CHAPTER XXIX--THE MAGIC POWDER
Sympathizers with the cadets crowded about the gate as they passed outto trot over to the gym.
"Too bad, fellows!"
"Go for them next half!"
"Don't give up!"
Some of them shook hands with the players as the latter passed out.
"You're all right, Captain Merriwell!"
"We're betting on you yet!"
Dick laughed. His hand was grasped once or twice. He felt something leftin his palm. Looking down, he discovered a folded bit of paper.
As he trotted toward the gymnasium Dick unfolded the paper. On it heread, written with a lead-pencil:
"To solve the mystery of the spook, look at Chester Arlington's watch. Ask him to let you see it. Ask Abe Gorman has he seen it before. --_A Friend._"
Dick thrust the paper into a safe place and kept on to the gym. ChesterArlington was there. He had his coat and vest off, his sleeves rolledup, and he was ready to give attention to any one who needed it.
Dick seized Elmer Dow at the door of the gymnasium and said something tohim in a low tone.
"Have to go to the village for the stuff," said Elmer.
"No," declared Dick. "I bought a lot to use on rainy days when we had toplay ball."
Then he told Elmer where to find whatever it was that he wanted, and Dowhurried away.
Bradley's shoulder had been twisted again, and Arlington was at work onhim.
Abe Gorman was once more taking interest in the eleven, and, as he hadmanaged the team, he was present in the gym.
"What time is it, Arlington?" asked Dick of Chester.
"Don't know. There's my coat and vest on that peg. Look at my watch."
Chester seemed so busy that he scarcely realized who had asked to knowthe time.
Dick stepped over to the wall and took a watch from Chester's pocket. Hehad noted that Gorman was close at hand. In a low tone, he said:
"Look here, Gorman; do you know this watch?"
Abe looked at it, started, gave a jump and grabbed it.
"Do I know it?" he cried excitedly. "It's mine! Why, where did you----"
He stopped short, seeing that the watch was attached to a chain that washooked into the vest hanging on the wall.
"Whose coat and vest are these?" he asked harshly.
Chester had been attracted by Abe's words. He left Bradley and steppedover.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Does this coat and vest belong to you?" demanded Gorman.
"Sure thing," nodded Arlington.
"Well, will you explain how you happened to have my watch in yourpocket?"
"Your watch?"
"Yes."
"Why----"
"Here it is! I saw Merriwell take it from your pocket. It's attached tothis chain."
Arlington seemed thunderstruck. Dick was watching Chester closely, andhe thought:
"The fellow is amazed, or he's an excellent actor."
"What sort of a joke is this?" Arlington demanded. "Where is my watch?"
"I don't know about your watch," said Gorman coldly; "but I do know thatthis watch, found in your pocket, is my watch. I wish you to explain howits came there!"
Chester had turned pale.
"Why, confound it! I hope you don't think I stole your old watch,Gorman?" he said hotly.
"I have not stopped to think much about it. I know it was stolen from myroom, and I know it was found in your pocket."
Other fellows were gathering around, and Arlington grew indignant.
"I'd have you understand," he said fiercely, "that my father is D.Roscoe Arlington, and I do not have to become a petty thief! I can havea dozen watches, if I need them. Somebody put that watch there to injureme! Merriwell, you--you asked what time it was! I told you to look at mywatch. You--you are the one who took it out of that pocket! You," healmost shouted--"you have put up this job on me!"
In his great excitement, Chester seemed almost ready to hurl himself atDick.
"Steady!" flung back the captain of the eleven. "No fellow ever knew meto put up a dirty job on another. I found that watch in your pocket,Arlington."
"Ready for the field!" cried the timekeeper. "Everybody hustle! Justtime to get back."
The football-players hurried toward the door. Dick, with the others,leaving Gorman and Arlington to settle the matter.
Elmer Dow came panting into the gym.
"Got it?" asked Dick anxiously.
For reply Dow thrust into Dick's hands a large paper bag. Dick opened itquickly and peered within.
The bag contained a glistening white powder.
"That's the stuff!" exclaimed the captain of the eleven exultantly. "Nowwe'll see if there is no way of holding on to those greased New Erachaps!"
And he hurried to overtake his men.
When the Fardale team went on the field for the second half it wasobserved that across the breast of each man was a strange broad whitestreak. From a distance it looked like a broad chalk-mark, somewhatwider than a man's hand.
New Era was confident. She expected to use Fardale worse in the secondhalf than she did in the first. The shiny suits of the New Era menlooked shinier and more slippery than ever.
The rain had stopped, but the field was a muddy spectacle.
After the kick-off the two teams went at each other in earnest. As theylined up for the scrimmage, the Fardale men were seen to rub their handsacross their chests where the white streak could be seen.
When the crash came Fardale went into the enemy with ginger, and New Erafound difficulty in slipping through after the fashion set earlier inthe game. Somehow, for all of the greased suits, the Fardale lads wereable to grasp the enemy and cling to them. New Era was surprised by herfirst repulse.
The two teams lined up again. Signal. Back went the ball to Sampson. Hewas the man to make a gain in an emergency.
A revolving formation smashed into Fardale's right wing. Sampson wasshot out of it with the ball. But not until the cadets had begun in themost surprising manner to yank the formation to pieces.
There seemed an opening between Bradley and Jolliby, and through thisSampson tried to plunge.
Dick Merriwell met him. Dick's hands fell on him. Sampson gave awrenching twist and sought to slip away, but he did not slip.
Dick held the fellow fast and flung him backward. Fardale closed in, andthe rush was stopped. Still New Era was not satisfied. What had happenedthat she could not slip through the Fardale line after the same fashionas before?
Another line-up was followed by an attack on the left wing of Fardale'sline. Kinter and Sheehan sought to force Dare and Gardner apart. ButDare and Gardner had rubbed their hands across that magic belt of whiteon their breasts, and they gripped Kinter and Sheehan with hands thatdid not slip. The others who sought to aid Kinter and Sheehan werebaffled, and when Nelson took the ball through the line he was grabbedand held.
Down! The cadets were roaring. They knew something had happened. Theyrealized that the "greased pigs" were not having a snap, after the wayof the first half.
New Era was held for downs. The ball went to Fardale. How the cadets onthe seats did cheer!
Fardale had new life. She went into New Era smashingly. The ball wasadvanced--three yards, five yards, nine yards!
New Era was amazed. They saw the cadets rub their hands across theirbosoms and then tackle surely and firmly. What sort of magic was this?
Fardale did not give up the ball. She walked steadily along the muddyfield with it, playing hard, swift and handsomely.
Not until Fardale had advanced to within five yards of the goal did shelose the ball. Then it was lost on a fumble by Darrell, Sheehan comingthrough and falling on it. But now New Era was rattled. The visitorsrealized now that without the advantage of the greased suits they wouldnot stand much show in the game, and something had happened which seemedto rob those greased suits of their effectiveness.
The muddy hands of the Fardale lads soon destro
yed the whiteness of theline across their breasts; but one or two of them seemed to be carryinga white powder, which was passed from hand to hand. Each of the cadetplayers took a handful of this powder and smeared it across his breast,partly renewing the white line.
New Era, in her excitement, started with an off-side play that set herback half the distance to the goal-line. On the very next play there washolding in the line, and the ball went to Fardale.
The cadets signalized their recovery of the ball by pushing it over fora touch-down at the very first attempt.
Singleton kicked for a goal, but with the stopping of the rain a windhad risen, and he did not take it into consideration, with the resultthat the ball was deflected so that it struck one of the uprights andbounded off.
Score: New Era, 16; Fardale, 5.
Fardale's chances looked desperate, but she was right in the game withvim and ginger at the next kick-off. Plainly she was playing to win, ifsuch a thing was possible. By this time New Era had fathomed the secretof Fardale's success in seizing and holding the visiting players in thegreased suits. It was resin--powdered resin!
Dick Merriwell had sent Elmer Dow for a bag of the stuff, which he hadused while pitching to handle a wet and slippery baseball. This powderedresin had been smeared across the breasts of the Fardale players, whorubbed their hands in it frequently, and thus were enabled to grasp andhold the greased visitors.
Somehow Fardale's success in meeting and spoiling the effectiveness ofNew Era's trick seemed to take the heart out of the enemy. Seeing this,the cadets played with renewed energy, and it was not long before theball was again carried to New Era's line and pushed over for atouch-down.
This time Smart held the ball, and Dick did the kicking. Dick waited forthe wind to lull a little, and then he kicked with all the skill andjudgment he could command. The oval sailed straight over the center ofthe cross-bar.
Score: New Era, 16; Fardale, 11.
Chester Arlington was shaking with excitement. He had shouted until hisvoice was a husky whisper.
"Keep it up!" he croaked. "One more touch-down! One more goal! We'llwin!"
But the time was short, and, for all of her success, Fardale's chancesseemed small. Dick urged his men to do their best, and they respondedafter the manner of true Fardale boys.
Getting the ball, New Era attempted to keep it in her possession andkill time, knowing that would enable her to win. But Fardale was fierce,and a fumble gave Ted Smart his chance. He dropped on the ball, with sixor seven fellows on top of him.
Fardale had the ball, though Smart was carried from the field for thefirst time during the season, being replaced by Toby Kane.
Fardale went into the enemy with such fierce rushes that New Era wasbeaten backward yard by yard, fighting every foot of the distance. Everyspectator was standing now, for all understood what might happen.Fardale could tie the score with a touchdown. With a touch-down and goalshe could win the game.
With less than a minute to play, Fardale was still nine yards from thegoal.
"A kick from the field!" cried somebody. "She's going to try to tie thescore!"
It seemed like a kick for a field-goal, but the movement had been madeto deceive New Era. The ball was passed to Dick, who went into New Era'scenter directly behind Obediah Tubbs.
The fat boy walked in with his arms swinging, and he hurled players tothe right and left. Once before he had won a game by tearing a holethrough center at a critical period, and now he repeated theperformance. He ripped up New Era's center in splendid style, andthrough the opening went Dick Merriwell. Right over the line shot Dick,Sampson tackling him and pulling him down a second too late. It was atouch-down.
The score was tied and time was up!
But a touch-down made under the circumstances gives the team making itan opportunity to kick for goal, so the ball was brought out. Darrellheld it, and Dick Merriwell drove it over the cross-bar, winning thegame by one point.
CHAPTER XXX--THE TRAP SPRUNG
"Whatever are you doing, pard?" asked Brad Buckhart, as he found Dick atwork on the hinges of the door to their room.
"Sh!" cautioned Dick. "I'm setting a trap."
"Hey? A trap?"
"I said so."
"What for?"
"A spook."
"What?" The Texan was astonished.
It was three days after the game with New Era. The mystery of the spookremained a mystery. Nor had Chester Arlington been able to explain howAbe Gorman's watch happened to be found in his pocket.
Chester was under a cloud. It was known at the school that he had spentmoney so freely that his recklessness had left him "broke." It was knownthat money had been refused him by his parents. It was known that he hadresorted to desperate measures to "raise the wind." He had pawnedclothing and trinkets to get money to bet on the game between Fardaleand New Era. Had New Era won, his condition would have been worse thanever; but the victory of the home team had eased the strain somewhat.Arlington realized that he was suspected, but he carried his head highand proclaimed his innocence.
Buckhart became interested in Dick's work.
"What sort of a trap is it?" he asked.
"I'm fixing the door so that it will swing to whenever it is opened."
"What of that?"
"I am going to put an extra spring-lock on it."
"Oh, I see; you're fixing it to keep the spook out."
"No; I'm fixing it to keep the spook in!"
"Hey? Great horn spoon! What--what if--I don't understand, anyhow."
"I'll explain."
"Go ahead."
"I shall put the spring-lock on the door, but it will not be used in thedaytime. I shall fix it so that it will work at night."
"Still I don't see----"
"Wait. When we go to bed at night I shall leave the regular lock on; butI have a method by which I can cause the spring-lock to work if the dooris opened and closed during the night. If Mr. Spook takes a fancy tocome in here, the spring in the hinges of the door will cause it toclose behind him, the spring-lock will fasten it, and Mr. Spook will betrapped."
"But you think----"
"I think our spook is some fellow who has keys to fit the doors of anumber of rooms. He can open the ordinary lock on this door, for he camehere and carried off your penknife, which Chester Arlington afterwarddropped."
"Arlington is the spook."
"Perhaps so. It seems that way. I did not tell you that, after the NewEra game, while the crowd was pawing me over, another note was thrustinto my hands, did I?"
"No."
"Well, that was what happened. Of course, I couldn't tell who put itthere."
"What did it say?"
"It said 'Search Chester Arlington's room and see what you will find ifyou wish to clear mystery of the spook.'"
"Great tarantulas! And you--what did you do?"
"I waited. Since then several articles stolen from fellows here havebeen returned to them in a mysterious way."
"Which makes you think--what?"
"Arlington returned them. Perhaps he became frightened. Perhaps he feltthat he didn't need them any longer after Fardale defeated New Era andhe won his bets."
"He's a skunk, pard! I reckon he's a regular kleptomaniac."
"But the robberies have started up again. I want you to help me spreadthe report that we think it strange we have not been robbed of anythingvaluable. I want you to say that we don't take much stock in it, as weleave things lying around every night that are worth taking. I will saythe same things. Get the fellows to repeating it. I want the spook tovisit us."
"I see, pard," nodded Brad. "I'll do it."
This plan was carried out by them, and two nights later the "spook" paidthem a visit. Dick it was who heard him moving with a rustling sound inthe room. As Merriwell sat up the spook went rustling toward the door.Dick jumped out of bed and saw a white form at the door.
"Hey, Brad!" he shouted. "We've got him! Come on!"
The Texan rose, uttering a snort.
The white object seemed trying to open the door, but it resisted hisefforts.
"No use," declared Dick triumphantly. "The trap is sprung, and you'recaught!"
He advanced on the spook, who turned, uttering a low snarl. Dick saw anuplifted hand, dodged, clutched a very real wrist, held fast and closedwith the fellow.
"Light up, Brad!" he cried.
Buckhart struck a match and lighted the lamp. The spook foughtdesperately, and Buckhart hastened to aid Dick to subdue him. Theysmashed against the furniture and walls, overturning chairs and making agreat racket.
The noise aroused others, and there came a heavy knocking at their door,while many voices demanded admittance.
"We've--roused--the whole--'cademy!" panted Buckhart.
"All right," panted Dick, as he skilfully tripped the spook and they allcame crashing to the floor.
They pinned him down and subdued him. He was covered by a sheet. Havingsecured the fellow, Dick directed that the door be opened, and Buckhartopened it. Into the room came a dozen cadets.
"Dear me!" said Ted Smart. "How quiet you are! I can't sleep, it is sostill!"
"What is it?" was the general question.
"It is the spook!" triumphantly said Dick. "Take a look at him. Wecaptured him, but he made it lively for us. He tried to stick me withthat knife there on the floor."
"A fellow with a sheet over him!" grunted Bob Singleton.
Dick tore the sheet off and got up, permitting the captive to rise.Miguel Bunol stood before them! The spook was unmasked at last.
"To the guard-house with him!" cried Dick. "His hash will be settled inthe morning."
Bunol looked at Dick with intense hatred.
"Fool!" he hissed. "I give you chance to destroy your worst enemy andyou do it not! You hate him; I hate him. I want you to disgrace him, butI do not understand that you be such a fool."
Then he was marched away.
Bunol was expelled and turned out of the school in disgrace. He tried tostrike Arlington before leaving by seeking an opportunity to tell thingsagainst him, but no one would listen to him, and his revenge failed.
THE END.
No. 92 of the _Merriwell Series_, entitled "Dick Merriwell's Defense,"by Burt L. Standish, gives the hero a chance to prove that he is able toovercome real difficulties and win ultimate success. It will stir thereader's ambition to become a good athlete.
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