A STUDENT'S STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE
Much against the wishes of Plum, Poole, and Jasniff, Messmer told many
of the details of what had been done to poor Frank Bond. He did not
attempt to shield himself. His story was corroborated by a student
named Jardell, who was disgusted by the attitude taken by the bully of
Oak Hall and his intimates.
"I like fun as well as the next one," said Jardell, "but I don't want
to see it carried too far."
"Oh, you needn't blame us for everything," sneered Plum. "You're tarred
with the same brush."
"There is no use in discussing the matter now," said Dave. "What we
want to do is to find poor Frank. Why, he may be seriously hurt!"
"I trust not," answered Messmer, turning pale.
The students walked into the wood and a search was begun that lasted
the best part of an hour. Nobody got on the trail of the missing boy
and no more cries were heard. It was so dark that but little could be
seen, and at last the whole crowd came out on the road again.
The thoughts of a trolley ride had been abandoned by the members of the
Gee Eyes, and they decided to get back to the Hall as soon as possible.
"But Dr. Clay ought to be told about Frank," said Dave, to Messmer and
Jardell.
"I'll tell him," answered Messmer, promptly. "I'll tell him the truth,
even if I'm dismissed from the school for it."
"So will I," added Jardell.
"Going to get us into trouble, eh?" growled Gus Plum. "Better go slow."
"I'll not mention any names," said Messmer.
"Neither will I," added Jardell. "I am not that kind."
Presently all of the students returned to Oak Hall by the shortest
possible route. The Gee Eyes went in a crowd by themselves, and because
of an open back door had small difficulty in entering without being
noticed. A little later Plum and his cronies came in, followed by
Messmer and Jardell.
"Do you think Messmer and Jardell will really go to the doctor?"
questioned Sam Day.
"I do," answered Dave. "They are good, honest fellows, both of them.
After this I reckon they'll give Plum and his crowd the go-by." And in
that surmise Dave was correct.
The boys listened in the upper hallway, and soon heard Messmer and
Jardell enter the Hall. The two held a whispered talk for a minute and
then walked boldly to Dr. Clay's room and rapped on the door.
"They are certainly going to face the music," whispered Roger.
"I admire their grit," was Ben's comment.
The knock on the doctor's door was answered by a voice from within, and
presently Dr. Clay appeared, clad in his dressing-gown. Then the owner
of the Hall and the two students went down to the office.
Exactly all that passed between the doctor and Messmer and Jardell was
never known to the school at large. But it was known that the boys told
a straight story and utterly refused to mention any names but their own
and poor Frank Bond's. As soon as the meeting in the office was over
Dr. Clay summoned Jackson Lemond and Swingly the janitor, and all three
went out, taking Messmer and Jardell with them.
"They have gone on a hunt," said Dave. "Oh, I do hope they find that
poor lad!"
It goes without saying that some of the students did not sleep well
that night. Plum, Poole, and Jasniff were particularly restless,
fearing they would be called to the bar of justice. They were sure
Messmer and Jardell would "blab" on them, as the bully expressed it.
"But if they do, I'll hammer the life out of them," said the bully.
"And so will I," added Jasniff.
In the morning it was easy to see that something was wrong. The
teachers and hired help went around whispering to themselves, and there
was a good deal of quiet talking among the boys. It was soon learned
that Frank Bond was still missing and nobody knew what had become of
him.
As soon as the school was assembled Dr. Clay addressed the students.
"Young gentlemen, a most deplorable thing occurred last night," he
began. "One of the younger students was taken out and 'initiated,' as
it is called, into one of your secret societies. The strain was too
great on his nerves, and after being hurt by a trolley car, he became
half-crazy and disappeared into the North End woods. Two students have
already told me about the affair. I want to know the names of the
others connected with this occurrence. Anybody who had anything to do
with it, stand up."
There was a full minute of silence and the students looked keenly at
one another.
"Does anybody in this assembly room know anything about this at all?"
went on the master of Oak Hall. "Remember, young gentlemen, it is a
serious matter, and I want to learn all there is to know of it."
As the doctor ceased speaking Dave arose in his seat. He was promptly
followed by Roger, Ben, and half a dozen others of the Gee Eyes. The
other students looked at those who had arisen in astonishment, while
Plum, Poole, and Jasniff were dumfounded.
"Is he going to blab too?" whispered Jasniff to Plum, indicating Dave.
"Looks like it."
"Porter, what have you to say?" questioned Dr. Clay.
"Not a great deal, sir, but I am willing to tell what I can. I had
nothing to do with the hazing, or whatever you may call it. But I was
out near the woods last night and I saw Frank Bond run across the
road and plunge into the woods at the North End. A whole crowd of us
searched for him, but we could not find him."
"And what have you to say, Morr?"
"I was with Dave Porter, sir," answered the senator's son.
"So was I," "And I," came from the others of the Gee Eyes.
"You had nothing to do with Frank Bond previous to his becoming
frightened and running away?" demanded the master of the Hall, sharply.
"No, sir, I was not near him, nor were any of my companions," answered
Dave, indicating his friends.
"Then you were not with Messmer and Jardell?"
"Not until after we met on the road and started to hunt for Bond, sir."
"We were with an entirely different party, Dr. Clay," said Messmer,
rising in his seat.
"The party that 'initiated' Bond, is that it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Are those students in this room?"
Messmer remained silent.
"Messmer, answer me."
"Dr. Clay, they are in this room, but I--I cannot tell you who they
are."
"Porter, what have you to say?"
There was a moment of breathless silence.
"Dr. Clay, I would rather you would not ask me to mention any names,"
said Dave, slowly but firmly. "I think every fellow ought to speak up
for himself. He will if he has any honor about him."
"Then you decline to speak?"
"I am very sorry to say that I do, sir."
There was another pause, and then a rather stupid boy arose and began
to shuffle his feet uneasily.
"What is it, Seabold?" asked the doctor.
"I ain't going to hang back no longer, Dr. Clay," stammered Seabold.
"I was in that--er--that mix-up with Messmer and Jardell. Porter and
Morr and that crowd didn't have anything to do with it. I don't like
to be a sneak, but I can't stand up for such a sneak as Gus Plum, nor
Nat Poole, nor Nick Jasniff neither. We were all in it together, and as
Porter says, they ought to have honor enough to speak up and take their
share of the blame. We didn't mean to hurt Frank Bond, only to scare
him. When he ran away I got scared myself and so did the others. We
began to hunt for Frank, and then Porter and his crowd came along and
helped us. But it was no use, we couldn't find the boy. I ain't slept
all night thinking of Frank. I'd give all I'm worth to find him."
"Who got up the plan to tie Bond to the trolley track?"
"Gus Plum spoke of it first."
"It ain't so!" yelled Gus Plum, leaping up, his face very red. "I
didn't have anything more to do with it than anybody else."
"He spoke of it to me," added Seabold.
"Poole, what have you to say?"
"I--er--I didn't have hardly anything to do with it," said Nat, lamely,
his knees shaking beneath him. "I--er--looked on--mostly."
"Jasniff, did you propose the plan?"
"No, sir," answered Jasniff, boldly. "I reckon Messmer and Jardell and
Seabold hatched it up between them."
"So they did," put in Plum, maliciously.
"That is positively false," declared Messmer. "As a matter of fact
I said I didn't want to go so far, because Frank seemed to be so
frightened. If I had had my own way I should have released him long
before the trolley car came along. He was too nervous to stand such
fun."
"If the truth is to come out, Gus Plum is the one who proposed tying
Bond to the trolley track," said Jardell. "I wasn't going to say a
word, but I am not going to stand here and let him throw the blame on
Messmer and me, or on Porter and his crowd, or anybody else. I have
told the exact truth so far as I am concerned, and I am ready to take
any punishment that is coming to me."
After this a long talk followed, and in the end the master of the Hall
said he would take up the matter later, when it was learned what had
become of Frank Bond. In the meantime, so great was the excitement, the
school was dismissed for the day, and those who wished to do so were
told that they might go out until sundown in a search for the missing
pupil.
"I am certainly going out," said Dave, to Roger and Ben. "I think we
ought to do our best to find him, or else find out about him."
"Maybe he jumped into the river and drowned himself," suggested Ben.
"Or fell over some cliff and got killed," added the senator's son. "A
fellow so scared as he was might do almost anything. But I agree with
Dave, we ought to go out."
The matter was talked over, and in the end Dave, Ben, Roger, and Beggs
set off in a little party, taking a lunch with them. In the meantime
others went out too, so that the woods known as the North End were
alive with boys and men, all searching for the missing student.