A MISSING PROFESSOR
“Young gentlemen,” began Doctor Meredith, as he faced the assembled
Freshmen class in the chapel, where he had requested that they meet him,
“this is a solemn occasion. I hardly know what to say to you. Never, in
the history of Elmwood Hall, have we gone through what has transpired in
the last few days. We have never had a strike, nor an occasion for one.
We have never had a burning in effigy.
“I am at a loss what to say. I have tried to sit as an impartial judge
in this matter, and so far, I have to admit that there is some right on
both sides, and a great deal of wrong on one side--which side is yet to
be determined.”
Tom wanted to say something, but he refrained. The doctor was speaking
too solemnly to be interrupted.
“I have considered this matter from all standpoints,” went on the head
master, “and I have tried to see my duty. I want to do what is right by
all. For that purpose I have asked you to meet here, and I will now go a
step further and will send for Professor Skeel. Perhaps, when we have a
mutual conference, all differences will be explained, a new system can
be devised and all will go on peacefully and quietly, as it always has
at Elmwood Hall.
“I will ask our worthy janitor, Mr. Demosthenes Miller to step over to
Professor Skeel’s house, and request him to come here.”
It was about an hour after Tom’s dramatic interview with the Latin
instructor. Our hero and Bruce had parted, Tom to go to Latin class,
and, later, with all the Freshmen in that division, to attend the
special meeting.
While the janitor was gone there was a painful silence. Then the
footsteps of the returning messenger were heard. He came in alone.
“Is Professor Skeel coming?” asked Doctor Meredith curiously.
“No, sir, he is not,” replied the janitor with a respectful bow.
“Why not?” and Doctor Meredith was plainly surprised.
“Because, Doctor Meredith, Professor Skeel has gone.”
“Gone?”
“Yes, sir. Disappeared--_vanesco_ as the classic Latin puts it. His
servant just informed me that the professor packed up a few of his
belongings, and went to town to catch a train. He will have his other
things sent after him. So he will not be here. He also left word that he
would not come back.”
For a moment there was a silence. Then came a long breath of relief from
the students. It was echoed by Doctor Meredith.
“This--er--this--rather simplifies matters,” he said, a bit nervously.
“I had it in mind to have Professor Skeel beg your pardon, and you, as a
class, to beg his. Then matters would have gone on as before. But this
simplifies matters. Professor Skeel, it seems, is no longer a member of
the faculty of Elmwood Hall. I do not understand it, but I fear he has
left for good.”
“And I _know_ it--I don’t _fear_ it,” murmured Tom. “I’m glad of it,
too. It saves me the disagreeable duty of branding him as a forger.
All’s well that ends well? I suppose.”
“The purpose of this meeting having been accomplished,” went on Doctor
Meredith, “you may consider yourselves excused. You will report for
Latin recitation to Professor Hammond, until further notice, and I will
engage a new classical professor as soon as possible.”
“Three cheers for Doctor Meredith!”
“Three more for Professor Hammond!”
“Three big ones for the Freshmen class,” called Tom, when the first two
had been given.
“And three cheers for Tom Fairfield, the best leader in Elmwood Hall!”
shouted Jack Fitch, swinging his cap.
That the roof remained on the chapel after all that excitement speaks a
good word for the workmen who placed it there. Certainly such cheering
was never before heard in the old school.
“No more Skeel!” exulted Jack, as he walked out of chapel, his arm
linked in Tom’s.
“Nothing but fun from now on,” declared Tom, “and it will soon be spring
and baseball.”
“What are you going to do this vacation?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got to wait and see how dad and mother make out in
Australia, I suppose. I must write and tell them all that happened here.”
What Tom did when school closed may be learned by reading the next
volume of this series, to be called, “Tom Fairfield at Sea; or, The
Wreck of the Silver Star.”
“And so Skeel forged that note?” asked Jack, when he and his chum were
in their room that night.
“Yes, it was a rank copy of Bruce’s signature. And he had raised the
amount, too. I guess he was after money, all right.”
“I wonder where he went?”
“Far enough off, I imagine. He’ll never trouble Elmwood Hall again.”
“Nor Bruce Bennington, either.”
And this was so. Bruce was a different lad, from then on. His face was
always smiling, as it had been before his trouble.
“I never can thank you, Tom, for what you did for me,” he said. “Only
for you Skeel would have carried out his threat, and his forgery never
would have been discovered in time to prevent my disgrace. But I’ve made
a clean breast of it to dad, and though he gave me a hard calling down,
he’s forgiven me. Oh, I feel so glad!”
“And so do I,” added Tom. “We’re going to have a new Latin prof. I
understand. A jolly young fellow.”
“That’s good. Here comes Demy. I wonder what he wants?” spoke Bruce, as
the studious janitor approached, with a book as usual.
“Well, what is it?” asked the Senior.
“I fear I have made a grave mistake,” said Mr. Miller. “In announcing
the disappearance of Professor Skeel the other day I used the Latin word
_vanesco_. I see now that I used the wrong tense. Will you kindly set me
right.”
“Demy!” exclaimed Tom, “if you will kindly follow the example of
Professor Skeel, and vamoose, it will be all the same. We’ll give you
a Latin lesson later. And, in the meanwhile, here is a dollar to buy
a dictionary,” and Tom passed over a bill to the man who was always a
friend to the students.
As for Professor Skeel he was not heard of again for some time. But the
lads of Elmwood Hall did not care. They had Tom Fairfield, who became
more of a leader than ever after his successful strike. As for Sam
Heller, he led a miserable life as a Freshman--ignored by nearly all.
“Come on in to town,” invited Bruce that night. “I’ll treat you fellows
to a good feed, Tom. And I’ve fixed it with Merry, so we won’t have to
hurry back.”
“Good!” exclaimed our hero, and on his way with his chums to a good
time, we will say good-bye to him for a time.
THE END
[Illustration: Polly says “JELL-O for me”]
If cast upon a desert isle
Like Crusoe long ago,
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_America’s most famous dessert_
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Tom Fairfield’s School Days
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_or The Secret of the Log Cabin_
Bob Dexter came upon a man mysteriously injured and befriended him. This
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events and into the companionship of strange persons, not the least
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his friends how the secret entrance to the house was accomplished.
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_Mr. Chadwick has played on the diamond and on the gridiron himself._
1. THE RIVAL PITCHERS
_A Story of College Baseball_
Tom Parsons, a “hayseed,” makes good on the scrub team of Randall
College.
2. A QUARTERBACK’S PLUCK
_A Story of College Football_
A football story, told in Mr. Chadwick’s best style, that is bound to
grip the reader from the start.
3. BATTING TO WIN
_A Story of College Baseball_
Tom Parsons and his friends Phil and Sid are the leading players on
Randall College team. There is a great game.
4. THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN
_A Story of College Football_
After having to reorganize their team at the last moment, Randall makes
a touchdown that won a big game.
5. FOR THE HONOR OF RANDALL
_A Story of College Athletics_
The winning of the hurdle race and long-distance run is extremely
exciting.
6. THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS
_A Story of College Water Sports_
Tom, Phil and Sid prove as good at aquatic sports as they are on track,
gridiron and diamond.
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Transcriber’s Notes:
--Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in
bold by “equal” signs (=bold=).
--Printer, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently
corrected, except as indicated below.
--Archaic and variable spelling is preserved.
--Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.
--The Author’s long dash style has been retained.
--Inconsistencies in formatting and punctuation of individual
advertisements have been retained.
--Page numbers in the Table of Contents for Chapters IV and V have
been changed to reflect the actual beginning page number in the
text.
End of Project Gutenberg's Tom Fairfield's Schooldays, by Allen Chapman