“Well, about the middle of the season a chap named Bob Ferris had his pocketbook, watch, and a lot of little trinkets stolen. Somebody swiped ’em out of his room while he was at a lecture. He and Lefty were great friends and were in and out of each other’s rooms all the time. Ferris couldn’t find a single clew as to who had taken the stuff, but a few days later Lefty came in from a recitation unexpectedly and caught Bert Elgin in the hall right outside his door. He didn’t say anything then, but went in and looked the room over. Nothing seemed out of place except a table drawer which was a little way open. When he jerked it out, there were two of the stolen scarfpins lying right on top of a notebook belonging to Ferris, which he would probably have come in to get that very afternoon.” “The cur!” rasped Fargo. “He put ’em there a-purpose to throw the blame on Locke.” “Exactly. Lefty followed Elgin to his room, told him what he’d found out, and started to give him a nice comfortable thrashing. In the process of the scrimmage a watch fell out of Elgin’s pocket. It was Ferris’ watch. Lefty told Ferris afterward that the sight of it made him ashamed to be soiling his hands on such a mucker. He let up right away, told Elgin that unless the stolen goods were returned in twenty-four hours he’d go to the dean and tell him everything, and got out. Ferris was in New York that day, but when he got back next morning the stuff was all on his bureau.” Fargo stared at him an instant. “Well?” he queried sharply. “Is that all? Didn’t they put anybody wise to what the sneak had done?” Stillman shook his head. “No. He’d have been fired out of college, and there wasn’t anybody to take his place on the nine. Lefty and Ferris talked it all over and decided to keep still for the sake of the varsity.” “Humph!” grunted the big backstop. “I’ll be hanged if I’d have done it!” He paused a moment, interlacing his strong, brown fingers. “Well, there ain’t any doubt that’s what started things going here,” he went on. “Elgin’s sore as a boil, of course, to have Locke around, knowing what he does about this stealing. How he worked this dope trick gets me, though.” The newspaper man started to explain his theory of the waiter’s complicity, but in the midst of it the manager roared out an order to Fargo to get into the game and limber up some. The big backstop obeyed and was kept busy for the rest of the morning. Later on, however, he sought Stillman again, to hear the remainder of the story. When it had been told he made no comment. His face showed plainly, however, that his interest was aroused to an unusual degree; and the reporter congratulated himself on having secured a valuable ally for Lefty. CHAPTER XVI THE PURLOINED LETTER