Part 10 (1/2)

”You can't blame him for that. I'd be bitter too.”

”It looks to me as if he might make Minnie break with Songbird if that money wasn't recovered.”

”Possibly, Spud. Although he ought to know as well as we do that it was not Songbird's fault.”

”I'm glad to see Minnie sticks up for our chum, aren't you?”

”Oh, Minnie's all right and always has been. She thinks just as much of Songbird as he does of her. Once in a while she pokes a little fun at his so-called poetry, but Songbird doesn't mind, so it doesn't matter.”

When the boys returned to the farmhouse Minnie ran out to meet them, and from their manner saw at once that they had no news worth mentioning.

They could see that the girl had been crying, and now it was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears again.

”Oh, Minnie, you ought not to take it so hard,” said Sam, kindly. ”Of course, to lose four thousand dollars is a terrible blow, but maybe they'll get the money back some way, or at least a part of it.”

”It isn't the money, Sam,” cried the girl, with something like a catch in her voice. ”It's the way papa acts. He seems to think it was all John's fault. Oh! I can't bear it! I know I can't!” she suddenly sobbed, and then ran away and up the stairs to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

CHAPTER VII

SAM AND GRACE

”This whole affair is certainly a tough proposition,” remarked Sam, when, about half an hour later, he and Spud were on their way back to Brill.

The time had been spent in telling Mr. Sanderson how they had failed to obtain any satisfaction over the telephone, and in listening to the farmer's tirade against poor Songbird.

”Old Sanderson certainly pitched into Songbird,” returned Spud. ”I declare if anybody called me down that way, I think I'd be apt to get into a regular fight with him.”

”He is very much excited, Spud. I think when he cools down he will see matters in a different light. Just at present the loss of the four thousand dollars has completely upset him.”

”I suppose he pitched into Minnie even more than he pitched into us.”

”Maybe he did. I must say I am mighty sorry for that poor girl.”

”What are you going to tell Songbird?”

”I suppose we'll have to tell him the truth, Spud, although we'll have to smooth over Mr. Sanderson's manner as much as we can. There's no use in hurting Songbird's feelings, especially now when he's broken up physically as well as mentally.”

When they reached the college they found that Songbird had insisted upon it that he be taken to the room he occupied with Sam instead of to the sick ward. He was in bed, but wide awake and anxious to hear all they might have to say.

”Of course I knew Mr. Sanderson would blame me,” he said, after asking a great number of questions. ”Four thousand dollars is a heap of money.”

He knitted his brows for a moment, and then cast an anxious glance at Sam. ”How did Minnie really seem to take it?” he continued.

”She sided with you, Songbird, when her father talked against you,”

answered Sam.

”She did, did she? Good for her!” and Songbird's face lit up for an instant. ”She's true blue, that girl is!”

”Now, the best thing I think you can do is to try to go to sleep and get a good night's rest,” went on Sam. ”This worrying about what can't be helped won't do you any good.”