ny plays, having
found it necessary to spend his money with the greatest care, as he was
confined to a certain allowance to take him through college.

"And Uncle Tom's Bible," said Danny--"it reminds me of a conundrum. How
was the ark propelled?"

"Dud-dud-darned if I know."

"By a Noah, of course," explained Griswold.

Gamp caught his breath, and then he lay back and roared:

"Haw! haw! haw! A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!"

This roar of laughter, coming as it did at a solemn and pathetic point
in the play, was most startling. _Uncle Tom_ came near collapsing on the
stage, and the other actors were so disturbed that they got tangled in
their lines.

The students caught on, and there was an immediate burst of applause
that swelled louder and louder. This died away most suddenly and
unexpectedly, and Joe Gamp was heard to shout in his endeavor to make
Griswold hear:

"By jiminy! that was a good one! A-haw! a-haw! a-haw! a-haw!"

The lad from the country went off into another paroxysm of laughter,
pressing his hands to his sides, and shutting his eyes, utterly
unconscious for the moment of his surroundings.

Of a sudden Joe remembered that he was at the theatre. His mouth came
together with a snap, his eyes flew open, and he ceased to laugh and
stiffened up, with a frightened look on his face.

The change was so ludicrous that the entire audience was convulsed, and
the actors could not help laughing.

From that moment the play progressed under difficulties. In the scene
where the slaves were being sold at auction some of the students began
to pepper the actors with pea-shooters, doing it cautiously, so that
they would not be spotted in the act. Every time _Marks_ would open his
mouth to say "seventy-five" he would be struck by one or more peas,
which were fired with force sufficient to make them sting like hornets.

"Seventy----Wow! Whoop!" yelled _Marks_, clapping a hand to the side of
his face, and suddenly dancing an original can-can.

"Five hundred," cried _Legree_.

"Seventy-fi---- We-e-e-ow! Stop it! Somebody is shooting things at me!"

_Marks_ had been spotted on the end of his long nose, to which he was
wildly clinging with both hands, as he pranced around the stage.

"What's the matter?" growled _Legree_, in a guarded tone, unable to
understand what had happened. "Have you gone crazy, you fool? Stand up
and bid!"

Then he cried: "Six hundred!"

"Seventy-five---- Hornets and blisters!" finished _Marks