Jack Rangers Western Trip | Page 8

brown spots on it he uttered an
exclamation of satisfaction.
With his knife he scraped some substance from the garment, and placed
the particles in a test tube. Then, taking this with him, he went to the
laboratory, where he remained for some time.
Late that afternoon Jack, who had avoided his chums, took a walk
around the campus. As he came near a small building, where some of
the students kept their motor cycles, one or two small automobile
runabouts, and a few of the more well-to-do, their ponies, Jack assumed
a slow and halting gait. He seemed to be limping from the effects of his
sprained ankle.
"I wonder if he's around," he muttered to himself. "Socker said he was
going to take a spin this afternoon, and it's about time for him to start,
by all accounts."
As Jack neared the entrance to the combined garage and stable he saw a
group of students approaching from an opposite direction. His limp
became more decided than before.
"He's there!" he said softly to himself.
"Hello, Ranger!" exclaimed a number, as Jack passed them. He knew
them fairly well, but was not intimate with them as they belonged to the
"fast set," a good-enough crowd, but lads who had more spending
money than was good for them.
"Hello!" called Jack in reply.
"What's the matter?" came several inquiries as the students noticed
Jack's limp.
"Turned on my ankle," was the reply. "A bit stiff yet."
The crowd had nearly passed by this time, and, owing to the fact that
Jack had the middle of the sidewalk, and did not turn to one side, the

little 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. To save himself from falling Jack threw out his hand and
caught the tall student on the wrist. As he did so the well- dressed
youth uttered a cry.
"Clumsy! You hurt my sore wrist!"
"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Jack, struggling to recover his balance,
but still keeping his hold of the other's hand. "Awfully careless of me!"
There was quite a little jostling among the students, several trying to
help Jack recover his balance. Then Jack straightened up.
"I'm all right now," he said. "I bore down on it a little too hard."
He limped on, thrusting one hand hurriedly into his pocket. As he did
so, the tall student cried.
"There! I've lost the rag off my sore wrist! I sprained it cranking my
auto yesterday."
Several of his companions began a search for it, but as Jack hurried on,
as fast as he could, while still pretending to limp painfully he said to
himself:
"I guess you'll look a long while, Adrian Bagot, before you find that rag.
Maybe I can get even with you for running me down last night," and
Jack pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket and smelled of it.
"That's the evidence!" he exclaimed, as he turned down a side street.
Whether it was this change, or whether it was because his ankle
suddenly healed, was not in evidence, but Jack began to walk with
scarcely the semblance of a halt in his step as soon as he was out of
sight of the students.
The lad hurried back to his room. There he spent a busy half hour,
poring over some books on chemistry. He got several test tubes, and his

apartment took on the appearance of a laboratory, while many strange
smells filled the air.
While Jack was engaged in pouring the contents of one test tube into
another there came a knock at his door.
"Who's there?" he called.
"It's me, Sam," was the reply.
"Say, Sam, excuse me, but I can't let you in," Jack answered. "I'm
working on something that I can't leave. I may have a surprise for you
in the morning."
"All right," Sam answered. "Here's some mail, that's all. I'll shove it
under the door."
There was a rustling of paper and several letters came beneath the
portal. Jack laid aside his test tube and gathered them up. One was from
his aunts at home, another from Judge Bennetty regarding the payment
of certain bills Jack had contracted, while the third was in unfamiliar
handwriting.
"I wonder who that's from," said Jack. "The best way to find out is to
open it."
He ripped the envelope down, and, as he did so, a piece of paper
fluttered to the ground. Picking the missive up, Jack read:
"It's a long lane that has no turns. I'll get even with you for having me
suspended and sent away from the Hall. My time will come yet.
"Jerry Chowden."
"Jerry Chowden," murmured Jack. "So he's