Jessie by Walter Aimwell

Ronald and Otis occupied the same chamber. It was in the second story of / the house, and had two windows, one looking to the north-east and the / other to the south-east. At this season of the year, Ronald was obliged / to rise soon after day-break, to attend to his work. He was very apt to / feel sleepy in the morning, and Marcus, who was an early riser, usually / called him when it was time to get up. Otis, being a boarder, did not / rise so early, but commonly slept until the sun poured its light into / the chamber through the north-east window, and sometimes long after. He / was, in fact, rather fond of his bed.

On the morning of the first day of April, Ronald played quite a serious / trick upon his room-mate, by way of celebrating "All Fools' day. " The / windows of their chamber happened to be provided with old-fashioned / tight shutters, which, however, were not now used, curtains having been / substituted for them. On the morning in question, Ronald arose very / slyly, at early day-break, and commenced disarranging and secreting the / several articles of Otis's every-day apparel. One of his suspenders he / hid under the bed-clothes, and the other he tied into knots; he turned / the legs of his pantaloons and the sleeves of his jacket inside out; / deposited one stocking in his jacket pocket, and crowded the other into / the toe of his shoe; hid the other shoe on the upper shelf of the / closet, after emptying into it the contents of his trousers pockets; / and, in short, put things into such a plight, that he supposed it would / take Otis at least an hour to dress himself. He then closed the / shutters, and left the room, carefully shutting the door, lest the / movements of the rest of the family should disturb the sleeper.