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Frank Merriwell at Yale, a novel by Burt L. Standish |
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Chapter 24. Gordon Expresses Himself |
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_ CHAPTER XXIV. GORDON EXPRESSES HIMSELF At the first opportunity Frank had a talk with Burnham Putnam, who had charge of the freshman crew. He told Put all that had been learned about the traitor, and Burn listened with interest and growing anger. "Who do you think the traitor is?" he asked at last. "Well, there is a doubt in my mind, and I do not want to accuse anybody." "We have conducted our work with great secrecy." "We have that." "And I have repeatedly cautioned the men about talking." "Yes." "I have warned them that it might mean the ruin of our plans." "You have." "And still everything we have done seems to be known." "That's right." "The man who has spread this matter has the very best means for obtaining information, as he has made no mistake." "Well, what do you think?" "The traitor may be the last man we would suspect. He must have some cause for playing crooked, though." "That is the way I regarded it." Old Put thought the matter over for a few moments. He finally said: "I don't want to do any man injustice, but the turn affairs have taken leads me to think it would be a good plan to drop our spare men entirely and put full dependence on a settled crew." Frank was silent, and so Putnam asked: "What do you think of that?" "I think it is a very good plan, and I approve of it." "Then it is settled. They shall be dropped at once, although it seems that the mischief is done now." "There may be no mischief in it, for the sophs ridicule the innovations introduced, and they are surer than ever that they will have a soft thing of it. "They have been fooled several times this fall. I am sorry we shall not be able to spring our innovations as a surprise, but we may give them a warm time just the same." That day Putnam informed the spare men that he did not think they would be needed any more in training, but asked them to keep in condition till after the race, in case anything might happen that they were wanted. Gordon was enraged immediately, for he had held on and worked through everything with the belief that he would finally be given a place on the crew. "So I am dropped, am I?" he said, bitterly. "Well, I rather think I understand how it comes about." Putnam did not like this, and a dark look came to his rugged face. "What do you mean?" he demanded, sharply. "Never mind," returned Walter, with a toss of his head. "It's no use to talk it over, but I know a few things." He turned as if he would go away, but Put put out a hand and stopped him, whirling him sharply about. "See here," said the sturdy manager of the freshman ball team and crew, "I want to know just what you mean, Gordon." "Oh, you do?" Walter flung to the winds all hope of getting on the crew. He sneered in Putnam's face. "Yes, sir, I do! You talk as if you had not been treated right." "Have I?" "I think you have, sir." "I know I have not!" Putnam was angry, and his face betrayed it. "You must prove that, Gordon!" "I can." "Do so." "I may not prove it to your satisfaction, but I can prove it just as hard. You have told me that I am in fine form, and I know that you have said I have as fine back and shoulders as may be found in the whole college." "I did say that," calmly acknowledged Old Put. "Well, that counts for something." "But it does not make you suitable for the crew. There is something more needed, as you should know. You must be able to row." "Is there a man on the crew who pulls a prettier stroke than I? Just answer me that, Burn Putnam?" "You do pull a pretty stroke, but I have been convinced that the men on the crew now will hold out, and it is not best to take you in place of any of them." "Who convinced you? I know! It was Merriwell! He is holding Rattleton on the crew simply because they are chums, and you are letting him twist you around his finger! Ha! ha! ha!" Gordon's laugh was sarcastic and cutting and it brought a hot flush to the face of Old Put. "You are insolent, Gordon!" he said. "This is an open insult!" "Is it? Well, I notice you do not deny that Merriwell has held Rattleton on the crew in my place." "I deny that he has held any one on the crew that is not fully capable of remaining there on his own merit." "That sounds first rate! Oh, well, I don't care, anyway! Your crew is bound to make a show of itself, and it will be beaten hands down by the sophs." "So that is the opinion you hold, is it?" "It is." "And I suppose you have held it all along?" "I have." "Then I have made no mistake in dropping you from the crew. You have quite satisfied me on that point, Gordon. No man is suitable to hold a place on any kind of a crew or team if he holds it in contempt and has no confidence in it. He will not work, and his feeling of contempt will communicate itself to others, thus demoralizing the whole lot of them. Even if he kept his contempt to himself, he is not the man to work his heart out in the effort to win. He thinks it is no use to kill himself, and he will not make his best effort at any time. It is my policy to drop such a man, in case I find him out, and drop him hard. Yes, I am quite satisfied, Gordon." Walter bit his tongue to keep back the fierce words which arose to his lips. He felt himself quivering with anger. "All right! all right!" he said, his voice unsteady. "I am glad you are satisfied! But wait till the race is over. Rattleton's glory will be gone then. Don't think that he will pull his heart out. A man who smokes as much as he does can't pull." "Smokes! Rattleton does not smoke at all. I observed him at the turkey roast. He absolutely refused to smoke." "Because you were present; but I know for a fact that he smokes behind your back, and he smokes almost constantly." "I cannot believe it. Merriwell would tell me." "Would he? Ha! ha! ha! You don't know Frank Merriwell yet, but you will find him out. That fellow will go to any extreme to injure me, and so it is not likely he would tell anything on his chum that would cause you to give me his place." "I am sure you do Merriwell an injustice. He is a man who does not smoke himself, and he would not allow his roommate to injure himself smoking. However, I will find out about this." "Do so; but I have found out about it already. I have certain means of obtaining information." "So have the sophs, and they have obtained a great deal," Putnam shot at Walter as he turned away. Putnam collared Merriwell at the first opportunity and demanded to know the truth about Rattleton's smoking. "I know you will tell me the truth, Merry," said Burnham, "and it is important that you should." "Some one has been telling you he is smoking?" "Yes." "Well, he is not smoking now. I had a talk with him and he swore off. He is not touching tobacco in any form, and I give you my word on that." "That's all I want," said Putnam, quite satisfied. After this the freshman crew took to practicing nights, and it was said that they worked as no crew of freshies every worked before. One night they ran up against the regular 'Varsity crew, and gave it a hot pull, but finally seemed to be beaten. The report of this brush spread abroad, and the men on the regular crew were rather complimentary toward the freshmen. They said the youngsters worked together in a most surprising way, and it was predicted that they would give their rivals a hard pull. The sophs were inclined to regard this as a jolly, and they continued confident of winning over the freshmen with the greatest ease. _ |
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