DANNY Orlis picked up his pencil and started to work, but his mind kept drifting back to his cousin. Clarence was probably firing questions at Larry about the transmitter now, so rapidly that the boy would scarcely have time to think. And to make it worse an expensive plane had been wrecked and some people nearly killed because of Larry's broadcasting. That would count against him like everything, that along with fact that he had been in trouble several times before and was still on probation. Danny sighed and looked out into the empty hall again. Wouldn't that conference in the superintendent's office ever end?
Glen was waiting for him in the hall at the end of that period.
"Where's Larry?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.
Danny nodded toward the office.
"They came and got him about an hour ago."
"I was afraid of that," Glen went on, walking beside Danny toward the gym, where they had their next class together.
When they got to the locker room, the other guys were already getting into their gym suits for Physical Education.
"Hey, Danny," one of them called, "what's that government radio agent friend of yours doing out here this morning?"
"Yeah," someone else chimed in, "and what did Superintendent Williams want with Larry? They called him out of English class, and nobody's seen him since."
Danny could feel the color coming up in his cheeks.
"You'll have to ask Mr. Williams or Larry or Clarence about that," he told them.
"You know what the score is," Chet Scofield put in, his voice rising. "You know all about it."
"You'll have to ask one of them," the young woodsman said again.
"Larry's in a jam," Chet continued. "My dad heard that much uptown last night."
"So'd mine," Dick Price put in, "and besides, they're doing just like they did the last time when they sent him to the Rock Rapids Reformatory. Mr. Williams and the sheriff had him in the office for a couple of days."
"Yeah," one of the other guys said, "Larry's always getting into some kind of trouble."
Danny's eyes were smarting as he got into his gym trunks and jersey. He guessed he knew that Larry was always getting into trouble. He'd had enough indication of it since he had been staying at Iron Mountain. But he hadn't done anything to help his cousin. He hadn't prayed for him as he should have. He hadn't tried to deal with him as he should have.
That first time he had tried to talk with Larry about Christ, his cousin had made fun of him until Danny hardly ever said anything about accepting Jesus as his Saviour until that awful night on the mountain. The thought stabbed the young woodsman like a knife. He really hadn't done much of anything to try to win Larry for Christ.
Short, slender Jack Anderson came up to Danny when he stepped into the gym and said softly, "Say, Danny, come over here a minute."
Together they walked off to one corner of the big basketball court.
"Is Larry in trouble because of that broadcasting over at his house night before last?"
Danny nodded without speaking.
"I was afraid of that," Jack answered. His face had gone a sickly white.
For a moment Danny did not understand. Then he remembered! Jack had been one of the guys who had been broadcasting too!
"Are they going to send him to the reform school?"
"I don't know," Danny replied seriously.
For an instant the smaller boy looked into Danny's eyes, pleading. "You won't tell them that I was in on it, will you, Danny?" he asked.
"If they ask me, Jack," he said softly, "I'll have to tell them the truth."
Somehow Danny got through the rest of the morning. Larry still didn't show up in any of his classes, and by noon the whole school was buzzing. Danny could hear it everywhere he went.
"Hi," Glen said, coming up to him shortly after the noon bell sounded. "Going home now?"
"I think I'll wait for Larry."
"I've been praying for him all morning," Glen said. Danny smiled at his Christian friend.
They only had an hour for lunch at high school, but Danny lingered in the halls until he thought most of the guys had gone on. However, a dozen or so swarmed around him the instant he came out the door. For five minutes or so they crowded around, plying him with questions. Danny didn't lie to them, but he didn't tell them anything about Larry either.
As they talked, he remembered the tracts that were lying in his pocket and began to finger them. His heart began to pound faster as he pulled one out of his pocket.
"What have you got there?" Chet demanded.
"Here," Danny tossed it to him.
Chet caught it gingerly.
Danny tossed one to each of the guys.
"I don't think you're going to get me to open this thing," one of them said, laughing. "I'm afraid it'll go off. Is it dynamite, Danny?"
"Could be," the young woodsman replied.
For a full minute the guys fingered their tracts before one of them opened his and began to read. The smile left his face, and for an instant it seemed to Danny that his cheeks went white. By this time the other guys had their tracts open and were reading too.
Nobody moved or said a word until Larry came out of the school white-faced and trembling and took hold of Danny's arm. Silently the gang melted away.
"They're going to send me away," Larry almost whispered when everyone else was gone.
Danny did not answer him.
"You're the only one who can save me, Danny," Larry went on.
"What can I do?"
"Clarence told the others that they could believe what you told them, Danny," Larry went on tensely. "If you just tell them that it wasn't me running the radio transmitter, they'll believe you. Then I won't have to go to the reformatory!"