CHAPTER VI
AT THE SINGING SCHOOL
Frank did not hesitate a minute. He believed that it was his duty,if possible, to overtake the spy, and not only learn his identity,but in some fashion make him promise not to reveal what he hadseen and heard.
He started as fast as he could, making allowances for the factthat he did not wish to alarm the fellow too soon. The shades ofevening were not far away, since night comes early in mid-November,and try as he would, he found it impossible to decide as towhether the other was someone he knew or a stranger.
As he ran quickly over in his mind the list of those who wouldcome under the head of suspicion, he put them aside, one afteranother. It was certainly not Lef Seller or Bill Klemm; anotherlook, and he was just as positive that it could not be either AsaBarnes or Tony Gilpin.
Perhaps, after all, this cunning spy might be some enthusiast fromClifford, who, believing that his team had suffered throughtreachery on the preceding Saturday, when Bellport overwhelmedthem, wished to even matters by picking up Columbia's signals.
"As if two wrongs ever yet made a right," said Frank bitterly, ashe continued to chase after the unknown.
He was gaining rapidly. Still, in order to do so, he had to keephis eyes fixed for the most part on the moving figure ahead, andin this way was unable to properly watch his footsteps.
Consequently, it was not at all surprising when he suddenlystepped on a stick that broke with a sharp twang. And, before hecould dodge behind a tree, the fellow beyond had turned his head.
Frank knew instantly that he was discovered. He had stoodperfectly still, in the hope that he might escape observation; butwhen he saw the other take to his heels, he realized that it wasnow destined to be a stern chase. So he, too, started to run attop speed, which meant a hot pace, since Frank was something of asprinter on the cinder path.
At least, that turn on the part of the other had told him onething--it was no Columbia fellow who had played this miserabletrick upon the football squad; so undoubtedly he must belong inClifford.
Despite the efforts of the school authorities, there was alwaysmore or less laying of wagers on these games. Driven away from theracetracks by recent strict State legislation, it seemed thatthose who made books were seeking all manner of sports, in orderto carry on their games of chance.
So Frank consoled himself in the belief that this might be someagent of these gamesters, rather than a Clifford schoolboyintending to take a mean advantage of the rival team.
He was outrunning the fugitive, and it looked as though, if thechase were continued five minutes more, Frank was sure to overtakehim.
Then the road leading north toward the river was reached. ToFrank's disgust, he saw the other drag a bicycle out of somebushes, and, while he made a swift rush, hoping to yet come uponthe fellow before he got away, it was only to see his intendedquarry spin off along the road.
Frank followed a short distance, still cherishing a faint hopethat something might happen to upset the other, but gradually thefigure of the fleeing spy began to vanish, and he had to give itup.
The last he heard from the fellow was a sharp howl of derision.Evidently his sudden coming on the scene had given the coward agreat scare, and he was now rejoicing over his narrow escape.
"Too bad that he got away," thought Frank, as he started across afield to take a short-cut that would save him considerable in hiswalk home. "I don't even know who he is. But, at any rate, thissettles the question of signals. We wouldn't dare use the old onesnow."
He made direct for the home of Buster Billings, where CoachWilloughby was stopping, he being an old friend of the family.
"Hello, how did you make out?" was the way he greeted Frank whenthe football captain was ushered into his room, where he wasdressing for dinner.
"You guessed right, sir," answered Frank, gloomily.
"Then there _was_ a spy around to pick up our signals?" askedthe coach, smiling.
"He was hidden up in that big dense pine tree, and I guess hecould see everything we did, as well as hear my signals. It's ashame that we have to go up against such trickery as that, sir,"declared Frank, warmly.
"That's all right. Remember what we concluded would come out ofthis thing. If those Clifford players are small enough to takeadvantage of this find, let them, that's all. We'll fix it so thatthey'll make some tremendous blunders before they decide thathonesty is the best policy. But I'm glad you found out. Now, tellme all about it, Frank," and the coach put both hands on theshoulders of the young athlete, in whom he had taken greatinterest.
Frank made a wry face.
"There isn't much to tell. No _veni, vidi, vici,_ about this,for, while I came, and saw, I didn't conquer by a long shot. Thefellow dropped down out of the tree, and made off, with me taggingbehind. Then he discovered me, and ran. I followed suit, and wasrapidly overtaking him, when we reached the road that turns towardthe one along the river bank leading to the Clifford bridge."
"Yes, and then?" continued the coach, expectantly.
"I lost him! He had a wheel hidden in the bushes, and pedaledaway, giving me the laugh as he went out of sight. That's all,sir," concluded Frank.
"Did you get a square look at the fellow?" inquired Mr.Willoughby.
"Enough to make sure that he didn't belong in Columbia, so far asI could tell. I guess he came from Clifford, all right, sir."
"Well, it makes little difference, so long as we know the signalsare off. Forewarned is forearmed, they say. Forget all about it,my boy, and we'll fix matters so that we can profit from ourseeming misfortunes."
So Frank went home to clean himself, and eat his supper. Theconsolation given by Coach Willoughby did much to cheer him up,and he managed to put the ugly business out of his mind.
Indeed, he had a host of other things to bother him. The game onthe morrow, of course, meant much to an enthusiast like Frank.Then, again, there was that strange matter in connection withMinnie Cuthbert. Frank thought a good deal of Minnie, and they hadbeen great friends for a long time. To have her cut him dead wasbad enough, but to act as she did toward his sister Helen seemedoutrageous.
"There is something wrong about it," Frank said, as he dressed."Minnie isn't the kind of a girl to do such a thing unless shebelieves she has a mighty good excuse. Well, I can't do anythingto bridge the gap. It must go on until something happens to bringabout an explanation. Until then it is my policy to simply leavematters alone, and pay attention to my own affairs."
But when he got to thinking of how Lef Seller had on one otheroccasion played a trick that, for a time, made trouble betweenMinnie and himself, he shook his head wrath fully, and mutteredthreats that boded no good to that prank-lover, should he prove tobe guilty in this present instance.
Helen, being a girl, knew how to disguise her feelings. She seemedquite herself, and Frank could not help wondering if, after all,she had cared more for Minnie than she did for Flo Dempsey, withwhom she intended seeing the great game on the morrow.
"Going to the meeting of the glee club to-night, Helen?" he asked,after supper.
She looked at him with a smile.
"Why not? I'm just as fond of singing as ever. I hope you don'tmean to stay away for any reason, Frank?" came her quick reply.
That decided Frank. Any hesitation on the part of his sister, andhe meant to remain at home; for, somehow, he felt that he hardlycared to mingle with the crowd, where Minnie must assuredly be,since she was one of the leading singers.
"Why, sure. I guess a little relaxation from the strain will doall of the team good. Some of the other fellows are going to comein a bunch, with Ralph and Bones."
"What is that for?" asked Helen, who could see from the smile thatcrossed his face that there was a reason.
"Oh, it's just like the class spreads, where they want to breakthe jollification up by kidnapping the president; some fellows areafter our two new recruits, that's all," he replied.
"But this is different. Why should any Columbia boy want to kidnapRalph? I
t would spoil the game to-morrow, and perhaps defeat ourschool."
"And that's just what these fellows would like to see. A case ofsour grapes with them. But we're going to protect our men to thelimit," declared Frank.
"How mean and contemptible of them! They ought to be ashamed ofthemselves."
"Well," said Frank, soothingly, as he saw how the indignant girltook it to heart in connection with Ralph, "Never mind now, but goand get your things on. We might as well make a start now. Youknow, we don't practice to-night at the school, because they'refixing the ceiling in the assembly room. It's to be at Dyckman'sHall."
"I promised that we would drop around and take Flo with us,"remarked Helen, with a quick look upward, and a little smile.
"Oh, well, it doesn't matter; that is, it won't take us much outof our way," returned Frank.
"No, it isn't so far as the Cuthbert's," and with this partingshot, Helen ran upstairs, leaving Frank to ponder over hermeaning.
The glee club usually met in the hall at the high school. It wasconnected with the educational department, in that the schoolauthorities encouraged its existence, for the study of music wasalong the lines of the ordinary duties of the classes.
Of course, when fifty or more young people come together of anevening, they are bound to make merry. Consequently there wasalways an air of jollity connected with these weekly singingsociety meetings throughout the winter months.
Both Bones Shadduck and Ralph West were present. They showed upwith a bunch of others, and secretly Ralph reported to Frank thatthey had seen no sign of the enemy while on the way thither.
"But don't let that make you careless," retorted the other, "forthese chaps are as cunning as Indians, who always attack, theysay, just before dawn, when the men on guard are apt to be sleepy.Watch out, Ralph. We need you too much to have you takingchances."
But the evening passed quickly, with the customary songs andmerriment. Minnie was, of course, present. She had come withDottie Warren, and once, when it chanced that she and Frank metface to face, she looked annoyed because she had to speak.However, Frank's nod was just as cold as her own.
He sang with even more vim than customary, just to show her thathe was not caring in the least. Still, there were curious eyesthat noted the breach, and more than one group of girls commentedon the fact.
"They've certainly had a falling out," said Emily Dodsworth, theprimp, and she tried to look horrified, even while secretlypleased, because she was herself very fond of Frank. "Isn't itdreadful, girls? But then I thought their friendship was toosudden to last long. Perhaps Frank may understand now that 'oldfriends are sure, old ties endure.'"
It was nearly ten o'clock, when the singing school was supposed toclose. Frank found himself wishing that it were over with.Somehow, he felt very tired, though suspecting that his wearinessmight be more of the mind than the body. Still, with that greatgame to be won on the morrow, he believed that he ought to getbetween the sheets as soon as possible now.
It was just at this time he saw Lanky Wallace heading toward him.Lanky was not in the least a diplomat. Whenever he had anythingworrying him, the fact seemed to stick out all over his face,bringing wrinkles to his usually placid brow.
It was so now. Immediately Frank began to scent trouble, though,for the life of him, he could not understand just how it couldcome while the boys were still at the singing school. Surely, noneof those schemers would dare sneak into the hall and kidnap eitherof the two new recruits.
He hastily glanced around and heaved a sigh of relief when hiseyes fell on the figure of Ralph close by, as he chatted withHelen and Flo. At least it could not be him.
"What's ailing you, Lanky?" he demanded, as the other rushed up tohim.
"It's Bones--they can't find him anywhere, and I guess he's beencarried off by some of those disgruntled chaps!" exclaimed theother, with a look of dismay.
Boys of Columbia High on the Gridiron : or, the Struggle for the Silver Cup Page 6