CHAPTER XXXI
Ralph’s Lost Watch Is Found
At the close of the evening meal the bell for attention was struck and all midshipmen waited for whatever notice or announcement was to be made. Himski then arose from his seat and called out:
“An important meeting of the first class will be held in the reading-room immediately after supper. Every first classman should be present.”
“What’s Himski going to spring on us?” asked Warren of Ralph later in the reading-room.
“Just wait till he tells you,” replied the latter. At this moment a party composed of Himski, Bollup, Creelton, Streeter and Hamm entered, and with them was the commandant. The latter carried under his arm a tin box and several towels. When inside the room he handed them to Himski and then quietly said, “Go ahead, Mr. Himski.” He then went to the rear of the room. Creelton seemed to hesitate, but Bollup with a firm grip on his arm half led, half dragged him to one end of the room where Himski had jumped on top of a table and had commenced speaking.
“Classmates,” he said, “we have all been conscious since we entered the Academy that there has been a thief in this building, and at different times many of us have had things stolen. I had feared the thief was a classmate. This idea was a horror, a nightmare, but until now I have had no evidence. But something happened this afternoon which points suspicion strongly toward Creelton. Billy Bacon came to me, grumbling that the thief had collared some new towels of his; but he said that though the towels were uncut he had stamped his name on the inside of each towel. Now I had suspected Creelton, for reasons I have not talked about, of being the thief; so I asked Streeter to go to Creelton and borrow some new towels. Bollup, Billy Bacon and I followed Streeter to Creelton’s room and saw Creelton in the act of handing Streeter these towels; just pass them about among you; you will see they are brand new, uncut, and you will find Billy Bacon’s name on each of them. I accused Creelton of having stolen them from Billy; he declared his innocence, said he had drawn these same towels from the store yesterday. I have his signed statement to that effect. I have here his requisition book, and find all he drew yesterday was a bottle of ink and six pairs of white gloves. I then searched his wardrobe and found this tin box which was covered with things and hidden from view. I took it to the commandant; Creelton was with me at the time, and until a few minutes ago it was in the commandant’s possession. Creelton cannot say that anybody has monkeyed with this box since it left his possession. It’s locked but I’m going to break it open.”
“I object,” rang out Creelton’s voice to which Himski paid no attention, for he was prying open the box with a steel chisel he had provided himself with, and he soon broke the lock.
The first classmen stood listening, spellbound. Himski had spoken in a perfectly natural way, without feeling, yet his words had carried conviction. All had known that a persistent thief existed at the Academy; many had uneasy feelings this might be a midshipman, and some had feared it was a classmate. A few had known of Ralph’s opinion of Creelton and perhaps were not surprised. Creelton, with deathlike pallor on his face, knowing in his heart that he had been discovered, that his crimes were now out, in awful fear and dismay looked the culprit he was; he did not dare to meet the indignant eyes that were now directed upon him.
Himski opened the box. “Hello,” he said, “here’s one mystery explained; here’s a watch, with an inscription on the inside,” and he commenced to read, “Ralph Osborn, from his uncle——”