ou. And there's one other point."

"Out with it. We might as well have the worst and then we can begin to
work to help him."

"Well, you know that day we came in, and found him doing some
experiments?"

"Yes. He was monkeying with------"

"Cyanide," broke in Jack. "The very stuff the horses were poisoned
with."

"So he was!" whispered Bert In tense tones. "But for the love of
heaven don't tell anyone!"

"No danger. I'm only saying this to show how bad it might be made to
look for Tom in case anyone put all these things together."

"But no one will."

"I hope not. And now let's see how we can help him."

"Say, what about the school pin?" asked Bert. "Have you really lost
yours?"

"No, I haven't."

"Then why------"

"It's this way," went on Jack. "I saw that Tom's was gone, and,
fearing that it might look bad for him, I pretended it was a common
thing for us to lose or mislay our emblems."

"You did?"

"Sure. I wasn't going to make it look too bad for Tom."

"That's right. But are you going to mention it to him?"

"I am not--not until this thing is cleared up, anyhow."

"Jove! It looks bad!" murmured Bert.

The two chums talked the matter over from several different
standpoints, and the only conclusion they arrived at was that unless
Tom gave them more information as to who, if anyone other than himself,
wore the sweater on the night in question, they could do nothing.

"Except keep still," suggested Bert.

"Sure," assented Jack.

Several days went by. The first excitement over the implied charges
against Tom had died away. Farmer Appleby had wanted to cause the
arrest of the lad against whom his suspicions were directed, but his
lawyer pointed out that he had such slight evidence that it would be a
dangerous proceeding.

But Jack, Bert, George, Bruce Bennington and several of Tom's closest
friends stuck to him most loyally. Of course Sam Heller was against
our hero, but that was to be expected, and many sided with Sam.

"Fairfield ought to be run out of Elmwood Hall!" exclaimed the bully.

"That's what!" added his crony. "And if he doesn't withdraw soon we'll
run him out."

"Will you?" cried Sam. "I'm with you. How can we do it?" and the two
went off by themselves to plot.

As Bruce Bennington had feared, there were now two factions in the
school, those who were for and against Tom. And it seriously
interfered with the work of the eleven. For there were some who hat