The Crimson Sweater Page 10

  CHAPTER IX

  RED HAIR AND WHITE RABBITS

  A fellow can't make a touchdown in the last thirty seconds of play, andso win the game for his school, without affecting his position. Nomatter what he was before, after that he's a hero and a saint and apublic benefactor all rolled into one. Roy's case was no exception. Hewoke up Saturday morning a rather unimportant and quite unpopularperson. He climbed out of bed Sunday morning to find that,metaphorically, the world was his! As soon as the bell had rung thedifference was apparent. There was no more dressing in silence, no morewaiting till the others were through for a chance at the wash-room. Itwas "Morning, Porter! How are you feeling after it?" "Hello, Mr.Quarter-back! How'd you sleep?" "Here, Stearns, get out of here and givePorter a show; he's been waiting hours!" And in the midst of it Chubcame tumbling upstairs half dressed to sit on Roy's bed and delaymatters so that they barely scraped into dining hall between the closingdoors.

  Well, you and I aren't going to begrudge him the satisfaction thechanged conditions brought him. Life has been using him rather badlyfor six weeks or so and he surely deserved some compensation. The onlyfly in the ointment was the thought that, after all, the suddenpopularity was his only as a clever quarter-back, that, for the rest, hewas still, to the fellows, the tale-bearer. But in this he was notaltogether correct, for the majority of boys argued that any chap whocould display the qualities that Roy had shown on the football fieldmust of necessity be all right, and that if he had told on Horace andOtto and the others he must have had some good reason for it. But Roycouldn't know this, and so he was rather unresponsive through it all andheld himself aloof from all save Chub and Jack Rogers and Tom Forrest.He was polite enough, but if any of his admirers hoped at that time tomake friends with him they were doomed to disappointment. But there wasstill another that Roy admitted to a certain degree of friendship, andthat other was Sidney Welch. Sid became a most devoted admirer, followedRoy about like an amiable puppy and was content to sit and watch him inawed admiration as long as Roy would let him. Sid, whose overwhelmingambition was to make the first eleven and aid in defeating Hammond, hadhero worship in its most virulent form. After two or three days of Sid'sattention Roy got so that he would dodge out of sight when he saw theyoungster coming.

  It required some bravery on Sid's part to show open admiration for Roy,for Horace still ruled the school, and the juniors especially, with aniron hand, and Sid was, as he well knew, courting dire punishment. Butit was a time of open revolt against Horace's supremacy and Sid, withmany others, escaped chastisement. Horace hated Roy worse than ever,hated Tom Forrest because that youth had succeeded where he had failed,and, now that he had nothing to gain by seeming friendliness toward thefootball captain, even threw down the gauntlet to Jack Rogers, who,happy as a clam over the outcome of the game and over the receipt of aletter from Johnny King, paid no attention to Horace. Otto Ferris,disgruntled over his failure to make even the second team save as asubstitute, shared Horace's sentiments with enthusiasm and aided thatyouth to the best of his ability in his efforts to discount Roy'striumph. But it was a hard task that they had set themselves, for Royhad won gratitude as well as admiration. Ever since the previous autumnwhen Hammond had triumphed unfairly over the Ferry Hill eleven theschool had looked forward almost breathlessly to revenge. And now it wasin no mood to withhold adulation from the one who had secured it forthem. And so, ere a week had passed, the revolt had grown towell-defined proportions.

  The nucleus of the anti-Burlen camp was comprised of Roy, Chub, Rogers,Forrest and Sid, for at the end of three or four days Sid had thrown offthe yoke. To this handful of revolters came others as the days passed;Bacon, the quarter-back, who had been almost the first to wring Roy'shand and congratulate him, Whitcomb, Fernald and Post, of the eleven,and a few others. There were no open hostilities between the opposingcamps, but before the Christmas vacation arrived the school was sharplydivided and every fellow there had been forced to take sides with eitherHorace or Roy, for in some manner Roy had come to be considered theleader of the opposing force. But before this other things had happenedwhich had a bearing on the matter.

  About a week after the Hammond game Dr. Emery arose one morning afterbreakfast, at which time it was customary for him to make announcements,and said that he wished to correct an erroneous impression which hadprevailed for some time.

  "At the commencing of school this Fall," said the Doctor,absent-mindedly polishing his glasses with a napkin, "there occurred anunpleasant incident. One of the new boys was taken from his bed in theSenior Dormitory by a number of the older boys and given a bath in theriver. As hazing has always been prohibited at Ferry Hill the guiltyones were promptly punished. It has only been within the last day or sothat I have learned of an unfortunate thing in connection with thematter. It seems that the student who was hazed was suspected of havinggiven information leading to the discovery of the culprits. As a result,I am informed, this student has until very recently--in fact until thegame with Hammond Academy--been held in disgrace by his fellows. I amnot going to discuss here the justice or injustice of the attitudeassumed by you; my purpose is to remove the stigma of deceit from aninnocent boy. This boy, when summoned before me the morning followingthe incident, declared that he believed he knew the leader of theescapade, having recognized his voice. The identity of the others he didnot know. When asked for the name of the leader he declined to give it.And, in accordance with our custom, he was not pressed."

  A suppressed hum of applause swept over the dining hall. Roy staredfixedly at a salt-cellar.

  "Fortunately," continued Doctor Emery, "the instructor in charge of theJunior Dormitory, Mr. Buckman, happened to be awake when the partyreturned and so identified most, if not quite all, of its members. Hereported the matter to me, as he was required to do, and I meted outsuch punishment as the offense merited. Naturally, had I known beforethat the student was being made to suffer I would have made thisexplanation at once. As it was, and as I have said, I learned of it onlyyesterday, and then not from one of the school, from whom, it wouldseem, information of such a nature should come, but from one whom, itappears, has the welfare of the school closer at heart than most of you,my daughter."

  "Bully for Harry!" cried Chub quite audibly. And the sentiment met withinstant applause that grew in volume until the instructors commandedsilence.

  "I believe," went on Doctor Emery, with a slight smile, "that since thegame with Hammond Academy the student in question has becomere-established in the respect and--ah--affection of the school." (Theapplause threatened again to drown the speaker.) "And so it seemsscarcely necessary for me now to bespeak for him a reversal of opinion."("No, sir!" This from the irrepressible Chub.) "You will, I am sure,each one of you, wish to make such amends as possible for your formertreatment of him. He, I trust, holds no resentment. Indeed such asentiment would not become him, for, while his refusal to try to puthimself right with his fellows shows a certain commendable pride, yet itwas hardly fair under the circumstances. That is all, I think, on thatsubject. I wish to see the following at my office after breakfast."

  Then came the names of half a dozen fellows, which none, barring,possibly, the fellows themselves, heard. For each table--and there werefive of them--was eagerly discussing the news; and it was wonderful howmany there were who had "known all along that Porter wasn't that sort!"

  But the public vindication, while it disabused the minds of a few whostill doubted, and explained what had happened to those who had alreadyceased to blame Roy in the matter, did not bring about any apparentdifference in the school's treatment of him. He already stood first inschool opinion and all the vindication in the world couldn't have placedhim any higher. He had won the game from Hammond; that was sufficientfor most fellows.

  In view of Doctor Emery's disclosure you have already found me guilty ofhaving neglected to enumerate with Roy's adherents one of the staunchestand most important. For it was no little thing to have Harry on yourside, even if she was only a fourteen-year-o
ld girl; and that has beenproved already and will be again before the story is at an end. But itwas unfortunate that Harry's good offices should have led to anestrangement between her and Roy.

  It all came about in quite the most unforeseen manner. Roy had promisedto play tennis with her the afternoon of Doctor Emery's announcement.They had had quite a few contests already and Harry had proved herselfmore than a match for Roy. To-day they met outside the cottage, Harrybringing her own racquet and one for Roy, since tennis had scarcely beenincluded in his education and he possessed no racquet of his own.Unfortunately Roy started the conversation by accusing Harry of havingbroken her promise. That was an awful accusation to bring against her,since she had an almost quixotic regard for the given word. Stung, shemade no effort to set herself right, only declared sullenly that she haddone no such thing. Roy had not greatly cared, but her curt denialsaroused his impatience.

  "'My, what a temper!'"]

  "But, Harry," he protested, "you must have! He said so!"

  "I didn't! I didn't! I didn't!"

  "But, Harry, that's nonsense, you know."

  "I didn't break my promise," she answered angrily.

  "Well, then I'd just like to know how he found out. Of course I don'tcare much if you did tell him, only--"

  "You've just as good as said I've told a lie!" cried Harry, turningsuddenly with reddening cheeks.

  "I haven't, Harry."

  "You have, too! So! And you--you're very impolite!"

  "Oh, pshaw, there's no use in getting mad about it. I only said--"

  "I'll get mad if I want to," said Harry hotly. "And I guess I can keep apromise as well as you can. You're just stuck-up because you made thatold touchdown!"

  "I'm not!"

  "You are!"

  "My, what a temper! Just what you'd expect of a girl with red hair! Why,I wouldn't--"

  But he stopped there, for Harry's face went suddenly white with rage andshe gasped as though he had struck her.

  "Now look here, Harry," he began contritely. But Harry had found hertongue and he got no farther.

  "Oh, you coward!" she cried, trembling. "You--you beast! I know myhair's red, and I don't care if it is! And, anyway, I'd rather have itred than just no color at all, like--like a fish!"

  "Harry, I didn't mean--"

  "Don't you speak to me again, ever and ever! I don't want to see you! Ihate you, hate you, hate you, Roy Porter, and I'll never speak to youagain as long as I live!"

  "Oh, if you want to be nasty about it," muttered Roy.

  But Harry had turned and was running swiftly along the path, trying herbest to keep back the angry tears that threatened every moment todisgrace her. Roy watched her go, whistled softly, and then followedslowly after.

  "What a little spit-fire!" he muttered with a laugh that was half angryand half regretful. "I don't see what I said, anyhow, except that herhair was red. And it is, as red as fire! If she wants to stay mad shemay for all I care."

  And then, two days later, there occurred an incident which still furtherwidened the breach between them.

  Mr. Buckman opened his desk in Room B in School Hall and stared inamazement. It was the first recitation and the class in geometry watchedinterestedly. The instructor held forth a white rabbit in each hand.

  "Who put these in here?" he demanded sternly.

  There was no answer. The class was smiling broadly, but Mr. Buckman'sexpression prohibited the laughter they longed to indulge in.

  "It was a very funny joke," continued Mr. Buckman scathingly, "only,unfortunately, one of the rabbits has been stupid enough to die and sois unable to appreciate it. The other one appears to be on the point ofdying. I presume that they belong to Miss Harriet. I fancy she willappreciate the joke heartily. I hope to be able to discover theperpetrator of the delicate jest, in which case he will undoubtedly getall the applause he desires."

  Mr. Buckman bore the rabbits out of the room and the class, muchsoberer, looked questioningly about and whispered inquiries. Buteveryone professed ignorance on the subject.

  "Ought to have his head punched, whoever he is," growled Chub to Roy.And the latter heartily agreed.

  When the class was dismissed Harry was waiting, with a white face andblazing eyes, in the corridor. She made for Roy instantly.

  "They're both dead," she cried, "and I hope you're satisfied. Of allnasty, mean things to do, Roy Porter, that's the very meanest! I shouldthink you'd be ashamed of yourself! I should think you'd be ashamed tolook at me!"

  "I don't know anything about it," protested Roy earnestly. "I'm awfullysorry, Harry, honest!"

  "Do you think I believe that?" demanded Harry, brushing aside the tearsthat would leak out in spite of her. "You did it to get even with me, Iknow you did! I don't care what you do to me, but it was cowardly tokill my poor rabbits!"

  "Harry, I give you my word--!"

  "I don't want your word! I wouldn't believe you, Roy Porter! You're amean, contemptible thing!"

  "Oh, very well," said Roy angrily, walking away. "You can think whateveryou like; I don't care!"

  But he did care, nevertheless.

  After dinner he spent a few minutes in the office, but hisstraightforward denial convinced Doctor Emery of his innocence. Theaffair remained a mystery, although Chub professed to have no doubts inthe matter.

  "Nobody but Horace would think of such a thing," he asserted. "And ifHarry had any sense she'd know it."

  But Harry was apparently firmly convinced of Roy's guilt and all hereceived from that young lady during the next week was black looks.

  Meanwhile an event of much interest to the school was approaching andthe incident of the white rabbits was soon forgotten by it. Every year,on the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, was held the Cross Country Run.There was a cup for the individual winner and a cup for the class fiveof whose entries finished first. Ferry Hill had developed cross countryrunning into something of a science. The annual event always awakenedmuch interest and the rivalry between the four classes was intense.

  There were no handicaps, all entries starting together from the steps ofthe gymnasium, taking off north-east for three miles to the village ofCarroll, from there to a neighboring settlement called Findlayburg andso home by the road to the gymnasium, a total distance of six miles. AtCarroll and Findlayburg they were registered by the instructors. Indeference to the cross country event Thanksgiving dinner was postponeduntil evening. It was customary for the football players to remain intraining for the run, and this year they had all done so with theexception of Forrest, Gallup and Burlen, whose weights kept them out ofthe contest. No one was prohibited from entering and even the youngestboy in school was down for the start. One year the junior class hadcaptured the cup and ever since then succeeding junior classes hadstriven mightily.

  As always there were favorites, and this year Chub, Roy and a MiddleClass boy named Townsend were considered to have the best chances. Royhimself was doubtful of his prowess, for, while he could sprint and evendo a quarter of a mile in good time, he had never tried long-distancerunning. But Chub gave him a lot of good advice, assured him that hestood a good chance to win and ended up with: "Anyhow, it's the besttraining in the world and will do you a whole lot of good even if youdon't get the cup." So for a week preceding the day of the contest thecountryside was sprinkled with boys panting up the hills, lopingthrough the woods and trotting doggedly along the frosty road. And attwo o'clock on Thanksgiving Day afternoon thirty-four boys awaited theword in front of the gymnasium.