CHAPTER XIV
BENSON MAKES A FIND
“Thought you’d like to know,” explained Dave, as he mechanicallyformed a snowball and threw it with precision at the head of a passingacquaintance.
“I’m glad you told me,” replied Wayne, frowning intently at the icypath they were traversing on the way from chapel to breakfast. “I thinkit’s a mean thing to do--tell the fellows about it when he hasn’t anyproof against Gray.”
“Yes, I told him I thought he was making an ass of himself,” concurredDave. “Benson isn’t a bad sort, you know, and I guess he really thinksthat Gray took the money; and of course, if he thinks that----”
“But he has no business telling it about school,” declared Wayne hotly.
“No, he hasn’t. And I don’t believe that Gray took the old bill. Hedoesn’t seem that sort, you see. Any fellow that can fix up second-handgolf balls to look like new doesn’t steal. Why, Gray remolded thosebrand new balls of mine so that they are almost as good as they werebefore you lammed them with the fire shovel!”
“Of course, Gray isn’t a thief!” said Wayne. “I suppose the fact of thematter is that Benson just mislaid the money somewhere and can’t findit. But he has no right to say that Gray stole it. And I’m going to seehim and tell him so.”
“Good boy! Hope we don’t have hominy this morning.”
Wayne found Benson in his room in Turner at noon. Benson was a jovial,good-natured chap whom Wayne knew but slightly. He was in the seniorclass, though he had occupied four years in getting there, and wassomewhat of a leader among a coterie of idlers whose aim was to have asgood a time as they could and to pass the examinations by as narrow amargin as was possible. But there was nothing vicious about Benson, andWayne had always liked him as much as their slight friendship warranted.
“Say, Benson,” Wayne began, as he took a seat on the edge of the studytable, “what’s this about your losing some money and suspecting CarlGray of taking it?”
“Why, nothing to make a fuss about,” answered Benson. “It’s this way.You know you came and asked me if I had any golf balls that neededfixing up, and I said I had. And the next day this fellow Gray came andgot them. And then a couple of weeks later he turned up one day whenI was sitting here and brought them back. I’d just got a letter frommy aunt, and the old lady had inclosed a two-dollar bill. That’s a wayshe has, bless her! The bill was laying on the table near you there. Iwas reading a library book--Ploetz’s Epitome of Universal History, itwas--and so when Gray came in I just told him to lay the balls on thetable and said I’d pay him the next day; I owed him sixty cents, anddidn’t have any change. Gray said all right and he hoped I’d like theballs, and went out. Then afterward I looked for the bill and it wasn’tthere. Maybe he didn’t take it,” concluded Benson good-naturedly, “butit wasn’t to be found, and so I naturally suspected him.”
“But Carl Gray isn’t a thief, confound you, Benson!”
“Well, I dare say he didn’t take it. It doesn’t matter. But you saidyourself that he was awfully hard up for money, you know, Gordon; andI thought that perhaps he saw the bill and concluded he needed it morethan I did.”
“Well, if you really think that Gray took the money I’ll pay it back toyou myself. Only you’ve got to keep your mouth shut, Benson, and not gotelling it all around school. Why, hang it, it’s a shame to say such athing about a fellow unless you can prove it!”
“But I haven’t been telling it all around school,” said Bensonindignantly. “I haven’t told a soul except Dick Barrow.”
“Well, Barrow’s told everybody else, I reckon. I learned it from DaveMerton this morning. You ought to know that if you tell a thing likethat it’s sure to get around.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Gordon. I didn’t mean to be nasty about it. Besides,I don’t care about the two dollars. The dear old lady has sent anothertwo since then--this very morning, in fact. I’ll tell the fellows thatit’s all a lie; Barrow’s an awful liar anyhow, you know.”
“I think you’d ought to hunt for the money,” responded Wayne.
“Hunt? I have hunted, Gordon. I hunted all through the room the day itdisappeared.”
“Well, I know that Gray didn’t steal it. But I’m going to pay it backto you.”
“No, you’re not, Gordon. I don’t want your money. If Gray didn’t takeit you’ve no business paying it to me; and if he did take it, I don’tsee where you come in. Hang it, I said I didn’t want the money. What’sthe good of fussing about it?”
“Lots of good,” replied Wayne angrily. “You’ve spread a report thatCarl Gray stole the money from you. You’d no business doing that, andyou know it. I’m going to pay the two dollars to you so that you’llshut up.”
“I’ve told you that I didn’t spread any report; I only told one fellow.And I had a right to tell him if I wanted to.”
“Why haven’t you accused Gray to his face?”
“I will if you send him up.”
“No, you won’t, either. You’ve done enough harm already with your oldtwo-dollar bill. If you’re halfways decent you’ll try and stop thestory from getting around any more.”
“I like your cheek, Gordon,” answered Benson, slamming a book down onthe table. “If I’ve made a mistake in mentioning the thing to BarrowI’m sorry, and I’ll deny the story whenever I hear it; I can’t do anymore than that, can I?”
“But what did you do it for?” insisted Wayne.
“Why, I’ve explained it, haven’t I? What’s the good of talking about itany more? If the money was stolen, it’s stolen, and----”
“It wasn’t stolen, and you know it, Benson.”
“I don’t know anything of the sort,” responded Benson, losing histemper. “I only know that you tell me Gray isn’t a thief; maybe heisn’t. But the money was there when he came in and it was gone when hewent out; and he wanted money. If you’ve got anything else to say, sayit to Gray.”
“You’re a coward, Benson, to make such a charge when you can’t----”
“Well, on my word! Say, you’d better get out of here, or----”
“Or what?” asked Wayne defiantly.
Benson restrained himself with an effort and walked to the window.
“If you don’t I will, and you can talk to the table.”
Wayne bit his lip, scowled at the motionless back of the other boy, andslid to the floor. At the door he hesitated with his hand on the knob.Then he returned to the middle of the study.
“I say, Benson, I’ll take that back, you know--what I just said. Ireckon I’ve been acting like a cad ever since I came in; but you seeGray’s a friend of mine, and----”
“Oh, that’s all right; no harm done. Of course you’d feel mad aboutit; I dare say I would in your place. Sorry I ever opened my mouthon the subject.” Benson turned back toward the table and smiledgood-humoredly. “If you hear the yarn again you might deny it for me.Will you? Just say I was lying, you know.”
“Perhaps you’ll find the money some time,” suggested Wayne.
“Eh? Find the money? Oh, of course I might. Still--” Benson paused andstared at Wayne. Then his face lighted up. “By Jove, Gordon, that’s agood idea! I’ll find it this evening!”
“Yes; it might have fallen into a drawer or somewhere like that, youknow.”
“Of course it might. I--I dare say it fell back of the drawer. Perhapsit’s there now, Gordon.”
“Perhaps it is.”
Very seriously Benson, fumbling in his vest pocket, advanced to thetable and pulled out the left-hand drawer. Then he thrust his hand intothe aperture.
“Feel anything?” asked Wayne.
“Yes, I think I’ve got it.” He withdrew his hand and held up atwo-dollar bill. “Isn’t that luck?”
“Yes indeed,” replied Wayne unsmilingly. “And I’m awfully glad youfound it. I’ll tell Merton, and get him to tell the others.”
“I wish you would. And I’ll tell Barrow right away. I suppose I put itinto the drawer and forgot about it,
and then it got pushed out at theback. I should think that was the way it happened, eh?”
“Must be,” answered Wayne. “Well, I’ll get out now. Awfully muchobliged to you, Benson, for--for hunting it. And I hope you’ll forgetanything I said that wasn’t----”
“That’s all right, Gordon; forget it yourself. Glad you came in.”
Wayne hurried away to his room for a book, and on the way he ponderedover Benson’s story. Of course, Benson might have been mistaken, butWayne couldn’t blame him in his heart for suspecting Gray, under thecircumstances. Had Gray really taken the money? He _was_ hard up at thetime, undoubtedly; and perhaps the temptation had been too great forhim. On the other hand, Carl Gray didn’t look like a fellow that wouldgive way to temptation so easily, and he had kept every promise madeto him. No, Gray hadn’t taken the money, Wayne concluded, and he hopedthat the story would not reach his ears.
But it had. Gray was sitting in Wayne’s easy-chair talking to Don whenWayne reached the study, and after the latter had found his chemistrynotebook Gray accompanied him across the yard. He broached the subjectat once. He had heard the report in a roundabout way, and scarcely knewwhether to credit it or not.
“I’m very sure, Gordon,” the boy declared, “that there wasn’t any moneynear me when I was in his room that time. I laid the golf balls on thetable; I should have noticed a bill if it had been in sight. I didn’ttake the money, Gordon, honestly! Won’t you go with me to see Benson?You could tell him that--that--well, you know me a little. Why, if thefaculty hears of it----”
“Shut up!” cried Wayne, who for several minutes had been tryingto interrupt the flow of the other’s nervous explanations andprotestations. “The money wasn’t stolen. It’s been found. Benson foundit himself. It had fallen out back of the table drawer. I was therewhen he found it.”
“Really?” cried Gray. “I--I’m awfully glad!”
“Benson didn’t mean the story to get out. You see, Gray, he thoughthe had left the money on the table, and when he went to look for itafter you’d gone he couldn’t find it. He hunted everywhere--as hethought--and--and it didn’t turn up. And then he--he suspected you. Itold him he was mistaken, and so we hunted some more, and he found itin the table, you know. I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t believemany fellows heard it. And he’s going to tell all of them that themoney is found, and so am I. He’s very sorry about it.”
“Well, I don’t suppose he was to blame. Of course, he--he didn’t knowme very well. It was good of you to see him, awfully good. Why, perhapsif you hadn’t gone there he wouldn’t have found it.”
“Oh, yes, he would have, some time. But I’m glad I went. Well, here’swhere I do stunts with chemistry.”
“You’re--you’re quite sure it was found, Gordon?” asked Gray as Wayneran up the steps. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
“Of course it was found,” cried Wayne. “Didn’t I tell you that I sawBenson find it, you chump?” Gray turned away, apparently not quiteconvinced, and Wayne went on into the hall.
“My!” he muttered with a grin, “I’m getting to be an awful liar!”He frowned over some obtruding thought. Then he pushed open therecitation-room door with a violence that won him a scowl of annoyancefrom the professor.
“Nonsense!” he told himself, as he took his seat and opened his book;“Gray _didn’t_ take it!”
For the Honor of the School: A Story of School Life and Interscholastic Sport Page 14
