[CHAPTER IX]
THE DIAMOND MEDAL
There was plenty of excitement in and about Lowell the morning after Hans and Hal returned from Boston. In fact there had been a good deal of excitement the evening before, but of this Hans and Hal knew nothing. They were in Boston having a good time with Delvin.
“What’s all the bustle about?” asked Hal as he and Hans entered the dining room at training table next morning.
“What! haven’t you heard?” asked Robb, to whom more than anyone else Hal seemed to be talking. “The diamond studded Championship Medal was stolen from the safe of the University treasurer’s office yesterday between twelve and one o’clock. There is no clue of any kind. Orders are from the faculty that every student in the University shall report at the dean’s study before six o’clock to-night, and explain his movements after twelve o’clock yesterday. Seems funny that they should suspect any student of doing it.”
“Wasn’t there some one in the room where the safe is all day yesterday?” asked Hal.
“What makes them think it was stolen between twelve and one o’clock? How do they know it wasn’t stolen a week or a month ago?” asked Hans.
“It seems that the secretary of the University brought it back from the jewelers at noon yesterday. It had been taken there to have one of the settings tightened. He had put it in the safe. A few minutes after one o’clock, Mr. Williams, the treasurer, came in and asked if the medal had come back yet. ‘I just brought it over,’ said the secretary, and walked over to the safe to get it. It wasn’t there and he almost collapsed.
“They searched everywhere a dozen times. It couldn’t be found. Finally they were forced to conclude it had been stolen. [Who could have taken it?] No one but students had called at the office during that hour. It was hard to believe any student could have taken it, but they had to admit the possibility.
