Sam found his voice.
“Look at my nose! Does that look as if I hadn’t seen any one? Does my nose look as if I had met a shadow?” he roared, his roar ending in a groan, for, in opening his mouth, he had hurt his nose again.
“Tell us what you did see,” urged Baker, his voice growing sympathetic when he saw that Sam was suffering.
“I think we shall have to take him to a physician,” announced the guardian. “I fear this is a little beyond my ability as a surgeon. Can’t you wait until he is fixed up, George?”
“Yes, but if he’s able, he must tell us now,” replied the captain. “If there is anything at all to this we should know it at once. Think you can talk, Sam?”
“Ye—es, if you won’t nag me. Ouch!” Sam remonstrated as the guardian touched his suffering nose.
“Never mind. I won’t do it again,” said Miss Elting gravely. “I thought that perhaps I might be able to straighten your nose, but see that is not best, nor had I better put on any adhesive plaster. The doctor would have to take it off, thus causing you useless additional pain. Tell them, please, if you are going to do so. We must get you to a doctor at once.”
“I was coming through the grove when I discovered a fellow hiding behind a tree,” explained Sam Crocker with many a halt and groan. “I crawled up toward him. I didn’t like his looks. Then I saw he had a pair of opera glasses. Through the glasses he was watching the girls at practice.”
“What!” shouted George. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did, but you thought I had seen shadows. Shadows don’t give a fellow this,” he added, pointing to his own disreputable nose. “When I got up close enough I jumped upon him. I punched him at the same time. He went down and I on top of him. It looked like a soft thing for me. I yelled to you boys about that time. But Fate was against me. Do you know, that fellow knew all about my sore nose, knew that it was the one particular tender, sensitive spot on my whole body. The scoundrel jerked his elbow back just like this. It hit me on the nose and made me yell. Oh, it hurt awfully. I just rolled right off him and clapped both hands to my poor nose. It was bleeding badly. Then the fellow jumped up. I made a grab for him; then, what do you suppose he did? He kicked me in the nose, kicked me right on the sorest spot in my whole body. I don’t mind being kicked, but to be insulted by being kicked on the nose—that’s too much for a self-respecting Tramp. If you catch him, don’t do anything to him. Just bring him to me.”