CHAPTER XIII
A GIRL AND A GAME
There was a more complete investigation the next day. The report wasalso circulated that the two sophomores were not so badly injured as hadat first been feared. But there was something in the air which showedthat stringent measures were likely to be taken by the faculty.
Dr. Churchill was ten minutes late in opening chapel that morning, andthere was much stately moving to and fro on the part of the instructors.On the face of Professor Emerson Tines there was a look of satisfaction,as if he was glad that some one had gotten into trouble.
"Look at Pitchfork!" said Sid to Tom, but Tom's face had not lost itsanxious look.
"For Heaven's sake, cheer up!" whispered Phil Clinton. "They'll thinkyou did the whole business if they see your face, Tom."
Dr. Churchill made an unusual prayer that morning. Though he did notdirectly refer to the happening of the previous night, it was in hispetition, and many a freshman, impressed by the solemn words, then andthere resolved to abjure in the future unseemly pranks and to become a"grind."
"The freshman class will remain after chapel this morning," announcedthe venerable head of Randall, and as the other classes filed out therewere commiserating looks cast at the unlucky first-years by the juniorsand seniors and vindictive glances bestowed by the sophomores.
The examination was a long and searching one. Tom was questioned atlength, but all he would admit was that he took part in the affair,though he stated that he had had nothing to do with fixing the wires.Nor did he tell of having brought the coil to Langridge. His knife wasdamaging evidence against him, and he was content to let it stand assuch. Kerr manfully admitted lighting the fuse which sprung the wirestogether and sent the current sizzling into the hand rail, but he wouldgo no further nor tell who had strung the conductors.
The faculty dismissed the class and the instructors went into executivesession.
"Maybe we'll all be in for it," predicted Phil as the lads strolled offto their classrooms. "They may suspend us all for a week."
"I don't believe they'd do that," was Sid's opinion. "They may forbidany of us taking part in athletics, though."
"Yes, they might do that," added Fenton. "My uncle says----"
The boys all stopped and looked at him. No one spoke a word. Fentonsquirmed under their unflinching gaze.
"Well--well," he began hesitatingly, "he ought to know, for he was acoach here----"
"Yes, and you're a regular trolley car, with an automatic gong thatrings up the same thing every time," exclaimed Langridge. "They wouldn'tdare keep us out of athletics for such a little joke as that. Why, thewhole student body would be up in arms. The ball team would go topieces, and we'd lose the championship. They wouldn't dare."
"Glad you think so," remarked Holly Cross calmly. "But I can see usgiving a good imitation of a lot of fellows in trouble. Maybe we--thatis, whoever strung those wires, for I don't know who it was--maybe wewent a little too far. If I'd have known what was up, I'd have made akick."
"Oh, is that so?" sneered Langridge. But he did not admit his part inthe prank and he let Tom suffer for him, for that afternoon it wasannounced that Tom was to be suspended for two weeks and Kerr for three.Every other member of the freshman class was barred from leaving thecollege grounds for a week.
There arose a mighty protest over this, for there was a game scheduledwith Fairview Institute at the end of the week, and if the class waskept within bounds it meant that many of the nine could not play andthat all the freshmen would be barred from witnessing the second of thechampionship struggles, as the contest was to take place at Fairview.
Then the faculty reconsidered the matter, being "almost human," as Philsaid, and, with the possible exception of Professor Tines, having oncebeen young and fond of sport themselves. They made a new ruling: Thatthe class was to keep within bounds until the day of the game, when allwould be allowed to attend save Tom and Kerr. In their case no exceptionwould be made.
There was more objecting, but the ruling stood. It meant that Tom couldnot pitch on the scrub and that Kerr could not catch on the 'varsity,whereat there was much anguish of soul, for the Fairview team was a hardproposition, and it would take the best that was in the Randall lads tobeat them. But there was no help for it.
Nor did Tom reproach Langridge for having gotten him into the trouble.Tom had hoped that his rival would confess and shoulder the blame, inwhich case, merely having brought the wire on a supposition that it wasto be used for a comparatively harmless prank, Tom's case would not havebeen nearly so bad. But Langridge said nothing. Sid heard somehow of the'varsity pitcher's part in the trick. Then Tom's chum expressed thebelief that Langridge had deliberately acted so as to get Tom intotrouble because the rich lad had feared the newcomer might supplant himas pitcher.
But Tom would not hear of this. He took his suspension grimly, silently,and though barred from class, he kept up his studies; nor did he neglecthis practice of throwing curves, Kerr gladly agreeing to catch for him,for the two were outcasts from the diamond, Tom not even being allowedto play on the scrub.
"But two weeks and three weeks can't last forever," declared Kerr,"though I sure would like to see the Fairview game."
Saturday came and with it a feeling of apprehension on the part of theRandall students, for various reports had come to them of the prowess oftheir rivals. The team made ready to depart for Fairview Institute. Theywere to go by rail to the college that was fifteen miles away. Tom andKerr, about the only ones in the athletic set who remained at Randall,looked wistfully at their departing comrades.
And then, so suddenly that it seemed like a miracle, their sorrow wasturned to joy, for the proctor sought them out on the campus, where theteam was being cheered previous to departure, and announced in the caseof the two suspended students that they might go to the game, but takeno part, even in an emergency. They gladly accepted the terms. Dr.Churchill's heart had softened at the last moment.
"Girls, girls, girls!" exclaimed Tom as he walked out on the fieldwith Sid and Phil and saw the grandstand at Fairview massed with gayfemininity. "And all pretty too!"
"Of course," agreed Sid. "What did I tell you? But what interests memore is the other team. Jove! but they are quick," for the Fairviewstudents were batting and catching in a manner to provoke admiration.
There were shrill cries of encouragement from the girls and more hoarseshouts from the male students, for at Fairview the sexes were aboutevenly divided, both boys and girls taking equal interest in sports.
Coach Lighton shook his head dubiously as he saw the Randall boys streamout on the diamond for practice.
"I hope Cross will appreciate the seriousness of the matter," he said."He can't begin to touch Kerr at catching, yet he's the best one we canput in."
"Yes," agreed Kindlings. "But maybe we'll make out. I hope so."
Kerr was as nervous as a girl at not being able to play. He paced up anddown the coaching lines until Kindlings, fearing he would disconcertthe team, sent him to the grandstand, where Tom had already gone.
Well, that game with Fairview is ancient history now. Sufficient to saythat after a good beginning, when they gathered three runs the firstinning and held their opponents down to a goose egg, principally throughthe pitching of Langridge, the Randall lads went to pieces and theFairviews ran away with them. Langridge was finally fairly batted out ofthe box and the final score was 16 to 4 in favor of the co-educationalinstitution.
It was a sorely disappointed nine that filed off the diamond, nor couldthe generous cheers of the victors apply any balm to the wounds.
"Such pitching!" grumbled Phil as he was in the dressing-room. "Thatlost us the game as much as anything else. Langridge didn't seem to bein form."
The pitcher overheard him.
"I say, Clinton," he called out sneeringly, "you mind your own affairs.I train as good as you, and I didn't miss a fly that came right into myhands," for Phil had thus offended, letting in a run.
"I've see
n you pitch better," spoke Sid quietly, for he and severalothers were "sore" at Langridge, who plainly enough had not been in hisusual good form.
"Well, maybe. I can't be on edge all the while," and the pitcher laughednervously.
Tom, in the grandstand, was making his way down amid a bevy of prettygirls and wishing he had some one who would introduce him to them whenhe heard a voice call his name. He turned quickly and saw Madge Tyler ina bewilderingly pretty dress, her hair framing her face in a mostbewitching manner, while her eyes were bright with the joy of youth andthe fire thereof.
"Too bad, wasn't it?" she asked sympathetically, holding out her hand toTom. "I was so sorry for Mr. Langridge!"
"Why Langridge?" asked Tom quickly.
"Oh, well, because the pitcher seems to have to work so hard, and thento be defeated----"
"Yes, it was unpleasant--the defeat," agreed Tom. "But are you goingout?"
"Yes, I came over with friends to see the game, but I seem to havemissed them in the crush."
"Then let me be your escort back to Haddonfield?" asked Tom. "I'm ratherby my lonesome, too."
"Oh, thank you. I dare say----"
She paused and looked over the moving mass of students, boys and girlswho were laughing happily or walking away dejectedly according to thecolors they wore. Tom followed her gaze. He saw Langridge approachingand he knew that Miss Tyler had seen him also.
"There's Mr. Langridge!" she exclaimed. "I wonder how he feels? Hepromised to meet me after the game."
Tom took a sudden resolve. He did not stop to think that it might be afoolish one. He was actuated solely by what he argued to himself was aplatonic interest in the pretty girl at his side. He had known her inchildhood, he knew her people, and they were old friends of his folks.Of late Tom had heard certain rumors about Langridge, nothing serious asrumors about college students go, but enough to make Tom glad that, inthe case of his sisters, Langridge could not get to know them. It wastherefore with somewhat the same feeling that he might have warned hissisters that he spoke to Miss Tyler.
"You and Mr. Langridge are quite friendly," he said in what he intendedto be a light tone.
"Oh, yes," came the frank answer. "I like him immensely. I like allcollege boys--when they're nice," she finished with a little laugh.
Tom's face was grave, and she saw it. With a girl's intuition she feltthat there was something in the air, and, girl-like, she wanted to knowwhat it was.
"Shouldn't I like him?" she demanded with an arch look.
"Well--er--that is--no, Miss Madge!" burst out Tom, speaking more loudlythan he had intended to. "You won't mind me speaking about it, for I'veknown you so many years."
"Oh, I'm not so ancient as all that!" exclaimed the girl rather pertly.
"No," admitted Tom, and he felt that he was getting into deep water andbeyond his depth. But he would not retreat and floundered on: "No, butI--I know your folks wouldn't like you to go with Langridge--that is,too much, you know. He does not bear a very good----"
There was a hand on Tom's shoulder, and he felt himself wheeled suddenlyaround, to be confronted by Langridge. The pitcher had brushed hisuniform and looked particularly handsome in a well-fitting suit, whilethere was a healthy glow to his face.
"Perhaps you'd better repeat over again, Parsons," he said somewhatsternly, "what you were just saying to Miss Tyler about me. I didn'tcatch it all!"
"I--er--I----" Tom was choking, and the girl bravely came to his relief.
"We were just talking about you," she admitted with a nervous littlelaugh. "I was saying how disheartening it must be to pitch through ahard game and then lose it. And Tom--I mean Mr. Parsons, but I alwayscall him Tom, for I've known him so long--he was just saying--er--he wasjust saying that you were rather--well, rather a flirt. I believe thatwas it, wasn't it, Tom?" and she looked quickly at him, but there wasmeaning in her glance.
Langridge kept his hand on Tom's shoulder and the two looked each otherstraight in the face unflinchingly. Miss Tyler lost some of her blushesand her cheeks began to pale. Then Tom spoke quietly.
"If you wish to know exactly what I said," was his quiet but tenseanswer, "I will tell you--later," and he swung on his heel and starteddown the grandstand steps.
For an instant Langridge stared after him. Then, with a little laugh, heturned to Miss Tyler.
"Poor Parsons is sore because he's been suspended," he said. "He can'teven pitch on the scrub. But how pretty you're looking to-day, MissMadge."
"Miss Tyler, please," she corrected him.
"Mayn't I even call you Miss Madge after I've been defeated in thegame?" he pleaded, and he looked at her boldly. "It would be--er--well,sort of soothing to me."
"Would it?" and she laughed lightly.
"It surely would," and he bent closer toward her.
"Well, then, you may--but only on occasions of defeat."
"Then I'm going to lose every game," he added promptly as he turned ather side and walked down the steps.
Tom Parsons, strolling alone over the now vacant diamond, saw themtogether, and there was a strange feeling in his heart.