CHAPTER XV

NED STOPS A PANIC

"Can you read it?" asked Ned.

"It begins with a 'K.' 'King of Paprica,' that's what it is. I can see it plainly, now that the sun is out from behind the cloud."

"This is where they moved the hut to," Ned went on. "Well, this thing is getting more and more mysterious."

Bart again ascended the tree and took a long observation. He reported that the men seemed to be measuring the land with long chains, while one was using an instrument such as surveyors carry.

"Maybe they're planning to put a new trolley line through," suggested Fenn.

"That's so," agreed Bart. "I didn't think of that."

"Probably don't want folks to know which way it's going, as if they did, they might put up the price of land."

"But that doesn't explain the queer actions of the crazy men," objected Ned. "I bet there's something more than that in all this."

"Well, I don't see as we can do anything," spoke Frank cautiously. "We haven't any right to go on private land. Guess we'll have to let it drop."

"Wonder how they came to hire Sandy?" said Bart.

"Probably they knew he was so unpopular he wouldn't say much to the other fellows," explained Ned.

"Anyhow we've seen what we wanted to, though we can't make head or tail of it," came from Fenn. "Let's go on after the flowers."

"The men are going away now," Bart reported. "They've gone back in the woods, and Sandy is there on guard again. He needn't worry, we'll not bother him."

The boys remained on top of the hill some little while longer and then, finding a place where there were a number of beautiful wild flowers, gathered large bunches, wrapping the stems about with leaves, wet in a spring, to keep the flowers fresh.

They went through the woods so as to skirt the edge of the clearing but not near enough to it to be seen by Sandy, as they did not wish to get into a quarrel with the youth.

"Let's make some inquiries when we get back to town," suggested Bart, "and see if anyone has heard of a trolley line being extended, or of any surveyors at work."

"Whom can we ask?" inquired Ned.

"You ask Judge Benton, Frank," said Bart. "You know him, don't you?"

"Yes," was the answer, and Frank looked at Bart sharply, as if to see whether the suggestion was made with any particular motive. In fact Bart had mentioned the lawyer's name to see if Frank would volunteer anything about his visit to the judge's office that day. But Frank said nothing.

Rowing back was easy work, with the stream's current to help the boat along, and, early that afternoon, the boys tied up at the dock.

They took the flowers to the church, in the lecture room of which the entertainment was to be held. Miss Mapes met the boys there.

"This is very kind of you," she said, as she took the blossoms. "They will make the place look beautifully. I hope you didn't have much trouble."

"Not a bit," Frank assured her.

"I'm sure you ought to be rewarded in some way," the teacher went on.

"We didn't do it for pay," said Fenn.

"Of course, I know that," responded Miss Mapes, "but I would like to show you how much I appreciate it. Won't you come to the entertainment to-night?" and she held out some tickets.

The boys' faces showed how glad they would be to come. There was to be music, singing and tableaux, and, while the lads had money enough to buy tickets, they were glad as are most persons to get complimentary ones.

"Are you sure you can spare them?" asked Bart.

"Why I am only too glad to give them to you," Miss Mapes said. "I'm sure you boys deserve them if any one does. All the members of the arrangement committee get free tickets, and I appoint you special members of the flower committee," she ended, with a laugh.

The entertainment was much enjoyed. There was good music and a number of popular songs were rendered. The affair was to close with a series of tableaux in which several young persons were to pose as famous characters. Considerable time and work had been put into this feature and everyone was anxious to see it.

Lincoln delivering one of his speeches, Washington reading his farewell address, and Pocahontas saving the life of Captain John Smith, were given with much success. The last one was to be a patriotic group, called the "Spirit of '76," which is often shown in pictures, the three figures, an old man and two younger ones, playing martial music on drum and fife while all about them rolls the smoke of battle.

To give the proper effect it was planned to burn a quantity of red fire back of the group to represent the mist of smoke caused by the guns, while the explosion of cannon was to be simulated.

As the curtain went up on the group there was a burst of applause when the tableaux came into view, for it was a surprise, and not down on the program. The red fire was touched off and a great cloud of smoke, made lurid by the chemicals, rolled out. Then the curtain stopped, with but half the figures in view.

"Higher! Higher!" called some one in the wings of the improvised stage. "Higher!"

The voice was loud enough to be heard out in the audience, but was intended to be audible only to the person in charge of pulling up the curtain.

It was an unfortunate thing that "Higher" sounded so much like "Fire!" In fact that is what a number of persons thought the cry was, and, taking it with the smoke, which few knew was a part of the picture, they believed some accident had happened.

"Higher! Higher!" called the stage manager again, not seeing the alarmed look on the faces of the audience. He wanted the curtain to go up, but it was caught on something.

Then the panic-wave, which is always ready to sweep over a big gathering at the slightest provocation, started. A few women screamed. Some girls started to leave their seats and a number of boys made ready to follow.

"It's a fire!" yelled some thoughtless one.

That was enough. In an instant the entire audience had arisen and was about to make a maddened rush for the exits, of which there were none too many.

The four chums, with their girl friends, were seated in the first row. They were near enough to know what the matter was and to see there was no danger. Others near them could also see, but the vast majority was in ignorance.

"If they rush for the doors a lot will be killed!" cried Bart.

"Sit down! Sit down!" yelled Frank, and Fenn joined with him in trying to calm those around him. Several girls near them had fainted.

"There's going to be trouble!" said Ned in a low tone to Fenn. "What can we do?"

"Tell the band to play!" cried Fenn.

Ned turned to where the orchestra had been seated, but the players had fled. The audience was rushing madly for the doors. They were crushing in a terror-stricken mass around the exits. Ned saw his opportunity and acted.

Grasping a cornet from the chair where the player had dropped it he began to blow. He had learned how to give the army bugle calls while in camp one year, and the memory came back to him. An instant later the sweet notes of "Taps," or "Lights out," sounded above the terrible noise of the frenzied throng. The audience halted in its mad rush.