CHAPTER XXIX
ONE POINT LOST
For a moment there was silence--portentous, momentous silence, while"Pitchfork" gazed at the astonished lads, and as they returned hisstare.
"Well," remarked the Latin professor, as he advanced farther into theroom, and looked about at the confusion on every side, "I see that Mr.Zane is not here."
"N--no--no, sir," answered Dutch, for Mr. Tines was looking directly athim, and seemed to expect him to reply. "He--he has gone out."
"Which is evidently the reason _you_ are here, committing these acts ofvandalism!" said the professor, bitterly. "I am ashamed of you! To thinkthat Dr. Churchill, myself and the other teachers could not go away fortwo days without you students behaving yourselves like this, it isdisgraceful, shameful!"
He spoke as though the whole responsibility of the college rested uponhimself and the venerable president, whereas it was common knowledgethat the plan was being considered of dropping Mr. Tines and getting amore popular professor, as well as a proctor who was more in sympathywith the boys.
"We--we only wanted to have some--some fun," went on Dutch, who, havingacted as leader in the prank, thought it was his duty to defend hisfriends.
"Fun!" burst out Mr. Tines. "Do you call this disgraceful vandalism_fun_?"
"We--we meant it as such," went on Dutch.
Professor Tines only sniffed. Probably he did not know what else to do.
"You young gentlemen--I had almost said ruffians," he finally remarked,"you will remain here until I return. Perhaps you may be able to tell mewhere Mr. Zane is."
"I--I think he is in the freshmen dormitory," replied Holly Cross,who had been puzzling his brain trying to think of a reason for theunexpected return of Mr. Tines.
"Ah, thank you. I will find him, and return here. _You_ will kindlyremain. I wish him to see his room--_as it is_."
Professor Tines turned about stiffly, and left. The four lads gatheredtogether in the centre of the apartment, a miserable and forlornquartette.
"Who'd have thought he'd show up?" demanded Dutch, as if it was againstthe rules for such a thing to be done.
"I didn't," declared Jerry.
"Me either," echoed his twin brother.
"Well, he caught us with the goods, all right," said Holly.
"I--I wonder what he'll do--he and Zany?" ventured Dutch. "Shall westay?"
"Got to," was Holly's opinion, and indeed the request of the professorwas equivalent to a command--under the circumstances.
They waited there in misery until the Latin instructor and Mr. Zanecame. The gasp of astonishment and dismay that the proctor gave as hesaw his room was evidence enough of the manner in which he viewed it.
"This is what I found them at when I returned--most unexpectedly," saidMr. Tines, with a wave of his hand toward the shrinking youths. "If Iwere in your place, Mr. Zane, I would make them restore everything torights, and then inflict such punishment as would cover the case.Disbarment from athletics would be none too severe, as I see that allthese are members of the football team."
There was a gasp of dismay from the four, they had not bargained forthat.
"I came back unexpectedly," went on the professor. "Dr. Churchill hadforgotten some papers to be used in the lawsuit, and I volunteered toreturn for them. Getting here unexpectedly, I looked for you, Mr. Zane.I knocked at your door. I was bidden to enter. This--this--" and theprofessor made a dramatic gesture, "this is what I beheld," and he wavedhis two hands hopelessly at the confusion.
As yet the proctor had said nothing. He looked at his dismantled room asthough he could not comprehend it. Never--never had he beheld it in thisway before, not even when he moved from one apartment to another, norwhen a section of the building in which he had his study was rebuilt.
"I was in the freshman dormitory--there was a little--ahem--a littledifficulty there," and the proctor hesitated. "I had no idea----"
"If I were you I would make them put everything exactly as they foundit," interrupted Mr. Tines, severely.
"I--er--I--that is--I think I would prefer to straighten matters outmyself," said Mr. Zane hesitatingly. It was as though he was in a daze."You--you young gentlemen may go to your rooms," he added, softly.
"What!" cried Professor Emerson Tines. "Aren't you going to----"
Then he realized that he was infringing on the prerogatives of theproctor, and he kept still.
"You may go," said Mr. Zane, softly, and Dutch and his mates went.
It was not long before the news buzzed in every dormitory of thecollege.
"Served Dutch right," declared Tom. "He ought to have known better."
"Yes, but if Zane and Pitchfork take him and Holly and the twins off theteam," suggested Phil, "then we _will_ be in the soup, for furtherorders."
It was a direful thought, and no one liked to dwell on it. There was alot of talk, and much speculation as to how "Pitchfork" had managed toget back unobserved. There were also guesses as to what would be donewith the culprits.
Then something new developed. It concerned the excitement in the freshmanranks. There had been considerable horseplay, it was said, and Mr. Zanehad indignantly ordered it stopped. To his surprise, the students notonly obeyed him, but his pardon was formally asked in the name of theclass, and he was given a ringing round of cheers.
"Oh, _that's_ the noise we heard," commented Tom. "I thought they wereraising the roof."
Whether it was the unexpected compliment paid to him, or a feeling ofcommiseration for the four culprits was not made known, but, at anyrate, Proctor Zane inflicted absolutely no punishment on Dutch and hismates. He did not even refer to the subject again, though ProfessorTines was seen in excited conversation with him. Perhaps the trouble inwhich Randall was involved, and a feeling that he was not as well likedas he might be, influenced Mr. Zane.
So Dutch and his three chums breathed easier, and the football teamblessed its lucky stars that it was to lose no more men.
Professor Tines went back to court early the next morning, taking withhim the documents forgotten by the president. He gave out no news of thecourt proceedings, which indeed had not been opened as yet.
But word of them was received on the second day of the absence of thefaculty. It was when the Randall 'varsity was returning from the gamewith the preparatory school, having won by an unexpectedly big margin.The players were feeling jubilant, and were telling each other what theywould do to Boxer Hall.
"Hello, there's Prexy!" exclaimed Tom, as he saw the venerable presidentstrolling over the campus toward his residence.
"Let's ask him what happened in court," suggested Phil. "He won't mind,for he knows we're anxious."
The little squad of players surged up around Dr. Churchill.
"Can you tell us--that is--is Randall safe?" stammered Phil, as helooked up into the President's face, his mates anxiously surroundinghim.
"I regret to say that we have been defeated in the first--ah--scrimmage,I believe you football players call it," said the doctor, a bit sadly."We have lost the first point in the main legal battle."