Dick took the papers, put them in the car and started for the Academy, reaching which in something less than half an hour, he found a big crowd of the Hilltop boys waiting for him.
They all clamored for the papers and Dick rapidly distributed them, giving Jack a significant look to indicate that everything was all right and that the conspirators, whoever they might be, would be greatly disappointed when they examined the Gazette.
Harry, Arthur, Billy Manners and Jack himself kept their eyes upon the suspected boys to see how the perusal of the magazine affected them.
“Oh, I say, fellows, here’s something rich!” Arthur heard Merritt say as he opened the paper. “Let me read—why, that’s nothing.”
“He is one of the disappointed ones,” thought Arthur, “but he may have only had knowledge of the thing rather than participated in it.”
Harry kept his eyes upon Herring when the latter began to look at the paper and noticed that he seemed disappointed for he turned page after page evidently without finding what he wanted.
“There’s nothing in that!” he sputtered in disgust. “It is not worth the paper it is printed on and wouldn’t be if it were printed on the worst kind of brown wrapping paper. I won’t subscribe for it again.”
“What is the matter with it?” asked Harry.
“There’s nothing in it, that’s what.”
“You mean that you expected to find something that is not——” and then Harry caught a warning look from Jack and stopped short.