"I will do what I can for the negro, Rover. I am very sorry indeed, now, that I suspected him," said Captain Putnam, with a slow shake of his head.
At the bottom of the trunk was a pocketbook containing nearly all of the money which had been stolen. A footing-up revealed the fact that two watches and three gold shirt studs were still missing.
"And those were pawned in Auburn," said Sam. "Just wait and see if I am not right."
A party was organized to hunt for Caven, and the captain himself went to Auburn that very evening. The hunt for the missing boy proved unsuccessful, and it may be added here that he never turned up at Putnam Hall again nor at his home in Middletown, having run away to the West.
When Captain Putnam came back he announced that he had recovered all but one watch. The various goods and the money were distributed among their rightful owners, and it must be confessed that a big sigh of relief went up from the cadets who had suffered. The single missing timepiece was made good to the boy who had lost it, by the captain buying a similar watch for the youth.
After this several weeks passed without anything of special interest occurring outside of a stirring baseball match with a club from Ithaca, which Putnam Hall won by a score of six to three. In this game Dick made a much-needed home run, thus covering himself with glory.
"The Rovers are out of sight!" was Larry's comment. "Whatever they do they do well."
"And they hang together like links of a chain," added Fred. "The friend of one is the friend of all, and the same can be said of an enemy."
One morning a telegraph messenger from Cedarville was seen approaching the Hall, just as the boys were forming for the roll-call.
"Here's a telegram for somebody," said Sam.