“What’s the trouble now?” asked Jack, for the French and German teachers, with the characteristics of their race, were generally at swords’ points for some reason or other.
“Why, you know their classrooms are next to each other, and one day, the first week of the term, Professor Socrat, in giving the French lesson, touched on history, and gave an instance of where frog-eaters with a small army had downed the troops from der Vaterland. He spoke so loud that Professor Garlach heard him, his German blood boiled over, and since then neither has spoken to the other.”
“Well, that often happens,” remarked Nat.
“Sure,” added Bony Balmore, cracking his finger knuckles by way of practice.
“Yes,” admitted Fred, as he took out his mouth-organ, preparatory to rendering a tune, “but this time it has lasted longer than usual, and it’s about time something was done about it.”
Fred began softly to play “On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away.”
“Cheese it,” advised Nat. “Martin will hear.”
“He’s gone to the village on an errand for the doctor,” said Fred as he continued to play. Then he stopped long enough to remark: “I’d like to hear from our fellow member, Jack Ranger.”
“That’s it,” exclaimed Sam Chalmers. “I wonder Jack hasn’t suggested something before this.”