CHAPTER XX
BLASH EVENS THE SCORE
While Dick still stared, unable to believe his eyes, the titlewhisked itself away and a picture took its place. A sea of upturnedfaces surrounded a flag-draped stand on which a large gentleman wasgesticulating. Seated figures flanked him and on every haughty chestfluttered a ribbon badge. In the background what looked to be amile-long factory building stretched. There was an outburst of cheeringand waving from the throng, the speaker smiled benevolently and thepicture faded from sight!
Not until then was Dick aware of the absorbed regard of his companions.Turning amazedly he looked into the eloquent countenance of Blash. "Younever told us!" exclaimed Blash in an awed and choking voice, and: "Oh,Dick!" whispered Rusty hoarsely. "Ain't it grand?"
For one dazed, blank moment Dick stared back into Blash's strangelyworking face. Then the light dawned. He gave a gasp and----
"Stop it, Dick!" gurgled Blash. "We'll be put out, you s-s-silly ass!Grab him, Rusty!"
And Rusty grabbed him and, breathing heavily, he was forced back intohis seat.
"Be good!" begged Rusty in a strangled voice. "Remember you've g-g-ot areputat-repu--_Oh, gosh!_"
"As a public character," began Blash. "_Quit it!_ There's an ushercoming, Dick! Be good, won't you?"
"I--I--I'll break every bone in your body," sputtered Dick. "I'----"
"What's the trouble there?" asked a stern voice from the aisle. "You'llhave to cut out that noise, fellows, or leave the theatre."
"It--it's all right, Usher," panted Blash. "The--my friend had a slightattack of--of----"
"Vertigo," supplied Stanley. "He's all right now. Feel better, Dick?Yes, he says he feels better, thanks."
"You let go me," growled Dick, writhing in the grasp of Blash andRusty. "What do I care about the usher? Let go my arms, you pups!"
"Just keep your eyes closed," said Rusty soothingly. "You'll be allright in a second. I've got an aunt who's just that way. Every time shegoes to the movies----"
"Hang your aunt!" exploded Dick. "I tell you to let go of me!"
The usher flashed a suspicious beam from his pocket-torch on theconvulsed features and muttered doubtfully: "Looks to me like he washavin' a fit!"
"Usher! Usher, there's nothing the matter with him!" exclaimed anindignant voice from the row behind. "Those boys have been acting upever since they came in, and you ought to make them behave. It's nopleasure for others to have to be annoyed like this and----"
"Oh, madam!" exclaimed Blash, turning an injured countenance. "How canyou say so? I assure you----"
"You tell your friend to come out of it," said the usher doggedly."Either that or you all get out! That goes, see?"
"Oh, thanks so much," said Stanley gratefully. "He's quite all rightnow. You're all right, aren't you, Dick? Yes, he says he's feeling everso much better. Maybe----"
"O you Bates!" cried a voice from across the darkened house. "O youfamous athlete!" Laughs and chuckles followed. The usher gazed abouthim bewilderedly. From the balcony came a further interruption. "Whatdid you pay for it, Dick?" inquired an earnest voice. Laughterunrestrained arose from many quarters. A shrill falsetto joined in."Regular cheers for Bates, fellows! One, two, three!" Someone acceptedthe challenge and, interspersed with laughter, a ragged Parkinson cheerbroke forth: "Rah, rah, rah! Rah, rah, rah! Rah, rah, rah! Bates!_Bates!_ BATES!" And, "_Hero!_" added a solitary voice upstairs. Dickslumped into his seat, all fight gone from him.
Three ushers, reinforced by a stout gentleman from the front, hurriedalong the aisles and begged or commanded silence, and gradually thelaughter subsided to chuckles and the chuckles died away. Blashwhispered contritely in Dick's ear: "Sorry if I've made you mad, Dick.It was just a joke, you know. Thought you'd take it like a good sport."
"All right," answered Dick glumly. "Shut up, please."
The comedy was half finished and Dick tried hard to put his thoughtson the humours of it but met with scant success. He blamed Stanleyfor breaking his promise and telling Blash about that article inthe Leonardville _Sentinel_ and about Sumner White's letter. For ofcourse he had told Blash. Otherwise, how could Blash have knownand have concocted that horrible joke? Gradually resentment againstBlash--and Rusty, too, since it was apparent that Rusty had knownbeforehand--waned, for, after all, it was nothing to get angry about.Blash had merely paid him back in his own coin, a little more cleverly.Dick even found heart to grin once in the darkness and to wonderhow Blash had managed to persuade the movie manager to present theridiculous thing! But Stanley--Dick scowled. He wouldn't forgive Stanvery soon!
Of course he wouldn't hear the last of it for a long time. EvidentlyParkinson fellows were scattered freely through the house and everyone of them would return to school with a hilarious version of theincident. Well, that didn't matter. A fellow had to take jokes as wellas perpetrate them, and after awhile it would be forgotten. But Stanleyhad no business to tell. Dick was firm as to that. When the featurepicture came on Dick had recovered his equanimity and was able toenjoy it, although he took pleasure in letting Blash and Rusty remainin ignorance of his forgiveness. Afterwards, going out, he had toplay the good sport and meet the laughing gibes of acquaintances withsmiling unconcern, but he was glad when they were in the less brilliantstretch of School Street. He purposely avoided Stanley and chose Blashas his companion on the way back to school. Blash was inclined to beapologetic and remorseful.
"Maybe it wasn't so pesky smart, after all, Dick," he said. "I didn'tthink about the other fellows being there. I'm afraid you'll get a lotof ragging."
"Oh, I don't mind," answered Dick. "You had to when we sprung that oneon you, you know. But how the dickens did you work it, Blash? Honest, Ithought I was seeing things when they flashed that rot on the screen!Thought my--my mind had given way or something! And I didn't get ontoit for ages; not until I saw you trying not to explode! How'd you workit?"
"It wasn't hard," said Blash with restored complacency. "I just toldthe fellow who runs the theatre, McCready, a very decent sort of chap,that I wanted to spring a harmless joke on one of the fellows. Let himin on it enough so's he'd appreciate the stunt. Then I slipped a coupleof dollars to the guy who operates the machine up there and he fakedup the title and got hold of an old film showing an outdoor meeting ofoperatives at some shoe factory or something during a Fourth of Julycelebration. And, gee, it went great, didn't it? That is, it did ifyou're sure you're not huffed about it, Dick. There's no fun in a jokethat goes sour, though!"
"I'm not huffy, Blash. It was a bit of a jolt at first, though! Seeingmy name flash out at me like that--was sort of startling! What I don'tunderstand, though, is what--is how----"
"Back to your mark! Start over, Dick."
"Well, then, what put the idea of a--a--where did you get that stuffabout my being a hero and all that?" floundered Dick.
"Oh, one hears things," Blash chuckled. "Fame has its--ah--penalties!"
"Yes, I guess one does hear things," said Dick bitterly with aresentful glance at the dimly seen form of Stanley, ahead.
They dropped Blash at Goss and went on to Sohmer, Rusty choosing thelongest way home for the privilege of enjoying their society, as heexplained. Blash's joke was further discussed, Rusty declaring with areminiscent laugh that he would never forget the expression on Dick'sface when the title was flashed on the screen! Then Rusty took himselfoff across the turf on a shortcut to Maple Street and Dick and Stanleyclimbed the stairs in silence to Number 14.
When the light was going Stanley looked questioningly at his chum."What's the matter, Dick?" he asked. "Did that business jar you toomuch?"
"No, I didn't mind it, thanks," replied Dick, rather stiffly. "Ofcourse," he added after a pause, "everyone in school will think me anawful ass, but I suppose that won't matter. It won't to you, anyway!"
"Just what does that mean? Why to me?"
"Well, it won't, will it?" asked Dick defiantly. "If it had you'd havekept your mouth shut."
"Meaning?"
> "Meaning you promised to and you didn't. You had to go and tell Blash."
"Oh, that's it!" Stanley sounded relieved. "Well, let me tell you thatI haven't spoken a word to Blash or to anyone else about that business.I thought you had, though."
"I'd be likely to!" Dick looked incredulous. "If you didn't, how didBlash know?"
"Search me, Dick. Maybe he doesn't know. Maybe he just hit on that bychance."
"I don't believe it. Perhaps he saw that thing in the _Sentinel_--Buthe couldn't! Well, I'm sorry I suspected you, Stan."
"Don't mention it," replied the other cheerfully. "And look here, don'tget worried over the fellows hearing about it. Of course they will,and of course they'll rag you a bit, but it's only a good joke, Dick,and that's all they'll think it. It isn't a patch on the things somefellows have had to stand!"
"N-no, I suppose it isn't. But--did you hear one idiot there tonightask how much I paid for it? Maybe they'll think I did pay for it, Stan?"
"Oh, rot! That guy was just having some fun with you. They all knowit was a joke, and they saw Rusty and Blash with us, and they'll layit to one of them. As a matter of fact, Dick, it's a pretty good signto have something like that sprung on you, because it means that you_are_ somebody. If fellows don't like you they don't trouble to workpractical jokes on you, old top! There's that satisfaction if you wantit!"