CHAPTER XXVIII
THE LEGAL BATTLE
Langridge left the gymnasium immediately after the unpleasant scene, andGerhart soon followed. In a manner, the evening had been partly spoiledfor Ruth, but her girl chums gathered around her, and succeeded inbringing back a smile to her face.
She and Tom "sat out" the dance over which there had been a dispute, andin a palm bower they talked of many things. Miss Clinton begged off fromher partner in next to the last dance, but she did the closing numberwith Tom, who wished that the music would never cease.
But the dance finally came to an end with a crash of melody, and thoughthe youths and maidens applauded vigorously, the tired musicians putaway their instruments and departed.
"Well, it's over," spoke Tom, regretfully, as he escorted his faircompanion toward the dressing room.
"Yes, but it was--glorious while it lasted!" she exclaimed, withbrightly sparkling eyes. She was herself again.
"When is the next one?" he asked, eagerly.
"Oh, you greedy boy!" she cried. "I'll let you know, however. We can'thave them too often. The ogress objected to this one, as it was."
"Meaning Miss Philock?" asked Tom.
"No one else. I'll be out soon, and then we'll go home. There are Madgeand Mabel."
Tom and his friends went to have a final cup of coffee, before startingoff with the girls, and while they were drinking the beverage, FrankSimpson remarked:
"Well, we ought to know this week whether we're going to have a RandallCollege any more or not."
"How so?" asked Phil.
"The real legal battle opens in court to-morrow. I heard Dr. Churchilltelling Mr. Zane about it this afternoon. It seems there is a certainpoint to be argued before they get at the main issue, and whichever sidewins this point will have the advantage, and practically get the case."
"What sort of a point is it?" asked Tom, who had a little leaning towardthe law.
"Blessed if I know?" replied the Californian. "It was too deep for me,though I heard Moses mention it. There was something about a writ of_certiorari_ or _lis pendis_ or an injunction, or something like that."
"Maybe the college authorities are going to ask for an injunction toprevent Langridge and that crowd from interfering until the footballseason is over," suggested Holly Cross, hopefully.
"What? Do you imagine that all Moses and the others have to think of isfootball?" demanded Phil. "I tell you, fellows, this is a seriousmatter. I'd hate to see old Randall done away with."
"So would we all," declared Kindlings. "But maybe we'll win in court,just as----"
"As we didn't against Fairview, but as we're going to do against BoxerHall!" interrupted Tom, with energy, and then he saw Ruth beckoning tohim, as she stood with her chums, most bewitchingly arrayed in a furcoat. "Come on!" called Tom to his friends, and soon they were escortingthe girls home.
There was some expectation when the students at Randall assembled inchapel the next morning, and it was borne out by an announcement Dr.Churchill made.
"Perhaps some of you have heard of the further rumors going aboutconcerning our difficulties," he said, gravely. "I beg of you to pay noattention to them. The case is far from settled, though within two daysit may progress much toward that end, either for us--or against us. Inow wish to state," he went on, after a pause, "that the faculty as wellas the directors have been summoned to court to-morrow and the followingday, so that Randall will be without a teaching force. You younggentlemen will be given two holidays from your lectures and studies, butI request that none of you leave the vicinity of the college in thattime. Mr. Zane will be in charge. I believe that is all," and thepresident bowed to the students.
"Wow! Think of it! Two days off!" whispered Dutch.
"You'll practice football as you never did before," declared Kindlingswith energy. "It isn't going to be all cakes and ginger ale for you,Dutch, my lad!"
There was much jubilation among the students at the prospect of anunexpected vacation, and even that day, preceding the two days' holiday,the spirit of unrest was manifested, so that lectures suffered.
Early the next morning, President Churchill and the entire faculty tookthe train for the county seat, where the legal battle would be fought inthe courthouse. The president and the instructors were needed to giveevidence as to how long Randall had been in undisturbed possession ofthe land, as the college lawyers hoped thus to prove their right to it,even without the lost quit-claim deed.
"Now, young gentlemen," began Proctor Zane, when the authorities haddeparted, "I shall expect implicit obedience from all of you in thisemergency. I want no skylarking or horseplay," and as he said that helooked directly at Dutch Housenlager.
"Oh, no, we won't do a thing," promised the fun-loving lad. "Will we,Holly?"
"Speak for yourself. I'm going to practice kicking," declared the bigcentre, as he walked over toward the gridiron with a ball under his arm,followed by a number of the eleven.
Kindlings and the coach took advantage of the free time to insist onthorough practice, and an impromptu game was arranged with a nearbypreparatory school for the following day, while for the present the'varsity would have the scrub as opponents. There was a noticeableimprovement on the part of the regular eleven, and Captain Woodhousefelt much encouraged.
"I say, fellows," remarked Dutch Housenlager, as he strolled into theroom of our four chums that night, and found Frank Simpson there, "I'vegot a great idea."
"What is it, to set the college on fire, transport it bodily to someother location, or some other cute and infantile bit of cutting-up likethat?" asked Tom.
"Neither, you old catamaran! But Zane has his hands full with thefreshman class. Particular hob has broken loose over in their dormitory,and 'Zany' is at his wits' end. Now, what's the matter with some of usgetting into his room, and upsetting it a bit, to pay him back for whathe's made us suffer? How's that for a joke?"
"Too kiddish," declared Phil. "If you can't think up anything morelively you'd better go to bed, or join the freshies. Come again, Dutch."
"Say, it's a wonder you fellows wouldn't think up something livelyyourselves, once in a while," protested the big lad. "You want me todo it all, and then you blame me if it doesn't come out right. Namesomething yourself, Phil Clinton," challenged Dutch.
"Oh, get out, we're going to have a game of chess," declared Sid. "Keepquiet."
"Well, if you fellows don't want to have a good time, I'm going to,"declared Dutch, with an injured air. "I'll find someone to do the trickwith me, and then you'll wish you'd come along."
"Fare thee well," mockingly called Tom, after the departing student.
Dutch managed to get Holly Cross and the two Jersey twins into hisscheme, and the four lads, after ascertaining that the proctor wasbusily engaged trying to bring order out of chaos in the freshmenranks, made for Mr. Zane's room.
"We'll make him think a cyclone has broken loose," declared Dutch,gleefully. "It will be rich."
Now Mr. Zane was the personification of neatness. His room was as wellarranged as the stateroom of the captain on an ocean liner. There was aplace for everything, and everything was always in its place.
But the mischief-making students had not been inside more than threeminutes, before the apartment did indeed look as though a lootingburglar had been at work. Drawers of bureaus were pulled out, books werescattered all about, the chairs were piled up on the tables, a couch wasturned over, and some of the incandescent light bulbs removed.
"Now let's turn every picture with the face to the wall," proposedDutch, with a chuckle.
"Great!" declared Joe Jackson.
"Immense!" echoed his brother.
They were in the act of turning the etchings and engravings about face,when there came a sudden knock at the door. If thunder had sounded inthe room the lads could not have been more surprised. They looked ateach other in consternation. The knock was repeated.
"Co--come in," stammered Holly.
Slowly the portal was pus
hed open, and, there, standing in the hall, wasProfessor Emerson Tines, with a small valise in his hand.
At the sight of the confusion that reigned in the proctor's well-orderedapartment a look of amazement spread itself over the face of the Latininstructor. His jaw fell, and the valise did likewise. Then he snappedhis teeth together, there came a glinting light into his eyes, and witha frosty smile he spoke.
"Good evening, young gentlemen," he said, as he stepped into the room.
"Caught!" murmured Dutch, as he let a picture swing back into place."Caught!"
The Winning Touchdown: A Story of College Football Page 28
