by Morgan Scott
CHAPTER IX
THE BLOW AND AFTERWARDS.
There was a moment of stunned and breathless silence as the younggamesters stared at the fifth ace thus exposed to view--the ace ofspades. This silence was broken by Hooker, who, glaring at Shultz,suddenly snarled:
"You sneaking, cheating robber!"
With that cry, he leaped up, overturning his chair, and made a grab forShultz's throat. The latter had likewise risen, and with a sweep of hisarm he brushed aside Hooker's clawlike hand, at the same time drivinghis fist hard and straight at Roy's face.
The blow landed with a sickening smack, and Hooker was hurled backwardby the force of it, tripping over his upset chair. Both his arms wereflung wide in an effort to save himself. His head struck with a thudagainst the marble mantelpiece, the shock being sufficient to knock oneor two bits of bric-a-brac to the floor. Beneath one end of the mantelhe collapsed in a heap, with his shoulders against the wall, his headdropping limply over on one of them.
Springer, having failed to seize Shultz in time to check that blow, nowgrabbed him with both hands and clung fast, panting in his ear:
"For the lul-lul-love of goodness, what have you dud-done?"
With a hissing sound, Shultz drew his breath through his clenched teeth,exposed by his parted lips. His nostrils were dilated, and the rage ofan aroused animal blazed in his eyes.
"A fight here!" fluttered Cooper. "Don't start a fight here!"
"Start one!" said Shultz hoarsely. "I didn't. He started it. He calledme a cheat and a robber. I'll teach him to apply such words to me!"
"Keep Charley away," commanded Osgood, quickly kneeling beside thesilent figure of the boy who had been struck down. "This is very badbusiness. Come, Hooker, brace up." But when he sought to arouse thestricken youth, Hooker's body simply slid over sidewise with a littlescraping sound against the wall, one arm rolling lifelessly across hisbreast to allow his knuckles to drop with a faint, soft knock upon thethick carpet.
"For the love of goodness!" repeated Springer in a horrified voice. "Helul-looks like a dud-dead one!"
Fiercely Shultz jerked away from Phil's restraining hands. "You don'thave to hold me," he rasped. "What do you think I'd do, hit him againwhen he's down?"
Betraying the alarm he could not repress, Osgood made one more effort toarouse the limp fellow on the floor. Then he spoke swiftly, excitedly tothe others.
"Somebody bring some water from the bathroom," he directed. "Roy'sstunned. I'll loosen up his collar so he can breathe. Help me place himon his back. Bring the water quick!"
Trembling and sick at heart, Piper found his way to the bathroom, drew aglass of water from the lavatory faucet, and hurried back with it.
Osgood and Springer were kneeling on either side of the prostrate lad,while Cooper, pale and agitated, stood looking on as if he could notbring himself to offer assistance or did not know what to do. Shultz,his jaws hard set, his breast heaving, stood at a little distance,watching.
"Give me the water, Piper," requested Osgood, plainly trying to maintainas much calmness as possible. "Hand Phil a book or magazine or somethingto fan him with. Some one open a window and let some of this smoke out.Make as little noise as you can. Perhaps they didn't hear him fall, andif we can bring him round all right, nobody must ever know whathappened."
Hooker's tie had been removed and his collar and neckband unbuttoned. Helay quite still--horribly still, Piper thought. There was a bruise on hisalmost ghastly cheek where Shultz's fist had struck. His eyes wereclosed, and the lids did not even seem to flutter. In his whiteshirt-sleeves, he seemed fearfully deathlike to the staring eyes ofBilly Piper.
"Get that window open, I tell you!" ordered Osgood almost fiercely, ashe began pouring water into the palm of his hand and bathing Hooker'stemples. "Fan him, Springer."
"This is horrible!" Sleuth whispered to himself, as he opened a window."I wish I'd never come here to-night."
After a few minutes Shultz began to betray concern. "Isn't he cominground?" he asked.
"If you've killed him," said Piper bitterly, "you won't be the only oneto suffer for it. Nobody in this bunch ever will be able to hold hishead up again in Oakdale."
"Oh, he'll come round all right. I didn't even hit him on the jaw. Idon't see how he was knocked out so easy."
"It was the bump he got against the mantel," said Osgood, his drippinghand in Hooker's hair. "Here's the spot on his head. It's swollen almostas big as a hen's egg."
"Perhaps--perhaps his skull is fractured," muttered Piper.
"He brought it on himself," asserted Shultz in self-defense. "I don'tknow where that extra ace came from. I got all of mine honestly andsquarely. He had no right to call me a cheat."
"I sus-saw his eyelids move," stammered Springer, still fanning. "He'scoming round! He's breathing!"
"Yes, he's coming round, thank fortune!" said Osgood in great relief."He ought to be all right in a few minutes."
Although these signs of reviving probably gave Shultz the mostsatisfaction, he now attempted to hide his feelings behind an air ofsullen defiance and self-justification. Apparently, with the exceptionof Osgood, he was the calmest person in the room.
Presently Hooker's breast heaved and he gave a heavy sigh. Then his eyesopened.
"You're all right, old man," said Osgood. "You got a fierce old bumpwhen you fell, but you'll be on your pins in a minute or two now."
Hooker looked at him strangely without speaking. After a little timethey lifted Roy and placed him on the big leather-covered Morris chair,following which they stood around and tried to get him to say that hewas feeling better. He continued to stare at them, one after another, inthat same puzzled, bewildered way, and all their efforts to draw a wordfrom him were fruitless. Once his eyes rested on Shultz, but in theirdepths there was no gleam of light in the slightest way different fromthat aroused by sight of the others.
"He's dazed," whispered Sleuth. "His mind is befogged."
"If we let him alone a few minutes he ought to come out of it," saidOsgood. "Let's settle up. We can't play any more to-night."
"I'd like to know where that fuf-fifth ace came from," said Springer, ashe turned all the aces over and looked at the backs of the cards."They're alike, every one of 'em."
"I had two packs alike," explained Osgood. "The extra ace must havegotten into this pack by accident."
"If we've been playing with it all the time," ventured Cooper timidly,"it's mighty funny we didn't discover it before."
"I'd like to know what you mean by that," growled Shultz, glaring atChipper in a manner that made the little fellow draw back a bit. "I hopeyou don't insinuate----"
"I'm not insinuating anything," was the hasty disclaimer. "I just saidit was funny, that's all."
"Fuf-funny is hardly the word," muttered Springer.
"I'm sure," said Osgood quickly, "that no one in this crowd would play adishonest game. The cards got mixed, and I made up that pack myself. Ifanybody is to blame, I am. Count up your chips, fellows, and let'ssquare things right away."
They did as directed, and he settled up with each of them, turning lastto Hooker, who was behind the game. Counting the few chips left to theunfortunate gamester, Osgood announced how many there were and offeredtheir value in change to Roy, who, however, made no attempt to acceptthe coins.
"This is what's coming to you, Roy," said Ned. "Take it."
Hooker looked at him blankly. In Cooper's ear Piper whispered:
"He don't understand. What if he never comes out of it?"
"He will; he must," Chipper whispered back.
Ned slid the coins into Roy's pocket. "Now," he said, "I think thisparty had better break up. Somebody will have to see Hooker home, and Ithink the outside air will revive him. This affair must be kept strictlyprivate. If any one breathes a word about it, he will brand himself asa---- Oh, but I know there's no need of saying such a thing, and I won'tsay it."
"You don't have to so far as I'm concerned," asserted Piper promptly."Any on
e here would be a chump to tattle."
As Billy was the only one Osgood had feared, Ned immediately showed hisrelief and satisfaction.
Hooker, still sitting supinely on the Morris chair, permitted them toreadjust his collar and tie. When they lifted him to his feet he stoodstill while they actually pushed his arms into his heavy, reefer-likecoat.
"There you are," said Osgood, slapping him on the back. "We're allmighty sorry it happened, Roy, but it was a mistake. As I provided thecards, I must shoulder the blame, if any one. You've been a game loser,old chap. Do you need some money? I'll lend you what you want."
"Queer," whispered Piper. "He doesn't seem to understand a word."
"I'm going," said Shultz suddenly. He removed from the doorknob his cap,which had been hanging there, and turned the key in the lock. As if herealized that something more was expected of him, he stopped and forcedhimself to turn until he could look back at them, though it was plainlywith a great struggle that he did so. "Perhaps some of you fellows blameme," he flung at them. "If you do, just try to put yourselves in myplace. Just try to think of yourselves as holding four aces, gettingthem squarely and fairly, and then being called a cheat and a robber.Perhaps I wouldn't have hit him if he hadn't tried to choke me."
"You're sorry it happened, aren't you, Charley?" said Osgood.
"I'm sorry--for your sake, anyhow; but I had to defend myself. Any otherfellow would have done the same. Good night."
"Go out quietly," cautioned Ned, as Shultz was disappearing.
A few moments later they heard the departing fellow's footsteps comingup from the sidewalk.
"I'll let the rest of you out myself," said the host. "Don't talk as wego downstairs, and step quietly. Come on, Hooker."
He took Roy's arm, and, like guilty creatures, they stole out of theroom and tiptoed down the stairs. It was necessary for Osgood to cautionHooker about descending in the dim light of the hall lamp. At the outerdoor Ned made them wait while he took a look into the street.
"Nobody in sight," he announced in a low voice. "It's a good time to getaway, fellows. Good night."
With muttered good nights they left the house and descended the steps,Springer having taken Hooker's arm. The air was damp and raw, andPiper's teeth chattered a little.
"Too bad our little pup-party busted up that way," muttered Phil; "butwe were lucky to gug-gug-get out without anybody getting wise. Osgood'sa fine chap, but if people knew about our playing in his rooms and thisscrap to-night, they'd think him a regular pirate. Every old gossip intown would gug-gabble."
"What worries me most," ventured Cooper, "is about Hooker. Don't youfeel all right now, Roy?"
"Perhaps he doesn't want to speak," whispered Piper. "S'pose he can gethome all right?"
"Somebody had bub-better go with him," said Springer. "It's out of myway, but it's on your road, Cooper. He's all right, only he doesn'ttalk. You see that he gets home, will you?"
"Yes, you see that he gets home, Chipper," urged Sleuth quickly. "I'llbe late now. If the folks are still up, I'll have to make excuses. Goodnight, fellows." Turning into a side street, he set off at a run.
