CHAPTER 13 HALLOWEEN PRANKS
Word spread around the gymnasium of Pat's outrageous demand. Brad and Danbrought Mr. Hatfield, fully expecting him to reject the request.
"Pat, you feel you should have half the money?" the Cub leader questionedhim.
"Sure." The captain of the Purple Five eyed the group of Cubs defiantly.However, his gaze wavered under the level scrutiny of Mr. Hatfield. "Weearned it, didn't we? What's more, we'd have won the game, if we hadn'tbeen cheated."
"Cubs do not cheat," Mr. Hatfield replied. "When you know more about theorganization, you'll understand that. We play according to the rules,that's all."
"You make 'em to suit yourselves," Pat growled.
"On the contrary, you'll find them all printed in the official rule bookon basketball. It might be well for your team to study up a bit beforethe next scheduled game."
"We'll study all right! Now, how about the dough? You're holding out, Itake it?"
"If you feel you're entitled to a share, you may have it," Mr. Hatfieldsaid. He turned to Dan, saying: "Go bring Mr. Holloway. He has all themoney we collected tonight."
Dan's jaw dropped, but he obeyed the order without question. What hadcome over the Cub leader anyhow? Pat and the Bay Shore boys certainlyhadn't done anything to earn any of the money! Why, the Cubs had soldnearly all of the tickets. Besides, the organization would be expected topay the church a small fee for use of the gymnasium to cover lights andheating. It was unfair!
Mr. Holloway came quickly, carrying a box in which were the receipts. Hereported to the Cub leader that the correct total was $30.80.
"Pat here demands half as his share," Mr. Hatfield said. "I've told himthat he may have it. The Cubs make a point of being honest. We'd ratherlose the entire amount than to take one penny that doesn't belong to us."
Pat's cheeks flamed, but he continued to grin in a silly, arrogant sortof way.
Mr. Holloway counted out exactly $15.40 which he poured into the boy'shands. "Sure it's enough?" he asked.
"We'll make it do."
As he pocketed the cash, Pat's gaze again swept the group of Cubs. Thoughno one spoke, their silence made him fully aware of their contempt. Hehesitated and for just an instant, Dan thought he intended to return themoney. Then, with a shrug, Pat was gone.
Once his footsteps had died away, the Cubs gave vent to their anger. Mr.Hatfield allowed them to have their say without comment. He did not tryto explain his action in giving the money to Pat. His only remark was:"I'm trying a little experiment, boys. Let's wait and see."
While the talk was at his height, Fred came rushing into the gymnasium.
"Hey, come quick!" he urged.
"What's wrong?" Brad demanded. "Anyone hurt?"
"Come on and I'll show you," Fred answered, motioning for the boys tofollow him upstairs to the clubroom. "I'm so mad I could chew nails!"
The Cubs, followed by Mr. Hatfield and Mr. Holloway, hastened up thestairway. Fred dramatically flung open the clubroom door.
"Just look!" he exclaimed. "This must have been done only a few minutesago."
The cardboard fort which had been built with such painstaking care, laydemolished on the floor.
"All my work--gone!" Fred said.
No one spoke for a moment. Everyone felt sick at heart. All the Cubs hadbeen proud of the fort and knew that Fred had spent hours of timecompleting it.
"This was wrecked right after the game," Fred said bitterly.
"How do you place the time?" Mr. Hatfield's voice was quiet thoughtroubled.
"I dropped in here for a minute between halves of the game. The fort wasokay then. When I came upstairs just a bit ago, this was what I found!"
"Pat or some of his gang did it," Chips announced with finality. "That'sall the thanks we get for giving 'em half the money."
"I didn't think they'd do a trick like this," Mr. Hatfield said. "I'dhoped--well, I thought Pat had good stuff in him buried deep down in.Seems I was mistaken."
"We ought to report this to the police," Red said indignantly. "Want meto call 'em?"
"No, Red. This is hardly a case for the police."
"How about those other two basketball games?" Midge asked. "Will we playthem?"
"That I think, is for the Cubs to decide. After what happened tonight,I'm sure we'd be justified in cancelling."
"Only trouble is that if we do, they'll go around Webster City calling usyellow," Brad said. He began picking up the scattered sections of thedestroyed fort. "I say, let's play the series, and lick 'em."
The debate waxed warm for a few minutes. Finally, however, a majority ofthe Cubs voted in favor of carrying on the series.
"Very well, if that's the decision," Mr. Hatfield said. "One thing,though! The game must not be used as a means of venting spite on the BayShore boys. If we play them, we must conduct ourselves as good sports.Agreed?"
The next game had been scheduled for the following Friday. With Pat andhis players claiming half the receipts, the Cubs had far less enthusiasmfor selling tickets during the week. Nevertheless, news had traveled thatthe game would be a good one. Accordingly, many persons stopped the Cubson the street to ask for the tickets.
The Cubs were not surprised to learn that Pat had told around that thePurple Five had been cheated out of victory on a technicality.
"They'll be laying for us next game," Brad warned the boys of Den 2 onenight as they practiced at the church gymnasium. "If we want to win,we've got to improve our teamwork."
The Cubs had worked out several new plays which seemed to go fairly well.Chub however, could not get the hang of them. The others noticed that hismind never seemed entirely on the game. A ball would be tossed in hisdirection, and he'd seem aware of it only after it had shot past him.
"Chub, you've got to wake up!" Brad scolded him.
"I--I'm sorry," Chub apologized.
He'd try harder for awhile, and then his mind would wander again. TheCubs felt sorry for him because obviously he meant well. Chub though, wasa total loss to the team, even as a substitute.
"Something's bothering Chub," Brad confided to Dan. "He's worrying aboutthings, and he'll never be any good until he gets it off his chest. Anyidea what's wrong?"
"It may be because he hasn't any father or mother," Dan replied. "I'vetried to talk to him now and then, but he never opens up."
The next few days were so delightful that the Cubs abandoned basketballfor hikes. They decorated their clubroom with cornshocks and pumpkinsobtained from a nearby farm.
Fred made cardboard witches for the walls, and in the work forgot hisdisappointment over loss of the cardboard fort.
All the Cubs fashioned Halloween costumes and laid plans for anotherparty. They took care however, that Pat and his cronies should not learnof the affair.
Regularly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Purple Five practiced thirtyminutes in the church gymnasium. The Bay Shore area boys now were muchbetter behaved and quieter while in the building.
Nevertheless, the Cubs could not forget past actions. By agreement nomention was made of the destroyed cardboard fort. The conviction remainedhowever, that Pat and his gang were responsible for it as well as thedamage to the old Christian Church. Nor had they forgotten the ice creamfreezer episode or Pat's unfair demand for half of the game receipts.
The Bay Shore boys were treated politely, but none of the Cubs warmed tothem. Furthermore, while the Purple Five team was in the building, theclubroom always was kept locked.
"You guys don't trust us much, do you?" Pat demanded of Dan one afternoonon the final practice session before the coming Friday game.
"I wouldn't say that," Dan avoided the issue.
"Then why do you lock the clubroom? So we can't look in?"
"Our cardboard fort was wrecked, Pat. Fred had worked weeks on it. Wedon't want anything like that to happen again."
Pat bristled, and color flamed into his cheeks. "You think we did it?"
/> "I didn't say so, did I?"
"No, but you're acting mighty suspicious. I'm tired of being treated asif we have to be watched all the time. Believe me, if we wanted to domischief, we could tear this place apart! But we got other plans forHalloween. Not a silly party either."
Pat's boastful manner instantly convinced Dan that the Purple Five teamwas planning mischief, come October 31. He asked a few casual questions,hoping to draw the other boys out.
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" Pat teased. He looped a ball throughthe basket, and called to his teammates. "Come on, guys! Let's move outof here! We got some important business to talk over."
Dan was disturbed by the hints the other had dropped. Undoubtedly, theBay Shore boys intended to commit Halloween pranks. He only hoped theCubs would not be blamed.
He heard no more of the matter and had nearly forgotten about it whenHalloween finally came. The Den 2 boys had arranged a party at theHolloway home.
Everyone dressed in costume and the affair was a great success. Fred, asusual, won first prize, fixing himself up as an armored knight.
Dan wore an ordinary clown suit. The other Cubs came as ghosts or inover-sized clothes borrowed from their parents.
The party broke up at an early hour.
"No mischief tonight, boys," Mr. Hatfield warned as he dismissed thegroup. "But then, I know I can trust Cubs to behave themselves always."
Several of the Den 2 members were riding home with their parents. Dan andBrad had come alone. Mr. Hatfield offered to drive them home.
"No need to," Brad turned down the offer. "It's only a step. We don'tmind walking."
"How about you, Chub?" the Cub leader inquired.
"We'll see him home," Dan volunteered. "It's not much out of our way."
Still wearing their costumes, the boys started away from the Hollowayhome. In this neighborhood, the streets were quiet. Some distance away,they could hear the dinging of a cowbell.
"Nice night for the witches to howl!" Dan said jokingly.
"No pranks for us," Brad replied. "We're going home and to bed."
Enroute to Chub's home, the boys met two groups of masked childrenreturning from parties. Lights blazed on residential porches, and a fewsmall children were ringing doorbells, demanding: "Trick or Treat?"
"Kid stuff," Dan remarked. "I'm glad we're too old for that silliness."
Chub was left safely at his doorstep. Brad and Dan then turned off towardtheir own neighborhood. As they approached the old Christian Church,unconsciously they began to walk faster.
Suddenly, they were startled to hear a rush of footsteps in the directionof the old deserted building.
"What's that?" Brad demanded, halting to listen.
"Sounds like a gang of kids, running," Dan instantly decided. "Toward thechurch too! Golly, I hope--"
"The Cubs would be sunk if any more damage is done there," Brad finishedfor him.
"Let's find out what's happening."
"Okay, Dan. We'll have to move fast though."
Breaking into a run, the two headed directly for the church. As theyapproached from the front they could see no one on the grounds. A nearlyfull moon, rising through the bare branches of a scraggly tree, cast asoft, weird glow over the earth.
"I can't see anyone--" Brad began, only to break off.
The two listeners had heard a door slam. They were certain the sound hadcome from the rear of the old building.
Noiselessly, Brad and Dan moved around the hedge to approach the churchfrom the river side.
"Look!" Dan directed the other's attention.
A group of five or six boys clustered at the rear of the building, nearan open coal chute. The sound which the Cubs had taken for the slammingof a door, had, in reality been the banging of the chute cover.
"It's Pat and his bunch!" Dan recognized them.
"Bent on trouble too! They're going into that building, and we'll get theblame."
As the pair crept cautiously nearer, they could hear Pat giving orders tohis followers.
"I'll go first," he told them. "Then the rest of you follow. All butPete, who's to stay here and keep watch. We'll get that bell from thebelfry and dump it on main street!"
He disappeared feet first down the chute.
"The belfry bell!" Dan whispered in alarm. "This is the worst yet! If Patgets by with it, the Cubs are almost sure to be blamed. What are we goingto do, Brad? How can we stop 'em?"