will look brighter in the morning. Goodnight.”
Miss Scrimmage turned around and marched off in a huff.
Mrs. Sturgeon appeared at her husband’s elbow. “Mildred,” he said, “wait till you hear
this
!”
“I heard,” she sighed. “Cinderella.”
He nodded. “Mildred, if things go badly and we do lose Macdonald Hall, my one consolation will be that I’ll never have to put up with
her
again!”
* * *
Elmer pulled Bruno and Boots in through the window of room 201. “Where have you been? It’s after three!” Bruno cast Elmer a look that could have melted lead, and hurled himself onto his bed without a word.
“You’ll have to excuse him,” Boots explained with a grin. “Miss Scrimmage was out there again and he’s having a confidence crisis.”
“I don’t know,” Bruno growled. “It’s getting to be so a guy can’t sneak out after lights-out any more. What’s going on around here anyway?”
Boots shrugged and began to prepare for bed.
“I have some news,” offered Elmer timidly. “My cure for the common cold is ready to be tested.”
Miraculously restored, Bruno jumped up. “Hot gazoobies! We’ll do that tomorrow! Who do we know with a cold?”
“Nobody,” said Boots. “None of the guys have colds right now. It’s not the cold season.”
“Surely
somebody
has a cold,” insisted Bruno.
Across the hall in room 200, Housemaster Flynn went into a spasm of violent sneezing. He could be heard rustling around, clearing his throat and blowing his nose. Bruno and Boots exchanged looks of pure delight.
Chapter 6
An Uncommon Cure
Good morning, all! The Fish launches Operation Popcan! Beware the Fish!
Sergeant Featherstone noted with some excitement that Wednesday morning’s announcement also came at 8:45. When the fish disappeared, he switched off the television set. His mind reeling with ideas and suspicions, he turned on his voice recorder.
“Investigation Fish — Field Report Number Two — Sergeant Harold P. Featherstone, Special Division, reporting,” he dictated.
“A pattern is beginning to emerge. There have been Fish broadcasts reported at all hours of the day, but 8:45 AM seems to be standard. It is my suspicion that ‘the Fish’ is a code name for the leader of a terrorist cell which is using public communications to send messages, also possibly in code. This morning ‘Operation Popcan’ was announced. This could be a major manoeuvre planned by the Fish and his associates. I will have to be extremely alert and watchful. Featherstone out.”
He switched off the recorder, and responding to a rumble in his stomach, left his room in search of breakfast.
The door of the next room opened slightly and two eyes watched intently as Featherstone walked through the parking lot to the street and across to the diner. Then the tall thin man in room 14 also left the motel and casually headed for the little restaurant.
* * *
“And that’s the way I expect you to complete the obstacle course,” said Coach Flynn, jumping off the climbing apparatus in the gymnasium. “Any questions?” He sneezed violently.
Bruno elbowed Boots in the ribs. Boots raised his hand.
“Sir, I have a question about the vaulting horse in the far corner. Isn’t there too much space between it and the springboard? Could we take a closer look?”
Flynn took Boots and the rest of the class over to the far corner of the gym. Bruno stole away from the group and moved swiftly to the bench where Coach Flynn kept his glass of Muscle-Ade, a high-energy drink. From the pocket of his shorts he took out the eye-dropper bottle of cold remedy that Elmer had given him. Holding the dropper over the coach’s glass, he administered exactly six drops, as per instructions. Then he strolled back and merged with the group. Boots’s problem had apparently been cleared up.
The coach again sneezed violently. “Oh, this cold!” he groaned. “I’ve got a beaut!”
“Maybe some Muscle-Ade will help,” suggested
Miss Scrimmage turned around and marched off in a huff.
Mrs. Sturgeon appeared at her husband’s elbow. “Mildred,” he said, “wait till you hear
this
!”
“I heard,” she sighed. “Cinderella.”
He nodded. “Mildred, if things go badly and we do lose Macdonald Hall, my one consolation will be that I’ll never have to put up with
her
again!”
* * *
Elmer pulled Bruno and Boots in through the window of room 201. “Where have you been? It’s after three!” Bruno cast Elmer a look that could have melted lead, and hurled himself onto his bed without a word.
“You’ll have to excuse him,” Boots explained with a grin. “Miss Scrimmage was out there again and he’s having a confidence crisis.”
“I don’t know,” Bruno growled. “It’s getting to be so a guy can’t sneak out after lights-out any more. What’s going on around here anyway?”
Boots shrugged and began to prepare for bed.
“I have some news,” offered Elmer timidly. “My cure for the common cold is ready to be tested.”
Miraculously restored, Bruno jumped up. “Hot gazoobies! We’ll do that tomorrow! Who do we know with a cold?”
“Nobody,” said Boots. “None of the guys have colds right now. It’s not the cold season.”
“Surely
somebody
has a cold,” insisted Bruno.
Across the hall in room 200, Housemaster Flynn went into a spasm of violent sneezing. He could be heard rustling around, clearing his throat and blowing his nose. Bruno and Boots exchanged looks of pure delight.
Chapter 6
An Uncommon Cure
Good morning, all! The Fish launches Operation Popcan! Beware the Fish!
Sergeant Featherstone noted with some excitement that Wednesday morning’s announcement also came at 8:45. When the fish disappeared, he switched off the television set. His mind reeling with ideas and suspicions, he turned on his voice recorder.
“Investigation Fish — Field Report Number Two — Sergeant Harold P. Featherstone, Special Division, reporting,” he dictated.
“A pattern is beginning to emerge. There have been Fish broadcasts reported at all hours of the day, but 8:45 AM seems to be standard. It is my suspicion that ‘the Fish’ is a code name for the leader of a terrorist cell which is using public communications to send messages, also possibly in code. This morning ‘Operation Popcan’ was announced. This could be a major manoeuvre planned by the Fish and his associates. I will have to be extremely alert and watchful. Featherstone out.”
He switched off the recorder, and responding to a rumble in his stomach, left his room in search of breakfast.
The door of the next room opened slightly and two eyes watched intently as Featherstone walked through the parking lot to the street and across to the diner. Then the tall thin man in room 14 also left the motel and casually headed for the little restaurant.
* * *
“And that’s the way I expect you to complete the obstacle course,” said Coach Flynn, jumping off the climbing apparatus in the gymnasium. “Any questions?” He sneezed violently.
Bruno elbowed Boots in the ribs. Boots raised his hand.
“Sir, I have a question about the vaulting horse in the far corner. Isn’t there too much space between it and the springboard? Could we take a closer look?”
Flynn took Boots and the rest of the class over to the far corner of the gym. Bruno stole away from the group and moved swiftly to the bench where Coach Flynn kept his glass of Muscle-Ade, a high-energy drink. From the pocket of his shorts he took out the eye-dropper bottle of cold remedy that Elmer had given him. Holding the dropper over the coach’s glass, he administered exactly six drops, as per instructions. Then he strolled back and merged with the group. Boots’s problem had apparently been cleared up.
The coach again sneezed violently. “Oh, this cold!” he groaned. “I’ve got a beaut!”
“Maybe some Muscle-Ade will help,” suggested
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