CHAPTER XVI
THE PRIZES AWARDED
It was the day when the prizes were to be announced in the literary contest, and all the Hilltop boys were gathered in the pavilion eager to hear the result of the committee's consultation.
The doctor arose when all were present, and spoke of the contest, saying that it had brought out the best powers of a number of the boys and showed that they all had considerable ability when they put their minds on affair of this sort, and concluding by saying:
"I will now read the poem which I consider the best. In fact, it is the unanimous opinion of the committee that it is."
Thereupon the doctor began to read the opening lines of the poem, which were as follows:
"From the hills of the beautiful Hudson,
Rendered sacred by patriot blood,
Come to us most inspiring traditions,
Swelling on in a glorious flood."
"The mighty achievements of Clinton, Of brave Putnam and—-"
Here Pete Herring suddenly jumped on his feet, and waving a paper in his hand, cried excitedly:
"That's plagiarism! That thing was not written by any of the Hilltop boys. It has been taken bodily from a paper published up the state, which I get every week, and was written by——-"
"Why, those verses were written by Jack Sheldon himself!" cried
Percival, getting up excitedly.
"They were published in the Riverton News, but were unsigned. I know that Jack wrote them."
"Please be seated, Percival," said the doctor. "Sit down, Herring. I will give you an opportunity to speak presently. This poem purports to have been written by Sheldon. Is that so?"
"Yes, sir," said Jack, "or at least what you have read was written by me. I don't know if the rest was. I cannot tell till I hear it."
"And you say that the lines I have just read were not written by him?" Dr. Wise asked, turning to Herring.
"No, they were not, they were written by Miss Sadie May, and were published in a paper up the state. Here it is. I received it this morning, and was reading it as I came in."
"Will you kindly read the entire poem?" Herring had a good voice when he wanted to display it, and he now read the lines that the doctor had read, the poem being about twice as long as the portion already given.
"The poem I have here contains these lines," said the doctor, who had been following the manuscript in his hand, "but it is considerably longer."
"I did not put those verses in the poem that I submitted, sir," said Jack. "They had already been published in the News, and I would not think it right to submit any but entirely new matter. Will you read the rest of the poem? I can tell if it is mine, and I have a copy in my desk. If the rest is mine I do not see how these lines got in it, for I certainly did not put them in."
"The other poem is certainly Jack's," said Percival. "He showed it to me at the time he wrote it, and I have a copy of the paper containing it. I would not wonder if other boys had it also."
"I have!" spoke up five or six of the boys, Harry, Arthur and young
Smith among the number.
"Will you kindly let me see the out-of-town paper you have, Herring?" asked the doctor.
"Certainly," said Herring, taking the paper to the desk.
"When was your poem published, Sheldon?"
"Two weeks ago."
"And this paper is a week old. You say you got it this morning?" to Herring, who was on his way to his seat.
"Yes, but they sometimes come late or two or three together. A friend sends them to me."
"Have you the paper containing the poem handy, Percival?" asked the doctor. "Would you kindly fetch it?"
"Certainly, sir," and Percival left the pavilion, returning in a few minutes with a copy of the Riverton paper in his hand.
The doctor compared the verses in both and found them to be identical, saying with a puzzled look:
"The one in the News is the same as this other, but it is not signed.
The other is signed Sadie May. Do you use that as a nom de plume,
Sheldon?"
"No, sir, I do not," said Jack with a smile.
"Then it strikes me that this other paper has been taking liberties with the News, not only taking things 'written especially for the News,' as printed over the poem, but declining to give any credit to the paper, and putting on the name of another besides the writer. Reputable newspapers are not supposed to do this."
Many of the boys smiled, and the doctor continued:
"Didn't you recognize this poem when you read it in the out-of-town paper, Herring?"
"I had never seen it before," Herring answered, and it was noticed by some of the boys that he seemed a bit restless.
"Then you do not read the Riverton paper?"
"No, sir, I do not."
"I seldom read it myself," the doctor remarked, "or I would have remembered these verses. They are very clever and breathe the true spirit of patriotism. They really fit admirably into the rest of the poem, which I will read. Will you get your copy of the verses, Sheldon, and let some one compare them?"
"Certainly, sir," and Jack arose and left the place, returning shortly and handing a copy of his poem to Percival.
Then the doctor read the poem, and Percival showed by his expression that it was identical with the one in his hand.
"It is the same, sir," he said, "but it does not contain the opening lines which you read before."
"I don't see how they got in there, Dick," said Jack. "I am sure that I did not put them in. How could I? It would have been a most astonishing piece of absent-mindedness. Besides, I have only the printed copy now."
"However, it happened that the opening lines belong to another poem," observed the doctor, "both by the same author, it does not alter the fact that both fit the subject admirably, and might easily be a part of one production. The metre is the same, and the subject as well. The first serves excellently as an introduction to the other."
"I can see that they do, sir,", replied Jack, "but I am certain that I did not submit both. By the way," with a sudden inspiration, "may I see the manuscript, sir?"
"If you will come to the desk I shall be pleased to show it to you."
Jack went forward, took the copy of the poem, looked it over carefully a few moments, and suddenly said:
"The opening lines are not in my handwriting, Doctor. It is similar, but not the same. These lines have been inserted by some one else. I never put them in. You may see that they are at the top of the page, which had a wide margin. All the other pages had, but this one now has not. The title has been erased and written in at the top. Some one has tampered with the manuscript. You can see for yourself, Doctor."
"Yes, but who would do this, Sheldon? You certainly do not accuse me of doing it? Or any of the professors?"
"Hardly, Doctor," with a smile, "but some one has done it."
"But why should they, Sheldon, especially as both poems are your own? What reason would any one have to do this? If the inserted lines belonged to another poem so that you might be accused of plagiarism, then there would be some color to this argument, but the whole thing is yours."
"It is strange," said Jack, going back to his seat, all the boys seeming to be greatly puzzled, and talking to each other about the matter in low and earnest tones.
"I will now read the poem which took second prize," said the doctor, and proceeded to read Percival's poem, very much to the latter's surprise and delight.
"Well, I came somewhere near you, at any rate, Jack," he said, "but
I never expected to come in second."
There were other poems read, one receiving a prize and the best honorable mention, the boys being thoroughly satisfied with the awards, and cheering the winners loudly.
Jack was still puzzled about his poem, but he said nothing, having certain ideas about the matter, but not caring to make them known at the time, preferring to wait till he had more information.
After the exercises were over the boys went off in little groups of four or five in different directions.
Percival went with Jack on the river, taking young Smith along, and when they were out from shore Dick said:
"You have an idea who inserted the verses of your other poem in your new one, haven't you, Jack?"
"How did Herring happen to hit upon some other verses of mine which a paper up the state had stolen?" asked Jack.
"He might do that, of course, but how did they get into the poem you had submitted two days before if he got the paper only this morning?"
"The paper was a week old, Dick."
"Then you think that Herring may have been lying, Jack?" asked Dick pointedly.
"Other persons besides Herring may have seen the verses in the other paper, Dick. I cannot prove—-now—-that Herring wrote them in."
"But you may do so at some other time?"
"That's what he means," said young Smith, "but Jack never says anything against a fellow unless he is sure of it."
"That's right enough, J.W., and we agree with you."
"Do you remember a night or so ago when Billy Manners had the black eye?" asked the young fellow suddenly. "He said he must have got it tripping over a tent rope, and Harry said he got into their tent by mistake. I asked him what he was doing outside, and at first he would not tell me, but afterward he said there was some funny business going on the night before, and he thought that Herring and Merritt were in it, but he could not tell what it was."
"Well?" asked Percival.
"Then he told me that he had gone to the doctor's cottage, and that some one got out the window, fell over him and gave him a black eye. Herring, as he thinks, said that he would fix somebody and keep him from getting the prize. He told me not to say anything, but——-"
"That's all right, J.W., it's as well you did, for now I think we will get at the bottom of this affair," said Percival in decided tones.