CHAPTER 10 OLD TERRY'S DEMAND
The loss of the two ice cream freezers and the mystery surrounding them,distressed the Cubs. A dozen questions plagued their minds. Had someonestolen the freezers from the church and given them to the organizationjust to cause trouble?
Who had tipped Old Terry that the containers would be found at the Cubparty? The Cubs kept mulling over the affair and the conviction grew uponthem that Pat Oswald had been responsible.
"I wish we never had agreed to play the basketball series," Midge saidgloomily one afternoon the following week when the boys were at thegymnasium. "We'll be the laughing stock of Webster City if we lose."
"Not if we lose fair and square," Dan returned, undisturbed. "It's nodisgrace not to win. After all, it's only a game."
"Pat and his boys from Bay Shore way have all but ruined our reputationsin this town!"
"The organization is under a cloud," Dan admitted.
The situation actually was more serious than he liked to acknowledge.Since the night of the party, word had spread throughout Webster Citythat Old Terry had caught the Cubs with property stolen from theChristian Church basement.
Friends and acquaintances of the Den 2 boys knew that the tale wasuntrue. Whenever the Cubs encountered others repeating the story, theydenied it vigorously. How well their assertions were believed, they couldnot tell.
Never by word nor act had Mr. Hatfield even hinted that he doubted theCubs. Repeatedly he assured them that the truth would come out in theend. Yet, sometimes the Cub leader looked so worried, the boys wonderedif he weren't keeping really bad news from them.
Since the night of the party, Dan had seen Pat Oswald only once. The BayShore boy had come to the Cub clubroom to ask if the Purple Five mighthave a final practice in the gymnasium before the Friday night game.
"I suppose so," Dan had told him. "You'll have to talk to Mr. Hatfieldabout it."
Pat had loitered too long to please the Cubs. Deliberately, he lookedover the exhibits, the achievement lists, and especially Fred's fort.
"Heard your party was a bust the other night," he twitted Dan. "Someonestole your ice cream, eh?"
"It was a low down trick." Dan looked the Bay Shore boy squarely in theeyes and Pat's gaze wavered. "You wouldn't know anything about it, wouldyou?"
"Who, me? What an idea!" Pat laughed uproarously.
He slipped out the clubroom door before Dan could fire any more questionsat him.
The Bay Shore boys practiced the following night at the gymnasium. Brad,who witnessed the workout, reported to the Cubs that the team hadimproved considerably.
"That Friday game will be no push-over for the Cubs," he warned. "Digin!"
The Cubs spent every spare hour at the gymnasium, practicing baskets andworking out their team plays. Both Dan and Midge were certain of finalselection as forwards. Red and Chips too were improving daily in theirability to guard. Brad, at center, though he did less practicing than theothers, was the surest of all the players at handling the ball.
It was Chub who gave the Cubs concern. The youngster tried hard enough,but his fingers seemed coated with grease. Even if he received an easy,straight pass, he missed as often as he caught the ball.
"We'll have to use Chub as a substitute," Brad told his teammates. "Theonly thing is, what if one of the regulars can't play? Or if he goes outon a foul?"
"Pat's team is short a good substitute too," Dan declared. "No useborrowing trouble."
He was bouncing the ball lazily down the floor, when the gymnasium doorburst open. Midge and Red rushed breathlessly in, fairly bursting withnews.
"Come on outside, quick!" Red commanded. "Want to show you something!"
Dan, Brad and Chips quickly joined the other two Cubs at the rear churchsteps. There stood the two ice cream freezers, the lid missing from oneof the cans!
"Gosh!" Chips exclaimed, staring. "Where'd they come from?"
"Midge and I just brought 'em from the river."
"The river?" echoed Dan. "I don't get it."
"Midge and I were hiking out that way," Red explained. "All at once, wecame upon these two cans."
"How did they get there?"
"Someone carried 'em, that's what," Red went on grimly. "Pat and hisgang, I'll bet. The kids from Bay Shore play along the river a lot.They've made a stick and grass hut down by the Hi-Level Bridge."
"It was near the hut that we found the freezers," Midge added.
The Cubs were relieved to recover the missing containers, but uncertainwhat to do with them. One of the freezers seemed as good as new afterthey had washed out the metal cylinder which bore traces of melted icecream. The other can was bent and the lid missing.
"We looked everywhere in the brush for it," Midge reported. "Couldn'tfind it anywhere."
Brad told the Cubs that not a moment must be lost in returning the stolenproperty to Terry Treuhaft.
"All we can do is try to explain to him again what happened, and offer topay for the damaged freezer," he advised.
"We'll have to return 'em," Dan agreed uneasily. "I hate to do it though.This will give him another chance to accuse us."
No one wanted to be assigned the job of returning the recovered propertyto Mr. Treuhaft. Because the other Cubs were so reluctant, Dan and Bradvolunteered.
Both freezers were loaded into Dan's little red wagon, and made a tightfit. As the two boys hauled the containers down the street, they imaginedthat everyone was staring at them.
"I think half the town heard that untrue story about us taking thesefreezers," Dan said uncomfortably. "Now folks will think the worst,seeing us haul them."
"We've done nothing dishonorable, Dan."
"I know that, Brad. All the same, I feel sort of funny. Everyone staresso."
"We could go down this alley," Brad suggested, halting the wagon at theentranceway.
"Let's," agreed Dan.
They turned into the narrow alley, pulling the creaking wagon down theuneven bricks, past high fences and garbage cans.
Unaccountably, Brad halted so suddenly that the freezers nearly tumbledoff the wagon.
"See what I see, Dan?"
Near the exit to the alley, a group of boys were practicing basketball.
A make-shift netting had been attached to the wall, serving as a basket.
"Why, it's Pat Oswald!" Dan recognized one of the players. "No wonder hehas a sure eye for a basket."
"I'm not blaming him for practicing," Brad commented in a low tone. "Morepower to him! But it's tough to have to do it in an alley."
"Pat didn't tell us about not having a practice court." Dan now feltashamed of himself for having resented, even secretly, the Purple Five'suse of the church gymnasium.
Not wishing to appear to spy upon the Bay Shore boys, Brad and Dan wouldhave retreated. But as they started to turn the wagon, its squeakingwheels betrayed them.
"Hey, you!" Pat shouted, recognizing them.
Brad and Dan then went on, well aware that the freezers they hauled wouldcreate a sensation.
"Where'd you get those?" Pat demanded suspiciously.
Dan brought the wagon to a stop by the high fence.
"Down by the river," he replied briefly. "Some of the Cubs found themnear your hut."
"Our hut? That's a laugh! You tryin' to say we took your old ice creamlast Friday night?"
"I'm not making any accusations."
"Well, you'd better not, that's all I got to say!" Pat retorted. Heglared at Dan, and then turned to his cronies. "Come on, guys! Let'sscram! You can't have any privacy these days, not even in an alley."
Dan and Brad watched in amusement as the Bay Shore boys clattered noisilyoff over the uneven bricks. The thrust about finding the freezers nearthe gang's hut had found its mark, they felt.
"Pat looked guilty when he saw these cans," Brad remarked. "It burns mehe'd engineer such a mean trick, especially after the Cubs have beenmighty nice about the gymnasium."
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br /> Dan had been studying the make-shift basket netting fastened to the wall.A white chalk line, evidently a foul line marker had been drawn on thealley floor.
"Pat and his boys must practice here often," he remarked.
"I'd judge so, by the looks of the wall!" In annoyance, Brad pointed to aphrase which had been chalked on the boards.
The wording read: "The Cubs Are Sissies!" And higher up appeared theinsult: "Cubs are Crooks!"
Dan dropped the wagon tongue and rushed over to wipe the offending wordsfrom the wall.
"This is the limit!" he fumed. "Brad, let's call off that Friday game!Why should we play with such wretched sports?"
"I know how you feel, Dan," Brad answered soothingly. "Pat acts like ababy. He wants to get our goat."
"He's had mine for a long while."
"We can't very well call off the game," Brad said slowly. "Mr. Hatfieldtalked it over with me only yesterday. He's heartsick at the way Pat hasbeen acting, but he thinks we should go ahead and set the Bay View boysan example."
"I'd rather punch 'em in the nose."
"Take it easy, Dan."
"Oh, I'll control myself," Dan grinned. "Anyway, I want to lick 'em inthat Friday game."
"That may not be so easy."
As Brad spoke, his gaze suddenly came to focus upon knife scratchings onthe board wall directly behind the other boy. Without saying more, hewent over to inspect the deep cuts.
"Another insult to the Cubs, I suppose," Dan remarked.
Brad's broad shoulders blocked his view so that he could not see what itwas that the Den Chief examined with such intent interest.
"This is something else, Dan," Brad said, finally moving aside.
On the wall, freshly cut with a sharp knife, were the carved initials:"P. O."
"Pat Oswald," Dan identified them. "Seems to me we've seen those sameinitials, before, Brad. I guess we know now, who wrecked the old churchbuilding!"