Charlie Creighton was perched on the fence, looking as if he had just buried his last friend. Paul Pierson came along.
“Awful, isn’t it?” asked Pierson.
“Terrible!” said Creighton.
“Have you seen him?”
“No; I’m waiting till I can do so without slopping over and making a fool of myself.”
“What will Old Eli do without him?”
“Give it up. Why, the professors have heard of it, and they positively refuse to believe it. Look at those chaps over there in that group. There are Benson and some of the fellows who were supposed to be Merriwell’s enemies. Just came by them, and every man is saying it’s a thundering shame.”
“I don’t believe Merriwell has a real enemy in the college.”
Bink Stubbs came up. Usually Bink was grinning and cracking jokes. Now he did not say a word, but leaned against the fence with his hands in his pockets and kicked the ground with his toe.
Lewis Little joined the group. Lewis was a mild sort of chap generally, but when asked how he felt, he said he’d like to punch the stuffing out of somebody.