Dan Carter and the Cub Honor Part 35

"I think you know, I'd hoped that tonight the Cubs might clear themselves of the untruths that have been told about them. Now I know that chance is gone."

With dignity, Dan turned and walked away from Pat into the dressing room.

CHAPTER 20 PROOF

In the clubroom, the Den mothers were serving hot chocolate and home baked cookies to the Cubs and their friends.

When Dan stepped into the room which buzzed with conversation, he noted at once that the Bay Sh.o.r.e boys had not accepted an invitation to share refreshments. This was not surprising, for in previous games Pat and his followers had left the building immediately after the contest.

As he scanned the crowd, Brad and Midge came over to speak to him.

"Have you seen Chub?" the Den Chief asked anxiously.

Before Dan could reveal what he knew, Brad went on: "Right after the game, he came to me and thanked me for being nice to him. Said the Cubs all had been swell, and he wanted me to tell them so for him. I didn't think much about it at the time. But now I'm worried."

"Chub's gone."

"Gone where, Dan?"

"I don't know. But I have a hunch he's with his father, and that we'll never see either of them again."

Dan then related his own last meeting with Chub and recounted Pat's report of seeing the two leave the church together in a taxi.

"Mr. Weldon must have decided to skip town and take Chub with him!" Brad gasped. "Gosh! Where does that leave us?"

"Just where we came in." Dan spoke dejectedly. "Without Mr. Weldon, we can't prove a thing! We're sunk!"

"I asked the church trustees and Mr. Greene up here too," Brad groaned.

"They're talking to Mr. Hatfield now."

He jerked his head to indicate the chocolate table where the four men stood. Mr. Greene had accepted a cup of cocoa from one of the mothers.

Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Brennan, however, had refused the refreshments.

As Brad glanced in their direction, the Cub leader motioned for the boys to join the group.

"Brad," Mr. Hatfield said, "Mr. Maxwell tells me that he and Mr. Brennan received an urgent request to come here tonight. Is it true someone told them that evidence would be produced tonight to clear the Cubs of charges against them?"

"Dan sent the tickets," Brad said. "I asked the trustees up here. Dan and I did have the evidence, but we can't produce it now."

"So?" Mr. Maxwell inquired. He began to put on his gloves. "We've wasted our time. I might have known it was another Cub trick."

"But it wasn't!" Dan burst out indignantly. "The Cubs never did damage your old church. We could tell you who did do it, but we have no proof.

Anyway, you wouldn't believe us!"

Mr. Maxwell ignored Dan completely. He turned to Mr. Hatfield.

"Our attorney will file suit in the morning," he announced. "We have been very patient in trying to make a settlement with the Scout organization.

Now we are tired of waiting. Good evening."

He picked up his hat and started for the door. Mr. Brennan, obviously embarra.s.sed by such outspoken words, hesitated and then followed.

Before the pair reached the door, it opened and in poured Pat Oswald and all the Bay Sh.o.r.e boys.

"Hold it!" Pat called out. "Everybody listen!"

Dan thought that the Purple Five players must have come to collect their share of the game receipts.

Therefore, he was amazed when Pat pulled a cloth bag from his jeans and shoved it at Mr. Hatfield.

"Here's the money from the first game," he said. "We don't want it."

"Why, thanks, Pat," said the Cub leader. "The Cubs can use it, I guess, as we have a lawsuit to fight."

"That's why we're here," Pat announced. The room was very still now and his voice seemed raspy. "We've talked it over, and we want to make a clean breast of everything. Then you can take us to jail."

"Go ahead, Pat," Mr. Hatfield encouraged. "What is it you want to say?"

"It wasn't the Cubs who wrecked the old church," the boy blurted out. "We did it and they got the blame. We saw a window smashed, so we smashed another and climbed inside. We didn't mean to do any real damage-we just didn't think."

No one spoke for a moment after Pat had made his confession. Finally, Mr.

Maxwell said:

"Well, this does throw a different light on the matter. But how do we know they're telling the truth?"

"We wouldn't lie," Pat retorted scornfully. "Anyhow, why would we tell you this if it weren't so? It only gets us into a peck o' trouble."

Mr. Greene, the Juvenile Court director, now moved forward to face the church trustees.

"The boy is telling the truth," he said quietly. "For weeks, our department has been making an investigation. We weren't ready to make an announcement, lacking absolute proof."

"You haven't it now, either," Mr. Maxwell snapped. "You're a personal friend of Mr. Hatfield, and that's why you're siding with the Cubs."

The disclosure that Pat and his boys were responsible for the damage had not pleased him. He knew well enough that their parents were not well-to-do and the boys themselves never would be able to pay.

A silence fell upon the room. Then Mr. Hatfield's voice rang out, clear and confident.

"We do have the proof."

His dramatic, confident statement electrified and thrilled everyone. The Cubs scarcely could believe that the wonderful words had been spoken.

Why, Mr. Hatfield never so much as hinted that he had learned the truth!

How had he come upon his information?

Flashing a confident smile, the Cub leader took a long, fat envelope from his pocket.