“By Jove!” cried Tom. “I’ve solved the other mystery! You’ve been taking this stuff in your sleep!”
And so poor Johnson had. There was found all the articles missing from the rooms of various students. Johnson had, in his sleep, entered and taken them, concealing them in a closet, and, in his waking hours, forgetting about them. They were returned the next morning, with suitable apologies, and the matter was quietly dropped, for the students all understood how it could have happened. Johnson consulted a doctor, and was soon cured of his propensity to night wanderings.
“Well, I’m glad I solved the mystery, since I started it,” remarked Tom the next morning.
Day after day passed, and the crews of the eights, as well as the other rowers, fairly lived on the river. The weather was remarkably fine, which was in their favor. Day after day the practice and training were kept up, and the coaches were faithful. A number of the old graduates who had been instrumental in providing the gift, came to Randall, and offered suggestions, some of which, being valuable, were adopted.
And then the natural result followed all this hard work. The time of the eight, especially, began to improve. The boys rowed with more snap and vigor. They could stand the “gaff” better, and when Jerry Jackson, sitting crouched up in his coxswain’s seat, called for a spurt, there were not so many “bellows to mend” in the shape of panting lads, as there had been.
“We’re coming on!” cried Mr. Lighton proudly, at the close of an exciting brush between the first and second boats one day, when the varsity had won. “We’re coming on!”
“If we can only keep it up,” breathed Frank, who, being captain of the eight, as well as stroke, felt his responsibility.
“Oh, we’ll do it, old man,” declared Tom, and he succeeded in infusing some of his spirit into his chums. The faint hearts of the weeks before had become strong.
“But you boys needn’t think you are going to win!” declared Ruth, when the four lads called on the four girls about a week prior to the date set for the regatta. “We have a championship crew in the eight, if nowhere else.”
“Never!” cried Tom. “We’re going to win the eight if we lose everything else; eh, fellows?”