CHAPTER IX
ABOUT ATHLETIC CONTESTS
"You stole those things, you!" gasped Dave. He could scarcely utter thewords. He shrank back a step or two, and his face was filled withhorror.
"Yes, I did it," came from Shadow Hamilton.
"But--but--oh, Shadow, you must be fooling! Surely, you didn't really goto work and--and----" Try his best, Dave could not finish.
"I stole the things; or, rather, I think I had better say I took them,although it amounts to the same thing. But I don't think I am quite asbad as you suppose."
"But, if you took them, why didn't you return them? You have had plentyof time."
"I would return them, only I don't know where the things are."
"You don't know? What do you mean?"
"I'll have to tell you my whole story, Dave. Will you listen until Ihave finished?"
"Certainly."
"Well, to start on, I am a great dreamer and, what is more, Ioccasionally walk in my sleep."
"Yes, you told me that before."
"One morning I got up, and I found my clothes all covered with dirt andcobwebs and my shoes very muddy. I couldn't explain this, and I thoughtsome of the fellows had been putting up a job on me. But I didn't wantto play the calf, so I said nothing.
"Some days after that I found my clothing in the same condition, and Ilikewise found that my hands were blistered, as if from some hard work.I couldn't understand it, but suddenly it flashed on me that I must havebeen sleep-walking. I was ashamed of myself, so I told nobody."
"Well, but this robbery----" began Dave.
"I am coming to that. When Doctor Clay spoke about his stamp collection,I remembered that I had dreamed of that collection one night. It seemedto me that I must run away with the collection and put it in a safeplace. Then I remembered that I had dreamed of the stick-pins at anothertime, and had dreamed of going to the boathouse to put them in my lockerthere. That made me curious, and I went down to the locker, and there Ifound--what do you think? One of the stick-pins stuck in the wood."
"A new one?"
"Exactly. That made me hunt around thoroughly, and after a while Idiscovered this, under my rowing sweater."
As Shadow finished, he drew from his pocket a doubled-up sheet of paper.Dave unfolded it, and saw it was a large sheet of rare American postagestamps.
"Did you find any more than this?"
The other youth shook his head.
"Did you hunt all around the boathouse?"
"Yes, I hunted high and low, in the building and out. I have spent allmy spare time hunting; that is why I have had such poor lessons lately."
"Don't you remember going out to row during the night, Shadow?"
At this question, Shadow Hamilton started.
"What do you know about that?" he demanded.
"Not much--only I know you were out."
"Do you know where I went to?"
"I do not."
"Well, neither do I. I dreamed about rowing, but I can't, for the lifeof me, remember where I went. I must have gone a good way, for Iblistered my hands with the oars."
"And yet you can't remember?"
"Oh, I know it sounds like a fairy tale, and I know nobody will believeit, yet it is true, Dave, I'll give you my word on it."
"I believe you, Shadow. Your being out is what has made you so tiredlately. Now you have told me a secret, I am going to tell you one. IkeRasmer saw you out on the river at night, passing Robbin's Point. Andthere is something stranger to tell."
"What is that?"
"Are you dead certain you were asleep on the river?"
"I must have been. I remember nothing more than my dream."
"Do you know that you were followed?"
"By Rasmer?"
"No, by Gus Plum."
"Plum!" gasped Shadow Hamilton, and his face turned pale. "Are--are youcertain of this?"
"That is what Ike Rasmer told me," and then Dave related all that theold boatman had said.
"That makes the mystery deeper," muttered Shadow. "It puts me in mind ofa story I once--but I can't tell stories now!" He gave a sigh. "Oh,Dave, I am so wretched over this! I don't know what to do."
"I know what I'd do."
"What?"
"Go and tell Doctor Clay everything."
"I--I can't do it. He thought so much of that stamp collection--he'llsurely send me home--and make my father pay for the collection, too."
"I don't think he'll send you home. About pay, that's another question.In one sense, you didn't really steal the stamps. A fellow isn'tresponsible for what he does in his sleep. I'd certainly go to him. Ifyou wish, I'll go with you."
The two talked the matter over for half an hour, and, on Dave'scontinual urging, Shadow Hamilton at last consented to go to Doctor Clayand make a clean breast of the matter.
They found the master of Oak Hall in his private office, writing aletter. He greeted them pleasantly and told them to sit down until hehad finished. Then he turned around to them inquiringly.
It was no easy matter for Shadow Hamilton to break the ice, and Dave hadto help him do it. But, once the plunge was taken, the youth given tosleep-walking told him his story in all of its details, and turned overto the doctor the stick-pin and the sheet of stamps he had found.
During the recital, Doctor Clay's eyes scarcely once left the face ofthe boy who was making the confession. As he proceeded, Shadow Hamiltongrew paler and paler, and his voice grew husky until he could scarcelyspeak.
"I know I am to blame, sir," he said, at last. "But I--I--oh, DoctorClay, please forgive me!" he burst out.
"My boy, there is nothing to forgive," was the kindly answer, that tookeven Dave by surprise. "It would seem that you have been as much of avictim as I have been. I cannot blame you for doing these things inyour sleep. I take it for granted that you have told me the truth, thewhole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I have, sir, I have!"
"Then there is nothing to do but to investigate this as far as we can.Of course, I realize that it would cut you to have everybody in theschool know of your sleep-walking habit."
"Yes, sir. But I shouldn't care, if only you could get back the stampsand the pins."
"Is Rasmer sure he saw Plum following Hamilton on the river?" asked thedoctor, turning to Dave.
"That is what he told Morr, Lawrence, and myself the day we stopped athis boathouse for a new oarlock."
"Then I must see him and have a talk with him," said the master of OakHall; and after a few words more the boys were dismissed.
On the following morning, Doctor Clay drove down to Ike Rasmer's place.The boatman was pleasant enough, but he remembered that Gus Plum was oneof his customers, and when questioned closely, said he could not testifyabsolutely to the fact that it had been Plum who had followed Hamiltonon the river.
"You see, my eyesight ain't of the best, doctor," said Rasmer, lamely."I saw Hamilton full in the face, but the other feller had his faceturned away from me. I ain't gittin' nobody into trouble, 'less I amsure of what I am doin'--that's nateral, ain't it?"
"Very," answered Doctor Clay, coldly, and returned to the academy indeep thought. He realized that Ike Rasmer was now on his guard, andwould tell no more than was absolutely required of him.
The next movement of the worthy doctor was to call Gus Plum into hisoffice. The bully was anxious, but had evidently nerved himself for theordeal.
"No, sir, I have not been out on the river at night this season," saidhe, blandly, in reply to the doctor's question. "I have not dared to goout so late, for I take cold too easily." And he coughed slightly.
This was all Doctor Clay could get from Plum, and he dismissed the bullywithout mentioning Hamilton or the missing pins and stamps. Then thedoctor called in Andrew Dale, and the two consulted together for thebest part of an hour; but what the outcome of that discussion was theboys were not told. A day later, however, Shadow Hamilton was told tochange his sleeping quarters to a small room next to that occupied byAndr
ew Dale.
"Hello! Shadow is going to get high-toned and have a sleeping-room allto himself!" cried Roger, and would have asked some questions, onlyDave cut him short.
"There is a good reason, Roger," whispered the country boy. "But don'task me to explain now. If you question Shadow, you'll only hurt hisfeelings." This "tip" spread, and none of the boys after that said aword before Hamilton about the change. But later all came to Dave andasked what it meant.
"I wish I could tell you, but I can't, fellows. Some day, perhaps,you'll know; until then, you'll have to forget it." And that is all Davewould say.
The boys were too busy to give the mystery much attention. A series ofathletic contests had been arranged, and all of the students who were totake part had gone into training in the gymnasium, and on thecinder-track which was laid out in the field beyond the last-namedbuilding. The contests were to come off on the following Saturday, and,to make matters more interesting, Doctor Clay had put up several prizesof books and silver medals, to be presented to the winners.
Dave had entered for a hurdle race, and Roger, Phil, and Ben were invarious other contests. Dave felt that he would stand a good chance atthe hurdles, for on Caspar Potts' farm he had frequently practiced atleaping over the rail fences while on the run. He did not know surelywho would be pitted against him until Ben Basswood brought him thenews.
"Gus Plum, Fanning, and Saultz are in the hurdle race," said Ben. "Plumsays he feels certain he will win."
"Plum," repeated the country boy. "I knew the others were in it, but Ididn't think Gus would take part."
"He went in right after he heard that you had entered. He says he isgoing to beat you out of your boots. He wanted to bet with me, but Itold him I didn't bet."
"Is Nat Poole in the race?"
"No, he is in the quarter-mile dash, against me and six others. Hethinks he will win, too."
"I don't think he will, Ben. You can outrun him."
"Anyway, I am going to try," answered Ben Basswood.