TRYING TO FIX THE BLAME
Saving out two or three of the sheets containing the spurious article,
folding them neatly and putting them carefully in the inside pocket of
his coat, Jack ordered the rest to be burned in the office stove and
personally witnessed their destruction.
Then the missing lines were put in the form, the latter locked up and
the printing proceeded, the inserted lines being speedily put into "pi."
"Send the bundle addressed to me at the Academy to-morrow morning," Jack
said, "and remember that if there is any change whatever, the editors
will not be responsible for the payment."
"But you don't hold me responsible for this rascality?" sputtered Brooke
in the same nervous manner he used when pecking at his typewriter. "You
can't expect that----"
"I have said all that I have to say at present," replied Jack.
"Yes, but I want to understand the situation."
"I have said nothing about what has already happened. I allude to any
future happenings. Send me the bundle in the morning."
"Couldn't you call for it? That is generally done. It won't take you any
time at all to run down in the car and to-morrow is Saturday and a
holiday. With me it is a busy day."
The editor seemed to be in such real distress that Jack answered:
"I will flash you an answer to-night at ten o'clock by the Morse
international."
The boy and the editor were now in the latter's sanctum and not in the
main office so that there were no hearers to the conversation.
"International, not American?" asked the editor.
"Yes. Every one does not know the International but every local
telegrapher knows the American."
"Yes, but I don't see why----"
"If some unscrupulous person should send you a message purporting to
come from me you would know that it did not if my instructions were not
carried out, wouldn't you?"
"Certainly, but have you any apprehension that----"
"It is possible. I will let you know to-night. I do not want to
telephone and will flash you instead."
"Very good."
Jack then left the building, entered the car and in a quarter of an hour
was at the Academy.
He saw Harry and Arthur on the grounds and called to them to go with him
as soon as he put up the car.
The three went to Percival's room where they found the young fellow busy
over a Greek translation.
"Read this, you fellows," said Jack, distributing the printed sheets he
had brought up from the office of the _News_.
"But, I say, Jack!" exclaimed Percival. "You don't mean----"
"Why, this is positively awful!" gasped Harry.
"There will be no more _Gazettes_ after this," wailed Arthur.
"You don't imagine, any of you, that I wrote that?" asked Jack in his
coolest tone. "Here, let me have one of the sheets."
"But how did it get in then?"
"This is not the revised sheet. In the first place I do not sign my
articles 'Jack Sheldon,' do I?"
"I never knew that you did."
"And in the next a very careless compositor set this up. It is badly
spaced, has many errors and is ungrammatical."
"Yes, I can see that but I don't know anything about the spacing."
"It looks as if a green hand had set it up and that gives me an idea."
"Yes, but Jack, how did it get in at all?" asked Percival, still in the
dark regarding the article.
"It won't be in the paper to-morrow," and then Jack told of his
accidental discovery of the obnoxious article and what he had done about
it.
Percival thought a few minutes and said:
"Some one who doesn't like you has done this, Jack, or had it done. You
don't suspect Brooke?"
"No, for it would mean the loss of all our patronage to him. He is not
such a fool."
"No, of course not. Who is it then?"
"That I don't know. There was collusion with some one in the _News_
office, of course, and it will be difficult to find just where it comes
in. This thing was done to throw discredit on me and to stop the life of
the _Gazette_."
"That's just what it would mean if the thing had gone through."
"It was done by some one who knows the Academy and the fellows,"
declared Harry. "It was aimed at Jack, principally. We know who does not
like him here and it should not be a hard matter to find who is
responsible."
"It may be one for all that," replied Jack. "This is a serious business
and the perpetrators will cover their tracks. One thing is certain. You
must watch every boy that reads the _Gazette_ to-morrow. Shall I have
the bundle sent up here or go after it?"
"We have generally gone after them and done the distributing ourselves
in the past," said Percival. "If we do that now the fellow who
engineered this business will be the first to get a copy of the paper
and to make it public. Did any one see you leave this afternoon or did
any one know why you went to Riverton?"
"No, there was no one around when I left except yourself and only Hal
and Art saw me return."
"Then no one suspects that you have discovered this article and
suppressed it. I will take a run down in the morning and get the papers.
You were to let Brooke know?"
"Yes, to-night."
"Good! Tell him that I will call for the papers and to deliver them to
no one else."
"Why don't you phone him?" asked Arthur. "That will save a lot of
trouble."
"And perhaps cause more," laughed Jack. "I don't like telephoning
myself. There are too many listeners."
"I have a wire," said Dick. "You may use it if you like. I do often and
I don't know that I am bothered much."
"Just now the old ladies on the party wire are not doing their afternoon
gossip," chuckled Arthur. "They are busy getting supper instead. I don't
believe we would have any trouble. Go ahead, Jack."
Thus urged Jack stepped to the telephone, took down the receiver and
called:
"Let me have one two three Riverton, please. Office of the _News_, yes.
They are not busy?"
"Here's your party," said the operator on the other end of the wire.
At the same moment Jack heard some one say, not at the 'phone but
evidently in the room where the instrument was kept:
"Well, I done it but I wanted the money."
Jack recognized the voice as that of the boy in the _News_ office.
"How much did you get?"
This time the speaker was the editor, Mr. Brooke.
"Five dollars."
"Who paid you? Here, wait, till I answer that confounded call. Hello!
who is this?"
"John Sheldon, of Hilltop. Is this Mr. Brooke? Dick Percival will call
for the bundle in the morning."
"Very good. Now then, you rascal----" the voice being less plainly
heard, "who was it paid you for doing it?"
"Keep still, boys," said Jack, turning his head. "I am on the track."