CHAPTER XXX
A BITTER ENEMY
The breathing of the three chums was distinctly audible in the silencethat followed. Varied thoughts rushed through their minds, but allcentered around the idea that there was a traitor in college--some onewho would go to extreme lengths to see the football eleven lose. Thatthis person was Garvey Gerhart was the belief of Tom, Phil and Sid. Thequarter-back was the first to break the silence that was becomingstrained.
"The cowardly sneak!" he burst out. "He ought to be tarred and featheredand ridden around the campus on a rail. The dirty cad!" Phil clenchedhis fists. "And I'm going to do it, too!" he added fiercely.
"Do what?" asked Tom.
"I'm going to tell what we discovered. I'm going to let Holly Cross andMr. Lighton know. It was Gerhart who stole the copy of the signals. Hesneaked in here when we were out and found them, though how he knewenough to look behind the picture is more than I understand. Probablyhe wanted to see if the girl's name was on the back, and saw the paperby accident. Anyhow, he took it, and he lost the charm at the same time,though he didn't notice it. Then he went and bargained to sell thesignals to Stoddard, of Boxer Hall. That was when we saw them talkingtogether down by the bridge."
"But Stoddard didn't take his offer," interposed Tom.
"No; Stoddard isn't that kind of a chap," went on Phil. "He let Mr.Lighton know anonymously. But what Stoddard did doesn't lessen Gerhart'sguilt. He wanted to throw the team, and only for the fact that he madehis offer to an honest chap we would have lost the game. I'd--I'd liketo smash him into jelly!" and Phil fairly shook in righteous anger, forthe team was very dear to his heart. He felt everything that affectedthe eleven more, perhaps, than any other lad in Randall College, noteven excepting the captain, Holly Cross. So it is no wonder that Philraged. He started from the room.
"Where are you going?" asked Sid, interposing his bulky frame betweenPhil and the door.
"I'm going to tell the coach and Holly Cross what I've discovered. I'mgoing to show them this charm. I'm going to propose that we tar andfeather Gerhart and ride him out of college to the tune of the 'Rogues'March.'"
"No, you're not," spoke Sid very quietly.
Phil looked at him for a moment. Then he burst out with: "What do youmean? Don't you want me to tell? I'm going to, I say!"
"No, you're not," repeated Sid, and he did not raise his voice. "You'regoing to sit right down," and he gently shoved Phil toward the yawningeasy chair. Puzzled by his chum's action, Phil backed up, and before heknew it he had flopped down upon the cushions, raising an unusual cloudof dust.
"Say, Henderson, what's the matter with you?" he cried, as he struggledto get up. "Are you crazy? Don't interfere with me again! I'm going toinform on the dirty, sneaking cad who wanted to see his own collegebeaten!"
Sid put a hand on his chum's shoulder and pushed him back into thechair.
"You're going to do nothing of the sort, my son," went on the big firstbaseman slowly. "Tom, lock the door and put the key in your pocket."
Tom as though acting under the influence of some hypnotic spell, obeyed.
"Are you both crazy?" burst out Phil. "I tell you the whole college mustknow what a white-livered hound we've got here!"
"That's just what they mustn't know," said Sid quietly. "Now listen tome," he went on more sternly. "In the first place, you don't know thatGerhart is guilty."
"Don't know? Of course I know it!" almost shouted Phil. "Haven't I gotthe evidence?" and he held out the charm.
"Easy," cautioned Sid. "I grant that; I even grant that the charm isGerhart's; but does that prove he took the signals?"
"It proves that he was in the room," declared Phil.
"Yes, I admit that. I saw him in here once myself--just before thataccident to my hand. But that doesn't prove anything."
"He was in here some other time then, when none of us was here. He musthave taken the picture down, else the charm would never have been caughtin the frame and remained there."
"Granted; but you are still far from making out a case, Phil."
"Don't you believe he did it?" asked the quarter-back.
"I do, when it comes to that, but we've got to offer more evidence thanour own beliefs when it comes to convincing other people. Besides, Idon't see what need there is of proving your case."
"Don't you think the college ought to know what sort of a coward andsneak we've got at Randall?"
"No," said Sid decidedly, "I don't. That's just the point. That's justwhy I don't want you to go and tell Holly what we've found. I thinkGerhart took those signals," he continued, "and I believe that when wesaw him talking to Stoddard he was trying to dispose of them to him.But just because I feel morally certain of it doesn't justify me inspreading the news broadcast. Besides, do we want every one to know whata cad we have here? I take the opposite view from you. I think we oughtnot to wash our soiled linen in public. The more we can hush this thingup the better. I wouldn't let it get beyond us three. It ought to stopright here. We would be the laughingstock of Fairview and Boxer Hall ifit got out. To think that the Randall spirit was capable of falling solow that there was a traitor among us! I'm glad Stoddard kept still.Evidently he didn't tell a soul, but warned Lighton privately, and theteam has kept quiet about it.
"Now," continued Sid earnestly, "do you want to go and publish it? Doyou want to let every one see our shame? I don't believe you do, Phil."
Phil was silent for several seconds. He was struggling with someemotion. Tom stood with his back to the door, though it was locked. Sidstood before his chum, looking anxiously at him as he sat in the bigchair. Then, with a long breath, Phil said:
"I guess you're right, Sid. I--I didn't look at it that way. I'll keepstill."
"I thought you would," spoke Sid significantly.
Phil put the charm in his pocket. The strain was over. They all seemedrelieved. But Phil, so much was his heart bound up in the eleven, couldnot forget the great affront that had been planned against it. Two dayslater, meeting Gerhart alone on the campus, he approached him, andshowing the freshman the watch-charm, exclaimed:
"Take care, you dirty coward! We know where you lost this!"
Gerhart started, turned first pale and then red. He soon recoveredhimself, and answered:
"I don't know what you mean."
"Yes, you do," snapped Phil. "You stole my signals!"
"That's a lie," said Gerhart coolly, and he walked on.
But if Phil could have seen him a little later, when he joined Langridge,the quarter-back would have wondered at the rage and fear shown by thefreshman.
"Clinton knows! He found my charm! I was afraid I'd lost it in hisroom," said Gerhart.
"Well?" asked Langridge.
"One of us has got to leave Randall!" exclaimed Gerhart savagely. "It'she or I; and it will be he, if I can accomplish it!"