“No; if we follow the tune, it’ll have to be by ear,” chuckled Poke. The Shark shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I didn’t believe you fellows had the sense to understand the process,” he said frankly. “Still, I thought I’d give you a chance. But if I’ve got to jump to the result, I’ll tell you that, having secured my data, I proved conclusively that the stone was thrown by somebody with a lot more muscle than Tom Orkney has. Why, the low trajectory----” Two or three of the boys were grinning. “There, there! Don’t call names!” jeered Herman Boyd. The Shark’s glance went from one to another of his friends. “Oh, well,” he said resignedly, “I guess it’s useless. Only you may be interested to know that the principal went over my work and verified it.” “What! Didn’t tell him, did you?” “No; of course not. Had a supposititious case, naturally.” “Oh!” said two or three, in relieved chorus. The Shark put the paper back in his pocket. “All right,” he said. “You haven’t disappointed me. I know your limitations.” But Poke was disposed to argument. “Look here, Shark! You’re banking too much on your rules and formulas. Remember the professors who said a curved ball couldn’t be pitched, and proved it--on paper?” “Different case--nothing to do with this one.” “But you overlook the evidence of the cap,” declared Step. “Bother the cap!” said the Shark, and snapped his fingers. “Doesn’t interest me. It might have got there a dozen ways. What I’m trying to tell you is something that’s absolutely established--mathematically established. And you won’t listen!” “We might--if you’d just figure out who except Tom Orkney would have done the job.” “Hang it, I’m no fortune-teller!” growled the Shark. Again Step appealed to Sam. “What’s your notion? Don’t you still think the club is all right, and Orkney is all wrong?” “I think,” said Sam, honestly and with full conviction, “I think the weight of the evidence is against him, in spite of the Shark’s calculations. I’ve tried not to be hasty----” “That’s right--Safety First!” cried Poke. “And so the Safety First Club is all right!” chimed in Step jubilantly. CHAPTER XVI SAM HAS A RUDE AWAKENING “Wal, I dunno. Once there was an old feller that complained the eels didn’t squirm’s lively as they uster when he was a boy; but, somehow, I reckoned his memory was playin’ tricks with him. It’s the same way with the weather. All the oldest inhabitants’ll keep on tellin’ you the climate’s changin’, and losin’ its grip; but I guess, fust and last, there ain’t much difference. Why, when I was a youngster, they had a joke that this would be a rattlin’ good country if the sleighin’ didn’t get sorter thin for three months in the year; but I don’t recall makin’ snowballs on the Fourth of July. And, when you think it over, you’re likely to be enjoyin’ just about as much concentrated winter this minute as anybody ever really needed in these parts.”