Chapter XXIII: Buried Under the Snow

One morning the cadets of Putnam Hall awoke to find the ground covered with snow. The storm had started in about midnight, and was still raging, the wind sending the flakes whirling in all directions.

"Hurrah for the snow!" shouted Andy, as he rushed to one of the windows to look out. "Pep, this is glorious!"

"Fine!" came from the Imp. "Oh, but won't we have a dandy time snowballing each other!"

"And building a snow house," put in Stuffer. "I love to build a snow house, and after it's all done, we can put benches inside, and a little table, and have----"

"Something to eat," interrupted Jack. "Wasn't you going to say that, Stuffer?"

"Yes, but--but how did you guess it?"

"Oh, I've got a way of knowing things," returned the young major. "But this is grand and no mistake. Somehow, a good old snowstorm always makes me feel jolly."

Pepper was at the window, and opening it a few inches he brought in a handful of snow. Gazing around he saw that Henry Lee was still sleeping peacefully.

"Hush!" he whispered, and going up to Henry laid the soft snow directly over his mouth. "Hi, wake up!" he shouted.

Henry started, and opened his eyes. Then he started to speak, when some of the snow dropped into his mouth, and he commenced to splutter.

"Wha--what--who--gug--gug--who put snow in my mouth?" he gasped, at last.

"Wake up, Henry!" sang out Pepper. "Don't you see how it's snowing?"

"Oh, well, you needn't try to fill me up with it, Pep."

"Get up, you're missing it."

Slowly Henry Lee arose and started to dress himself. Then Pepper turned away. Like a flash Henry ran to a window, got some snow, and whacked it on Pepper's neck, allowing some to run down the Imp's backbone.

"Great mackerels!" howled Pepper. "Let up! I'll turn into an icicle!" And he began to dance around.

"It's all right--you don't want to miss the benefits of the storm," said Henry, calmly.

The cadets were soon below, and snowballs flew fast and furious across the campus. All of the boys were happy, and all too soon they had to go in to breakfast and then take up their studies.

"I wish old Crabtree would come outside during recess," murmured Pepper to Jack. "Maybe we wouldn't do a thing to him, eh?"

"He'll know better than to show himself," answered Jack, and he was right, the teacher kept indoors all day.

But George Strong came out, and took a snowballing in good part. He even threw a few balls himself, showing that his aim was as good as any of the boys.

"He's the kind of a teacher to have," was Andy's comment. "A fellow can't help but take to him."

The snow continued all of that day, and by nightfall was nearly a foot deep. It was very blustery, and in some spots the drifts reached up to one's head.

"This will make traveling bad," said Jack, and he was right. On the roads in that vicinity horses with their turnouts could scarcely get through.

Poor Peleg Snuggers came in for his full share of the snowballing. As soon as the general utility man appeared, he was bombarded from all sides, and had to run for his life.

"Let up, please let up!" he bawled. "You ain't fer killin' an old man, be you?"

"The snow will do you good, Peleg. It will make you grow," sang out Pepper.

"It will make you handsome," put in Dave Kearney. "You want to be handsome, don't you, Peleg?"

"It will teach you how to dance," came from Harry Blossom. "See, he is dancing already." And Peleg was dancing, with pain, for a big snowball had just landed in his left ear.

"Oh, dear, I knowed it!" he groaned. "The minit the snow comes, there ain't no rest fer me. I'm goin' to resign!" And then he rushed for the barn.

On the following day the sun shone brightly, and this caused the snow to pack down. A dozen of the boys set to work to build a snow house and a fort.

"This is going to be the biggest house yet," announced Pepper. And he and his chums worked with a will. They kept at it during all of their spare time for two days, and when done the top of the house was fifteen feet high.

"This is a regular snow palace," cried Andy. "Let us stick a flag on the top."

"I don't see how you are going to get it up there," returned Jack. "If you climb up, now the windows are cut out, you'll cave in the roof."

"I'll be careful," said Andy, and ran off to get a small flag which they had had on their tent during the brief encampment.

In the meantime, Pepper and Harry Blossom were inside of the snow house, leveling off the flooring with their shovels. Jack went off to get a bench, and Dale to get a stool.

Having procured his flag, Andy crawled up on the top of the house with care and placed it in position. Then he came down and went around to the doorway.

"Our colors are up," he announced. "Say, it's all right in here," he added, looking around. "A fellow could live in here if he had to."

"Why not, since the Esquimaux live in snow huts," returned Harry. "It might prove pretty cold, unless a fellow could start up a fire."

While the friends were talking, Dan Baxter came up, accompanied by Paxton and Coulter.

"Hullo, look at the snow house!" exclaimed the bully. "Let us make one."

"I guess we can make a better one than this," growled Paxton.

"Say, let us cave it in on 'em," whispered Coulter.

"All right," answered Baxter, eagerly. "How shall we do it?"

"Let's all run up to the top. Come on!"

Andy had gone into the house, to aid Pepper and Harry, and nobody was near. Looking around, to make sure they were not observed, Baxter, Paxton, and Coulter ran up on the snow house and began to jump up and down. There came a crack, several others, and then with scarcely a sound the top of the snow house went down, burying the boys above up to their knees.

"Get out of this!" exclaimed Baxter, and pulled himself free, followed by his cronies. Soon they were clear of the snow and running across the campus.

It was at that moment that Jack re-appeared, followed by Dale.

"Hullo, the house has caved in!" ejaculated the young major.

"Somebody is under the snow," came from Dale. "Don't you see the end of that shovel moving?"

"Whoever is in there will be smothered to death, if we don't get him out," went on Jack. "Come, get the snow out of the way as fast as you can."

The pair set to work, and in a moment more several other cadets were helping them. Then somebody ran off and called George Strong, who came to the spot on the double-quick.

"Yes, yes, we must get them out at once," said the assistant teacher. "It doesn't take much to smother a person under the snow. Work lively, boys!"

They did work lively, throwing the snow on all sides. The teacher worked with them.

"Look out that you don't hurt somebody with your shovels," said Jack, cautiously.

Soon he caught sight of a foot and then a leg. He began to pull, and George Strong aided him, and up came Harry Blossom, almost black in the face.

"Oh!" gasped the cadet.

"Who is under there?" demanded George Strong.

"Andy Snow and Pepper Ditmore," answered Harry. "Oh, get them out if you can! If you don't, they'll surely be smothered to death!"

"Yes, we must get them out," came from Jack. "Come on--work harder than ever!"