CHAPTER XXV
TOM IN A GAME
"Want any help?" asked Tom, when Sid had outlined his scheme of"revenge."
"No, I guess not, until I get ready to pull the strings. Then you cangive me a hand. We'll have to do it after dark, and be mighty carefulnot to be caught, though."
"But how are you going to get the suit?"
"I have a plan. Watch your Uncle Dudley."
Sid spent the rest of the afternoon in making up a bundle to look likeone that contained two suits just from the tailor shop. Only, in placeof clothes he used old newspapers. It was toward dusk when he went outwith it under his arm.
"It's about time Wallops was coming back," he said to Tom. "I'll meethim in the clump of elms, where it's good and dark, and he can't tellwho I am."
"Be careful," warned his roommate.
"Sure. But I know what I'm about. Revenge is sweet! Wow! Wait until yousee the face of Pitchfork!"
Sid stole carefully along to a spot near the edge of the river, where aclump of big elm trees grew. This was near the bridge on the road toHaddonfield. The spot was lonely and deserted enough at this hour tosuit his purpose, and the dusk of the evening, being added to by clouds,and by the shadows of the trees, made concealment easy.
"I guess that's Wallops," murmured Sid as he peered out from behind atree. "That walks like Wallops, and he's got a bundle under his arm. Nowfor a grand transformation scene."
Awaiting the psychological moment, Sid hurried out, and bumped into thecollege messenger. Wallops' bundle was knocked from under his arm, and,by a strange coincidence, so was Sid's.
"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed the student in an assumed voice. "Awfullycareless of me, I'm sure. I beg a thousand pardons! I was in a hurry,and I didn't notice you. Is this the road to Haddonfield?"
"That's all right," replied Wallops good naturedly as his pardon wasbegged again. "Yes, keep straight on, and you'll come to the trolleythat runs to Haddonfield."
"Let me restore your bundle to you," went on Sid, picking up bothparcels.
He handed one to the messenger, and kept one himself.
"'Twas yours, 'tis mine; 'twas his, 'tis ours," he paraphrased. "Againlet me express my sincere sorrow at this happening. I trust there wasnothing in your package that could be damaged when I knocked it fromyour grasp."
"No, nothing but some clothes of one of the college professors. It's allright."
"And I'm sure my package isn't damaged," said Sid, in a queer voice, ashe hurried away.
A little later he was telling Tom, with much mirth, how it all cameabout. The two, in the seclusion of their room, opened the bundle, andsaw two suits, one full dress.
"Won't he howl when he finds nothing but a lot of newspapers!" exclaimedSid. "Now for the rest of the trick."
"Maybe he'll borrow a dress suit from some student," said Tom.
"Not much he won't," replied Sid. "I thought of that, and I forwarded amessage by wireless to all the dormitories that if Pitchfork sent aroundto borrow some glad rags, he was to be refused on some pretext orother."
Sid's precaution was well taken. A little later it was evident thatsomething unusual had occurred. Wallops and several other collegemessengers were seen hurrying first to the rooms of one professor, thento the apartments of another. Each time the scouts came back empty-handedto that part of the faculty residence where Professor Tines dwelt.
"I knew they had no spike-tails that would fit him," exulted Sid."Besides, most of them are going to the reception themselves."
There was consternation in the apartments of Professor Tines. Wallopshad delivered to him the bundle of papers, and when the astonishedinstructor had threatened and questioned him, the unfortunate messengercould only say it was the package he had received from the tailor. Thatworthy, on being appealed to by telephone, declared that he had senthome the professor's garments. Wallops had no idea that the stranger hemet in the wood had played a transformation trick on him, and ProfessorTines, in his anxiety to get dressed, and go to the reception, did notdream that it was a student prank. Rather he blamed the tailor, and madeup his mind to sue the man for heavy damages.
Then, just as Sid had expected, the instructor endeavored to borrow adress-suit from one of the students. But they had been warned, and wereeither going to wear their suits themselves, or had just sent them tothe tailor.
"What shall I do?" wailed Professor Tines. "I can't go in this suit,"and he looked at his acid-and-chalk-marked classroom garments. "Yet Iwas to read a paper on early Roman life at this reception. It is tooprovoking. I can't understand why none of the students have a suitavailable."
"You could have one of mine, only----" began Dr. Churchill as he lookedfirst at the figure of the professor, and then at himself. "I'm afraidit wouldn't fit," he added.
"No--no, of course not!" exclaimed Mr. Tines distractedly. "I willtelephone that rascally tailor again. Never, never shall he pressanother suit of mine!"
But the knight of the goose and needle insisted that the professor'sclothes had been sent home, and that was all there was to it. Mr. Tinescould not go to the reception, and, as it was an important affair, wherenearly all of the faculty was expected to be present, he was grievouslydisappointed.
When all was quiet that night a party of students, including Sid andTom, stole out to the campus. They worked quickly and silently.
"There!" exclaimed Sid, when all was finished. "I rather guess that willastonish him!"
In the morning the attention of most of the college students, andseveral of the faculty, was attracted to a throng of passersby staringup at the flagstaff. They would halt, point upward, make some remarks,and then, laughing, pass on. Some one called the attention of Dr.Churchill to it.
"Why, bless my soul!" he exclaimed as he prepared to go out. "I hopenone of the students have put the flag at half mast or upside down."
He put on his far-seeing spectacles, and walked out on the campus.There, at the top of the pole, was a figure which looked like a man,with outstretched arms.
"What student has dared climb up there?" exclaimed the head of thecollege. "Send for Mr. Zane at once," he added to Professor Newton, whohad accompanied him. "He must be severely punished--the venturesomestudent, I mean."
"I hardly think that is a student," replied Mr. Newton.
"Do you mean to say it is some outsider?"
"I think it is no one at all, Dr. Churchill. I believe it is an effigy.See how stiff the arms and legs are."
"I believe you are right," admitted the venerable doctor.
His belief was confirmed a moment later, for a farmer, who was drivingalong the river road, left his team, and came up the campus, a broadsmile covering his face.
"Good-morning, Dr. Churchill," he said. "Is this a new course ineddercation you're givin' the boys?"
"Ah, good-morning, Mr. Oakes. What do you mean?"
"Why, I see you've got a scarecrow up on that liberty pole. I thoughtmaybe you was addin' a course in agriculture to your studies. Only if Iwas you I wouldn't put a scarecrow up so high. There ain't no need ofit. One low down will do jest as well. And another thing, I allers usesold clothes. There ain't no sense in puttin' a swallertail coat an' alow-cut vest on a scarecrow. Them birds will be jest as skeert of an oldcoat and a pair of pants stuffed with straw as they will of a dress-suit.That's carryin' things a leetle too fur!" and the farmer laughedheartily.
"Dress-suit! Scarecrow!" exclaimed Dr. Churchill, and then he got aglimpse of the figure on top of the pole. It was arrayed in a full-dresssuit, and Professor Tines, coming out a moment later, beheld his missinggarments.
"This is an outrage!" he declared. "I demand the instant dismissal ofthe student or students responsible for this, Dr. Churchill!"
Dr. Churchill tried hard not to smile, but he had to turn his face away.
DR. CHURCHILL HAD TO TURN HIS FACE AWAY]
"I am greatly obliged to you, Mr. Oakes, for your information," saidthe head of the college to the farmer, who was still laughing.
"Ourimprovised scarecrow shall be taken down at once."
"Scarecrow!" exclaimed Professor Tines. "I think----" But wrath chokedhis utterance. "I demand that my suit be taken down at once!" he wenton, after a pause, "and that the guilty ones be punished!"
"They shall be, I assure you," promised Dr. Churchill, "when I learnwho they are. If you hear, professor, let me know."
"I shall. But I want my suit. Perhaps it is ruined."
But a new difficulty now arose, for Sid and his fellow conspiratorshad fastened the halyards high up on the pole, and it was not untilProfessor Tines had sent Wallops for a ladder that the ropes could beuntied and the suit lowered. During this process a group of studentsgathered at a respectful distance from the flagstaff and looked oninterestedly.
But, though a strict inquiry was made, no one was ever punished for the"scarecrow joke" as it came to be called, and it is now one of thetraditions of Randall College.
Owing to the fact that Sid had "made good" in Latin he was not barredfrom the game that day, and there was no chance for Tom to act assubstitute. He went with Miss Tyler, and the trip on the river, lake,and in the auto was a delightful one.
There was a big crowd on the bleachers and grandstand when the ninesbegan to play, and rivalry in singing college songs, giving collegeyells and waving college colors ran high.
Randall got two runs in the first inning, and for three more Fairviewsecured only zeros. Langridge was pitching fine ball. Then Lem Sellig,who was doing the "twirling" for Fairview, seemed to warm up to hiswork, and struck out a surprising number of men. In the seventh inningFairview secured five runs, and in the eighth they reeled off five more,for Langridge grew reckless, and not only gave men their bases on ballsin rapid succession, but struck two men, which gave them free passes tofirst.
"He's going to pieces!" exclaimed Coach Lighton as he saw the scorepiling up against his men. "It's got to stop, or we'll be the laughingstock of the league."
Yet he did not like to take Langridge out. Captain Woodhouse was angryclear through, and as for Kerr, he openly insulted the pitcher.
"What's the matter?" the catcher cried after a particularly bad seriesof balls and a fumble on the part of Langridge that let in a run."You're rotten to-day!"
Langridge flushed, but his face had been rosy-hued before that, andtwice he had gone to the dressing rooms, whence he came odorous ofcloves.
Then the "rooters" seeing their game took up cries of derision againstthe pitcher, in an endeavor to "get his goat."
Langridge bit his lips and threw in a fierce ball. There were two out,but it looked as if it would go on that way indefinitely. Frank Sullivan,a good batter, hit it fairly, but Joe Jackson, out in left field, made adesperate run for it, and got the ball. It was a sensational catch, andwas roundly applauded.
When Randall came to the bat for the last time the score was 12 to 2 infavor of their opponents.
"We can't win," said Kindlings hopelessly.
"No, but for the love of Mike, don't let them roll up any bigger scoreagainst us, or they'll put us out of the league," begged BricktopMolloy. "Speak to Langridge, and tell him to hold hard."
"What's the use speaking to him?" asked Kerr gloomily. "He'll go off hishandle if I do. He told me never to speak to him again, just because Icalled him down a bit. Land knows he needed it!"
"We've got to make a change," decided the coach. "I'll not let Langridgepitch next inning. If he does I'll resign, and I'll tell him so."
He walked over to the pitcher, and soon the two were in earnestconversation.
Randall could not make another run, for Sellig was doing his best andthey did not get a hit off him.
"Our only chance is to strike them out," murmured Kerr as he arose fromthe bench to take his place. "Who's going to pitch, Mr. Lighton?"
"Tom Parsons."
"Tom Parsons? What's the matter with our regular substitute, Evert?"
"His arm is no good and he's out of practice. I'm going to put Tom in."
And much to his astonishment Tom was summoned from the grandstand, wherehe was talking to Miss Tyler about the slump.
"Me pitch? Are you sure Mr. Lighton sent you for me?" he asked JerryJackson, who had brought the message.
"Sure. Come on and get into part of a uniform."
"Yes, do go," urged Miss Tyler. "I--I hope you beat them."
"It's too late for that now," replied Tom sadly as he walked down fromthe stand.
A little later he was in the box, facing Roger Barns, one of the besthitters on the Fairview team. Tom was nervous, there is no denying that,but he held himself well in control. It was the goal of his ambition--topitch on the 'varsity, and he was now realizing it. True, it was almostan empty honor, but he resolved to do his best, and this thought steeledhis nerves, even though the crowd hooted at him.
And he struck out the first three men up, at which his college chumswent wild, for it was all they had to rejoice over in the game.