"I've got to keep Ted Clay in condition, so that when we meet Excelsior again he'll be on edge," said Captain Dalton of the Morningsides. "That Matson is a wonder and we can't take any chances. I don't dare risk letting you pitch."

"That's another one I owe to Joe!" muttered Sam. "I must certainly get even with him. Hiram and I ought to pull off something," and then he sent word to the Excelsior bully. That afternoon the three conspirators, with guilty looks, met in a secluded place and talked over their plans.

There was a knock on Joe's door. His chum Tom had gone out that evening to a lecture, and our hero was all alone.

"Come!" called Joe, and from down the corridor Luke Fod.i.c.k peered out of his slightly-opened door to see what was going on.

"Here's a telegram for you," said one of the school messengers, handing in a yellow envelope.

"A telegram for me," murmured Joe. "It must be from dad. I may have to send an answer. Did the messenger wait?"

"No, he's gone."

"All right, if I do have to wire, perhaps I can get permission to go in to town to do it."

Quickly Joe tore open the message. It was brief, and it was from his father.

"Understand Holdney is somewhere near Cedarhurst," the message read.

"Keep a lookout, and if you get trace notify police there at once.

Arrest on larceny charge."

"Rufus Holdney near here," murmured Joe. "I must keep my eyes open. I'll wire dad at once, telling him I'm on the job."

He hurried from his room, stuffing the telegram in his pocket as he went, and never noticing as he pa.s.sed Luke's door that it fell out into the corridor.

"I hope I can get permission to go to the telegraph office," mused Joe as he hastened to the office. "I guess the doctor will let me when I tell him what it's about."

As Joe turned a corner out of sight, Luke sprang out, picked up the message and envelope, and exclaimed:

"This will do the trick! Now to find Hiram and Sam."

He hurried to tell his crony, who was being visited by Sam, and once more the three put their heads together, to work the ruin of our hero.

Joe easily obtained permission to go to town to send his message. He was rather surprised on looking in his pocket for his father's telegram, not to find it, but concluded that he had left it in his room. He did not really need it, anyhow, as he knew the contents perfectly well.

The telegraph office was closed when he reached it, but the operator lived near by, and agreed to open his place, and tick off the message.

This delayed Joe, however, and he was rather late getting back to the school. He did not see a teacher to report to him, as he had been bidden to do, but hurried to his own room.

He was tired and soon fell asleep, noting that Tom was already in bed and slumbering. Joe did not look for his lost message.

There was a thundering knock at Joe's door the next morning. It awoke him and Tom.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Fire!"

"Fire! No. Haven't you heard the news?" asked the voice of Peaches.

"There's a big row on."

"What's up?" demanded Tom, slipping out of bed, and opening the door.

"The Founder Statue has been pulled from its base, and overturned!" said Teeter, who was with Peaches. "Look, you can see it from your window."

Tom and Joe hastened to the cas.e.m.e.nt to look. On the campus, not far from the school, stood a bronze statue of Dr. Theodore Whittleside, the original founder of the inst.i.tution. It was a fine piece of work, the gift of several of the alumni societies, and was almost sacred. Now some ruthless hand had pulled it from its base, and part of one of the hands was broken off.

For a moment Joe and Tom stood aghast, looking at it. Then the meaning of it came to them. Some sacrilegious student, or students, had done the deed.

"There'll be a peach of a row over this!" declared Teeter. "Hurry up and get to chapel. Old Caesar is sure to spout a lot about it. It's sure dismissal for whoever did it."

"And it ought to be!" exclaimed Joe wrathfully.

"If they catch them," added Tom, thoughtfully. "I wonder who did it?"

CHAPTER XXVII

ON PROBATION

Joe did not get to chapel that morning. He was all ready to go with Tom and the others after making a hasty toilet, when a messenger came to the door.

"Dr. Fillmore wants to see you in his office, Joe," said the messenger--a nice lad who did this work to help pay for his tuition.

"Wants to see me--what for?" demanded our hero. "Are you sure that's right, Georgie?"

"Sure, and a teacher's there with him. I'm not sure but I think it's something about the overthrown statue. I heard them mention it as they called me to go for you."

"The overturned statue? I don't know anything about it!" exclaimed Joe.

"I only just this moment saw it--from my window."

"Well, the doctor wants you, anyhow," repeated the messenger lad. "You'd better go."

"Oh, sure," a.s.sented Joe, and he started for the doctor's study with wonder in his heart and a puzzled and rather an ominous look on his face. His companions regarded him seriously.

"What do you s'pose is in the wind?" asked Peaches.

"Give it up," remarked Teeter. "Are _you_ on, Tom?"

"Nary a bit. First I knew of it was when you fellows came and told me."

"Was Joe out last night?" asked Peaches.

"That's so, he did go into town," replied Tom. "He left a note to tell me--but that was all straight--he had permission. It can't be that."

"Well, we'll hear in chapel," said Teeter.

"Ah, it's you is it, Matson?" asked the doctor, as our hero entered the study. There was a curious note in the master's voice, and he glanced narrowly at Joe. "Come in. I am sorry to have to summon you on such an unpleasant and important matter, but I have no choice. As you probably know, the Founder's Statue was overturned last night."

He looked questioningly at Joe.