CHAPTER XIV
"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"
For a moment no one knew what to do or say. Tom was nervously kickingat the pebbles in the path, while Phil got out his knife and beganwhittling a stick furiously. As usual it was the girls who saved thesituation.
"I suppose he's gone off to get some more pictures," said Madge, with anervous little laugh. "Come on, Ruth, we mustn't let Mabel go back thereall alone. After all, I don't believe we want to go sit in the shade.Isn't dinner almost ready? I'm nearly famished, boys."
"Yes, bring on the butter, ants and all," added Ruth.
"All right, just as you say," responded Phil, with a quick look at Tom,who rather avoided the glance, for he was sorely puzzled. "I dare saygrub is ready. We'll dine beneath the greenwood tree, from whence allcare shall banished be."
"Bravo!" cried Miss Tyler. "You never told me your brother was a poet,Ruth."
"He doesn't know it himself," commented his sister dryly. "Oh, there'sMabel. Wait!" she called, and the girl in advance turned. There was atroubled look in her blue eyes, but otherwise she was calm.
"Isn't it perfectly charming in the woods," she remarked. "I wishFairview College was nearer the lake."
"Oh, we'll come over and get you, any time you want to come," said Tomquickly.
"Thank you," responded Miss Harrison, with a grateful look at him. Sheseemed to have recovered control of herself, but there was a patheticair about her, which did not vanish.
Luncheon was a gay affair, as Tom and Phil felt that it was their dutyto make up, in a measure, for the strange action of Sid, in going off incompany with a flashily-dressed youth who had practically insulted hischums' companions.
In the afternoon there was a period of idling beneath the trees, walksalong shady and moss-grown paths, and trips about the lake in boats,until the declining sun warned the merry-makers that it was time todepart. Phil and Tom took the three girls to Fairview, but they had nofurther sight of Sid that afternoon, nor was any mention made of him,though Tom rather hoped the girls would say something that would enablehim to defend his chum.
For, somehow, in spite of it all, Tom felt that there was something hedidn't understand in relation to Sid. He was puzzled over it, grieveddeeply, too, yet he could not condemn Sid.
But no mention was made of the little incident of the morning, and thetwo youths left, promising to come over again at the first opportunity.
"It was awfully kind of you to bother with me," said Miss Harrison, asshe shook hands with Phil and Tom. "I was rather in the way, I'm afraid,and I realize----"
"Why, Mabel, what a way to talk!" interrupted Ruth. "If they hadn'ttaken you with us, we wouldn't have gone with them; would we, Madge?"
"Of course not."
"It's awfully kind of you," went on Mabel, as she turned into thecollege, leaving Phil and Tom to say good-by to their friends.
"Well, what do you make of it?" asked Phil, when he and Tom were ontheir way back to Randall.
"Hanged if I know what to say. Who was that sporty chap, anyhow?"
"Search me. He seemed to take a good deal for granted. The puppy! I feltlike punching him one, the way he leered at the girls."
"So did I. Would have, too, only for Sid. He seemed to be friendly withthe flashy chap."
"Yes, and that's the funny part of it. He seemed somehow to have Sidunder a spell."
"It's just another phase of the mystery that seems to have beenenveloping poor old Sid, of late," went on Tom. "I only hope one thing,and that is, that whatever it is that it doesn't interfere withbaseball. We've got to depend a lot on Sid this season, as the otherfellows aren't batting as I hoped they would, and this includesmyself, but I never was much as a hitter. I never could get above twosixty-eight, but Sid won't have any trouble getting to four hundred, andhe can bat both ways, placing a ball in either right or left field. Butif this thing is going to keep up," and Tom shook his head dolefully, "Idon't know what to do."
"Losing that game to Fairview didn't do our standing any good," remarkedPhil.
"I should say not! But we play Dodville Prep school Saturday, andthey're easy fruit."
"That will help pull our average up some," admitted Phil.
They made the rest of the trip back to Randall almost in silence, Tommaking an occasional remark about baseball, and Phil replying, but thethoughts of both were more on the events of the day than on the greatgame.
Sid was not in the room when Phil and Tom entered. The latter took offhis cherished blue tie, and placed it carefully away, probably in aplace he would forget the next time he wanted it, while Phil made apoint of sticking his garnet sleeve links in a box that containedeverything from fish hooks to waxed ends for sewing ripped baseballcovers.
"Well, I'm glad to-day's over," remarked Tom, as he threw himself in theold armchair, with a sigh of relief, "but it was lots of fun while itlasted. Still I didn't exactly know what to do when that fellow showedup."
"Same here, yet the girls got through all right. Trust them for a thinglike that? Girls are queer creatures, anyhow."
"You laughed at me when I said that last term," remarked Tom, as Philstretched out on the ancient sofa, raising a cloud of dust. "Well,to-day is done. I wonder what will happen to-morrow?"
"Same old grind. I've got to brush up a bit if I want to pass withhonors. Guess I'll do some boning to-night."
"Yes, and I've got to arrange for some more baseball practice," went onTom. "I wonder where Sid is? I didn't like the looks of that chap. Anddid you hear what he said about playing poker?"
"Yes, I'm afraid Sid's in bad, in spite of what he says."
There was a moment of silence, broken only by the ticking of the alarmclock. Then Tom resumed:
"I wish we could help him. If he's got in with a bad crowd we ought tohelp save him. Poor old Sid, I wish----"
At that moment the door opened, and the chum whose troubles they werediscussing walked in. He had heard what Tom had said, and a dull redflushed up under his brown skin.
"Were you fellows talking about me?" he asked hotly.
"We were just saying," began Phil, "that we couldn't----"
"I wish you fellows would mind your own business!" blurted out Sid. "Iguess I can look after myself!" and he crossed the room and gazedmoodily out of a window, into the darkness of the night, while the tickof the fussy little alarm clock seemed to echo and re-echo through theapartment.