CHAPTER XXVI--THINGS ARE MISSING
"Hey, Savage!" said Gorman, as they were rushing through dressing inorder to be present at roll-call; "where's my watch?"
"How do I know?" returned Joe, as he buttoned his shirt. "Where you putit, I suppose."
"No it isn't. It's gone."
"Well, I think you'll find it if you look for it."
"But I can't find it!" snapped Gorman. "I left it right here on thetable last night, where I leave it every night. It's gone now."
"Well, you needn't look to me for it!" flung back Savage, whose temperhad been ruffled by the tone assumed by his roommate. "I hope you don'tthink I took your old watch? I have one of my own, and--Hey! where's myknife?"
Savage was very neat and trim in his habits, and he always cleaned hisfinger-nails mornings when he reached a certain point in his dressing.It was shortly after washing his face and hands, as that was the besttime to do so. Just now he had thrust his hand into his pocket for hisknife, only to discover that it was gone.
Gorman paid no attention to Joe, but continued to look around for hiswatch, a scowl on his face.
Savage felt hastily through his pockets, then began to look aroundhimself.
"Seen my knife?" he demanded.
"No!" snapped Abe; "but I'd like to see my watch. It's mighty strangewhere that watch has disappeared to."
Joe stood still, his hands in his pockets, thinking.
"I had that knife last night," he muttered. "I sharpened a pencil withit. I was sitting right there by the table. I put it back into mypocket. Funny where it's gone."
Then the two boys found themselves staring suspiciously at each other.
"My watch is valuable," said Gorman.
"My knife was a present from my mother," said Savage. "I thoughteverything of it."
"My watch was a present from my father. It was worth a neat little bit."
"I can't help that. I know it is a good watch. You'll find it----"
"I don't know about finding it. I had it last evening. I wound it upjust the same as usual before going to bed. I remember very distinctlywinding it."
"Well, your watch didn't walk out of this room, did it?"
"How about your knife?"
There was little satisfaction in these questions, and they suddenlyrealized that they would have to hustle if they were to be on hand atroll-call, whereupon they hastily completed preparations and scudded outof the room, both in a very bad temper.
After roll-call and morning service there were a few moments beforebreakfast. Savage came upon a group gathered about Gorman, who wastelling of the mysterious disappearance of his watch. Just as he cameup, Jim Wilson joined the group.
"Lost your watch right out of your room?" he said. "Well, I lost minelast night, so I'm in the same scrape."
"Perhaps your ghost took it, Jim," laughed one of the group of lads.
"Ghost?" exclaimed Gorman. "Why, confound it! Savage said somethingabout a ghost. I woke up in the night and found him standing in themiddle of the floor, holding a lighted match over his head. He was whiteas a sheet."
"How about that, Savage?" demanded several of the boys, who had notedthe approach of Joe.
Savage shrugged his shoulders.
"I wasn't going to say anything about it," he declared; "but I did seesomething in our room last night."
Jim Wilson grew excited.
"What was it like?" he asked wildly, much to the amusement of some ofthe boys. "Was it tall and white, with long arms, and did it just seemto float along without making a sound?"
"I couldn't see it very plainly. It stood at the foot of the bed. But itwas white."
"Did it groan just awful?"
"No; but it uttered a doleful sigh."
"My ghost groaned. Gosh! It made my hair stand right up. Then when thething lifted its arm I just gave a yell. It vanished quick enough. I gotout of the room. Don't know how I got out there. Don't know how I openedthe door. Perhaps it was open. I can't say. Laugh, you fellows! I don'tcare! I tell you there was something in my room!"
"I suppose you fellows know," said a tall, solemn lad, "that a chapcommitted suicide here at the academy once?"
"No?" cried several.
"Sure thing," nodded the tall fellow. "Cut his throat. He was daffy."
"Dear me!" murmured Ted Smart, who had just strolled along in companywith Dick Merriwell. "What a delightful way to kick the bucket! I admirehis taste!"
"But was there a fellow who really committed suicide here?"
"Yes," nodded Dick Merriwell. "My brother told me about it. His name wasBolt. The room he killed himself in was closed for a long time. Some ofthe fellows used to sneak into it nights when they wanted a littleracket. There was a story about the room being haunted; but, of course,that was bosh."
"Was it?" said the tall fellow, in a queer way.
"Perhaps it is the ghost of Cadet Bolt that is romping around here oncemore," suggested a mocking lad.
"What do you think, Smart?" questioned a boy with squinting eyes.
"I have found it a bad practise to think," answered Ted evasively. "Itis wearing on the gray matter, don't you know."
But they observed that Smart was not as lively and jocular as usual.
"This spook seems to be a collector of relics," said Dick. "He hascollected something wherever he has appeared. First he got away withSmart's comb and brush, then Gorman's watch; Savage lost a knife, andWilson is also out a watch."
"Well, what do you think of it?" was the point-blank question put toDick.
"It's very remarkable," confessed Merriwell.
"Oh, there's nothing in the ghost-story, of course!" said abullet-headed boy.
"Perhaps there is," said Dick.
"What?" cried several, in surprise.
"You don't believe it?" said one. "You don't take stock in spooks?"
"I might not take stock in this one," admitted Dick, "if it were notthat he has taken stock wherever he had visited. In other words, thefact that he has carried off some valuable articles leads me to believein him."
"But how----"
"Why----"
"You don't----"
"I can't see----"
"You mean----"
"It seems likely that somebody, or something, has been prowling roundthis building," said Dick, cutting them all short. "There goes thebreakfast-bell."
There was a general movement to form into ranks to march to thedining-hall by classes, as was the custom, and the subject was droppedfor the time being.