Marjorie dropped wearily into the seat behind her, too disheartened, too tired for words. The League championship was forgotten; nothing mattered now if Queenie was gone!
When John Hadley came to the basket-ball game on Saturday, he brought with him some illuminating facts about Sam MacDonald’s history for Marjorie’s consideration. But the absence of Queenie Brazier from the team decided him in favor of silence—for the time being at least.
It was after Marjorie had actually started to play that he concluded that there might be a good reason for Queenie’s failure to put in an appearance—a reason connected with the young man whose record he had just traced, and which he had found to be so precarious. Without giving much attention to the game, he went over the whole situation in his own mind, deciding finally to take Mr. Richards into his confidence.
“I have found out about MacDonald—that friend of Queenie’s,” he whispered to the scout-master, “and know that he isn’t any good. That’s an assumed name—his real one is George Hinds—and he has served a term in an Ohio prison.”
Mr. Richards, however, was inclined to give the man the benefit of the doubt.
“Maybe he’s reformed—you couldn’t blame him for changing his name to get a clean start,” he suggested.
“But he hasn’t made a clean start—that’s just the difficulty. They are after him now for a contemptible crime—and they have his picture on record at City Hall. That’s how I identified him.”
“No; he’s sneaked out of the city, of course. Now, what worries me, naturally, is that he may have tried to lure Queenie after him. He does that sort of thing.”
“Then we’ve got to locate Queenie!” cried Richards, alert for action.
“Yes, for even supposing he were honest in his desire to marry her, he’s no sort of man for her to throw herself away on.”
“Go to the girl’s home. I’ll give Lily an inkling of the situation, and get Queenie’s address. Marjorie mustn’t hear a word about it until the game is over—then Lily can use her own discretion.”
“Right!” agreed the other, in admiration of John’s direct reasoning and well calculated plan.
They lost no time in securing the desired information and hurried off in John’s car to the girl’s home. If only they might find her there—and thus end all their fears!