Chums No. 785, Vol. XVI — page 3: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

_ Escaped! Little did Mr. Jubb suspect how interesting his remarks had suddenly become to certain of his hearers! Almost had one boy betrayed himself. Slim gripped his arm only just in time, while Oliver Spurr, quick to grasp the situation, set about obtaining further information. Escaped, Mr. Jubb?” he remarked, calmly. “The Farborough police must be duffers.” ~ “Oh,” explained the constable, “what I means is John Proudlock's got off. Magistrate’s of opinion that no jury would convict, an’ ’e was discharged this morning.” “ Acquitted, eh?” “Not sufficient hevidehce to convict,” cor- rected Mr. Jubb. Then Solomon Slim took a turn at “ pumping ” the constable. “ Then the son, Mr. Jubb?” he began. “ Why should he be wanted now?” “Why?” ejaculated Mr. Jubb. “Why? Be- cause the Farborough police ’as just woke up to a fact wot’s been staring Cesar Jubb in the face from the very first. Paul Prondlock, the son, is the real villain o’ the piece!” “Indeed!” “There ain’t no manner o’ doubt about it,” went on Mr. Jubb. “ Mebbe it can’t be proved as the father knew about, but it can be proved as the son forged that note an’ walked off with old Morrison’s jewels in a brown leather bag, marked ‘P, P?’ “ Moreover, nevertheless, an’ notwithstanding, it can be proved as three days before the robbery old Morrison was silly enough, in answer to a polite request for it, to send ‘is ortograph to Paul Proudlock! See?” “ Oh, lots of fellows collect autographs,” said Slim. “But lots o’ boys don’t cash ’em!” said Mr. Jubb. “<An’ Paul Proudlock do! ’E makes a reglar practice of it, for ‘e did the same thing only yesterday!” “What?” gasped Slim, now genuinely sur- prised. “ More forgeries!” “One,” went on Mr. Jubb. “As TI says, old Morrison sent “is ortograph, an’ lost ‘is jewels. About the same time a Mr. Cummings sent ‘is ertograph to the same boy, an’ yesterday there was a chegue cashed at the bank which Mr. Cummings knowed nothin’ whatever about. "Owsomever, it cost *im forty-eight pound odd. Now, ain’t that coorious?” i Slim made no reply. A moment later, taking advantage of the fact that Binnacle and Jubb were once more exchanging opinions, he slipped his arm in that of Randall and the pair strolled off together. é They had much to talk about, and yet neither spoke for some minutes. It was Randall who broke the silence. i “No jury would convict!” he repeated, as af speaking to himself. “I don’t like it, Slim! Tt smacks of the ‘Not guilty, but don’t do it again !””? 5 “ Neyer mind that for the present, old chap,” returned Slim. “He’s free, at any rate. Free CHUMS. ance, had eta | turned ont of a by-lane, and now, a dozen yards away, awaited the approach of the chums. “Excuse me,” he began, in a eurious, hig’ - pitched tone, “Willowfield boys, I presume?” “Yes, sir!” returned Slim. “Ah! then you will no doubt assist me in my little difficulty,’ went on the stranger. “The fact of the matter is ’'ve a nephew at Willowfield School, and I wish particularly to see him. Owing to unfortunate family diifer- ences, I have not seen the lad for eighteen months. Being in the district, however, I thought L would pop over and see him. And what do I find? It is a half-holiday, and the boys are scattered all over the county, seem- ingly. Now, could you tell me where I should be most likely to drop across him?” “ With pleasure, sir,” returned Solomon Slim, “ But first, y'know, we must have his name!” “How silly of me!” ejaculated the little gentleman. ‘“‘ How very, very silly! Of course you must have his name. It is Randall—Hugh Randall!” (To be continued ; commenced in No, 779.) ce. SYNOPSIS.—CHAPTERS I.—XH. OLIVER SPURR, of Willowfield School, learns of a bank swindle in. volving the loss of a case of valuable diamonds. Oliver is fag to Cad- leigh, the son of the junior partner of the bank, and he is cycling back to Willowfield with the news when he meets a boy who proves to be a new poet bound for the school. The last mentioned is carrying @ small ig bearing the initials P,P. He is telling Spurr his name, and has got as far as Paul Proud—when hejis interrupted by a motor bicycle tear- ing along the road, The cyctist, with the words, * Read and destroy,” hards the new boy a letter, and then rides away. Having read the note, Spurr's rescuer in a strange voice asks him never to mention the name be has just given him, and adds that although he will probably do and say many strange things at Willowfield, there is noth ng dishonourable about his past. Oliver promises to stand by him to the last. Spurr tells Cadleigh of the bank swindle, and learns that Proudlock is the name of the manager who has been arrested on suspicion. Later, in welcoming the new boys, Dr, Dellingham, the Head, calls for Paul Proudlock. There is no response, and then Spurr hears his new chum answer tothe name of Hugh Randall. He is wondering what it can all mean when Czsar Jubb, the village constable, followed by Binnacle, the handy man of the school, strides into the room, and declares that he bears a warrant fcr the arrest of Paul Proudlock, suspected of com- plicity in the bank fraud. It is puted out to him that the boy has apparently not arrived at the schoo! ater, Randall remembers that he has left his bag with the initials P. P. in his study and dashes off to hide it. The bag, however, cannot be found, Hugh's study is shared by Solomon Slim, another new boy, extremely tall and of extraordinary character, After discussing with Hugh some of the points of the bank fraud, Solomon suddenly discloses the fact that he knows Hugh Randall to be Paul Proudlock. Next morning the bag is returned to the study with the initials altered, and Randall learns that Spurr has remembered his promise and thus helped him, at the same time playing a trick on Mr. Jubb, to the great delight of Biynacle. Lorrimer Duck (called the “ Pillar of Learning"'}, who is writing “ What To Do and When to Do It,” worries Spurr to give him some geet and Oliver supplies him from Cadleigh’s study. Later, at a football practice match, Randall and Slim distinguish themselves. This causes Cadleigh to lose his temper, and in trying to foul Slim he injures himself by dashirg his head against a goal post. A few days later Cadleigh tells Spurr that he has lost an important document, and instructs him, should he find it, toreturn itunread, After a disorderly lesson in Class Room III, Oliver picks up a scrap of paper which Losrimer Duck has used for one of his notes. Buton the other side of it isa fragment of writing which Spurr considers important He shows this to Randall, who declares that “in ali probability it is the key to the mystery,’’ and asks him to try to obtain the other pieces. Spurr seeks out Lorrimer Duck, and the latter g0e5 Off to fetch some of his pencilled no‘es from his study. On his way, however, he has an inspiration, and stops to write something on another piece of paper. using the window of Cadleigh’s room as a support. Cad- leigh. who Ras been feverishly hunting through his belongings in search of the missing document about which he had spoken to Spurr, sees a hand pressing a fragment of paper against the glass, and on the paper he reads words which cause his knees to knock together, Frest Srortsman: ‘‘ Who wrote ‘ Birds of a feather flock together ’?” Second Sportsman; ‘Some idiot who had never been out shooting.” to set about establishing his inno- es cence. John Proudlock and Wallace Randall are a combination to be reckoned with yet at the other end. Meanwhile, at Willowfield, there’s work for pase = Tp for- etting Oliver the Loyai! . “Did you notice the little beggar when he heard the result of the police-court proceedings, | Randall? His eyes danced with delight, and, though he spoke no word, the cock of his head as he glanced at, you asked as plainly as could be: Satis- factory, ehP?” : = “About this Bodkin, though,” he continued. “I fancy I’ve heard the detective’s name before. If he’s half as smart as Jubb thinks he is he may make things unpleasant. And those antographs, Hugh? How much truth is there in Jubb’s story? “A lot,” was the reply. “Paul Proudlock certainly wrote for and obtained the autographs of both entlemen. He still possesses them, ut the idea that he——- Hullo!” he suddenly broke off, “a stranger, and evidently awaiting us!” The stranger, a middle-aged little gentleman of respectable appear- 9 YOuR, PICTURE, BIRDIE! | { ird enthusiastic Photographic Naturalist “ I redins ant es des Sg fs FELLOW MUST BE GOING TO SHOOT ME WITH A-GATLING GUN!” that is inside. Surmised. 4 sors > gts the drop” on him): In s small prov icial town the clerk to the magistrates Si much addicted to flowery legal 1 Beg: language, and the rustics brow bef Bench are often quite aghast ent bi hear their offences set forth by him. - On one occasion a young labourer had struck another youth, who had summoned him for the my offence, and when the case came before the magistrate the clerk read the indictment as follows: ‘ “That Pir: Edward Jones, wilfully and with malice aforethought and prepense, did assail, attack, assault, beat, batter, or otherwise mal- treat one William B—~, with intent to do the said William B—— bodily harm, mischief, or injury, contrary to the statute in such case made and provided.” “Are you guilty or not guilty?” asked the clerk. : “What! Doin’ all that?” exclaimed the tira < offender, a, “Yes; guilty or not guilty?” “Why, T erly punched Bill’s ’ed!” Into the Abyss. Tur Maelstrom is the name of a terrible abyss, dark as night, at the end of a long avenue in | the famous Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. For a long time this pit remained unexplored. A celebrated guide who had faced death a hun- dred times was offered a hundred pounds to make the descent. He refused. One brave man attempted the descent, but his courage gave out when he was a hundred feet down, and he was drawn up to safety. At last a young man of iron nerves and sinews determined to explore the Maelstrom, The company provided him with a long rope of great strength, and with some heavy timbers, and a party of friends lent their assistance, First a rope weighted with a large fragment of rock was Tet into the pit and swung about to dislodge loose pieces of stone. Then the ex- lorer tied the rope about his body, took a ight in his hand, and was let down by six men into the abyss. Masses loosened earth and rock whizzed past, but none struck him. A cataract rushed out of an unseen opening, and he was afraid the spray would put out his candle, but his care prevented it. For one hundred and nine feet he was lowered, and then he touch bottom. ‘ He found himself in a circular pit eighteen feet in diameter, out of which a small pa: led into a fine chamber covered with exquisite formations. When he had seen all he wanted he shouted to his friends, and made them understand that he wished to stop when part of the way up, to investigate a cave he had noticed. Reaching the opening, he swung him- self in with great exertion. Untying the rope, he unfortunately let it slip, and it swung out apparently beyond recovery. The situation was fearful; his friends could do nothing, and for a Jong time his efforts were in vain. At last, by making a hook of his Jantern and reaching out at a peril- ous angle, he managed to secure the rope. When he was about ninety feet from the top he heard a horrified exclamation from his friends, and discovered that the rope had taken fire from the friction, at a spot hard to reach. Only a ready can of water saved the daring explorer from a fearful death. He was drawn up, calm and self-possessed; but the strain on his friends had been ter- rible, and one, a professor, when the danger was over, fainted away, “Ox, let us go for a stroll along the cliffs, I cannot stand sitting.” “Neither can I.” tage Mxs, B——: “Do you think Tom- my disturbs our neighbour with his dram?” : Mr. B-—: “I’m afraid so; the man next door made him a present of a nice new knife pret and sug- ested that Tommy should cut open he drum and spend ‘the money,