THE BIG DAY
But the boys and girls of Central High learned nothing that day about
the contents of the sealed lard can. Whatever was discovered inside it
the police kept very close about.
Chet had a private interview with the Chief of the Centerport Bureau of
Detectives, and so did Billy Long. Short and Long wished that he could
get through with police interference in his affairs, and grumbled some;
but the detectives treated him pretty nicely this time, and the two boys
went home wondering what would be the outcome of the "treasure hunting
expedition."
"Just the same, we found something!" ejaculated Chet. "And it is
important, I feel sure."
"Wish it was the money stolen from Stresch & Potter. The firm has
offered five hundred dollars reward for the recovery of the money and
the apprehension of the burglars," said Short and Long.
"Say! that would be great for you," his friend said. "Wouldn't it?"
"We'd take Alice out of that factory and let her finish High," said
Billy, quickly. "That's what we'd do at the Long domicile."
"I hope it _is_ the stolen money, then," said Chet.
"Hot chance of that," scoffed Billy. "Those fellows that 'burgled' the
store got away weeks ago and have probably spent the money by this
time."
The discovery of the sealed can on the island did not banish from the
minds of the girls of Central High, however, the mystery of the stolen
shell. This was a tragedy that loomed bigger and bigger as the day of
the races approached. And it was very near now.
The twins were delighted to be able to row with their mates on the
eight-oared crew; but like the other members, they were quite hopeless
of winning the race if they had to use the old boat.
"Somebody who owed us a big grudge turned that trick of stealing the
shell," Bobby Hargrew declared, again and again.
"But we never did anything to the crews of the other schools to make
them hate us so," cried the doctor's daughter.
"Only threatening to beat them in the race," said Laura, doubtfully.
"That shouldn't be a sufficient reason for them to hate us," one of the
Lockwood twins declared. "It does just seem as though it was done out of
spite."
"And who's so spiteful toward the Central High eight?" demanded Bobby,
keenly.
"Now, Bobby!" cautioned Laura.
"That's all right, Mother Wit. You see the point just as clearly as I
do," declared Bobby. "You know who's been 'knocking' our crew all the
time----"
"Why--you don't mean----" began Jess, in wide-eyed wonder; but Laura
said:
"Hush! Don't say such a thing. We must not accuse people without some
ground for suspicion."
"How much ground do you want--the whole earth?" snapped Bobby, in deep
gloom.
So the name of the suspected culprit was not mentioned; but the little
coterie of friends looked wisely at each other, and nodded.
For, you see, when a girl is disloyal to her school and classmates, how
can they help suspecting her if evil should arise? A girl who will not
accept the decision of the majority in school affairs, who scoffs at the
efficiency of the various athletic teams--who never will be contented
unless she is in the lead of everything--can neither be popular nor
trusted. Disloyalty is a crime that every right-minded person abhors;
and although these girls did not mention the name of the person they
suspected, all realized who was meant when Bobby said:
"Well, the time is coming when she'll fly her kite too high! Everybody
will see what she is, and then she'll never be able to fool anybody
again--neither teachers, nor students of Central High. That's one
satisfaction."
"And yet, not very satisfactory at present," returned Laura Belding,
thoughtfully.
"Put on your thinking cap, then, Mother Wit, and catch her," said Bobby,
in a whisper. "You did it before, you know."
The parents of some of the girls were intensely interested in the
outcome of the races on the Big Day, too; and somebody with influence
had induced the Chief of Police to put detectives on the trail of the
lost shell. This, however, beside a search of the lake shore by the
police launch, as already reported, did nothing toward uncovering the
hiding place of the shell, or the identity of the thieves.
It seemed ridiculous to suppose that one girl--no matter how spiteful
she might feel--could have accomplished the crime of stealing the
eight-oared shell alone. Yet Bobby Hargrew's insistence had impressed
Laura Belding.
Perhaps, too, the fact that the other girls of Central High expected
something brilliant in the way of detective work from Mother Wit spurred
the jeweler's daughter to attempt to find the lost shell.
Instead, she attempted to make the guilty person return the new boat in
time for the boat race. And to do this she tried a scheme that might
have been fruitless had the culprit not been an amateur in deceit and
wrongdoing. No real thief would have fallen into Laura Belding's trap.
She caused to be printed and posted upon the bulletin boards all over
the Hill section of Centerport a quarter-sheet handbill which read in
part that the person having caused the disappearance of the new
eight-oared shell belonging to the Girls' Branch Athletic League of
Central High was known, and that person would be publicly exposed if the
shell was not returned, or the place of its hiding revealed, in season
for the races. And she signed the bill with Professor Dimp's name, he
having agreed to lend it for the occasion.
This was not many hours before the dawning of the day of the races; but
Laura saw to it that the way to and from school for the person suspected
was fairly plastered with those notices! Printed in their black type,
they could not fail to be seen by the right eyes.
"What do you expect will come of _that_?" demanded Chet, rather inclined
to scoff at his sister's plan.
"I hope it will cause a change of heart on the part of the person guilty
of the outrage," declared Laura, laughing.
"Huh! If I knew who it was that stole the shell I'd go to 'em with a
policeman."
"And then it would be denied, and we'd never get our shell back in time.
We don't know where it is," said Laura.
"And you evidently don't know just who is guilty," responded Chet.
"Moral certainty would not hold good in court," his sister returned,
slily.
"Bet you nothing comes of it!" growled Chet.
But Laura would not wager anything with him. Perhaps she was not very
certain in her own mind, at that, that she had gone about the matter in
the right way.
The night before the Big Day arrived, and nothing was heard of the
shell. The girls were hopeless. Even Bobby lost her last atom of
cheerfulness. They were confident that, if they had to row in the old
boat, Keyport, at least, would beat them in the race.
But when the new watchman opened the boat-House doors early on the
morning of the race day he found pinned to the door a paper which bore
in scraggly lettering this admonition:
"_Look under the east float._"
He proceeded to do this at once; and there was the shell, missing for so
many anxious days, somewhat scraped by being washed by the current
against the timbers underneath the float, but otherwise quite fit for
use!
All the girls of Central High did not hear this welcome news until noon,
when the schools of Centerport let out for the day. The afternoon was to
be given up to the aquatic contests, and troops of boys and girls, as
well as grown folks, went to the shore, or crowded the boats that were
stationed along the racing course.
After all the Lockwood twins did not have to give up the canoe contest.
Aunt Dora would not hear of their losing practise; and she was so much
improved that Mr. Lockwood hired an easy carriage and took her to the
races that she might see Dora and Dorothy do their best to win both the
canoeing and eight-oared trophies.
"They are real good girls, after all, Lemuel," said Aunt Dora,
reflectively. "Now both of them have offered to go home with me."
"No!" cried the flower lover. "I can't spare them, Dora."
"I know you can't," admitted his sister, rather mildly for her. "And
although they only said they would come to me for a little while, one at
a time, I am not going to accept their sacrifice. I see plainly how much
they are to each other--and to you. I guess they are yours, Lemuel, and
if you have made mistakes in bringing them up, they are too sweet of
disposition naturally to be spoiled by your foolishness.
"No," said Aunt Dora, conclusively, "the place for Dora is with Dorothy,
and the place for Dorothy is with Dora. Besides," she added, "it would
certainly trouble me to have them about I never _could_ be sure whether
my namesake was visiting me, or the other one!"