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 hour after the conversation recorded in the last chapter. The boy from the poor-house had told Phil all that had occurred.
"It is certainly the most mysterious thing I ever heard of, outside of this mystery about Billy Dill," answered Phil. "Plum has been up to something 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 anything that wasn't right."
"Nor I. What would you advise?"
"Keep quiet and await developments. Something is bound to come to the surface, sooner or later."
"Hello, you fellows, where are you bound?" came in a cry, and looking up they 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 you happen to see Professor Potts and the Wadsworths?"
"One question at a time, please," answered Ben Basswood, as he shook hands with Phil. "Yes, I saw them all, and everybody wants to be remembered to you. Jessie sends her very sweetest regards"
"Oh, come now, no fooling," interrupted Dave, blushing furiously. "Tell us the plain truth."
"Well, she sent her best regard, anyway. And all the others did the same. 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 live with the Wadsworths."
"You must have had a pretty nice vacation," observed Phil.
"Yes, although it was rather short. But, say, have you fellows heard about 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 underhanded get-rich-quick concern, and I un derstand some folks are going to sue him for all he is worth. That will be rather rough on Gus—if his father loses all his money."
"True enough," said Dave. "But tell us all the news," he continued, and then Ben related the particulars of affairs at Crumville, and of a legal 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 him alone."
The following day passed quietly at Oak Hall. Gus Plum and Nat Poole kept by themselves. Shadow Hamilton appeared to brighten a little, but Dave observed that the youth was by no means himself. He did not care to play baseball or "do a turn" at the gym., and kept for the most part by himself.
Saturday passed, and on Sunday a large number of the students marched off to three of the town churches. Dave, Roger, and Phil attended the same church and Ben went with them, and all listened to a strong sermon on 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," said Roger.
"Well, it is our duty to help others," answered Dave. "The fellow who isn't willing to do that is selfish."
"You've certainly helped Macklin, Dave," said Ben. "I never saw such a change in a fellow. I'll wager he is more than happy to be out of Gus Plum's influence."
"I'd help Plum, too, if he'd let me," said Dave, and then gave a long sigh.
Two days later there was a sensation at the school. Doctor Clay came into the main class room in the middle of the forenoon, looking much worried.
"Young gentlemen, I wish to talk to you for a few minutes," he said. "As some of you may know, I am the proud possessor of a stamp collection which I value at not less than three thousand dollars. The stamps are arranged in three books, and I have spent eight years in collecting them. These books of stamps are missing, and I wish to know if anybody here knows anything about them. If they were taken away in a spirit of fun, let me say that such a joke is a poor one, and I trust the books will be speedily returned, and without damage to a single stamp."
All of the boys listened with interest, for many of them had inspected the collection, and they knew that stamp-gathering was one of the kind doctor'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 the collection 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 long breath.
"If this is a joke, I want the collection returned by to-morrow morning," he went on. "If this is not done, and I learn who is guilty, I shall expel that student from this school."
He then passed on to the next classroom, and so on through the whole academy. But nothing was learned concerning the missing stamp collection, and the end of the inquiry left the worthy doctor much perplexed and worried.
"That is too bad," was Dave's comment, after school was dismissed. "That was 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 the meantime 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 in the direction of Farmer Cadmore's place, to see if they could learn anything 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, or something like that. No, I think those stamps were taken by somebody in the school."
"Then maybe the chap is afraid to return them—for fear of being found out."
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 this surmise the youth was correct.
As the boys walked back to the school they separated, Phil going to the gymnasium 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 past and try to reason out what the sailor had told him. Many a time had Dave tried to reason this out, but always failed, yet he could not bear to think of giving up.
"Some time or another I've got to find out who I am and where I came from," 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 to sit down, when he heard a noise close at hand. Looking through the bushes, he saw Shadow Hamilton on his knees and with his clasped hands raised to heaven. The boy was praying, and remained on his knees for several 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 go along."
"I—I was walking," stammered the other boy. His eyes searched Dave's face. "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 be ashamed of, though."
"I—I—oh, I can't tell you!" and Hamilton's face took on a look of keen misery.
"Shadow, you are in some deep trouble, I know it," came bluntly from Dave. "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 so downcast."
"It wouldn't do any good—you couldn't help me."
"Are you sure of that? Sometimes an outsider looks at a thing in a different light than that person himself. Of course, I don't want to pry 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 say anything."
"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 three weeks 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!"