Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-06-22

| StilStt lOtI. utt't'tlctt together tcTOSs
the room, III the corner, their extra
ordinary costumes, bare feet, mugs
and masks, beside their utter Devil
drrment, nearly took away the little
breath the Doctor had left.
Take off those masks. young gen
tlemen." he said, quickly.
The League obeyed as speedily as
cold and fright permitted. By this
time several of the other students OF
the school, and both the underma
ters, had hurriedly left their rooms
mounted the stairs, and knocked al
the door No response coming al
once, some one of them pushed il
open. They stood there staring at the
extraordinary scene within.
Come in come in, gentlemen.
said DIR. Fortress, grimly. 1.-The
more the merrier, under the circum
stances"
But, bewiIdered or grim, DIR. Port
ress had keen sense of fun. He had
understood in a moment that by mis-
take he had been made the object oi
some very improper school boy prank
originally planned without the least
reference to himself, much less to
permitting him to be an actor in it.
As he looked at the shivering league,
who hung their heads speechless, be
fore him-as he glanced at the
alarmed faces of the incomers, his
mouth began to twitch before he had
asked or given a word more of ex-
planation. He bit his lips. sneezed
tremendously, and finally, after a
single desperate attempt to preserve
his dignity, he burst into a peal of
laughter, loud, long and hearty. 1t
WAS irresistible. One by one all the
surrounding group chimed in, even
the sadly frightened League.
Go to your room. young gentle
men," the Doctor said, III another
moment, recovering himself. Il shall
not inquire into this remarkable af-
fair to night. Mof1at, Trait. Black
and Burnett, come to the study to
morrow morning before breakfast"
The two masters escorted the mem
bers of the League to their own
rooms like SO many convicts. Not a
word could they say to each other
as they descended the stairs, nor did
the masters ask them questions.
Nevertheless, just before Sands left
Blacks side he contrived to mutter
to HIM, We'll make clean breast of
it all to morrow"
And Black answered: Yes; and
who knows he'll let lis off pretty easy
after that laugh"
DIR. Fortress did. He had been Il
boarding school boy himself Is years
before
The next morning the four culprits
met in the study, and. as Sands had
said, made clean breast of It. The
Doctor read them lecture, sound
and earnest as to taking law into
their own hands for the benefit of
Belfort or the smaller boys, or upon
any other occasion whatever. He
was entirely equal to attending to
sdch matters. He likewise gave them
a merited number of pages in their
Latin grammars and dictionaries to
write OUT" and very lucky were
they to escape SO lightly. AS they
quilted the study rather shamefaced-
ly, Sands looked mp, and gathered
courage enough to say. "Dr. Fortress
if you please, sir. would you mind
telling us how You came to be in Bel
forts room last night instead of Bel
fort?"
The Doctor laughed softly to him
self, and replied: why, you see, the
plastering in my bedroom down
stairs became dangerously loose, yes
tcrday right over my bed / forgot
about it until just before the lights
ont bell had runS Then to save Mrs
Fortress trouble, / stepped upstairs,
and remembering that Belfort slept
alone, l made up my mind to ask him
to room with Eggert, and took his
place myself the most convenient
way l should think of, SO late III l
had had the least idea that a sur
prise party was in store fer Belfort.
l would have kept myself out of
it at any price. One thing more: if
You prefer. and keep your secrets
yourselves, no other person shall
know anything about last nights ad
venture, Belfort not excepted, let
them ask as many questions as they
wish. Of course the humbled League
promised. Not one of the four has
ever let out a word of the matter I'M
til now