CHAPTER XVII

THE EMPTY BOTTLE

"Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"

"I don't know, Bert. It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."

"Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."

"Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?"

asked Jack rather snappily.

"Oh, come now," went on Bert. "I was only joking. I sure am glad you thought of it. It's a wonder some of us didn't fall to that idea before this. We'll tell Tom, as soon as he comes in, and I'll wager that if we go about it right we can clear this thing up in a day or so."

"I'm sure I hope so," a.s.sented Jack. "It's getting on my nerves as well as on Tom's."

"Yes, and I guess every fellow in college will be glad to know the truth of it. Why, the team's going to pieces just on account of this miserable horse-poisoning case, and the burning of a little hay."

"Still, it did look black for Tom, especially when he had that quarrel with Appleby over the trampled corn, and made some remarks about getting even because he had to pay for it."

"Yes, that was where Tom made a mistake. I guess he's ready to admit that himself," and Bert paced the room. "I wish he'd come, so we could tell him," he added. "Do you know where he is?"

"No, except that he said he was going off alone to take a walk, as he's done several times of late. I offered to go along, but he said he wanted to be by himself, so I didn't urge it."

"Off getting clews, I expect."

"Yes," a.s.sented Jack.

The two chums sat silent in the room, waiting for the lad whom they both loved even better than a brother. The past days had been trying on all of them--on every one in Elmwood Hall--from the most lordly Senior, or calm post-graduate, to the "fuzziest" Freshman, who thought he bore the weight of the whole school on his narrow shoulders.

For one and all felt the stigma that rested upon the inst.i.tution--Tom most of all. True, as it happened, the affair was not as serious as had at first seemed. Only one of the farmer's horses died, and that was not a very valuable beast. The others had been very sick, though.

Fortunately, however, most of the fall crops were in, and the fact of not having his steeds to work for him did not seriously inconvenience Mr. Appleby. His neighbors helped him with the loan of their horses.

Still the farmer was a vindictive man, and he determined to have punished, if possible, the guilty person. That it was Tom, with whom he had quarreled, he had no doubt.

And, it might be added, though most of the students bore in mind the injunction of Dr. Meredith not to talk about the matter, and make useless accusations, Sam h.e.l.ler and his cronies, did not observe that silence. Indeed, Sam even went to the trouble of repeating to Mr.

Appleby all the evidence he had discovered against our hero.

"Oh, I know he's guilty!" the vindictive farmer had said, when Sam and his crony called at the house one day, ostensibly to ask for a drink of water, but in reality to talk of Tom. "I know he's guilty, but my lawyer won't let me have him up on charges. He says I might get sued."

"Oh, I guess you could win the case," a.s.serted Sam. He was aching to see Tom humiliated further. But the farmer shook his head.

"I've lost a heap of money already," he complained, "an' I ain't a-goin' t' lose no more!"

And thus the case stood when Jack had his inspiration, as he sat in the gloaming with his chum Bert.

"Here he comes!" exclaimed the latter, as a footfall was heard in the corridor.

"Yes, that's Tom. Now to tell him."

"Well, Tom, how goes it?" asked Jack, as he arose to open the door in response to the code knock. "Anything new?"

"I don't know, yet, but I think--why, what's up?" he asked quickly, surprised at the looks on the faces of his chums.

"You tell him, Jack," insisted Bert generously. "You thought of it."

"It's only this," said Jack modestly. "I've been thinking over this confounded thing, as of course you have, and I've come to the sudden conclusion that it was Sam h.e.l.ler who poisoned those horses."

"Sam h.e.l.ler?" cried Tom. "What makes you think so?"

"Several reasons," insisted Jack. "Sit down and I'll tell you about 'em.

"Now, to begin at the beginning, who else but Sam would want to throw the blame on you, Tom?"

"No one, I suppose, unless it was Nick. And even he hasn't the grudge against me that Sam has."

"Right. It was all to Sam's interest to make it appear that you were guilty, and things just fitted in with his scheme. There was your quarrel with the farmer, your threats to get even which you foolishly uttered in public------"

"Yes, that's where I was wrong," admitted Tom with a sigh.

"And there's another thing, Tom," went on Jack. "About your school pin. Where is it?"

"Well, to tell you the truth," said Jack with a smile and a blush, "I loaned it to a girl I met at a dance. She took quite a fancy to it."

"Then you didn't drop it at the hay stacks?"

"No, indeed! Was that why you made believe you couldn't find yours?"

asked Tom.

"Sure it was. I thought------"

"You old Damon and Pythias!" cried Tom, obviously much pleased. "But it was a useless sacrifice."

"Then whose pin was it that Appleby found?" asked Bert.

"Give it up," spoke Tom.

"But then there's that sweater business," went on Jack, after a pause.

"If you'd only explain that," put in Bert. Tom shook his head.

"I can't--not yet," he said. "But go on. What other evidence have you that Sam is guilty?"

"No other direct evidence, perhaps," admitted Jack, "but, somehow I just feel in my bones that Sam poisoned those horses, and threw the blame on you. He must have seen you leave here with that sweater on, and come back without it. It was just pie for him to say what he did."

Tom slowly shook his head.