard crying inthis belfry, but the main thing is to get Turner to his room. Hefell and cut his head." Frank's hands were stained with blood whichoozed out of the cut on his friend's forehead. "While we were up inthe tower," pointing overhead, "some fellows came up and tried tofill the bell with water, so that it might freeze and stop it fromringing, I suppose."

  "Oh, they did, did they?" inquired Butler with an icy smile. "Did youstop them?"

  "No, sir, we were planning to jump down and scare them, whensomething happened. The bell capsized and the fellows ran away.Turner jumped or fell trying to get down to see who it was."

  "It's a pretty likely story," said Butler again. "You'll have achance to tell that to Dr. Hobart in the morning, sir."

  Frank was indignant at the tone of disbelief, but he said nothingand gave all his attention to Jimmy, who, by this time, was comingback to his senses and had staggered to his feet. With a good deal ofdifficulty they got him down the ladder to the broader stairs beneath.

  The entrance of Frank and Jimmy to the former's room threw theCodfish and David into consternation, accompanied as they were by anirate proctor and old Bonesey, who had been aroused by this time andwho had hurried to the Chapel to find the wildest excitement reigning.

  "I'll report this to Dr. Hobart immediately, and you will have toface a very disagreeable charge, young man," said Butler, turning togo.

  "All right, sir," said Frank calmly, "I'll answer all the chargesthat are made, and satisfactorily, I think."

  "I advise you to tell the truth about the whole thing," said Butler,giving Frank a searching glance; "it will be the best course."

  "I'm not in the habit of telling anything but the truth," said Frank,and turned his attention to his roommates, who were impatient to hearwhat had happened.

  Frank told the story quickly, but admitted, when he looked at itcalmly, that it certainly had a very queer appearance.

  "Butler is a regular old kill-joy, anyway," snorted the Codfish."He's the fellow who had Potter fired last year for being off theSchool grounds after ten o'clock. He is a suspicious old spy andevery one in the School hates him."

  "But he stands sky-high with the Doctor," said David gravely. "Nevermind, Frank, cheer up; all is not lost that's in danger. Yourprevious reputation is good, even if you did try to freeze up theChapel bell!"

  The boys discussed the possibility of trouble in the incident longafter Jimmy left the room. David foresaw difficulty.