Dan Carter and the Cub Honor Part 23

"On the contrary, you'll find them all printed in the official rule book on basketball. It might be well for your team to study up a bit before the next scheduled game."

"We'll study all right! Now, how about the dough? You're holding out, I take it?"

"If you feel you're ent.i.tled to a share, you may have it," Mr. Hatfield said. He turned to Dan, saying: "Go bring Mr. Holloway. He has all the money we collected tonight."

Dan's jaw dropped, but he obeyed the order without question. What had come over the Cub leader anyhow? Pat and the Bay Sh.o.r.e boys certainly hadn't done anything to earn any of the money! Why, the Cubs had sold nearly all of the tickets. Besides, the organization would be expected to pay the church a small fee for use of the gymnasium to cover lights and heating. It was unfair!

Mr. Holloway came quickly, carrying a box in which were the receipts. He reported to the Cub leader that the correct total was $30.80.

"Pat here demands half as his share," Mr. Hatfield said. "I've told him that he may have it. The Cubs make a point of being honest. We'd rather lose the entire amount than to take one penny that doesn't belong to us."

Pat's cheeks flamed, but he continued to grin in a silly, arrogant sort of way.

Mr. Holloway counted out exactly $15.40 which he poured into the boy's hands. "Sure it's enough?" he asked.

"We'll make it do."

As he pocketed the cash, Pat's gaze again swept the group of Cubs. Though no one spoke, their silence made him fully aware of their contempt. He hesitated and for just an instant, Dan thought he intended to return the money. Then, with a shrug, Pat was gone.

Once his footsteps had died away, the Cubs gave vent to their anger. Mr.

Hatfield allowed them to have their say without comment. He did not try to explain his action in giving the money to Pat. His only remark was: "I'm trying a little experiment, boys. Let's wait and see."

While the talk was at his height, Fred came rushing into the gymnasium.

"Hey, come quick!" he urged.

"What's wrong?" Brad demanded. "Anyone hurt?"

"Come on and I'll show you," Fred answered, motioning for the boys to follow him upstairs to the clubroom. "I'm so mad I could chew nails!"

The Cubs, followed by Mr. Hatfield and Mr. Holloway, hastened up the stairway. Fred dramatically flung open the clubroom door.

"Just look!" he exclaimed. "This must have been done only a few minutes ago."

The cardboard fort which had been built with such painstaking care, lay demolished on the floor.

"All my work-gone!" Fred said.

No one spoke for a moment. Everyone felt sick at heart. All the Cubs had been proud of the fort and knew that Fred had spent hours of time completing it.

"This was wrecked right after the game," Fred said bitterly.

"How do you place the time?" Mr. Hatfield's voice was quiet though troubled.

"I dropped in here for a minute between halves of the game. The fort was okay then. When I came upstairs just a bit ago, this was what I found!"

"Pat or some of his gang did it," Chips announced with finality. "That's all the thanks we get for giving 'em half the money."

"I didn't think they'd do a trick like this," Mr. Hatfield said. "I'd hoped-well, I thought Pat had good stuff in him buried deep down in.

Seems I was mistaken."

"We ought to report this to the police," Red said indignantly. "Want me to call 'em?"

"No, Red. This is hardly a case for the police."

"How about those other two basketball games?" Midge asked. "Will we play them?"

"That I think, is for the Cubs to decide. After what happened tonight, I'm sure we'd be justified in cancelling."

"Only trouble is that if we do, they'll go around Webster City calling us yellow," Brad said. He began picking up the scattered sections of the destroyed fort. "I say, let's play the series, and lick 'em."

The debate waxed warm for a few minutes. Finally, however, a majority of the Cubs voted in favor of carrying on the series.

"Very well, if that's the decision," Mr. Hatfield said. "One thing, though! The game must not be used as a means of venting spite on the Bay Sh.o.r.e boys. If we play them, we must conduct ourselves as good sports.

Agreed?"

The next game had been scheduled for the following Friday. With Pat and his players claiming half the receipts, the Cubs had far less enthusiasm for selling tickets during the week. Nevertheless, news had traveled that the game would be a good one. Accordingly, many persons stopped the Cubs on the street to ask for the tickets.

The Cubs were not surprised to learn that Pat had told around that the Purple Five had been cheated out of victory on a technicality.

"They'll be laying for us next game," Brad warned the boys of Den 2 one night as they practiced at the church gymnasium. "If we want to win, we've got to improve our teamwork."

The Cubs had worked out several new plays which seemed to go fairly well.

Chub however, could not get the hang of them. The others noticed that his mind never seemed entirely on the game. A ball would be tossed in his direction, and he'd seem aware of it only after it had shot past him.

"Chub, you've got to wake up!" Brad scolded him.

"I-I'm sorry," Chub apologized.

He'd try harder for awhile, and then his mind would wander again. The Cubs felt sorry for him because obviously he meant well. Chub though, was a total loss to the team, even as a subst.i.tute.

"Something's bothering Chub," Brad confided to Dan. "He's worrying about things, and he'll never be any good until he gets it off his chest. Any idea what's wrong?"

"It may be because he hasn't any father or mother," Dan replied. "I've tried to talk to him now and then, but he never opens up."

The next few days were so delightful that the Cubs abandoned basketball for hikes. They decorated their clubroom with cornshocks and pumpkins obtained from a nearby farm.

Fred made cardboard witches for the walls, and in the work forgot his disappointment over loss of the cardboard fort.

All the Cubs fashioned Halloween costumes and laid plans for another party. They took care however, that Pat and his cronies should not learn of the affair.

Regularly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Purple Five practiced thirty minutes in the church gymnasium. The Bay Sh.o.r.e area boys now were much better behaved and quieter while in the building.

Nevertheless, the Cubs could not forget past actions. By agreement no mention was made of the destroyed cardboard fort. The conviction remained however, that Pat and his gang were responsible for it as well as the damage to the old Christian Church. Nor had they forgotten the ice cream freezer episode or Pat's unfair demand for half of the game receipts.

The Bay Sh.o.r.e boys were treated politely, but none of the Cubs warmed to them. Furthermore, while the Purple Five team was in the building, the clubroom always was kept locked.

"You guys don't trust us much, do you?" Pat demanded of Dan one afternoon on the final practice session before the coming Friday game.