“What incredible folly!” repeated Professor Scott. “It is hard to
credit Mr. Osborn or any midshipman with such unspeakable foolishness.
I suppose Mr. Osborn meant it for some midshipman to see and then
forgot to rub it out. Too bad! I have made a great mistake in that
young man. Well, Mr. Moehler, you remain here in the room. I’ll
telephone for the commandant to come immediately. Keep everything just
as it is.”
“I will, sir; I’m sorry any midshipman should express such sentiments
toward me. I have had trouble with Mr. Osborn on two occasions in each
of which I was at fault and was severely reprimanded in consequence,
but there was no occasion for Mr. Osborn to write such a thing about
me.” Mr. Moehler spoke feelingly.
“Too bad,” again murmured Professor Scott, leaving the room. In a few
moments he returned with the commandant.
“I suppose it’s something important, professor,” Commander Thornton
said as they entered.
“You will form your own conclusion as to that, sir; this is the
condition of the room when Mr. Moehler called me in. Will you look at
the blackboards, sir?”
In a moment the commandant was startled by the scurrilous sentence on
Ralph’s board.
“Who is Mr. Osborn?” he inquired.
“A third classman, sir; he stands number one in mathematics in his
class.”
“Did he write that?”
“It looks like his handwriting and it’s on his board. Mr. Moehler can
tell you the circumstances better than I can.”
“Tell me about it, Mr. Moehler.”
“Sir, at the end of the recitation hour Mr. Osborn and several of his
section had not yet recited and were still standing at their boards
when the dismissal alarm rang. I ordered the section to march out when
the bell rang, and I followed the last man out and stood in the doorway
of my room while they got their caps, formed and marched away. As I
entered, the colored man, Carroll, came in with me, and asked me if he
should rub out. I told him to wait a moment; the next instant I saw
what was written on Mr. Osborn’s board, and then I sent for Professor
Scott. I think that is all I know about the matter, sir.”
“That’s enough,” rejoined the commandant, sententiously; “enough to
dismiss Mr. Osborn,” he grimly added. “Let me see; you have had some
trouble with Mr. Osborn, haven’t you?”
“Yes, sir, twice and I was in the wrong each time. But I can’t feel
that Mr. Osborn had occasion to write such a thing on the board.” Mr.
Moehler showed his indignation and wounded feelings as he spoke.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing could justify Mr. Osborn. He will
be dismissed immediately. But we will investigate all of the
circumstances. Professor, please telephone to the officer-in-charge and
direct him to get the first section in mathematics together and send
them here immediately. We will wait here until they come.”
Ten minutes later the first section of ten wondering midshipmen marched
into Mr. Moehler’s room.
“First section all present, sir,” reported Ralph.
“Mr. Osborn,” commenced the commandant severely, “were you the last
midshipman to leave this section room half an hour ago?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Ralph, quietly wondering why the commandant should
be in the room.
“Could any midshipman have gone to your board without your knowledge?”
“No, sir, none did. The section was all ahead of me as it left the
room.”
“Then everything on your board when the section was leaving was your
own work.”
“Yes, sir, everything.”
“Be very careful in your answer, Mr. Osborn. Is it possible that any
midshipman of your section could, without your knowledge, have written
anything on it?”
“It was impossible for any to have done so.”
“Very well, sir. I shall recommend your immediate dismissal from the
Naval Academy!”
“My immediate dismissal!” echoed Ralph, in extreme consternation. “Why,
sir, what for?”
“Because you wrote an infamous line on your blackboard concerning Mr.
Moehler.”
“I did nothing of the kind, sir.”
“Don’t lie, Mr. Osborn. You forgot to rub out the infamous words you
wrote. Look at your blackboard, sir.”
Ralph turned around; he stared at the damning words in utter
astonishment. “Who wrote that?” he burst out.
“You did,” said his accuser.
“I did not, sir! When I left my board those words were not there.”
“I don’t believe you,” remarked the commandant coolly.
“You must believe me, sir; I’m telling the truth. Those words were
written after I left. I did not write them and I haven’t the faintest
idea who did.”
“No one else could have written them. You were the last man out except
the instructor.”
“Some one else must have gotten in, sir. I know nothing about it.”
Ralph spoke with tremendous earnestness.
“Mr. Moehler,” the commandant asked, “when you walked out of the room
where did you go?”
“I stood in the doorway, sir, till the section marched off.”
“Did anybody enter while you stood there?”
“No, sir.”
“Are you certain?”
“Positive, sir. To have got in a person must have crowded by me, and
none did.”
“Did you see anybody around?”
“Nobody except Carroll, the colored man who wipes the chalk off the
boards. He entered the room just as I did.”
“Is this the colored man you are speaking of?”--indicating a man in the
hall.
“Yes, suh. I’se Carroll, suh; I’se bin heah fo’ty yeahs, suh. Doan’ you
rem’ber me, Mistah Thornton, doan’ yo’ rem’ber how I used to wait on
yo’ in de ole mess hall, and how I used to bring in tobacco fo’ yo’?
Doan’ you rem’ber how de commandment done about cotched yo’ smokin’ a
fine cigah onct, an’ I jerked it out er yo’ mouf an’ smoked et myself?”
Old Carroll chuckled at the recollection. “Golly, but yo’ wuz a fine
young gemmen; yo’ is commandment now, but yo’ mus’ be easy on dese
young gemmen, Mistah Thornton.”
“Carroll,” the commandant continued, ignoring the remarks of the old
man, “did you see this gentleman, Mr. Moehler, follow the midshipmen
out of the section room when the bell rang?”
“Yes, suh, I done see him. Mr. Osborn wuz de last young gemmen out;
den, mistah, dis man come to de do’r an’ stan’ dere. I wants to go in,
but Mistah Meal he stan’s in de do’rway, an’ I has to wait. Den wen
Mistah Meal he goes in an’ I ask him may I rub out and he tol’ me no.”
“It’s evident nobody could have written that but you, Mr. Osborn.
Carroll, did you see anybody enter the room?”
“No, suh, ’cept me an’ Mistah Meal.”
“It could have been done by none except one of this section and not one
could have written it without your knowledge; and you wrote it. It’s
folly for you to deny it,” continued the commandant to Ralph.
“I didn’t write it, sir,” Ralph cried out in anguish of heart, feeling
the world was slipping from his feet, and bewildered at what had
happened.
“Well, if you didn’t the person who did must be in the closet; Mr.
Moehler has not left the room, and the windows are all shut.”
The commandant threw open the closet door. The closet was entirely
bare, containing nothing but a few hooks. It was an inside dark closet
with no connection or exit visible except to the room.
“Give me a match, professor; I want to take a better look.”
Himski, who was one of the midshipmen present, carried the box of
matches from the professor to the closet. “Shall I light one?” he
asked, and without waiting for a reply, he lit one.
“Nothing here, door or window,” exclaimed the commandant, leaving the
closet. Himski remained there several minutes and then came out and
handed the match-box to Professor Scott.
The commandant now asked each midshipman in turn several questions.
Each denied any knowledge whatever of the matter. Himski was the last
to be questioned.
“Do you know anything about this writing?” asked the commandant.
“No, sir.”
“Did you happen to look at Mr. Osborn’s blackboard at any time during
the recitation?”
“Yes, sir; after I finished my recitation and took my seat I looked at
Mr. Osborn’s board.”
“How long was that before he left it?”
“I was looking at it when he left the board, and for a second or so
after he left it. In fact, Mr. Moehler may remember he reproved me for
not getting up promptly.”
“Then you saw Mr. Osborn’s board after he left it?”
“I did, sir.”
“And you saw this line on his board when he left it?” queried the
commandant, confidently.
Ralph listened with painful eagerness for Himski’s next words. He felt
his heart throbbing violently. He was dismayed and confounded, and
conscious as he was of his innocence, yet he felt the force of the
overwhelming evidence piled up against him.
Himski spoke deliberately and impressively. “When Mr. Osborn left his
board I was looking at it, and when he left the words concerning Mr.
Moehler were not on his board.”
A feeling of great relief shot through Ralph.
“That is ridiculous, Mr.---- What’s your name?”
“Himskihumskonski, sir.”
“Perfectly ridiculous, Mr. Himski--ahem--I didn’t catch all of your
name.”
“Everybody calls me Himski, sir; the name is too long.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Himski.” Commander
Thornton spoke angrily. “I place no credence at all in what you say.”
“Professor,” asked Himski, quietly, “have you a master or pass-key to
all the doors in this building? I think I may throw some light on this
subject.”
“Yes, here is one; I always carry it with me.”
Without asking to be excused Himski was off on a run and instantly
disappeared around the corridor. He was back in a very few minutes.
The commandant was pursuing his questions but nothing further was
developed.
“Well, sir,” he demanded sharply, as Himski came in the room, “do you
still persist in your ridiculous statement?”
“My statement was entirely correct, sir.”
“I don’t believe it and I shall recommend Mr. Osborn for dismissal.”
“I can prove he’s innocent, sir; prove it to your complete
satisfaction, captain, if you will only give me the chance. It will
take only a moment.”
There was eagerness and excitement in Himski’s dark, intelligent eyes
as he spoke, and all were impressed, even the commandant.
“I’ll give you the chance,” the latter said skeptically; “go ahead and
prove it, Mr. Himski.”
“Very well, sir.” Himski spoke rapidly. “Send each midshipman to his
board and then let everybody leave by Mr. Moehler’s order, just as if
the alarm for dismissal had sounded. Then remain in the corridor just
as long as Mr. Moehler did when he dismissed the section, and let him
spend as much time with Carroll as he did before.”
“Hold on, this is idiotic!” called out the commandant, but Himski
seemingly did not hear for he ran out of the room.
“This is foolish, professor,” said the commandant.
“We’d better give Mr. Osborn the chance, sir.”
“I request it, sir,” Ralph said, “though I’ve no idea of what Mr.
Himski is about to do.”
“Very well. Dismiss your section, sir.”
“Section rise, march out,” ordered Ralph. The midshipmen marched out
to the corridor and got their caps. “Fall in,” cried Ralph. “Section
forward, march.” He halted it a few steps down the corridor.
The commandant, Professor Scott and Mr. Moehler followed the section
out and watched it march off. They then turned leisurely, and entered
the room, the commandant feeling rather silly at taking part in this
apparently useless performance. He then looked at Ralph’s board,
and utter amazement possessed him. He and his two companions were
astounded; they were speechless with astonishment. For there, on
Ralph’s board, under the words, “Moehler is a liar and a fool,” was
written:
“Osborn never wrote it, sir.”