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Page 17
"Yes, sir," said Beany thickly. "I keep a-thinkin' about the
college education."
"That's right," said the Colonel heartily. "That's right! Just
think what a fine thing to earn. The chance to have four years,
in fact, to have six years good hard study in a good school and
college. Think of the fellows that would jump at a chance like
that!"
"Yes, sir," said Beany, and added earnestly, "I wish they had it
to jump at. Here is your corner." He skipped out of the car,
and when the colonel went in to the big office building, Beany
stood on the curb and looked around him. Beany was tired and
dirty and pale through the grime. He had had no supper. He was
low, very low in his mind. All that talk about college again.
Hang it! He had clean forgotten that hanging over him, and had
been enjoying all this spy hunting for its own sake.
The more he thought of that college education, the more he
glared. He groaned, and turned just in time to face a couple of
men who were hurrying across the sidewalk. They glanced a him,
stopped short, and the smaller man went dead white.
"Look, Ledermann!" he cried in a choking voice. "It's the same!
What did you give him?" He screamed suddenly, his face worked,
and grew purple. Then down he went frothing in such a terrible
convulsion that Beany bolted into the Colonel's car, frightened
out of his wits. A crowd gathered, and at once ambulance was
summoned, and policemen were taking the names of people who had
happened to be near; but no one thought of taking anything at
all from the Boy Scout who sat so still beside the Colonel's
driver.
When the ambulance had clattered away with its gong ringing
noisily, the Sergeant turned to Beany.
"Well, you did for him all right!" he said.
"What did I do?" demanded Beany.
"That's all right," said the Sergeant. "I have my eyes all
right, all right. You tell the Colonel or I will. Those bums
give you a look, and threw a fit. Both of 'em. I saw their eyes
stick out a yard. They acted like you was a ghost. You do look
pretty pale, at that! Well, I bet you've done for one of them.
I never saw a harder fit in my life. You certainly gave him some
scare."
"I never saw him before," Beany said over and over. When the
Colonel came out, the Sergeant gave him a glare, and he repeated
the incident as they drove toward the Colonel's house. The
Colonel said he would telephone to the hospital, as the man
would no doubt come out all right.
Beany said good-night to the Colonel and slipped back in the seat
beside the Sergeant.
"Funny about that fellow," said the soldier. "Did you hear what
he said? He said, 'What did you give him?' Looks queer to me.
Looks like he thought you were the ghost of somebody they had
just killed. Must be you looked like somebody--" the man
stopped, and stared at Beany for a startled second.
"Where's your twin?" he asked suddenly.
Beany went cold. A thousand frightful thoughts and possibilities
surged up in his mind. Where was Porky?
He turned and struck the Sergeant a sharp blow on the arm.
"Drive fast!" he demanded, and settling low in his seat, watched
the road drive at their car and disappear under it, as the
Sergeant, eager as, claimed the privilege of the Colonel's car
and leaped past everything on the boulevard.
"Where will you go?" cried the Sergeant in his ear.
"Here by the gate first," said Beany, leaping out of the car.
The Sergeant stopped his engine. "I'll go with you," he said
kindly.
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