CHAPTER XXIV.
GORDON EXPRESSES HIMSELF.
At the first opportunity Frank had a talk with Burnham Putnam, who hadcharge of the freshman crew. He told Put all that had been learned aboutthe traitor, and Burn listened with interest and growing anger.
"Who do you think the traitor is?" he asked at last.
"Well, there is a doubt in my mind, and I do not want to accuseanybody."
"We have conducted our work with great secrecy."
"We have that."
"And I have repeatedly cautioned the men about talking."
"Yes."
"I have warned them that it might mean the ruin of our plans."
"You have."
"And still everything we have done seems to be known."
"That's right."
"The man who has spread this matter has the very best means forobtaining information, as he has made no mistake."
"Well, what do you think?"
"The traitor may be the last man we would suspect. He must have somecause for playing crooked, though."
"That is the way I regarded it."
Old Put thought the matter over for a few moments. He finally said:
"I don't want to do any man injustice, but the turn affairs have takenleads me to think it would be a good plan to drop our spare men entirelyand put full dependence on a settled crew."
Frank was silent, and so Putnam asked:
"What do you think of that?"
"I think it is a very good plan, and I approve of it."
"Then it is settled. They shall be dropped at once, although it seemsthat the mischief is done now."
"There may be no mischief in it, for the sophs ridicule the innovationsintroduced, and they are surer than ever that they will have a softthing of it.
"They have been fooled several times this fall. I am sorry we shall notbe able to spring our innovations as a surprise, but we may give them awarm time just the same."
That day Putnam informed the spare men that he did not think they wouldbe needed any more in training, but asked them to keep in condition tillafter the race, in case anything might happen that they were wanted.
Gordon was enraged immediately, for he had held on and worked througheverything with the belief that he would finally be given a place on thecrew.
"So I am dropped, am I?" he said, bitterly. "Well, I rather think Iunderstand how it comes about."
Putnam did not like this, and a dark look came to his rugged face.
"What do you mean?" he demanded, sharply.
"Never mind," returned Walter, with a toss of his head. "It's no use totalk it over, but I know a few things."
He turned as if he would go away, but Put put out a hand and stoppedhim, whirling him sharply about.
"See here," said the sturdy manager of the freshman ball team and crew,"I want to know just what you mean, Gordon."
"Oh, you do?"
Walter flung to the winds all hope of getting on the crew. He sneered inPutnam's face.
"Yes, sir, I do! You talk as if you had not been treated right."
"Have I?"
"I think you have, sir."
"I know I have not!"
Putnam was angry, and his face betrayed it.
"You must prove that, Gordon!"
"I can."
"Do so."
"I may not prove it to your satisfaction, but I can prove it just ashard. You have told me that I am in fine form, and I know that you havesaid I have as fine back and shoulders as may be found in the wholecollege."
"I did say that," calmly acknowledged Old Put.
"Well, that counts for something."
"But it does not make you suitable for the crew. There is something moreneeded, as you should know. You must be able to row."
"Is there a man on the crew who pulls a prettier stroke than I? Justanswer me that, Burn Putnam?"
"You do pull a pretty stroke, but I have been convinced that the men onthe crew now will hold out, and it is not best to take you in place ofany of them."
"Who convinced you? I know! It was Merriwell! He is holding Rattleton onthe crew simply because they are chums, and you are letting him twistyou around his finger! Ha! ha! ha!"
Gordon's laugh was sarcastic and cutting and it brought a hot flush tothe face of Old Put.
"You are insolent, Gordon!" he said. "This is an open insult!"
"Is it? Well, I notice you do not deny that Merriwell has held Rattletonon the crew in my place."
"I deny that he has held any one on the crew that is not fully capableof remaining there on his own merit."
"That sounds first rate! Oh, well, I don't care, anyway! Your crew isbound to make a show of itself, and it will be beaten hands down by thesophs."
"So that is the opinion you hold, is it?"
"It is."
"And I suppose you have held it all along?"
"I have."
"Then I have made no mistake in dropping you from the crew. You havequite satisfied me on that point, Gordon. No man is suitable to hold aplace on any kind of a crew or team if he holds it in contempt and hasno confidence in it. He will not work, and his feeling of contempt willcommunicate itself to others, thus demoralizing the whole lot of them.Even if he kept his contempt to himself, he is not the man to work hisheart out in the effort to win. He thinks it is no use to kill himself,and he will not make his best effort at any time. It is my policy todrop such a man, in case I find him out, and drop him hard. Yes, I amquite satisfied, Gordon."
Walter bit his tongue to keep back the fierce words which arose to hislips. He felt himself quivering with anger.
"All right! all right!" he said, his voice unsteady. "I am glad you aresatisfied! But wait till the race is over. Rattleton's glory will begone then. Don't think that he will pull his heart out. A man who smokesas much as he does can't pull."
"Smokes! Rattleton does not smoke at all. I observed him at the turkeyroast. He absolutely refused to smoke."
"Because you were present; but I know for a fact that he smokes behindyour back, and he smokes almost constantly."
"I cannot believe it. Merriwell would tell me."
"Would he? Ha! ha! ha! You don't know Frank Merriwell yet, but you willfind him out. That fellow will go to any extreme to injure me, and so itis not likely he would tell anything on his chum that would cause you togive me his place."
"I am sure you do Merriwell an injustice. He is a man who does not smokehimself, and he would not allow his roommate to injure himself smoking.However, I will find out about this."
"Do so; but I have found out about it already. I have certain means ofobtaining information."
"So have the sophs, and they have obtained a great deal," Putnam shot atWalter as he turned away.
Putnam collared Merriwell at the first opportunity and demanded to knowthe truth about Rattleton's smoking.
"I know you will tell me the truth, Merry," said Burnham, "and it isimportant that you should."
"Some one has been telling you he is smoking?"
"Yes."
"Well, he is not smoking now. I had a talk with him and he swore off. Heis not touching tobacco in any form, and I give you my word on that."
"That's all I want," said Putnam, quite satisfied.
After this the freshman crew took to practicing nights, and it was saidthat they worked as no crew of freshies every worked before. One nightthey ran up against the regular 'Varsity crew, and gave it a hot pull,but finally seemed to be beaten.
The report of this brush spread abroad, and the men on the regular crewwere rather complimentary toward the freshmen. They said the youngstersworked together in a most surprising way, and it was predicted that theywould give their rivals a hard pull.
The sophs were inclined to regard this as a jolly, and they continuedconfident of winning over the freshmen with the greatest ease.