e did not know what reply to make. The suddenness of the accusation, with the experience of the nigh

ow you will tell the truth, for I have never yet known you to lie. But I must tell you that if I find that you are

o say, sir," replied J

y, I can assur

so and another to prove

vidence is al

umstantial," i

late, how he had come upon them using arnica, and mentioned some of their pranks in the past, including the

ck frankly, "but I'm not guilty this time. All I as

ve a chance!" ex

fair," spoke Ja

to me!" burst out

Mead. "I will give you twenty-four hours in which to prove

e absolutely fair. So, bowing to the head of the school,

against it harder than ever. Twenty-four hours to prove somethi

c'nguess!" and the voice evolved itself into a good-natured looking lad, who stretched a big wad of gum from

had lived near him in Denton, and for whom Jack had secured the place of

it of running his words together, a habit w

t is

hat bell," went on Bu

e a det

sked Jack, a little surp

talk. Transom ope

an about me tur

d, quickly holding out

Grimm's room,

Grimm's room as you s

rtain he had

being his short-hand way of stat

" mused Jack. "Well, that doesn't

be?" ask

aven't an automobi

owo

mean. Say, it's lucky you found this. I'll turn detectiv

dge, speaking more rationally as he thre

ee it now. Thanks Budge. I hope I

ge, as he hurried away to a

room he found quite a ga

f that Klu-Klux busines

ack, "though if I'd stayed at

-gg-got anything t-t

" exclaimed

"Here I'll help you out," and h

les!" cried Nat Anders

p us in s

h arnica on it near the ding-dong, and Old Grimm jumped to the wrong conclusion, basing his belief on what he s

it easily enou

y wouldn't believe you. I guess they want to make an example of someone. No sir, I'm going to do some sleuthing on my own hook. I've got a goo

claimed Dick. "If you wa

"Now I guess we'd better

and, when they were gone, Jack carefully la

link,"

talk with Socker, the school janitor. The latter nodded

you," he said as

ternoon the janitor went to Ja

le?" asked

I found it rolled up in a corner, just where

gave Socker a small sum of money. "I'

inst the rules for me to do what I did, but I wan

ink I will,

ht. It was a linen duster, and, as Jack saw several bro

placed the particles in a test tube. Then, taking this with h

here some of the students kept their motor cycles, one or two small automobile runabouts, and a few of the more well-to

cker said he was going to take a spin this afternoon,

table he saw a group of students approaching from an opp

he said soft

well, but was not intimate with them as they belonged to the "fast set," a g

alled Jack

ame several inquiries

's l

e," was the reply.

group separated. Some went on one side, and some on the other. Just as Jack came opposite a tall, elaborately dressed youth, he seemed to stumble.

u hurt my s

to recover his balance, but still keeping his ho

students, several trying to help Jack reco

e said. "I bore down o

hurriedly into his pocket. As h

my sore wrist! I sprained it

t as Jack hurried on, as fast as he could, while st

t rag. Maybe I can get even with you for running me down last night,

he exclaimed, as he tur

ealed, was not in evidence, but Jack began to walk with scarcely the sembl

er some books on chemistry. He got several test tubes, and his apartment too

e contents of one test tube into ano

here?" h

Sam," was

answered. "I'm working on something that I can't l

ere's some mail, that's all.

st tube and gathered them up. One was from his aunts at home, another from Judge Bennetty regardi

" said Jack. "The best way

id so, a piece of paper fluttered to the

even with you for having me suspended and se

y Cho

ed Jack. "So he's tryin

ll find I d

t back in the envelope. He glanced at the

ose vain attempt to cast disgrace on Jack, in the matter of painting a pipe on the professor's portrait, had rebounded on his own head. He had been suspended for two

n that strange hunt of mine," thought Ja

ht, and when he put out hi

t things just wh