Lawrenceville School -- Fiction; Schools -- Fiction
"I've already thought of that," said Doc, as he took his leave. "Don't
worry about that. Now I'll canvas the Dickinson."
"A slight feeling of uneasiness," said the Tennessee Shad solemnly,
when Macnooder had departed--"a slight feeling of uneasiness is
stealing over me, as the poet says."
"Let's have a look at the articles of incorporation," said Stover, who
sat down with Dennis to study them.
"We're the advisory board," said Dennis stoutly.
"He's got fifty-one per cent. of the stock, though," said Dink.
"But we've got forty-nine!"
The Tennessee Shad, who had not risen from his chair as it involved
extraordinary exertion, was heard repeating in a lonely sort of way to
himself:
"A slight feeling of uneasiness."
By the next nightfall every room in the Kennedy was equipped with a
Complete Sleep Prolonger. Their reception was exactly as Macnooder had
foreseen. At first a roar went up as soon as the simplicity of the
device was unearthed, but the thought of the precious bonuses soon
quelled the revolt.
Besides, there was no doubt of the great humanizing effects of the
invention, and the demand that it would awaken throughout the whole
school.
But an obstacle arose to even the deep-laid plans of Macnooder
himself. As the Third Triumvirate Manufacturing Company had bought
its stock from the Eureka Purchasing Company--which had cornered the
alarm-clock market--it followed that the alarm clocks were distinctly
second rate.
The consequence was that, though all were set for half-past seven, the
first gun went off at about quarter-past two in the morning, bringing
Mr. Bundy, the assistant house master, to the middle of the floor in
one terrified bound, and starting a giggle that ran the darkened house
like an epidemic.
At half-past three another explosion took place, aggravated this time
by the fact that, the window pulleys being worn, the sash flew up with
enough force to shatter most of the glass.
At four o'clock, when three more went off in friendly conjunction, The
Roman met Mr. Bundy in the hall in light marching costume, and made a
few very forcible remarks on the duties of subordinates--the same
being accentuated by the wailing complaint of the youngest Roman which
resounded through the house.
From then on the musketry continued intermittently until half-past
seven, when such a salvo went off that the walls of the house seemed
jarred apart.
The Third Triumvirate went down to breakfast with small appetite. To
add to their apprehension, during the long wakeful reaches of the
night there had been borne to their ears faint but unmistakable sounds
from the opposite Dickinson and the Woodhull, which had convinced them
that there, too, the great invention of the age had been betrayed by
defective supplies.
The Roman looked haggard; Mr. Bundy haggard and aggressive.
"Northwester coming," said the Tennessee Shad under his breath. "I
know the signs."
"It's all Macnooder," said Stover bitterly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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