CHAPTER II
TOM TO THE RESCUE
While the car is speeding back to Elmwood Hall, bearing Tom and hischums, and while our hero is endeavoring to bear up under the strainof the unexpected and bad news that came to him, I will take theopportunity to tell you something more about him and his friends.
As related in the first book of this series, entitled "Tom Fairfield'sSchooldays," the reason why he went to Elmwood Hall was because hisfather and mother had to go to Sydney, Australia, to settle somebusiness affairs about a valuable property inheritance. They did notwant to take Tom with them, and so break up his schooling, so theypicked out Elmwood Hall for him to attend.
The same day that Tom received the news about going to boarding schooland heard that his parents were to start on a long trip, he met BruceBennington, who had motored out to where Tom lived, in Briartown. Bruceborrowed Tom's boat for a row, and Tom was at once struck with the airof trouble that brooded over the student--for Bruce let it be knownthat he was a Senior at Elmwood Hall.
A little later, Tom started for the place of learning. Almost at theoutset he made an enemy of Sam Heller and his crony Nick Johnson. Butour hero also made friends, his chief one being Jack Fitch, with whomhe roomed in Opus Manor, the dormitory of the Freshmen.
Doctor Pliny Meredith was head master of Elmwood Hall, and amongthe teachers was Dr. Livingston Hammond, a stout, jolly gentleman,sometimes called the "Live Wire." Doctor Meredith was known as "Merry,"because, as Jack Fitch said, "he was so solemn," though not at all grimor forbidding.
There was also a certain Professor Burton Skeel, who was counted oneof the most unpleasant of instructors. It was he who had made troublefor Bruce Bennington, in the matter of a forged promissory note, whichthreatened to ruin the career of the Senior.
But Tom was able to help Bruce in an unexpected way, and getpossession of the note. The duplicity of Mr. Skeel was exposed, andhe left Elmwood Hall. Not before, however, he had been the cause ofconsiderable trouble.
His treatment of the students was so harsh that Tom proposed that theygo on "strike" against him, and refuse to enter his class room. Theydid, Tom leading the revolt.
Our hero also led the escape from the school, when the whole Latindivision of the Freshman class was made prisoners. The boys intended todesert to town, and stay there until Mr. Skeel was removed, but theylost their way in a storm, and had to come back.
Tom, however, had prepared an effigy of the unpopular instructor, andin the midst of a blinding snowstorm this effigy was burned on the flagpole, Mr. Skeel trying in vain to stop the student's fun.
Thus the strike was broken, and Tom and his chums won, a new Latininstructor being engaged, and Doctor Meredith, though somewhat startledby the curious revolt in his school, managed to get material from itfor a paper which he read before a very learned society.
But it was not all unpleasantness and strikes during Tom's time at theschool. He had spreads, he took part in a big football game, and made asensational run, and he was champion of his class in the annual skatingrace, though Sam Heller tried to trip him.
Mr. and Mrs. Brokaw Fairfield, Tom's parents, had remained in Australiaever since September, when they went there, to settle up the matter ofthe property that had been left to them. Tom had spent the between-termvacations with Jack Fitch, but the Easter one, his parents wrote him,they wished him to spend with an aged aunt.
"And--and, maybe that's the last letter I'll ever get from them,"thought our hero gloomily.
He was, as I have said, on his way back to the Hall from the theatricalperformance, when Jack Fitch had unexpectedly come upon the item of badnews.
"Say, maybe this is nothing but a newspaper yarn," suggested BertWilson, for want of something better to say, after a period of tensesilence.
"I wish I could think so," answered Tom gloomily. "But this paper isa reliable one, and that cablegram came by the Associated Press. Thatorganization doesn't send out false news very often."
"But this may be just one of those occasions," put in George. He wasnot asking questions now. He, as well as the others, wanted to do allthey could for Tom, who was a general favorite in school.
"Well, of course, I'm going to hope so," said our hero. "But that isn'tgoing to stop me from doing things."
"What is your plan?" asked Jack.
"I don't just know. I want to find out about the truth of this dispatch,if I can. I'm going to telegraph, or cablegraph--or--or, do something."
"If we can do anything to help you, let us know," suggested Bert.
"That's right," added George.
"My father has a lot to do with telegraph and cable companies," saidJack. "He has a brokerage office in New York. Maybe he could get someinformation for you, by wire."
"Perhaps he can," agreed Tom. "I'll ask him in the morning. Oh, I wishit was morning now!"
It was rather a dejected group of students who quietly made their wayback into Elmwood Hall that night. Tom's grief was like a pall over allof them, and they would not have greatly minded if they had been caughtout after hours by some prowling monitor, or a late-staying professor.
But it was all too easy. They managed to get into the basementunobserved, and Demy, the friendly and studious janitor, let the boysinto their corridor, whence they made their way to their rooms.
"By Jove, Tom, I wish I hadn't bought that paper," spoke Jack, as thetwo chums were getting ready for bed.
"Nonsense! It wasn't your fault, Jack; I'd have known it sooner orlater, and I'm glad to have it sooner. I can get busy quicker."
"But even if the wreckage was found," went on Tom's chum, "that doesn'tsay that the _Kangaroo_ is lost. She may have been in a bad storm, andsome of her lifeboats may have been carried away. Why even if badlydamaged she could manage to keep afloat for a long time. A wooden shipisn't like a steel one, you know."
"I suppose not. I'll hope for the best."
"And I'll wire to dad for you the first thing in the morning," promisedJack.
Tom did not pass a very good night, sleeping only a little, and thatrestlessly, and he was up early. So was Jack, and at the suggestion ofthe latter they both obtained permission to go into town, and to absentthemselves from lectures that day.
"Of course, my dear lads, of course!" exclaimed Doctor Meredithgenially, when the case had been explained to him. "Do whatever youthink necessary. And I will help you all I can. I sincerely trust thatyou will find the report unfounded, or, at least, that it is not as badas it seems."
"Say, he's all right, if he is a head master; isn't he?" asked Jack,as he and his chum were on their way to town, after an early breakfastahead of their class.
"He sure is. Skeel was the only thorn here, and he's gone; thankgoodness!"
"I wonder where?"
"I don't know. I heard he'd gone out west somewhere, changed his name,and was trying to get a berth in a new school."
The two lads made their way to a telegraph office, and, explainingmatters to the agent, he kindly offered to rush the messages for them.Jack sent one to his father, requesting an answer as soon as possible.
"Now we'll have to wait a bit," suggested Jack. "Come on for a walkaround town."
They were back at the office in a comparatively short time, however,and waited there while the instruments nervously clicked off theirmessages of cheer or sadness.
"Here comes one for you," the operator suddenly said, and Tom staredat the affairs of brass and rubber, vainly wishing that he couldunderstand the Morse code. Finally the agent handed over a moist slip.
"Sorry I have no good news for your chum," Mr. Fitch wired his son. "Have communicated with Sydney agency and they confirm report. _Kangaroo_ may not be lost, but she is missing. Can I do anything else?"
For a moment there was silence between Jack and Tom, and then the formersaid:
"Well, it isn't as bad as it might be. Only missing. She may be afloat,and may limp into port. It will be hard waiting, though, for you, Tom."
"But I
'm not going to wait!" cried our hero.
"What?" asked Jack in surprise.
"I say I'm not going to wait for news. That's the worst thing in theworld--waiting."
"But what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to the rescue!" exclaimed Tom. "I'm going to quit school, goto San Francisco, catch the first steamer I can for Australia, and huntup dad and my mother."
"Great!" cried Jack. "By Jove, I wish I could go with you! When are yougoing to start?"
"To-day, if I can get packed up. I'm off for Australia!"