"Holy Moses in the bulrushes!" said that individual, "what do you mean by jumping on a fellow that way, knocking him down and nearly choking the daylights out of him?" gasped the Codfish, as soon as he had gulped down enough breath to fill his lungs.
"Well, I'll be hanged," said Frank, ruefully, "I thought you were the ghost. Pardon me, old man."
"Well, at first I thought you were the same thing, but when we'd been scrapping around here on the ground for about a minute I thought you were the devil for sure and all. My, you little rooster, I didn't know you had so much strength. You nearly choked the life out of me."
"What are you doing down here, anyway?" said Frank, suspiciously. "I thought you were going over to the library."
"Well, I did go over to the library, but I've heard a lot about there being a ghost down here, and I came down to investigate it myself."
"And we were down on the same errand. It's a good joke," and the boys had a good laugh there together in the shade of the stand.
Together they retraced their steps to Warren Hall, where they found David and Lewis holding the fort at the window. Both were considerably alarmed, for they had not expected the friends to be out so late. The chapel bell had just tolled the third quarter after nine o'clock. Lewis had been suggesting the organization of a searching party, believing that the apparition had turned on the investigators and thrown them into the river.
The whole story was gone over for the amusement of Lewis and David, and they entered into the general fun. Then they agreed that nothing should be said of the adventure outside, because it was too good a joke; but somehow it leaked out, and was all around the school before noon of the next day.