SHADOW HAMILTON'S CONFESSION
"I simply can't understand it, Phil. Gus Plum was frightened very much,
or he would never have offered me a hundred dollars to keep quiet."
Dave and his chum were strolling along the edge of the campus, an hour
after the conversation recorded in the last chapter. The boy from the
poorhouse had told Phil all that had occurred.
"It is certainly the most mysterious thing I ever heard of, outside of
this mystery about Billy Dill," answered Phil. "Plum has been up to
something wrong, but just what, remains to be found out."
"And what about Shadow Hamilton?"
"I can't say anything about Shadow. I never thought he would do anything
that wasn't right."
"Nor I. What would you advise?"
"Keep quiet and await developments. Something is bound to come to the
surface, sooner or later."
"Hello, you fellows, where are you bound?" came in a cry, and looking up
they saw a well-known form approaching.
"Ben!" cried Dave, rushing up to the newcomer and shaking hands warmly.
"When did you come in? And how are all the folks at Crumville? Did you
happen to see Professor Potts and the Wadsworths?"
"One question at a time, please," answered Ben Basswood, as he shook
hands with Phil. "Yes, I saw them all, and everybody wants to be
remembered to you. Jessie sends her very sweetest regards----"
"Oh, come now, no fooling," interrupted Dave, blushing furiously. "Tell
us the plain truth."
"Well, she sent her best regard, anyway. And all the others did the
same. The professor is getting along finely. You'd hardly know him now,
he looks so hale and hearty. It did him a world of good to go to live
with the Wadsworths."
"You must have had a pretty nice vacation," observed Phil.
"Yes, although it was rather short. But, say, have you fellows heard
about Plum's father?" went on Ben Basswood, earnestly.
"We've heard that he lost some money."
"Yes, and he has tied himself up in some sort of underhanded
get-rich-quick concern, and I understand some folks are going to sue him
for all he is worth. That will be rather rough on Gus--if his father
loses all his money."
"True enough," said Dave. "But tell us all the news," he continued, and
then Ben related the particulars of affairs at Crumville, and of a
legal fight between his father and Mr. Aaron Poole, in which Mr.
Basswood had won.
"That will make Nat more sour on you than ever," observed Phil.
"Maybe; but I can't help it. If he leaves me alone I'll leave him
alone."
The following day passed quietly at Oak Hall. Gus Plum and Nat Poole
kept by themselves. Shadow Hamilton appeared to brighten a little, but
Dave observed that the youth was by no means himself. He did not care to
play baseball or "do a turn" at the gym., and kept for the most part by
himself.
Saturday passed, and on Sunday a large number of the students marched
off to three of the town churches. Dave, Roger, and Phil attended the
same church and Ben went with them, and all listened to a strong sermon
on Christian brotherhood, which was destined to do each of them good.
"It makes a fellow feel as if he's got to help somebody else," said
Roger.
"Well, it is our duty to help others," answered Dave. "The fellow who
isn't willing to do that is selfish."
"You've certainly helped Macklin, Dave," said Ben. "I never saw such a
change in a fellow. I'll wager he is more than happy to be out of Gus
Plum's influence."
"I'd help Plum, too, if he'd let me," said Dave, and then gave a long
sigh.
Two days later there was a sensation at the school. Doctor Clay came
into the main classroom in the middle of the forenoon, looking much
worried.
"Young gentlemen, I wish to talk to you for a few minutes," he said. "As
some of you may know, I am the proud possessor of a stamp collection
which I value at not less than three thousand dollars. The stamps are
arranged in three books, and I have spent eight years in collecting
them. These books of stamps are missing, and I wish to know if anybody
here knows anything about them. If they were taken away in a spirit of
fun, let me say that such a joke is a poor one, and I trust the books
will be speedily returned, and without damage to a single stamp."
All of the boys listened with interest, for many of them had inspected
the collection, and they knew that stamp-gathering was one of the kind
doctor's hobbies.
"Doctor, I am sorry to hear of this," said one boy, named Bert Dalgart,
a youth who had a small collection of his own. "I looked at the
collection about ten days ago, as you know. I haven't seen it since."
"Nor have I seen it," said Roger, who also collected stamps.
"Is there any boy here who knows anything at all about my collection?"
demanded the doctor, sharply. "If so, let him stand up."
There was a pause, but nobody arose. The master of Oak Hall drew a long
breath.
"If this is a joke, I want the collection returned by to-morrow
morning," he went on. "If this is not done, and I learn who is guilty, I
shall expel that student from this school."
He then passed on to the next classroom, and so on through the whole
academy. But nothing was learned concerning the missing stamp
collection, and the end of the inquiry left the worthy doctor much
perplexed and worried.
"That is too bad," was Dave's comment, after school was dismissed. "That
was a nice collection. I'd hate to have it mussed up, if it was mine."
"The fellow who played that joke went too far," said the senator's son.
"He ought to put the collection back at once."
The matter was talked over by all the students for several days. In the
meantime Doctor Clay went on a vigorous hunt for the stamp collection,
but without success.
"Do you think it possible that somebody stole that collection?"
questioned Dave of Phil one afternoon, as he and his chum strolled in
the direction of Farmer Cadmore's place, to see if they could learn
anything about the ram.
"Oh, it's possible; but who would be so mean?"
"Maybe some outsider got the stamps."
"I don't think so. An outside thief would have taken some silverware, or
something like that. No, I think those stamps were taken by somebody in
the school."
"Then maybe the chap is afraid to return them--for fear of being found
out."
So the talk ran on until the edge of the Cadmore farm was gained.
Looking into a field, they saw the ram grazing peacefully on the fresh,
green grass.
"He's as right as a button!" cried Phil. "I guess he wasn't hurt at all,
and after jumping from the window he came straight home," and in this
surmise the youth was correct.
As the boys walked back to the school they separated, Phil going to the
gymnasium to practice on the bars and Dave to stroll along the river.
The boy from Crumville wanted to be by himself, to think over the past
and try to reason out what the sailor had told him. Many a time had Dave
tried to reason this out, but always failed, yet he could not bear to
think of giving up.
"Some time or another I've got to find out who I am and where I came
from," he murmured. "I am not going to remain a nobody all my life!"
He came to a halt in a particularly picturesque spot, and was about to
sit down, when he heard a noise close at hand. Looking through the
bushes, he saw Shadow Hamilton on his knees and with his clasped hands
raised to heaven. The boy was praying, and remained on his knees for
several minutes. When he arose, he turned around and discovered Dave,
who had just started to leave the spot.
"Dave Porter!" came in a low cry, and Hamilton's face grew red.
"Hello, Shadow! Taking a walk along the river? If you are, I'll go
along."
"I--I was walking," stammered the other boy. His eyes searched Dave's
face. "You--were you watching me?" he asked, lamely.
"Not exactly."
"But you saw me--er----"
"I saw you, Shadow, I couldn't help it. It was nothing for you to be
ashamed of, though."
"I--I--oh, I can't tell you!" and Hamilton's face took on a look of keen
misery.
"Shadow, you are in some deep trouble, I know it," came bluntly from
Dave. "Don't you want to tell me about it? I'll do what I can for you.
We've been chums ever since I came here and I hate to see you so
downcast."
"It wouldn't do any good--you couldn't help me."
"Are you sure of that? Sometimes an outsider looks at a thing in a
different light than that person himself. Of course, I don't want to
pry into your secrets, if you don't want me to."
Shadow Hamilton bit his lip and hesitated.
"If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it to yourself?"
"If it is best, yes."
"I don't know if it is best or not, but I don't want you to say
anything."
"Well, what is it?"
"You know all about the doctor losing that collection of stamps?"
"Certainly."
"And you know about the loss of some of the class stick-pins about three
weeks ago?"
"Yes, I know Mr. Dale lost just a dozen of them."
"The stick-pins are worth two dollars each."
"Yes."
"And that stamp collection was worth over three thousand dollars."
"I know that, too."
"Well, I stole the stick-pins, and I stole the stamp collection, too!"