CHAPTER XX
QUEER DISAPPEARANCES
"Come in!" cried Andy as a knock sounded.
"I'm not going out, I don't care who it is!" exclaimed Dunk, fidgetingin his chair. "I've just _got_ to get this confounded Greek."
"Same here," said Andy.
The door was pushed open and a shock of dark, curly hair was thrust in.
"Like to look at some swell neckties!" a voice asked.
"Oh, come in, you blooming old haberdasher!" cried Andy with a laugh,and Ikey Stein, with a bundle under his arm, slid in.
"Fine business!" he exclaimed. "Give me a chance to make a little money,gentlemen; I need it!"
"No more of that Japanese 'vawse' business!" warned Dunk. "I won't standfor it."
"No, these are genuine bargains," declared the student who was workinghis way through college. "I'll show you. I got 'em from a friend ofmine, who's selling out. I can make a little something on them, andyou'll get swell scarfs at less than you'd pay for them in a store."
"Let's see," suggested Andy, rather glad of the diversion and of thechance to stop studying, for he had been "boning" hard. "But I don'twant any satsuma pattern, nor yet a cloisonne," he added.
"Say, forget that," begged Ikey. "That Jap took me in, as well as he didyou fellows."
"Well, if anybody can take _you_ in, Ikey, he's a good one!" laughedDunk.
"Oh, don't mind me!" exclaimed the merchant-student. "You can't hurt myfeelings. I'm used to it. And I'm not ashamed of my nature, either. Myancestors were all merchants, and they had to drive hard bargains tolive. I don't exactly do that, you understand, but I guess it's in myblood. I'm not ashamed that I'm a Jew!"
"And we're not ashamed of you, either!" cried Andy, heartily.
"Same here," added Dunk. "Trot out your ties, Ikey."
In spite of the fact that he sometimes insisted on the students buyingthings they did not really need, Ikey was a general favorite in thecollege.
"There's a fine one!" he exclaimed, holding up a hideous red and greenscarf. "Only a dollar--worth two."
"Wouldn't have it if you paid me for it!" cried Andy. "Show me somethingthat a fellow could wear without hearing it yell a block away."
"Oh, you want something chaste and quiet," suggested Ikey. "I have thevery thing. There!" holding it up. "That is a mere whisper!"
"It's a pretty loud whisper," commented Dunk, "but at that it isn't sobad. I'll take it, if you don't want it, Andy."
"You're welcome to it. I want something in a golden brown."
"Here you are!" exclaimed Ikey, sorting over his stock.
He succeeded in selling Andy and Dunk two scarfs each, and tried to getthem to take more, but they were firm. Then the merchant-studentdeparted to other rooms.
"It's a queer way to get along," commented Andy, when he had finishedadmiring his purchases.
"Yes, but I give him credit for it," went on Dunk. "He meets with a lotof discouragement, and some of the fellows are positively rude to him,but he's always the same--good-natured and willing to put up with it.He's working hard for his education."
"Harder than you and I," commented Andy. "I wonder if we'd do it?"
"I'd hate to have it thrust on me. But I do give Stein credit."
"Yes, only for that Japanese vase business."
"Oh, well, I believe that oily Jap did put one over on him."
"Possibly. Oh, rats! Here come some of the fellows!"
The sound of footsteps was heard in the corridor. Andy glanced at Dunk.If it should prove to be Mortimer Gaffington, who, of late had tried invain to get Dunk to go out with him, what was to be done? Andy caughthis breath sharply.
But it proved to be a needless alarm, for Bob Hunter, Ted Wilson andThad Warburton came in with noisy greetings.
"Look at the digs!"
"Boning away on a night like this!"
"'Come into the garden, Maud!' Chuck that, you fellows, and let's godowntown. What's the matter with a picture show?"
It was Thad who asked this, but Bob, with a wry face, put his hand inhis pocket and drew out seven cents.
"It doesn't look much like a picture show for me to-night," he said.
"Oh, I'll stake you!" exclaimed Ted. "Come on."
"Shall we?" asked Dunk doubtfully of Andy.
"Might as well, I guess," was the answer. Andy was glad it had not beenGaffington, and he realized that it might be better to take this chancenow of getting Dunk out, before the rich youth and his fast companionscame along, as they might later in the evening. He knew that with Bob,Ted and Thad, there would be no long session at Burke's.
"I haven't done my Greek," objected Dunk, hesitatingly.
"Oh, well, I'll set the alarm clock, and we'll get up an hour earlier inthe morning and floor it," suggested Andy.
"Burning the candle at both ends!" protested Dunk, with a sigh. "Ain't Iterrible? But lead me to it!"
As they went out of Wright Hall, Andy looked across the campus and sawGaffington, and some of his boon companions, approaching.
"Just in time," he murmured. When Gaffington saw Dunk in charge of hisfriends he and the others turned aside.
"That's when I got ahead of him!" exulted our hero.
They spent a pleasant evening, and Andy and Dunk were back in their roomat a reasonable hour.
"I declare!" exclaimed Dunk, "I feel pretty fresh yet. I think I'll haveanother go at that Greek. We won't have to get up with the chickensthen."
"I'm with you," agreed Andy, and they did more studying than they haddone in some time.
"Well, I'm through," yawned Dunk, flinging his book on the table. "NowI'm going to hit the hay."
The next day Dunk was complimented on his recitation.
"Oh, I tell you it pays to bone a bit!" Andy cried, clapping Dunk on theback as they came out.
"That's right," agreed the other.
In the days that followed Andy watched Dunk closely. And, to our hero'sdelight, Gaffington seemed to be losing his influence. Several timesDunk refused to go out with him--refused good-naturedly enough, butsteadfastly.
Andy tried to get Dunk interested in football, and did to a certainextent. Dunk went out to the practice, and Andy tried to get him to gointo training.
"No, it's too late," was the answer. "Next year, maybe. But I like tosee you fellows rub your noses in the dirt. Go to it, Andy!"
Link Bardon seemed to find his employment at Yale congenial. Andy methim several times and had some little talk with him. The young farmersaid he hoped to get permanent employment at the college, his presentposition being only for a limited time.
Andy had received letters from some of his former chums at Milton. Amongthem were missives from Ben Snow and Chet Anderson. Chet wrote fromHarvard, where he had gone, that he would see Andy at the Yale-Harvardgame, while from Ben, who had gone to Princeton, came a similar message,making an appointment for a good old-fashioned talk at the annual clashof the Bulldog and Tiger.
"I'll be glad to see them again," said Andy.
It was about two weeks after the arrival of Link Bardon at Yale thatsome little disturbance was occasioned throughout the college, when anannouncement was made at chapel one morning. It was from the Dean, andstated that a number of articles had been reported as missing from therooms of various students.
"You are requested to keep your doors locked when you are out of yourrooms," the announcement concluded.
There was a buzz of excitement as the students filed out.
"What does it mean?"
"Who lost anything?"
"I have," said one. "My new sapphire cuff buttons were swiped."
"I lost a ring," added another.
"And a diamond scarf pin I left on my dresser walked off--or someonewalked off with it," spoke a third.
There were several other mysterious losses mentioned.
"How did it happen?" asked Andy of a fellow student who had said a fewdollars had been taken from his dresser.
"Hanged if I know," was the answe
r. "I left the money in my room, andwhen I came back it was gone."
"Was the room locked?"
"It sure was."
"Did any of the monitors or janitors see anyone go in?"
"Not that I know of; but of course it could happen. There are a lot ofnew men working around here, anyhow."
Andy thought of Link, and hoped that the farmer lad would not besuspected on account of being a stranger.
But as the days went on the number of mysterious thefts grew. Everydormitory in the quadrangle had been visited, but the buildings outsidethe hollow square seemed immune.
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