CHAPTER XXIX
A REAL HERO
It was a desperate plunge to take, for the former major of the schoolbattalion ran the risk of getting a chill that would kill him. But Jackwas a hero, and he could not bear to see Gus Coulter drowned before hiseyes.
As the icy waters closed over him, he struck out boldly for the spotwhere he had last beheld the struggling youth. Then his hand came incontact with Coulter's body and he caught the cadet by the arm.
As soon as Coulter felt himself touched, he swung around, and the nextinstant had Jack by the shoulder, in a grip like that of death itself.
The former major of the school battalion realized only too well that hemust not let the drowning boy catch him by the neck, otherwise bothwould go down to rise no more. He shoved Coulter as far off as possibleand at the same time struck out to regain the surface of the lake.
When the pair came up they were some distance from the iceboat and alsosome distance from the edge of the ice.
"Help! help!" yelled Jack to Pepper and Andy.
The latter had succeeded in getting the sapling free of the snow, andwere dragging it to the ice on the lake-shore.
"Hello, Jack's in, too!" cried Andy, in horror.
"Hurry with the tree!" yelled Jack, as he commenced to swim for the edgeof the ice. "Quick now, or we'll both go down again! This water isfrightfully cold."
A few strokes brought Jack and Coulter to the edge of the ice. Coulterwas still holding fast, but his strength was rapidly growing weaker. Hishead shook so that his teeth rattled like castanets.
Luckily Jack reached a spot where the shore ice was tolerably firm. Morethan this, the water was somewhat shallow, so he could stand on thebottom while Pepper and Andy shoved out the end of the sapling to him.
"Here, I'll lift Gus out!" he called, his own teeth chattering not alittle. "He ca--can't hel--help hi--himself!"
He lifted the other cadet as high as he could and with a shove sent himrolling on the ice beyond. Andy and Pepper caught Coulter by the feetand immediately dragged him out of harm's way. Then Jack caught hold ofthe end of the sapling and was hauled up by his chums.
"How in the world did you fall in?" gasped Andy.
"I didn't fall in--I ju--jumped in!"
"Oh, Jack!" came from Pepper. "Talk about nerve! But come, you hadbetter get to shelter as soon as you can."
"Yes, I fe--feel as if I wa--was turning to i--i--ice!" chattered theother.
"The Darwood farmhouse is just over the hill, let us run to that,"suggested Andy. "Here, put on my sweater!" and he stripped off thegarment in an instant.
"Do--don't leave m--me!" came from Coulter. He was on his knees, beingtoo weak to rise to his feet.
"I'll carry you on my back!" cried Pepper. "Come, take hold."
Coulter was too far gone to aid himself, and Andy had to place him onPepper's back. Then off the whole party started, Andy holding Jack bythe arm and thus giving him some support.
"Where did Ritter go?" asked Jack, as they sped over the hill in thedirection of the farmhouse mentioned.
"I think he went up the lake, in the direction of the Saldy farm,"answered Andy.
The Darwood farmhouse set back from the road, among some cedar trees.Rushing up to the back door, the boys pounded vigorously.
"Who is there?" demanded a man's voice, and then Mr. Darwood showedhimself.
"Please let us in, we are nearly frozen!" cried Jack.
"Hello! been in the water, eh?" cried Samuel Darwood. "Come right in andI'll stir up the fire!" and he stepped aside that the cadets mightenter.
When Pepper deposited his burden in a chair it was seen that Gus Coulterwas in a bad way. His eyes were closed, and he was shaking as withconvulsions.
"Here, we'll strip off some of his wet clothes and rub him down!" criedAndy. "And can you get something hot to drink, Mr. Darwood?"
"Sure I can," cried the farmer. "But I'll pile some wood on the firefirst!" he added.
"CATCH HOLD!" JACK CRIED, AS HE SWUNG ONE END OF THESWEATER TOWARD THE UNFORTUNATE YOUTH.
_The Mystery of Putnam Hall._ (Page 259)]
He was as good as his word, and soon the fire was roaring, and thekitchen got thoroughly warm. The farmer was home alone, but he knew howto make some hot coffee, which he speedily offered to all of the cadets.Coulter could hardly drink, and it was a good half-hour before he feltat all like even speaking. He was propped up in a big rocking-chairdirectly in front of the fire, and Andy and Pepper took turns attrying to restore his blood to circulation. Jack was not so far gone,and soon felt quite like himself. The wet uniforms were hung up to dry,Mr. Darwood in the meantime lending the lads some other garments. He hadbeen the one to cut the ice from the lake at that spot, so he felt insome measure responsible for the mishap, even though he had put upseveral danger signs, to which Ritter and Coulter had paid no attention.
"I don't know that we will care to skate back to the Hall," said Pepper."Mr. Darwood, could you take us back in your sleigh, if we paid you forit?"
"I'll take you back, and it shan't cost you a cent," answered thefarmer, quickly.
"Hadn't we better find out what became of Reff Ritter?" questioned Jack.
"I'll run over to the Saldy farm and see," answered Andy, and set offwithout delay.
While Andy was gone, Samuel Darwood went to the barn to hitch up histeam. Jack, Pepper and Coulter remained in the kitchen. Coulter satstaring at the fire, but occasionally his eyes wandered to Jack.Suddenly, while the others were silent, he spoke.
"Say, but you're a fine fellow, Jack Ruddy!" he said. "A fine fellow!And I'm a--a skunk! That's what I am, a low-down, mean skunk!"
"Never mind now, Gus," answered Jack, kindly. He hardly knew what to sayat this outburst.
"You--you jumped in and saved me from drowning, didn't you?"
"Yes. But anybody would do that, Gus, for a schoolmate."
"No, they wouldn't; Reff Ritter wouldn't. He would have left me todrown!" And Coulter shuddered. "You're a real hero, Jack Ruddy! And I'ma--a skunk; yes, a mean, low-down skunk--and I always have been!" Andnow Gus Coulter buried his face in his hands.
"Jack certainly deserves great credit for jumping in after you," saidPepper, warmly. "It was a mighty cold plunge for anybody to take."
"Oh, let's drop it!" came modestly from the hero of the occasion.
"I am not going to drop it!" retorted Gus Coulter, with spirit. "Yousaved my life, and I want everybody to know it, especially Reff Ritter.He would have left me to drown!"
"Reff had to save himself. He was chilled to the bone when we got himout," answered Jack.
"If you had been Reff you wouldn't have run away and left me to drown,"went on Coulter, stubbornly.
At this Jack was silent.
"You don't know it all, Jack Ruddy. Reff and I had a quarrel. He saidhe--he didn't want to have anything more to do with me. I believe he--hewould have been glad to have me drown!"
"Oh, don't say that, Gus!" burst out Pepper.
"But I will say it!" flared out Gus Coulter. "After this I am going tocut Reff Ritter! And I am going to tell what I know about him, too! AndI am going to get Nick Paxton to tell what he knows, too!"
"What do you know about him?" asked Jack, with sudden interest.
"Oh, I know a good deal."
"Coulter, answer me honestly. Do you know anything about his dealingswith a certain man named Cameron Smith?"
"Oh, do you know that fellow?" questioned the other cadet, and he staredwonderingly at Jack.
"I know a little about him."
"Don't you have anything to do with him, Jack! And don't you have muchto do with Reff! They are both bad! Oh, you don't know how bad!" And GusCoulter shook his head to emphasize his words.
"What did you and Reff quarrel about, Gus?" asked Pepper.
"We quarreled about--about---- Oh, I don't know how I can speak of it!But I suppose I've got to, if I want to remain honest. We quarreled oversomething I found one day in his private box. I got
suspicious of him,and when he was taking a nap I took his key and opened the box. And inthe box what do you suppose I found?"
"What?" came simultaneously from Jack and Pepper.
"Your watch and chain, Jack."