“Oh,” said Gus Kiggins with a growl, “the fellows are all down on me. First they say I tried to disable Dan’s pitching arm; then they say Hodge’s error in the fifth was my fault; then the reason why none of them could hit Ingersoll was because I’d fixed it up with him; and now they say I doctored your lemonade and made you sick. Give a dog a bad name――――” “Look here, Gus Kiggins!” broke in Ned with eyes flashing. “You know you’re just talking to hear yourself talk. We happen to know about that ipecac.” “What about it?” “You had it all fixed for Dan.” “Oh, I tried to make Dan sick too, did I?” said Gus in real or pretended scorn. “Next you’ll have me down for trying to poison the whole school. Why should I want to play such a trick as that upon Dan? If you should accuse me of wanting to get Ingersoll out of the game――――” “No use, Gus,” broke in Ned quietly. “That’s the worst of it. You condemn me without hearing a word.” “We have heard. We know all about the scheme you and Walter――――” “What ‘scheme’ are you talking about?” shouted Gus. “Just what I’m telling you. Someone overheard you two talking it over and we decided that we’d just be ready for you.” “Who heard us?” demanded Gus. “Never mind. Somebody heard you. That’s enough, isn’t it?” “Why didn’t we do it then?” “It wasn’t the fault of either of you that it didn’t go through.” “What do you mean?” “That lemonade had been fixed.” “Then why wasn’t every fellow sick?” “Because only one fellow was to be――――” “Who was that?” “Dan.” “Why didn’t he get sick then?” “Because we let Walter have the glass intended for Dan.” “I’d like to know who put any such stuff as that into your heads!” said Gus savagely. “I’d show him――――” The angry young giant stopped abruptly as his eyes fell upon little Carlton Hall who, with great pride, was walking beside Dan. As the glance of Gus fell upon him, Carlton slunk back in terror and clutched Dan by the arm. “It might help to clear up matters a little if you would kindly explain how it was that Walter happened to be sick after he took the glass which was intended for Dan,” said Ned bitterly. “There isn’t any use in my saying a word,” declared Gus as he turned away. “You wouldn’t believe me under oath.” “That’s right!” said Smith, who had not known of the plot, and his surprise and anger were consequently greater. Gus turned abruptly and for a moment the boys believed he was about to attack Smith, but if that was in his mind he evidently thought better of his purpose as he became aware of the unfriendly glances of all in the group. “We haven’t come to the end yet,” called Ned as Gus departed. The indignation of the boys increased as they entered the dressing-room and it might have fared ill with Gus if he had remained with his companions instead of proceeding directly to his own room.