The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 137: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

_HE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? and proportionately bulky in circum- ference. | Then it gradually reduced to a more natural size, suddenly became greatly elongated, and as suddenly diminished. Having continued the performance for some minutes, the professor re-ap- ‘peared beforethe curtain, looking rather red in the face. “He can’t make himself big this ‘side,’ grumbled one or two of the very junior members of the fraternity. “No,” replied the professor. “It is all von optical delusion. I gets behind ze curtain, shtands between it unt ze lantern ; den if I comes near ze curtain I grows little, and if I steps back to ze lantern I gets big. Ven I shoomps up I am big and little both.” ‘¢That is not a very clever trick, sir,” observed Freddy Webber, with a grave face. “ Can you play tricks ?” “Yes. Much better than that.” “ Petter as dat. Let us see, let us se.” ‘‘ Excuse me thisevening, sir. Iwi perform my trick in the light of day, without the aid of any curtain, lantern, | or other means of deception.” ‘You are a clever boy.” The boys looked out bright and early in the morning ; for though Freddy had mot told any one his plans, they all |, guessed that Professor Moeritz was to be made the victim of some practical joke. “Your game must be a gentle one, Freddy,” observed the King of the | School. “I don’t like any sprees that. result in’ personal injury.” “ J would ‘not injure him for worlds,” replied Webber; “ but I'll have his h at pe | A few minutes afterwards the break- fast bell rang, and the merry, hungry boys trooped into the dining-hall. ‘One of the number remained behind, however. That one as you may guess, was . Webber. * This is the real, authentic origin of the slang phrase now so popular, 13t But what was Freddy doing? you may naturally ask. He had taken two or three of the brass rings from his fishing-rod, and was busily engaged in screwing them into the ceiling of the room. What was his object in so doing we shall see. Having arranged the rings to his satisfaction in a row from the centre of theroom to near the door, Freddy passed along piece of thread through them, and secured both ends to the roller of a map that hung upon the wall. A final look round to see that all was right, and then our young friend marched into the dining-hall, and made as vigorous an attack upon the bread and butter and weak tea as though he had spent the morning in the perform- ance of a variety of virtuous actions. Professor Moeritz seemed to have some vague idea that he was to be victimised, | When the morning meal was over, and the boys had returned—some to the play-fields, some to the school-room —he kept very carefully in the centre of the apartment devoted to learning, not daring even to sit down, lest pins should have been stuck in his chair, ar some other joke played. “ Just what I want,” muttered Freddy, as he prepared for his magic. “Tell me; I’ll lend you a helping hand if possible,” said Fitzgerald, who loved a joke dearly. “You won't blab ?” “ No—on my honour.” “Then stick this fish-hook into the crown of old Germany’s hat.” ‘‘ Give it here. Why, you have some cotton on the end of it.” “}Of course. <A hook is no use with- out a line.” Fitzgerald, under pretext of asking some question, went up to the professor, and, when his back was for a moment turned, inserted the fish-heok in the little ventilator in the crown of the professor’s hat, accomplishing his work withoutexciting the slightest suspicion. A few minutes afterwards, while the CO JOG CO mn