A STARTLING DISCOVERY
"Drop that, Codfish!" exclaimed Randy, and backed away so suddenly that
he tripped over some brushwood and came down flat on his back.
"I'm not going to be tormented any more," stormed Codfish, and swung the
firebrand around again, this time so the flames brushed Andy's shoulder
and also Fred's arm.
"Drop that, you imp!" exclaimed Ned Lowe. "Do you want to put out
somebody's eyes?"
"I don't care! You've got to let me alone!" screamed Codfish.
"We won't let you alone until you learn how to behave yourself and act
like the other fellows do," answered Andy. "You're the worst sneak this
school ever had, and you know it!"
"Yes, and see how you acted after all we did for you when we were at
Cedar Lodge," added Randy, who had scrambled to his feet.
"I--I didn't mean to say anything about those snowballs," whined Stowell.
"They made me do it!" And thereupon, pitching the firebrand back on the
bonfire, he pushed his way through the crowd of cadets and disappeared in
the darkness in the direction of the school.
"Gee, he certainly is a pill!" was Dan Soppinger's comment. "I think none
of us would weep if Codfish left the school for good. How about it?"
"Never mind--don't let it spoil the festivities," cried Andy gayly. "Come
on! Everybody join in! A fine of one suspender button for the fellows who
don't sing!" And thereupon he began a ditty he had composed during the
war.
"Johnny get your musket!
You must get your musket!
Johnny get your musket!
You must get it now!"
And this ditty the lads sang over and over again as they leaped and swung
in a circle around the bonfires.
But all gala occasions must come to an end, and by eleven o'clock the
bonfires were nothing but heaps of smouldering ashes, and then one by one
the cadets returned to the Hall and retired.
"Well, Jack, it will seem kind of funny, won't it, to be at the head of
the school battalion to-morrow morning?" questioned Gif, as he and the
newly-elected major turned into the corridor leading to their rooms.
"Yes, Gif. But it won't be so very strange either, because you know I had
to command the battalion two or three times when the other officers were
away."
Their activities during the whole of the day had made the cadets sleepy,
and nearly all turned in without much ado. Here and there there was an
exception, and these included Fatty Hendry and Dan Soppinger.
"I've got to get out some sort of a composition on City Improvements,"
declared Fatty. "I don't know much about 'em, but if I don't get the
paper in by nine o'clock to-morrow morning there's going to be trouble."
"And I still have some examples in algebra to work out," answered Dan.
"So I think I'll go at them before I retire."
All of the Rovers slept soundly and did not awaken until they heard an
unexpected knock on their door some time before the rising bell.
"Let me in," came in the voice of Dan Soppinger. "I've got news."
Jack opened the door and Dan came in, followed by Fatty.
"Say, what do you know about this!" exclaimed Dan. "Colby Hall has been
robbed!"
"Robbed!" ejaculated Jack. "What do you mean? What did they take?"
"What did they take!" burst out Fatty. "I guess they took about
everything they could get their hands on that was easy to carry off. I
lost my stickpin and my watch."
"And I lost two old stickpins and two rings that I haven't been wearing,"
put in Dan.
"When did you find this out?" questioned the newly-elected major.
"I made the discovery just when I was going to bed after doing some
examples in algebra," answered Dan. "It was about half-past twelve, so I
didn't want to wake anybody up--that is, none of the other fellows,
although I did call on Fatty because I knew he was writing a composition.
He looked around his room then and found he had been robbed, too. Then,
as Professor Duke was away, we called on Professor Watson. He made an
investigation and then said he would report to Colonel Colby the first
thing this morning."
The talk in Jack's room had brought Fred to the scene, and a few minutes
later Randy and Andy came in, rubbing their eyes sleepily.
"What was your stuff worth, Dan?" questioned Fred.
"I think the rings were worth about fifteen dollars each, and the
stickpins almost as much."
"My stickpin was worth thirty-five dollars," groaned Fatty. "And the
watch was a gold one given to me by my grandfather, and I wouldn't lose
that for a good deal."
"Hark! What's that commotion?" put in Jack suddenly.
There was a murmur of excited voices in the corridor, and, throwing open
the door, the Rovers and their friends came out to see what was up.
"My room has been robbed!"
"My watch is gone and a whole lot of other jewelry!"
"I lost three dollars!"
"Huh, that isn't anything! I lost fourteen dollars and a half!"
So the talk ran on as an excited group of cadets, some fully attired and
some still wearing their pajamas, crowded forward.
"Say, what do you know about this!" exclaimed Fred.
"Is anything belonging to us gone?" questioned Jack suddenly.
"I'm going back to find out," came from Randy. "I was so sleepy last
night that I just tumbled into bed and let it go at that."
Without further ado the four Rovers ran back into the rooms they occupied
and began a search of their chiffoniers and the other places where they
kept their things of value.
"My stickpin is gone and also one of my rings," groaned Randy.
"I had a brand new five-dollar bill tucked away in one of my drawers,"
said his brother. "I can't find it anywhere. And, yes, my wrist-watch is
missing!"
"My watch and chain and stickpin are gone, and likewise all my badges!"
cried Fred. "Oh, this is the worst ever!"
"Well, I'm out a ring and three stickpins," announced Jack, "including
that brand new pin I got last year."
As quickly as possible the four Rovers dressed and then joined the other
cadets in the corridor. From all sides were heard excited exclamations as
one pupil after another came forward to announce that either his jewelry
or his money--and sometimes both--were gone.
Colonel Colby and several of the professors had already been notified,
and they quickly appeared on the scene and tried to interview the cadets.
This, however, was a hard thing to undertake because nearly all the boys
wanted to talk at once. There was so much excitement that for the time
being the morning parade and breakfast were completely forgotten.
"This is certainly a terrible state of affairs," remarked the colonel to
Captain Dale. "Have you any idea who can be guilty?"
"No, Colonel. I have always thought that every one connected with this
school was honest."
"It may be the work of some of the hired help," mused Colonel Colby. "But
I hate to think that. Every one who is here came highly recommended."
"We might make inquiry and see if any strangers were in the school last
night during the celebration," suggested Captain Dale. "There was so much
excitement that some one might have slipped in and out without our
noticing."
Finally Colonel Colby told all the cadets to go below for breakfast,
dispensing with the early morning drill.
"As soon as you have finished eating I wish each cadet to make a thorough
search of his room and make out a written list of everything that is
missing and sign the paper. Take careful note of everything when you are
making your search, and if you find any clues to the perpetrator of this
outrageous affair, let me know. The lists can be left at the office as
soon as they are made out." And then, after a moment of thought, he
added: "There will be no session of the school this morning."
"Shall we notify the Haven Point authorities?" questioned Professor
Brice.
"Not at present. I wish to make my own investigation first," answered the
head of the school.
It did not take Jack and his cousins long to swallow their breakfast, and
this finished, they hurried back to their rooms and began the search
Colonel Colby had advised.
"Well, I'm shy that gold fountain pen Aunt Martha gave me," announced
Jack presently. "I'd forgotten about that because I didn't usually use
it. I use the one mother gave me."
Outside of this the Rovers could find nothing more missing nor did they
locate anything in the way of a clue that might lead to the robber. They
sat down and made out their brief lists, signed them, and then walked
together down to the office.
Here a crowd of cadets were coming and going. It was learned that
twenty-two cadets in all had suffered losses which ranged from
seventy-five cents to one hundred and twenty-five dollars. In all it was
figured that the loss would amount to at least twelve hundred dollars.
"This is about the worst thing that ever struck Colby Hall," announced
Jack.
"Who do you suppose did it?" questioned Randy.
"Don't ask me, Randy. I'd hate to suspect any of the fellows."
"Oh, I don't think any of the fellows did it!" burst out Fred.
"Well, what about the hired help?" questioned Andy.
"I don't know any of them that I'd suspect," said Jack promptly. "Every
one looks like a pretty good sort."
Only two cadets came forward with objects that might possibly be a clue
to the robbery. One boy had picked up a handkerchief in his room that he
said did not belong to him, and another boy had found the marks of muddy
footprints over his window sill and on a fire-escape outside.
"Say, that looks as if somebody had come up the fire-escape and got into
the rooms that way," said Jack, when he heard of this.
"They say the handkerchief that was picked up is not marked in any way,"
said Gif.
"Well, every handkerchief used by the cadets is marked," returned
Spouter. "They've got to be that way or they'd get all mixed up in the
laundry."
"How about the help?"
"Their stuff is all marked, too. One of the teachers told me so," put in
Dan Soppinger.
"Say, Ned! you came upstairs for your mandolin," cried Jack suddenly.
"Did you see anybody up here?"
"I don't remember that I did," answered Ned Lowe. "I was in such a hurry
to get the instrument that I didn't pay much attention. And, besides
that, it seemed pretty dark in here after coming away from that big
bonfire."
"A robber would be sure to keep out of Ned's sight," put in Fred.
"I remember seeing some fellows in the lower hall--Major Mason, Bart
White, and one or two others. But I can't seem to remember seeing anybody
upstairs--and yet, somehow or other, it seems to me I did pass somebody
just before I ran into my room," and now Ned looked perplexed.
"Can't you think who it was?" questioned Andy quickly.
"No, I can't."
"If it was a stranger you would have remembered, wouldn't you?" asked
Jack.
"I think I would, Jack. I'd think right away what that person was doing
upstairs." Ned scratched his head. "No, if I did meet somebody, I'm sure
it must have been one of the cadets. But who it was, I can't think."
A little later Colonel Colby continued his investigation by asking all
those who had been inside the building during the celebration to come
forward and tell anything they could that might be of advantage. It
developed that not only Ned but also Ralph Mason, Bart White and two of
the older cadets named Lawrence and Philips had been upstairs some time
between eight and eleven o'clock. The most of these cadets said they had
seen no one else upstairs in the building. But Bart White declared while
at one end of a long corridor he had seen some one slip around a corner
out of sight. He was not sure whether the person had been a cadet, one of
the hired help, or an outsider.
"It was either a man or a big boy," said Bart. "But he moved so quickly
and it was so dark I didn't recognize him, even if I happened to know
him."
"And what time was this?" questioned Colonel Colby.
"Some time between half-past nine and ten o'clock."
Bart was asked to show the colonel where the disappearance of the
stranger had taken place, and it was proved that this was at a point just
around a corner from the room where the footprints leading to the
fire-escape had been discovered.
"Perhaps you saw the person just at the time he was making his escape,"
was Colonel Colby's comment. "We will look for footprints below the
fire-escape."
This was done, but the cadets the night before had tramped around the
school building so much that the footprints were hopelessly mixed. Then
the boys were questioned as to whether or not they had seen any one
dropping from the fire-escape to the ground, and all answered in the
negative.
"We will question the hired help and see what they have to say,"
announced the master of the school.