CHAPTER VIII
SHADOW HAMILTON'S CONFESSION
"I simply can't understand it, Phil. Gus Plum was frightened very much,or he would never have offered me a hundred dollars to keep quiet."
Dave and his chum were strolling along the edge of the campus, an hourafter the conversation recorded in the last chapter. The boy from thepoorhouse had told Phil all that had occurred.
"It is certainly the most mysterious thing I ever heard of, outside ofthis mystery about Billy Dill," answered Phil. "Plum has been up tosomething wrong, but just what, remains to be found out."
"And what about Shadow Hamilton?"
"I can't say anything about Shadow. I never thought he would do anythingthat wasn't right."
"Nor I. What would you advise?"
"Keep quiet and await developments. Something is bound to come to thesurface, sooner or later."
"Hello, you fellows, where are you bound?" came in a cry, and looking upthey saw a well-known form approaching.
"Ben!" cried Dave, rushing up to the newcomer and shaking hands warmly."When did you come in? And how are all the folks at Crumville? Did youhappen to see Professor Potts and the Wadsworths?"
"One question at a time, please," answered Ben Basswood, as he shookhands with Phil. "Yes, I saw them all, and everybody wants to beremembered to you. Jessie sends her very sweetest regards----"
"Oh, come now, no fooling," interrupted Dave, blushing furiously. "Tellus the plain truth."
"Well, she sent her best regard, anyway. And all the others did thesame. The professor is getting along finely. You'd hardly know him now,he looks so hale and hearty. It did him a world of good to go to livewith the Wadsworths."
"You must have had a pretty nice vacation," observed Phil.
"Yes, although it was rather short. But, say, have you fellows heardabout Plum's father?" went on Ben Basswood, earnestly.
"We've heard that he lost some money."
"Yes, and he has tied himself up in some sort of underhandedget-rich-quick concern, and I understand some folks are going to sue himfor all he is worth. That will be rather rough on Gus--if his fatherloses all his money."
"True enough," said Dave. "But tell us all the news," he continued, andthen Ben related the particulars of affairs at Crumville, and of alegal fight between his father and Mr. Aaron Poole, in which Mr.Basswood had won.
"That will make Nat more sour on you than ever," observed Phil.
"Maybe; but I can't help it. If he leaves me alone I'll leave himalone."
The following day passed quietly at Oak Hall. Gus Plum and Nat Poolekept by themselves. Shadow Hamilton appeared to brighten a little, butDave observed that the youth was by no means himself. He did not care toplay baseball or "do a turn" at the gym., and kept for the most part byhimself.
Saturday passed, and on Sunday a large number of the students marchedoff to three of the town churches. Dave, Roger, and Phil attended thesame church and Ben went with them, and all listened to a strong sermonon Christian brotherhood, which was destined to do each of them good.
"It makes a fellow feel as if he's got to help somebody else," saidRoger.
"Well, it is our duty to help others," answered Dave. "The fellow whoisn't willing to do that is selfish."
"You've certainly helped Macklin, Dave," said Ben. "I never saw such achange in a fellow. I'll wager he is more than happy to be out of GusPlum's influence."
"I'd help Plum, too, if he'd let me," said Dave, and then gave a longsigh.
Two days later there was a sensation at the school. Doctor Clay cameinto the main classroom in the middle of the forenoon, looking muchworried.
"Young gentlemen, I wish to talk to you for a few minutes," he said. "Assome of you may know, I am the proud possessor of a stamp collectionwhich I value at not less than three thousand dollars. The stamps arearranged in three books, and I have spent eight years in collectingthem. These books of stamps are missing, and I wish to know if anybodyhere knows anything about them. If they were taken away in a spirit offun, let me say that such a joke is a poor one, and I trust the bookswill be speedily returned, and without damage to a single stamp."
All of the boys listened with interest, for many of them had inspectedthe collection, and they knew that stamp-gathering was one of the kinddoctor's hobbies.
"Doctor, I am sorry to hear of this," said one boy, named Bert Dalgart,a youth who had a small collection of his own. "I looked at thecollection about ten days ago, as you know. I haven't seen it since."
"Nor have I seen it," said Roger, who also collected stamps.
"Is there any boy here who knows anything at all about my collection?"demanded the doctor, sharply. "If so, let him stand up."
There was a pause, but nobody arose. The master of Oak Hall drew a longbreath.
"If this is a joke, I want the collection returned by to-morrowmorning," he went on. "If this is not done, and I learn who is guilty, Ishall expel that student from this school."
He then passed on to the next classroom, and so on through the wholeacademy. But nothing was learned concerning the missing stampcollection, and the end of the inquiry left the worthy doctor muchperplexed and worried.
"That is too bad," was Dave's comment, after school was dismissed. "Thatwas a nice collection. I'd hate to have it mussed up, if it was mine."
"The fellow who played that joke went too far," said the senator's son."He ought to put the collection back at once."
The matter was talked over by all the students for several days. In themeantime Doctor Clay went on a vigorous hunt for the stamp collection,but without success.
"Do you think it possible that somebody stole that collection?"questioned Dave of Phil one afternoon, as he and his chum strolled inthe direction of Farmer Cadmore's place, to see if they could learnanything about the ram.
"Oh, it's possible; but who would be so mean?"
"Maybe some outsider got the stamps."
"I don't think so. An outside thief would have taken some silverware, orsomething like that. No, I think those stamps were taken by somebody inthe school."
"Then maybe the chap is afraid to return them--for fear of being foundout."
So the talk ran on until the edge of the Cadmore farm was gained.Looking into a field, they saw the ram grazing peacefully on the fresh,green grass.
"He's as right as a button!" cried Phil. "I guess he wasn't hurt at all,and after jumping from the window he came straight home," and in thissurmise the youth was correct.
As the boys walked back to the school they separated, Phil going to thegymnasium to practice on the bars and Dave to stroll along the river.The boy from Crumville wanted to be by himself, to think over the pastand try to reason out what the sailor had told him. Many a time had Davetried to reason this out, but always failed, yet he could not bear tothink of giving up.
"Some time or another I've got to find out who I am and where I camefrom," he murmured. "I am not going to remain a nobody all my life!"
He came to a halt in a particularly picturesque spot, and was about tosit down, when he heard a noise close at hand. Looking through thebushes, he saw Shadow Hamilton on his knees and with his clasped handsraised to heaven. The boy was praying, and remained on his knees forseveral minutes. When he arose, he turned around and discovered Dave,who had just started to leave the spot.
"Dave Porter!" came in a low cry, and Hamilton's face grew red.
"Hello, Shadow! Taking a walk along the river? If you are, I'll goalong."
"I--I was walking," stammered the other boy. His eyes searched Dave'sface. "You--were you watching me?" he asked, lamely.
"Not exactly."
"But you saw me--er----"
"I saw you, Shadow, I couldn't help it. It was nothing for you to beashamed of, though."
"I--I--oh, I can't tell you!" and Hamilton's face took on a look of keenmisery.
"Shadow, you are in some deep trouble, I know it," came bluntly fromDave. "Don't you want to tell me about it? I'll do what I can for
you.We've been chums ever since I came here and I hate to see you sodowncast."
"It wouldn't do any good--you couldn't help me."
"Are you sure of that? Sometimes an outsider looks at a thing in adifferent light than that person himself. Of course, I don't want topry into your secrets, if you don't want me to."
Shadow Hamilton bit his lip and hesitated.
"If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it to yourself?"
"If it is best, yes."
"I don't know if it is best or not, but I don't want you to sayanything."
"Well, what is it?"
"You know all about the doctor losing that collection of stamps?"
"Certainly."
"And you know about the loss of some of the class stick-pins about threeweeks ago?"
"Yes, I know Mr. Dale lost just a dozen of them."
"The stick-pins are worth two dollars each."
"Yes."
"And that stamp collection was worth over three thousand dollars."
"I know that, too."
"Well, I stole the stick-pins, and I stole the stamp collection, too!"