Jack Rangers Western Trip | Page 9

trying to scare me, eh?
Well I guess he'll find I don't scare."
Jack slowly folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. He
glanced at the postmark, and saw it was stamped "Chicago."

"Wonder how he got out there," he mused. "Well, I'm glad he's far
away," and he gave little more thought to the matter of the bully, a
nephew of Professor Grimm's, whose 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 months for
the escapade, which Jack was accused of, but which our hero managed
to prove himself innocent of, and, since leaving the Hall, nothing had
been heard of him.
"Maybe I'll meet him if I get out west on that strange hunt of mine,"
thought Jack, as he went on with his chemical tests.
He worked far into the night, and when he put out his light he said to
himself:
"I think I've got things just where I want them."
CHAPTER IV
A LESSON IN CHEMISTRY
Jack was awakened next morning by a knock on his door.
"Who's there?" he asked.
"Martin, the monitor," was the reply. "Dr, Mead wishes to see you at
once."
"Great Scott! I've overslept!" exclaimed Jack, as he jumped out of bed
and saw it was after eight o'clock. "No wonder, being up half the night.
Tell Dr. Mead I'm sorry and I'll be right down," he went on.
Jack almost made a record for dressing, and went to Dr. Mead's office,
where he found the same gathering that had confronted him the
previous morning.
"Well, Ranger," began the head of the school, "the time you asked for
has expired. Have you anything to say?"

"I have, sir," replied Jack. "But first I would like to request that this
hearing be adjourned to the laboratory. I also request that Sam
Chalmers, Dick Balmore, Fred Kaler, Budge Rankin and Adrian Bagot
be summoned."
"Do you accuse all of them?" asked Dr. Mead, in some astonishment.
"I accuse no one," Jack replied. "I want to make a demonstration, and
let the facts speak for themselves."
"This is all nonsense!" exclaimed Professor Grimm. "This boy is guilty
and he knows it. He is only seeking to delay matters. I demand his
expulsion!"
"I think it only fair to grant his request," said Dr. Mead. "Professor
Gales, will you kindly summon the students mentioned. Professor Hall,
please see that the laboratory is opened."
In a few minutes Jack was leading the way to the latter room. He
carried several bundles, while Socker, the janitor, bore a rack of test
tubes he had taken from Jack's room. The lads mentioned attended,
wondering what had happened.
"What's this all about?" demanded Adrian, haughtily. "I haven't had my
breakfast yet."
"The time was up an hour ago," said Dr. Mead sharply, glancing at the
new student, who seemed disposed to take life as easily as possible.
"May I speak?" asked Jack, of Dr. Mead.
"Since you are the accused it is but fair that you be given a chance to
clear yourself," was the reply. "But as you have given a certain
publicity to this matter, I shall tell these other students what it is all
about."
Dr. Mead then explained the charge against Jack. There was an uneasy
movement among the other boys, and Adrian Bagot was seen to shift

about. He even started to walk around as though to leave the room, but
the monitor stood at the door and Adrian did not want to make any
confusion by forcing past him. So young Bagot remained in the
laboratory.
"When Professor Grimm accused me of playing this trick I denied it, as
I am innocent," Jack said, when Dr. Mead had finished and looked at
him as if inviting him to speak. "Perhaps if the matter has been made
public the fellows who took the bell would have come forward and
admitted it. As it is I asked twenty-four hours to prove that I did not do
it. I believe I have succeeded.
"In the first place," Jack went on, "I wish to exhibit this garment," and
he held up to view a long linen coat, commonly called a duster. "You
will observe," he went on, "that there are several brown lines on it. I
have measured these and they are exactly the shape and size that would
be made by the sharp rim of a bell, if it was rested on the garment when
some one was wearing it."
"You will have to have better evidence than that," sneered Professor
Grimm.
"I think I will have," announced Jack quietly. "Of course those marks
might have been made by any sharp, rusty object.