Macdonald Hall #3: Beware the Fish!

A question of ownership

At midnight Cathy Burton and Diane Grant were at their window watching as about twenty-five Macdonald Hall students arrived at Miss Scrimmage's apple orchard. It took the boys only a few minutes to locate the treasure of pop cans the girls had hidden there for them. Then, carrying four big bags apiece, the boys began to move slowly and silently back towards Macdonald Hall.

In the lead, Bruno and Boots were just about to step onto the highway.

"Halt!"

The whole group stopped and wheeled about. Miss Scrimmage was running towards them, her arms waving wildly. She did not, Bruno was relieved to note, have her shotgun.

"Run!" he bellowed, and twenty-five yelling boys, each carrying huge clanking bundles, thundered across the highway with Miss Scrimmage in hot pursuit. In a matter of seconds, a streamof girls dressed in nightclothes swarmed after them.

"No!" howled Bruno, seeing his crew heading for Dormitory 3. "Don't lead her there!" He could not be heard over the general din. "No! Stop! Awwwww..." He ran after them. Boys began to pour out of Dormitories 1 and 2, sleepy and bewildered.

"Stop, thieves!" screeched Miss Scrimmage, still running at the head of her army of shrieking girls.

The boys arrived at Dormitory 3, threw the door open and stampeded inside, dropping their bags and kicking the neatly stacked pop cans all over the hall. Sidney Rampulsky was the first to fall. He started a chain reaction, and soon all twenty-five boys were down on the floor, pop cans scattered all around them. More boys were pouring in through the doorway, all tripping and tumbling.

"What's going on?"

"Our pop cans!"

"Miss Scrimmage is coming! She's going to find our pop cans!"

"Don't be silly! What would she do with thirty-two thousand pop cans?"

"Ouch!"

Outside, a hysterical Miss Scrimmage was being restrained by several of her girls.

"Don't go in there, Miss Scrimmage," Diane Grant pleaded. "You won't like it!"

"Release me!" insisted Miss Scrimmage.

The girls' gym teacher, Miss Smedley, arrived on the scene. "Miss Scrimmage," she shrilled, "all the girls have left their rooms!"

"I can see that!" cried the Headmistress.

From room 200 in Dormitory 2, Coach Flynn's head appeared. "Shut up out there!" he bellowed. He took in the wild scene and exclaimed in horror, "What the heck is going on?"

"It's Al!" cried Cathy. "Hi, Al!"

"Are you all crazy?" shouted Flyn. "Get off our campus! Go back where you belong!"

"Release me!" shrilled Miss Scrimmage once more.

Bruno finally scrambled out the door of Dormitory 3.

"Walton!" yelled Flynn. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"There's one of them!" cried Miss Scrimmage. "Stop, thief!" She pulled herself loose, and arms waving, began to chase Bruno around the building. A crowd of her girls followed, screaming for her to come back. Boots darted after them.

Bruno gulped as he ran. Approaching on the dead run was a familiar figure in a red silk bathrobe and bedroom slippers. It was Mr. Sturgeon.

"Hello, sir," panted Bruno as they met.

The Headmaster thrust Bruno behind him, held up both hands and announced quietly and firmly, "Stop this at once!"

Boots ran up and joined Bruno behind Mr. Sturgeon.