_ CHAPTER IX. HI MARTIN TRIES TO MAKE TERMS
"Confound that fellow Teall!"
This angry expression slipped past Hi's lips unguardedly.
By this time Dick Prescott was on shore. His quick, keen glances took in the patent fact that some one had removed all the discarded clothing from sight.
"So Ted Teall was around here, and you knew that he was going to take our clothing?" demanded Dick, flashing a searching look at Hi Martin.
When too late, Hi Martin saw how he had put his foot into the mess by his indignant exclamation.
"And, knowing that Teall was going to slip away with our clothing," Dick went on, "you went into the water and lured us away to the lower end of the pond. That was what you did to us, was it, Martin?"
Hi shook his head, then opened his mouth to utter an indignant denial.
"Don't try to fool us," advised Dick bitterly. "Martin, you may have thought it funny, but it was a mean trick to serve us, and I am glad that Teall has shown you how little he likes you."
Under ordinary circumstances Ted might have left Hi Martin's clothes behind. It had been Hi's impolitic remark about "mucker schools" that had decided Ted to take away Hi's belongings as well.
"That Teall is a dirty sneak," cried Hi.
"He was simply a comical genius as long as he took only our clothes," Dick retorted. "But now that your things are gone as well, it's a mean, low-down bit of business."
"Martin," observed Tom Reade dramatically, "thine own ox is gored."
"Talking won't bring back any duds," grunted Harry Hazelton. "Teall can't have gotten very far with such a load. Let's rush after him."
"You lead the way, then, son," suggested Dick, "and instead of following you, we'll wait here until you bring the things back."
"I wonder which way he went?" puzzled Hazelton.
"Probably straight to the road," smiled Dick grimly. "That's the shortest cut, and the road isn't far from here."
"But I can't go near the road in this---this---fix," sputtered Harry, looking down at his wet, glistening skin.
"Exactly," nodded Prescott. "Nor can any of us go. That's the joke. Like it? Ha, ha, ha!"
Dick's laugh had anything but a merry sound. None of the boys had a truly jovial look, nor was it to be expected of them. Tom was solemn as an owl, Harry fussy; Dan was grinning in a sickly sort of way, as was Dave Darrin. Greg Holmes, utterly silent, stood with his fists clenched, thinking how he would like to be able at this moment to pounce upon Ted Teall.
"It's an outrage!" sputtered Hi Martin, white to the roots of his hair. He was walking about, stamping with his bare feet on the ground, the fingers of both his hands working nervously.
"Oh, well, you won't get any sympathy in this crowd," Tom assured Hi glumly. "You were party to this, and all that disturbs you is that any one should dare take the same kind of a liberty with you. We don't care what happens to you, now, Martin."
"What shall we do with Martin, anyway?" demanded Dan Dalzell.
"Nothing," returned Dick crisply. "He isn't worthy of having anything done to him."
"Let's call 'Ted' with all our might," proposed Harry.
"You can, if you want to," Dick rejoined. "I doubt if he is now near enough to hear you. Even if he did hear, he'd only snicker and run further away."
After a few moments more Dick and his chums, as though by common consent, squatted on the sand near the edge of the pond. It was warmer for them that way. Martin edged over close to them. Not one member of Dick & Co. did the captain of the North Grammar nine really like, but in his present woeful plight Hi wanted human company of some kind, and he could not very well go in search of people who wore all their clothing.
While the swimmers had been occupied in the water at the lower end of the pond, Ted Teall had been wonderfully busy.
First of all, Ted had loaded himself with about half the clothing belonging to Dick & Co. The shoes he had carried by tying each pair by means of the laces and swinging three pair around his neck. The first load be carried swiftly through the woods until be came to a thicket where he hoped he would find concealment.
Then he had gone back for the other half of the clothing. This, upon arrival at the thicket, Ted dropped in on top of the first installment.
"Now, I guess I ought to hide somewhere where there won't be the least danger of them finding me. Then I can see the fun when those fellows come ashore," chuckled Teall. "Hold on, though! There's one more debt to pay. That confounded Hi Martin called the South Grammar a 'mucker' school. I believe I'll hide his clothes, too, for his saying what he did. But I'll have to go carefully, and see whether the fellows are still out of sight."
Ted returned with a good deal of caution. Then he discovered, by the sound of voices, that the swimmers were still at the lower end of the pond.
"Plenty of time to get Hi's duds, too," chuckled the pleased joker. He slipped down close to the beach, gathering up all of Martin's garments and the hat and shoes.
"Say, it must be fine to have a pretty well fixed father," murmured Ted wistfully. "All these duds of Hi's are of the best quality. I wonder if I'll be able to wear clothes like these when I'm earning my own money?"
Then he started off, going more slowly than on his two previous trips, for he felt that he had plenty of time. But at last the nearing voices of the returning swimmers warned him.
"They can't see me," chuckled Ted. "If any of 'em chase me, I can make a quick dash for the road and they won't dare follow me there. They'd be afraid of running into other people."
So Ted even dallied for a while. Some of the angry words uttered reached his ears and delighted him.
"Hi Martin is hot with wrath, and I'm glad of it," chuckled Ted to himself. "So he thought I'd spare him, did he! Huh! The next time he'd better be a little more careful over his remarks about 'mucker' schools!"
Then Ted walked on again leisurely.
"I believe I'll let these fellows stay here until about dark, hunting for their clothes, and not finding 'em," reflected Teall. "Then I'll have Ed Payne drop around and tell 'em just where to look. They can't thump Payne, for he won't be guilty of anything but helping 'em. Then maybe Dick Prescott will pitch dynamite again for me to bat at!"
Teall gained the thicket that concealed the other clothing. Just as he was about to cast Martin's belongings after the other wardrobes, he was disturbed by a sound close at hand.
With a start Ted looked up. Then he felt uneasy; frightened, in fact. At his side stood a shabbily dressed man of middle age. The man's cheeks were sunken, though they burned with an unhealthy glow. There was, in the eyes, also a light that made Ted creepy.
"S-s-say, wh-what do you want?" stammered Teall.
"So you are a thief, and at work?" inquired the man, who had rested a thin but rather strong hand on Ted's shoulder.
"A thief?" Teall repeated indignantly. "No, sir! And nothing like it, either."
"Is all the clothing in there yours?" demanded the stranger sternly.
"No, sir," Ted answered promptly.
"Then-----"
"You see," Ted went on more glibly, and trying to conceal the fact that he was very uneasy under those burning eyes, "it's just a joke that I'm playing on some fellows who are swimming."
"You consider that sort of a joke humorous?" demanded the stranger, tightening the grip of his hand on Teall's shoulder until the boy squirmed.
"It's not a bit worse than what one of them did to me this morning," Ted asserted, strongly on the defensive now. "And I don't know what business it is of yours, mister. Who are you, anyway?"
"My name," replied the other quietly, "is Amos Garwood."
"Amos Gar---wood?" Ted repeated. At first the name conveyed no information to him. But suddenly he remembered the name that had been on everyone's tongue a few days before.
"The crazy man?" cried Ted, his voice shaking. Then the woods rang with his startled combination of whoop and prayer.
"This is no place for me!" gasped Teall huskily, as, frantically, he tore himself free of that grip on his shoulder.
Without more ado Ted Teall broke through cover for the road. Never before had he realized how fast it was possible for him to sprint. Terror is an unexcelled pacemaker at times.
That whoop, followed by the yell of fear, traveled until it reached the boys at the lakeside. The distance and the breeze must have robbed the voice of some of its terror, for Dick sprang to his feet like a flash.
"That was Ted Teall's fine voice!" he cried, running up the slight slope. "Come on, fellows! We'll travel straight in that direction---and we'll find our clothing."
Nor were any of the boys very far behind Dick in the mad race. Though two or three of them stepped on stones on the way, no one gave a thought to so slight an accident.
Nor was it long ere they burst from cover and came upon Amos Garwood, standing as though lost in thought, for Garwood was trying to comprehend Teall's words, "the crazy man."
All in a flash Dick recognized the man. So did his chums. Hi Martin alone was in the dark.
"Good afternoon," was Garwood's greeting, as he looked up as though coming out of a trance. "You are looking for your clothing, I imagine?"
"Marvelous what a good guesser you are, sir," gasped Tom.
"You'll find your clothing in this thicket," announced Garwood, indicating the spot with a wave of one arm.
Dick and Tom piled into the thicket, passing out the mixed-up articles to the other boys. A quick sorting was made and each item claimed.
"Say!" cried Hi, greatly disturbed. "There isn't a single thing of mine here."
"Serve you right, then," uttered Tom, as he drew an undershirt over his head. "You don't deserve anything to wear."
"You fellows didn't hand out my things," uttered Hi, darting into the thicket. He searched savagely at first, then despairingly. Not a shred of his wardrobe was to be found.
"What became of my clothes?" Martin demanded, stepping out into the open. Tears brimmed his eyes now.
"Clothes? Your clothing?" asked Amos Garwood, again coming to a realization of things about him. "Why, I believe the boy who yelled and ran away from here carried one armful of things with him."
"Which way did he run?" throbbed Hi.
"That way." Garwood pointed to the road.
"You fellows get a few things on and run after Teall as fast as you can go," ordered Hi. "Quick! Don't lose a moment. Do you hear?"
"Yes," nodded Prescott.
"Hustle, then!"
"Forget it," requested Dick, deliberately drawing on a shoe over a sock, next doing the lacing slowly and with great care.
"Which one of you will go!" asked Hi, turning appealingly to the others.
"Hear the echo?" mocked Dave Darrin. "The echo says, 'which one?'"
"Say, you fellows are meaner than poison!" Hi exploded tremulously.
"You have a very short memory, Hi," retorted Greg Holmes.
"Who was it that put up the job on us? Who helped Teall to do it?" asked Harry Hazelton.
"But I'm sorry for that," protested Hi Martin, tears again coming to his eyes.
"I believe you," Dick nodded cheerily. "You're indeed sorry---sorry for the way it turned out for yourself."
"But aren't you fellows going after Teall and my clothes?" insisted the naked one.
"We're not going to chase Teall," Darrin answered, "if that's what you mean. But, see here, Martin, I'm not going to be downright mean with you."
"Thank you," said Martin gratefully. "You always were a good fellow, Darrin."
"I'm going to be a good fellow now," Dave pursued. "I'm not going to chase Teall, for we don't know which way he went, and he'll be hiding. But I'll go around to your house and tell your folks where you are, and what a fix you're in."
I'll go to-night, just as soon as I've eaten my supper."
"You---you great idiot!" exploded Hi.
"Now, for that insult, I take back my promise," Dave retorted solemnly. "You needn't talk any more, Martin. I won't do a blessed thing for you now."
"Dave, you're altogether too rough on a fellow that's in hard luck," remonstrated Greg, then turned to Martin to add:
"Hi, it's no use to go chasing Ted Teall, but I'll tell you what I'll do. I'm all dressed now, and I'll go straight to your house and get some clothes for you, so you can come out of these woods and walk home. I'll do it for half a dollar."
"Thank you, Holmesy, I'll do it," Martin eagerly promised. "And I'll thank you, too, from the bottom of my-----"
"You can keep the thanks," proposed Greg gravely. "But you can hand over the half dollar."
"E-e-eh?" stammered Hi, nonplussed, rubbing one hand, for an instant, over his naked thigh in the usual neighborhood of the trousers' pocket.
"Fork over the half dollar!" Greg insisted. "This is a strictly cash-in-advance proposition."
"Why, you---you---you-----" stuttered Hi in his wrath. "How can I pay in advance when Ted Teall is a mile away from here with my---my trousers and all?"
"Cash right in hand, or I don't stir on your job," insisted Greg.
"I---I'll pay you a whole dollar as soon as I can get home," Hi offered eagerly.
"Hi Martin, after what you've done to us to-day," demanded Greg virtuously, "do you think there's a fellow in this crowd who'd take your word for anything? If you don't pay right now, then I won't stir a step for you."
Again tears of helpless rage formed in Hi's eyes. Amos Garwood stood looking on, unseeing. But Dick Prescott's thoughts were flying like lightning. He knew that, somehow, Garwood ought to be seized and held until the friends searching for him could be notified. _