CHAPTER VI
THE ACCUSATION
"Wasn't it glorious!" cried Madge Tyler, as Tom and his chums came up."I was just gripping the seat when you threw that last ball, Mr.Parsons."
"So was I," admitted Ruth. "Phil, I'm proud of you, even if you are mybrother."
"Humph!" grunted Phil. "If it hadn't been for Sid's home run we wouldn'thave been in it. The fellows who followed him fanned."
"You should be very proud, Mr. Henderson," remarked Mabel Harrison, wholooked charming in some sort of a soft, clinging dress which I'm notgoing to describe.
"Oh, it was just luck," spoke Sid modestly.
"Luck nothing, you old walloper!" cried Tom, thumping his chum on theback. "You just laid for that one, and lambasted it out where thebuttercups and daisies grow."
"Oh, how poetic!" cried Miss Harrison.
"Some ice cream would sound a heap-sight more poetic," decided Phil."What do you girls say? Will you come and have some?"
"Oh, I've provided a little treat for you boys," said Ruth quickly. "Byrare good luck Miss Philock, the ogress of Fairview Institute, is awayto-day, and I secured permission from the assistant to have a little teain one of the rooms. We three girls will feed you lions of the diamond,if you promise not to eat up all the charlotte russe and lady fingers Ihave provided."
"Great!" cried Tom. "I haven't the appetite of a butterfly, but----"
"Me either," interrupted Sid, with a laugh.
"Come on, then," invited Phil's sister. "We are just in time to catch atrolley for Fairview. I have a letter from home for you, Phil," sheadded.
A little later a merry crowd of young people were walking up the campusof the co-educational institution, where the three girls were pursuingtheir studies. It was Saturday afternoon, and a half holiday foreveryone. Ruth, having secured permission, escorted her brother and histwo chums to one of the rooms set aside for the use of the girl studentsin which to entertain their friends.
"Why, sis, this is quite a spread!" complimented Phil, as he saw theelaborate preparations in the shape of paper napkins, in the colors ofRandall--yellow and maroon--spread about on the table, and as he notedthe flowers and the rather more generous "feed" than that indicated whenhis sister had named lady fingers and charlotte russe.
"Yes, we provided this in case you won," replied Ruth, "but if you hadlost----"
"Well, in case we had lost?" asked Sid, who was close to Miss Harrison.
"We were going to eat it all ourselves," finished Madge.
"And be ill afterward," interjected Tom. "I'm glad, for more reasonsthan two, that we won; eh, fellows?"
"Yes, but--er--if it's all the same to you, let's eat," suggested Phil,with the freedom of an elder brother.
There was a merry time. The fair hostesses had provided coffee andsandwiches, with plenty of ice cream and cake, and when they had been atthe table for some time, Phil, with a sigh of satisfaction, remarked:
"I'm glad this didn't happen before the game, fellows, or I couldn'thave caught even a pop fly."
"Ditto here," agreed Tom. "Pass the macaroons, Sid. I see you and MissHarrison trying to hide them between you."
"No such a thing!" retorted the second baseman, while the blue-eyed girlblushed.
"Oh, Phil, I promised to get you the letter from home!" suddenlyexclaimed Ruth. "I'll run up to my room for it. Excuse me," and shedarted off, to return presently with two missives. "Here's one for you,Mabel," she said. "I found it on your dresser. It must have come inafter the regular mail."
"A letter for me," repeated Miss Harrison in some bewilderment. "Ididn't expect any."
"Unexpected ones are always the best," ventured Sid, and when Tomwhispered "Bravo," at the attempt on the part of his chum to shine inthe society of ladies, Sid muttered a threat to punch the captain whenthey got outside.
"Mother is well, and dad as busy as ever," remarked Ruth as she handedher letter to her brother, and passed the other to Miss Harrison. Thelatter gazed curiously at the missive.
"I don't know this writing," she remarked. "I wonder who it can befrom."
"Better open it and see," suggested Sid.
She tore open the envelope, which fluttered to the ground, as she tookout a piece of paper.
"Why, how funny!" exclaimed Miss Harrison. "There is nothing but aHaddonfield newspaper clipping, and--and--why it seems to be about you,Mr. Henderson," she added. "Why--why!" she stammered. "How odd! Ofcourse it must be some one else. Just listen," and she read:
"'During a raid on an alleged gambling house kept by Tony Belato inDartwell, just outside of Haddonfield on Thursday night, a number ofcollege students, believed to be from Boxer Hall, Fairview or Randallwere captured. Several got away, and those who were locked up gave falsenames, it is believed. One young man, who stated that he was SidneyHenderson, fought the officers, and was not subdued until after astruggle. None of the college boys seemed to know him, but it was statedthat he had lost heavily in playing poker. The prisoners were fined tendollars each, and this morning were discharged by Judge Perkins with awarning.'"
There was silence for a moment following Miss Harrison's reading of theclipping.
"What's that?" cried Tom at last, and his words seemed to break thespell. "Arrested in a gambling raid--Sid Henderson? Of course it must besome one else! But who sent the clipping to you, Miss Harrison?"
"I don't know," was her answer, as she looked full at Sid. "It was apiece of impertinence, at any rate," and she began to tear up thenewspaper item. "Of course it wasn't you, Mr. Henderson. I should nothave read it. I don't suppose you were within miles of the place whereit happened. These newspaper reporters are so careless, sometimes. Youweren't there, were you?" she went on.
As they all remembered it afterward it seemed strange that Miss Harrisonshould so insist on her question, but, later, it was explained that herfamily, as well as herself, had an extraordinary abhorrence of any gamesof chance, since her brother had once been fleeced by gamblers, andthere had been some disgrace attached to it.
"You weren't there; were you?" repeated Miss Harrison, and her eyes werefastened on those of Sid.
His face was strangely white, and his hands trembled. His chums lookedat him in surprise.
"I--I wasn't arrested in any raid," he said, and his voice was husky.The girl seemed to catch at the evasion.
"Were you there?" she demanded. "I--of course--I have no right to askyou that--but--this clipping, coming to me--as it did--and under thecircumstances----"
"I wasn't--I wasn't arrested," faltered Sid. "It's all--it's all amistake!"
Almost instantly there came to Phil and Tom at the same time a memory ofSid's queer actions of late--of his strange absences from college--ofhis hurried departures on receiving notes--of the smell of tobacco onhis clothes.
"Were you at the gambling place, in Dartwell?" asked Miss Harrisoncoldly, and it was not until later that the others understood herstrange insistence and hatred of games of chance. "Were you there?"
"I--I wasn't arrested!" blurted out Sid. "I--I can't explain--I was inDartwell that night--but--but it is all a mistake--I don't see how myname got in the paper."
"Sometimes these matters get out in spite of all that is done to keepthem quiet," remarked the girl, and her voice sounded to Sid like theclash of steel.
"I tell you I wasn't arrested--I wasn't there--that is, I wasn'tgambling--I--I--er--Oh, won't you believe me? Won't you take my wordfor it?" He was pleading with her now.
"I haven't any right to control your actions," said Miss Harrison. "Idon't know who sent me this clipping--nor why--I wish I had never seenit," and her eyes filled with tears. "Yet when I ask you if you werethere, it seems as if you could say yes or no."
"That's it! I can't!" cried poor Sid. "I--I wasn't arrested. I wasthere--yes, in--in Dartwell that night--but I can't explain--it's asecret--it--Oh, won't you believe me?"
Miss Harrison turned and looked full at him. The others were watchingthe little tragedy that was being enacted be
fore them.
"Won't you believe me--I'll--I'll explain--some time," faltered Siddesperately.
"I'm sorry, but unless you care to tell me everything, and explain whyyou were in a gambling house I can't accept your excuses," she saidcoldly. "I cannot retain the friendship of a person who goes to gamblingplaces. I must ask you to excuse me," and holding her head high, thoughthere were tears in her blue eyes, and a sob in her trembling voice, sheturned and left the room.
Ruth and Madge looked at each other.
"Come on," said Phil to Tom huskily, and they filed out. Sid remainedlong enough to pick up the envelope that had contained the accusingclipping, and then he followed. None of the three chums spoke until theywere out on the campus. Then Phil turned to Sid and demanded:
"What in blazes is the matter? If that didn't mean you, and you weren'tthere, why didn't you say so?"
"I--I can't," was the answer. "Oh, fellows, don't go back on me now.I'll explain--some time."
"Of course we won't go back on you," declared Tom. "Even if you wereplaying the ponies or shuffling a deck of cards, it doesn't matter tous. It's your money to lose, if you want to, only I didn't think youcared for such things."
"I--I don't!" blurted out Sid.
"Then why don't you----"
"But I can't explain! Don't desert me now!"
"We're not going to," spoke Phil more gently, "only it hurts with a girllike Miss Harrison to have a thing like this come out. She's done withyou."
"Do you think so?" asked Sid miserably.
"Sure," agreed Tom, "but don't worry over that. You've got to bat for usto win, as you did to-day," for he feared Sid would go to pieces, suchwas the wild look on his face.