The Putnam Hall Rebellion

“I was coming along, guiding the wheel with one hand and holding the ice-cream with the other,” he explained. “All at once the limb came down right in front of me. I crashed into it and landed on some stones in the bushes and then, I guess, I lost consciousness. That’s all I’ve got to tell.”

“What became of the ice-cream?” asked Stuffer, and despite Andy’s plight the lad who loved to eat gazed around rather anxiously.

“Why, it – it – I don’t know, I’m sure,” stammered Andy. “Isn’t it on the road?”

It was not, nor was it anywhere in that vicinity. The cadets looked at each other suggestively.

“Maybe it was a trick,” said Pepper. “A trick to get the cream away from Andy and spoil our little festival.”

“That’s it!” cried Dale. “For look, there is no tree around here where that limb could come from.”

The others looked around and saw that Dale was right. Only small trees were in that vicinity and none of these had lost a branch.

“If it was a trick, it was a mighty mean one,” was the young major’s comment. “Why, the tumble might have killed Andy!”

“Did you see anybody, Andy?” questioned Stuffer.

“No, and I didn’t hear anybody either.”

“Well, it’s too bad. It must have been a trick. I wonder if some of our fellows or some fellows from Pornell Academy played it?”

“That remains for us to find out,” said Pepper. “And when we do find out – well, somebody will suffer, that’s all!”

“Right you are!” answered Jack and Dale.

The other boys helped Andy to his feet. He was still dizzy and they had to support him on either side. It was found that the bicycle had a broken pedal.

“I wish I knew who did this,” grumbled Andy, as he started to limp along between Pepper and Jack. “I’d – Oh!” And he stopped short.

“What’s the matter?” came simultaneously from those who were assisting him.

“It’s gone!”

“What is gone?”

Andy did not answer immediately. He began to search his clothing, going through every pocket several times. Then he started to hunt around on the ground.

“What have you lost, Andy?” asked Jack.

“Was it valuable?” put in Stuffer.

“Was it valuable?” queried Andy. “Well, I just guess yes! It was worth at least two hundred dollars!”

“Two hundred dollars!” exclaimed all of the others in astonishment.

“Yes – and more.”

“What was it?”

“Joe Nelson’s medal.”

“Andy!”

That was all the others said – but it was enough. Every lad at Putnam Hall knew Joe Nelson’s medal, the one left to Joe by his Uncle Richard. It was a beautiful racing medal of gold, set with jewels, and Joe was very proud of it.

“What were you doing with Joe’s medal?” asked Jack, after a pause.

“The pin catch got broken and Joe sent it to the watchmaker to have another put on. He asked me to get it for him – I was with him when he left it at Bright’s shop. I went for it before I went for the cream.”

“And where did you have the medal?” asked Dale.

“In the inside pocket of my jacket, and I had the pocket fastened with a safety pin, too, to keep the medal from jumping out on the road.”

“It must be somewhere around here,” said Stuffer. “Let us make a good search.”

This they did, but it was of no avail. In the midst of it Andy set up another cry.

“My change is gone, and so is my ring!”

“Andy!”

“Boys, I have been robbed!”

“Oh, Andy, can this be true?” burst out Jack.

“What else can it be? I couldn’t lose my ring and everything else, could I, by just tumbling from my bicycle?”

“Andy must be right – the sudden coming down of the tree limb proves it,” declared Pepper. “Were you unconscious long?” he continued.

“I don’t know.”

“But you are sure you were completely knocked out when you hit the rock?” asked Dale.

“Yes – everything got dark and I didn’t know a thing. And, yes, when I came to my senses – just before you arrived – I was in the bushes!”

“Then somebody must have carried you from the road!” declared Jack. “And that somebody robbed you!” he added, bitterly.

After this there was a moment of silence. The others looked at Andy, and the acrobatic lad stared at them blankly.

“Yes, I must have been robbed,” he said slowly. “But who did it?”

“I don’t believe any of our fellows would do it,” answered Dale. “Even Ritter isn’t bad enough for that.”

“Would the Pornell fellows do it?” queried Stuffer.

“I don’t think so,” answered the young major. “Why, this is a prison offence!”

“Andy, who knew you were carrying the medal?” questioned Pepper.