THE CONFESSION
Benz, after breaking the news to Cateye, hurried to his room where he
paced up and down for a whole hour, undecided as to what best to do.
Finally, unable to stand the strain longer, he grabbed his cap and
rushed from the dormitory. It was four A.M. and not yet light.
Ten minutes later the good Professor Windell, president of the college,
was awakened by a loud thumping on his front door. He stumbled
sleepily out of bed and opened the window.
"What's amiss here?" he called down.
"Rube!" gasped Benz, "Oh, Mister Windell, come down an' let me in,
quick! I want to confess! I did it! It was all my fault!"
"Just a minute, young man!" Professor Windell was waking fast now. He
jerked on his purple bathrobe and jumped his feet into some house
slippers and made haste to escort poor Benz into the library.
"Have a chair. Now, compose yourself! What's the trouble?"
Benz did not appear to notice the proffered seat but strode nervously
up and down the room.
"Rube's drowned!" he said, suddenly, and seemed to shudder at the very
words.
"Drowned!" repeated the president, greatly shocked, "Drowned!"
"Yes, sir ..." Benz pulled himself together with an effort, then began
to explain as though it was a relief to get the matter off his mind.
"You see the second team was havin' a celebration at the bend of the
river last night because they beat the varsity. Well--I collected a
bunch of fellows and we broke up the meeting. We caught Rube and
McCabe an' we thought ... er ... er ... that is, I thought I'd like to
scare Rube. So, as I was leader, I ordered the guys to carry him down
to the old bridge an' hold him over the rail."
"You!" broke in President Windell, excitedly.
"Yes,--me!" cried Benz, bound to make a clean breast of it. "I didn't
mean to do what I did but for some reason I ... I grabbed his feet an'
... an' when we held him over the rail ... I ... I let go!"
"What!"
"I don't know why I did it, sir. We only meant to scare him. I never
intended that we should drop him in. Honest, I didn't!" Benz's tone
turned to pleading. "Oh, it'll just about finish my folks, Mister
Windell. What shall I do? ... What _shall_ I do?"
President Windell was a highly strung, very excitable little man, well
along in years. The sudden tragic news brought by Benz at such an
early hour had done much to upset him.
"How do you know that Judd's actually drowned?" he asked, after a
moment of serious deliberation.
"Why I ... we've searched the river ... as far as we could see he never
even came up!" Benz answered, then added with conviction, "He's drowned
all right!"
"But he could swim, couldn't he?" persisted the professor, hopefully.
"Perhaps he ..."
"That's just it!" interrupted Benz, despairingly. "He might have had a
good chance if he could ... but you see ... his feet were tied!"
"Feet tied!" President Windell laid a hand upon Benz and shook him.
"See here--what were you young men up to? ... That's not much short of
murder!"
"I know ... it sounds almost like it," admitted Benz.
"It's apt to go pretty hard with you," snapped the president, "Wait
here until I go and dress. I want you to take me to where this
happened. And while you're waiting, put in a call for the sheriff at
Tarlton. He'll have to investigate anyway and the sooner he's on the
job the better."
The professor disappeared upstairs. Benz hesitated a moment, his hands
twitching nervously. Then he picked up the telephone and asked for
long distance in a voice that faltered brokenly.
* * * * *
At breakfast that morning tense excitement reigned. News of the
tragedy had just been spread broadcast and there were many vacant
chairs. A great number of students had rushed for the river but a few
of the calmer ones and those who loved their appetites above all else,
answered the roll call and contented themselves in stowing away the
usual number of pancakes.
Just as the meal was about over, Bartz staggered in, weak and
exhausted. He had run many miles up and down the river bank in the
hopes of discovering Judd--but a needle in a haystack might have been
more readily found than Judd's corpse in a river bed.
A great crowd thronged about Bartz, asking him hundreds of different
questions, excitedly. He made no attempt to answer them; in fact, his
one desire seemed to be to get a bite to eat and steady his nerves.
All he would say was: "Let me alone, fellows. I'm tired. Been up all
night. No, we haven't found his body yet. Yes ... the sheriff's
placed us all under temporary arrest. He's got our names an' he's
coming after the bunch of us and take us down to Tarlton for a hearing
at nine o'clock this morning. Oh, they'll drag the river all day if
they don't find him. Yes, we're going to wire his folks in a couple of
hours. For heaven's sake, guys, let me be! I need a rest!"
A decided gloom prevailed over the college. Judd, although he had been
called a rube had become a great favorite and very popular at Bartlett.
The students looked at Cateye, sympathetically, when he hobbled down to
breakfast half an hour later. His face was red and his eyes, ... yes,
unmistakably swollen from excessive weeping. Cateye was met upon all
sides with sincere words of sympathy and regret for the loss of his
beloved room-mate. To all these declarations Cateye made the sober
reply: "Thanks, fellows, thanks. Your grief and sympathy quite
overwhelm me." Then, dabbing his face sadly with a handkerchief for
effect, Cateye smothered many almost unsuppressible giggles. It was
turning into such a rich joke! If no one discovered Judd before the
time was set to bring him out, it would be great!
Judd, meanwhile, had remained within the close confinement of his room
awaiting until the time was ripe to resurrect himself.
At eight o'clock President Windell suspended all morning classes and
the entire college practically went into mourning. Benz, overcome with
grief, confessed time and again his part in the tragedy wherever he
could find an audience. Within another hour the sheriff came down from
Tarlton and gravely proceeded to corral all the participants in the
"foul murder." He had been newly appointed custodian of the law and
was overly anxious to perform his duties well.
Almost the entire student body congregated on the campus shortly after
nine o'clock, to witness the departure of the sheriff with those
directly implicated in the plot.
"I can't tell yet what I'll do with ye!" the sheriff said, addressing
the students under arrest. "But this here drownin' is a serious crime
and, some of ye will have to pay for it! That's just the way with ye
college sports anyhow. Always up to some thing and never satisfied
till ye've committed some devilment. But ye'll pay for this, ... mark
my words, ... and ye'll pay dear!"
Some students, including Pole and Potts, arrived at this moment. They
had been helping drag the river but, despairing of recovering the body,
had returned. A crowd surrounded them at once.
"What luck?"
"Find any trace of him?"
These and many more anxious questions were hurled at the weary
searchers.
"We found his cap down by the bend in the river, that's all," responded
Pole, sadly, passing the cap about for inspection. Then, noticing Benz
in the throng: "Say, have they wired his folks yet?"
"... No."
"Well, that had better be attended to. They've got to know it sooner
or later and we should notify them immediately."
"I'll see that a message is sent right away," replied Benz, brokenly.
At this juncture, Cateye, who had been watching from his window across
the campus, decided that the time was ripe for Judd's resurrection. In
fact the time was over-ripe. If Cateye had imagined what tremendous
proportions the supposed drowning of Judd might assume he would never
have devised the plan to cure Benz of his practical jokes.
"You'd better be taking that stroll right away, Judd," directed Cateye.
"The sheriff's just about ready to depart with the bunch and it looks
like every last student is out to bid farewell. Now do just as I told
you and hurry or you'll be too late!"
Judd lost no time in descending the stairs and stepping quietly out of
the dormitory. He stalked leisurely across the campus, passing several
students on the way but they were so busy talking about the night's
terrible happenings that they did not recognize him. In fact, Judd
actually succeeded in mingling with the crowd, so intent were they all
upon the departure of the sheriff and his prisoners. He took a
position by the side of Benz, who was tearfully bidding good-bye.
Judd, for the moment, was touched but remembering the many things Benz
had done against him he thought the "cure" might do him good.
Of a sudden Benz chanced to turn and caught sight of Judd. At first he
stared, wild-eyed, and in open-mouthed astonishment; then he recoiled
from the terrific shock. He could not believe his eyes.
"Oh, fellows, help me! I'm seeing things!" Benz shrieked, covering his
face with his hands and endeavoring to get away.
Everyone looked in Benz's direction and at the sight of Judd the
greater portion of the crowd dispersed to a safe distance. Judd had
come among them so quietly that the sight of him was a great shock.
Pole was the first to recover himself.
"Great guns, Rube!" he exclaimed, astounded. "I thought you were
drowned!"
"Me! Drowned?" drolled Judd, slowly, "I should say not!"
"But where have you been all this time?" cried Potts.
Those who had sufficiently recovered, at least enough to believe their
eyes, began gathering about joyfully.
"Up in my room," replied Judd, suppressing a yawn.
"How did you get out? Why didn't you let us know that you were o.k?
What did you hold off so long for?" The questions were coming thick
and fast.
"I didn't think about it and besides I was busy catching up sleep."
"Catching up sleep!"
"Yep,--I didn't get to bed last night till after one o'clock. And
then, I got my clothes all wet and had to dry 'em out before I could
appear in public again."
The joy of the students at having Judd restored to them as if from
death itself, finally surpassed all bounds. They made a grand rush for
the big, awkward youth and lifting him protestingly to their shoulders,
they bore him once about the campus before releasing him, in this
manner proclaiming the glad tidings.
The sheriff, disappointed at having his bid for prominence spoiled,
still lingered about the students. At last he stepped up to Judd.
"Young man, do ye wish to swear out a warrant agin any of these
rascals?"
"No, thanks," grinned Judd, "I reckon it isn't a very serious offence
to duck a feller, is it?"
"Not very; but er,--er, attempted murder is different! Quite
different!"
"You might give them each thirty days for a poor attempt," suggested
Judd.
The bunch laughed.
Judd turned to Pole, who stood holding his cap. "I'll thank you for my
lid, Pole. It's the only sky piece I've got."
"Well, let's lift the crepe and postpone the funeral," urged Potts,
"The corpse has decided to take on new life and the mourners are
wearing glad rags again. Classes begin this afternoon at one P.M. as
usual. This way out!"
The crowd broke up, joyfully.