"Confound him!" cried Shultz. "Did you ever see such an obstinate, stiff-necked little brat! He's bound to besmirch me. He wants to drive me out of the school, that's what's the matter. He's got it in for us both, Ned. That's because we don't happen to belong in this miserable one-horse burg. I've had troubles enough. If I get fired from this school my old man is going to froth, I tell you that. And I'll be fired just as sure as the facts are known."

"I see further talk will be a waste of time," said Piper, "so I think I'll be going."

"Wait a minute," requested Osgood. "You must realize that you sprung this thing on us rather suddenly. We haven't had time to think it over.

Give us time, won't you?"

"At this stage of the game time counts, for there's no telling how soon Hooker will be able to talk."

"A little time," persisted Ned. "Let me talk it over with Charley. Try to put yourself in his place and see if you can't realize--"

"All right," cut in Billy, suddenly deciding it was best to yield a little. "Talk it over. I won't make another move until I see you again.

But it's no use dilly-dallying, and Shultz may as well understand it."

Without a word of adieu, he opened the door and left them.

CHAPTER XV

STILL SILENT.

Osgood and Shultz arrived at the academy barely in time to escape tardy marks. As they slid into their seats neither of them glanced toward Piper, who had an eye turned upon them, and at intermission both seemed anxious to keep away from him. Watching them, he saw Ned, seeking to avoid general attention, pa.s.s a few low, hasty words with both Springer and Cooper.

"That won't do you a bit of good," thought the determined boy. "If you get the whole of the rest of the bunch to stick by you, I'll give them fair warning and speak up myself."

Shultz evidently took pains not to be seen with any of the fellows who had partic.i.p.ated in the card game, but never for a moment during that intermission did he give Piper an opportunity to address him when other scholars were not close by. Fully aware that the fellow would refuse to step aside with him, Piper made the request of Osgood.

"Well, you've had time," said Billy, as they paused beneath one of the trees near the academy. "What have you done? What are you going to do?"

"It will be all right," a.s.sured Osgood suavely, "only just don't push the thing too hard; for if you do, Shultz may balk, and that would put us all in a hole. You've got to think of some one besides yourself, Piper."

"I am; I'm thinking of Hooker."

"I tell you it will be all right," reiterated Ned. "Just give us a little more time. Don't do anything foolish."

The bell struck, recalling them to the building, and, far from satisfied, Billy returned to fix his mind as best he could upon his studies.

Before dismissing school for the day, Professor Richardson stood beside his desk and again pushed his spectacles upward on his forehead. His thin cheeks were unnaturally flushed, and his voice had changed from huskiness to a croaking sound, which seemed to indicate that the cold had gripped him at his throat. Silence fell upon the room, for every one seemed to know the topic upon which the princ.i.p.al was about to speak, and more than one boy felt a shiver run through him.

"I regret," began the professor, "that my talk of this morning had so little effect. I've waited, vainly hoping that some one might come to me with the truth concerning Roy Hooker. At noon I again saw Dr. Grindle, and I'm glad to say that what he told me was almost an a.s.surance that Roy would fully recover, and that very soon. The unfortunate boy was able to talk a little this forenoon, and although no one urged him, he said enough to give an inkling of the cause of his trouble."

For a moment he paused, his eyes seeming to rove from face to face before him, and the shivering ones found it most difficult to meet his look and appear interested without betraying guilt. How much had Hooker told? That was the question that made every pulse throb, even while their blood seemed to run chill.

"I spoke this morning of evil influences and bad a.s.sociates," continued the princ.i.p.al. "There's no need to repeat what I said. From Hooker's rambling words, it has become apparent that upon Sat.u.r.day night he was engaged in a game of cards-for money. In short, he was gambling. Where and with whom, he did not state, and it was not thought best to worry him in his present condition with too many questions. Of course he was gaming with his usual companions, his so-called friends. That means almost to a certainty that some who are now listening to my words were with him. I will repeat my a.s.sertion that the names of his companions must a.s.suredly become known.

"What happened to him in that game may readily be surmised. There was a quarrel. There were blows, and he was dreadfully injured. It will be a merciful thing if his reason is not permanently affected. The actual cause of the quarrel is yet a matter of surmisal, but whoever enters into a gambling game invites disaster. Greed and triumph fills the heart of the winner; bitterness and resentment fixes its hold upon the loser.

Suspicion is aroused. At the slightest happening which seems to confirm suspicion there is an arousal of bad blood and a quarrel. We have here an example of how serious such a quarrel may be, and it should be a lesson to all of you-a lesson to be remembered always. It should teach you to shun gambling as you would shun a contagious disease. It is a disease that undermines the moral fiber and manhood of any one it touches. Having been contaminated, there is only one remedy, one cure:-good resolutions, the determination to shun this evil thing in future, and the will-power to hold fast to that determination.

"A person who makes up his mind to do right in the future, and is sincere about it, seldom hesitates to admit his errors or mistakes of the past. There are always willing hands to help one who thus proves his sincere change of heart. I hope before it is too late I may yet receive the evidence that some of you are sincerely repentant and sincerely determined henceforth to avoid such mistakes. You are dismissed."

The old man puttered around, gathering up his books and papers and locking his desk. When he was ready to leave he found himself alone in the big room.

"Ah, well!" he muttered; "it's hard for them. I'm afraid I haven't sufficient influence. I'm afraid I failed to make my words convincing."

Outside, the members of the ball team had turned toward the nearby field for practice, but they were not talking of baseball. The knowledge that Roy Hooker had been engaged in a card game for money caused their tongues to wag vigorously. Speculation was rife as to where the game had taken place and who had been concerned in it. Several of them, while pretending ignorance, knew very well indeed, and at least one who was not in the secret was inclined to believe he could make a good guess at the truth.

Jack Nelson had not forgotten that Roy Hooker was one of the trio in Hyde's livery stable, after the return from Wyndham, to whom Ned Osgood had said that he would see them later. But, having nothing further on which to base his surmisal, and never dreaming how much Billy Piper knew, Nelson refrained from hints or accusations. Perhaps in this he was supported by the belief that, taking into consideration the benching of Osgood in Sat.u.r.day's game, it might seem that he had a p.r.o.nounced animus against the fellow were he to suggest that Ned knew more than he was disposed to tell.

"As Prof said," thought Nelson, "it's bound to come out, and I won't make any blunder if I keep my mouth shut."

One thing he did not understand was why Piper, knowing certain fellows met regularly Sat.u.r.day evenings in Osgood's rooms, seemed to show so little interest in the matter. It was wholly unlike Billy, who heretofore had displayed the most eager disposition to probe anything which bore on its face the tag of mystery. Even Piper's protestation that he was done with such things and would play the detective no more did not seem to be an adequate excuse for his apathy.

"It's all mighty queer," decided Jack, as, taking little part in the talk of the boys around him, he got into his uniform in the gymnasium.

"Osgood doesn't seem at all worried, but his friend Shultz is altogether too gay to be natural. It's not like him. Well, if they're concerned, they're in deep, and it wouldn't surprise me if the nine lost a couple of good players."

CHAPTER XVI

THE FACE AT THE WINDOW.

Practice that night was a failure; no one seemed to enter into it with heart or enthusiasm. The ball was batted and thrown around listlessly, and Nelson's efforts to wake the fellows up bore no fruit. And so, after a time, seeing that this sort of work would do the boys no good, the captain put an end to it.

"It's plain we haven't our minds on the business in hand, fellows," he said, "so we'll quit it for to-night. I fancy we're all thinking too much about what happened to Hooker."

They straggled back to the gymnasium, which stood just outside the grounds, and took their showers and rub-downs and dressed. There was not much talk now, and very little joshing or laughter. Cooper perpetrated a pun, but no one seemed to notice it. Even beneath the hissing, spattering cold showers there was not much of the usual whooping and shouting; they dove into the icy spray, gasped, jumped out, grabbed their towels, scrubbed and dressed. Then, one by one, or in little groups, they departed.

Charley Shultz followed Ned Osgood from the gym and overtook him outside.

"There goes that cub, Piper, along with Phil Springer," he said anxiously. "Cooper's ahead of them. They're all going the same way.

Let's hustle up and overtake them."

Ned restrained him. "Let them go, Charley. It won't do any good to chase them, and it may look suspicious to others."

"Did you get a chance to say anything to Phil and Chipper?"

"Sure. Couldn't talk to them much, but I told them what Piper was up to, and urged them to hold him in check."

"What did they say?"

"They're worried. They said they'd do their best."

"He'll bring them round," snarled Shultz. "I never saw such a vicious, determined little imp. I figured him out to be a wishy-washy, spineless creature, but, on my word, he's the most obstinate, pig-headed fellow I ever ran up against. He's got it in for me; he's bound to queer me."

"He'll queer us both if he sticks to his plan," said Ned, in a discouraged way. "It's going to hit me about as hard as it will you, old fellow. I had to get out of Hadden Hall because I was caught with a bunch playing poker in my room in one of the dormitories. My mother insisted that I should attend a smaller and quieter school where there would be less temptation, and that's how I happened to come here."