CHAPTER XXVIII
A BOTTLE OF MEDICINE
They all listened intently, looking the while curiously at Kindlings. Heseemed to be hearing something inaudible to the others.
"I don't 'hark' to anything," remarked Tom, "unless you mean a sort ofpattering noise, and----"
"That's it!" interrupted Dan with a glad cry. "It's the pattering noiseI mean. Fellows, there's a way out after all. It's raining, and if itkeeps up long enough the games will have to be called off. Now, if anyof you have any sort of pull with the weather man have him make it rainlike the old scratch, and keep it up. It's our only salvation. Apostponement means a week, and in that time Tom and Sid will be fit asfiddles. Come on, oh you rain drops!"
For a moment or two the students all stared at Dan as though theythought he had taken leave of his senses. Then, as the patter onthe window ledge outside became more pronounced, and as the gentleshower became a veritable downpour, all understood Dan's elation.Postponement--delay--was the thing they needed most of all, and itseemed likely to be their luck.
"Oh, if it only lasts!" half-whispered Tom. "If it isn't just a littleshower, that will only lay the dust!"
Dan jumped up, and made his way to the window, shoving Phil to one sideso forcibly that he toppled into one of the armchairs, with impactenough to almost wreck it.
"Hey! Look out what you're doing!" cried Phil. "What are you up to,anyhow?"
"I'm going to stick my head out, and get soaked, then maybe the rain-godwill take that as a sort of votive offering, and keep the faucets turnedon all night," replied Dan.
As he spoke there came a downpour harder than ever, and as he thrustforth his head he was drenched in an instant.
"I guess it'll keep up all night," he remarked. "It seems a mean thingto wish, perhaps, for it will spoil a lot of people's fun, and the othercolleges won't like the postponement, but it's Randall's only hope. Rainon! Rain on!"
And rain it did, with increasing violence.
"How's the wind?" asked Tom, with a memory of the days spent on thefarm, when the weather was a fruitful source of talk, and when muchdepended on reading the signs.
"I can't see it," replied Dan. "Besides, what difference does thatmake?"
"Lots," replied Tom shortly. "Let me take a look. If we've got a goodeast wind it means a long rain."
He thrust his head out of the open window, into the darkness and storm,while his chums awaited his verdict.
"It's all right," he announced after a moment. "It's in the east.There'll be no games to-morrow."
"You've got good eyes, to see wind in the dark," remarked Sid.
"I didn't see it--I felt it, you amiable cow," answered Tom.
For a time they listened to the patter of the drops that meant so muchto Randall, and then the gathering broke up, the visitors going to theirrooms, leaving the inseparables to themselves.
It rained all night, and was still at it when morning broke. Severaltimes during the night Tom, or some of his chums, got up to see if thestorm was still doing its duty, and when they found that it was, theyreturned to rest with sighs of satisfaction.
Of course there was nothing to do but call the games off. Boxer Hall andFairview, to whom Holly telephoned early in the day, agreed to this.Exter held off, her manager saying he thought it might clear. Perhapshe realized what the delay meant to his rivals. But even he had to givein finally, and formal announcement of the postponement was made, itbeing stated that all tickets would be good the following Saturday.
"And now, Tom and Sid, you've got to train your heads off and be fit tothe minute," declared Holly. "Into the gym until it clears, and youwon't have any rest as soon as it's dry enough to get on the track."
"We'll sacrifice ourselves on the altar of duty," replied Tom,mockly-heroic.
"And you ought to be glad of the chance," retorted Phil. "I wish I wasin your place."
"I can't tell you how sorry I am that this trouble occurred," said Frankto his two friends and some of the others as they were gathered in theroom of the inseparables the afternoon of the day when the games were tohave been held, and while it was still pouring. "I feel as if I ought tohave spoken of the chance of the professional charge being broughtagainst me, and then I could have kept out. But I never dreamed of it.There never would have been any question of Randall's honor then."
"And there isn't now," declared Kindlings sturdily. "It's all right forthose fellows to take the stand they did, but I don't believe they wereright in your case, Frank, and I don't propose to let the matter restthere."
"What are you going to do?" asked Phil, as he shook the alarm clock tocure it of a spasm of stopping that had developed that day. "Are yougoing to raise a row over it?"
"Not a row, but I'm going to write to the heads of the A. A. U. andstate the case. Then I'm going to ask if Frank can be regarded as aprofessional. This can't stop here. We need Frank for something elsebesides these games. We may have a rowing crew this year, or next;besides, there's football and baseball to consider. I'm going to thebottom of this thing."
"And I'm glad of it," declared the Big Californian. "I don't want thischarge hanging over me, and if you hadn't asked for a ruling I would.But it's better to come from you, I guess."
"And to think that now, if something hadn't happened, we might besitting here, trying to figure out how we lost, if the games had beenheld," remarked Sid, as he listened to the rain.
It rained all the next day--Sunday--which had the effect of keeping thelads indoors, making them fret, for they were all lovers of fresh air,and were seldom in their rooms except to study or sleep. In theafternoon Tom and the other three, in their raincoats, braved thedownpour, which had suddenly increased, and paid a visit to the girlsat Fairview.
"I believe you boys did this on purpose," challenged Madge, as theytalked about the rain and the postponement.
"Don't tell anybody--but we did," whispered Tom with a smile. "The rainspells success for Randall."
The girls denied it, of course, but in spite of the jokes of our heroesthere was more or less of a feeling that Tom was right. The Fairviewboys fretted over the delay, but were good-natured about it.
Toward evening the rain slacked up a little, and the girls granted theentreaties of the boys to come out for a walk, Miss Philock accordingthe necessary permission rather grudgingly.
It was too wet on Monday for out-door work, and Tom, Sid, and the otherskept to the gymnasium. There was a grim spirit about the work now, forthe boys felt that chance had played into their hands and if they didnot take advantage of it that there would be no more hope for them.
"Luck doesn't strike twice in the same place, even if lightning does,the proverb to the contrary," said Holly Cross.
Tom had a letter from his father that day, announcing that the finalhearing in the lawsuit might come off any day now.
"And I wish I could know how it's coming out," Mr. Parsons wrote to his son. "It has me bothered and worried more than a little. I don't want to take you out of college, Tom, my boy, but I'll have to if I lose all this money. I may need you to testify in the case, but if I do I suppose I can reach you by telegram. If you do get a wire, don't delay."
"Wow!" mused Tom, as he read that. "I hope dad doesn't send for mebefore the games. Not that I'm such a muchness, but it would sort ofbreak up the combination if I had to leave suddenly. Well, there's nohelp for it. If I have to go, I'll have to go. If I don't, in case dadshould telegraph for me, he might lose the case, and I'd have to leaveRandall.
"And yet if I left we might lose this contest. I wonder what is betterto do? Delay, in case dad sends for me, and help Randall win, which maymean that I'm down and out afterward, or take a chance on Randalllosing, so I can come back? Pshaw! Of course I've got to help win, nomatter if I can't come back. And yet for dad to lose all that money----"
"Hang it all! I don't know what to do!" burst out Tom. "I'm not going tothink any more about it. I'll wait until the time comes, and if daddoes telegra
ph, I'll tell the boys about it, and see what they say."
Then Tom resolutely put the affair as much out of his thoughts as hecould, for he found it interfering with his practice and training, andhe knew that he must bend every energy to win the mile run.
The practice went on unceasingly. The weather cleared, being finer thanever, and the candidates went out on the track and field.
Meanwhile Holly and Kindlings had composed a letter to the properauthorities of the Amateur Athletic Union, asking a ruling on Frank'scase. Nothing more had been heard from Shambler, excepting that he hadsent for his baggage, and it was surmised that he had quietly takenhimself to parts unknown.
It was Wednesday afternoon, and Tom, coming from the gymnasium, after arefreshing shower, following a hard spell of practice in all-aroundwork, was met by Wallops.
"Oh, Mr. Parsons," said the messenger, "there was a young man lookingfor you, with a package a while ago. I couldn't find you, so I sent himto your room with it. I guess he left it."
"Are you sure it wasn't a telegram?" asked our hero anxiously, thinkingof his father's lawsuit.
"No, it was a package. It came by express, he said."
"All right, Wallops. I'll look out for it. Did you pay anything on it?"
"No, it was prepaid. I say, Mr. Parsons, do you think we're going to winthe championship?" and the diminutive messenger looked at the runneranxiously.
"Of course we are, Wallops. Why? You aren't betting, I hope."
"No, but you see--well, er--yes, I am in a way. A friend of mine bet abox of candy--I mean I bet the box of candy and----"
"And _she_ wagered a necktie, I suppose," interrupted Tom with a laugh."Well, Wallops, I hope the young lady bet on us, and that you lose,though I'd buy her the candy, if I were you."
"Thanks, Mr. Parsons, I guess I will," answered the messenger with acheerful grin. "She's an awful nice girl."
"Humph!" mused Tom, as he walked on. "Every fellow thinks that Isuppose, about his own. But I wonder what that package is?"
He found it outside the door, which was locked. None of his chums was inas Tom swung the portal, and soon he was unwrapping the bundle.
"Ha! A bottle of medicine," remarked Tom, as the last paper came off,revealing a flask of some dark fluid. "I wonder who could have sent itto me?"
He looked at the wrapper, but it bore no sender's name, and his ownaddress was in typewriting.
"Hello! What you got?" demanded Sid, as he entered at that moment, andsaw Tom holding the bottle up to the light.
"Search me," was the answer. "It's a bottle of some kind of trainingdope I guess, to judge by the label."
Sid looked at it.
"That's good stuff," he announced. "It's a sort of iron tonic. I've usedit. It's a patent medicine, but lots of fellows use it in training. Whosent it?"
"I don't know."
Sid looked at the wrapper.
"It came from Fairview," he declared. "Tom, some of the girls thoughtyou were losing your nerve, and they sent this. Well, a dose of it won'thurt you. They meant all right, I guess. Going to take any? It's finefor the stomach."
"No, I don't feel the need of it," and Tom set the bottle of medicine onthe shelf.
For the Honor of Randall: A Story of College Athletics Page 28
