Br-r-r-r-r-i-ng! went the alarm clock as loudly as ever, and now all the people on the dock commenced to laugh. The widow grew red and the teacher bit his lip savagely.
“Must be some joke of the boys,” he muttered.
Presently the alarm gave out, and Josiah breathed a sigh of relief.
“As you were saying about music——” he began, with a smile.
“Why, yes, Professor Crabtree! I think music is grand. I love to sit in church and listen to the deep tones of the organ, and the singing of the——”
Br-r-r-r-r-r-i-ng! went the second alarm clock, in a tone louder than the other. Josiah Crabtree gave a jump and the widow screamed. Br-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-i-ng!
“Oh, dear me! Did you wind that thing up again!” gasped the widow.
“No, madam, I didn’t touch the confounded thing!” snapped Josiah Crabtree. “This is—er—a trick!”
The alarm continued to rattle and the crowd on the dock roared. The teacher caught up the suit-case and started to open it in a hurry. He was not careful and out dropped several dress-shirts and some socks and underwear. This made the crowd laugh again and Josiah Crabtree grew sour.
“You may think this a laughing matter, but I don’t!” he cried. “It is a trick, and if I find out who is guilty——” Then he pulled out one of the offending clocks and hurled it into the waters of the lake. By this time the second clock had run down and quietness was restored. The teacher found this, but left it in the suit-case. The other clocks were in his other baggage.