Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/112

96 And then came a wild scramble. With nothing on his bed but a mattress and a blanket Dave laid down. A loud knock sounded out on the door.

"Did any of you young gentlemen call for anything?" came the mild question.

"It's Murphy! Bless his heart!" whispered Shadow Hamilton. "He won't report us."

"It's all right, Murphy," answered Phil Lawrence. "I was only chasing out the mosquitoes."

"Well, please make less noise doing it. The doctor won't stand for such a racket," returned the monitor, and passed on.

"Jim Murphy is a peach," said Roger. "As long as he is monitor we are safe here. But I guess we had better call it off, fellows," he added.

The beds were re-made and the wet towels, shoes, rugs, and soap redistributed, and in a few minutes more all of the lads retired. Some had been pretty well soaked with water, but nobody complained.

"That was a pretty easy initiation," thought Dave. But the country boy had made an error; the real initiation was still to come, but not that night.

It took some time for Dave to get to sleep, but once in the land of Nod he slept soundly, and did not awaken until the clanging of a loud bell broke upon his ear.

"That's the first bell," said Roger, in answer