When, in the history recitation, one of them remarked that “Warren Hastings went to the same school and sat on the same seats as the pheasants of his native country,” an uproarious burst of laughter followed, and all through the session similar blunders were made in the gravest and most innocent manner imaginable, by different boys. When the hour came for the algebra recitation, an unusual quiet prevailed in the room, and when Mr. Horton sent Reed to the closet for a piece of chalk, more than one boy waited breathlessly for what was to follow.
Reed flung open the door and reached up to the shelf for the chalk-box, but the next moment it fell from his hands, and with a cry, he sprang back and slammed the door, but not before a snake had slipped out into the room. It was a big black fellow, nearly three feet long, and as it wriggled about under the seats, there was such a commotion in the room, that for a moment the teacher could not make himself heard; and in that moment Green flung open the door, and the snake was quickly hustled out into the hall. A girls’ class-room was directly opposite, and to the delight of the disorderly element, the girls’ door stood ajar, and the boys succeeded in driving the snake accidentally through the opening. Then ensued shrieks and screams as the girls jumped up on desks and seats, some of them even mounting to the window-sills.
But in a moment Mr. Horton, understanding what the noise in the girls’ room meant, appeared there, seized the snake by the tail, and flung it from the window.
When order was restored, and the teacher questioned his own class, every boy denied all knowledge as to how the snake came to be in the closet, and although Mr. Horton had his own opinion on the subject, he had no proof, and could do nothing.
The next day was no better. Never had the class been more trying or more disorderly than in the two weeks that followed, and never had the teacher found it so difficult to decide whom to punish.
The L. A. O.’s were almost in despair. It was in the second week that a meeting was held, and the matter very earnestly talked over.
“It does seem a shame that a few mean fellows should be able to upset everything as they do in this class,” Gordon said indignantly. “I did hope that it would be different at least while Crawford and Henderson were away. I thought that they were at the bottom of it all, but that can’t be, for it has been worse than ever for the last week. Does anybody know who is the ringleader?”
“Seems to me the Antis are all ringleaders,” said Raleigh.
“I’ve found out who put the snake in the closet,” announced Hamlin.
“Who, who?” shouted a dozen voices eagerly.