For the Honor of Randall Part 12

"You----" spluttered Tom, but Phil caught him by the sleeve.

"Don't say it," he advised. "Let the cad alone. If he's like that, the sooner Randall knows it the better."

"All right," answered Tom in a low voice, swallowing his just wrath, and he swung aside. Shambler tried the jump again, and, though he did exceedingly well there was little applause for him from the watching throng, for many of the lads had heard what he said to Tom.

"There, I guess we've done our share!" exclaimed Tom, after a bit. "Come on out on the ice now, Phil, Sid and Frank have gone, and we don't want to get left on a hockey game."

Sunny River was thronged with students, and soon several games were in progress. A number of the girls and boys from Fairview Inst.i.tute skated down, and among them was Phil's sister Ruth, and her three girl chums.

Naturally Tom and his three friends soon deserted the hockey game to skate with the girls, not heeding the entreaties of their companions.

"Let the lady killers go!" sneered Shambler, who had taken his place in one of the games. "We want sports in our crowd."

"We must go home early," said Ruth after a bit. "We are to have a cla.s.s meeting to-night, and I'm one of the hostesses."

"Strictly a girls' party?" asked Tom.

"No boys allowed," was the laughing answer, and after some pleasantries the four girls started up the frozen surface of the stream, their escorts going down. The hockey games were over, and many of the players had taken off their skates. Turning to wave a farewell to Ruth and the others, Tom saw a solitary lad skating near them.

"There's Shambler," he thought. "I guess he'd like to do some lady-killing on his own account. I hope the girls don't get skating with him."

Tom, who had lingered a few moments, now spurted ahead to catch up to his companions, who were some distance in advance. He had almost reached them when he was aware of some one skating rapidly up behind him. He wheeled about to behold Shambler, with a white, set face, coming on like the wind. And, a second later, Tom heard the screams of the girls and saw but two where, a moment before, there had been four.

"What--what happened?" he gasped.

"They--they went through the ice I guess!" panted Shambler. "They were near me, and I heard it crack. I--I skated away--I wanted to get help.

I--I----"

"You skated away!" thundered Tom. "Sid--Phil--fellows! The girls are through the ice--an air hole I guess--come on back! Shambler--Shambler skated away!" he murmured under his breath as he looked unutterable things at the new lad. "Come on, boys!"

There was a ring of steel on ice. Four figures turned and like the wind shot up the river, while Tom, in the lead, shouted:

"We're coming--we're coming. To the rescue! Keep away from the edge, girls!" He wanted to warn back the two who had not fallen in.

"I--I can't swim," murmured the white-faced Shambler, as he kept on down the river. "I--I'll get a doctor."

CHAPTER VIII

TOM KEEPS SILENT

"Who is it? Who fell in?" gasped Phil, as he gained a place at Tom's side.

"I don't know," was the strained answer, as Tom gazed eagerly ahead to make out the figures of the two girls, who, clinging together, stood near the hole through which their companions had disappeared.

"Can't you see who they are?" went on Phil, half piteously, appealing to his chums. "Is--is----"

They knew what he meant, though he did not finish the sentence.

"It can't be Ruth," said Tom softly. "Ruth is standing there--with Madge Tyler."

Yet, even as he spoke, he knew that it was not so. For the two girls on the ice, frantically turning to note the progress of the rescuing lads, disclosed their faces to the hurrying quartette, and it was seen that they were Mabel Harrison and Helen Newton.

"Ruth--Ruth is in the water!" gasped Phil, for he too saw now that his sister was missing.

"And Miss Tyler!" added Frank.

Then, without another word, the four boys skated on as they had never skated before, not even when a race was to be won--or lost. Tom gave a glance back, and saw Shambler heading for the sh.o.r.e. A fierce wave of anger swept over him, but he said nothing to his chums of the apparent act of cowardice.

"Is she there? Holding on to the ice? Are they both there, girls?"

gasped Phil, as he covered the intervening distance between himself and the two frightened girls.

"Oh, boys, hurry!" called Mabel. "They are both holding on to the ice, but they can't last much longer. It's cracking all the while. We tried to go near, but it bends with us!"

"Keep back! Keep back!" shouted Tom. "Don't you two go in. Fence rails, fellows! Fence rails are what we need!"

He and the others skated near enough to see the two girlish figures in the water, clinging to the ragged edges of the icy hole.

"Ruth! Ruth! Can you hold on a little longer?" gasped Phil.

"Ye-e-e-s!" was the shivering answer.

"And you, Madge?" cried Tom.

"Yes, but be quick--as you can," she said, and her voice was faint.

"Off with our skates! Lay the rails on the ice and they'll support our weight!" cried Sid, catching Tom's idea, and leaping toward a fence on sh.o.r.e.

It was done in a trice, and, a moment later several long rails were stretched over the gaping hole. This gave firm support, and willing hands and st.u.r.dy arms soon raised the two dripping figures from the ice-cold water. The girls all but collapsed as they were dragged to safety.

"What shall we do with 'em?" asked Frank, who, truth to tell, had hitherto had little to do with girls.

"We must get them to some warm place at once!" cried Tom. "There's a house over there. Mabel, you and Helen run over and tell 'em to get the fires good and hot, and have plenty of hot water. We'll bring the girls over. Come boys, off with our coats and wrap 'em up."

"Oh, but you'll get c-c-c-cold!" protested Madge.

"What of it?" cried Sid sharply, as he peeled off his thick jacket and wrapped it around the shivering girl. His companions covered Ruth, and then Tom had an idea.

"Make a chair, fellows!" he cried. "A chair with our hands, and two of us can carry each girl. It's the quickest way. Their dresses are freezing now."

The tall pitcher's plan was at once adopted. Wrapped in the boys' coats, the girls were lifted up on the hands of the lads in the old familiar fashion, and then the journey to the farmhouse was begun, Mabel and Helen having preceded the little party.

"Come right in!" invited an elderly woman as she stood in the doorway.

"We'll soon have you as warm as toast. You boys bring in some more wood.

Oh, it's too bad! I'll soon have some hot lemonade for 'em. You must get your wet things off, dearies."

She was a motherly old soul, and with the a.s.sistance of her daughter, and Mabel and Helen, the half-drowned ones were soon fairly comfortable, while generous potions of hot lemonade warded off possible colds.