code: public short getPropAsShort(String key, short def) {
      return Short.parseShort(getProp(key, String.valueOf(def)));
    }
docs: Get the value of a property as an short, using the given default value if the property is not set.
  
  @param key property key
  @param def default value
  @return short value associated with the key or the default value if the property is not set