CHAPTER VIII
THE ENVELOPE
Plunging on through the darkened corridors Tom and Phil reached theirroom. They found Sid still on the sofa.
"Say, that was great!" cried Tom, venturing to laugh, now that there wasno danger of being caught. "You should have been along, Sid. Pitchforkgot his to-night, all right. I'll never forget the blank look on hisface."
"I either," agreed Phil. "That was a smoker as was a smoker. I hope noneof us are caught. The twins and Bricktop outdid themselves this trip."
Sid began to show some signs of interest, and the trick was told of indetail to him. Of course a faculty inquiry followed, but the hose andair pump had been taken from the school laboratory, and there were noclues to the perpetrators. Professor Tines was furious, and demandedthat the guilty ones be dismissed.
"Willingly, my dear professor," agreed the venerable Dr. Churchill, "ifI can only find them," and there was a twinkle in his deep-set eyes,which he took care that Mr. Tines did not see.
Baseball practice went on for several days. One afternoon, as the ladswere dispersing, Ed Kerr was seen coming over the diamond, holding inhis hand a letter.
"We can't play Fairview Saturday," he announced.
"Why not?" asked Tom quickly.
"They say they're not quite ready to open their season," went on themanager. "They ask me to put the opening game off a week."
"Are you going to do it?" inquired several.
"Well, what do you fellows say?" asked the manager.
"Oh, well, they probably have a good reason. We'll let it go a week,"assented Tom. "But can we get another game in place of it?"
"Yes, I can fill in with the Layton Preparatory school for thisSaturday, and we can go to Wescott University the following Saturday,and then tackle Fairview, if you fellows say so."
"Sure," came in a chorus.
When Tom and Phil returned to their room Sid was not there.
"What do you think about it, anyhow, Phil?" asked the pitcher, and therewas no need to be more explicit.
"Oh, hang it all, I don't know. It looks funny; about Sid not wanting totell. And he sure is cut up over Miss Harrison. I wonder who sent herthat newspaper clipping?"
"Give it up. But I heard that there was a raid all right, and a lot ofcollege fellows were caught. Some of 'em were our chaps, but theymanaged to keep their identity hidden. I don't see how Sid's got out."
"Then you think he was there?"
"No, I didn't mean that. But it looks mighty funny. I do hope he isn'tgoing to cut loose, just at the opening of the ball season," and Tomsighed, as though he had the weight of worlds on his shoulders. And,indeed it is no small task to be captain of a lively college team,struggling to win the championship trophy, and the pitcher was beginningto realize this.
"Oh, maybe he just wanted a fling," suggested Phil. "Now he's had ithe's ashamed to admit it, and wants to cover it up."
"But he denies that he was caught," said Tom.
"I know it; but what good will that do him, if he doesn't tell where hewas that night? He admits that he was in Dartwell, and he must have beensomewhere near the place of the raid, or his name would never havegotten in the papers."
"Unless some one gave his name out of spite."
"By hookey! That's so!" admitted Phil. "I never thought of that. Butno--no college fellow would be as mean as that."
"Unless it was Langridge or Gerhart. Gerhart is in parts unknown, andLangridge----"
"I understand none of the Boxer Hall fellows were in it," went on Phil."Only some of our boys and a few from Fairview--more fools they! But itsure has put Sid on the blink as far as Miss Harrison goes. Ruth wastelling me her family, as well as she, has a horror of gambling in anyform. Poor old Sid. I wish we could help him; don't you?"
"I sure do," agreed Tom. "We need him on the nine, and we need him ingood condition. First thing I know I'll have to put a sub on in Sid'splace."
"Oh, I hope not. But, say, I've got to do some studying if I'm to playon the team myself. I'm getting to low water mark in Latin and maths.Here goes for some hard boning."
It was about a week after this, in which time Randall had met, andbeaten, Layton Preparatory school, that Phil, Sid and Tom were takinga trolley ride one evening.
"Where shall we go?" asked Phil.
"Let's take the Tonoka Lake car," suggested Tom.
"Which means let's go to Fairview," asserted Phil. "Well, I don't mind."Sid said nothing.
Of course it was only a coincidence, but a little later the three ladswere walking down toward the co-educational institution, and of course,I suppose, it was also only a coincidence that Miss Tyler and MissClinton should shortly come strolling over the campus.
"There's Ruth," announced Phil carelessly, though he was not looking ather, but at Miss Tyler.
"That's so," replied Tom, as if it was the queerest thing in the world.
"They're headed this way--no use to turn back, I suppose?" asked Phil,as if there was some doubt of it.
"No," agreed Tom. "Besides, I want to ask your sister what she thinks ofthe chances of Fairview beating us."
"Oh, she'll tell you her college will win, of course," asserted Phil."Well, come on," and they walked to meet the girls who had pretended notto notice the approach of the lads.
"Oh, why hello, Phil!" called his sister. "Glad to see you; aren't we,Madge?"
"Of course," replied Miss Tyler, with a merry laugh.
"I'll see you fellows later," murmured Sid, who was very sensitive, andhe was about to swing away.
"Don't go," urged Tom. "We'll soon be going back."
But Sid turned aside. As he did so there came around the corner of themain college building two figures, who strolled over the campus. Itneeded but a glance to disclose to Tom and Phil who they were--MissHarrison and Fred Langridge. The couple were chatting and laughingmerrily. Instinctively Tom turned to see if Sid had observed them. Thesecond baseman had, and, for an instant he stood staring after the two,who had not seen him. Then, without a word, he kept on his way.
"Beautiful evening," remarked Miss Tyler quickly, and she began to talkrapidly about the weather, as if to cover Sid's retreat.
As Tom and Phil walked along the corridor leading to their room a littlelater that night, they saw a light streaming out of the cracks aroundthe portal.
"Sid's in there," said Tom.
"Yes," agreed Phil, "I wonder----" But he did not finish the sentence.Awkwardly he and Tom pushed in. They started back at the sight of theirchum.
He was bending over a table on which he had placed a portable electriclamp, the college rooms being illuminated with both gas and theincandescents. Holding a paper in the glow of the bulb, Sid wasexamining the document with the aid of a magnifying glass. At the sametime he seemed to be comparing other pieces of paper with the one heheld.
"Studying?" asked Tom.
"Yes," replied Sid shortly.
"Something new?" inquired Phil. "I didn't know you were qualifying for acourse in identifying handwriting," for he saw that the papers Sid waslooking at contained writing.
"Do you see this?" asked Sid suddenly, holding up an envelope.
"Why--er--yes," answered Tom. "It's addressed to Miss Harrison,and--but--are you going over with a microscope a letter you've writtento her, to see if it will pass muster? She's not as particular as that,you old bat."
"I haven't been writing to her," replied Sid coldly. "This is theenvelope containing that clipping with my name in it--the report of thegambling raid--I picked up the envelope--that afternoon," and he seemedstruggling with some emotion.
"What about it?" asked Phil, who did not exactly catch the drift.
"This," answered Sid quickly. "Look at this note," and he showed them amissive containing some reference to baseball matters. It was signed"Fred Langridge."
"I got that from Langridge last term," went on Sid, "and I saved it, forsome unknown reason. I'm glad, now, that I did."
"Why?" inquired Tom, who beg
an to see what was coming.
"Because, look at that!" and Sid placed side by side the note fromLangridge and the envelope that had contained the damaging clipping. Heheld the magnifying glass first over one and then the other. "Do younotice any similarity?" he asked.
"Looks to me as if the same person wrote both," said Tom.
"That's right," agreed Phil.
"They did!" cried Sid, as he held up the envelope. "Fred Langridge sentto Miss Harrison that lying clipping about me, and to-day he was outwalking with her!"