OWEN DUGDALE'S ANNOUNCEMENT
Another week of school had commenced, with winter now in full swing.
The weather seemed to have settled down to show what it could do,
after such a long delay. It was making up for lost time, some of the
boys declared. But then it could hardly be too cold for fellows
warmly dressed, and who had their three hearty meals a day. The poor
might complain, because they suffered, especially when such spells
were prolonged.
Deacon Winslow was seen in town more frequently than usual, he
leaving the work to the charge of his assistant for an hour or so at
a time. He always carried a big basket in his wagon or sleigh; and
those who knew his warm heart could easily understand that his visits
were wholly at homes where there was none too much in the way of
comforts and food.
During the earlier days of the week the talk was pretty much of
winter sports. Ice hockey occupied a prominent place in the
conversations that were carried on wherever three or more Scranton
High fellows clustered, to kick their heels on the pavement, or sun
themselves while perched on the top of the campus fence that would go
down in history as the peer of the famous one at Yale.
During afternoons the hockey players gathered at the park, and each
day saw them engaging in some sort of practice game,--their opponents
being such fellows as could be gathered together to constitute a fair
Seven.
Hugh seemed satisfied with the progress made, and Mr. Leonard, too,
looked as if he felt well repaid for the trouble he was taking
showing them certain clever moves that might reward them in a
fiercely contested match.
Meanwhile the mystery concerning that robbery at Paul Kramer's
Emporium had not yet been wholly solved. Leon Disney still
languished in the lock-up at Police Headquarters, his folks having
been unable to secure bail for him. They could not raise the amount
themselves, and somehow there seemed to be no person in the whole
community philanthropical enough to take chances with Leon, who was
reckoned an exceedingly slippery individual, who would most likely
run away before his trial came off, leaving his bondsman to "hold the
bag," as the boys called it.
He was just as stubborn as ever in his denial of complicity in the
robbery. Leon doubtless believed that a lie well stuck to was bound
to raise up friends. There are always well disposed people whose
sympathies are apt to be aroused when they hear of a case like this.
But Leon was not being held on circumstantial evidence. He had been
caught "with the goods on him." All that loot hidden under the old
barn on his place was positive proof of his guilt. Still he held
out, and declared himself the victim of some base plot calculated to
ruin his reputation; which was rather a queer thing for Leon to say,
since the only reputation he had in Scranton was for badness.
Another thing was that he still declined to betray his pal, for
everyone felt positive he had had company when foraging through the
cases in Paul Kramer's establishment, taking such things as naturally
appeal to a boy's heart--candy, cigarettes, revolvers and sporting
goods.
Chief Wambold suspected one boy from the start, after finding that
the former chief offender in these lines could prove a positive
alibi. This was the third of the bad lot, Tip Slavin.
He had even gone to Tip's humble home and made a thorough search,
high and low, but without the least success. If Tip were guilty he
must have been smarter than his confederate, who had hidden his share
of the plunder under the loose boards of the floor of his folks' barn.
Not having any evidence beyond suspicion the officer did not dare
arrest Tip, who continued to loaf about his customary corners and
look impudently at every fellow who stared meaningly at him when
passing. Hugh himself never once doubted the guilt of Tip Slavin;
though he fancied the authorities might have a hard time catching
him, unless the stubborn Leon at the last, finding himself on the way
to the Reform School, confessed, and implicated his companion.
He and Thad were talking about that very same thing on Thursday
afternoon while on the way home from the park a little earlier than
usual.
"Where do you think that sly Tip could have hidden the stuff, Hugh?"
Thad asked, continuing their conversation.
"Oh! there would be plenty of places, and no one likely to ever run
across it, on one condition," replied the other.
"What might that be?" demanded Thad.
"If only Tip could himself keep away from his cache," he was told.
"That may be his undoing, after all. You know, when an ordinary
thief has done something big, and is being looked for, the smart
police always ask whether he has a wife or a sweetheart; because they
know that sooner or later he is bound to communicate with such a
person, and so a clue may be found to his hiding-place. Well, Tip's
heart will be located where his treasure is. He'll soon get a
_yearning_ to indulge in some of the candy and cigarettes he's got
hidden away."
"Then if Chief Wambold knew his duty," snapped Thad vigorously, "he'd
keep tabs of Tip day and night, and shadow him wherever he went."
"That would be his best move," agreed Hugh.
"You ought to post the Chief on that same sort of clever job, Hugh."
"Well, I did think of that," admitted the other boy, "but somehow I
hated to have a hand in railroading Tip to the Reformatory. It's
true he ought to be there, for he's a terror to the whole community;
but he's got a mother, Thad, and I'd hate to see her swollen eyes,
and remember that I'd had a hand in parting her from her boy. It
isn't as if I were paid for doing such things, as Chief Wambold is;
this is hardly any business of mine, you know, and I've concluded to
keep my hands off."
"Well, now, somehow I don't just look at it the way you do, Hugh.
Perhaps I'm not quite so tender-hearted as you are. It may be the
best thing that ever happened to Tip if he is sent to the Reform
School before he plunges any deeper into the mire of crime. Plenty
of boys have become fine men after being sent there, to be taught
what it should have been the duty of their careless or incompetent
parents to put into their heads."
"Do you mean that you might take a notion to drop a hint to the
Chief, Thad?"
"I'll think it over, and decide later," the other told him. "Perhaps
I'll ask advice of Dominie Pettigrew, who's a good friend of mine,
and would tell me what my duty was, not only to Tip, but to the
community at large, which he had so flagrantly abused time and again."
"Suit yourself about that, Thad. Perhaps, after all, you may be
right, and that it would be a good thing all around if Tip could be
sent away with Leon. But it's likely Leon will weaken when his trial
comes off, and betray his pal; though he may give Tip a hint
beforehand so he can clear out in time."
"And about Nick Lang?" continued Thad.
"I haven't changed my mind about him, as yet," Hugh replied sturdily
enough. "So far Nick seems to be minding his own business, and
having as little to do with other boys as possible. I heard Dr.
Carmack say he was astonished at the difference in Nick's work in
classes. He seemed particularly pleased, too, because, with all the
other teachers, he's had a hard time with Nick in the past."
"But in all the days we've practiced our hockey work Nick hasn't once
joined the scrub team we've fought against. That's why we've been
able to lick them so easily, I guess, Hugh. That fellow certainly is
a wizard on runners, and would make a good addition to our Seven, if
by some chance he could be squeezed in. But one of the Regulars
would have to be dropped, and I think there would be some bad blood
shown if anyone had to give way to a fellow who's had such a bad
reputation in the past. Even now lots of people think he's only
shamming reform for some deep purpose."
"Lots of people are due for a surprise, then, let me tell you," said
Hugh. "But, of course, just as you say, I wouldn't dare take any
fellow out as long as he was working his best, and substituting Nick.
It would raise a howl, to be sure. But, Thad, if the time should
ever come when we're up against a hard proposition, with defeat
staring us in the face, and one of our team was injured, I'd grab at
Nick like a drowning man does at a plank floating near."
"One lucky thing happened for us, Hugh, anyhow."
"You're referring to the toss of the coin that gave us the choice of
grounds for the game, and will force Keyport to journey over here on
Saturday, eh, Thad?"
"Yes, that's what I had in mind. Captain Mossman seemed to be a
pretty fine sort of chap, too, I thought, when he dropped in on us
yesterday afternoon to look the place over; because it seems he's
never played before in Scranton."
"Well, Scranton was hardly on the map until this year," Hugh laughed.
"However, some of our neighboring towns have already learned that
Scranton is alive and wide-awake."
"Just what they have, Hugh, and there are other surprises coming for
them, too. I noticed that you cut out all play while the Keyport
chap was with us. Didn't want him to get a line on our methods, I
suppose?"
"It might give them a little advantage, you see, and weaken our play.
Some of the Scranton boys have gone over to Keyport to see what's
doing there. They bring back great reports of the confidence shown
in the team; but Coach Leonard has positively forbidden any member of
our Seven to make the trip. He says it smacks too much of spying to
please him."
"Oh! that's drawing the line pretty tight, Hugh. Lots of players in
the baseball world try their level best to get a line on a pitcher
who is going to oppose them, and consider it legitimate enough."
"Well, they are professionals, to begin with," said the other; "and
business is business with them. But, right or wrong, there's going
to be no spying on our part, so long as Mr. Leonard has charge of the
athletic end of the game at Scranton. You can depend on that every
time."
"There's Owen now; he wasn't at practice this afternoon, I wonder
why?" exclaimed Thad, as they sighted another boy coming toward them.
"He looks as if he might be bursting with some sort of news, Hugh.
Now I wonder what he's run up against."
Owen quickly arrived. His face did have an eager look, and his eyes
were fairly dancing with some sort of emotion.
"Hugh, I've got something to tell you!" he burst out with, at which
Thad shot a knowing glance toward his chum, which said as plain as
could be: "There, what did I say to you?"
"All right, Owen, relieve yourself of the load right away, before you
burst," Hugh went on to advise, in his pleasant fashion.
"It's about a certain chap who's under suspicion right now of having
been implicated in that breaking into the Kramer store and robbing
it."
"Tip Slavin, you mean, Owen?" asked Hugh, looking interested at once.
"Yes, no other, Hugh. Well, I've discovered beyond a shadow of a
doubt that he is the guilty partner of Leon Disney, just as everybody
suspected!"