Jack Rangers Western Trip | Page 5

Jack's, since Jack had once caught him smoking, a violation of the school rules.
"Ha! More skylarking!" the instructor exclaimed. "What does this mean, Ranger?"
"I sprained my ankle," replied our hero.
"What are you doing out at this hour? And what are the others doing?"
"We had permission to go to the village," replied Jack, truthfully enough, for Dr. Mead had allowed the boys to go; though the object of the trip, of course, had not been disclosed to the master.
"Go to your rooms," commanded Professor Grimm. "I will look into this."
"I wish he hadn't seen us," said Jack, when his two chums had taken him to his dormitory.
"Why?" asked Sam. "Where's the harm?"
"I have a sort of queer feeling that something is going to happen," Jack replied. "I want to finish out the term with a good record, for my aunts' sakes. If there are any pranks played tonight, Grimm will be sure to suspect me."
"Don't cross a bridge until it trips you up," said Sam. "Now, let's have a look at that ankle."
They found it was not as bad as Jack had feared.
"I've got a bottle of arnica somewhere," he said. "I think I'll put some on."
His chums found the bottle, and were rubbing the swelling with the medicine when there came a knock at the door.
"Who's there?" asked Jack.
"Professor Grimm," was the reply. "I want to see if you are really in your room."
Sam opened the door and the cross-grained professor entered.
"So you're not fooling this time, eh?" he sneered, as he smelled the arnica and saw the swelling on Jack's ankle. "It's a good thing you were not."
"Nice old party, isn't he?" murmured Sam, when the teacher had withdrawn. "Well, I think I'll say good-night, Jack. Hope you sleep good. Say, but that Klu-Klux business was the limit!" and chuckling over the night's fun, he went to bed, leaving Jack and the Indian student together.
"A few weeks more and we'll not have to sneak around this way to have a little fun," said Jack. "Vacation will soon be here. I hope I can carry out a plan I have in mind, John."
"What is it, Jack?"
"I want to go out west and search for my father. I ought to be with him in his trouble. Besides, the time must be almost up, so he could come back to civilization again."
"I hope you do find him," said the semi-Indian.
"I wish you could help me, John."
"I wish so, too. Perhaps I can. But you'd better get to bed now. We don't want Grimm coming around again."
Jack fell asleep dreaming he was crawling through a deep canyon after his father, who was being carried away captive in a birch bark canoe by Indians. But in spite of this he slept so soundly that he did not hear a number of unusual noises under his window. Perhaps it was as well for his peace of mind that he did not.
It was about half past seven o'clock the next morning when Jack awoke with a start.
"I wonder what's the matter," he said to himself. "It seems as if something had happened. Oh, I know, I haven't heard the morning bell."
It was the custom at the academy to awaken the students by ringing the big bell in the tower every morning, and Jack had come to depend on it as a sort of alarm clock.
"I wonder what's the matter," he went on. "Can Martin have forgotten to sound the tocsin? It's the first time he ever slipped up."
A little later there came the sound of persons moving in the hall, and then voices could be heard calling one to the other.
He got out of bed, finding that his ankle was much better and looked from the window. There was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen. He turned toward his door, just as a loud knock came on the portal.
"Who's there?" he asked.
"Martin, the monitor," was the reply. "Dr. Mead wants to see you at once in the office."
"Trouble! I knew it!" exclaimed Jack to himself. "Well, I wonder what it is now. Hope word of that Klu-Klux-Klan business hasn't reached here already. But I'm not afraid of that. Even Dr. Mead will admit we acted from a right motive. All right, Martin," he called. "I'll be there as soon as I dress. Anything special?"
"I'm afraid it is," replied the monitor, as he hurried down the hall.
Jack made a hasty toilet and then went to the office of the head of the academy. He found a number of the teachers gathered there, including Professor Grimm, who looked more angry than usual. The latter was speaking as Jack entered:
"This positively has to stop, Dr. Mead," he said. "I will put up with this no longer. Either Ranger or I must leave."
"What have I done now?" asked