Part 16 (1/2)
”He is, and he is getting along very well. Of course, our lawyer is helping him, for some matters are in an awful tangle.”
”That feller who hit Tom over the head ought to have been put in jail.”
”Well, he is going to lose most of his property--or at least, he had to give up what belonged to Dad. The lawyer thinks that will be punishment enough. We thought of prosecuting the bunch, but Dad is in such bad health he didn't want to bother. Besides, one of the crowd, Josiah Crabtree, broke his leg in two places and he will be a cripple for life.”
”Serves the rascal right! He had no business to interfere with you, and with that Mrs. Stanhope an' her daughter. I ain't got no sympathy to waste on sech cattle,” snorted the straight-minded farmer.
Presently they came in sight of Hope Seminary and Mr. Sanderson drove around to a side door, to interview the housekeeper. Sam walked around to the front, and rang the doorbell, and a maid answered his summons.
”I would like to see Miss Grace Laning,” he said. ”Or, if she isn't in, her sister, Miss Nellie.”
”Yes, sir,” and the girl ushered the young collegian into the reception room.
A few minutes later Grace appeared. She looked at Sam in surprise.
”Why, I thought you wrote you'd come next Tuesday,” she cried.
”So I did, Grace. But this time I've come about Tom. Have you seen him?”
”Tom? No. Did he come here?”
”I thought he might have come. Mr. Sanderson saw him on the road, headed in this direction.”
”Oh, Sam, you look so--so alarmed! What is it? What do you think has happened?”
”I don't know what has happened, Grace. But something is wrong, I feel sure of it,” answered Sam, with conviction. ”Tom is missing, and I can't imagine what has become of him.”
CHAPTER XI
WHAT THE GIRLS KNEW
After that, Sam related the particulars of what had occurred, to which Grace listened closely. As she did this, tears streamed down the cheeks of the girl.
”This will break Nellie's heart--if it isn't broken already,” she faltered. ”You know I wrote that I had something to tell you, Sam. It was about Nellie. But I can't tell you here--let us take a walk.”
”All right. But I can't stay long--I must go back with Mr. Sanderson and continue this hunt for Tom.”
”To be sure--I won't keep you but a few minutes.” Grace led the way outside and down one of the campus walks. ”You remember that time we came back from the auto ride?” she said.
”Of course.”
”Well, when Nellie and I got to our room she threw herself on the bed and cried as if her heart was breaking. I couldn't do anything with her. I wanted to find out what it was all about, but at first she wouldn't tell me a word. Then she said it was Tom--that he had acted so queerly when they took a walk in the park he had scared her.”
”What did he do?”
”Oh, he talked so queer! He told Nellie tie wished he had the _Dartaway_ back, so that they could go on a honeymoon trip to the moon.
And then he laughed and asked her if she would go on a camelback ride with him through the Sahara desert. And then he said he didn't want to get married until he could lay a big nugget of gold at her feet--and a lot of nonsense like that. She was awfully scared at first, but after a while he got more rational and then she felt a little better. But she couldn't get it off her mind, and it made her feel dreadful! And then, the other day, Tom sent her the queerest letter, full of all sorts of the wildest kind of nonsense--about going to the North Pole and bringing the pole back with him, and about sending her a pair of slippers, to wear in place of gloves, and asking her to send him a red and blue handkerchief, to keep his head from aching. And he wrote that he didn't think he was cut out for college, that he would rather shovel nuggets in a gold mine--that is just what he wrote--'shovel nuggets in a gold mine!' Oh, such a mixed-up letter you never read! And it made Nellie cry again. Oh, Sam, what does it mean?”
He shook his head and gave a deep sigh.