boys got back to Brill, and while Songbird
prepared to go to supper, Sam hurried to the office of the head of the
institution. He found Doctor Wallington pouring over some teacher's
reports. He listened with a troubled face to what Sam had to tell and
shook his head slowly.

"Too bad, Rover, and I sympathize with you and your family from the
bottom of my heart. Clearly that blow on the head has put your brother
completely out of his mind. I am glad that Richard is coming to Ashton
to aid you. What you had better do next is a problem."

"I think we'll send word West about Tom and then try to follow him,"
answered Sam. "That is why I came here--to notify you that I'd have to
leave."

"I shall be sorry to lose you, Samuel. Let us hope that you'll be able
to come back in a few days--and that Thomas's case will not prove as
bad as we think. I agree that it is best for you to move at once, for
there is no telling what your missing brother may do. Can I aid in any
way?"

"You may cash a check for me--I may need some ready money,--if Dick
doesn't happen to have enough with him."

"I'll do that with pleasure. Anything else?"

"I want to go to Ashton late this evening, to meet Dick. I'll take a
suitcase with me."

"One of the men can drive you down. Will your brother come here?"

"Possibly. But both of us may stay in Ashton, to take the one o'clock
train for Chicago. It stops on signal, you know."

"Yes. Very well. Anything else?"

"No, sir," answered Sam, and then he wrote out the check and got his
money. A little later, after a hasty supper, he started to pack his
suitcase with such things as he thought he might need for the trip to
Chicago.

He was in the midst of his labors when Songbird came in, followed by
Spud, Stanley, Max and several others. All wanted to assist him, yet
they could do little. Each was deeply sympathetic.

"It's too bad, Sam," said Spud. "I hope you catch Tom before he has a
chance to leave Chicago. Why when a chap gets out of his mind there is
no telling what he'll do, or where he'll go."

"Oxactly so," came from Max. "I knowed a man vonce dot goes his mind
owid. He took an axe, and--veil neffer mind, Dom ton't do nuddings
like dot anyvay," added the German-American student hastily, after a
warning look from Songbird.

"I think that moving picture must have hit Tom hard," said Stanley.
"It was so lifelike. He talked about it a great deal."

"Yes, he couldn't fo