e
principal of the institution that he himself had recommended, stating
that Ozark had disappeared without doing the college authorities the
courtesy of leaving an address. Inasmuch as he had never expressed the
slightest dissatisfaction with his surroundings, the writer was at a
loss to explain the reason for this disappearance. As to Ozark's
safety, there was no immediate cause for apprehension, for he had taken
with him three trunks of clothing, a high-powered touring car, and a
Belgian police dog; but certain of the young man's exploits that had
come to light since his departure aroused grave doubts in the
principal's mind of his moral well-being.

"What's it mean?" the mother inquired.

"It means that Buddy has taken a vacation. How much money has he?"

"He's got plenty," Gus declared. "More 'n is good for him if--"

"If what?" Ma queried.

Gus halted; it was Allie who answered: "If he's done what we think he's
done--gone away after some woman."

"Some _woman_?" Ma stared blankly from one face to another. "Buddy in
love? Why, he never wrote me nothing about bein' in love." Reading a
further message in her husband's expression, she cried, fiercely: "He's
a good boy. He wouldn't take up with--with nobody that wasn't nice.
What makes you think it's a girl?"

"I didn't say 'girl,' Ma, I said '_woman_.' Buddy's been writin' to me
and--"

"What's the difference? Mebbe he's in love with some nice young woman
an' they've run away to git married. Buddy's han'some, and they got
nice women everywhere--"

"_Love_? With all his money? And him only up to fractions?" Allegheny
laughed scornfully.

Gus Briskow wiped his face with a nervous hand. "I'm 'most sick over
it," he confessed. "The perfessor has written me a coupla times about
him. Buddy's gone kinda wild, I guess, drinkin' an'--"

"Drinking?" Gray interrupted, sharply. "Why didn't you tell me? So, you
gave him unlimited money, in spite of my warning?"

"He wanted his own bank account; his share of the royalties. Made him
feel more like a man, he said. I--I never learned how to say 'no' to
him or Allie. Ma an' I allus said 'no' to each other, but it was allus
'yes' to them. We never had much to give 'em, noway."

"Drinking, eh?" Gray was frowning. "The woman part I don't care so much
about--he'll probably get over that if it isn't too serious. But
whisky! That's different. I'm responsible for that boy; in a manner of
speaking, I adopted him because--well