Part 20 (2/2)

”You don't suppose they were going to stop at Brill?” questioned Sam, struck by a sudden thought.

”I don't think so, Mr. Rover. Ada said something about riding to Columbia and having dinner there this evening. That, you know, is quite a distance, and the road doesn't run past your college.”

”Then I suppose they won't be back till late?”

”They had permission to stay out until ten o'clock,” put in another of the girls who were present.

”Oh! I see.” As the girls were looking at him rather sharply, Sam felt his face begin to burn. ”Well, I hope they have a good time,” he added somewhat hastily. ”Good-evening,” and then turned and walked quickly towards his automobile; and in a minute more was on his way back to Brill.

”I'll wager Grace Laning has got herself into hot water,” was the comment of one of the girls, as they watched Sam's departure. ”I don't believe he likes it one bit that she went off with the Walthams.”

”Humph! You can't expect a girl to hang back when she is asked to take a ride in a brand new automobile, and with such millionaires as Chester Waltham and his sister,” broke in another girl. ”I just wish I had the chance,” she added rather enviously.

In the meantime, Sam was driving along the country road in rather a reckless fas.h.i.+on. His mind was in a turmoil, and to think clearly just then seemed to be out of the question.

”Of course she has a right to go out and dine with the Walthams if she wants to,” he told himself. ”But at the same time----” And then there came up in his mind a hundred reasons why Grace should have refused the invitation and waited for him to call upon her.

”h.e.l.lo! you are back early,” remarked Spud, when Sam appeared at Brill.

”I thought you were going to make an evening of it.”

”I had some bad luck on the road,” replied Sam, rather sheepishly. ”I had a blowout, and in trying to get the tire off I slipped and went flat on my back in the mud and slush,” he continued.

”Is that so? Well, that's too bad, Sam. So you came home to get cleaned up, eh? I thought your girl thought so much of you that she wouldn't care if you called even when you were mussed up,” and at this little joke Spud pa.s.sed on, much to the Rover boy's relief.

The only occupant of Number 25 who seemed to be happy that night was Songbird, who came in whistling gaily.

”Had a fine time with Minnie,” he declared--”best time I ever had in my life. I tell you, Sam, she's a wonderful girl.”

”So she is, Songbird.”

”Of course, you don't think she's half as wonderful as Grace,” went on the would-be poet of Brill; ”but, then, that's to be expected.”

”How did Mr. Sanderson treat you?” broke in Sam, hastily, to s.h.i.+ft the subject.

”Oh, he treated me better than he did before.” Songbird's face sobered for a minute. ”To be sure he feels dreadfully sore over the loss of that four thousand dollars. But I a.s.sured him that I and the authorities were doing all in our power to get the money back, and I also a.s.sured him that if it wasn't recovered I expected to pay it back just as soon as I could earn it. Of course he thinks I am talking through my hat about earning such a big amount, but just the same I am going to do it just as soon as I graduate from Brill. I'd go to work to-morrow instead of staying here if it wasn't that I had promised my folks that I would graduate from Brill, and as near the top of my cla.s.s as I could get. If I left now, my mother would be heartbroken.”

”Of course your folks know about the loss, Songbird?”

”Yes. I wrote them the whole particulars just as soon as I could, and I've let them know what we are doing now.”

”Do they blame you for the loss?”

”My father thinks I might have been a little more careful, but my mother says she thinks it is Mr. Sanderson's fault that he let me get such an amount of money in cash and carry it on such a lonely road. But dad is all right, and in his last letter he said he could let Mr.

Sanderson have a thousand dollars if that would help matters out.”

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