When Wade heard him make this statement he looked at the little Soph more searchingly for a moment. Then he said:
“Well, Pell, I guess you won’t have to look far among your friends to find out who did it.”
Little Pell colored up at this and seemed about to make a retort. Instead, however, he bit his lips and turned away in silence.
In the locker room that afternoon Wade passed secret word among certain of Jeff’s friends, suggesting that they linger about the gym. a little later than usual.
Buck Hart, Honey Wiggins, Rabbit Warren, Cas Gorham, Brownie Davis and Mickey Daily composed the little group who remained behind in the locker room after the rest of the baseball squad had left. Wade became the spokesman at this impromptu meeting.
“Fellows,” he said, “I believe Jeff has had a mighty shabby deal put over on him by some one, and I think it is up to us to find out who did it. I don’t mind saying I have my suspicions and I for one am going to try and get at the facts in the case. I’ve been thinking that perhaps a little committee composed of the few of us here might be able to do more in the way of shedding light on the whole business than Dr. Livingston and the rest of the members of the faculty can. Thatcher doesn’t like my idea of getting you all together. He calls it gang spirit, or mob rule, or Ku Klux stuff, but just the same I think we can help a lot toward getting this mystery cleared up if we work together.”
“Sounds good,” said Lafe Gammage.
“Right-o. What’s the idea, Wade?” said Mickey Daily.