CHAPTER XXX

A BITTER ENEMY

The breathing of the three chums was distinctly audible in the silence that followed. Varied thoughts rushed through their minds, but all centered around the idea that there was a traitor in college--some one who would go to extreme lengths to see the football eleven lose. That this person was Garvey Gerhart was the belief of Tom, Phil and Sid. The quarter-back was the first to break the silence that was becoming strained.

"The cowardly sneak!" he burst out. "He ought to be tarred and feathered and ridden around the campus on a rail. The dirty cad!" Phil clenched his fists. "And I'm going to do it, too!" he added fiercely.

"Do what?" asked Tom.

"I'm going to tell what we discovered. I'm going to let Holly Cross and Mr. Lighton know. It was Gerhart who stole the copy of the signals. He sneaked in here when we were out and found them, though how he knew enough to look behind the picture is more than I understand. Probably he wanted to see if the girl's name was on the back, and saw the paper by accident. Anyhow, he took it, and he lost the charm at the same time, though he didn't notice it. Then he went and bargained to sell the signals to Stoddard, of Boxer Hall. That was when we saw them talking together down by the bridge."

"But Stoddard didn't take his offer," interposed Tom.

"No; Stoddard isn't that kind of a chap," went on Phil. "He let Mr. Lighton know anonymously. But what Stoddard did doesn't lessen Gerhart's guilt. He wanted to throw the team, and only for the fact that he made his offer to an honest chap we would have lost the game. I'd--I'd like to smash him into jelly!" and Phil fairly shook in righteous anger, for the team was very dear to his heart. He felt everything that affected the eleven more, perhaps, than any other lad in Randall College, not even excepting the captain, Holly Cross. So it is no wonder that Phil raged. He started from the room.

"Where are you going?" asked Sid, interposing his bulky frame between Phil and the door.

"I'm going to tell the coach and Holly Cross what I've discovered. I'm going to show them this charm. I'm going to propose that we tar and feather Gerhart and ride him out of college to the tune of the 'Rogues' March.'"

"No, you're not," spoke Sid very quietly.

Phil looked at him for a moment. Then he burst out with: "What do you mean? Don't you want me to tell? I'm going to, I say!"

"No, you're not," repeated Sid, and he did not raise his voice. "You're going to sit right down," and he gently shoved Phil toward the yawning easy chair. Puzzled by his chum's action, Phil backed up, and before he knew it he had flopped down upon the cushions, raising an unusual cloud of dust.

"Say, Henderson, what's the matter with you?" he cried, as he struggled to get up. "Are you crazy? Don't interfere with me again! I'm going to inform on the dirty, sneaking cad who wanted to see his own college beaten!"

Sid put a hand on his chum's shoulder and pushed him back into the chair.

"You're going to do nothing of the sort, my son," went on the big first baseman slowly. "Tom, lock the door and put the key in your pocket."

Tom as though acting under the influence of some hypnotic spell, obeyed.

"Are you both crazy?" burst out Phil. "I tell you the whole college must know what a white-livered hound we've got here!"

"That's just what they mustn't know," said Sid quietly. "Now listen to me," he went on more sternly. "In the first place, you don't know that Gerhart is guilty."

"Don't know? Of course I know it!" almost shouted Phil. "Haven't I got the evidence?" and he held out the charm.

"Easy," cautioned Sid. "I grant that; I even grant that the charm is Gerhart's; but does that prove he took the signals?"

"It proves that he was in the room," declared Phil.

"Yes, I admit that. I saw him in here once myself--just before that accident to my hand. But that doesn't prove anything."

"He was in here some other time then, when none of us was here. He must have taken the picture down, else the charm would never have been caught in the frame and remained there."

"Granted; but you are still far from making out a case, Phil."

"Don't you believe he did it?" asked the quarter-back.

"I do, when it comes to that, but we've got to offer more evidence than our own beliefs when it comes to convincing other people. Besides, I don't see what need there is of proving your case."

"Don't you think the college ought to know what sort of a coward and sneak we've got at Randall?"

"No," said Sid decidedly, "I don't. That's just the point. That's just why I don't want you to go and tell Holly what we've found. I think Gerhart took those signals," he continued, "and I believe that when we saw him talking to Stoddard he was trying to dispose of them to him. But just because I feel morally certain of it doesn't justify me in spreading the news broadcast. Besides, do we want every one to know what a cad we have here? I take the opposite view from you. I think we ought not to wash our soiled linen in public. The more we can hush this thing up the better. I wouldn't let it get beyond us three. It ought to stop right here. We would be the laughingstock of Fairview and Boxer Hall if it got out. To think that the Randall spirit was capable of falling so low that there was a traitor among us! I'm glad Stoddard kept still. Evidently he didn't tell a soul, but warned Lighton privately, and the team has kept quiet about it.

"Now," continued Sid earnestly, "do you want to go and publish it? Do you want to let every one see our shame? I don't believe you do, Phil."

Phil was silent for several seconds. He was struggling with some emotion. Tom stood with his back to the door, though it was locked. Sid stood before his chum, looking anxiously at him as he sat in the big chair. Then, with a long breath, Phil said:

"I guess you're right, Sid. I--I didn't look at it that way. I'll keep still."

"I thought you would," spoke Sid significantly.

Phil put the charm in his pocket. The strain was over. They all seemed relieved. But Phil, so much was his heart bound up in the eleven, could not forget the great affront that had been planned against it. Two days later, meeting Gerhart alone on the campus, he approached him, and showing the freshman the watch-charm, exclaimed:

"Take care, you dirty coward! We know where you lost this!"

Gerhart started, turned first pale and then red. He soon recovered himself, and answered:

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes, you do," snapped Phil. "You stole my signals!"

"That's a lie," said Gerhart coolly, and he walked on.

But if Phil could have seen him a little later, when he joined Langridge, the quarter-back would have wondered at the rage and fear shown by the freshman.

"Clinton knows! He found my charm! I was afraid I'd lost it in his room," said Gerhart.

"Well?" asked Langridge.

"One of us has got to leave Randall!" exclaimed Gerhart savagely. "It's he or I; and it will be he, if I can accomplish it!"