"Wow! what's that?"

"Ouch! who left tacks on the floor?"

"Gee whiz! stop that!"

Jack had strewn a few small tacks on the floor and the boys who had meant to give him a little hazing had stepped upon them in the dark.

One of the invaders fell against the bed and at once the water jug tumbled over upon him or at any rate that was what he supposed had happened in his confusion.

"What's the matter, boys?" asked Jack, quietly, and then a flash of light from a pocket searchlight shone from the bed.

"Tacks!" exclaimed one.

"Waterspouts!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed another, he who had been drenched by the contents of the jug.

"Do you often have these little affairs, boys?" asked Jack, with provoking coolness. "Do you enjoy them?"

Two of the boys were sitting on the edge of their beds taking tacks out of their feet while another was looking for a dry night shirt in his locker.

The others looked rather sheepish and no attempt was made to rush in upon Jack who said with the least suspicion of a laugh:

"Better go to bed, boys. Some one might have heard the noise and be coming up to investigate."

Then the light suddenly went out as steps were heard in the hall outside and all was still within.

Whoever was outside was evidently unsuspicious of what had happened within for the footsteps pa.s.sed the door and went on down the hall and not a word was heard.

"I guess that was one on us," muttered Billy Manners when all was quiet again, "and we'd better let it go at that and score a point for the new fellow."

Evidently, his advice was taken for there was no more disturbance in the dormitory for the rest of the night and in the morning when the bell sounded for the boys to get up Jack was out of bed before any of his new companions.

CHAPTER III

SOME OF THE BOYS AND THEIR WAYS

The boys were awakened at six o'clock, went into chapel at half past six, had breakfast at seven, went through a drill from eight to nine and then went into the general schoolroom and were busy till noon, when they were dismissed to get ready for dinner.

Nothing was said about the event of the night before but several of the boys gave Jack sly winks and it was quite evident that there would be no repet.i.tion of the hazing.

When they went out to drill, d.i.c.k Percival said to Jack:

"Well, my boy, it seems to me as if you showed just as cool a head last night as you did in the afternoon when you stood in the road and directed the two fellows who were rushing down upon you on their bikes.

I would have liked to seen the fun."

"If they had not talked about it I would not have known anything of it,"

replied Jack, "but how did you hear of it?"

"Oh, Billy Manners thought it was too good a joke to keep even if you did soak him with the contents of the water jug," laughed d.i.c.k. "I don't think he upset it as some of the boys think."

Jack said nothing and the subject was dropped for the time.

Later, Billy Manners himself came to Jack and said, good-naturedly:

"That was one on us, Sheldon, but I don't hold it up against you. I would like to know how you suspected us, however. Have you been to other schools where they practised this sort of thing?"

"No, I have never been away to school before but if fellows will talk of their plans they need not be astonished if somebody overhears."

"True enough!" rejoined Billy, with a chuckle. "I never thought of that.

I supposed we were speaking low, however."

"You spoke in whispers and you can hear a whisper farther than you can hear a low tone."

"H'm! I never knew that. That's something to remember."

After dinner and before they went back to the school room several of the boys, Jack among the rest, were standing in front of the main building when Peter Herring, a big, brawny fellow with a disagreeable face and manner said brusquely to the new boy:

"I say, Sheldon, who are you anyhow? Who's your father?"

Jack flushed crimson and then turned pale and for a moment seemed greatly agitated but he quickly gained his composure and said quietly:

"My father is dead."

"Well, what was he then?" pursued the other in the same disagreeable tone he had before used.

"A gentleman," answered Jack, pointedly, and then turned away and spoke to Harry and Arthur.

"H'm! you got it that time, Pete!" roared Ernest Merritt, Herring's chum and a boy with a reputation for bullying and also of toadying to the richer boys and snubbing the poor ones. "That hit you. Did you hear how he said 'a gentleman,' my boy? Your father is something dif----"

"Mind your business!" snapped Herring, darting a look at Jack which boded no good for the latter and then walking away with a sulky air.

"Did you notice how Jack flushed when Herring asked him who his father was?" asked Harry of Arthur when Jack had left them. "There is some mystery there."

"I don't see it. Jack would naturally be angry when spoken to in that tone. Herring is a bully and no gentleman, as Jack indicated."

"That's true enough, but Jack turned red and then white and was evidently under a considerable agitation. There is some mystery, take my word for it."

"Well, suppose there is?" rejoined Arthur. "It is certainly no business of ours and I am not going to meddle with it."

"Well, neither am I," with a little snap, "but I can have my opinion, can't I?"

"Certainly," and there was nothing more said, the boys being good friends and though having little differences at times, never quarreled.

While Arthur and Harry were having this conversation Herring said angrily to Merritt: